At first I didn't like Valentina's mother. Because at first you only have Valentina's view of her mom and the choices she thought her mom had made. But as you read and the book alternates chapters between Valentina in the semi present day and her mom Eloise in the past. As you get the whole story your view or at least mine starts to change. And you see that because of things neither could control they both didn't get the life they wanted.

I always enjoy reading books that feature librarians or bookseller as the heroine, because as a library assistant jobs involving books are near and dear to me. Though they aren't generally my go to as I sometimes use reading to escape. However I do have to mention that while this a women's fiction book it does deal with grief and the lose of a mother. Books about losing a parent can be hard for me to read. However as a reader I can handle reading books about losing a mom because I've already experienced that. Though almost six years later I still dealing with that grief. And though I didn't lose my mom to what Valentina lost her mom to, I still had to watch my mom fight that same thing.

All in all it was a good read. I cried reading it so have tissues handy but there were also moments in which I did laugh as well.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

One of the many poignant points in this novel is that books find you and this book definitely found me when I needed it most. It's a feel-good story built around family, love, forgiveness, and writing your own story. There's a touch of romance, a little mystery, some regret, and a lot of love from a mother to her daughter. The book is a light, quick read, but it has a lot of depth and feeling in the pages that make it worth the journey.

I freaking loved this!! If you're a Sarah Jio fan, I don't think this will disappoint you. When a young woman inherits a bookshop in London from a mother that she hasn't seen in years, she just wants to sell. When she gets there though, she begins to fall in love with the neighborhood, her new friends, the bookshop, and maybe......a new man. Along the way she finally gets to the know the mother she thought she knew. Loved everything about this story. One of my new favorites by Jio.

Valentina has just inherited her mother’s estate. She has not laid eyes on her mother since she was a young child. So, this is not exactly what she expected. But, when she arrives in London, she finds a mystery and life changing information which changes her mind about her mother.

Valentina thought her mother just up and left her when she was a small girl. But it seems to be a bit more complicated than that. She discovers things were not as they appeared and her father was not the man she thought he was.

What is it about a novel that has a bookstore in it and book references that just tend to make you just fall in love? I enjoyed so much about this tale! I could just picture the book store and Percy the cat. Add in the book references and the scavenger hunt…and I was hooked from start to finish!

Need a feel good story with great characters and BOOKS…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

I have been a big fan of Sarah Jio's previous work so I was thrilled to read this latest book. This book follows both Valentina and her mother, Eloise. Eloise left when Valentina was little and never came back. Now Valentina is in London to take over her mother's bookstore.

I really was much more interested in Eloise's sections and life than I was with Valentina's sections. I definitely felt the past was much more intriguing then the present day. Valentina seemed nice and all but there was nothing about her that really stuck out to me.

Overall I did enjoy this book and would definitely be interested in reading more from Sarah Jio.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the galley.

This was the first book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it. It was slow to get started and a little slow in the middle, but it kept my interest.

I did not like the sadness though. It was sad watching Valentina discover and lose her mother all over again.

Valentina inherits her mothers book store after she passes away. She struggles to pay the inheritance tax, which if she defaults, she'll lose the bookstore and her mother all over again.

She befriends her mother's tenant, Lizzy and Miller, her mothers childhood friend. They work together with the community to save the bookstore.

We follow both stories, Eloise and Valentina's in 2 different story lines but both intertwining.

I just reviewed With Love from London by Sarah Jio. #WithLovefromLondon #NetGalley

Amazing! This book hooked me from the moment I started reading! It is truly one of the best books I've read in recent times. The plot was intriguing -- who wouldn't love to inherit a bookstore and it had an apartment! The characters were interesting - Val the brokenhearted daughter and Eloise, her mother.

I had not previously read any books by this author I'm sorry to say. Needless to say, I will be looking for them at the library! She tells a story that has so much heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

A literary work of art. Ms. Jio's books always make you FEEL! Newly divorced Valentina suddenly receives a bookstore in London from the mother who left her when she was 12 years old. With the bookstore, she also inherits quirky characters and clues about her mother. As Valentina finds the clues from her mother, she also finds herself. As usual, a lovely story from Ms. Jio.

**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest review**

Sarah Jio never fails to make me cry (in a good way). She magically weaves a tale set in modern times, then flashes back to the past, bringing the characters together in a way that burrows in your heart and leaves a lasting impression. The book shares alternating chapters between Valentina (modern day) and her mother, Eloise (past) and captures your interest from page 1. Valentina was abandoned by her mother when she was 12, but after moving to London and inheriting her mother's bookstore when she passes, Valentina unravels stories from her mother's past that makes her question life, love and loss. This book was enchanting, emotional and SO good to read- especially the scavenger hunts and the friendships with Millie, Liza and Eric (and Percy!). This is a book for someone who loves books and loves love.

Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the gifted book I read along with the library audio.

This book is a love letter to books and how they can be the tie that binds. It's also an ode to the bond between a mother and daughter despite less than ideal circumstances. I was drawn in by all the fun elements: an inherited bookstore, a quirky neighbor, and a literary scavenger hunt courtesy of a dead mom, and I stayed for the endearing characters and and sweet story. This book covers the gamut of topics and I was here for all of them: grief, first loves, female friendships, found families, mothers and daughters, second acts, and forgiveness. Overall I would categorize this one as contemporary women's fiction, but it does have some fun romance elements.

✨Book Review ✨

Sarah Jio is an auto read author for me. Her book All the Flowers in Paris absolutely WRECKED me. I’ve been highly anticipating her newest, With Love From London. It did not disappoint!

Valentina travels to London after the loss of her estranged mom and finds out she’s inherited her mothers bookshop. This story unfolds in the most beautiful way! Told In dual timelines, we are privy to Valentina and Eloise and their remarkable love stories. This is a beautiful tribute to book lovers and the bonds between mother and daughter. The supporting characters were positively lovely! As the truth unfurled about Eloise and why she left her daughter, my heart thawed along with Valentina’s. This was a slow unravel of a stunning story. 5 ⭐️

Thank you @randomhouse for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review!

With Love from London is a beautiful love letter to books and book lovers everywhere. As a librarian, I was intrigued by a story about a librarian who inherits a quaint bookstore in London. What's not to love!

The story is told in alternating timelines between Valentina, a recently divorced librarian from Seattle, and Valentina's mother, Eloise. Eloise was forced by her husband to leave her loveless marriage and her 12 year old daughter. Eloise fled to London to start a bookstore with her best friend, Millie. When Eloise passes, she leaves the bookstore to Valentina. This exquisite novel tells the story of how both mother and daughter start their lives over after heartbreak.

If you like stories about the love of reading, forgiveness, and second acts this is the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine/Penguin Random House for this advance readers copy.

There are so many coincidences and chance meetings with "the right person" that it seemed contrived. Still, it's a sweet story.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with this sweet subtle romance!

Overall, I found this book to be precious and heartwarming. I felt fully invested in the characters, the plot, and felt strongly they could achieve their goals with a little help from their friends!

The book began with Valentina, a recent divorcee who has now inherited her mother's estates including the cutest London bookshop. She arrives disheveled and ready to close her mother's doors to London, however she quickly falls in love with the residents of this town, the shop, and then in love with her dream man. Sarah Jio does a wonderful job of helping her audience fall in love with the characters and the town of Primose Hill. It was extremely cozy in a rewatching Gilmore Girl's way. Because of my love of the characters, Valentina, Liza, and Millie, I wanted nothing more than the greatest of success for them.

Much to the style of Taylor Jenkin's Reid's Malibu Rising (my absolute favorite book I read in 2021), Jio also lets us in on the trialing story of Valentina's mother Eloise. Another element that I loved is that you get to see flashbacks of Eloise and her best friend Millie, whom is now forming a wonderful relationship with Valentina in the more recent sections of the story. It felt perfectly full circle and allowed the reader to see different perspectives of everything happening. In addition, Eloise has set up the most perfect scavenger hunt to help her connect to the town, the flat, and in the end her mother. While it feels a tad late, the healing that comes of this for Valentina is irreplaceable. Jio flawlessly ties this connection to her mother, into the story of Valentina's future in Primrose Hill, if she were to choose to stay and make this her new life.

Lastly, this is truly a book made for book lovers. Not only does it reference a plethora of the classics, it is also the story of one librarian converting to a wonderful book seller. Valentina and Eloise's love of books runs generationally deep, and allows them to connect in ways they never could during Eloise's time alive. In way's it made me think of my librarian mom and I, and her dream to open a children's bookstore.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Random House for letting me get my hands on this sweet novel!

Sometimes I get very conflicted on what to rate a book because I know the book deserves more stars than I’m giving it. Then I remind myself that my review is about how much I enjoyed the book. And for me, a 3 star rating is a book I enjoyed. A 4 star is a book I really enjoyed/loved and a 5 star rating is a book that will definitely be one of my favorites for the year and probably for many years to come.

For me this book was 3 stars from an enjoyment standpoint but 4 stars as far as how well it was written and the storyline. Here’s why, it was so sad. I was so very sad for most of this book. I don’t do well with sad books. I didn’t realize how sad this book was going to be. Sure, the description specifically mentions that the main character, Valentina’s, mother has just died and that they’ve been estranged for decades. She left Valentina a bookstore in London.
So, yes, estrangement of the family and her mother Eloise’s death were front and center. But I’ve read other books with a similar storyline that weren’t all that sad. Anyway…

This story alternates between the present day in London with Valentina and the past with Eloise (starting in London, moving to the US).

In the present day, poor Valentina gets a Dear John note from her husband and she finds out her mother died the same day.
To make things even worse, her mother left when Valentina was only 12. Eloise went back to London and Valentina never heard from her again.
Can you even imagine? Both Valentina’s husband snd her own mother left her without explanation, completely out of the blue. What would that do to a person?

Valentina is so strong. She is dealing with her conflicting emotions about her mother: anger that she left and sadness that she’s gone.

Valentina inherited her mother’s love for books too. So, the idea of inheriting a bookstore is pretty great. But she’s immediately hit with an inheritance tax that she’s not sure she’ll be able to pay. And if she can’t pay it, she’ll lose the bookstore.

I’m addition to this main story, there are additional storylines going on that manage to add to the story without making it feel like too much.
-Valentina’s mother left behind a scavenger hunt to lead Valentina to the real reason behind what happened and more than anything to show Valentina that she always loved her.
-Valentina finding a copy of her favorite book with notes from a man in it and deciding to find the man who wrote the notes.
-all of Eloise’s dramas from her love circle in London to her life in the US and why she left.

Very detailed, well written story. Not one loose end wax left behind. Despite all of these storylines, I felt every one got a conclusion.

If I had been able to handle the sadness of the story more it absolutely would have been a higher rating from me.

I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thanks!

“Books have feelings. Only you can unlock them. It’s easy, though, all you have to do is read the pages.” There are plenty of feelings to unlock in With Love from London. Sarah Jio shares two love stories: one with tragic timing and one with “stardust luck.” Valentina, a librarian and bookstagrammer, arrives in London as the new proprietor of The Book Garden, previously owned by Eloise, her estranged, recently deceased mother. Sara Jio draws readers into Eloise’s dream of escaping London’s East End, her unlikely life in California, and how she “finds some semblance of life again.” After Valentina arrives in London relationships of husband/wife, parent/child, and best friends are delicately explored in years of letters, shared memories, and scavenger hunts just like her mother had created when she was a child. In this dual timeline, themes of friendship and family inspire readers to examine feelings ranging from anger to understanding and from pain to forgiveness. Read With Love from London with anticipation of healing, revelations, and a new lease on life!

This was absolutely beautiful. Dual POV, mother and daughter, different decades. You learn about their relationship and their history as you read the book. The growth that Valentina experiences throughout this book was amazing to experience. Love, loss, and self discovery. Eloise does the best she can with what she has. This touched my heart and I’m so happy I picked this off the shelf.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for this digital ARC.

With Love from London by Sarah Jio is a lovely story of love, loss, and finding yourself again. Val's mom left when she was a teenager, and now her mom has died and left her a bookshop in Primrose Hill. Val never understood why her mom left; and when she gets to her newly inherited bookshop, she finds that her mom has left her many clues to help her learn what the real story was. This story was charming and delightful, and all the characters were wonderfully done as well. I would definitely recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

The first half of this book was a little slow for me. But the ending had me not wanting to put it down. Sarah Jio does a great job pulling your heart strings as she takes you through both Val and her mother Eloise's life.

If you like new beginnings, fun characters and stories of forgiveness, and yes, all kinds of love, you'll want to read Sarah Jio's latest novel: With Love from London. Valentina Baker's beautiful mother abandons her when Valentina is only 11, fleeing back home to England. Two decades later, and one failed marriage, Valentina is a librarian (her love of books passed down from her mother) and is blindsided when she is notified that not only has her mother passed away, she has left her a flat and beloved neighborhood bookstore in Primrose Hill. Valentina flies across the Atlantic-hoping to learn more about her mother. With a cast of charming characters, a journey of discovery and the backdrop of Primrose Hill, Jio has crafted another beautiful novel that explores forgiveness, love and new beginnings.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.