I fell in love with Sarah Jio’s writing several years ago when I read “The Bungalow”. That is definitely still my favorite, but I enjoyed this one as well. Thanks for letting me read it!

Val's mother, Eloise, has passed away, and the small bookstore she opened in London now belongs to the daughter she abandoned when she was only 11 years old. Val has to come to terms with her mother's death while also dealing with the resentment caused by Eloise's choice to go back to her home in Primrose Hill.
As Val starts to learn about Eloise's life in London, she realizes that her mother's decision was influenced by many factors that she never knew about before, and the small bookstore she now owns is hiding the answers to her questions about why Eloise left her all those decades ago.

This book made me so emotional, and I was truly engaged by Val and Eloise dual storylines. The story starts with Val's present life finding out about her mother's dead and flying from California to London to get her mother's affairs in order and sell the small bookstore she opened two decades ago. As she starts to dig into the bookstore's state, Val also learns the truth behind her mother's decision to leave her behind in the US. While Val is trying to come to terms with the sense of abandonment she suffered, she starts to get to know her mother in a way that she did not see coming. With the help of her mother's friends and acquaintances, Val learns about the person Elise was before and after becoming a mother. 

I found this story truly beautiful and felt so many emotions while Val learned about her mother and the life she had in London and California. It was truly heartbreaking to learn the truth and I felt the same despair that Val felt when she finds out the reason's behind her mother's decision to leave her with her father. And i felt truly sympathetic towards Val for everything she had to go through before getting to know her late mother. Overall, a beautiful story! I wish Val and Eloise would have had more time together and it made me sad they only get the chance to develop a relationship when it's too late.

Really enjoyed this book.  I loved the mother daughter story, just pulled at my heartstrings so so much.  The scenery, of LA. Seattle, and London-some of my favs.  And the fact that these women loved books, I mean, what could be better.  I could have done with a bit more spice, but I can always add more spice to my books!
Wonderful read and so heartwarming.

This book is definitely very cozy. Both timelines kept me interested, which is usually hard to pull off when you're switching characters and time periods every chapter. Reading about readers is a treat.

Super cute and a light read. If you need something to get you out of a slump this would be it.
The story is a cute story and the characters are super likeable.

While I do not want my life to fall apart like Valentina's, I would be thrilled to inherit a bookstore in London. What a great adventure to take. I enjoyed following Valentine's story as she learned about her estranged mother, made friends, and discovered herself through her mother.  The bookstore was charming and I added some fun landmarks to my must visit list if I make it to London.

With Love from London by Sarah Jio is a heartwarming story about family and community, love, forgiveness and second chances. I love stories revolving around books and bookstores and I enjoyed the segments devoted to Eloise’s and Valentina’s love for books. Really sweet!

I've been a fan of Sarah Jio for awhile, and this book did not disappoint. I loved the setting of this one. What's not to love about a bookstore??

While I loved the setting of this book and the overall premise of it, I felt like it was a bit too slow? I also think I was unprepared for the emotion in this book!  The competing storylines of Val and Eloise was really well done. The concept of inheriting a bookstore and moving across the ocean for it was refreshing and new. Overall, a 3 star book for me!

Thank you NetGalley and Ballentine Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah Jio does it again. I have loved every one of her books so far and With Love From London is my new favorite. This is a dual timeline story, that follows Eloise and her daughter, Valentina Baker.  At eleven years old Valentina's mother leaves her unexpectedly and she never hears from her again until her mother dies and she inherits Eloise's bookstore in London.  The book takes us on a heartbreaking story of their lives through a scavenger hunt that Eloise puts together before her death.  Can Valentina forgive her mother for leaving her and also save her mother's failing bookstore?

Sarah Jio does such a good job of drawing the reader into the story and making us fall in love with the characters.  You become so invested in their lives, you just can't put the book down until you know everything is going to be just fine for them.  I highly recommend this book. 5 out of 5 stars!

‘With Love From London’ by Sarah Jio was emotional, enchanting, and just fully and completely sucked me in. Highly recommend!

I've long been a fan of Sarah Jio and have read every book she's published. With Love from London did not disappoint. It is classic Jio - just the right amount of romance, combined with past trauma / heartbreak, a descriptive and beautiful setting, well-developed and likable characters, and a heartwarming story of love. If you're a fan of Sarah Jio, or have never heard of her, I think you'll love this.

I thought the story was well-written and thought out. I was unable to finished due to my schedule, but I am whittling down my tbr to buy, and finish, the book

I love a bookstore setting! What book lover wouldn't want to inherit a bookstore!? With love from london was very heartwarming and beautiful. Some slow spots but all in all a good read! Love the alternating timelines.

I read anything involving book shops, so I was super excited to receive an ARC of With Love from London. It was a quick read and touched my heart. Although it was a bit slow at times, I thoroughly enjoyed it and read it in only a day. 

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advanced review copy for my honest opinions!

Valentina Baker’s mother has died and she inherits her bookstore and the garden attached. Her heart is broken not only because her mother has passed but that they were estranged. All the hopes of reuniting are now lost. When she was a little girl her mother left her and her father and went to England. She was devastated when her mom left and now she has a chance to see the life her mom created for herself in Primrose. It would be difficult but she knew she had to get there. Once there she finds herself falling in love with the same place her mother did. The village, the friends, the bookshop all enchant her. Especially when she finds a series of love notes on some books and she tries to piece together the story of the two. Valentina has to decide if she will stay and keep the book store open, if she can make herself a life there and if she can make a life in Primrose.. I really enjoyed this one. I liked the characters and the story line. Baker’s ability to communicate family troubles, life struggles and love connections so well was refreshing. This was a four star read for me. I want to thank Netgalley & The author for my copy for an honest review. It was an absolute pleasure to read & review. I hope you enjoy it too!!!’

Wow. I’ve read quite a few contemporary romance novels and so many of them follow a similar route - they become so predictable and mundane. I’m so relieved to say that With Love From London blew all of those out of the water with a fresh take on lost (and found) love. 

I love the flashbacks to Valentina’s mother - in fact, her story is my favorite. All those years away from her love, and he was there for her in the end. A beautiful story. 

Overall rating: 4.25. Thank you NetGalley and the author for an ARC of this read!!!

I tried to read this book.
Then I trued switching to the audio book.
Sadly, it's just not for me.

This is a very, very, slow moving read. I'm 30% in and almost nothing has happened. And while I appreciate the quirkiness of the many side characters, it was just too many. 

DNF 30%

I LOVE Sarah Jio books and I was so excited for this one to come out! It did not disappoint. I loved the dual timelines and the setting of a bookstore in London. It felt like a heartwarming Hallmark movie and I loved it! Another 5 star book from Sarah Jio! I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Publisher Synopsis:

When librarian Valentina Baker was a teenager, her mother, Eloise, unexpectedly fled to her native London, leaving Val and her father on their own. Now in her thirties and fresh out of a failed marriage, Val feels a nagging disenchantment with her life--and knows she is still heartbroken over her mother's abandonment.

In a bittersweet twist of fate, Val receives word that Eloise has passed away, leaving Val her Primrose Hill apartment and the deed to a bookshop Val never knew she'd owned. Though the news is devastating, Val finds herself more determined than ever to discover who her mother truly was. She jets across the Atlantic, departing Seattle for a new life in charming London

Review: I absolutely loved this book - it was so incredibly charming. I love Sarah Jio - I've read a few of her other books and they are absolutely light, romantic but poignant. It also made me feel like I was able to travel and it was just such a fun escape. I also love that there's a bookshop involved - that's always a bonus. Overall 5/5 stars.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for my free digital copy.