Sarah Jio is one of my favorite authors! I’ve read every one of her books and have adored them all. When I found out that the publisher, Ballantine Books, had approved my NetGalley request for an ARC, I was thrilled. I can’t thank Ballantine and Sarah Jio enough for allowing me to have this opportunity. 

This is the story of Valentina, a librarian, whose mother unexpectedly left her as a child. When her mother passed away, Valentina is surprised to find out that her mother has left her an apartment in Primose Hill along with a bookshop that she didn’t know her mother owned. Val is coming out of a marriage that didn’t work and is in her thirties. She is also grieving over her mother and the abandonment that took place when she left her when she was young. As a result, Val travels across the pond to discover more about her mother. 

As Val spends more time in London, she begins to put the puzzle pieces together of her mother’s life. She soon discovers things not only about her mom, but also about herself. 

This is a beautiful, heartwarming story!

I really like Sarah Jio so I was happy to receive an ARC of this book! A cozy story about a bookstore in London told in dual timelines, I flew through it and really enjoyed it. There were some really memorable secondary characters, and I loved the descriptions of London, especially in the 60s. I rounded down from a 3.5 only because parts of it were so predictable, but I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a fun, sweet story about book lovers and second chances. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this one early!

Sarah Jio’s books never disappoint. I absolutely LOVED With Love from London.  What a beautiful story about a mother, Eloise, and daughter, Valentina, who were untimely separated by a man’s anger and inability to communicate.  I really found that this story in the past storyline was so hard to read - I was so angry with Frank for insisting Eloise leave and so sad for Valentina not being able to have her mother during years she needed her most.

But, I loved the current day storyline where Val gets to know her mother and the sweet town of Primrose Hill through a series of clues left behind before Eloise passes.  The journey Val goes on to get to know her mom and find herself was just so well done.

5 stars! 

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of this book.  All opinions expressed are my own.

They say you can't judge a book by its cover but I was immediately intrigued by the setting, style and subject matter. From the first chapter, I was drawn into the story. Booklovers will find themselves both eagerly flipping through to discover the truth while at the same time, forcing themselves to slow down, not wanting the tale to end.

Valentina learns that she has inherited a charming bookstore in London from her mother who abandoned her as a young child.  Valentina is on the heels of a divorce and jumps at the opportunity to start anew.  As she tries to reconcile the memories of a loving mother with the memories she has of being abandoned by the same mother, she unravels a story of love, forgiveness, and self-love.

I really enjoyed this book.  The characters were lovable and I liked watching their stories intertwine.  There was a little bit of everything - love, loss, forgiveness, and even some mystery.  I love books that tell the stories of avid book readers and this one was a light-hearted, feel-good book. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this book in exchange for an honest review.  It was throughly enjoyable!

Great premise and enjoyed bits and pieces of it. I found the characters interesting but not compelling.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was sucked in from the first chapter.  Two viewpoints, one Eloise, one Valentina (daughter of Eloise).  Newly divorced  librarian Eloise receives a call that her estranged Mum has passed away and she must go to London to settle the Estate.  
Turns out her Mum owns a bookstore, which is exactly the distraction Valetina needs in her life. 
Great story lines, every character is colorful!   Enjoy this one- thank you NG!

Sarah Jio is a new-to-me author, so I didn’t go in with any expectations and definitely didn’t imagine I’d be immediately sucked into Valentina and Eloise’s story. WITH LOVE FROM LONDON is bittersweet, but so incredibly lovely. Valentina is a recent divorcee who, on the same day her husband leaves her, finds out that her estranged mother, Eloise, who abandoned her when she was 12, has passed away and left her a bookstore in Eloise’s native London. I absolutely loved the parallel between the two women’s lives and was heartbroken that they were separated and never reunited in person. The story was full of not only those, again, bittersweet moments, but also moments of lightheartedness, love (though I would characterize WITH LOVE FROM LONDON as fiction with elements of romance, rather than straight romance), and forgiveness.

There is nothing like slipping in between the pages of a Sarah Jio book.  Sarah Jio first came to my attention because she writes from a place near and dear to my heart, Seattle.  This story doesn’t take place there but as always reading her characters always feels as if you’re meeting new friends.

The book is a love story, a story of heartbreak, misunderstanding, secrets and family.  You will find yourself transported to London and will enjoy all the new friends you will meet along the way. Valentina has inherited a bookstore in London from a mother she hadn’t seen or heard from since she was 12. Going through a divorce, Valentina finds out the mystery of her mother, the life she lived and along the way she learns things about herself too.  With wonderfully written characters to help you along the way, you will be transported to a story that will tug at your heart and brings happy tears to your eyes.

Sarah Jio in my opinion is one of the most talented writers at getting the reader to feel all the emotions each of her characters go through.  She is a definite must read and the fact that I had the opportunity to read this one early I can’t tell you how thrilled I was.

Thank you to #netgalley, #randomhousepublishing, balantine and #sarahjio for giving me the opportunity to read this wonderful book.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley.
This book was a fast read for me and hard to put down. It's about relationships between friends, between lovers, between mothers and daughters. I really think life is about relationships so that appealed to me greatly. The other great focus of this book is The Book Garden which is a delightful bookstore that I wish existed in real life. The characters and bookshop really came to life for me in this book and I enjoyed it wholeheartedly.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group for the chance to read and review this book. The opinions expressed are my own.

This is the story of Valentina Baker, whose mother left when she was eleven years old. Much to her surprise, Val inherits her mother's apartment and a lovely book shop called Book Garden when her mother dies. Out of curiosity and a need to find out why her mother left, Val decides to visit the apartment and book shop. This visit changes Val's life-she learns so many things about her mother and herself. Sarah Jio is one of my favorite authors, and I was so happy to read this book. Highly recommend!

A charming dual timeline story... Valentina is hit nearly simultaneously with the death of her marriage and the death of her estranged mother. When she arrives in London to look after the bookstore bequeathed to her by her mother, she discovers that Eloise's life was more vibrant and complex than she had realized. While there is plenty of loss in this book, it's mostly glossed over in favor of daffodils and happy endings, and I didn't mind that at all. 

My thanks to the author, publisher, and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an arc of this book. #WithLoveFromLondon

I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I will definitely be giving this book 5/5 stars! This was such a heartfelt book about finding yourself again and getting a fresh start at life! I was drawn in from the first chapter and couldn’t put it down! Very much an uplifting “feel good book”! Will definitely be recommending this to my friends!

I have already posted my review on Goodreads and will post it on Amazon when it becomes available!

I was so excited to see another release from Sarah Jio.  I'm a fan of her work as her books tug on heart strings.  WLFL was no exception.

Valentina is going through a divorce and receives word that her mother, who abandoned her when she was a child, has passed away.  She left Valentina a bookstore and home in London.  Valentina is soon in London trying to figure out her mother's life after she left her family, as well as rebuild her own.

This was such a beautiful story.  Each page had such love.  It alternates from the past from the point of view of Valentina's mom, Eloise and Valentina in the present.  The secondary characters are all lovely, and I cherished every page as Valentina put together why her mom left her, as well as she rebuilds her life after a divorce.  

Thank you to Random House Publishing Ballantine and NetGalley

The truth is, no review I write can do this book justice. Period. It is inherently beautiful, inspirational, heartbreaking, thought provoking and utterly charming just as I imagine the town of Primrose Hill, in which the book is set, and it’s fictitious inhabitants to be. 

As our story opens, Valentina is faced with a looming divorce and an inheritance from her long lost mother, Eloise - a bookstore in a pristine and quaint London neighborhood. A librarian herself, it’s Valentina’s inherited love of books as well as her curiosity about her mother’s life that take her from her past in Seattle to a new life in London. Through the people she meets and the books she finds, she learns that life isn’t always what it seems and relationships can be healed with time. 

A love story within a love story, it’s hard not to  be taken with each of the supporting characters. From Eloise’s best friend Millie who remains at Eloise’s side through it all, to Liza, the extremely energetic and lovable tenant/sidekick/friend, to Eric, who shares his own deep connection to Valentina’s mother, each and every character including Percy the cat, make you feel as though you’ve met them before in another time or another life. 

In a Bookstagram post (I can’t believe I had to google what this was) regarding her favorite book The Last Winter, Val writes “What makes books more special, than say, a movie, is that you can hold them. When your own world feels bleak, a book is a portal to anywhere.” As The Last Winter was for Val, so is With Love From London for me. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review.

I literary (pun in hand) could not put this book down. I have always been obsessed with anything London but add in an English woman that owns a book store in Primrose Hill and her American daughter that is a librarian; it was the perfect fit for this bibliophile. 

Valentina has set out on a scavenger hunt both figuratively and literally to find the mother, Eloise, that left her as a child.  Set in both past and present, Sarah Jio, introduces us to both women and the paths that lead them to their destiny, from wrong timing, missed breaks, deceit and finally redemption and forgiveness.  It is a love story all around, between a woman and a man, her daughter, her love of community, her home, and books. It reinforced my truth that even when we make wrong turns on our path, destiny will eventually come to pass. 

Sarah Jio, weaves all sort of timeless literary classics into this story, ones that most have read and ones that you will desire to now; from children’s books we all loved to love story’s that stand the test of time. I fell hard for Eloise, Valentina and the whole neighborhood of Primrose Hill and I hope you will too! 
PS…been searching for The Last Winter and cannot find it….so if so please message me!!!

With Love from London
by Sarah Jio 
Valentina Baker was only 12 when her mother, Eloise, left for London, leaving Val and her father on their own in the United States.  Valentina is now a librarian in her thirties with a recently failed marriage when she receives word that her mother has passed away leaving the estate, including an apartment and a bookstore in London to her.
Determined to find out more about the mother she barely knew, she settles in London leaving her life in Seattle behind her. But as she grows to love the neighborhood and the people she learns that the store is in danger of going under and she must work with the staff to save it as she discovers more about her mother.
This is a heartwarming story of love of family and friends and misunderstandings. I found all the characters to be charming, each in their own way. The chapters alternate between Val in the present day and her mother in her earlier days.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an advanced copy of this e-book for a fair and honest review. This book debuts on February 8, 2022.

Val is a librarian in Seattle who inherits a bookshop in London from her mother than she hasn't seen or heard from since she was 12 years old.  Coming off a divorce, Val heads to London, to deal with heartache from both her failed marriage, but her estranged relationship with her mother.  Upon arrival in London, Val discovers the building that her mother owned, understands the charm of the neighborhood her mother settled in, and meets some of her mother's friends.  Her mother had left a scavenger hunt for her that helps her understand more about the life her mother led here.
I really enjoyed this book.  The characters were relatable and the bookstore setting was charming.

This is such a heartwarming, feel good story. Valentina is recently separated from her husband and finds out she has inherited a bookshop in London. She travels to London and meets the loveliest cast of characters in Primrose Hill. The descriptions of the London neighborhood make you feel as if you are right there.
This book is told in dual timelines and perspectives. One is present day Valentina who is trying to save the Book Garden and learning all about the mother who left her when she was just a child. The other timeline is Eloise, who is Valentina's mother, and the agonizing choices she had to make.
I didn't want this book to end. I was immersed in the characters, the bookshop and this entire story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book for review.

Librarian Valentina Baker has recently ended her marriage and is left wondering if this is all there is, is this all her life is? Then she gets word that the mother that left Valentina and her father behind when Valentina was a child, has left her daughter a book shop and an apartment in London. Saddened by the death of her estranged mother, Valentina heads to London to check out her inheritance and learn more about her estranged mother. Falling in love with her new home and the book shop, Valentina must use all her book acumen to save the Book Garden. A lovely story of the love between a mother and daughter and the power of books to united across time