With Love From London was a sweet story that shows the impact of a place, in this case a struggling bookstore in London, and a group of unfamiliar people coming together to heal life's disappointments. The story revolves around Valentina, a Seattle librarian suffering the end of her marriage and Eliose, her recently deceased British mother who deserted her long ago. This was a well written contemporary novel, well paced with richly drawn characters. I didn’t really feel there were any surprises reading the book, all the plot elements play out just as the summary informs us and the ending was predictable. However what made this book so enjoyable was that the characters felt believable and the descriptions of London and the bookstore just made me want to move there. 3.5 **/5

A dual timeline, a bookstore, AND London? Sign me up for this.

With Love From London is told from the perspective of Valentina, a librarian and book lover in the present day, and from the perspective of her mother in the 1960’s. I really enjoyed so much about this book- but in the end many of the characters fell flat for me- and the relationships were so…. BIG so fast, and it ultimately felt like I was reading a hallmark movie- but hey I’m into that and it made for a great, quick read.

(Rounded up from 3.5)

I was so excited to learn Sarah Jio had a new book coming out- I’ve read all of her previous books. This book did not disappoint! I almost always love a dual time line book, and this one with a daughter in current time learning about her mother in her time line was great!
Characters were well developed, I especially liked the side kick Liza! And I mean a lot of it takes place in a book store, what more could you ask for!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion- which is - go read this book!

This book was pretty predictable but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. I love books set in London and I really liked the dual storylines although I was frustrated that Eloise didn’t try harder to find her daughter. I did like the bit of romance in it but the mystery of who the book belonged to was pretty telegraphed from the beginning. Overall it was a fun, if very predictable book.

It’s such a well written, refreshing story; of love, second chances, optimism, hope and most importantly second chances at life. I absolutely love the main character, the setting, word building, description of the locations. It’s so heartfelt that at times it left me sobbing, so it was very hard for me to put it down after finishing it.

So in a nutshell, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and being in Valentina’s world.

Also, thank you so much NG and Random House/Ballantine, and NetGalley for the arc in exchange of an unbiased and voluntary review.

-> The review is immediately being posted to my GR, Twitter and Bookbub accounts, also it would later be up to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.

I love any type of London themed novel as you would expect! This was a beau mother/daughter story which was lovely as I am very close with my mum. It was a search of self discovery and finding closure and answers: it was beautifully written and I enjoyed every moment.

Dealing with a painful divorce and notified that her long-estranged mother has died of cancer, Valentina leaves behind her librarian job in Seattle and travels to London to claim her mother's legacy--an apartment house and a quaint book shop. She has never understood why her mother, Eloise, abandoned her abruptly when she was twelve and didn't respond to any of her letters over the years. As she gets to know Eloise's friends and tries to save the financially-strapped shop, she also begins to solve the mystery of her mother's life.

In alternate chapters, we follow Eloise through her early life as a wife and mother in Seattle and her later life in London. Seeing the story from two perspectives and in two timelines was particularly effective, helping the reader understand how both Valentina and Eloisa coped with trauma and disappointment in their lives and ultimately overcame them.

The protagonists, as well as the secondary characters, were lovingly portrayed, and the story was heartfelt and uplifting, although I was hoping for a bit more in-depth detail about the book shop.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

I adore this author and was completely ecstatic when I received an ARC of her newest novel. I love the perspective she writes of both mother and daughter as her daughter tries to piece together her mother’s life when she packs up her old life and moves to London. Such a beautiful story.

Another good story from Sarah Jio. Born and raised in California, Valentina is surprised when she receives a call saying the mother she hasn’t heard from in many years has died and left her a bookstore in London. Having just gone through a divorce, Valentina takes the opportunity to get away from her life in California in hopes of leaning more about her mother, who she always believed left her behind. While unraveling the story of her mother’s life, Valentina falls in love with the bookstore and those she meets in her new neighborhood. The story is told in the alternate voices of Valentina and her mother. Sarah Jio always does a good job weaving the past and present with a few surprises along the way.

I loved this book! It was new, fresh and refreshing. There was love and family, hope, forgiveness and second chances. I love a great romance and when it involves a book store you just know it is going to have a little something extra special. There was a lot of character development and growth throughout the book which just keeps you engaged and enjoying the story and the process.

This is a story of a girl named Valentina who has recently gone through a divorce and is on her way to London because her mother (who she hasn’t seen or talked to since she was 12) has recently passed away. When she arrives Valentina finds a letter from her late mother with a scavenger hunt, Valentina’s mother left her a bookstore which is in danger of shutting down unless she can pay her tax lien. She teams up with her mother’s best friend and a new friend she finds in London to try and save the bookstore.

I loved this book so much. It was hard to put it down. This story tugged at my heartstrings. I enjoyed reading both storylines and how they each dealt with losing and finding love. Jio is a master of writing about romance.

4.5/5 stars!

With Love From London by Sarah Jio is a great contemporary fiction that genuine, heartfelt, and entertaining.

This was such a refreshing story. It is a story of family, love, misunderstandings, hope, forgiveness, and second chances at life.

Valentina (Val) Barker is such a great character. Traveling from the US to London to inherit property and a Bookstore from her estranged mother, she gets more than she bargained for. In this quest she finds more about her past, herself, and learning to love and let go in the process.

I really liked the descriptions of the locations and really enjoyed the pacing of the narrative.

A wonderful novel that left me uplifted after finishing.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Random House/Ballantine for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.