I am a fast reader but I took forever to read this book because I loved the characters so much. Clare Pooley is a master of creating stories that I want to fall in to with characters I want to be best friends with.

A story about friendship and sometimes not knowing that you do need to reach out and connect to people.

I loved this book and it was just what I need this past weekend. I've already talked about it at one library book club and plan on book talking at our annual Hot New Reads event this summer. Thank you so much for having the audiobook available on Netgalley!

This is a feel good story about a group of people who have nothing in common but commuting on the morning train to work each day. Iona, the main character in this book, is a 57 year old magazine advice columnist who is reporting on the same things day in and day out. Through an incident on the train this group of people of all different ages and occupations form a bond that helps them manage their own life problems. The eccentric Iona is the driving force of the group. Well drawn characters propel the story along. This is my second book by this talented author. #IonaIverson’sRulesForCommuting #ClarePooley #NetGalley

What a delightful book, the characters were all engaging and well rounded. Iona is the ideal central character and the train setting for much of the book makes it funny and familiar to anyone who has been on a train on a regular basis!
It has a gentle humor with some laugh out loud moments which I loved! I found myself nodding along and smiling all the way as I rooted for each character.
A perfect read for the summer.

Iona Iverson rides the train every day, with her dog Lola, on her way to work and back home. She sees the same commuters every day and has nicknamed many of the regulars. Then, one day, there is an emergency on her train car and Iona breaks the second rule of commuting--never speak to your fellow passengers. Iona decides that maybe it's not so bad to form some connections with her fellow commuters.

We meet the characters individually and as passengers on Iona's train car. Eventually Iona, Piers, Sanjay, Emmie, Martha, David, and Jake. This book does a lovely job of picking apart stereotypes. The main characters are fully fleshed out and all have intriguing stories. The reader can understand how these seeming disparate strangers can form a friendship and grow to care about each other. The teenage girl who is bullied, the magazine writer who faces ageism in the workplace, the nurse who suffers from acute anxiety attacks at work, the alpha male with a demeaning secret; the beautiful girl who seems to have the perfect life; we learn that appearances are misleading and to never dismiss someone based on your first impressions.

I loved The Authenticity Project and was a little nervous to read this author's next book. No need to worry--I loved this book even more than The Authenticity Project. Both books are feel-good stories about a group of strangers coming together to form a community; a badly needed message in today's world. I will recommend Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting to anyone and everyone. Thank you to NetGalley and Pamela Dorman Books for the digital arc of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

4.5 stars. This is a sweet, feel-good story about a group of commuters on a train who become friends after one nearly chokes on a grape. They have preconceived notions about each other, but as they begin to get to know one another, they form quite the group. At the center of this group is Iona, the spoke at the center of the wheel. She is an eccentric 57-year old woman who is at a crossroads in her career as an advice columnist at at magazine. Her train friends begin to rely on her for advice, and they, in turn, help her when she struggles.

Iona Iverson has spent the last 30 years commuting into London on the same train, in the same coach, at the same table. She has very strict rules on proper behavior in that coach until one day a man almost dies in front of her and by getting involved in saving him she upends her own rules. What follows is a testament to how humanity is interlinked and how our lives are better and fuller when we make human connections. My first thought on reading this book was that I want to be Iona when I grow up. Then I realized we're the same age so I have some catching up to do.

I absolutely loved this book from the very first page and did not want it to end. This is my first time reading anything by this author and what a fabulous writer she is! The story centers around Iona, a 57 year old woman who is slowly being pushed out of her job because of her age. She sits in the same seat everyday on the train to and from her job in London with her dog Lulu, yet doesn’t engage in conversation with any of her fellow commuters until a chance medical emergency on the train forces her to start communicating with them. The cast of characters that we meet in this story is quite diverse yet delightful. The reader becomes vested in each of their stories and the relationships that develop among these characters. Iona, having led quite an amazing and unusual life, becomes the unofficial advisor and therapist to the group and readily doles out advice which is spot on for the most part but also fairly humorous.
This story is a feel good, up-lifting, humorous, wonderful story which deserves five stars! I am definitely a fan of this writer and can’t wait to read her other book, The Authenticity Project.
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Prepare to be charmed. IONA IVERSON'S RULES FOR COMMUTING sparkles with the lessons learned when the rules are broken. Rich with relationships and wise and wonderful, this novel celebrates all the unexpected miracles which blossom when we cast our prejudices and fears aside. Enchanting!

Many thanks to Pam Dorman Books and Netgalley for the pleasure of an early read.

Iona, who never talks to strangers on a train, finds herself involved and giving advice to would-be friends. This book deals with teen relationships, failed relationships, family relationships, controlling relationships and budding relationships, all are handled in a delightful way.

Iona Iverson has rules for her daily commute. She has names she has made up for her fellow passengers. She has a seat on the train that no one would dare take. She does not get involved with other people, until she does. I was hooked from the first chapter and had a hard time putting this book down. I needed to know about each character - Iona, Sanjay, Emmie, David, Piers and Martha. Individually you would think this cast of characters has nothing in common, but you would be wrong. If you want a tender, feel-good story pick up this book.

What a wonderful story for a "not so wonderful" time. The author reminds us of the importance of human connections and this cast of characters do just that. This is a heart-warming and funny tale.

Rules are made for breaking, but when you do, there's no telling what the results might be.

Iona Iverson is an experienced advice columnist whose editor would love to trade her in for a younger, cheaper, hipper model. But Iona loves her work, knows her value, and plans to cling to her job for dear life. As the stressful battle for her job begins, Iona breaks the rules of her London commute, speaking to another commuter on her train. To be fair, he was choking to death. And Iona doesn't speak to him but noticing his predicament, actually bellows, "Is there a doctor on the train?"

There isn't. But there's a conscientious male nurse called Sanjay who Heimlichs the choker, Piers, back to life. That's just the beginning of the chain of actions and reactions that changes the lives of a group of commuters on train. By the time "Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting" winds down, readers will have enjoyed a bit of romance, break-ups, humiliation, trauma, career changes, and redemption. The cast of characters includes Sanjay the nurse, his crush Emmie, teenaged outcast Martha, and Piers, along with Iona and Bea, the love of Iona's life.

The book is a reminder of the sweetness of human connection, something that is easy to lose in a world of virtual relationships. Iona is her own woman, a character with a strong voice, and a streak of independence. But when she needs her new friends, they rally around her, just as she ministered to them in their time of need. "Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting" will be published June 7th, and I look forward to purchasing a copy for the library. Fans of Frederik Backman's., "A Man Called Ove" will enjoy Iona and her train mates.

I received a pre-publication copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I wasn't previously a fan of Pooley, but I am now. I really liked the feel-good nature and blossoming friendships of this novel. I think patrons will really connect with Iona and the others like I did, so I've gone ahead and ordered a few copies for the ibrary.

Clare Pooley writes fantastic characters. I love the development in the individuals and their relationships as the book unfolds. One quote in the book summed up the overarching theme quite well, I think: "You have to be careful making assumptions about other people's lives, you know."

Iona Iverson is a true delight! Every day Iona and Lulu, her dog, take the train from home to work. She has wonderful nicknames for all the people who travel the same train as her everyday. And every day, no one talks to each other on train. But one day that is all about to change. This could possibly be the most feel good book of 2022. The characters leap off the page and stay with you long after the book is done!

Loved, loved, loved this sweet story about Iona and her troop of characters. The character development, my number one favorite part of a novel, was outstanding. I truly felt like they were all friends of mine by the end as well. Great for fans of quirky characters like those in A Man Called Ove and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Highly recommended for all collections.

Iona takes the train to work each day. She often sits alone, because people are turned off by her quirky nature. She has nicknames for all of her fellow commuters, but everyone knows you don’t talk to them. When man spreader begins choking, suddenly everyone needs to pitch in to help save him. The following weeks lead to an unconventional friendship between several of her fellow passengers. Suddenly everyone wants to sit with Iona and tell her their secrets.

GAH! Clare Pooley writes the non fantasy versions of The House In The Cerulean Sea. Her books just feel like a big old warm hug, and I absolutely adore them. The way she writes characters, I seriously feel like I know them and want to be their friends! I loved how we saw the initial thoughts about each of the characters, but as the story goes on you learn more about each of them, and realize that first impressions can be incredibly misleading. This book made me want to jump on a train and just start talking to people. I was so nervous to start this one because I loved The Authenticity Project so much, but there was no need! This book was just as amazing and I adored it!

Having long been a fan of trains and people watching, this was the perfect book for me. I loved Clare's first novel (The Authenticity Project), and this one was just as good, if not better. I loved how the train commute from Hampton Court to London brought together this very different group of folks who probably wouldn't have crossed paths otherwise. I look forward to recommending this book to our patrons as a perfect summer read.