It took me a couple of tries to get into this book, but that was entirely down to me, not the story. Once I did, I devoured 70% in one sitting, only stopping because I had to sleep.
I was completely drawn into the emotional journey, not just Tilly’s, but the lives of everyone around her. The PS, I Love You-style twist, where Joe leaves her books and notes to guide her through a year in her new life, was heartfelt and beautifully done.
Moving, uplifting, and impossible to put down once it hooked me this is a 5-star read for me.

I recieved a copy of this as an ARC from NetGalley.
This is a slow burn romance that also deals with the many forms of grief. The main character receiving a gift of a year of books on her birthday from her husband who died following a long illness. The author tells the story using both the book shop owner and the widow as points of view characters. Emails and text messages are also used to drive the story forward.
I love that the book is also divided into the months with the bookshop in the story also making suggestions of books to read that match the book given.
It is rare that a book makes me cry but this one made me cry in 4 separate places but please don’t let this put you off.
This is a beautiful book and would recommend it for anyone who enjoys spending time in bookshops.

I loved everything about this book; the way Tilly's grief is handled so sensitively, the recommendations of books on a theme for each month (which I have meticulously added to a KeepNote), the hope that the books brings without being saccharine or shying away from the ups and downs of grief while showing that life is allowed to go on, the moments that make you cry. I knew (hoped?) what would happen at the end, but that didn't distract from the story of getting there. All in all, it's been the perfect summer holiday read,

Libby Page is one of those authors that can write a book that feels like a hug, and this might be her biggest hug of a book yet. Particularly if you're a lover of books and bookshops.

Tilly has lost her husband but he's left a gift from beyond the grave - a year of books from the local independent bookshop. He has carefully selected books that he knows Tilly will enjoy and will help her as she learns to live without him. Little does Tilly know how much these books will begin to change her life.

I loved this book and the characters Page has created within it. It is a poignant exploration of grief, friendship and love. It makes me want to read more and go on more adventures. It also makes me grateful for bookshops and the people that run them, they truly are a magical place and such a valuable community resource.

I’m mostly a fantasy reader… but wow. This book got me right in my feels.

This Book Made Me Think of You is about friendship, love, and the messy, beautiful ways we stay connected even when life takes us in different directions.

It’s tender, it’s real, and it made me so emotional, the kind where you don’t realise you’re crying until the tears hit the page. Libby Page writes long-distance friendship so well: the missed calls, the in-jokes that survive years, the ache of loving someone you don’t see every day.

By the end, my heart hurt in the best way.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ — and from a die-hard fantasy reader, that’s saying something.

This is a beautifully written book. Full of inspiration, hope and showcasing the profound impact books can have on the reader.

Tilly is only just surviving after the loss of fiancée Joe. He has left her a collection of books each to be collected once a month after he has passed away. Tilly struggles to open the first book, but as each month passes she finds herself looking forward to finding out what lies behind the beautifully wrapped parcels. The books not only remind her of the thoughtfulness of Joe, but encourage her to make changes to her life, pushing herself out of her comfort zone and helping her navigate her grief.

This book highlights how books can expand our horizons, taking us travelling, building new relationships and friendships along the way.

This book is full of wonderful characters and is both thought provoking and inspiring. Overall a book I didn’t want to end .

This book is absolutely beautiful. To love someone enough to know exactly what books are the right books for them is so special. I think this is a book that everyone will like but those of us who read all the time will fall in love with this book. It will be a read and read again for me. Just beautiful.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for my honest and unbiased opinion.

A heart warming book about grief and finding a way to live after loss.
The idea of a book every month is of course amazing, and this book should come with a warning. It will triple your to read pile!

I have bees a fan of Libby Page for a number of years and this didn’t disappoint!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy to review.

What a glorious, moving read.

Tilly is an eminently likeable character who is navigating loss and love through a year of books: picked for her by her late husband
We learn about her past and get to know her through the months that follow her receiving her first blok. She is brave and resilient; forgiving and tenacious. I loved her.
The characters in this book are fabulous and the relationships truly believable. I lived in both London and Paris and loved the nods to both places. Adding in book recommendations was an excellent way to punctuate the story and having read many of them I’ve added the rest to my pile. This story is a little reminiscent of PS I love you but I enjoyed it much more
Excellent read and highly recommended

A wonderful, heartfelt and emotional story about grief and the importance of books and book shops. This book made me cry, laugh and root for the lovely cast of characters.

I'd give this book 4.5 stars overall, there were times I felt like the plot didn't feel quite as connected as it could, rather more a montage of moments in parts. However, I still loved those moments and thought the way this book explored grief was really touching.

I'd highly recommend this book, especially if you've read and enjoyed P.S. I Love You, and thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this wonderful arc. I really truly loved this book so much. What a gorgeous navigation through grief and how life continues stubbornly on whether we want it to or not when we lose someone. I adored all the characters in this book for so many different reasons.

I loved the bookshop background setting as bookshops are a place that have truly let me escape when I’ve needed to most. I think many people will relate to the notion of books helping you find yourself again through grief.

The only thing that I wanted was for the chemistry between the two main characters to feel a little more resolved at the end - but other than that this book is truly perfect!

This is a gorgeous, tender book filled with brave moments and learning to live with your grief. I highly recommend this book, absolutely lovely 💖

I absolutely adored this book. I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump lately and this book was just perfect to get me out of it (finished it in one day). The writing was great and it was so lovely to get to experience all the different adventures Tilly goes on. I actually fell in love with the characters and was rooting for them. I’m not ashamed to admit that I cried (twice). This book is adorable, funny, emotional and so unique.

Firstly I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. I was drawn in from the first page, the characters and story captivating me from the start, and I laughed and cried along with them. I really did not want to finish the book as it meant saying goodbye to the wonderful characters but I have taken away the book recommendations within its pages. I would encourage everyone to read this book.

Thank you NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I only have one word that kept popping up when reading this and it was : cozy. I love cozy books. The setting of London throughout the whole year, but especially fall and christmas, bookshops, the cozy sweaters alfie wore, everything was just so nice.
It helped that most of the books that were included in the year of books, or mentioned in the book in general, were books i had read so I felt like I related to Tilly even more somehow.
Of course there was a lot of sadness to this, I thought it was a really nice book on grief and how every single person experiences it whether we are aware or not.

4.5⭐️

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Libby Page for the ARC📚♥️

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙩 𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧.

Wow, I loved this. Grateful to be able to feel the magic before it’s released.

Libby Page has highlighted how important reading can be in people’s lives in an emotive and captivating way, with the most beautiful and creative story.
Exploring themes of grief, love, truly living and how to move forward, while honouring yourself and your loved ones.
She writes intelligently, but with so much heart making this book beyond special. I got completely lost in Tilly, Joe and Alfie’s story and I’ll think about this book for a long time.

Our FMC, Matilda Nightingale, finds a touch of magic in her life again when her local book shop owner, Alfie, contacts her to say he has a book ready for her to collect. The book is one of twelve, carefully curated by her husband Joe. Twelve books, one every month, to help her through her first full year without him. Joe leaves a beautiful letter explaining why he chose each book. Throughout the year we get to see Tilly’s grief unfold, and see how she is able to find the strength to ‘live’ again.

Tilly’s year in books wouldn’t be possible without our MMC, Alfie; who’s pure passion for reading and understanding of people made him the perfect person to both liase with Joe to curate the perfect list, but also to be the safe space, friend and gorgeous soul Tilly needs. Alfie helps Tilly see that it’s okay to open her heart again, and heals a huge part of himself in the process.

I’d be doing this book a disservice if I said it was any less than incredible, but my .5⭐️ removal is because with every emotional moment I craved First Person Dual POV accounts from Tilly and Alfie. In my opinion, it would have elevated the emotions and reader experience.

𝗤𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀;

𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 #𝟭 Matilda by Roald Dahl
📝 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴, 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳. 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴.
🌧️ Tilly getting lost in a book for the first time since Joe’s death; 𝘈𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯, 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘧𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.

𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 #𝟮 How to Cook by Delia Smith
📝 Joe’s letter encouraging her to take care of herself.
🧀 Tilly cooking Mac and Cheese and building a den in homage to Joe’s reading den and cheeseboard night 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧.

𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 #𝟯 Beach Read by Emily Henry
⛱️ Alfie on fiction “𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦.”
🏝️ Joe booking out holidays at Tilly’s work so she can go on their delayed honeymoon to Bali

🌅 Tilly sending Alfie a postcard and him displaying it at Book Lane

𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 #𝟰 A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
🇫🇷 Tilly booking 3 weeks in Paris
💡 𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙄 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜.
📝 First edition copy of Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦. 𝘐 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦. 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦, 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘢.
🌌 The author at the event talking about her experience of grief (this was stunning) 𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 – 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.
✨ Paris Grief Gang

𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 #𝟱 What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
📝 Joe reflecting on their morning runs🌸
🏃🏻‍♀️ Tilly signing up for a Half Marathon

𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 #𝟲 The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter by Margareta Magnusson.
📝 Joe referencing the need for Tilly to rid herself of his ‘clutter’ and how he wishes he’d had the time/energy for a ‘death clean’ 𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘨𝘰. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴.

🛍️ Alfie telling Tilly Book Lane was his Dad’s before he died and telling her all about his Dad

𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 #𝟳 The Poetry Pharmacy by William Sieghart
📝 𝘐 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦.

☔️ Tilly standing out in the rain in Tuscany after telling the cooking group about Joe on the anniversary of his death

𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 #𝟴 Letter from New York by Helene Hanff
🗽 Tilly planning on going to NYC after seeing Joe’s family
📝 Joe asking if Tilly can hug his mam and dad for him if she goes to America
🤝🏼 Ellen and Tilly understanding each other

🍸 Tilly and Alfie texting between NYC/London

𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 #𝟵 Wild Camping: Exploring and Sleeping in the Wilds of the UK and Ireland by Stephen Neale
⛺️ Alfie teaching Tilly how to put a tent up
📝 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘵𝘰 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬.
🌊 Tilly running into the sea
🏕️ Tilly understanding Rachel’s own grief is why she struggled to support her through Joe’s diagnosis

✈️ Alfie surprise picking Tilly up from the airport, bringing her dry socks, picking up dinner supplies and cooking them for her. THIS SWEET MAN

𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 #𝟭𝟬 A Lonely Planet Guide to London
📝 Joe pointing out that it’s too easy to take for granted what’s on your doorstep
📍Tilly and Alfie’s London day out; Buckingham Palace, Freya, Borough Market (Alfie pulling Tilly close🥺), Italian dins

🤳🏼 Tilly taking to social media to tell her story to ask for donations for Book Lane “𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦. 𝘔𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘳.”

𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 #𝟭𝟭 Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
🛼 Living Creatively - Doing the things you enjoy just for the sake of doing them, not letting the fear of trying new things hold you back✨
📝 Joe wanting Tilly to get her spark back⚡️

📺 Tilly and Alfie being interviewed about Joe’s year of books; Tilly finding out Alfie closed the shop for the afternoon and spent the whole afternoon helping Joe curate the perfect list for Tilly

💒 Tilly and Alfie at Harpers wedding; dancing, THAT kiss..

😢 The gang and Tilly preparing one last event at Book Lane as a surprise for Alfie to show him how much of a difference he’s made for everyone “𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡, 𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩, 𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡.”

🎁 Alfie giving Tilly a whole new year of ‘a year of books’ and them realising what they have is special

𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 #𝟭𝟮 A clothbound empty book with M.N. in gold on the front😌
📝 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙚’𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧… 𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙩 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧. 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙣𝙤 𝙙𝙤𝙪𝙗𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙖 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙤𝙣𝙚 JOE😭😭😭

The real magic of books is when turning the final page doesn’t mean an ending but a beginning – a beginning that only you can write. When a book sends you to a place you’ve never been, or encourages you to do something new or simply to live with a little more empathy or curiosity because of the characters you have met. I am the person I am because of the books I have read. - SORRY IS THIS NOT THE TRUEST THING YOU’VE EVER READ

Read it, it’s special🪄

Loved this book. I first wasn't sure on the title and what it was about. But what a gift, a book every month for a year, with each book having a meaning. I would love this - even as a gift without the sad circumstances. Great read, read in 3 days.

This is a book about grief and the power of books to help heal.
As someone who loves books and volunteers in a charity bookshop, the premise was ideal for me. Even so, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this, as often romantic novels don’t fulfil their promise. This one easily did. Tilly’s grief was handled sensitively and her re-involvement with life was described respectfully and interestingly.
I loved the book recommendations, a lot of them being on my TBR now. I had previously read the death cleaning book mentioned, loving the idea, hating the book itself though. And yes, it did remind me of’P.S. I Love You’

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Tilly loses her husband Joe to cancer and 6 months after he passes away, Tilly gets a call from a local bookshop about a present Joe has arranged for her - he has picked a book to be shared with her every month. The story centres how Tilly gets stronger in so many ways as a result of the gift.

I loved this book for so many reasons...

🔸️Reading helps me find an escape from my grief, I have always loved reading, but the past few years especially, it has provided me with moments of calm.

🔸️I love finding bookshops abroad and in the UK, which is another part of the book where Tilly explores some well-known, iconic bookstores.

🔸️I love recommending books to people that I think they will enjoy. Each chapter starts with recommendations for different topics. It is also such a lovely touch that, throughout the book, @libbypagewrites shares her love of different stories and authors through the recommendations discussed between the characters.

🔸️It has made me feel like I need to get back in touch with my creativity, get back to some hobbies, and find more of my spark again as life is just too short. The story has left an impression.

Absolutely loved it! The release date for the UK is January 2026.

Thank you to @netgalley and @vikingbooksuk for the opportunity to review.

#libraryatsevern #bookwormmum #bookworm #book #reading #bookstagramuk #londonreader #bookreviewfeature #bookreview #bibliophile #bookstagrammers #readersofinstagram #reader #igreads #bookblogger #goodreads #bookshelf #bookreviewer #bookstragram #bookstagrammer #netgalley #thisbookmademethinkofyou

WOW
I'm so glad i picked up this book,
I haven't read a Libby Page book before but i will look at some of her other books now This book is beautifully written, its a book about, Grief and finding love again. It qlso shows how different people react to grief and explore different relationships with family and friends and hardcit can be to open yourself up to something else.
I know its a fictional story but it really helped me in more ways than one and i hope you dont mind me sharing a bit of my story while i explain why i say this:
i lost my partner of 12years just over a year ago and it happened quite quickly. when i read the blurb i wasnt sure how i was going to feel reading this.
Then last night i decided to give it a go and i was hooked.
It really resonated with Tilly because i too lost my passion for books and reading for a while, unfortunately i didnt have a year of books too inspire me, instead i broadened my reading a bit.
Instead of sticking to just crime fiction and thriller i started looking at other genres and got back into it that way, i really love the power of books that comes through in this story and i must admit the 2nd book of the year had me laughing because i actually bought it the other day and its in my to be read pile ot has made me want to read this now.
I've written down some of the book titles that stuck with me at the beginning of each chapter and i am hoping to find a nice bookshop i can buy them from though its hard because there isn't any independant bookshops in my area - so i tend to buy from the supermarket, waterstones or even on amazon but this has given me an appreciation of independant book shops and i have decided even if i have to go out of town to find one i will it will be an adventure.
I feel like it has helped motivate me into looking at the hobbies i've always wanted to do and going for it and its also given me hope that at some point i will find love again... I love alfie as well and i am very happy with the ending.. and cant wait to get this in paperback and reccomend to all my friends...

I was given a ARC copy of this book for an unbiased review.

“I am the person I am because of the books I have read”

Libby Page has done it again, I laughed, I cried and for the first time I highlighted. The story of Matilda “Tilly”Nightingale isn’t always a happy one, and I felt for the theme of the book that was perfect because it made the book unpredictable.

I was addicted to this story from the start and went from chapter one to chapter twenty six in one sitting constantly desperate to know what was going to happen.

While this book has the story of Tilly’s grief it didn’t end up being the main story in the end. This is truly a feat and while you had moments of sadness with the characters you got to see how they were learning from these moments of sadness and processing grief in that moment.

I really found this book hit me as I am am on my own grief journey and this felt like a perfect timed read for me