This one was an intensely magical, heart-tugging emotional journey that had me completely hooked and wiping away tears through every single chapter! It’s such an addictively deep, wonder-filled ride packed with razor-sharp emotional depth, a stunning atmosphere of hidden books and forgotten wishes, and a beautifully tender exploration of hope and second chances, delivering pure heart-in-throat momentum, sweet magic, and a deeply moving story that will stay with you long after the final, unforgettable page!

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this before its release!*

I really enjoyed this novel - a heartwarming and hopeful read.

Juliet lost her husband 5 years before. She teaches English and has challenged her A Level students to donate their favourite book to the local book exchange created by her husband. She chooses one of the editions of her favourite book, The Time Traveller’s Wife to add to the book exchange. After leaving the book Juliet realises that the edition donated was the one given to her by her husband with a note in it penned days before his death.

When she returns to retrieve it, she finds the book exchange box gone with its contents. So begins the investigation into its disappearance.

This process brings her into contact with members of her local community, allows her to help her immediate neighbour and to face her own grief and move on. She realises she has friends, a family, a place in her community and hope.

Heartwarming - a real testament to the importance of reading and books.

One to be recommended.

This book was incredible. It was heartwarming, emotional and beautiful.
With loss at the core of this story, the tears were flowing early. I found myself catching my breath living the losses these characters have faced in these words.
Kate Storey writes so beautifully, and her story telling is engrossing, empathetic and relatable.
I loved all of the characters and the journeys that they all went on to open up and learn more about themselves.
I adored this and I will be recommending it to everyone I know.

What a lovely story. Really enjoyed the characters and Juliet is great. would have loved her as my English teacher. Loved that I have read lots of the books that are mentioned in this lovely tale.

This is my first book by Kate Storey and I loved it. It is all about Juliet who is a teacher and loves to read. She finds it a perfect escapism when everything gets a bit too tough. Her husband installed a free library a while ago before he got ill and Juliet decides to bring her students to it to help them understand how powerful a story can be but when she gets there it's gone. This is too much for Juliet after losing her husband she realises that the book she had brought to put in the free library was a dedicated one from her late husband. She cannot lose this as well, so she goes on the hunt with her neighbour Mac who has going outside issues and they form a team to find out what exactly happened to the free library. It was such a beautiful and emotional story, seeing how Juliet was coping or not was heart breaking to read but also to see how Mac was struggling too, it was wonderful to see how they helped each other and formed a close bond. There is a lot to take on in this story but I think people will be able to relate to either Mac or Juliet's lives. Also I found reading this book, there were so many book recommendations and my TBR is now at full capacity. But in a good way.

This book is about friendship, both new and old. It’s about the power of storytelling. I enjoyed reading about the differences in people. It’s a nice book with lots of different messages. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Sally has spent forty two years adding a new book to a home library on her daughter Ella’s birthday, each one chosen for a life message and signed with a loving inscription. When a fall brought Ella back from Australia after twenty years away, I felt every nervous step of that reunion. Her anger and resentment were still fresh after her father’s death and the secret that shattered their family. I cried as Ella slowly rediscovered the comfort of books and her bond with her mother. When she found the library damaged by a flood, her guilt and pity hit me hard. Verity’s friendship and the warm community around them added so much heart. It’s bittersweet, wise, and deeply healing, a love letter to books and to mothers and daughters.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Such an emotional read!
Juliet Finch teaches at Bourne Academy, to gain the interest of her pupils and help the community book-swap which is very dear to her, she asks them all to bring in a book that they can leave at the book swap. Juliet herself decides to give one of her own, problem being that she has rather a lot to choose from, at the last minute grabbing a copy of her favourite “The Time Traveller’s Wife”. Only to discover later that she has given away a precious copy gifted by her late husband, so begins a search which in itself is an education and bring people into her life who become to mean something to her.

I loved this book, so true to life. People putting up a front to disguise their true feelings. Favourite character was Dylan who was worthy of Juliet’s attention. Loved the descriptions of the pupils different character traits.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC.

Juliet Finch is a sixty year old English Lit teacher in Bexley whose beloved husband Donny died five years ago. She loves her motley crew of young students and tries to revive the little free library her husband made and put up at Hall Place where he used to do the gardens. However, as soon as new books are added to what they call the community book exchange, the whole thing disappears and with it, Juliet's most treasured possession: a copy of Audrey Niffenegger's "A Time Traveller's Wife", gifted and inscribed by Donny.

Together with Juliet's elderly gay neighbour Mac, town councillor and volunteer extraordinaire Tamara, and Misha from the local library, Juliet starts looking for her irreplaceable book. Then one day a man is at her door, and he looks so much like Donny that Juliet faints. It turns out to be his son Fergus from a previous relationship that he didn't know about, and who has come to have it out with his absent father. This book deals with a lot. Fergus is an alcoholic, Juliet a hoarder and Mac suffers from agoraphobia.

I love older characters and this is such an intelligent book. It's a love declaration to books and a manual on grief and mental health. It's also a warmhearted book about community and found family, about shared passions and new beginnings, and it manages to be inspiring and hopeful without compromising on emotional depth. It's unflinching about hoarding, alcoholism and shame but also letting people in as a first step to healing. What a rare treat, with a gorgeous cover. I simply love Kate Storey's books.

"Literature reminds us we are not alone. Fiction connects us by allowing us to find something of ourselves in other people’s stories, but it can connect us in real life too."

I enjoyed this story about love, loss and the impact of grief. The slow realisation that there is lift left to live, the friendships and community found made for a warm and life affirming read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Its a story of new friendships and how we all carry things which others arent aware of and how we should be kind. I loved all the characters and how they all blended and helped each other navigate life. Very beautiful. Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read this.

Juliet is grieving her husband five years after his death. To cope with life she surrounds herself and her house with books, she is an English teacher after all. It's actually a bit more than that as Juliet can not move in her house because of stuff she cannot bear to be parted from..
Years ago her husband had made a cabinet to be used as a book exchange and Juliet has not thought about it since he died.
At school Juliet suggests to her class of teenagers that they should each bring a favourite book and leave it at the book exchange . Her favourite book is The Time Traveller's wife. Juliet has many copies of this book in different languages.
The book exchange has not being used and is in poor condition but Juliet and her pupils leave their books anyway.
Later on Juliet realises she has mistakingly left the book her husband had given her which was signed but also has a dedicated message to her from him. She runs to the book exchange to find it but the book exchange has gone and Juliet is devastated .
I loved this story, Juliet finds people who help her along the way and she realises that she's not along. Humour comes from her pupils who are very funny. I shed a few tears along the way. Five stars .

This is an ace story. A book you will want to give to people . Found the parts with the time travellers wife book very moving. The whole story was great . The sixth formers , the neighbour . We all have secrets . Lots of stories in one book. The book exchange was so clever. You won’t be able to put this book down. My review does not do it justice . Read it

It took me a bit to get into this story, but once I did, I really loved the characters and the quest that helps them build a small support group of friends and open themselves up to experience life. Really enjoyed.

A heartwarming book dealing with grief and issues many people fine themselves in. I enjoyed all the characters and although Juilet was slightly self centered i feel she was allowed to be as it was her way to deal with grief and who are we to disagree. Love all the book references and the friendships that were forged together. Thank you netgalley for the advance copy

This was a lovely book to read. When we first meet Juliet, an English teacher, she is caring for her husband Donny who is living his last months with Parkinson’s Disease. In the present day Donny has passed away and for the last 5 years Juliet has been just about putting one foot in front of the other as she doesn’t know how to live without Donny. One thing she does is buy and keep every book she can fit into her small cottage and has officially become a hoarder.

After the disappearance of a beautiful wooden book exchange box that Donny made, possibly with a beloved book of Juliet’s inside it, Juliet’s life starts to change.

This book is a story of love , loss, life, friendship and hope. There are some fabulous characters in the book and some brilliant stereotypes who we meet and come to love during the story. This is definitely one to curl up on the sofa with.

What a beautiful book. The story of two characters with their own inner demons to battle and yet trying to support each other along with a community around them. I loved the idea of the books and what they meant to everyone. So many people have special books but to give that book away knowing to cancel because special to someone else is priceless. One of my new favourite books.