This is such a fun book to read. Great characters. June Jones lives in a small English town and works at the library that the town leaders want to close. June isn’t going to let it happen. She and her regular patrons fight to keep the library open.

June loves her library and the people she knows. But she's shy and almost dies when she has to speak in front of a crowd. Her mother ran the library before her so she has lots of memories.
Berkley and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published on August 31st.

June has not traveled far from her hometown but she's content. Then she learns that the coucil is planning to shut down several libraries and hers is one of them.

There are protests, they even take over the library by occupying it. But it doesn't matter. After the activities she's participated in, June gets brave enough to tell her suspicions to everyone. Unfortunately that happens at a wedding. It creates a big disturbance and that's when June realizes her boss didn't know her husband's plans.

It turns into a real mess but it does get straightened out. It's not all sweetness and light but neither is life...

This book was a cute, feel-good, and I’m very happy it ended in a way that was still a happy ending, but not in your typical story book way. Small town, in England, is at risk of losing their library and all the quirky characters band together to save the pivotal community center. I’m a sucker for quirky characters, so I absolutely loved this book!

I learned a valuable lesson in reading this book: never read two similarly themed books in close proximity to each other, because like it or not, you’ll compare them. Having just read The Library by Bella Osborne, there were some prominent similarities: They both deal with the imminent threat of closure to the village library and the scrappy villagers’ plans to fight it, they both had younger and older characters bridging the age gap to find common ground and friendship in their united cause, they both had characters with broken family relationships due to a secret past, and they both had mousy, socially-awkward main characters finding their voice to help others and grow individually, to name a few of the bigger ones.

In this case, the main character is thirty-year-old wallflower June Jones (sorry - I can’t help but think of the children’s book series Junie B. Jones about a precocious six-year old, which distracted me a bit). June has lost her mom and is coming to the realization that she has no friends or life experiences outside the little village of Chalcot, where she’s a library assistant. Her days consist of helping library patrons like older members Stanley Phelps, caustic Mrs. B, crotchety Vera, teenager Chantal, bright young Jackson and others. When the city council announces plans to potentially close Chalcot Library, these patrons form a group called FOCL (Friends of Chalcot Library, but pronounced “Fock All”) to fight it. Initially told she’ll lose her job if she joins, June stays out of the fray until she comes to terms with her own personal loss if the closure goes through and joins the fight.

There’s so much more to the story, including “mean girl” women from June’s school days, revealing backstories about other characters, a potential romance for June with another old school mate, Alex, but at the end of the book, I just hadn’t connected as I would’ve liked with any of the characters, nor did I find their stories particularly compelling. June is sweet, and it was nice to see her find her voice, and Alex was a great guy, but I didn’t really feel any sparks between them. Other characters, like loud, abrasive Mrs. B, prim and proper Stanley, difficult Vera felt a little too cliché. As for the story, it followed the expected arc with an ending that was wrapped up in an almost comically convenient bow. Had this been a movie, it would feel like one I’d seen way too many times.

I’ll definitely watch for future books by Freya Sampson - it’s an admirable debut effort and well written, but I think my timing was off. Had I read this before or sufficiently distanced from The Library, I think I would’ve better seen it on its own merits. As it stands, it was a perfectly nice story, but not a standout for me.

★★★

Thanks to Berkley Publishing, Netgalley and author Freya Sampson for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. It will be published August 31, 2021.

This is a “feel-good” type story about a town coming together to save the local library, and the story of the shy librarian who works there. A definite recommendation for anyone who loves books, libraries, or just the power of sharing stories- contained within brick and mortar, or not.

Thank you so much to #NetGalley, the publisher and author for the electronic ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

This follows June, a shy bookworm who works at her small town library. When her community finds out their beloved library is being threatened to be shut down, they all come together and use their voices to try and save it. It is a safe place for so many people of all ages and they are not willing to see it go.

This was such a heartwarming story and you can't help but cheer for this community trying to save their library. It was a perfect read for any book lover, with all the book references and library setting. I am happy I read it but definitely wasn't anything super memorable. I love how it shows the importance of libraries and how special they are! I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a quick read about books and bookworms. Very cute!

A feel-good story perfect for book/library lovers and those who always root for the underdog.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

This is about a super shy library assistant in a small town in England who is carrying a bunch of baggage from her mom (before she died she was a librarian at the same place). Her relationship with Alex Chen is really cute as they get to know each other slowly through sharing books they have loved with each other. However, I could not get past the librarian stereotypes in this book, as a librarian myself. There were so many characters I did not like.

I received an electronic ARC from Berkley Publishing Group through NetGalley.
June has been frozen in time since her mother's death several years ago. She is still working as a Library Assistant in her small town's library and has not changed a thing in her home. In fact, she has almost totally isolated herself by spending so much time in her home escaping into reading. Though this certainly offers dreary overtones, the story itself offers lighter moments throughout. Much of this humor comes from the other characters who interact at the library and who rally to save it when the Council decides to shut it down. Their antics and commitment to saving the community meeting place will resonate with readers who may be facing similar situations. So many of these characters will touch your heart and bring joy. We'll see them as they celebrate together and grieve for one of their own.
The pace is slow to start but the action picks up when the community learns that the library may close. Sampson creates realistic characters and captures their flaws and passions. They could be neighbors and friends in any town.

None of the characters really came to life for me, they had their typical library quirks to distinguish them and that was about it. Main character was pretty hard to like, I feel like there could have been a different way to write a shy and depressed character that didn't just come across as weak and moderately annoying. As a librarian myself I get the appeal of these types of books but so often the story and setting never live up to the idea.

For those who love libraries, patrons, and have fought for your library, you don't want to miss The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson.

this was sweet and nice! i'm not sure i'm going to remember it forever, but it was a nice fluffy read.

3.5 stars
I will admit that this book started off shaky for me; in fact, the first half. But, by the second half, I was more engaged and the story flowed. I think it was the protagonist, June, that I was not in love with. I adored the secondary characters and the quirky village in England; I absolutely loved them. I appreciated a David and Goliath small town library story, and was happy with how the story played out. June though, fell too much into the stereotype of an introverted librarian. She just fell flat--at first. But, as I grew to understand her idiosyncrasies, and she put herself out there more (though by no means is this a story of "how the introvert became extroverted" because she was still true to herself in the end), I got to know her better.

4.5 stars
This book was absolutely adorable. I requested this from Netgalley for obvious reasons. A book about books? Sign me up.
I didn't expect to fall in love with these characters. Even halfway through the book I didn't expect I would fall in love with them. June was very cute. As a very introverted person myself I could really relate with June in a lot of things (speaking in front of people? No thanks!), but at times she took it to an insane level of being shy and introverted and I just wanted to tell her IT'S OK! DO IT! But it made what she did at the end even more powerful. I fell in love with the diverse group of library goers, probably Stanley the most, but I also loved Ms. B, Jackson and Chantal and even Laila who we don't see much of. Alex was also absolutely adorable and I loved how he embrased the things in June that she didn't like about herself.
The plot of this book was so much fun but also heartbreaking. The county June lives in is looking to close 6 libraries due to budget cuts and the library June has worked at for 10 years and her mom before her is one of them. The small group of library lovers fights as hard as they can to save their library. We find out how many different things libraries are used for and so needed. Stanley spends all day in the library because he doesn't have a computer at home and...spoilers. Jackson is homeschooled and learns almost exclusively from library books. Chantal needs a quiet space to study for school and try to make it into university. This library becomes a community for so many people for such different reasons and it's so heartwarming. Saving this library took so many ups and downs and my poor emotions went on a rollercoaster ride.
This book also deals with getting through grief. June pushed aside her dreams of going to university and becoming a writer to take care of her mom after she gets cancer. After her mom passes away, June wakes up, goes to work, comes home and reads. She has basically shut herself away in her memories not changing anything in her house since her mom passed away. She doesn't think she has any friends, she doesn't think her work at the library is anything besides work. Her little group of library goers proves her wrong and I just loved seeing how much she opened up by the end of the book.
8 year old Jackson wrote a haiku about libraries that perfectly sums up this book:
"Libraries are boats
And the books are life jackets
Without them we'll drown."

Can a 30 year old woman come of age? June Jones is an introverted library assistant who is still mourning the death of her mother and the end of her dreams of university and a writing career. Her closest relationships are to the characters in her beloved books. When the council threatens to close the Chalcot Library, June joins forces with the eclectic cast of patrons who are determined to save the library. Fans of libraries, books, and fresh starts will live this book. I laughed and cried. I can’t wait to recommend it!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! I loved the community and I loved all the different characters. I loved all the books mentioned by various characters. As a librarian, I especially loved how it demonstrated how important the library was to the community as a whole.

The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson is a standalone novel, focusing on a library assistant and her determination to fight for her beloved local library that is threatened to be shut down. June Jones, our heroine, is the library assistant, who has never left her hometown, and still lives in her childhood home, even after her mother passed away; as she still grieves the loss of her mother. June’s mother worked for the library, and June learned everything from her. She is very quiet and shy, but everyone at the library loves her; she is always willing to give recommendations and help people choose the perfect books for them. June works during the day at the library, which she loves, and at night she reads more books, living a quiet and lonely life. But things are about to change.

At a township meeting, everyone learns about the libraries possibly closing due to lack of funds. With the threat of the Chalcot Library being closed, many of the local people, who spend much of their time at the library, decide to fight the possible closure; with starting a group called FOCL (Friends of Chalcot Library). June is fully on their side, but since she works for the library, she is threatened with loss of her job if she helps the group. At first, June steps back, despite the patrons who she has known for years begging her to help them; but when things get heated up, June will push aside her fears, and step forward to help the group.

Alex Chen, a boyhood school friend, returns to help his father; and a slow build romance begins with Alex and June becoming close. Alex is the one who convinces June to fight for what she believes in. June finds herself having feelings for Alex, especially when he helps her get past her anxiety issues; but she mistakenly thinks Alex has a girlfriend, and their relationship is set aside. Will June find the truth about Alex, and win him back?
Alex is also a lawyer, and he secretly helps the group, fighting the demands of the council planning the closure. I did enjoy the story, even though it was a bit slow early on, but things change so much for the better the rest of the way. I did like many of the quirky characters, who loved June, that were the daily patrons of the library and the group; such as Stanley, Mrs. B, Vera (seniors), and Chantal, who we found ourselves caring about them. Marjorie, June’s boss, wasn’t very likable early, but she too changed later.

What follows is a sweet, heartwarming, even humorous story that was fun and endearing throughout, as well as a great community. The Last Chance Library was very well written by Freya Sampson, which shows how important libraries are for many people; a place to study, or do research; a place to hang around and talk to people, and to get information on books by the wonderful librarian. I recommend to read this book.

Fans of Katie Fforde will recognize the setting and themes of this novel! June has been a librarian in her small town library, caring for her loyal patrons, since the death of her mother (formerly the librarian). She's a bit stuck, in fact. But when the local government decides to close the library for budget reasons, June and the community band together to fight to save their gathering place.. A cast of colorful supporting characters add depth and help June realize what she wants from life., while each offering a reason for needing all that a local library has to offer. A fun David and Goliath tale with heart.

This was a cute story with a somewhat sad twist that I think will resonate with many library lovers, The quirky small town library patrons reminded me a little bit of 'Gilmore Girls' characters, which is not a bad thing. This will be on display in our library when it comes in!

“Libraries are boats
And the books are life jackets
Without them we’ll drown”

The Last Chance Library is a sweet story of a small town library, its library assistant (and librarian), and the community that finds joy and solace within its walls. Like so many library, the Chalcot Library is being threatened with closure. Find out what happens when the community comes together to fight for the library and discovers the power of friendship and how a library is so much more than its books.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable read. Publication date: August 31, 2021.
Rating 3.5 stars

**Thank you NetGalley and the Berkeley Publishing Group for sending me the ARC in exchange for an honest review.**