Set in a small village in England, this novel follows June Jones who works for the library and is crushed, along with the local residents, when it is threatened with closure. As a cost cutting measure, the authorities have chosen to close some of the smaller libraries and the plot follows the efforts of the townfolk to prove their library is essential to the village and should be kept open.

There is a colorful cast of characters who start a campaign to increase circulation and prove the library is vital to the community. These include old timers and even teens who are regular patrons, desperate to preserve the institution. June is overly shy but supports the efforts to save her library unfortunately she is banned from openly showing where her sympathies lie. This takes a further toll on her, but maybe she can surreptitiously help behind the scenes.

Reading this is like watching a Masterpiece Theater drama of small towns of the English countryside. It’s the local characters that infuse the story with life. They bring vitality to the story as they stage a sit-in and try to save the place they consider a home away from home.

Library lovers will find this story charming. It will raise the hackles of all who have watched libraries in their own area face closure over time. Long after one finishes reading, the charming characters will linger as champions for the little library they love.

When I saw that The Last Chance Library was a book about libraries, communities and friendship, I couldn't wait to dive in. This book was the perfect weekend read and was just the "feel good" book I didn't know I needed.

June, the main character, has led a quiet and quite isolated life and so when the future of her local library that has been her cocoon for so long, becomes at risk of losing funding, she comes out of her shell and bands together with other community members to make a difference.

As June raises her voice to make change, her own life begins to change as well. I so enjoyed this feel good story and the eccentric characters within in. The story is heartwarming and a reminder of how we really are better together.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my gifted review copy. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

It took me a little bit to get into the story, but once I started connecting to it and its characters, I started to enjoy the book a lot.

Close knit community coming together in efforts to save their local library.
This book was entertaining and heartfelt.
Such great, likable characters. A book about falling in love with reading, finding new friends, and togetherness when most needed.
I enjoyed it.

This was a great book that reflects the workplace of any public library. The characters can be found in any library. I could feel myself throughout the story with the interactions with the patrons and their individual characteristics. Would recommend to anyone who ever worked in a library.

I love books about libraries, bookstores and authors. So saving a library was right up my alley.
This is a quick and cozy read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for my honest review.

The Last Chance Library is a book that I was looking forward to reading. It is cute and if you love books, books about books and or are a librarian this is for you. This was an easy and quick read, but I felt like the characters lacked depth. Overall, I truly enjoyed the story, a cozy read. The main problem I had with this book is that every character was put in place on a surface level only. It felt as if the characters were placed as story fillers than a true purpose to help the main character grow. I hope this doesn’t feel like I did not enjoy the book, because I did. I guess I was craving just a deeper read than it was.

I love books about books, bookstores, libraries, all of it. The Last Chance Library stole me heart, stomped all over it and then gave it a giant hug. Oh my. It is the story of June, a lonely woman, muddling her way through life after her mother died when the town council threatens to close the library she works at. In the fight to save the library, June saves herself. This book was heartwarming and funny with some of the most endearing quirky characters ever. The banter is intelligent and snarky. And the tug on your emotions is so strong that Kleenex are needed. I absolutely loved every word of this book. Such a lovely message that it is never too late to find your voice and find your happiness. All the love and all the stars.

I absolutely adored this little gem of a novel! The author set the scene of a quaint english village fighting to keep it's library open. There was a great cast of characters, especially the older folks who all had fantastic personalities. Light enough to keep me hooked, but still felt like a proper read, not just some fluffy piece. Loved it.

I highly recommend this book for all book lovers out there! Seriously, if you enjoy reading books about books or bookish people, this is such a fun one. It pairs well with a nice cup of tea and a warm blanket. This was definitely a pick-me-up for me. I felt like if these characters were real, we would be close friends. I can see myself re-reading this on days when I don't have to leave the house and I can just sit down and relax.

“𝘓𝘪𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴.”
― Freya Sampson, The Last Chance Library

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁
-The town library in the small English countryside town of Chalcot comes under threat of closure by the local Council.

-Assistant librarian June is satisfied with her behind-the-scenes role, but, faced with losing her beloved library, she joins forces with an eccentric band of library patrons to fight the library closure.

-As the fight for the library gains momentum, June learns she must make some personal changes to realize her dreams and aspirations.

𝗜 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁
-It’s nearly impossible for me to resist a heartwarming story about a library that takes place in a quintessential small English town where you wouldn’t be surprised to see Miss Marple show up after an unfortunate murder.

-This book didn’t disappoint and is full of wonderfully quirky characters who frequent the library for support beyond book recommendations. Shy and unassuming Assistant Librarian June patiently and kindly looks out for them.

-As book lovers know, a library is more than a place that lends books and is worthy of a community coming together to fight to save from closing. A library is often a haven for the lonely or a quiet place for those seeking solitude, and of course, a place for children to learn and discover.

-There's a little romance sub-story and while some outcomes are predictable, I found the ending pleasantly surprising and a great reminder to show your local library some love.

A cozy tale about the importance of libraries in their communities. Quite a few stereotypes but the message is clear- support your local library.

I loved this book. It started out a bit slow for me, but the characters grew on me. I found myself rooting for them and wanting the very best things for them. I would not classify this as a romance. It’s a love story…sure. But the object of our affection is the local library and what it brings to the community. If you love the bookish community, this book will be a good bet for you.

I just loved this book. June Jones works at the local library as a library assistant. She is shy, quiet, and spends most of her time at home reading. But when she finds out that her beloved library may be closed down, she comes out of her shell to try and save the place she loves the most. Such a cute, funny, uplifting story!

A feel good story about a library assistant in a small town that works with a quirky band of library patrons to save their libraries. If you like the The Secret Life of A.J. Fikry or The Bookshop of Second Chances, this book is for you.

This sweet, feel good story offers insight into the importance of, and the integral role that libraries play in communities. Set in a small English village the story follows June’s journey of growth and self discovery. June has been a library assistant at the Chalcot library for over 8 years, living a predictable and routine life of self imposed isolation. When the council proposes closing the library due to budget cuts, the community comes together to fight to try and save their beloved library. The characters are entertaining, brought to life with their vivid personalities and quirkiness that well reflects the diverse community that the library serves. An engagingly sweet story filled with literary references and charm.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

June Jones is a library assistant who has never left her hometown. After her mother passes away from cancer, June continues to live in her mothers house and mostly keep to herself. June is soft-spoken and likes to stick to her routines. This is all upended when the library she works at is threatened with closure. The library patrons decided to create a group dedicated to saving the library, June is reluctant to participate at first, but she soon learns what she has been missing by keeping herself locked in grief over her mothers death.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! A book about a library in a small village in England, sign me up! This was lighthearted and the perfect read for me after a book that I had to put aside. The characters were interesting and it gave me such a nice feeling reading about people helping their local library.

3.5
This was a sweet & silly, but also a frustrating read. June, I was rooting for her but my goodness that was hard to watch. I wanted jump in and fight. I think her mom would have taught her better than that.

It did bring back memories of going to the library when I was a child…and the many hours I spent at story time with my kids. ❤️

As a librarian, I wanted to love this. But the image of a shy, meek librarian is tired and stereotypical.

If you are a person who loves books, libraries, and books about books, this is the perfect book for you! The main character of this book is June, who works at a small town library. June doesn't really partake in any activities outside of her job, so when the city council comes in and wants to shut down the library to build a coffee shop, June is upset. Her mom who has passed away was also a librarian at the same library, so June has many emotional and sentimental attachments the library as well. At first, June doesn't think there is anything that she can do, but after a little prodding from a couple of devoted patrons and co-workers, June decides to join in the fight. One of the reasons that I loved this book is because like June, libraries are also very special to me. As a child, I remember go to the library often, and ever since I can remember, I have loved going to the library. Now, I take my girls to the library on a weekly basis. When libraries were closed to in person browsing due to COVID, I was so sad, so I can only imagine how June felt when the library was going to be closed and shut down completely. I even got attached to a few of the patrons, and I wasn't expecting the book to make me teary-eyed, but alas, it did. I thought this was a really sweet story about library love. I also thought it was the perfect length, and I loved the short chapters. Thank you to the publisher for giving me a chance to read a digital copy of this book- my review will be posted on my instagram page @readingmama_reviews in the next couple of days !

This was a cute, easy read. The characters were interesting and I enjoyed it. I especially liked June's character growth. By the end, I was truly rooting for her and her compatriots.