I received a gifted galley of THE LAST CHANCE LIBRARY by Freya Sampson for an honest review. Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review!

THE LAST CHANCE LIBRARY follows June, a library assistant who is rather stuck in a rut in her life. She gave up her dreams to take care of her ailing mother and now that her mother has passed, she’s still living in her mom’s house with all of her mom’s things, ordering the same food, and working at the library where her mom worked.

When the local council announces that it will be closing down six libraries, including the one where June works, it is a wake up call for both June and the other library patrons. June is reluctant to get involved, especially after she’s told that library employees can’t protest the decision, but she slowly begins to realize it is time for some changes in her life.

I really enjoy a good bookish book and this one was no exception. There are so many references to fun reads, both classic and modern, and people’s opinions on all of them. The cast of characters is fantastic as well, full of quirky and fun people who love the library and all that it offers to their community.

This book really is a love letter to libraries and as a big fan of my local library, I’m here for that! THE LAST CHANCE LIBRARY came out on Tuesday, so it’s available now!

Bibliophiles and library lovers alike will love The Last Chance Library! I adored this heartwarming and uplifting book. I guarantee you will laugh, cry and smile throughout the whole book!

June Jones has always been a bit of a loner - not really having friends growing up, preferring the companionship of books. Now at 30 years old, June is still grieving her mother many years after her death and hasn't left her sleepy English town - living much of a boring, reclusive lifestyle. She's been hanging on to her mother's memory by working as the library assistant at the Chalcot Library - the same library her mother worked at and that she frequented as a child.

When her beloved library is faced with closure, June bands with a group of eclectic library patrons (who call themselves "Friends of Chalcot Library (FOCL);" pronounced "F*ck All"). and is forced out of her shell as she becomes the unlikely heroine that saves the library. While campaigning with this quirky bunch, she finds her voice, her strength and sense of community - reinforcing friendships that she never knew were already there. Oh, and yes, even love.

A fantastic debut by Freya Sampson! Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Pub and Frey Sampson for providing me with an eARC of the book in exchange for my honest review!

Library lovers, book lovers, and anyone who loves a feel-good story need to add this book to your list! Plus, doesn’t the cover make you want to run to your library?

“You are never alone when you have a good book.”
Freya Sampson, THE LAST CHANCE LIBRARY

June Jones has lived her whole life in the same small English village of Chalcot. She’s lived in the same house she grew up in with her mother. Now she works in the same library where her mom worked. June’s life consists of going to work at the library, returning home, and reading a book from her mom’s bookshelf. She doesn’t go out, except for Mondays when she picks up the exact same Chinese takeout. She has never left her tiny village and her whole world revolves around the patrons that come into the library.

“Instead, June realized with a shiver, her life’s achievements could be summed up in one sad sentence: she worked at a library and her mum had died. That was the sum total of her twenty-eight years, the miserable epitaph that would be written on her gravestone.”
Freya Sampson, THE LAST CHANCE LIBRARY

When the county decides it is too expensive to keep all the village libraries open, the dedicated library patrons decide to come together to protest and save their library. June is torn. She can’t imagine her life without coming into the library every day, but stepping out and making herself noticed is not something she wants to do either. Her job has also been threatened if she interferes with the council’s decision. So instead, she comes up with a plan to anonymously fight the council to save the books and the library that she can’t bear to be without.

“…the library is about so much more than simply books. Libraries are like a net, there to catch those of us in danger of falling through the cracks. That’s what we’re really fighting to protect.”
Freya Sampson, THE LAST CHANCE LIBRARY

Beyond June, Sampson introduces us to a whole cast of characters including regular library patrons who all have their own reason for fighting to keep the library open. Some are obvious, but for others, it’s too painful to reveal their real reasons for spending every day at the library. Sampson’s character development allows the reader to get to know their own compelling stories. When tragedy hits Chalcot, the reader feels just as affected as the characters.

I especially appreciated that Sampson didn’t just tie this novel up with a bow and a predicted outcome. Much like life, there are hiccups and detours along the road to happiness and for the community of Chalcot, the ending may not have been what they expected, but it is exactly the way it was supposed to be.

If you are looking for a light, hopeful, and compelling story of friends who become each other’s family, then Freya Sampson’s debut novel is just for you. I certainly hope there is more to come from Sampson’s writing.

This was a lovely last book for the month! What a big hug to books, libraries, readers, and everything else bookish! This is written with so much love, it oozes out of the pages and onto the reader. I loved following June's story, and I felt so connected to her and her journey. She meets some really wonderful people that are each special in their own way. They made a great group, and I love how their friendships blossomed. If you love books and friendship, this is a great one to pick up!!

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

As a former librarian, the setting and main character of this book felt so close to my heart. There’s also such a wonderful British small village coziness to this novel that I really enjoyed. The way that the characters all knew one another so well, and yet realized they also each had their own secrets and unknown motivations for their behaviors and actions. The way that the library was truly the heart of this small community, even if that wasn’t always appreciated until it was threatened. I truly enjoyed seeing June blossom out of the emotional stasis she’d been trapped in following her mother’s death and seeing her become the heroine of her own story was such a heartwarming process. This book tugged at my heartstrings all along the way and brought me to tears more than once. I enjoyed it very, very much.

This was a heart-warming story of a small town trying to save their library.

The most interesting part of the book was getting to know the vibrant and unique characters. The mix of people who were regulars at the library provided for some funny scenes in the book. It was also interesting to watch June come out of her shell to fight for the library. It warmed my heart to read about how June’s ‘family’ rallied in the campaign to keep the library open.

There is not much romance in this book, but it has a sweet and satisfying ending.

Recommended for readers who like books about small towns, libraries, and books.

Thanks #NetGalley @BerkleyPub #BerkleyWritesStrongWomen #BerkleyBuddyReads for a complimentary eARC upon my request. All opinions are my own.

A shy, lonely, and quirky librarian, June Jones, and a colorful cast of characters band together to fight against the closure of their local public library. Can June find courage for the fight and forge true friendships?

If you’ve followed my reviews and reading preferences for long, you might know that I adore quirky characters and admire their courage to live their best lives. June Jones gets added to my growing list of beloved quirky characters. She’s socially shy and bothered by loud noises but she has a heart for her library patrons and is the first to help them in any way possible. She sees that the library is a refuge for many, including herself. A cast of colorful characters and a handsome and kind male friend add to the story’s enjoyment.

Of course, a library setting in an English village warms my heart to the story! The library becomes like a character as we also care what happens in the fight to save it. We come to understand that the library is more than just books. It is a refuge for the elderly on hot days, a safe place for adolescents when they have no where to go after school, a place to check email, use a computer, or the printer (and get help using it), a place to see friends, a place to take classes and find helpful information, a place where you can ask questions, and a place for a homeless person to use the restroom.

We experience the story from June’s point of view in a chronological timeline (a few flashbacks help us understand her childhood and her current situation). The first half of the story is heavily character-driven as the characters are developed, and the latter half of the story picks up the pace as the fight for the library and personal relationships intensify. I think the relationship between Alex and June could have been developed a bit more, but romance is not the focus of the story.

Thoughtful themes include the importance of libraries in the community and services they provide; books as a source of comfort, courage, and inspiration; friendship; courage; taking risks; finding your voice, self discovery; banding together; grief (moving on with life); and following your dream. I was able to overlook the predictability of the story and it’s neat and tidy ending in light of some heartwarming themes! I especially love the important reminder that libraries are a vital community resource and that librarians perform an essential service.

Readers who are looking for a light, feel-good, HEA story will appreciate The Last Chance Library. Fans of books about books and libraries/librarians will find additional enjoyment! Librarians will certainly make a personal connection.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story about saving a library! As a librarian, I was encouraged and emotional when hearing about all of the stories that the patrons shared. Libraries are so much more than books, and this book demonstrated that! It was a fun read, and one that will tug on your heart strings!

The Last Chance Library is an endearing book centered around a small village in the process of losing their library. As a librarian, I appreciated how Sampson gave readers into a glimpse of some of the library struggles such as lack of funding, the struggle to keep the building and grounds in a good state. The author thoughtfully and accurately portrays the roll a library plays in the life of both patrons and the community. I adored the case of characters in the library and could easy compare them to some of our own passionate library patrons.

The main character, June Jones, adds to the library perspective. Caught in an endless cycle of grief and holding on desperately to the memory of her mother, June struggles with her own identity and worth. The library is all she has ever known. Crippled by her anxiety and lack of confidence, I enjoyed the story, but I really struggled with identifying with June. At times I grew frustrated with her self deprecation and failure to recognize her own worth. This, of course, is a personal preference in characters, not so much an opinion of the writing or story.

The book is a bit predictable, but there is comfort in that. There is a wonderful cast of characters and the story is sprinkled with wit. There is a romance, but it is secondary to the over all plot of the book. It is a slow burn with a great message. Overall, an enjoyable read.

Jones is a 28-year-old library assistant who works at the same neighborhood library her mother took her to June as a child while she worked there as a librarian. The Chalcot Library is as much a home to June as the one she shared with her mum, who died from cancer three years ago. June misses her terribly and is still enveloped in grief’s cloud as she moves slowly through the routines of life. Wake, eat, library, home, eat, read, sleep, and repeat. Everyone encourages her to move on with her own life and to get out more, but June is content with her life as it is.

Until, . . . . of course, things are about to change for everyone when the council (aka, government in UK) announces budget cuts and the need to close six libraries. Naturally, Chalcot, June’s library is one of the six. A meeting is called where the community begins to rally and the library regulars, a wonderful eclectic cast of characters, young and old, lead the charge. June is reluctant to join in and is relieved when her boss tells her employees are not allowed to voice their disagreement and participate in the protests, at first.

But when June thinks about the regulars individually and the reasons they each have to come to the library, herself included, she realizes why they need to save it. She begins to get angry at the council’s thoughtless and mercenary decision.

The Last Chance Library is not only the story of how a small library’s community fights to try to save it, or even June’s journey to finding her voice and confidence, but how each patron is supported by the assistance and kindness of the library staff, and each other. The community comes together and discovers their library is not just a building with books, it offers so much more than that. And, the best solution is found involving everyone, that I never expected. What fun!

This book reminds me, and hopefully others, that our libraries are community centers offering educational opportunities for all ages, in a variety of areas, including the use of computers, data resources, knowledgeable staff and a whole host of services, mostly free of charge.

Please read this lovely book and stop by your local library soon.

Thank you Netgalley, Berkley Publishers, and Freya Sampson

When I saw the title of this one, it was a no brainer I was going to request a copy of it from the publisher.* I'm sure I read the blurb and thought it was a great premise, but by time I got around to reading it (months after I was approved) I had forgotten the premise of the novel.

The Last Chance Library is the story of June Jones. It's ostensibly the story of her trying to save her local library which is threatened with closing because of council cuts, but it's really the story of her finally getting over her mother's death and the processing of the grief, while finding a community. There were also SOOO many books mentioned (I think I got them all in my list at the end of my post).

It was amazing how much June grew as a character from start to end and Sampson did a wonderful job of showing this in the first council meeting where June attempts to speak and fails miserably and her speech at the final council meeting:

". . . libraries aren't just about books. They're places where an eight-year-old boy can have his eyes opened up to the wonders of the world, and where a lonely eighty-year-old woman can come for some vital human contact. Where a teenager can find precious quiet space to do her homework and a recently arrived immigrant can find a new community. Libraries are places where everyone, rich or poor, wherever they come from in the world, can feel safe. Where they can access information that will empower them." (Chapter 32)

June found her confidence and her voice, but it took a lot to get there. The plot was 100% predictable, but it didn't make the impact of the story or the characters any less. Seriously, I knew what was going to happen pretty much from the start (without having re-read the blurb), but Sampson still wrote a refreshing and endearing take on something that has become far too common in recent years.

There were so many lovely characters in this book from the two younger characters Chantal and Jackson to the misunderstood older woman Vera, to the love interest Alex (who just sounds swoon worthy) and June's boss. They all had quirks and charm and depth that Sampson was able to get across without bogging the book down too much. But the two biggest characters, after June and Alex, were Mrs. B, the political spitfire, and Stanley, a kind old man who'd been trying to draw June out of her shell for years.

I adored Mrs. B, because of her over-the-top activism and how it contrasted to Stanley's conservative (not just his newspaper preferences) demeanor. But there was also this scene which,

'Grief can do funny things to you,' Mrs. B said. 'I lost someone a long time ago, and for ages after that I lost any desire to fight or protest. I just wanted to curl up and sleep.'
'Were you married, Mrs. Bransworth?' Stanley said.
'No, I bloody well wasn't. I've never really seen the point in men. But my partner, she—' Mrs. B stopped. June had never seen her lost for words before.
'How did you deal with the grief.'
'I realized that by moping around and feeling sorry for myself, I was doing her a disservice. She loved me because I was angry and noisy and a pain in the arse. And by not living my life, by being scared and hiding away, I was letting her down.' (Chapter 20).

No one made a big deal out of the revelation that Mrs. B was a lesbian, and her response about men was hilarious. They focused on what was important in the moment: how she dealt with her grief and became the women they knew.

The epilogue was a wonderful addition to the novel and I couldn't help but feel pride for June. When she had the opportunity to stick with what she knew, to stay in her hometown, to continue as she had for years with minor improvements, she chose the harder choice and left. She went to find herself and it was just perfect, especially when you add in that she and Alex FINALLY kissed and acknowledged their attraction.

Recommendation: This was a wonderful read and I definitely recommend it if you see it! I knew I would enjoy it because of the library setting, but the characters were all just genuinely fun and well written. I hesitated for a few minutes when I realized June's grief was about her mother, but each of the characters had their own thing they were dealing with and why they needed the library and they all really added to the story. I'm so glad I didn't read this at the pool on vacation, it would've been another book added to the pile of me crying in public because it was so good and I legit teared up at the end because it was just such a perfect ending.

*I received a copy of The Last Chance Library from the publisher via NetGalley in return for my honest opinion. No goods or money were exchanged.

"The Last Chance Library" is a great pick for lovers of the public library. It's a heartwarming book about community and the vital role libraries play in support their residents.

This basically feels like a British Hallmark movie, but quirkier and less formulaic. Emotionally hurting June Junes has shut herself off from certain things in life, devoting her time to her small town's local library – which of course needs to be saved. As a result, she comes out of her shell, makes a bunch of oddball friends and even speaks publicly!

I appreciated the library-heavy plot and focus on how it truly is a community resource while simultaneously reflecting the diversity of the community. Expect protests, light espionage and social media shenanigans.

The romance plot is secondary – Alex Chen, lawyer and occasional Chinese restaurant employee for his family – so don't expect much there.

In some ways the novel is so lightweight, I found it forgettable. However, I did want to shout-out some of its incredibly cheeky jokes that took me by surprise. I just wish there was more of that in the storytelling. Like June herself, this book was still didn't trust itself to fully use its voice.

Review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley

This book was so reminiscent of my youth. My grandma was the local librarian, and I spent hours in the library - participating in summer reading clubs, flipping through the latest magazines, grabbing the new releases and volunteering to help with the card catalog. The Last Chance Library felt like home.

In my adult life, I have spent valuable serving on the board of the local library, supporting their mission, and most recently I chaired the levy campaign to keep the doors open. Just like June's journey in the Chalcot Library, people rally together to save what is precious to a community.

The Last Chance Library is a well written debut novel, the landed in every way for me. Books provide escape, without them what would we be? Many of the characters found refuge in the words penned on pages, contentment in the library walls and escape from the trials of life. It is a truly a feel good story for lovers of books.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the advance reader copy.

Book Review- no spoilers

Our main character is a librarian assistant. She wears her hair in a tight bun and goes to work in a cardigan (every day she wears a gray one). She has social anxiety and lives by herself in a somewhat lonely existence. She takes a constant stream of abuse from her boss without standing up for herself and overworks herself by doing tasks such as skipping lunch to help her boss plan a bachelorette party.

So basically a stereotype of a librarian with a dash of realism- some librarians really do work in abusive work environments and are not able to do anything about it for a variety of reasons. But I found it frustrating to read and at times cringeworthy, such as the main character explaining that being a librarian is like being a social worker. True? Perhaps. . But the profession is misunderstood enough as it is. That being said, the author does strive to make the point that libraries are more than just books. There are some insightful moments that made it a worthwhile book to pick up, especially if you like light reads.

I have started to have a low tolerance for pathetic main characters. So maybe I’m just a grump- but I would say this is a 3 star read all in all.

I loved how this book illustrated how a library does so much more than hand out books. In this book, the library is the heart of the community and reading the story endeared this quaint town and it’s inhabitants to me. Nice choice for a sweet, character driven story about an unlikely group banding together to try and save their library.

A small library in trouble, a young introverted library assistant, budget cuts, quirky regular visitors to the library - seems I’ve read a bunch of books along these lines lately. Enjoyed this one, small village with an array of interesting villagers come to the aid of the soon to be closed village library, that is the heart of many villagers’ lives. Our heroine learns much about herself along the way. And yes, perhaps a bit of romance too.

I have to say first that I don't know if I can write an unbiased review of The Last Chance Library. I am a library assistant, albeit at a high school library, not a public library like the protagonist in the book, so I felt a great comradery with June Jones.

The Last Chance Library takes place in a small town in England where council funds a waning and there is a plan to close many small-town libraries. June along with many library regulars form a group to try to save the library from the figurative wrecking block. I loved the characters and how each one from a young home-schooled boy to the octogenarian find a home in their library. It's not easy and Sampson doesn't give the reader the belief that just wanting something to happen will change government.

The entire book felt a lot like an ode to libraries, not from the old days but what libraries have become in modern times, with meetings, reading times, computers, and just a place for people to congregate who have nowhere else to go. I truly loved this book and what it says about libraries.

The Last Chance Library is Freya Sampson's wonderful debut novel. Honestly, I was hooked by the title and once I read the premise, I knew I was going to love it - and I did!

June Jones is shy, introverted and is happiest with a good book for company. But where she shines is when she's working at the Chalcot village library - as did her deceased mother. She loves her job and her patrons. But, the local council has decided that it will be closing a number of smaller libraries - and Chalcot is on the chopping block. What can be done to forestall the closure?

Yes, you guessed it - a quirky band of townsfolk band together to try to save the heart of the village. Sampson has drawn very vivid images for her characters and I had clear mental pictures of the FOCL (say that fast) Friends of the Chalcot Library. All very different, but with a common purpose. Each one endeared themselves to me. But, I have to say that Stanley was my favourite supporting character - and I'm sure he'll be yours as well. June was a great protagonist. You can't help but like her and be behind her as she breaks out of her shell and finds friends, purpose, goals, dreams and yes, maybe love as well. But the most important find will be finding her self again.

I love 'underdog' books where a scrappy bunch takes on a 'Goliath'. You'll be cheering from the sidelines. You'll laugh, and yes, you'll cry. And you'll wish you were part of the group.

The Last Chance Library is a love letter to libraries and readers and books and those who have found their way into a library for any reason. And for those who haven't? Take a trip to your local library - it's so much more than books.

A great debut Freya Sampson - I'll be watching for your next book!

I really enjoyed this book! One, because I love books and it’s about my very favorite subject. And, two, because I’m a school librarian. Thanks!