If you’re like me and really feel cooped up and bored, this book stirs up some yearning for travel ✈️

It’s “Pretty Little London: A Seasonal Guide to the City’s Most Instagrammable Places” published by @franceslincolnpub (2021). The title suggests it’s only about seeking out social media aesthetics, but in reality, I think this is an excellent portrayal of the best parts of London, especially for people who love photography.

Features — The coolest part about this book is that the options are split into seasons. This is important because of when you visit — for example, my favorite part of the year in London is Christmastime. There are so many unique holiday things and sights per season, so it makes sense to split them this way. Some things are year round but may have peak best seasons as well.

Format — So, each season starts with a map of landmarks listed in the chapter. This is followed by about 25 listings (~100 total) that are about 1-2 pages each. You’ll get all of this for each chapter and section:

🌸 Info About London’s Best Picturesque Restaurants, Landmarks, Gardens, Shops + Markets, Locations, etc.

🌸 Map & Nearest Transport Links, Helpful Navigation Tips

🌸 Multiple High Quality Color Photos Depicting the Scenes

🌸 Insider Tips (ex. busiest times, best location for photos, nearby attractions, etc).

🌸 Several Paragraphs About Each Option Which Outline Details + Tips

🌸 Instagram Tips (ex. nearby landmarks, gardens, colorful backgrounds, notable scenery)

My thoughts ⤵️

Personally, I lived in London for a bit and still think I didn’t get to do everything there is to do. This book covers a lot of the top options and some. It covers a variety of areas of London as well, and it extends beyond the typical touristy things and offers insights that can spark your own travel plans based on what stands out to you. If you’re already a fan of the PLL or travel photography instagrams, this book may also jog your memory on some of the highly identifiable picturesque areas so you won’t miss out on anything.

My favorite places — Embankment, Westminster, Richmond, Bloomsbury

When I requested this title on NetGalley, I wasn’t aware of the authors’ Instagram account, but I was interested in travel and in London specifically. It turns out I was still the perfect target audience - I really enjoyed reading this book and got a lot out of the photos and the text/recommendations. I visited London last year, and this book mentions some of my favorite spots I visited during that trip, while pointing to lots of others I’d like to explore in the future. The photos are lovely and there is a nice blend of timeless London locations and trendier places like new restaurants and coffee shops.
I liked the down-to-earth but professional and helpful advice on Instagram curation and photography more generally, as well as the organization of the book into “seasons” and the illustrated maps of London neighborhoods.
Would absolutely recommend this book whether you’re interested in travel, social media, or both! I viewed the title as a PDF but it would be lovely as a coffee table book.
I received an ebook arc of this title from NetGalley for review purposes.

This is an absolutely gorgeous book! It would be perfect to have on your coffee table. As well as being gorgeous it is the perfect guide to finding the best and most beautiful Instagram spots in London. It would be the perfect present for you instagram obsessed friends.

Wonderful book, in which I stopped for awhile in each page and marvel every photo. With important insider tips, you can do London tour by yourselves. Moreover, classified per season, what you can do in summer, like having tea on an alley won't be the same as having wine on winter. With interesting tips on how to take pictures, the hidden gems, this book is for you to plan your next London sightseeing.

"Pretty Little London" is a picturesque guide to different beautiful spots around London with a focused theme of "Instagramable" spots. This book is filled with eye candy on every page! I've never been to London myself but I felt as though I was traveling all over London through the stunning photography. Pretty Little London actually began as an Instagram account and I really liked how this book tied in photography tips with travel tips and knowledge of the best places to visit all year round. This is the kind of book that I want to own and peruse whenever I want to travel somewhere but physically can't. It's just such a pretty little book!


Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group-White Lion for an e-arc of "Pretty Little London" in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and found lots of great new places to visit in London next time I visit. I loved the story of how they started their Instagram account and the way the book is split up into seasons makes it easy to pick the perfect place to visit at the right time of year. This would make a great gift for someone living in London or someone who visits London enough to need some cool places to visit. They include some more well known locations as well as many I've never been to despite visiting London dozens of times.

This is a beautiful book, full of photos of London through the seasons, including shops, restaurants, hotels, parks, galleries, and other sites that you shouldn't miss on a visit to the capital.

The idea of sectioning the book in seasons is an excellent one, as it points up the best times of year to visit although, of course, you can visit whenever you wish.

Sara Santini and Andrea Di Filippo are Italian but now base in London, and have created an Instagram account - @prettylittlelondon - to showcase their photos of unique and stylish destinations in the capital. As well as the gorgeous photos, they provide detailed information and background, and insider tips to read for additional insight.

The other aspects of the book I loved were the walks and day trips, with destinations including the Cotswolds and York. Also, there are some wonderful food destinations just begging to be tried!

I am not a Londoner, but would happily have this book on my coffee table as a conversation starter, and refer to it when planning a visit to London - it will complement a Rough Guide or Lonely Planet type book very well.

Definitely my coffee table book of the year so far.

I was sent an advance review copy of this book by Quarto Publishing Group - White Lion, in return for an honest appraisal.

A big thank-you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for giving me a copy of this book for an unbiased review.

3/5 - Liked it.

Let's start with the positives. "Pretty Little London" is a great book for those who want to visit London for the perfect Instagram shot. The book is broken down by seasonal activities, which I thought was a great idea - after all, some places in London are at their best during a specific season and most visitors to London will only get to experience that one season on their trip, so why not give them the best that the city has to offer?

Despite being very familiar with London, I was still able to discover some new places that I was unaware of, or to learn about seasonal attributes of these places that were unknown to me. The pictures that accompanied each location were beautiful and quite inspiring, helping me add more spots to visit on my London bucketlist.

Now for the negatives - this is definitely a book written for budding Instagrammers and I just don't fall into that category. Now, let me preface this by saying it's obvious in the title that this will be a feature in the book - but it feels less like a feature and more like the focus. It almost read like a "how to be an influencer in London" guide. As some other reviews mention, the hidden gems discussed are primarily restaurants and bars - and not cheap ones at that! The recommendations in this book would probably be outside of the average reader's budget. For me at least, most of these are special occasion or "splurge" nights out.

There are also countless tips of how to take the perfect Insta shot - some of which are maybe helpful, but others tell you how to take a better picture of your meal. I personally think that this book would have been better if it focused more on unique locations and beautiful hidden spots than on how to take the perfect London picture.

In summary, I did enjoy this book and I think it absolutely is helpful for those visiting London and looking for perfect photo spots to add to their itinerary. I think this book would make a lovely gift for a friend taking a trip to the UK or moving abroad, and it's a perfect "coffee table" book with gorgeous visuals. But I do feel that the content could be improved if it focused less on Instagram and more on the beauty of the city, along with its history and quirks. Whether or not you enjoy the book will really come down to personal preference, but it is a valuable guidebook of the city nonetheless.

I don't know about you but this isn't the grey and rainy London that everyone seems to complaining about. Everything is so pretty! Thank you to the authors for this sweet respite amid this pandemic.

Gorgeous coffee table book, stunning pictures of London in all it's glory organised by season. From a couple with an Instagram profile complied into one lovely book. There were some helpful photography and framing tips and descriptions of the images and locations. Sometimes the descriptions were a little repetitive, such as referring to lots of places as hidden gems, but overall it was a lovely visual guide. Noting that my knowledge of London is very limited, I would have found it very helpful to contain a quick reference guide as to locations or areas/geography in which to refer to while I was building a bucket list. Overall it is a beautiful visual guide to an intriguing city

Very beautiful book, insightful and overall a fast and nice read. Would make an excellent gift for someone interested in travelling to London, exploring their city, or just in photography in general. I really loved the instagram tips at the beginning of the book !

Lovely pictures and cute maps. I lived in London for 3 months and there were definitely a lot of different places that I hadn’t seen before. This is a great book for someone who wants to get a deeper London experience, especially if you love food and photo-worthy places.

4.5☆

Pretty Little London is the quintessential hybrid coffee table book, tourist guide, & Instagram photo guide for amazing photos.

This book is divided into Seasons for tourists, but can be seen at any time of year. Not only are to taken to top tourist destinations, but also top hidden gems explored by the authors.

Even if you can't currently travel, this beautiful guide will transport you to some of the most pretty places in London.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy to review.

A decent book for those who want to focus on getting a certain shot during a specific season for Instagram. Good intro to the place and reason why the certain season is good for pictures.

Beautiful photos and made to feel as though you were really stating there looking at the scenery. I am hopeful that travel will be open again soon and that my travels in the future will lead me to some of these amazingly beautiful places.

This is an absolutely gorgeous book. Full of colorful, vibrant photos that take the viewer on a seasonal guide through London. You will feel like you're standing on a corner at the Portabello Road Market or looking down a narrow cobbled street in Richmond. SO GOOD!!
The images are accompanied by tips on where to eat and drink, information about the beautiful scenery, and even "insider tips" on where/when to take the best photos of your own and where to find thir favorites things.
There's even a section at the beginning that offers sound advice for anyone else who takes beautiful photos and wants to get them noticed on Instagram.

I really really enjoyed this lovely little trip across London! Photos are king in this book - obviously, as it comes from an amazing Instagram page - and it would make a wonderful gift or coffee table book for ultimately anyone who has ever been to London. The book is broken down into different neighbourhoods/areas of London, and it walks you through each little nook, recommending interesting museums or restaurants or cafes etc. Part travel guide, part photo guide. I also found it a lovely touch that it is separated into different seasons - and which areas you should visit during each season to see them at their peak. Beautiful!

As a Londoner I thought I knew the city quite well but this gorgeous book has changed my mind. Many favourite 'old friends' like the Victoria and Albert Museum are included but there are also lots of places included that I have never heard of. I am now excited about my next trip into town and exploring in depth via my camera lens. Love the ribbon bookmark (who wouldn't?!) and the seasonal sections are a great idea. I'm looking forward to walking the literary tour of London and taking some fab photos.

An absolute must have for people traveling to London. Or for people like myself, that want to go one day. The pictures are stunning. I love how the book is broken down into Seasons. Now I want to go year round!

Great pictures and an excellent guide to London. It made travel to the city during different seasons and I loved it.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine