Books centered around bookstores will always appeal to me. And then when you factor in family dynamics and putting together the pieces to figure out the truth makes it even more appealing. The characters are well developed and the scavenger hunt aspect was a bonus. You will experience a myriad of emotions ... love, grief, resentment, difficult decisions, and the opportunity for second chances. I found myself wanting to make a trip to London so I could browse the books in this delightful shop. Just a wonderful journey through the lives of amazing women.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

When Val inherits her estranged mother's book store and flat in London, the recently divorced librarian flees California for Primose Hill in a search for answers about her mother's life.

It was deeper than I thought it would be, but I really enjoyed this!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for honest feedback. Even though I'm not really into this genre, I wanted to read this book because I love books set in London. Add in bookish elements and it gets even better. This story was absolutely heartwarming. I loved the changing of settings and the "coming of age" in a way. The journey the MC takes is interesting, entertaining, and relatable. I almost wrote this story off as cheesy, but it definitely was not. I also loved the cover! It's a great book.

This was cute, but not one of my fav romances. I liked the MC enough but the romance fell a little flat for me. Enjoyable, but ultimately not super memorable.

This is such a great book, that before I start to d my review I want to say that if you can pick it up then you definitely should.

As an avid reader I've always had a fantasy of being able to own my own bookstore, of being able to introduce people to my favorite books and to have someone that I can discuss books with. For now I take comfort in having social media as my way of putting out my thoughts for others to see even if its not in person. Valentina, one of the protagonist, was able to do both of those dreams. Not only is she a popular bookstagrammer but she is also a librarian turned book store owner because of some unfortunate events. The second protagonist is Eloise, Valentina's mom. She's witty and smart, with a dream of owning a book store with her best friend. We get to see both pov's , the past and the present. The present we get the pain of loosing a parents, not once but twice. In the past we get to see the unfortunate events that lead up to the circumstances in the future. Something that I've always found interesting is that when in books, there is usually one character that we like more than others. There's usually one character that is more developed than others. In this book I think that its hard not to like both Valentina and Eloise.

Valentina grows on you as the story progresses, you cant help but feel for her and understand her pain for not only loosing her marriage but also for loosing a mother that she never really got to know. We see her struggle with her anger towards her mom who abandoned her specially when she needed her the most but also feeling grief for not being able to get the ending that she wanted... reconciliation. I liked the process of her rediscovering herself but also realizing that her mother loved her and thought of her all those years.

Eloise portion of the story was... heartbreaking. I would be lying if I said that it didn't make me cry when I realized that she gave up so much all through out her life, yet she was still remembered as someone valuable to her community, and Valentine unfortunately didn't get to have that in her life. Knowing that she had to give up on love but that years later towards the end she was able to finally get part of what she wanted made me so heartbroken for her, from sadness and happiness. She realized that she could live her life with the pain but not let it be everything. I think it was so realistic for her to not completely blame Valentina's father for the separation, she does hint to it, but she still focuses on the positive. That was a perfect way to end her letters.

“The fact of the matter is bad things happen to good people. They do. All the time. But it’s our choice whether we wallow in them for the rest of our lives, or whether we accept the invitation.

I furrow my brow, confused. “The invitation?”

“Yes, to begin life’s grand second act. You see, that’s what your mother learned. Once she stopped looking back, she could finally move forward.”

The side characters are also well done, they are realistic and fit into the story line in a way that they add to the story. Although this is mostly focused on the mother/daughter relationship there is a love story being told at the same time. The scavenger hunt that Eloise created for Valentina was so much fun, but also knowing where that came from was just ... i dont even know how to describe it. This was such a beautiful, heartfelt, heartbreaking, and endearing book about love, secrets, grief, decisions, missed opportunities and second chances.

I said it once and i will say it again.. read this book ! and make sure you have tissues next to you.

A lovely story from start to finish about a woman navigating divorce, grief and finding her place again in this world in the last place she expected.

Right off the bat, this book was cute and catered towards readers. And that’s just about all you need to know. Oh, and it has escapism galore. Honestly, this book was cuteness and escapism galore. I read it a while ago, so I don’t remember every single detail of it but I do remember that it was cute. The main character is a bookstagrammer, which made for some definite recognitions, but she is a bit too judgemental towards non-readers for my taste. There’s a rundown bookstore, a quaint part of London with flowers on the windowsill… And the description of these places was so vivid I can still picture them. I also think the settings and the escapism that comes with it is its greatest selling point. Of course, there’s the mystery of what happened with the mom (not in a suspense-kind of way, just a simple romance plot kind of way). And though the book has some darker themes, I didn’t feel these darken the entire book. It was a kind of cliché in its ending, but I didn’t mind that. The love plots were cute as well, nothing special but enjoyable to read about. And I really enjoyed the scavenger aspect of it. I think that’s what made me kept reading most of all, because I do enjoy a good scavenger hunt book. Even though these clues were personal, I couldn’t help but try and guess along with them.
The story is set across a dual timeline, and the story of the mother progresses at the same time as that the daughter finds out about the truth about her mother’s disappearance and leaving her. Although I have to admit that I was slightly more invested in the mother’s story than in the daughter’s story, I did enjoy the dual timeline aspect (possibly because of the scavenger hunt).
Overall, if you want a cute, quick read and escape to London and California for a bit, and (like me) like stories about a community coming together, definitely give this a go!

Link to Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/Ciah22-LMYV/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

a cute story of love and travel. this was simply a feel good romance that left a warm fuzzy feeling but is forgettable at the end of the day.

bitter sweet with an even sweeter ending. I really didn't know what to expect going into this one but I ended up really enjoying it about halfway through. I loved val and how headstrong she was throughout the book.

With Love from London
by Sarah Jio
5 stars
I absolutely loved the different timelines and how it all went about. You understood her mom and what she struggled with the whole time. What the daughter went threw and how everything affected them differently. Also the mom's scavenger hunt made me want to go out and start putting one together. It was so moving and I cried a lot during this read.

I would give this one 3.5 stars. It was an enjoyable read, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to patrons looking for a gentle, romantic read.

I fell in love with Sarah Jio’s writing several years ago when I read “The Bungalow”. That is definitely still my favorite, but I enjoyed this one as well. Thanks for letting me read it!

Val's mother, Eloise, has passed away, and the small bookstore she opened in London now belongs to the daughter she abandoned when she was only 11 years old. Val has to come to terms with her mother's death while also dealing with the resentment caused by Eloise's choice to go back to her home in Primrose Hill.
As Val starts to learn about Eloise's life in London, she realizes that her mother's decision was influenced by many factors that she never knew about before, and the small bookstore she now owns is hiding the answers to her questions about why Eloise left her all those decades ago.

This book made me so emotional, and I was truly engaged by Val and Eloise dual storylines. The story starts with Val's present life finding out about her mother's dead and flying from California to London to get her mother's affairs in order and sell the small bookstore she opened two decades ago. As she starts to dig into the bookstore's state, Val also learns the truth behind her mother's decision to leave her behind in the US. While Val is trying to come to terms with the sense of abandonment she suffered, she starts to get to know her mother in a way that she did not see coming. With the help of her mother's friends and acquaintances, Val learns about the person Elise was before and after becoming a mother.

I found this story truly beautiful and felt so many emotions while Val learned about her mother and the life she had in London and California. It was truly heartbreaking to learn the truth and I felt the same despair that Val felt when she finds out the reason's behind her mother's decision to leave her with her father. And i felt truly sympathetic towards Val for everything she had to go through before getting to know her late mother. Overall, a beautiful story! I wish Val and Eloise would have had more time together and it made me sad they only get the chance to develop a relationship when it's too late.

Really enjoyed this book. I loved the mother daughter story, just pulled at my heartstrings so so much. The scenery, of LA. Seattle, and London-some of my favs. And the fact that these women loved books, I mean, what could be better. I could have done with a bit more spice, but I can always add more spice to my books!
Wonderful read and so heartwarming.

This book is definitely very cozy. Both timelines kept me interested, which is usually hard to pull off when you're switching characters and time periods every chapter. Reading about readers is a treat.

Super cute and a light read. If you need something to get you out of a slump this would be it.
The story is a cute story and the characters are super likeable.

While I do not want my life to fall apart like Valentina's, I would be thrilled to inherit a bookstore in London. What a great adventure to take. I enjoyed following Valentine's story as she learned about her estranged mother, made friends, and discovered herself through her mother. The bookstore was charming and I added some fun landmarks to my must visit list if I make it to London.

With Love from London by Sarah Jio is a heartwarming story about family and community, love, forgiveness and second chances. I love stories revolving around books and bookstores and I enjoyed the segments devoted to Eloise’s and Valentina’s love for books. Really sweet!

I've been a fan of Sarah Jio for awhile, and this book did not disappoint. I loved the setting of this one. What's not to love about a bookstore??

While I loved the setting of this book and the overall premise of it, I felt like it was a bit too slow? I also think I was unprepared for the emotion in this book! The competing storylines of Val and Eloise was really well done. The concept of inheriting a bookstore and moving across the ocean for it was refreshing and new. Overall, a 3 star book for me!

Thank you NetGalley and Ballentine Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.