This was heartbreakingly beautiful story and hit very close to home for me. I loved how the story unraveled between a Valentina and her estranged (and deceased) mother by alternating between timeline from Valentina’s present to Eloise’s past. What also kept my interest in the story is that the reader discovers with Val the mysteries of her mother through a scavenger hunt left behind for her to uncover her mother’s greatest loves and memories. With this scavenger hunt and the little bookshop Eloise left for her daughter, I fell in love along with Val with the charm of Primrose Hill and the people that brought life to it along with Eloise’s heart. I truly will never forget this story!

I had a really hard time getting into this book and I was really hoping to like it. While the author did a great job of setting the scene and making the spaces in the book feel really lived in, I was hoping it would be more of a romance. It’s really a book about a relationship between a mother and her daughter, which whole ultimately lovely was simply not what I was looking for. Still, the book was really well written and very charming and I works recommend it to a friend, it just wasn’t for me.

Ireceived this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

WOW! This is a 4.5 for me I think, but not 5 stars because the first part was a bit slow for me. First of all - the setting?! A cozy bookshop in London?! Love. I love the characters in this. The story flips between a mother and daughter’s perspectives, from present day to before the daughter was born.

Valentina and Eloise’s journeys were both touching, real, and gripping to read. There’s many life lessons, different perspectives of life, and characters learning hard things.

If I’m being honest, I thought this was a romance before I started reading it - but I was surprised by the story and even more surprised that I couldn’t put this book down. I really loved it and definitely recommend it!

I absolutely dislike when authors make two life-changing events happen right on top of each other. Did we really need Val to have had her husband leave her AND her hear about her mother passing within an hour of her waking? I think the story would have been fine enough with her as a divorced woman who is contacted about her estranged mother's death. Her marital status and subsequent look for love once she gets to England really has no weight in this story at all. It's the unraveling of Eloise's tale that is the focus -- I cared to find out about her and what drove her to-and-from England more than about Val's story. Also, the scavenger hunt would have been maddening to me if I were Val (and it was to me as a reader). You left me as a child, and now you want me to hunt down the answers as to why? I wouldn't have done it. I'd have made Millie sit down and tell me the whole truth right than and there. That all being said, it was a fine enough story. Easy to read and the pictures painted about Primrose Hill and even California were nice.

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✈️Book Review👩‍👧
With Love from London by Sarah Jio
Pairs well with: cozy blanket and Pinot Noir🍷

Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse for the advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am writing this review with fresh tears! I haven't been this touched by a book since Things You Save in a Fire and related to Val so my review may be biased with having a similar story, but I am sure you know the feeling when you just GET IT. Its rare in a world with so many stories to tell, but when it happens-it's so moving and beautiful.

Val was abandoned by her mother as a child, used books to cope with the loss, is 35 and is a bookstagrammer! I meeeean... GIRL I FEEL YOU 100% on all of that, but sadly have never been to a london so I still lived vicariously through her in the best way. London is my favorite location for any genre of book-I don't know why they aren't all set there🤷🏻‍♀️.The dual timeline is perfectly paced and I was enthralled by both narrators the entire time, going through a mini rollercoaster of emotion at the end of each chapter "noooo I don't want to switch from Val! Wait I get to go back to Eloise!" The chapters are short and impactful, and I never felt a lull. The character growth is inspiring and realistic-nothing is overnight or seems exaggerated. Just characters that you get to walk alongside as they figure out their path and navigate love and loss.

This is just the kind of book that I love to recommend to others! The romance is clean, and while there is loss, I would not consider it a tragedy that people who steer clear of sad books would take issue with. Essentially I think I could gift this to anyone in my family or friends circle and they would all enjoy it and that's rare. Bravo @sarahjio ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pick up your copy on 2/8/22 and I know you won't be disappointed!

A thoroughly enjoyable read.

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

Sarah Jio is an auto-buy author for me and I will follow her characters anywhere! If you like dual-timeline, character driven stories with a hint of mystery as you unravel how the characters and stories in each timeline come together, you will love all of Jio’s books.

Love From London (which comes out early next year) is fantastic! The story is set in London on the charming Primrose Hill where Valentina has come to put her mother’s affairs in order after her death and decide if she can continue to run the indie bookstore her mother started all those years ago. The characters we meet are charming and entertaining and if you are looking for a delightful, cozy book then look no further!

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC.

Let me preface by saying I received this title as an ARC from NetGalley. I was intrigued because it had several of my book needs- set in London, librarian/bookseller, and a bit of a mystery. Although the mystery. Having spent a semester in London in college, I love stories that take me back. I could picture the neighborhood where Valentina (and her mother) retreat when life doesn't go the way they planned. I particularly liked the scavenger hunt that Eloise set for her daughter and the individuals and books it brought her into contact with; trying to solve the clues before Val was fun. It's really hard to believe a librarian didn't get "Good Night Moon" right away. Some parts were a little far-fetched, but isn't that a main tenet of reading fiction- letting go and relaxing your grip on reality.

Sarah Jio writes such heartwarming, delightful novels that I was thrilled with a chance to review “With Love, from London.” To read a novel about books and reading was a second cherry on top of an already delicious sundae.

Recently divorced Valentina (Val) Barker travels to London because she has inherited her (estranged) mother’s bookstore. While staying in her mother’s flat, she discovers a letter from her mom that leads her to a quest to discover specifically chosen books with further letters stored inside them. This journey teaches Val not only about her mother and why she left, but also more about herself in the process.

The novel shifts from the point of view to Val in the present to Eloise in the past, the latter of which allows the reader to appreciate the letters and who Elosie was. What I loved most about the novel was its simplicity—Sarah Jio allows Val and Eloise to tell their stories without overwhelming the reader with unnecessary plot devices. “With Love, from London” is the perfect book to curl up with (cat on lap, of course) on a cold, rainy day. Whether you are already a fan of Sarah Jio or looking for a new author, I highly recommend you give this book a try.

Thank you the Sarah Jio, NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel.

With Love from London is first and foremost a story about a mother and her daughter, but it's also a story about librarians, bookstores, and the joy of finding the right book at the right time. There is some romance included, but it's in the background to the point that I'm not sure I would categorize this as a romance. The story is told from the perspective of both Eloise (mother) and Valentina (daughter), and I'm honestly afraid I will spoil the book if I give any more details. While I would recommend this as a quick and heartwarming story, I don't think it is a book that will stick with me for long, which is what's keeping it from a full four stars.

3.5 Stars

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for sending this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! With Love from London will be published on February 8, 2022.

With Love From London is a love letter er to the City of London, books, indie bookstores, librarians and the power of Children’s Literature. London bound Valentina Baker is fleeing her failed marriage and mourning the death of the mother who left her in childhood. Eloise, her mother has died, left Valentina her bookstore and apartment in Primrose Hill. Once arriving she meets Mille, her mother’s best friend who runs the bookstore, Liza the upstairs tenant and a host of neighbors and tradespeople. And, since this is a Rom-Com she also meets some men, including a “Fairy God Father”. The bookstore is deep in debit & Valentina, Millie and Lizzie hatch a plan to keep it open since it’s an integral part of the close-knit community. Along the way she learns her mother’s back story, comes to terms with her losses, finds a new life and of course a new romance.
And yes, the story ends with bookstore once again thriving.

This is a dual narration book – one chapter is about Eloise and takes place in the past, the next about Valentina and takes place in the present. Both women are interesting– they love books and sharing this love brings them joy. The London setting is well written – the author knows The Primrose section of London well. The book is full of mentions of book titles and quotes which I, another lover of books found delightful. I can easily see With Love From London as a Hallmark Movie – and I’ll be subscribing to Hallmark channel to watch it if this comes to pass.

This is a very entertaining “feel good” book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone who loves books and bookstores. One nice extra is while there is romance there is no steamy sex. It’s quite suitable for teenagers.
Highly Recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC from Netgalley, With Love from London, by Sarah Jio. Mother and daughter relationships are not always what they seem, or easy. Eloise and Valentina are no exception.

Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for our free ARC of With Love from London by Sara Jio.

Rating 5 star
Genre Fiction

Sarah Jio does it again! I've not read a book of hers that I didn't love, but this one takes the cake. It doesn't hurt that the setting is a cozy bookstore in London. This is a beautifully written story about love and loss. A must read!

Sarah Jio did it again! I love dual timeline stories and this one was so heartbreaking and yet heartwarming I never wanted it to end. Preorder this book today, you won’t be sorry! ❤️ Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the ARC of this incredible book!

. I really enjoyed this book. It has a nice blend of heart and heartache to tug at your heart strings in all the right ways. Its always lovely when the characters are booklovers and reading and their stories inform so much of the story. I also really enjoyed all the scavenger hunts within the book! The book also has so many definitions of love within the book, and how all of them have their place in time.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Adorable storyline, impeccable writing, likable characters, just a dash of romance. This book checked all my boxes! The story centers around Valentina, a newly single woman who starts over in a new country with a new venture, but an old pain in her heart. Her mother left when Valentina was still young, never to be heard from again. Until, she passes away and leaves her daughter a legacy: her beloved library. Valentina dove in head first and boy did I love every minute of her story! This is a must read!

I had some reservations about WITH LOVE FROM LONDON before I started it. First, rightly or wrongly, I tend to steer clear of books with cartoon-y covers, because to me, they convey a message that says “lightweight”, which is not necessarily bad, but not normally my taste. Second, I hesitated, because it was about a bookstore, and sometimes books about books can hit you over the head with the transformative power of reading.. But, it seems as though the cartoon covers are here to stay, so, being an Anglophile, WITH LOVE FROM LONDON .seemed like a good place to begin.
For the most part, this story of a woman who inherits a bookstore from the mother who mysteriously abandoned her when she was twelve, kept my interest. In yet another dual timeline novel, we learn how the mother, Eloise, ended up in London without her daughter Valentina. In the present, we follow Valentina as she embarks on the mysterious scavenger hunt her mother meticulously planned before she died. There are, of course, love stories for both mother and daughter that mirror each other, as mother and daughter both visit the same London locales.
In all, this was a satisfying read, and not TOO preachy about books. It’s well written, but not a book that will necessarily lodge itself in anyone’s heart forever.

I found this to be an enjoyable read, keeping me on my toes throughout. The storyline was written well and flowed seamlessly. I look forward to reading more by this author!

I loved London themed books and this was a beautiful book abt a young women’s journey to find herself and her to find out abt her mother. This would make a perfect book club selection and delighted to add this to our women’s fiction dept as well. The cover is also eye catchinginfly beautiful and will be a huge hit!

Thanks Netgalley for a arc copy of this book for a honest review..

With Love From London was a enjoyable read once I started reading I couldn't put down I read it in on setting. I don't read many contemporary fiction books I'm giving it 4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Happy Reading 📚
Lisa