This one had the makings of a book I would LOVE (and I've loved some of Jio's past books, particularly Violets of March). A librarian who inherits a bookstore?! Yes, please. Sadly, this one fell a little flat for me. It was a bit predictable, a bit unbelievable, but still a fun, lighthearted read.

Eu não posso ver um bom drama familiar que logo quero ler. With Love From London conta a história de duas mulheres que são pegas nas circunstâncias da vida e na teia de mentira de homens que deveriam amá-las.

Eloise é uma jovem Londrina típica do final dos anos 1960. De classe baixa, trabalhadora e que sonha em encontrar seu príncipe encantado. Em uma noite ela encontra Edward, um herdeiro que a deixa encantada, mas que some. Enquanto é cortejada por Frank, um americano que promete o sonho a ela. Anos depois conhecemos Valentina, uma mulher na casa dos trinta anos que acabou de se divorciar depois que o marido a traiu com uma mulher muito mais jovem. Acontece que Val é filha de Eloise, que acabou abandonando o marido e a filha e voltando para Londres. Agora Val recebe um comunicado que a mãe faleceu de câncer e que deixou um prédio com apartamentos e uma livraria para ela. Val então decide embarcar nessa viagem e talvez descobrir o motivo da mãe nunca ter retornado.



Sarah Jio entrega uma chocante e emocionante história de duas mulheres vítimas da sociedade e da manipulação de homens inescrupulosos. Minha única ressalva é que faltou e muito ódio por parte da Val, o pai dela foi um completo idiota com a mãe e no final ela nem mesmo xinga ele.



No mais foi bem legal acompanhar como Eloise se esforçou para estar perto da filha mesmo depois de sua morte, o que me rasgou o coração, pois ela merecia muito ter vivido um amor com o Edward e ter reencontrado a filha.



Val, por sua vez, fica completamente confusa em como a mãe pode dar tanto amor a crianças estranhas, mas não a ela. Isso é algo que me chamou muita atenção no livro, ela segurava certa animosidade que não teve com o pai quando a verdade foi revelada.



Há um romance em curso nessa história para mãe e filha, mas confesso que esse livro é na verdade sobre o relacionamento das duas e sobre como uma mãe pode amar uma filha mesmo depois de deixar esse plano terrestre.



Eu recomendo demais para quem ama um bom drama familiar.

Sarah Jio was one of the first authors I read while transitioning from young adult novels in high school to adult novels. To this day, she remains one I look fondly upon. I've recommended her to library patrons no less than 20 times and no one has returned with bad things to say.
With Love from London is a book that plays on every book lovers fantasy: being gifted a bookshop. While Val might have been estranged with her mother (through no fault of her own), she dives deep into her mother's world and learns more about her than she ever thought she would.
Jio is able to write stories that are heartfelt, warm, and yummy. She entices readers in the first sentence, and holds them captive until the end. This book was a delight, which was no surprise.

Valentina has just broke up with her fiancee Nick when a letter arrives; her estranged mother Eloise, who lived in London, has passed away and Valentina has inherited her bookstore. Valentina, takes a flight to London and leaves her broken (love) live in Seattle behind. Valentina always wondered why her mother, when Valentina was young, left her and her father all of a sudden without saying goodbye, and without any explanation. She hopes to get some of these long awaited answers in London, where she meets Millie, who was Eloise's best friend and who runs the bookstore since Eloise passed away. Eloise has left letters for Valentina, and this is the start of a treasure hunt about Eloise's past, which gives Valentina answers about her mother and her own past..

I loved all of Sarah Jio's previous books, so I was thrilled and very curious for her new book. And it totally topped my expectations.The story of Valentina and Eloise is just breathtaking and moving, and absolutely beautiful. It is a story that surprises you on every page. It is charming and thrilling at the same time. I loved how the chapters alternated between Valentina in the present and Eloise in the past, and how they connected during the story and in the end. The bookstore on Primrose Square that she inherits plays a big part in the story. It was Eloise's dream and life and it is Valentina's task to keep it, altough the store is in danger because of redevelopment plans. But this is the perfect task for Valentina, who after reading Eloise's letter is determined to set on her mothers work for the future.

Overall this is a brand new jewel of a book by Sarah Jio, don't miss out on this one!!

This book definitely has its charm. I love it when a bookstore is part of a story. It thrills me. I also enjoyed that this was a little bit of feel-good mental fluff, which I kind of wanted right now. I will say, that like many good bits of mental fluff, there are moments that are corny and that stretch belief. But, I'll allow it. There's books and a little scavenger hunt. Newfound friendships and some self-growth, all of that good stuff. Is it all kind of predictable? Sure. But there's also some cozy comfort in that, which I think is what the author wanted for her readers. If so, mission accomplished.

I absolutely LOVED this book.

Such a light story with a great plot. I love the premise of the scavenger hunt way more than I feel I should. I feel like if I was left something like that, I would be so amused!

Definitely recommend this book.

🇬🇧 With Love From London 🇬🇧

I’ve been saving this photo from my honeymoon in Aruba for the perfect book and I finally it found it! I read With Love From London by @sarahjio this week and I adored it.

This story takes place between two points of view; Valentina, a woman recovering from a hard divorce when she hears her estranged mother has passed away and left her flat in London to Valentina. Her mom abandoned her when she was only 11 and she never heard from her again. The other POV is Eloise, Valentina’s mother who is in the past explaining how she returned to London. Valentina decides to impulsively fly to London to see if she can understand more about her mother and why she left her so many years ago.

The story goes on that Eloise has left a little scavenger hunt for Valentina. This was the best part of the book for me. I loved the clues she left and all the people and stories she heard while exploring her mother’s life. This is an incredibly emotional novel. There’s a lot of feelings involved between Valentina’s relationships with both of her parents and her ex husband. This is one of the author’s finest works and should not be missed.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Jio and Random House Publishing - Ballantine for providing me with an ARC copy for review purposes. The views expressed are mine alone.

This five star read was my first by Sarah Jio and I promise it will not be my last. I devoured this book from the very first word to the very last. Handled with a lighthearted air and beautifully written this book focused on some very tough issues. Knitted together like a beautiful afghan, the story dealt with family especially mother-daughter relationships, lost love, emotional abuse, broken hearts and love lost, and abandonment. The cast of characters were lovely. Val inheriting from a dead mother she really didn't know too well and coming to England after a broken marriage to take over the book store and living in the flat above. The mother Eloise who left her husband and child behind in the USA and opened the store or her dreams with her best friend Millie. From the quirky tenant to each and every customer that came in the store the book spread delight and joy as deceased mother and daughter reconciled. With romance, a little drama and a tour of Primrose Hill in London this was an absolute delight and I would recommend it to lovers of romance, chick lit, Anglophiles, and for those who would like a feel good book to read.

4 stars. A heartbreaking, yet beautiful story of love from a mother to a daughter.

Val is a librarian and loves books, but her life is falling apart. When her estranged mother leaves her a bookshop and apartment in England, Val heeds the call to learn more of her mother and uncover the mystery of why she left and never returned/contacted her. She soon falls in love with the neighborhood, the people, and all those that knew her mother well. With clues her mother left behind, she uncovers the truth of her past that helps her find closure as well as hope for her future. Again, it was such a sweet, but also bittersweet story. I loved the characters and wanted to sit with them a little longer. I was sad when it ended. The one is clean and I would let my teens read this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballentine Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

1) i can’t not sing london boy by taylor swift when i read the books title 2) books revolving around the mc being a reader or owning a bookstore are chefs kiss

Another great book by Sarah Jio. Valentina is left a bookstore in London after her estranged mother dies. Her marriage is over so she heads to London. Her intention is to sell it but as she spends time there she pieces together things about her mother she never knew. She meets the people in her mothers circle and as days go by she has a journey of healing. She grows to love 5e bookstore but it is not doing well. She finds a helping hand with her new friends and does everything she can to save the bookstore.

With Love from London is a heartwarming and at times, bittersweet book about a librarian that inherits a bookstore in the UK from her estranged mother. I loved how the book not only told the story of our main character, Valentina, but also the back story of her mom, Eloise. I absolutely love dual timeline books and this one was well done. The cast of supporting characters also made this book shine.

I was drawn by this cover and excited to dive in. However, I struggled to get into the story and I did not finish the book. Thank you for the arc in exchange for an honest review

I love Sarah Jio and her books. I gave this 3.5 stars (but rounded up to 4 stars on Goodreads), as the story, albeit engaging, seemed to wander a bit at parts. I do like the way Jio brought the book all together at the end. Thank you for allowing me to read this book!

Thank you NetGalley for a advance copy in exchange for a review. I really enjoy this. A mother daughter saga written in past and present timelines. I love the London atmosphere. I do wish there was a bit more romance though

With Love from London is a dual time line love story between a mother and a daughter. It’s a story of love lost, love misunderstood, love misplaced, and love found. It’s the story of Valentina, an American, who upon her estranged Mother’s death finds that she’s inherited a bookstore in London. Going through divorce herself, Valentina hops on a plane and discovers her Mother’s homeland and learns who her Mother was through the eyes of her friends, her bookstore, her customers and the neighborhood she called home. At the same time, we get to read her Mother’s story and see the heartbreak she suffered and the decisions that were made out of love for Valentina.

This looks like a Rom-Com, and while there are other side romances going on, they aren’t the meat of this story. I really enjoyed Ms. Jio’s storytelling. The story started right off from page one and was see vivid, I could picture the bookstore. This is a great book for a quick weekend read, or something to take your mind off current events.

I received an ARC in exchanged for a fair and honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author.

The way this story is told is so captivating. The character development is unexpected and endearing. The story is never what you think it will be. I highly recommend this read.

I have long been intrigued by the covers of Sarah Jio's books, however, as I'm familiar with her writing historical fiction, I've not read any of them before. I'm not a fan of that genre. But when I saw that she was writing a contemporary fiction novel, I knew I had to give it a read. And am I ever glad that I did! My time spent reading this story quickly turned into me dreaming about one day visiting and living in Primrose Hill. There are a lot of heartbreaking parts of this story, but it's balanced with a beautiful story that will make you cry, laugh, smile, and want to give everyone in your life a big hug! There were some truly thought provoking moments throughout this story! Told with a dual timeline, and having a bit of mystery (in the form of a scavenger hunt) included, I found this book extremely hard to put down. But, at the same time, I made myself stop at times so that I could savor the story longer. This book was beautifully written and I highly recommend you read it. It's likely going to be one of my favorite books of the year. Maybe even of all time.

Nothing about this book surprised me, but I thoroughly enjoyed it every step of the way.

Librarian and Bookstagrammer Valentia Baker’s cheating husband leaves her on the same day she receives notice that her mother, Eloise, who abandoned her when she was twelve, has passed away and left everything to her. With Love From London is a split POV story between Val and Eloise, who each reveal different loves and losses that have transpired in their respective lives.

I really liked this book. It was feel-good and happy, but also sad and mysterious. There were so many elements that fit together so well, maybe too well, as I saw them all coming from a mile away, but I digress. Sarah Jio wove the two stories together so nicely in such a perfect way. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for an easy, interesting read (check TWs though!).

I loved this book about a librarian who inherits a bookshop from her estranged mother.

When Valentina was a teenager, her beloved mother left her to return home to her native London and never returned. Val was left heartbroken with her father.

Now, Val has returned to London to her mothers apartment and bookshop to try and understand her mother, her life and why she would leave. The change could not have come at a better time for Valentina who is going through a divorce of her own.

This book was such an easy and wonderful read.