One of these days I'll figure out that "heartwarming" often ends up meaning "you'll have your heart placed on a funeral pyre of despair and go through 3 boxes of Kleenex ... if you survive."

I think I need a good murder next. Those almost never make me want to cry.

The Lost Ticket
Freya Sampson

Thank you @letstalkbookspromo @netgalley @berkleypub for the #gifted e galley

If you only take one book recommendation of mine this year, MAKE IT THIS ONE.

This book. Oh my goodness, I had no idea I would be reading what is most likely my favorite book of the year. By looking at the cover, you’re expecting a cute, British rom com. Don’t be deceived by the cover. I love the cover and it drew me to read this one next, but it was so much more.

Have your tissues ready, this one is going to tug at your heart! It’s also hopeful and wonderful and you’ll fall in love with this quirky group of characters.

FIVE STARS!

Highest recommendation

Sweet, lovely and heartwarming are three of the adjectives I’d use to describe the Lost Ticket and perfect for these times.

Four and a Half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭒
The Lost Ticket by Freya Sampson is a stand-alone women's fiction book with a bit of romance that is simply adorable. It’s a heartwarming story of a few lost souls who bond on a bus, to find one last wish for one of the passengers

Libby Nicholls is back in London after a recent breakup with her fiance and employer. She’s living with her overbearing sister and her husband and son, while she decides what to do with her life. She rides a bus and meets Frank, an elderly gentleman who though she reminded him of his lost love, whom he met on the bus in 1962, and has been riding the bus hoping to meet his lost love once again.

Frank’s story inspires Libby to look for Frank’s lost love so at least she can give him some closure. She meets Frank’s carer, Dylan, and together they hatch a plan to find Frank’s, lost love. Will Libby and Dylan find the woman who stole Frank’s heart in 1962? Or has too much time passed?

The Lost Ticket is a very heartwarming story that I just adored. The quirky characters and their quest to find Frank’s, lost love. It has found family, community spirit, and a light romance. I love the way Libby took on the task of searching for Frank’s lost love. She has her own issues, but the search became a way for her to ignore her situation for some time, and do something for others.

I loved all the characters in this book. Although at first, it appears as if Libby is hiding from her life, it’s helping Frank that helps her to realize her own inner strengths as well as find out her own path in life. I wanted to help Frank find his love and was rooting on this odd group of friends to find this woman, as I was pulled into this story of love, friendships, and community. And Dylan is nothing more than a sweetheart dressed in punk clothing. He cares for his clients as if they were his own family and his outward demeanor is just a shield for a slightly wounded but extraordinary man.


I highly recommend The Lost Ticket to anyone who enjoys women's fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Lost Ticket is a sweet feel good book about strangers coming together to help an elderly man find his love connection.

While Frank’s story of lost love is compelling, it is Libby’s story that was even more heart wrenching. She was dumped by her jerk of a boyfriend and has no place to live but with her sister. Libby’s family are none too sympathetic and she clings on to the one thing she can control: helping Frank find the beautiful redhead he missed connecting with 60 years ago.

Libby goes through many hardships, so I cheered when I found out that she was taking control of her life and standing up for herself. Libby’s growing relationship with Frank and Dylan all while finding herself again is the sweet, uplifting book I needed to read right now. Well done!

4.5 rounded up

❤️Heartwarming stories
❤️ Unlikely Friendships
❤️Journey > Destination

This book was such a heartwarming story of unlikely friendships that are started on the bus line.

This was so enjoyable and really is about the journey not the destination. With this focus, the book was so well done and truly a beautiful read.

I loved that the characters were such an unlikely pairing for their adventure, but it worked so well and gave more depth to the dynamic between them and their journey.

When Libby, newly arrived in London, decides to help elderly Frank find the girl he met and lost on the number 88 bus years ago, in 1962, she didn't realize her search would help not only Frank, but herself as well. Libby is estranged from her parents who disapprove of her wanting to be an artist, and she is on her own, but meets Frank and other people who give her life new meaning and purpose.

The relationship that develops between young Libby and the aged Frank is heartwarming, as is her determination to help him find the girl he lost so many years ago when he misplaced her phone number written on that lost bus ticket.

The ending is not as we expected, but refreshing nevertheless, to finally have resolved the question of who the lost girl was and where life takes her. There are new friends for Libby as well, and a new romance.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review, which has not altered my opinion of this book. I would like to thank NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC copy.

I need a physical copy of this book because it made me cry. This was such a heartfelt and emotionally character driven story, that captured my heart and has held it hostage. The characters are fun, different, and just sweet! Libby is a young woman who loves to have everything planned out, and when things got belly up at home, she is forced to leave for the big city of London, where her sister lives. Tense family dynamics mean that she spends as much time out of the house as she can, where she ends up meeting Frank, the sweetest old man ever and his carer, Dylan, the sweetest punk I've ever read about. Frank has been on a mission for over 60 years trying to find the woman he missed a connection with.

The story itself is full of sweet moments along with heartbreaking ones as Frank starts to slip farther and farther away due to his growing dementia. As someone who has had relatives with dementia, this was one of my favorite depictions of it in fiction writing. I've read some books that simply talk about dementia as forgetting small things or randomly forgetting everything, but this actually showed the progression of the disease and the ramifications. There's also other factors at play, but that would be spoilers.

Overall, this book made me cry, it made me laugh, and it made me smile. I give it a 4.5 out of 5 only because it took me a solid few chapters to get into it. HIGHLY recommend!!

I LOVED this read! A lighthearted, fast paced and sweet story about second chance romance, love, and friendships. The characters were so unlikely to be friends, but they formed a beautiful bond over a common goal. I felt the emotions and connected with this book, it was a wonderful read! Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC for a honest feedback.

I was not prepared for all the sweet, kind and loving characters in The Lost Ticket. I think this is going to be one of my top reads of 2022. I read the entire book in one afternoon, it was that good.

The Lost Ticket has everything; love, second chance romance and unlikely friendships. When Libby meets Frank on the no. 88 bus, she is mistaken for the “girl who got away 60 years ago” Although she is reeling from a bad breakup, she is determined to help Frank find his girl. Along the way we met his carer Dylan, who is a punker on the outside, but sweet and loving on the inside.

As our story progresses, we find out why Frank is so determined to find his girl, he has Alzheimer’s and soon will be moving to a memory care facility. Sad as they are, the scenes with Frank’s “episodes” are treated with the upmost care and compassion.

If you are having a bad day and cannot find anything good in the world, pick up this book, it may change your life. I am headed to London next year and I will take a copy of this so I may visit all the stops along the no. 88 bus route.

Thank you to Net Galley and Berkley Publishing Group for my eArc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Lost Ticket by Freya Sampson is the story of strangers on a London bus. In 1962, Franks met the girl of his dreams. Only he lost the ticket that she wrote her phone number. He's been searching for the girl on the 88 bus for sixty years. Will he ever be able to find her?

Libby's boyfriend just broke up with her, so she's staying with her sister. Along the way, Libby Nicholls meets Frank on the 88 bus. Frank tells Libby all about his past. Libby plans to help.

Libby also meets Dylan on the 88 bus in an embarrassing manner. On her way to meet Frank, Libby runs into Dylan again. It turns out that Dylan is Frank's carer. Now there are three looking for the girl on the 88 bus.

As time goes on, more people volunteer to help with their mission.

Time is running out. Frank has dementia. Will the girl on the 88 bus be found in time?

I love this! The story will make you happy, sad, and angry. There is a cast of characters to fall in love with and a few to hate. There's an unlikely romance, an unexpected pregnancy (actually two), and an unexpected truth about the girl on the 88 bus.

This story has it all!

This was a delightful read! I plan on using this for my online book club choice for summer 2023. It's light enough for a summer read but has enough depth to have lots to discuss.

The Lost Ticket by Freya Sampson is a wonderful standalone novel. Libby Nicholls, our heroine, arrives in London to stay with her older sister, and family (husband and son); coming off a shattering breakup of her boyfriend of 8 years. While on the bus heading to her sister’s house, she meets an elderly man, Frank Weiss, who is a retired actor, and rides the number 88 bus every day. Because Libby has red hair, Frank says she reminds him of someone he knew 60 years ago; he reminisces about a chance meeting with another red-haired woman, who was a young artist, and drew a picture of Frank. They planned to meet at the art museum the following day, but when Frank got home, he could not find the phone number and address she had given him. Now that he is retired, he frequently rides the bus in hopes he runs into the girl that got away. Libby is moved by Frank’s desire to meet the girl (woman) again, and decides to help him in his quest. A friendship builds, especially since Frank has a form of dementia.

Libby will meet Dylan, who is a care giver for Frank and other people who need help. They get off on the wrong foot, but in a short time their friendship grows, as they both are determined to help Frank. Libby becomes inspired to find a way to help Frank, and in the process gets Dylan to work with her with posters advertising the story, all along the bus route. Along the way, they get to meet different people, who also knew about Frank, as he was so well liked, and most of those people wanted to help Frank find her. Esme, a young girl who is also one of Dylan’s carer, and has down syndrome, joins them often, who was also very sweet. They all spent a lot of time together, enjoying the many places they visited.

Though Dylan dresses like a biker, with a Mohawk, so different then her ex, she slowly begins to realize that she is caring for him; Dylan also begins to fall for Libby, but something later happens that keeps them apart, and brings the nasty boyfriend back in the picture. Will Libby and Dylan find a way to act on their feelings?
The Lost Ticket was a delightful, sweet and fun story, with wonderful characters, and very heartwarming. I really enjoyed this book, which was so very well written by Freya Sampson. The Lost Ticket had a bit of everything, family, friendships, romance, love and even the sad dementia part. I suggest you read The Lost Ticket, as it is a must read.

The Lost Ticket by Freya Sampson

What an inspiring, sweet, uplifting story we get with The Lost Ticket. Twenty nine year old Libby has been abruptly dumped by her live in boyfriend of eight years. Not only that, she worked for him at his business and he thinks it's not only a good idea for her to move out of their home but for her to take leave from her job. Having no where to go and no income, Libby moves in temporarily with her sister, brother in law, and their adorable four year old son, Hector.

On the number 88 bus, Libby meets 82 year old Frank. What an engaging and fascinating man! He's had a long and moderately successful acting career (he's humble, too) and there is someone he wants to thank. Someone he has never forgotten from the one time he met her sixty years ago. That someone is a young woman he met on the number 88 bus and knew he wanted to know better. She gave him her phone number on a ticket stub and they made tentative plans to visit the National Gallery art museum together. But Frank lost that ticket stub and never saw that woman again. He'd thought about her throughout the years and even watched for her when he was in town. Now that he's been retired for years, he rides the 88 bus everyday, looking for her.

With her red hair and having wanted to attend art school before her parents squashed that idea, Libby reminds Frank of his "girl on the number 88". In her grief and heartbroken state, Libby latches on the idea of finding this woman, maybe she can find his "girl on the number 88" so he can tell her of the impact she had on his life. And to help her out, whether she wants the help or not, is Dylan, a punker she has a meet-grumpy with (kind of like a meet-cute except not quite the same). We also meet other interesting people and what I'm struck with is how this story lightened my mood so much, reminding me that it's the everyday events and people that make life so meaningful. Plus this story has cute four year old Hector, who is so happy to have met Dylan, a "plunker".

This story has a depth to it's characters and I wanted to be around them, listen to them, help them. It shows that first, second, and third appearances can get people on the wrong foot. Kindness is everywhere if you don't wear blinders to people who look differently from what you think is proper. And meeting a stranger even one time can make an impression and change the path of ones life forever. The sweetness in this story isn't the sugary too sweet kind but instead the kind that is satisfying and inspiring.

Thank you to Elisha at Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC.

3.75 stars

This is an unconventional feel-good story, featuring contemporary characters with an interesting throwback to 50 years ago. It's centered on a London bus -- the #88, where several sets of the cast meet.

Frank, an old actor who is in the beginning stages of dementia, has spent decades wondering about a young woman he met in his youth on the bus and never saw again. He shares his story with Libby, who is navigating several crises: she has been dumped by a boyfriend she thought she would marry, she is now homeless, and he was also her boss so she is out of work. And there's still a bigger set of challenges ahead. She is reluctantly living with her sister and providing babysitting in exchange for a place to stay.

She meets Frank and becomes intrigued by his story of possibly lost love. She begins a campaign to see if the mystery woman can be located while Frank is still cogent enough to appreciate her company. Along the way way she makes some unlikely friends, including Dylan, a fiercely punk looking caregiver for Frank who is unexpectedly gentle and empathetic.

This story has a lot of twists and turns but some lovely insights and a great cast of people. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

GOOSEBUMPS!

April 2022
Libby Nichols arrives in London lugging her two rucksacks, aboard the 88 bus on her way to her sister’s house-the place she will be temporarily living as she sorts out the end of her eight year relationship with Simon.

Her red hair catches the eye of an elderly gentleman named Frank, who has been looking for the red headed girl he met aboard this same bus, in 1962.

THE GIRL WHO CHANGED HIS LIFE

They had made plans to go to the National Gallery on the Saturday following their initial conversation, to see her favorite painting, Bacchus and Ariadne, but he lost the bus ticket she had written her phone # on. He waited by the bus stop all of Saturday afternoon but she never showed up, and he has been trying to find her, ever since.

Frank is starting to suffer from dementia and his daughter wants to move him from his own home, to a full-time Care facility, so his days of riding the 88 are drawing to an end.

This inspires Libby to help him search for the beautiful girl that Frank has never forgotten, and along with his caregiver, Dylan, she begins posting flyers all along the bus route. They also publish an advert for “missed connections” in the newspaper hoping for a lead.

#girlonthe88bus
E-mail girlonthe88bus@gmail.com

And, when that first lead comes in-I literally got GOOSEBUMPS!

You may think you have this one all figured out as you are reading it, but there are some surprising detours along the way!

If you have been looking for this years “feel good” lit book-the kind which has characters you enjoy spending time with-and already miss when the story ends..THIS IS IT!

Frank may have lost that bus ticket-but I lost my heart to this one! ❤️

Have a tissue ready for the final page!
AVAILABLE August 30, 2022!

I would like to thank Elisha at Berkley for my gifted copy! It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

I am not okay. This book shredded my heart. I saw the pink cover, and thought this was gonna be a cute romcom. It was not. It was a slice of life contemporary, but not one flooded with happiness. It was heartbreaking.

The characters. Ughhh, the characters. I loved every one of them. Frank was the most adorable old man ever. He was so set on finding his girl, and he never gave up hope. Even before the 100th page, I was attached to him. I was just as invested in his search as he was. Plus, his slow fall to dementia :(((( I was in tears. Constant tears. Books don't normally make me this emotional, especially contemporaries, but this one did. I still have tears in my eyes, and I finished this 20 minutes ago. And even just thinking about it, the tears are coming back.

And then we have Dylan. I loved him. Talk about a character defying appearances. He was the perfect cinnamon roll character. His and Libby's romance wasn't the main point of the book, but it was more than enough. It was the sweetest, and I need more of them in domestic bliss. I need more of them

As for Libby, I loved her too. I hated her family, hated her ex, loved her, and loved her new connections. I felt everything she felt so intensely, and even though this utilized a trope I don't normally love, I loved it in this case. She's a character I'm not ready to let go of.

Like I've been mentioning throughout this review, this book was heartbreaking. I was so invested in the characters that by the end, anything that wasn't their happiness was unacceptable. Every time they hurt, I hurt too. Even when they were happy, I was crying. I'm still crying.

Id really recommend this one. As soon as it publishes, I'll be buying my own copy so I can force it on everyone I know. They must suffer this too.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review

The Lost Ticket is a story of an unlikely friendship that leads them on a journey to find someone they met only briefly long ago. This well-written love story has loveable characters with undeniable chemistry. I definitely recommend adding this fun and heartwarming read to your end-of-summer reading list!

This was such a sweet and heartwarming story.

I really enjoyed seeing the relationship between Libby, Frank and Dylan grow. I loved the search for the #girlonthe88bus and how the search led to people that Frank had met over the years.

This was such a lovely story with a bit of a heartbreaking end. But it was still cozy and a treat to read.

[cw - dementia, drug use, death of a baby]

Recently broken up with by her boyfriend, Libby ends up being a temporary nanny for her nephew. While on the bus to her sister's, she meets an elderly gentleman who regularly rides the bus trying to find the girl he met 60 years earlier. A story about the power of relationships and letting people in. Several twists and turns I didn't expect!