This is definitely one of my favorite books of this year already.

A book that deals with loss and grief, and how pain can consume us if we let it. But this isn't just a story about pain, it's also about new beginnings, self-discovery, and new opportunities.

Through some encyclopedias given to her by her mother, Jess, she discovers a wonderful place that renews her hope and awakens her passion for museums and antiquities once again. A place where things are kept, objects that have stories, that keep past moments and memories, not for their economic value, but for their sentimental value. and the history they have. From a love letter or a jacket to a violin whose design is unique.

From Jess's point of view we get to know different characters with their stories and their struggles. Endearing characters that leave you with a feeling of longing at the end of the book. I cannot fail to mention Alex, who has suffered discrimination and rejection because of his physical appearance after an accident. He has lived his entire life in isolation to avoid being hurt, until he meets Jess and her project. The kindest, most empathetic and understandable character despite everything he has experienced.
I also can't stop mentioning Luce, the best friend we all wish we had. Luce and her mother accompany Jess on this journey and without them this book would not have been so special.

As an asst in a library history dept,, this book resonated with me.
Jess, still grieving over losing her mom, the only parent she has ever known, is being pushed to move faster in a relationship than she is sure she's ready for. She's lost focus, lost hope. Her master's degree and childhood dream to be a museum curator seem farther away than ever.
Until she stumbles on The Museum of Ordinary People in the back of a warehouse. This slice of everyday life, many items plucked from dumpsters, some donated by the people who cherished them, enchants Jess. She dreams of making it an actual curated museum and gets much, much clearer about who she is and what she wants along the way.
Love this idea and the twists that are thrown at Jess along the way. It's a celebration of the love and sometimes suffering that can be represented in ordinary objects.

I loved this one! Such a unique concept for a museum and for a book. There were some plot twists that seemed like a bit of a "jump the shark" moment for me, but overall, I really enjoyed this book. I love how our main character pushed to turn her dreams into a reality, and it was nice to see that good people could have good things happen to them, in spite of challenges and setbacks. I will say that some of the characters were not as well-developed as I would have liked, including her partner, Guy. It felt like he was doomed from the beginning, because I got the impression that the author didn't even like him! I like a little more complexity to my characters, where even though they are flawed, they still have redeeming qualities that make you feel some sense of care or at least understanding of why they are the way that they are. However, I still really enjoyed this one and have already recommended it to friends, so I would read it in spite of that.

The Museum of Ordinary People was perfectly fine and...ordinary. After reading the author's previous book, All the Lonely People, I expected to feel more connected to the characters than I did. This book was fine for a character-driven, slow paced novel, but I could determine pretty early on where the book was going to go and how the characters would change. Because this book didn't leave me wanting to turn the pages, it took much longer to read than I usually want to put into a book. If the reader wants a slow-paced, character-driven quiet book, then this could be the one.

Thanks to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for this ARC.

Author Mike Gayle offers readers an engaging story about how to create a museum, along with an intriguing plot full of family secrets. Thirty-one year old Jess is a museum curator working as a receptionist. When her mother dies, Jess muscles the mental strength to clean out her mother's house--except for a few mementoes, including an complete set of 1970s encyclopedias. Jess knows the ultra-modern London apartment she lives in with her boyfriend, Guy, has no place for the books. Through a friend of a friend and social media, Jess finds a museum that accepts items people do not want to part with, but cannot store. And to add to the plot, after a trip to the donation center, Jess receives a call that the sorters found her mother's diary. The Museum of Ordinary People is a good story about what matters in life and love.

Well this was just lovely. A redemption story of ordinary people looking for connection, of desperately needed found family, and an old set of encyclopedias that sets the plot in motion.

This was such a lovely and heartwarming story.

It follows Jess in the time after the death of her mother. She empties her childhood home of everything except for very special mementos, of which are a collection of encyclopedias. In finding a place for them, she discovers a warehouse that has been housing the artifacts of many different people. Soon enough she has joined together with the owner of the warehouse and others to create the Museum of Ordinary People.

I liked watching Jess rediscover her passion and come to realize her life had been stuck in a rut. There were so many times during the book that I wanted to shake her and make her realize that Guy was not the man for her. I am glad that whole thing got sorted.

There are a couple things that bothered me. There was one storyline I felt was not necessary to book. It just added extra drama. And I felt like the end wrapped up a little too quick. I would have wanted what was laid out in the epilogue to be a couple more chapters.

But overall I really enjoyed this one. I liked getting to know the characters and see them develop.

[cw - death of parent, infidelity]

Loved this!! such an interesting concept. This story made me want to go sit in the park and people watch. or go to an antique shop and guess the stories of every single item. i wish a place like this existed in real life. This is such a fun read!!!

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

The Museum of Ordinary People is a charming concept: a Museum that archives items with sentimental value that regular people can’t keep - but can’t fathom throwing away. Unfortunately, I felt the characters (and the book overall) were missing a lot of that charm.

I read All The Lonely People by Mike Gayle and LOVED it. I thought the characters were so dimensional and real and my heart ached for them. In contrast, I was surprised to find that the characters in this book felt lifeless, unimaginative, and unrealistic.

- I think this book suffered a lot (especially in the beginning) from what I call “and then” syndrome. Exposition is SO important to me in a story, but instead of being naturally introduced to the characters and the plot, I felt like I was reading a list of : this happened and then this happened and then this happened. The author didn’t actually use those exact words “and then” over and over, but it had the same effect.

- I hated the relationship drama. 3/4 of the book is about the main character giving up everything she loves for a man who is annoying and not even kind. It is so confusing when it seems like he has zero redeeming qualities. Where’s all this hesitancy to breaking up coming from??? At least make it believable if the MC is gonna be stuck in a shitty relationship, this just felt pointless.

- There is a main character with a large scar on his face. The entire characterization of this person is that he is so kind and selfless and perfect.. but can’t have confidence/relationships/go in public because of this scar. It just felt icky that he was constantly treated poorly because of it.. and his character had no other substance. I guess that’s not saying much though since most of the characters didn’t have much substance.
- Whatttt was the ending? Completely out of left field and didn’t fit.

The characters in this one fell flat for me, the charming concept ended up being far less heartwarming than i’d hoped, the middle was long and repetitive, and random storylines were thrown into the ending purely for shock/entertainment value. It’s safe to say I didn’t like this book, but I have hope that whatever Gayle comes out with in the future I will love as much as All The Lonely People!

*Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is really just a beautiful and heartwarming story. It will make you think twice before you toss an old piece of furniture out or pass by a suitcase in the trash. We all have stories and this book is about those stories.

I found Mike Gayle's Museum of Ordinary People to be entertaining and well-written, with a wide range of emotions.

I would describe 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄𝐔𝐌 𝐎𝐅 𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐄 (PUB 05.30) as UpLit- stories with a bit of struggle yet full of kindness. Stories that show the power of friendship and community. Stories that just feel good.⁣ This book was all of those things.
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This book made my heart smile. They say one man's junk is another man's treasure and I loved how a collection of well-loved junk brought people together to form a found family. The writing was insightful and provided a blend of contemplative elements like grief paired with moments of heartwarming light. This book was uplifting and life-affirming without being overly sappy.

𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄: in 2021 I listened to my first Gayle title, 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦. I quickly purchased a paperback copy with the yellow cover. It was part of a two-pack with 𝘏𝘢𝘭𝘧 𝘢 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘈𝘸𝘢𝘺 which was just as lovely.

Mike Gayle’s latest book is full of heartbreak and hope at the same time with relatable characters going through difficult times in their lives.
Jess has the painful task of clearing out her childhood home after the death of her mother. While searching for a home for something she grew up, she stumbles upon a collection of objects in a warehouse that only have special meaning to ordinary people and decides to turn it into something more. In the process of this she is able to turn her life around and uncover secrets that have good and not so good consequences.
I enjoyed this story and found it easy to relate to. We all have objects that remind us of the past and it is important to find a fitting way to honor them or let them go.
Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Such a wonderful story of how the each one of us makes a difference in the lives of others - whether in what we say, what we do, how we include or how we treasure what's meaningful to another. This story was a charming as All The Lonely People and I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys to both empathize and celebrate the beauty of community!

Mike Gayle writes such beautifully heartwarming stories. They just make you feel warm inside and full of love and this novel is no exception. It’s a lovely celebration of second chances and a testament to the magic of ordinary, everyday moments and memories.

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing for a gifted advance copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

Jess has unexpectedly lost her mother and now she is reeling. She had put her dreams on hold after graduating from college, and now she finds herself stuck in a job that was supposed to be temporary. Now that a full year has passed since her mother's death, Jess is preparing to sell her childhood home and is starting to reevaluate the life she is living compared to the life she thought she would have. When she finds herself unable to throw out a set of encyclopedias that her mother bought for her when she was a child, she unexpectedly finds herself at The Museum of Ordinary People. The building and business housed there (a moving company) is now owned by a mysterious man name Alex, who didn't even know the museum existed in the building. The former owner had saved objects that he felt should not be thrown out and in this storage room, Jess finds a new energy and a new project. With the help of Alex, his employees, a former professor, and a graduate student, Jess opens the museum to the public and finds herself with a renewed purpose. For the first time in a very long time, Jess has started to find joy and a renewed purpose. However, these new-found feelings also set into motion events that will change everything about the present and will color the past as secrets come out in the most unexpected way. A hint of romance and a lovely examination of how following your dreams knows no time limits.