What a lovely story this was, well written and easy to read. This is Jennifer Page's second book, again with a board game theme, this time Scrabble. Set in the small town of Hebbleswick, the writing really conjured up the place for me. I was quickly engaged with the characters and storyline and loved every minute of it.

The leading lady is Jo, a Scrabble fanatic, who is shy and nervous following years of bullying at school, work and her marriage to a controlling husband. She is desperate to find love but isn't doing very well with the whole dating game, despite her best efforts. I really liked Jo and felt for her trials and tribulations. Her best friend Gemma is great, kind and supportive, as is Kate her newest friend and confidant. Then there is Ras, a doctor, Scrabble club leader and a charming man; he is wonderful. I loved all the members of the Scrabble Club, they were quirky and funny.

This is a great story and such an easy read. It is really delightful and I got some ideas for some new words next time I play Scrabble. I look forward to more board game stories from Jennifer Page.

Jo has no luck with dates after her disastrous marriage. She moves to Hebbleswick to start a new life as the only thing she seems to have is her love of scrabble. She decides to use scrabble tile letters as her way of knowing if someone is good enough going on a date with.

I loved this story, the main character was so relatable and I really appreciated the journey she went on, it was both inspirational and motivational. I also loved seeing characters from the first book make reappearances, and even seeing their stories progressing.

Definitely recommend this author, love that they’re easy reads but there is so much character development throughout the story. Looking forward to any future books by her.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I loved her first book and I love the second.

Ras and Jo story is simply perfect and down-to-earth. I mean, I could have been Jo, she happennded to live some similarities with me. And I totally loved how she stands for herself and fight her fears. She builds confidence in a amazing way.

Ras is perfect, cute, shy, huggable and not so naive which is a bomb mix.

Lovely to see Mr B and Florence and a bit of Emily.

This time was scrabble, I have to admit never have ever played, but now I have a urged to do it.

Thank you, NetGalley and Head of Zeus, for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating 2.75

I went into this book not really knowing much about it, other than the fact it is based around the board game scrabble. I'm glad I did because I was intrigued by the premise and feel that it resonated with myself.
The book touched on emotional trauma and loneliness that the main character Jo had to face. I found myself feeling genuine anger towards the way that Jo was treated.
But I liked seeing her character develop and look into standing up for herself.

The reason I had to mark the rating down is due to the shallowness element towards the characters. Ok, we get it, Jo doesn't find Ras attractive, but do we have to continuously put his character down? It became so repetitive and caused me to dislike Jo for repeating this over and over.
I also found the lack of communication between the main characters very frustrating and caused me to not root for the love interests that much.

I liked the storyline and I surprisingly found myself really liking the scrabble element to the story and feel like I need to go and play a game now after not playing the game since I was young.

What a lovely novel- a real heartwarming story about Jo, a self confessed Scrabble fanatic who discovers a whole community of friends she never realised she had on her own doorstep. Although the story provides wonderful escapism, it does cover other sensitive issues such as bullying and mental abuse albeit tastefully and well done.

Book Review 📚
Love Letters on Hazel Lane by Jennifer Page - 4.5/5 ⭐

Firstly, there are some triggers in this book so take that into consideration. I'm not easily put off but a trigger warning is needed for some people. Domestic Abuse and control being the main ones.

Now I didn't have a clue that this was boardgame related but oh my what a wonderful touch! After reading this I immediately hunted down the first boardgame book by Page and it's now on my TBR. The elements of Scrabble thrown in were just amazing. I loved it.

There's so much happening in this book (not overloaded don't worry) including friendships, family, drama, love and obviously, Scrabble!

Jo, the FMC, is so unbelievably relatable and I utterly adored her character. She's perfect and deserves the world. I loved her story and I thoroughly enjoyed following her through this book. It was so well written and just perfect.

Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for allowing me to read this ARC - this is an HONEST review from my own personal opinion.

Whilst I’m not a board game person I did really enjoy the board game cafe book and that would still be for favourite if the two. It’s a stand alone book. I did struggle to get into this one and I’m not sure why but still a good read. Thanks to Jennifer and her publisher. Thanks also to NetGalley.

“Love is requited, they’re both just idiots” AKA JUST KISS ALREADY trope personified.

4.5/5 ⭐️
Thank you Head of Zeus and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I would strongly advise the author to add a content warning page or maybe mention something in the description so people have an idea what they’re getting into. Relevant helpline numbers should also be listed at the end.

This book covers the topics of domestic (verbal and emotional) abuse, coercive control, BMI talk and mentions of controlled eating, please be kind to yourself when you read it.

I really loved this one and will definitely be picking up the author’s other title.
The main characters are great and you cannot help but root for them throughout.
I just wish we got to see their time together, cause we know that they’re seeing each other a lot in the run up to the festival but we barely get to spend any time with them!

All in all, it is a lovely cozy read that will leave you with an arsenal of new Scrabble words to play.

I was looking forward to reading this book. After reading The Little Board Game Cafe I was excited to read another boardgame related story.

My friend and I love Scrabble and this was right up my street. The story line is brilliant, there is a great balance of drama, romance, friendships relationships and Scrabble. I loved the Scrabble elements to this book.

I really did not like Leona, she makes Jo's life a bit of a misery and I hate it. She's a bully.

Poor Jo has had a lot to deal with in her life and she very relatable.

I loved the mentions of the little board game cafe in this book, you can imagine them knowing each other or at least being aquaintences.

I was so very excited to read my name in the back of this lovely book in the Acknowledgments. I created a Facebook page a few years ago and I absolutely love the members. I run the group with the lovely Marian who became an admin to help when the group kept growing, she is just fab and I couldn't have continued without her.

The members include authors and it's such an honour to be able share work like this.

Thank you so much Jennifer, you're fabulous and I will continue to share your lovely books and support you through your writing career.

What a delightful and cleverly written read! I would highly recommend this book which gets you hooked on the story from the first page.

The story focuses on a relatable protagonist Jo and her search for a soulmate, but it's also so much more than that. Jo has to face obstacles in her past and present and as a reader you are really rooting for her.

I loved the scrabble theme and seeing characters pop up from Jennifer's first book 'The Little Board Game Cafe'. 'Love Letters' takes you on an emotional journey that makes you laugh out loud one minute and has you furious the next, eager to see some characters get their comeuppance (which they do, but not always in ways you'd expect!).

Five Stars!

I really enjoyed Jennifer Page’s first book so was excited to read this one. It didn’t disappoint, in fact I think I enjoyed it even more. A fabulous quirky story and a great cast of very relatable characters make this a fabulous read.

Having recently read and thoroughly enjoyed Jennifer Page's debut, I was excited to jump into Love Letters on Hazel Lane.
Jo finds it tough settling into a new area with no friends, a job she is not sure she enjoys, and a hidden passion for Scrabble that she feels no one will ever understand. She's tentatively hopped on the dating app wheel, but that isn't giving her many positive experiences.
Then she meets a new friend, Kate (who happens to be one of the side characters from the first book), who encourages her to take some chances and suddenly pushes her into directions she didn't think she would ever take.
One minute, she feels unwanted and unloved, then things change, and she begins to look at life differently, with some interesting dates, and then the start of her association with the local Scrabble club. It is run by quirky local GP Ras, who happens to be one of her previous 'disaster' dates.
Jo's organisational skills are not left unnoticed, and she finds herself in charge of arranging a Scrabble festival, as well as getting her own life into gear.
This time, the story still had all the cosy feels, with a will they/won't they romance and being able to revisit some of the lovely characters from The Little Board Game Cafe. However, there was an added, more serious thread to it, exploring childhood bullying, merging into workplace bullying, toxic relationships, and coercive control.
Ultimately, the biggest bonus in this story was the theme of self-love, and the author has done very well.
Recommended read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for an ARC.

I really enjoyed reading this book! The characters, setting and plot felt so cosy, I couldn't put it down. I found myself really relating to Jo and her inner monologue, as I expect a lot of women do. I think it's the first time I've read a self-love journey that didn't make me roll my eyes, the writing was so realistic and I was cheering Jo on every step of the way. I'm not particularly a fan of the miscommunication trope in romance stories and some of the subplots keeping Ras and Jo apart felt a bit needless but I still had fun reading this.

Having loved 'The Little Board Game Cafe,' I was excited when the publisher reached out with an invite to read an ARC Page's latest book. 'Love Letters on Hazel Lane' did not disappoint. Continuing the board game theme, this was an enjoyable read with well written characters and some helpful Scrabble hints! I enjoyed seeing some characters from the first book, and I hope we'll see Jo and Razz again in future books.

As a lover of books and board games, this was a delight to read and I can't wait for the next.

As a Scrabble lover this book gave me much to enjoy. I laughed with Jo, felt for her in sad moments but was delighted that Ras became such a positive part of her life. Thank you for giving me the chance to review this book, which I enjoyed very much.

Thank you so much to Net Galley, Head of Zeus and Jennifer Page for this copy to review.

I sat down on my couch, started reading, and then I was lost in the story. This book is such a cosy read - it makes you feel like you're in a big hug.

Jo is incredible, and oh my god did I relate to her. Her inner monologue is so relatable - my heart was hurting for her in all of the scenarios where she was completely ignored, overlooked or doubted herself. I absolutely loved her journey of self love - I was cheering her on the whole time. I really wanted to be there for her and tell her to open her eyes and see how much her and Ras clearly liked each other, but the way they came together was perfect, and I felt that she really did need to go on her journey of loving herself before she could truly accept Ras' love. They did have some miscommunication while they were figuring themselves out - but I did feel like this was absolutely part of their personalities.

The Scrabble aspect to this story is amazing - I loved the little snippets of it throughout the book, as well as the big focus on it. I loved all of the fun side characters as well, they were all a bit cute and loveable.

This is such a lovely book to get lost in - highly recommended!

I thought Jennifer Page’s previous book, The Little Board Game Cafe was fantastic. Well, this one is even better. The usual cosy romance tropes are all there which makes this a delightful read, and there are supporting characters from the previous book. However, what elevates this book (seems to be a theme in her writing) is the dissection of a serious social issue, in this case the detrimental effects of bullying in childhood and in the workplace with a side helping of misogyny and sexual predation. Our protagonist Jo manages to overcome these and grow as a person during the story and this is all wrapped up with the various challenges and self doubt that makes the book all the more realistic. Her romantic partner faces his own self doubts but has a charm of his own. It is difficult to put down once you start; the pages will be turning until you reach the ending. We all know what is coming but the story is told with inventiveness and humour which is a hallmark of Jennifer Page. Can’t wait for the next in the series.

This is the first book I've read by Jennifer Page and it definitely won't be the last as I really enjoyed this cozy read that feels perfect for autumn evenings.

I was excited for the chance to read Love Letters on Hazel Lane because I loved the author's first book about the board game cafe. I did not find this story quite so upbeat or appealing, but I did love how so much of the plot involved Scrabble. The heroine Jo is a Scrabble nut looking for that special relationship. Just moved into a new town, Jo is lonely and seems unable to find new friends or meet new people. She is bullied by a new employee in the office at work and still ruminating over the difficulties of her past marriage. When Jo meets shy local GP Ras on a dating app, it seems they are both too socially awkward to get things going and never make it to a second date. Some of the situations that kept them apart or created obstacles felt a bit contrived.

For everyone who enjoyed the board game cafe story there are plenty of return characters in Love Letters. The community of friendship created by the shared loved of the board games and Scrabble makes one wish for such a place in real life! This is an enjoyable good read I highly recommend.