This was a very warm-hearted read primarily about Grace who is still deeply grieving her husband one year after his sudden death and is encouraged to go to his book club to try to socialise more. The members are all very unique characters who over time reveal their own individual talents but the format of the book club with an element of silent reading is initially too much for Grace. Annie is a long term book club who has had her own struggles recently while Grace’s interest in her husbands book collection leads her to make a discovery that forces her to rethink if she knew her husband. Although the story is based around the book club and efforts to increase it’s members the real storylines are about ADHD, anxiety and depression so there’s some strong and relevant subjects within this too which are all given a decent amount of pages rather than just being touched on which made it a different read to what I’d anticipated but certainly not in a bad way. This is a thoughtful read but with laughs and plenty of uplifting moments too.

3.5 ⭐

I absolutely loved The Memory Library and was looking forward to another bookish read!

When Grace’s husband, Frank, dies after 46 years of marriage, she joins his book club as a way to work through her grief. Shocked that it’s ‘Frank’s Silent Book Club’, believing that it isn’t what she needs when she’s so isolated, and realizing that she needs to mix and communicate with others, she decides not to return.

In reading through his books and book reviews in his personal library, Grace learns more about Frank than in their decades of marriage. Furthermore, she discovers that he’d never want her to feel isolated or alone…so she heads back to the book club. It’s the best gift Frank could have left the grieving 70-year-old!

I’ll admit to being overwhelmed and frustrated with the constant reminders of ADHD throughout the book.

My takeaway: Look for opportunities to share the load.

I was gifted this copy by Avon Books UK and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.