With Love from London by Sarah Jio ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

Sarah Jio has been a favorite of mine since I read her first novel in 2011.  I have read and enjoyed all of her books and was excited when I found out that she had a new book coming out in February 2022.  I can tell you unequivocally that this is a book you don't want to miss.  Along with some great characters and a London setting - much of this story takes place in a bookstore - a book about the love of books.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

February 2022; Ballantine Books; 978-1101885086
audio, ebook, print (400 pages); women's fiction

Valentina and her mother had always been close until her mother left without a word when Val was a teenager.  She was heartbroken when her mother left and has never really gotten over it.  Now she's in her 30s and coming out of a bad marriage and finds out that her mother has died and left her apartment and bookstore in London to Val.  Val decides to go to London to see if she can find out more about the mother who deserted her and why she never tried to get in touch with her.  When Val learns that the bookstore is in trouble of going under, she is determined to save her mother's legacy.  As Val began to find out more about her mother - from the people she meets and the letters that her mother left for her in books - she begins to understand that her mother always loved her.  As she learns more about her mother, she also learns more about herself and her love of books.

This is a dual timeline novel with Eloise's story from the time she left her family until the time she died and Val's timeline is present day.  Sometimes in dual timeline novels, one story is more interesting than the other but in this book, the dual timeline is done so well that both women's stories are equally interesting.

This beautiful novel is the story of love, friendship, family, and forgiveness with lots of books sprinkled in.   Both of the main characters are so well written that I laughed with them and cried a few tears with them too.  The supporting characters are also well written and add a bit of quirkiness to the storyline.

This is one of my favorite books of this year.  Thanks, Sarah Jio for giving your readers a fantastic book about connecting with other people through love during this unsettling time of the pandemic.  I am so this book is now published so that it can be enjoyed and loved by even more readers.  I predict this book will be one of the top books in 2022.

 

Buy With Love from London at Amazon

Susan Roberts lives in North Carolina with her husband of over 50 years.  She grew up in Michigan but now calls North Carolina home. She enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her family. She reads almost anything (and the piles of books in her house prove that) but her favorite genres are Southern fiction, women's fiction, and historical fiction. Susan is a top 1% Goodreads Reviewer. You can connect with Susan on Facebook.

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us. Get even more book news in your inbox, sign up for our newsletter today! Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.