Sure to be a favourite among bibliophiles and library lovers, this charming, easy read was a pleasant escape.
June Jones was twenty-eight years old and lived a very solitary life. She works at the village library like her mother did before her. At eighteen, June had plans of going away to university, then her mother was diagnosed with cancer. June shelved her own plans to nurse her Mum. When June’s Mum passed away, June carried on in her Mum’s footsteps. June has few, if any friends. In the eight years since her Mother died, June has never eaten a meal that wasn’t solitary, usually with a book open before her. She lives in the house she grew up in, still full of her mother’s things and lots and lots of books. She shares her home with a disgruntled cat named Alan Bennett.
When the library where June works becomes under threat of closure, June draws on strengths she never knew she had to fight for the little village library. In so doing, she makes various friendships along the way. Also, she rekindles an old flame from her teenage years.
With themes of ‘starting over’, the strength of community, the love of books and reading, and most importantly, the love of public libraries, it is a bibliophiles dream book. Laced with emotion and humour, it was a very enjoyable read.
This review was written voluntarily and my rating was in no way influenced by the fact that I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from Berkley Publishing via NetGalley. This title is from my extensive NetGalley backlist.
Publication date: August 31, 2021
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
ISBN: 9780593201374 ASIN: B08QMB16FQ– 336 pages
Freya Sampson is the USA Today bestselling author of The Last Chance Library and The Lost Ticket/The Girl on the 88 Bus. She studied history at Cambridge University and worked in television as an executive producer, making documentaries about everything from the British royal family to neighbours from hell. She lives in London with her husband, children and cats. Nosy Neighbours is her third novel.
Visit Freya Sampson’s website OR connect with her on Twitter and/or Instagram.
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