I have a special place in my heart for Sarah Jio books - and this latest one did not disappoint! Coincidentally, my mother and I share a love of her books and we've swapped all of her books back and forth over the years. All that said, this book - which is essentially an ode to mother/daughter relationships is one I can't wait to share with my own mom. :)
Valentina Baker is only 11 years old when her mother Eloise unexpectedly leaves Val and her father on their own in California and flees back to her native London. Now an adult in her 30s, Val - a librarian who is fresh out of a failed marriage - still hasn't reconciled with her estranged mother. However, Val soon learns that her mother Eloise has died and left her a Primrose Hill apartment in London along with the Book Garden, the storied bookshop she opened nearly 20 year ago. Stunned this news yet still reeling from her own failed personal life, Val jets across the pond to London hoping for a fresh start and the chance to learn more about the mother that she barely knew.
Told in alternating storylines between present day Valentina in London and past Eloise (her mother), this lovely novel is about healing and loss, and asks the question, how well do you really know your parents and their past struggles, grief and sacrifice?
Special thanks to #Netgalley for making my day with this complimentary copy of #WithLoveFromLondon. I loved it so much that I purchased my own copy for my bookshelf and to - of course - share with my own mom. :)
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