July 15, 2021
Eight years after her mother passed away, a young Englishwoman who's been living comfortably in the small routines of her solo life faces the closure of her beloved local library. Without her realizing it, 28-year-old June Jones has spent almost a decade of her life without changing. She works as a library assistant in the tiny village of Chalcot, lives amid the ornaments and books and mismatched furniture in the house where she grew up, and spends her evenings and weekends with her old friends--that is, books. June is quiet, shy, and happy. She delights in helping the patrons who spend their days with her: Jackson Fletcher, the home-schooled 8-year-old eagerly seeking new books to read; Stanley Phelps, the dapper, tweed-suited elderly man who spends his days in the library; Vera Cox, the constantly complaining 80-year-old; Chantal, the teenager seeking a quiet space to do her school work; and others. The library is the heart of the community and the heart of June's days and, indeed, her life since she began going there with her mother when she was young. But the council is making cuts, and six libraries are up for closure. The regulars, and the community as a whole, band together to try to save the library. Among them is Alex Chen, a kind, bookish solicitor from London who's returned to work at his family's takeaway as his father heals from hip surgery, and who befriends June. Author Sampson has created a gem of a book populated by vivid personalities and a story that weaves together heroes and villains, love and loss, mourning and growth as it follows June and the Chalcot community as they seek to save their library--which offers so much more than books. A delightful exploration of personal growth, inner strength, and the importance of family, friends, and love.
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August 2, 2021
The prospect of a British library’s closure sets in motion the awakening of a shy woman in Sampson’s winsome debut. Library assistant June Jones, 28, has worked for 10 years at the Chalcot library and has never left the village. She had once dreamed of going to university and becoming a writer, but ever since her single mother, a librarian, died of cancer almost eight years earlier, June has shut herself among the books. When the county council proposes closing the library due to budget cuts, the regular patrons protest in hopes of keeping it open. There’s Mrs. Barnsworth, who leaves the smell of wet goat in her wake and hates every book she reads; Stanley Phelps, a tweed-wearing reader of WWII novels; and romance-lover Linda. Initially, June is more concerned for her job, but when Stanley proposes the group occupy the library, June joins in and their action goes viral. They’re joined by Alex Chen, an old school friend of June’s who takes an interest in her and further brightens her spirits. While the simple prose is an initial roadblock, Sampson convincingly brings her characters to life, as well as the importance of their collective crusade to save the library. Readers will be touched by June’s transformation.
Starred review from July 1, 2021
DEBUT Introvert June Jones put her dreams of going to university and becoming an author on hold when her mother fell ill. After her mother died, June never left the little British village where she grew up, instead spending her days working as an assistant in the local library and her free time reading at home alone. But when the library is at risk of being closed, she finds herself teaming up with its quirky regular patrons to fight to keep it open. At the same time, June is fighting to come out of her shell and live the life her mother wanted for her--a happy life of education, travel, and romance. Sampson's winning debut adorably illustrates how a library can be much more than a place where people borrow books. Readers will have all the feels as they root for June, learn what the library means to the village's residents, and see how crucial libraries are to communities. VERDICT Fans of libraries and heartfelt, humorous women's fiction with a powerful message and a hint of romance won't want to miss this one! It's so good that readers may very well devour it in one sitting.--Samantha Gust, Niagara Univ. Lib., NY
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July 1, 2021
June Jones lives a quiet life as a library assistant in small-town England. She's got her indifferent cat, Alan Bennett; the piles of books her mother, a librarian, left her when she died; weekly takeout from the local Chinese restaurant; and favorite library patrons, including Stanley, who requires her help with the daily crossword puzzle and sending emails to his son in America. But when the council threatens to close the library, June is shaken into action--quiet action, since her boss declared that advocating on the library's behalf would mean losing her job. She must mobilize her library misfits, including Stanley, who is not quite what he seems; a teenager who uses the library as a refuge; and a woman determined to relive her protesting heyday to save the library, without letting things get out of control. A full roster of quirky characters, hijinks (including a cleverly diverted stripper), and a handsome schoolmate come back to town to populate Sampson's debut, a sweet testament to the power of reading, community, and the library.
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