This Book Made Me Think of You
An Instant USA Today Bestseller!
“A lovely, affecting paean to the power of books and enduring love.”—People
A woman receives an unexpected gift from the man she loved and lost—a year of books, one for every month—launching a reading-inspired journey to live, dream, and love again in this glimmering and heart-stopping novel.
Twelve books. Twelve months. One chance to heal her heart…
When Tilly Nightingale receives a call telling her there’s a birthday gift from her husband waiting for her at her local bookshop, it couldn’t come as more of a shock. Partly because she can’t remember the last time she read a book for pleasure. But mainly because Joe died five months ago….
When she goes to pick up the present, Alfie, the bookshop owner with kind eyes, explains the gift—twelve carefully chosen books with handwritten letters from Joe, one for each month, to help her turn the page on her first year without him.
At first Tilly can’t imagine sinking into a fictional world, but Joe’s tender words convince her to try, and something remarkable happens—Tilly becomes immersed in the pages, and a new chapter begins to unfold in her own life. Monthly trips to the bookstore—and heartfelt conversations with Alfie—give Tilly the comfort she craves and the courage to set out on a series of reading-inspired adventures that take her around the world. But as she begins to share her journey with others, her story—like a book—becomes more than her own.
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a reader –
An Ode to Books & Balm for Grief
This follows a calendar year in the life of young recent widow Matilda as she learns to live without her beloved husband Joe in an unusual structure – the gift of a book per month & actions that spring from it. Having received a terminal diagnosis, Joe provides a year of books that he hopes will help her and remind her of how much he loved her. The rules are that she must go to a lovely bookstore to pick up her carefully wrapped gift book each month (e.g., she has to get up, get dressed, leave the house, & go back to a place she’s avoided). Matilda loves books & is an editor for celebrity memoirs but she lost her love & time for reading during Joe’s illness & aftermath. The selected books vary wildly – a cookbook, poetry, children’s lit, romance novel – & the lessons learned, actions she takes, & people she meets lead her to become a stronger person after the year. This is an ode to reading, trying new genres, & remembering how much one can love a book, & bookstores. About halfway through, I realized the tone sounded familiar & I recalled how thoroughly I’d enjoyed “Mornings with Rosemary” about friendship and community by the same author. I can’t call this cozy despite the charming bookstore owner with cat, characters, London setting, & lots of book talk. This is a hopeful book, but it IS a book about grief and widowhood. Matilda’s is quite genuinely written with waves overcoming her at unexpected times. The book a month structure works with the plot of learning to stop hiding, start living rather than existing, and even laughing again.
Sal –
Loved the story, but the language cheapened the book
Loved the story – especially love books about books! Why do some authors think they have to throw in the S word, the F word and words that take the Lord’s name in vain. These words do not add to the story, but only detracts. I would have given the book 5 stars had it not been for the language that cheapened the story!
C. Pierce –
Incredible!
This book touched my soul. Due to health issues, I stopped reading for quite some time. And like Tilly, I was a voracious reader! I am back to devouring books like I did years ago. This book not only reminded me why I love reading, but it inspired me to share that love. One of my sons is a runner. One of Tilly’s books is about running. I immediately hunted for it, and had it sent to my son. He is not a big reader, but I hope the book I sent him will ignite a love of reading. This book is simply wonderful. Please, do yourself a favor. Read this book. You will be so glad that you did.
Anne Baird –
Entertaining!
On Tilly’s birthday, after her husband Joe passed away, she received a call from a bookstore informing her that Joe had ordered her a book. When she picked up the book, the bookseller, Alfie, explained that she was to return monthly since her husband had arranged for a year’s worth of books. Each book came with a letter.This heartwarming book will captivate you from the very beginning. I thoroughly enjoyed discovering which book was given and the reasons behind it. It was a delightful addition when there were additional monthly book recommendations. It’s an excellent book to read while sipping a cup of tea, and it would make a great choice for a book club, sparking many engaging discussions.
Mary Q. –
Wonderful book, thoughtful and well-written
I really enjoyed this book, and will recommend it to others. It is a love story on several levels, full of compassion and understanding, and without annoying x-rated scenes. Also it’s a nice 416-page length, when many new works of fiction are in the 275-300 page length!
J.R. –
Sweet premise
The book had a sweet premise with a fair amount of predictability. The characters were not overly developed, but they were all likeable. It was an easy, comfortable, pleasant read.
Patti Stanford –
One of my favorite books this year!
What a wonderful surprise! The main characters were well developed and so likable, maybe even lovable. This was so uplifting and positive. I couldn’t wait to “spend time with the characters” each day! Sweet and positive and engaging in every way!
Joanne Emanuele –
Such a unique & sweet story!
Such a sweet book & different from any others I’ve read. A woman’s husband passes away and to help her through her grief he leaves her 12 books, one book per month at a bookstore that he feels would either inspire her or reminds him of her. These books help her to do things she may never have done before along with becoming friends with the people who own and work at the bookstore. It’s such a sweet story. Loved this book!
Beauty60404 –
I loved this book so much it was hard to put down!5* plusHighly recommend it for book lovers
cass loves books –
don’t quite know where to begin with my review for This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page , because I adored everything about it.This is a bookish person’s dream, a story that wraps you in warmth and makes you want to linger in its pages just a little longer. Although it explores grief, it does so with such tenderness and beauty that the overwhelming feeling it left me with was comfort. Cosy, heartfelt, and quietly profound.The characters are wonderful, the kind you don’t just read about, but miss when the book ends. I wanted to step straight into Book Lane and be part of the gang. Tilly’s story is especially moving, told with so much care and emotional honesty, I know this book will stay with me long after I finished reading.The concept itself is thoughtful and original, and the writing is simply gorgeous. I didn’t want this book to end, it completely took my breath away.A gentle, life-affirming story about love, loss, connection, and the healing power of books.
Andreaaaaaaaa –
Overall, I really liked this book, but one part of it got really slow and tedious and annoyed the hell out of me. The overall pacing was a bit off.
Kirsty –
I just love a Libby page book and once again it didn’t disappoint. I read this in less than a day and believe me I am a slow reader so this is a miracle in itself.I am sad its over, I laughed, I cried (quite abit actually) and I got that warm fuzzy feeling.Another great book Libby, well done
Jerlim –
Just a beautifully written book. There is sadness but plenty of joy and hope.