A heartwarming novel about friendship, second chances, and the surprising ways stories shape our lives. With thanks to Dawn for her review.
This book was like a warm hug of a read! The setting is in a café that doubles up as a book space. Within this café is a book club with an eclectic group of people that meet weekly to discuss their chosen reads – unusually chosen (as the title suggests) by reading the last page first! Such an interesting concept and one that raised my eyebrows; as an avid reader, this is not something I would ever consider or even comprehend!
Over the course of the book we follow Erin McRae who owns the café and runs the book club and as reader you come to understand why it is important to her to read the last page first based on previous hurt and disappointment in her life. This inevitably leads to the book club discussing what the last pages of their own lives may look like. Cue lots of soul searching and self reflection as they each began to see their own lives in unexpected ways.
What stood out in this book was the support and love this group of people had for each other and the heartwarming way they showed up. There was a passage in it towards the end of the book that really resonated with me and summarised what I was feeling as a reader: “Out in the big wide world people are forgetting that it’s our shared humanity that connects us. Far too many people have lost sight of the fact that we can learn from our differences and become better and stronger in one diverse and glorious community.” It was indeed a wonderfully diverse range of characters and I loved them all. It was a thought-provoking, often emotional read that really brings home the power and importance of friendship and I have to say, I loved it!
About the Book
Sometimes the last page is just the beginning…
At fifty-four, Erin McRae feels like she’s been living in the margins of her own story. Ever since she inherited her late mother’s café, The Bookmark, she’s been stuck in a comfortable routine. Her greatest escape is the mismatched book club she founded, bound together by one unusual rule: they choose their next book based solely on the last page.
But when the book club discusses what their own last pages might say, Erin and her fellow members begin to see their own lives in unexpected ways. As the club’s discussions grow deeper, long-buried secrets surface, old wounds start to heal, and romance leaps off the page. With The Bookmark under threat of closure, Erin must ask herself: can she write herself a happier story?
About The Author
Kate Storey started her career teaching English and Drama, and when she had her family, combined all three to write novels about family drama. Originally from Yorkshire, she now lives in a London suburb with her husband and two teenage daughters, so expects there’s plenty more drama to come.
Purchase the Book
This book can be purchased in our store either on its own or in a cosy Book Box.
No responses yet