From bestselling author Jo Leevers comes a heartfelt story of lost things and second chances. With thanks to Michelle for this review.

This might just be the nicest book I’ve read this year.

In Portheast, Evelyn runs a small local museum mostly displaying her finds from beach-combing and car boots, but most important to Evelyn is the small piece of lace that was pinned to her blanket when she was a foundling and she had always hoped someone might recognise it and lead her back to her birth parents.

Evelyn’s Museum and the coffee shop next door are threatened with closure by the council, Evelyn’s neighbour Della is having none of it and encourages the village to rally round and help save the Museum, along the way the stories behind some of Evelyn’s display pieces come to light, friendships are made, families are mended, and a community is built.

Of course, there is a bit of trouble and tension but this really is a warm and beautiful story, the characters are wonderfully written and I just couldn’t help but want them all to end up happy. Perfect read for an autumn evening in my opinion.

About the Book

Every morning, Evelyn Silver walks the shoreline before the rest of Portheast wakes, gathering what the tide leaves behind. Broken cups. Lost trinkets. Objects others have discarded. In her small Museum of Maritime Curiosities, each one earns its place—because to Evelyn, every forgotten thing deserves to have its story told.

At the heart of the museum lies her most precious possession: a fragment of Cornish lace, found pinned to her blanket when she was abandoned as a newborn. For over sixty years, she has kept it close, hoping someone might one day recognise it and tell her who she really is.

So when the local council threatens to close the museum, Evelyn stands to lose far more than her livelihood. Forced out of her solitude, she rallies the community around the museum’s curious collection—and as the objects begin to give up their secrets, lives start to intertwine in ways nobody expected.

Because sometimes, the most precious things aren’t lost at all. They’re simply waiting to be claimed.

About The Author

Jo Leevers grew up in London and has spent most of her career working on magazines, most recently writing features about homes and interiors for leading newspapers and magazines. This means she gets to visit people around the country and ask them about all the things in their homes. Some might call this a licence to be nosey…

Whether writing fiction or interviewing people for articles, she is fascinated by the life stories that we all carry with us. She has two grown-up children and lives with her husband and their wayward dog, Lottie, in Bristol.

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