Book Description
'The characters are relatable and lovable; the story is uplifting and romantic, full of emotions and heart, celebrating the importance of making human connections and embracing our dreams. This book is my happy place!' Ali Hazelwood, author of The Love Hypothesis
'I loved it ' Hannah Tovey
'Heartwarming, gorgeously written and I fell instantly in love with the quirky cast of characters' Jessica Ryn
'A must-read' Sarah J. Harris
When Libby Nicholls arrives in London, broken-hearted and with her life in tatters, the first person she meets on the bus is elderly pensioner Frank. He tells her about the time in 1962 he met a girl on the number 88 bus with beautiful red hair just like her own. They made plans for a date, but Frank lost the ticket with her number written on it. For the past sixty years, he's ridden the same bus trying to find her.
Libby is inspired by the story and, with the help of an unlikely companion, she makes it her mission to continue Frank's search. As she begins to open her guarded heart to strangers and new connections, Libby's tightly controlled world expands. But with Frank's dementia progressing quickly, their chance of finding the girl on the 88 bus is slipping away . . .
More than anything, Libby wants Frank to see his lost love one more time. But their quest also shows Libby just how important it is to embrace her own chance for happiness - before it's too late.
The author of The Last Library brings us this beautifully uplifting novel about how one chance meeting can change the course of your life forever
Book Review
Review for 'The Girl On The 88 Bus' by Freya Sampson.
Read and reviewed via Zaffre Books for Freya Sampson, NetGalley, Bonnier Books and Zaffre Books. .
Publication date 13th April 2024.
This is the first book I have read by this author. It most definitely wont be my last!!!!
I was originally drawn to this book by its stunning cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Zaffre Books. I have yet to read a book published by Zaffre that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of a prologue and 51 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in London, England 🏴 , UK 🇬🇧 . I always enjoy when books are partly or fully set in the UK as I'm from Wales and have sometimes visited areas mentioned in the book. This makes it easier to picture where the scenes are set at times. I have in fact visited and gone on holiday in London and England on many occasions so am looking forward to possibly recognising name places.
This book is written in a mix of third and first person perspective and the protagonists are Frank, Libby and Peggy. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. If there are several protagonists you also get to see more of what is going on. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything. To have the benefit of both first and third person perspective ensures you don't miss out on anything.
'The Girl On The 88 Bus' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Freya discusses dementia and Alzheimer's.
What an absolutely beautiful, heart warming, stunning must read!!! Absolutely love, love, loved it!!! This book has fantastic descriptions that set you straight in the scenes. The cover, title and synopsis suit the storyline perfectly.
Awww!! What an absolutely amazing page turner!!I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVED this stunning, unique feel good page turner!!
The storyline itself was absolutely unputdownable so make sure you clear your schedules before starting to read it!!
If you are looking for a stunning read then this is the book for you!! Freya's evocative writing skills sucks the reader seep into the pages bringing London to life along with all the amazing characters. While reading this book you will kept swept away in Libby, Frank and Peggy's life and you will hear the sounds and see the sights of London springing up all around you as you travel on the 88 bus right next to them listening to the past and present coming to life. I absolutely loved that it is based on two strangers of such different ages meeting randomly on a bus which leads to lives changing, relationships growing and a hunt for a woman that Frank met on the bus back in 1962, the rest of the story is set in 2022 onwards. Freya discusses the subject of Alzheimer's and dementia in this book and does an absolutely amazing job of weaving two devastating illnesses into a beautiful storyline while being a fantastic way to raising awareness of both. The fact that Freya has done her research absolutely shines through so a huge congratulations to Freya!! One of my pet hates is when authors do not research the topic they are writing about enough and make unnecessary mistakes that could be avoided with just a little bit of research. My grandparents both suffered with Alzheimer's and it is an absolutely horrendous and devastating illness and seeing Frank starting to struggle with it himself was heart-breaking but it is a very important topic that needs to be discussed as spotting the first signs of either dementia and Alzheimer's is vital. I absolutely loved meeting all the different characters and seeing the difference Frank made in so many lives by just taking a few moments of his time chatting to random strangers on the bus. In a way it reminded me of Patch Adams where he says about saying hello to a stranger can make their day, if you haven't seen this film with the extremely talented late Robin Williams in it I highly recommend it!! I will discuss the characters more in depth soon but I want to focus on my thoughts of the storyline to start with. It really is an absolutely unputdownable page turner which is a rollercoaster ride of emotions from sadness, happiness, love, anger, regret and so much more filled with friendship, family, history and everything you could ask for. It will make you feel good, sad, thoughtful and will stay with you for a very long time!! It is one of those books I genuinely could not put down and every time I told myself just one more chapter it ended in a way that I just had to read another ands then another until before I knew it I had devoured the whole thing in one sitting. I cannot wait to get a copy of Freya's debut novel 'The Last Library' which sounds like just my cup of tea and if it is even half as good as this one I cant wait to fall in love with it!!!This book is an absolutely stunning read that is perfect to lift your spirits. I would absolutely love to see this beauty turned into a movie and I will be at the front of the queue to go and see it!! Freya's writing skills will absolutely absorb you into the book and whether you are in the world you will be sucked into the world of London in the blink of an eye. However, get the tissues at the ready as I had tears streaming down my face at the end!!! This would make a perfect book club book as Freya has also included intriguing book club question suggestions at the end, which you should read until as she also tell s the reader the reason for her coming up with this beautiful story which I found fascinating! I always enjoy learning why authors have written certain books and this is one of the best ones Ive discovered so far!!
Watch out Jojo Moyes, Jodi Picoult and Nicholas Sparks as you have definitely got some competition here!!!
It goes through multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture.
The characters were all an eclectic mix and each one of them were realistic and strong. I was completely invested in them all and I already miss them even though I have just closed the pages. I absolutely adored joining Libby on her move to London, her trips on the 88 bus, her meeting Frank and Dylan and their friendship developing throughout. I absolutely loved watching Libby's character development and seeing her change from a woman trying to please everybody and worrying about what they think of her to this strong woman (and more) who as had a gutsful of her pushy mother and starts deciding what she needs to do for herself. My heart really went out to her for what her ex boyfriend Simon did to her at the start and then I hated him even more as time went on and he acted like a complete and utter d!xxhead!!! I will say that I didn't hate him as much towards the end but I am extremely pleased when I discovered her choices!!! Go Libby!!! I adored Frank who is such a sweet old romantic searching for "his woman on the bus" for 60 years!!! Such an absolutely romantic thing to do and even when people were telling him not to get his hopes up and to give up he refused to give up his search especially when he was told he didn't have long. My heart went out to him when his daughter was trying to push him to go into a home and then when a certain event happened and I could just picture him like a different man in his chair staring at the TV I had tears streaming down my face, and then again at the end of the book because....... Nope Im not saying anymore!! Sorry for the tease but if you want to know pop to the link at the bottom of my blog and pick up your copy today and feel free to contact me to have a chat about what you think!! I loved Dylan and I know exactly how judgemental people can be when you are not dressed like the herd and have unique clothes sense and looks as I used to be exactly the same way dressed in my gothic attire, covered in piercings, covered in tattoos (still am) and the look sand comments I used to get!! It was always a good laugh when I used to walk onto couch trips and the older passengers used to ask what I was doing on there, off on a holiday like them of course, but after we would have a chat I always ended up having a good laugh but it was obvious that they judged me at first glance from my appearances which is a shame. Anyway, moving on, Dylan is a really sweet guy and his suggestion to Libby at the birthday party was adorable, and yes I ended up in more tears. The relationship between him and Frank is so sweet and you can see how much they rely and need each other as friends as well as Dylan being Frank's carer. Esme was an absolute gem who made m e laugh out loud the way she greeted Libby and the questions she asked her were just brilliant!! Go Esme!! I also enjoyed meeting Peggy who was a breathe of fresh air with her say it as it is attitude!!! Some of the other lovely characters we meet along the way include the bus driver Precious and the lovely Sunny whose life Frank also changed. However, not all the characters were as nice and I could not abide Libby's family!! Pauline, her mother, was absolutely awful and completely unsupportive. I mean what mother in their right mind would encourage their daughter to get back with an ex who just dropped her like a hot stone and ever worse!!! We don't see much of her father Roger who is only slightly better. Rebecca is her sister and acts like a princess using Libby's break up as an excuse to move her in as a nanny and make out she is doing Libby a favour getting her to look after her and her husbands (Tom) son Hector constantly. I felt sorry on Hector who God forbid is allowed any sweets or junk food!! Again, we don't see much of Tom but he was slightly better than Rachel and did make me laugh when he agreed with Libby and not Rachel. Anyway, before I completely bore you to death with an even bigger essay that I've already managed I shall wrap it up here and end with saying apart from Libby's family I would absolutely love to meet all of these characters and would love to jump on the 88 bus to see what they are all doing now!
What are you waiting for?!? Pick up one of my favourite, stunning, feel good page turners and get ready to get sucked on to bus 88 and meet an extraordinary group of amazing characters! Clear your schedules, grab those tissues to dry your tears and hop on for a journey of love and life!!
A MASSIVE WELL DONE to Freya on a HUGE success!!! I loved every page of your book and I cannot wait to read more past and future amazing books. Welcome to my FAVOURITE authors and I cannot wait for your next page turner. Here's to your next success 🥂!
Overall an unputdownable, unforgettable, stunning book filled with love, friendship, hope and so much more that will keep you up late at night to finish it.
Genres covered in this book include Contemporary Literature & Fiction, Women's Humorous Fiction, Romance Novel, Humorous Fiction, Women's Friendship Fiction, Women's Contemporary Fiction, Women's Domestic Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Women's Romance Fiction, Romance, Romance Novel, Historical Romance, Humour, Sagas, General Fiction, Transport References, Contemporary Women's Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Romantic Comedy, Women's Literary Fiction and Contemporary Romance Fiction and amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Sophie Kinsella, Bridget Jones, 'The Holiday', Debbie Macomber, Emily Henry, Beth O’Leary, Libby Page, JoJo Moyes, Jodi Picoult, Nicholas Sparks and anyone looking for an absolutely stunning, unputdownable and heart-warming read!
335 pages.
This book is just £4.74 to purchase on kindle and £7.65 in paperback via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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Author Bio
Freya Sampson is the USA Today Bestselling author of The Last Chance Library and The Lost Ticket/The Girl on the 88 Bus. Before becoming a full-time writer she worked in TV as an executive producer, and her credits include Channel 4’s Four in a Bed and Gogglesprogs, and two series for the BBC about the British Royal Family. She studied History at Cambridge University and is a graduate of the Faber Academy. Freya lives in London with her husband, two young children and an antisocial cat.
Purchase Link
Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/d8ELqHw
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