A charming piece of writing interspersed with “interesting “ characters based round a quirky bookshop. The central enigmatic main character of Loveday Cardew who has a past she tries hard to keep hidden but events are not going to let that carry on. Love joy had been a happy child until a disastrous event totally altered her world spiralling her into a very different life. She does not like being with people but loves books and writing poetry. She enjoys working in Archie’s bookshop and has done so for 10 years. Lovedays secret , she believes to be tucked away hidden from view of those around her but some events come along to alter that . Will she piece her life together again with the help of the people around her. Will love and caring by others overcome her scepticism.?
An enjoyable read

Stephanie Butland’s third novel, Lost for Words, is set in a secondhand bookshop in the walled city of York, two of my favourite places to wander around. And while the bookshop on the cover may look quirky and cute at first glance, there are shadows lurking inside it. Much like its main character Loveday.

I liked Loveday Cardew from the instant I met her in Lost for Words. True, Stephanie Butland’s main character was talking books but there was something in her voice that sparked recognition. Once she rescued a book further down that same first page, I was smitten. I mean, what reader wouldn’t love someone who saves abandoned books and later tries to reunite them with their owner? Even without it being on a rainy day. Loveday’s a book person; she’s one of us.

Although Loveday seems lost at times, and is certainly withdrawn and lonely, her inner voice is strong and sassy. Some may even say sarcastic. She’s a spiky character but she’s also a survivor, partly wearing those favourite first lines of hers tattooed on her body as inked-on armour to protect her.

Loveday has a caring, watchful protector in its wonderful owner, Archie, but it’s in Lost for Words itself, the bookshop of the title, where she finds her refuge. That is, until books start bringing a poet and worse, unsettling memories from the past, into her previously safe haven and disturbing her peace.

This is a book for anyone who’s ever dreamed of spending their days in a bookshop. More especially, it’s for anyone who’s ever fled reality and sought comfort in the world of books: a place which offers an escape, protection against the real world and somewhere to hide out. Lost for Words illustrates how books connect us and can be a way of reaching out to us when we’ve all but shut ourselves off from the world.

Filled with literary references, spoken word events and original poetry, and an eclectic cast of characters, Stephanie Butland’s novel will warm the heart of any book lover. It will also then promptly proceed to break it, possibly even shatter it, before collecting up the pieces and stitching them back together again.

A beautiful, heartrending story of learning to open up and let people into your life, Lost for Words is a warm and tender novel, full of gentle understanding. I fell in love with both it and its characters.

Loveday prefers books to people - I related to her on this level! A good book can be far better company than an awful lot of people. A bit of a slow story, though, and I didn't find Loveday to be a particularly enjoyable protagonist

Lost for Words is a joyful, bittersweet drama about a young woman who works in a bookshop. Raised in foster care after her mother is jailed for killing her abusive husband, Loveday loses her self in books and reading, writing secret poetry and hiding away from emotional connections. A joy of a book that will delight readers.

An interesting work of fiction with a storyline that keeps the reader engaged and curious. You will experience a mix of emotions when reading this book.

A lovely book, which took hold of me far more than I was expecting. The story of Loveday Cardew, who works in a book shop in York, is a simple delight. As her past begins to catch up with her, and she can no longer keep it a secret, the world comes charging into the bookshop and changes Loveday's life. Very touching - highly recommended.

I am currently working on expanding our school library's senior section after years of a dismal and uninspiring selection of books that our older readers never checked out. My job has been to seek out much more diverse, gripping and modern books that will get them into reading by appealing to as broad a range of readers as possible. This really appealed to me because of its fantastic narrative and sense of atmosphere, combined with believable characterisation and its page-turning nature. It's hard to get young people into reading and if the library is not stocking the kind of book that they might grow up to buy as adult readers then we are not really meeting their needs. I can imagine this provoking lots of discussion after finishing it and a long queue of people trying to reserve it as they've heard so much about it. Will definitely be buying a copy and know that it's going to be a very popular choice. An engrossing read that kept me up far too late to finish reading it. It certainly stood out from the other books that I was considering and I look forward to converting more Stephanie Butland fans in future!

I love a book in which you connect with a character and her story from the first page. And how can you not love a character named Loveday? A Cornish name that has its roots back in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

I absolutely adored this. Every character is alive and intriguing. Each is unique, fascinating, appealing, funny, tragic…all in their own ways.

Loveday loves books and words. At the age of nine, one single event changes her life dramatically. Thrust into social care for the next six to ten years, she cocoons herself in a blanket of solitude and books and words. It's the way she learns to protect herself from hurt and disappointment. But her wall of self-made security is in danger of crumbling around her when she realises someone knows about her past.

Butland is a superb author who sucks you into her characters with a story that's enriched with quirkiness, sadness, smiles and sheer joy.

It was with a downturned mouth that I picked up my Kindle after reaching the ever-so-brilliant ending having spent some wonderful hours with Loveday. The author of my subsequent read had a very hard act to follow.

I can never resist a book which is based around a bookshop so I was excited to read Lost For Words. The main character Loveday (what a name!) is a quiet, quirky character with a love of reading and writing poetry. However, Loveday has a traumatic past which unfolds with the story and explains why she prefers books to people. I loved her relationship with Archie, the eccentric bookshop owner who became an integral part of Loveday's life since the age of fifteen. I liked the references to books and quotes which are dotted around the story.

This book appealed to me on the basis that I love books so reading about a bookstore sounded right up my street.

Unfortunately I just couldn't connect with the characters or the story & found myself just skimming the pages so n the end I did not finish the book.

Not for me 🙁

A really enjoyable book. The reader gets to know a little of the character of Loveday before certain events take place. We then learn more as she is forced to confront her awful past where harrowing events took place. They obviously had an effect on her but through the book we see her grow and overcome. Nathan the amiable poet is the one she can rely on. He understands her and can give her the live and stability that she craves, although she doesn't realise this!!!

Loveday Cardew prefers books to people. If you look carefully, you might glimpse the first lines of the novels she loves most tattooed on her skin. But there are some things Loveday will never show you.

Into her refuge - the York book emporium where she works - come a poet, a lover, a friend, and three mysterious deliveries, each of which stirs unsettling memories.

Everything is about to change for Loveday. Someone knows about her past and she can't hide any longer. She must decide who around her she can trust. Can she find the courage to right a heartbreaking wrong? And will she ever find the words to tell her own story?

I’ve been reading a few psychological thrillers recently and decided I wanted a complete change. This book was certainly that!

I knew that Loveday had a background and that it wasn’t perfect, but I loved how the author took her time and only gradually revealed things.

There was only one character I didn’t like: the rest I fell in love with. I want to say so much more, but if I did I’d be giving spoilers of the plot. This is a lovely book that I would definitely recommend. 5*

Lost for Words - Stephanie Butland

Firstly, an apology, I was sent this book to review months and months ago and I've just left it sitting on my kindle. Woops. My bad.

You can trust a book to keep your secret . . .
Loveday Cardew prefers books to people. If you look closely, you might glimpse the first lines of the novels she loves most tattooed on her skin. But there are things she'll never show you.
Fifteen years ago Loveday lost all she knew and loved in one unspeakable night. Now, she finds refuge in the unique little York bookshop where she works.
Everything is about to change for Loveday. Someone knows about her past. Someone is trying to send her a message. And she can't hide any longer.
Lost for Words is a compelling, irresistible and heart-rending novel, with the emotional intensity of The Shock of the Fall and all the charm of The Little Paris Bookshop and 84 Charing Cross Road.

When I first received a copy of this book to read I was fairly confident that I was going to love it. I am someone who loves books and loves words. I adored the Shock of the Fall when I read it a couple of years ago, I love the idea of a protagonist with literary tattoos. This is also about a girl who has a traumatic past she is trying to hide - sounds pretty good so far. You can see where I am going with this thought can't you?

On paper, this is everything I love in a book, but I just didn't love this. I didn't hate it, but I definitely didn't love it.

My problem with this was our protagonist. I really didn't like her. I am someone who isn't social, I prefer books to people, but I try my hardest not to be rude, I'm an introvert not ignorant. Loveday (honestly, I couldn't get over that name) is just downright rude. I know she's had a hard life, I know that the things she does stems from her past but I just couldn't deal. Also, there was some very concerning stalking going on in this book and I'm a bit worried about how flippantly this was approached...

Overall, this isn't a bad book. It is a slow burner, it does have a few problematic moments, but it isn't terrible. I think if you love books, bookshops and can understand Loveday and Archie's love of books and words you'll find something in this to enjoy. Just stick with it and try your hardest to ignore Loveday's silly name and sillier attitude.

So Lost for Words is a novel that has been sat on my Kindle for some time now, I just never seemed to get round to reading it.  When I finally did pick it up, I had completely forgotten what it was about, except that it has a picture of a bookshop on the front cover and that can only ever be a good thing!  I also have a habit of not re-reading the blurb of a book, so when I have a book for a while it's always a surprise when I finally read it!

Lost for Words was definitely a surprise! I expected a lighthearted, easy-read romance and that is not what I got at all - please note however that this was not a bad thing.

Loveday Cardew is not your typical novel heroine.  She is a complex character who has had a very difficult upbringing, something that continues to impact on her adult life.  She helps run a lovely secondhand bookstore in York, owned by her close and dear friend Archie, the closest man she has to a father figure in her life.  For a number of years she has existed quietly, sorting and selling secondhand books by day and spending time in her small flat by night.  She is not surrounded by friends and family, and those who do know her, know very little about her.  A series of events, including Nathan unexpectedly walking into her life, cause Loveday to question everything she knows, and to start to actually explore the events of her past.

Loveday, Archie and Nathan are all fascinating characters, and I really enjoyed getting to know them all.  They each have their own secrets, all of which were appropriate for the story.  I enjoyed learning about each of them, and I most definitely have a soft spot for Archie - what a character!

As already mentioned, this is not a romance novel - not in the typical sense anyway.  This is more a story of self-discovery; the story of a young woman finally learning to own her past rather than run from it.  It's a story of love and friendship, and how our friendships often save us, even when we didn't realise we needed saving.

So, despite not being the novel I was expecting, I am more than happy to recommend it to you all.  It was a beautiful story, full of love, loss, friendship and discovery.  I hope you all go and grab and copy!

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a bit hit-and-miss for me. I love bookshops and have been to Whitby, so really enjoyed the setting. I also liked how the back story of the protagonist was slowly revealed, giving insight into how she ended up as she did. However, despite the back story, I never got to like the protagonist. This would have been fine, but the story was wrapped up so neatly that it seemed that the author couldn't decide if she was writing a feel-good book, or something with more depth.

I was captivated from the beginning. I was taken in by Loveday, who works in a bookshop, and her account of her story. I found it both funny and touching and I loved the characters who were very realistic. I liked how the story moved from past to present which made it very interesting. Emotions went from sadness to happiness. A beautifully written book and very expressive. I would recommend it.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest, independent review.

Loveday is a book lover who works in a secondhand bookshop and has book-related tattoos. However, she’s also had a rough time in life with her parents, has been in foster care, and didn’t have a great relationship with Rob. She’s happy with her own company, or that of books, until Nathan comes along.

I really clicked with Loveday’s character; I loved her personality, how much she loved books, but also felt sorry for her rough start in life.

The book is perfect for book lovers, with book quotes and references scattered throughout. The cover is slightly misleading. It made me think it was more chick lit and an easy read, but I found the book covered quite a lot of emotional topics and was hard hitting, but there was a nice bit of mystery thrown in, with romance for good measure.

I’ve had the book sat on my kindle for a while. For some reason, I didn’t want to read it. However, I’m glad I did as it’s a book perfect for book lovers.

The blurb seemed cute and it was taking place in a book shop. Who doesn’t like stories in a book shop, right? One pity is, this book joined the trend of having a protagonist, who suffered from domestic violence and dealing with the effects of it in her current life. The blurb doesn’t mention this. It was along the lines of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine. I personally don’t find it heart warming to read about someone’s difficulties dealing with the world, until someone comes to the rescue and changes everything. I also don’t find it so realistic. It was still decent writing, I just didn't find the content very original.
If you like these type of stories and if you liked Eleanor Oliphant’s story, you might like it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for granting a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

A really lovely story of a difficult childhood, and learning to live and trust again, of romance and heartbreak/ache. A must read page turner.

Lost of Words is a wonderful story. I didn’t expect anything from this book when I requested it. When I first read the first chapters, I didn’t think that I would fell in love with the character. I commend the writing style, it was so good. This book is page turner and the plot is amazing.