Enter into Loveday’s world of old books, exciting finds and interesting characters. Life in an antiquarian bookshop certainly isn’t boring! What is her background and how has she ended up in the delightful Archie’s shop? All will be revealed, but nor until the end of the book?

Loved this book. Quirky, contemporary and not my usual read. Very refreshing with an unexpected twist - just right for summer reading. I recommend this to all.

Nice easy read novel , cant beat one that is based on someone with a love of books. Loveday was definitely not the easiest to like... at first , a bit spiky and very very honest . You learn she has reasons for being how she is , she just needs some help from some old friends and one new one to demolition the wall that she has firmly built around her.

loveday cardew the likeable heroine with a troubled past and first lines from novels tattooed on her body will touch your heart. a feel good read that's one of my favourites this year

Any book that is set in a bookstore automatically intrigues me. Working in one myself (although not quite the same atmosphere as Lost for Words) I really love seeing how different people relate to books and how much they can mean. The three different timelines were very effective and helped to reveal aspects of Loveday’s past gradually, changing how I felt about her past as the book went on.

The sole reason i would of requested this book is because its a bookshop book. I haven't read one in a long time so i totally needed to get another one in the bag. Lost for Words follows Loveday Cardew who spends her days hiding in a quaint little bookshop in York with her larger than life boss Archie.



15 years ago, Loveday lost everything she knew and now she just takes it day to day. Lost for words follows the jouney of Loveday in the modern day and 15 years ago to what happened to create the Loveday we know now. I liked the way it was written with the interjection of poetry. I found the only way for me to describe this was a story. It wasn't high impact, fast paced nor full of that much drama (there was a few bits of tension though!!) It was a good read.



I feel like it just told a narrative, we spent time learning the characters - getting to know them and discovering what had happened to them in the past, and discovering not everything is as it seems. I liked the character of Loveday as she was fiesty, prickly and likeable. She had her guard up and for good reason, but people are drawn to her - and want to be let in.



Lost for words was a lovely read for the true booklovers out there, those who love books about books. I read this in a matter of hours so thats a sure fire sign i was drawn into this book.

Stephanie Butland's charming Yorkshire-set romantic-mystery-drama manages to introduce a prickly protagonist, while still making her easy to emphasise with. Loveday Cardew is a difficult, isolated and sharp character, who should be hard to care about, but the strength of her interactions with always lovable Archie, gentlemanly magician Nathan and even the somewhat villainous Rob make it easy to see that there's something deeper in her than just the sharp edges. She's a bold and unusual choice for a main character, and I loved spending time with her.

I also really enjoyed how well Butland conjured up images of beautiful, historic York with it's independent cafes and dusty, but wonderful bookshops, and coastal Whitby with the salt-tang of the air and the hustle and bustle of tourists. As a Yorkshire woman it always makes my heart glad to see books set in my home county, and I'm especially proud of this one.

I found the story so engaging that I just couldn't put the book down and ended up reading it in two days. I found myself feeling the terror, worry and love along with Loveday as the story unfolded.

I can't wait to read more by Butland, and I hope it leaves me as breathless as Lost For Words did.

I loved this story. it was tinged with sadness and secret and you can't help but to love Loveday as a character, and I felt at times I could really relate to her. A what reader doesn't love a book set in a bookshop! A must read!

This has many things to recommend it. First it is set in a bookshop and mentions other books within the storyline - I always like book that introduces you to other books. The setting in a second hand bookshop is so real to an avid bibliophile - mentions of penguin classics etc just take me back. It is however mush more than this the MC is broken but likeable her life is unpredictable because she cannot interact with it in any proper fashion. And then comes to the Cliff hanger - I got to about 70% through the book thinking what a lovely, charming read and then WOO where did that come from? I had to put the book down as we were going out but is pent the whole day wondering what would come next. I am not the greatest at predicting a plot but had no idea of this one was just blindsided. There were parts that wobbled off the rails a bit but overall it was a great read

I have reviewed this on Amazon not yet published

heart-warming story, set in a bThis book has all the ingredients for a great read - a heart-warming story, set in a bookshop, with well-drawn characters and a plot that includes York and Whitby!

I really enjoyed this book. Not all sweetness and light, but whose life is? I loved Archie (just the sort of larger than life character who lights up every room they enter) and Nathan. Loveday remained a bit of a mystery in some ways, but I can respect that!

I never write about plot details (what's the point when so many other people do so?) - but if you're looking for an enjoyable contemporary read (that won't leave you wondering what the hell was going on!), grab this book.

This is the second Stephanie Butland book I've read, and I look forward to more from this author.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for my honest review.ookshop, with well-drawn characters and a plot that includes York and Whitby!

My thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier Zaffre for a copy of this book to review. My thanks also to Stephanie Butland for writing such a great book. If your a bibliophile you'll love this. When I was a younger man I thought no better job existed than beiung landlord of a pub. Now in my more mature years being a bookshop owner pulls me in the thought of being able to spend the day reading or discussing literature with like minded customers is very attractive.
Now I can release this daydream because Stephanie Butland has fed my imagination and a very enjoyable read which doesn't fail on the last fences. Five stars all day.

A simple, easy read that drew you in from the start

I loved this book and you wanted only the best for Loveday as her life had been so tragic - but you're not sure why, but this unfolds with the book.

I hadn’t heard anything about Lost for Words before I picked it up, but it’s set in a bookshop — a bookshop which gradually leads Loveday, the main character, towards growth and healing after a troubled childhood. I was sold from the word bookshop, of course; I kind of expected something romance-based with some quirkiness, because, well, bookshop.

There is a certain degree of that, and the romance is quite good — Nathan is sweet and understanding, a sort of undemanding romance that is a joy to read. Loveday’s background is darker than I expected, and sadder; I found it interesting to read about her process of coming to terms with it, but it wasn’t quite what I’d expected. The ending was sadder and more dramatic than I’d expected too.

Even given that, I’d rate this higher if it weren’t for the stalker psycho ex. He’s supposed to have bipolar disorder, but the ‘warning signs’ Loveday mentions are things like his obsession with doing things at a certain time or in a certain way. That’s more like obsessive-compulsive disorder, and it doesn’t make you hurt anyone. For me, it just means laundry has to be done on Fridays (unless it’s bedsheets, which can be done on Saturdays) and I can’t stop reading on an odd-numbered page or chapter. From all these books you’d think you should run screaming the minute someone wants to line things up in a particular order because ooh it’s a warning sign! You should’ve known! But for most people, it’s not a warning sign that they’re ultimately going to hit their partner and set a place on fire with them inside it.

I wish the psycho ex wasn’t used so often to create drama and tension. That character could’ve acted in that way without all those little tags of mental illness which lead some people to assume that any sign of mental illness is only a skip and a jump away from arson and abuse. Being “off your meds” doesn’t automatically mean that you’re going to do something awful; can’t we just drop that trope?

A nice mix of different characters in this book the main character Loveday had a tragic story which unfolds nicely throughout the book and although she found it hard to trust people had people who loved her and eventually gave her the confidence to face up to her past loved the coastal location and the fact she worked in a book shop seems to make it more enjoyable for readers a really good read

This is a lovely book. Quite short and easy to read. If you like Bookshops you'll love this story.

Slow to start but the characters are lovely, especially quirky Loveday who works in a bookshop in York. Everyone has a secret, Loveday has worked very hard to hide hers, but when someone starts to send books to the shop which remind her of her mother and her previous home, Loveday’s newly found trust in life begins to unravel.
I enjoyed the book and the location; York is lovely city to visit and to read about.

Lovely book. Simple not too long and easy to read. Quite a quirky main character who was easily likeable.. a little different to what I normally read and I enjoyed it.

I loved "Lost for Words." I think most readers and lovers of books enjoy reading about other lovers of books. Being a bookseller myself, I loved the atmosphere of reading a book set in a bookshop. "Lost for Words" was intense and thrilling - it kept me on the edge of my seat and turning pages.

Too slow going for me, couldn't make it further than about 20%