This was a nice heartwarming story but I did find it was a little slow paced and I didn't warm to the characters as much as I hoped I would. Still worth a read though.

The plot is good and the characters are interesting, but it is laboured and so repetitive. The same stories told over and over again, each time adding a little something, however you have to read the whole thing to get the one new detail. The emotions are sad and deeply felt, the individual stories are good, but the core story of Hannah and Mona could have been done so much better

I absolutely loved Libby Page's The Lido (it's one of my favourite books) so I was really disappointed that I didn't enjoy this one. I found it quite disjointed in parts and quite bitty. A lot of the characters seemed quite superficial and I found it to be quite a slow read. Sorry Libby, but this just didn't do it for me. However, I am grateful for Netgalley giving me the chance to read and review this book.

A lovely novel looking at female friendship as its main arc which was refreshing and cleverly done through the hour-by=hour progress of two double shifts taken by the two main protagonists - so you get the friendship and events of its five years in two perspectives. We also see life from the viewpoint of some of the habitues and newcomers to the cafe, which was nicely done in the main. Full review on my blog https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2020/03/06/book-review-libby-page-the-24-hour-cafe/

The 24 hour cafe is a story about friendship. About finding connections that help ease loneliness. About endings, and new beginnings. Hannah and Mona have reached 30 and are both at a turning point in their lives. Hannah, an aspiring singer has been slowly losing her enthusiasm for her passion. Mona, a dancer has just been granted her dream job in Paris. Hannah and Mona are best friends, both working at Stella's, a 24 hour cafe in London. As well as getting to know more about these wonderful characters, we come to learn more about their customer's lives. Everyone has a story, and sometimes all it takes is kindness to show someone they are not alone. As Hannah and Mona go their separate ways after a terrible argument it seems as though their friendship has come to an end. But as we return a year later, it seems that perhaps, it is simply, the start of a new beginning. A heartfelt, warm and witty story that I completely adored.

I loved The Lido, so I was very excited to read The 24-hour Café. It didn't disappoint! Libby Page has such a wonderful way of writing about normal people, opening them up and showing us that strangers are all characters, and that everybody has an inner life and a story. I read this in two sittings – a great read.

The 24 Hour Cafe by Libby Page is a beautiful, heartfelt and uplifting book that embraces the themes of love, female friendship and belonging. I couldn’t help but fall in love with this magical book and the characters who inhabit it from the outset. The many and varied stories so beautifully told within its pages captured my imagination, tugging at my heartstrings and making me feel a myriad of emotions as I allowed myself to be swept along by the gorgeous storytelling.

Hannah and Mona are best friends, work colleagues and housemates. They love working at Stella’s Café, a place where people from all walks of life can meet and connect, secure in the knowledge that they’re always welcome no matter what’s happening in their everyday lives. This book not only tells Hannah and Mona’s story, but also the stories of the many different people who walk through the doors of Stella’s 24 hour cafe every day.

Oh, how I loved this book! The 24 Hour Café is warm and welcoming, like being enveloped in a comforting hug as you begin to lose yourself in its pages. We see only glimpses of the lives of the people who walk through the door, but each one leaves an impact, their brief stay making us feel so many emotions, their stories real, raw and brutally honest at times. But above all I was left with a feeling of hope as I turned the final page, bereft that the journey with these characters was finally over.

But Hannah and Mona are at the heart of this story, their friendship reaching a crossroads as they must decide which path their lives are going to take them down next. Is it time to make some changes?

Libby Page has written a gloriously uplifting book that I absolutely adored! This is the first book I’ve read by this author, but it definitely won’t be the last! A heartwarming read I would highly recommend.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. If I had been asked at the beginning I would have said I wasn't really enjoying this book BUT it is the sort of narrative that penetrates your bones, spreads fingers into your mind and leaves you unable to put it down. Now tired, sleepless, I have reached the end of an ultimately beautiful novel about love and loss, of the fine between being alright and not being alright. I didn't much bone with either Hannah or Mona but the remaining cast of characters pulled at my heart strings to a greater or Lesser extent.

Libby Page is an author i Have read before and certainly one I would read again. This book is more than the sum of its parts

I was worried this book wouldn't live up to The Lido which was one of my favourite reads last year. But my fear was unfounded as this was another gem of a story from Libby Page. It was happy. It was sad. It was poignant. It was beautiful. Could not put it down.

Hannah and Mona work as waitresses at Stella’s Café, a diner opposite Liverpool Street station, which is open 24 hours a day. The pair met at a party and became housemates in a house share then quickly became best friends and now share a small flat. They’re each waiting for their big break – Mona aspires to be a famous dancer while Hannah is a singer looking for gigs – and they attend regular auditions and castings and wait for callbacks but, more often than not, are faced with disappointment.

The book is set over a period of 24 hours in the café and each chapter is an hour from 12.00 am round to 11.00 pm. As the hours pass, we learn more about Hannah and Mona, with flashbacks to key moments in their lives, and are introduced to various characters who visit the café for different reasons: to pass the time, meet friends, escape from life, etc. There’s also John the Big Issue seller who works outside the café in all weathers and has been there a few years.

Hannah is 30 and from a small village in south Wales originally and she studied for a performing arts degree in Cardiff. After graduating, she moved to London and has now lived there nine years. Her parents are recently retired. Mona is nearly 30 and grew up in Singapore and attended an international school. Her mother is German and her father is Argentinian but they divorced when she was 14 and her father returned to Argentina and remarried and, three years later, had a son called Matiás. Mona left Singapore for London when she was 18 and studied for a degree in dance.

I loved the descriptions of the diner in the book with its retro, worn decor, 1950s Kellogg’s advert clock, a huge, painted Union Jack and gaudy pictures on the walls, and a rather random and large stuffed bear on a mount called Ernest! I could really envisage how everything looked and smell the greasy fried food aromas. I’d love to try the tasty sounding pancakes made by chefs Aleksander and Pablo.

Hannah, Mona and the other waitresses, Eleanor and Sofia, have a great rapport with the customers and they keep an eye on people and know when to talk to them and when to leave them alone, especially if they’re distressed. It was fascinating to hear everyone’s stories, both cheerful and sad, and get to know Hannah and Mona and their hopes, dreams, ambitions and aspirations, and learn about their pasts and how they ended up where they are now.

We learn that Hannah has recently split up from her boyfriend, Jaheim, and this has really affected her relationship with Mona, who feels lonely and is disappointed by how Hannah treated her when she was seeing him. She was rather selfish and excluded her and didn’t think about Mona’s feelings, and they’re now struggling to get their friendship back on track.

This is a really simple concept but works very well and is a lovely idea for a book. There were some sad moments though as Mona and Hannah struggle to work out where they’re heading in life. They love working in the café but are struggling for money and finding the regular singing/dancing rejections tough to take and are wondering if their lucky breaks will ever come, especially as they’re getting older and are up against much younger performers in auditions. What happens if they give up on their dreams?

I really enjoyed this insightful, thought-provoking book and it was lovely to read about all the unique and different characters who visited Stella’s Café throughout the day and night. It was intriguing to read the descriptions of people and then learn why they were there, and see the range of emotions they were experiencing. Overall, a well-written and entertaining read with relatable characters and I was really invested in their heartwarming stories and was hoping that everyone would have a happy ending.

I’m looking forward to reading the author’s other book, The Lido, now as I’ve had it on my Kindle for a while but haven’t got round to it yet.

What a wonderful story !
Or in reality a collection of interwoven stories. Based around the two waitresses in a 24 hour cafe, and the peo0le they meet. Well worth reading I would recommend it to anyone
Thank you to Netgalley, Orion publishing and Libby Page for letting me read this book, in exchange for an honest review

The 24-Hour Café, or as it's officially known, Stella's Café literally never sleeps. It's home to waitress friends and flat mates, Hannah and Mona who both harbour dreams of being on stage in the West End.

Hannah as a singer, Mona as a dancer.

Now I am a huge fan of people watching at the best of times, I could literally sit in my local coffee shop all day doing it, but if I lived anywhere near Stella's I would probably be in there for days.

Maybe weeks, maybe permanently as it never closes (and the choice of food and drinks sound divine!).

We meet Hannah and Mona in the middle of the night as Mona finishes her shift, and Hannah is about to begin hers. Hannah has had some bad news, which she is reluctant to share with her friend, as she doesn't want to bring either of them down.

These are tough times for the pair, as their friends are getting married, having children, successful careers, and Hannah and Mona are still waitressing, dreaming of a better life - is it time to move on?

Then Mona receives some news that will test their friendship to it's limits, as there are things that she has been hiding from Hannah in order to protect her.

The 24-Hour Café will always be there through the most challenging of times, but will Hannah and Mona's friendship survive the same?

Rating 3.5 stars

Spend 24 hours at Stella's and follow the lives of the staff and patrons in the cafe near Liverpool Street Station in London.

The main people the book follows are two of the waitress staff Mona and Hannah who both are performers, Mona a dancer and Hannah a singer. We look at their friendship, their past and to their future. We also follow a number of others including Dan an engineering student who recently lost his mum and has nowhere to sleep, Monique a first time mum who is struggling and Harry and his wife Martha who are off on their honeymoon.

The book then wraps up one year later seeing what happens to each character.

It's a nice enough book, split into the separate chapters by character. However, at 45% I wondered where the story was going or even if it had one. It is one of those books that unfortunately does not show you what is going on but tells you, especially describing heavily what people look like. It also at times repeats itself, be it an incident in that persons life or again what someone is wearing when seen from another persons point of view.

I received this book from netgalley in return for a honest review.

24 hours in a cafe and the coming and goings. A bit like being in a cafe, a community with a feeling you're part of something and you're not. The friendship of the waitresses Hannah and Mona. The hopes, dreams, aspirations of life and the reality of life juxtaposed. Great storytelling. The Lido edged it for me but still a beautiful story. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

Libby Page’s The Lido has remained on my TBR pile, but I have read many great reviews so I grabbed the chance to read The 24-Hour Café.

Spend 24 hours in Stella’s Café with Hannah and Mona, friends and waitresses at the café, where their friendship is unraveled and we delve into their pasts as well as being introduced to a variety of customers.

What I enjoyed most about this book was the style in which it was written. The story takes places over 24 hours and over that time we swap between the narratives of Hannah and Mona, as well as some of the customers of the café. The narrative of the story allows you to delve into Hannah and Mona’s stories, their past that has lead them to this point. You also get an insight into a variety of the different customers, learning their individual stories. Reading this book I felt like I was sat in Stella’s Café people watching.

What Libby does well is tell the story of the people, written in such a way and in detail that you feel you are there in the café watching it all unfold right in front of you. She shows you that you never quite know what is going on underneath the surface of those around you.

I really enjoyed this book and I can’t wait to finally get stuck into The Lido.

The bestselling author of The Lido has written a new novel, The 24-Hour Cafe. Even though I have yet to read Libby Page's début, The Lido, I was still expecting great things from this book and I was not disappointed.

Stella’s, a London café, has a style all of its own and is the place to go for customers wanting a coffee, a pancake or a bite to eat, shelter from the weather, or for some comfort. In this novel the author provides the reader with glimpses into the lives of some of the customers, however the main focus is on two of the waitresses working there. Hannah is a singer and Mona, a dancer, and over the course of a twenty-four hour period the reader is privy to their lives, histories, hopes and aspirations.

Libby Page's first-class writing cleverly picks up the customers' separate stories, too - many are snippets and observations, but in some, their exposés reveal greater detail, achieved by shifting the points of view, allowing them to tell their own stories. This could easily have resulted in a disjointed narrative, and for the book to become a succession of fragmented, rather disenchanting short stories, but the flow of the story is firmly rooted by the contributions from Hannah and Mona, and by the cafe itself, which is a character in its own right. There was abundant examples of some stunning characterisation by Libby Page throughout The 24-Hour Cafe and my favourite of these, apart from obviously, Hannah and Mona, was probably Dan, a homeless student struggling with life after the loss of his mother, experiencing the kindness of a stranger.

The 24-Hour Cafe is a magnificent tale about all different walks of life with friendship at its heart. Hannah and Mona are soulmates who understand each other but sometimes they make mistakes and the things that are stable and comforting can swiftly change. The book is powerful, heartbreaking and uplifting, and a perfect reading experience – I absolutely adored every moment of it.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel at my request, from Orion via NetGalley, and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

Hannah and Mona are best friends, living and working together; both part time waitresses in Stella’s Café, a 24 hour café opposite London’s Liverpool Street station. An area I know well as I commuted in and out of that station for over 15 years. Stella’s café is well described with its eclectic style of decoration and I got a real sense of place for both the cafe and the location. Both women have ambitions of a different life – Hannah wants to be a professional singer, whilst Mona dreams of a life on the stage as a dancer – they are just waiting for their big break but in the meantime, waitressing pays the bills.

Over a 24 hour period, with both of them doing a double shift, the story shifts firstly from Hannah’s perspective and then from Mona’s; we discover how they first met and what their friendship means to both of them and how it can be tested, their backgrounds, their dreams and aspirations, whilst all the time the café welcomes a myriad of customers; some are mentioned in passing, others in more detail – such as Dan the young homeless student, grieving after the loss of his mother, the elderly couple about to go on their honeymoon and the couple whose relationship is about to ripped apart by immigration laws. I really enjoyed these glimpses into other people’s lives and could happily have read more about each of them. There are those who don’t even come inside Stella’s, such as John, the Big Issue seller, who stands outside in all weathers treating everyone with respect, even when he is shoved out of the way and ignored or even shouted at by passing pedestrians.

This isn’t a short read but never did it feel too long or padded, the author pitched the pace just perfectly with characters that seem so authentic. Stella’s is not just somewhere to grab a coffee or a sandwich, for some it’s a refuge from the stresses of life, and both staff and customers see it as a welcoming space.

This is a story of love and betrayal, of friendship and disappointment, of never giving up on your dreams and the kindness of strangers, I very much enjoyed it and it has made me even more keen to read the author’s debut ‘The Lido’ – (I know, I must be the last person in the world who hasn’t read it!) Also it made me cry which I really wasn’t expecting.

My thanks to Tracy Fenton for the invitation to take part in the tour and to the publisher for the Netgalley copy to review.

I've always been intrigued by the night and especially by those who are awake through it. I love the idea that while I doze in my warm bed, there are people in neon lit spaces working; travellers making their way by bus or train to who knows where; restless people sitting in airports surrounded by their luggage; a pack of Nighthawks out of Edward Hopper's dreams propping up a bleak bar. Recently I read about a woman living on the edge of London who, when she can't sleep, gets the Nightbus into town and visits a particular Soho cafe. Respect to her for that - I'm not THAT much of a night owl myself. Though I will stay up reading (as I did last night, when I just HAD to finish this book) I don't go out into it a lot, I'm more fascinated by the idea of the night. It's just fuel for the imagination and positively drips with atmosphere, glamour, sentiment and anticipation.

Of course, that attitude may reflect a degree of privilege on my part, as a man with a secure home who lives in a safe and sleepy English village (even if we do sometimes appear in Midsomer Murders). Other perspectives are available and often, of course, the night can be threatening, especially for women.

Both sides of that vibe feature in this new book by Libby Page. Hannah and Mona are waitresses, doing twelve hour shifts at Stella's café opposite Liverpool Street Station in the heart of London. The book takes us through Hannah's stint (midnight to noon) and then Mona's (round to midnight again). In the course of those 24 hours we are privy to their thoughts and memories, as well as the experiences of customers who come and go at Stella's, and some who return. Gradually, the picture fills out, telling Hannah's and Mona's story - the story of two friends who've drifted apart and which stands I think for so many trying to make a life in London.

Opening with the midnight handoff between their shifts (dancing to "Tutti Frutti" - 'it reminds them both of what it felt like to be is full of hope and ambition') we learn how Hannah came, barely in her 20s, to make it big as a singer, taking temporary jobs in the meantime. Similarly Mona, who has a passion for dancing. Approaching 30, still struggling, both women are aware that they don't have many more chances ('each year a new swathe of eager, bouncy, fame-hungry young performers heads for London') and other distractions threaten: living from one payday to the next, problems with housemates, illness and injury, all conspire againts the dedication and focus that's required for success - the need for practice, practice, practice, the dispiriting round of auditions leading nowhere, the effort necessary to canvass venues and network and follow up possibilities.

And in Hannah's case, her bad luck with men has also set her back, landing her with what seem to have been two superficial charmers only interested in themselves - something that has driven a wedge between her and Mona, who seems the more dedicated of the pair. This book is really a paean to friendship, to the support these women have shown each other over the years, from always showing up for the other's performances to tending for each other in periods of illness (Page makes a point in this book of showing where her protagonists have done this - for example Dan with his dying mother or Sonja and Timur who have waited so long, saving painstakingly for their wedding: 'At work she takes pride in being confident... behind the door of their flat she clings to him at night and asks him to brush her hair when she is unwell...') to simply offer support and a hug.

As we follow Hannah and Mona through the night, it becomes clear that the book is hinged around the future of their relationship, and that it is very much in doubt: grief, loss and anger come between them and may erase what they have been to each other. Page makes both women (as well as the other characters here!) very real, and one comes to understand what has happened and to ache for both of them (perhaps more for Mona, admittedly) and wish they could make up.

Coming and going through that long night and day (12 hours! I couldn't be on my feet working for 12 hours...) are many others: the student who finds himself homeless and shelters all night in the café, the gay couple who face separation due to immigration rules, the man and woman in their 60s who have found love late and are off on honeymoon, the woman who flees her home because she can't bond with her newborn baby. There are also less sympathetic people here - the couple who list what's wrong with London, the woman who stands in the café and screams. There are abusive customers and those who are merely rude. As I said, there are dangers in the night as well as glories.

All these stories and parts of stories - we don't get told everything - seem peculiarly fitting to a café where people kill time waiting for a train or a bus. Stella's is full of people on the cusp of things - waxing, waning; losing, gaining; never at rest (like Dan, some have nowhere to rest), but appraising their past and their future. A daytime customer has lost his job in the City but not told his wife. he come sin every day and sits with his laptop. The Big Issue seller outside has lost one life and is trying to build another. It's a fascinating patchwork of people, of love and friendship, loss and loneliness.

The language in this book is arresting, often beautiful ('The sun rises over London, but at the small table in Stella's, it sets on Joe and Haziq') and shows great insight ('It didn't mean I stopped caring about my friend, though; he just made me carrels with them'). Page uses its single location, narrow focus and 24 hour duration to explore universal themes of love, loss and friendship with great delicacy - and to introduce some great characters.

I'd strongly recommend!

Hannah and Mona a singer and dancer, work at the 24 hour cafe in London where the cafe attracts a colourful variety of personalities everyday.





I really enjoyed the Lido however I do feel this book wasn't as good personally as I didn't like Hannah or Mona's characters sadly as much as The Lido's main characters where I could picture it clearly in my mind and I did find the start slow. However Hannah's story kept me wanting to read on as the plot develops more so than Mona's story did.



However if you love people watching when out and about this is the book for you as the café attracts a variety of people with different stories, very true to everyday life at any café and for relatability that way the fun of the storyline kept me intrigued to read on especially Dan the student and John the big issue seller's stories were interesting to me to see their hardship.



There was a variety of issues raised with characters from university, death, love, cheating, work and of course we read the history of how Hannah met Mona and how their friendship becomes strained with new opportunities ahead.



To me I enjoyed the book showing all walks of life people can be in and situations they can be forced to face and for that reason I did enjoy the book as it went on.


Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them and be part of the blog tour!

A really lovely read from the author of The Lido.

Likeable main characters with lovely stories woven in to the main plot.

A 4 star feel good read.