A very emotive read. For me the characters were probably the most powerful element of the book, they had such depth, and a quality that had you routing for them from the start; ever hopeful that they would find their new HEA, and a sense of peace.

This book was different to my normal read. I really enjoyed the authors writing style, the additions of music, recipes etc. really sets the book apart from others.

Overall a lovely, well written book.

This is based on a real story about The Wind Phone, which someone put in their garden in Otsuchi, Japan, after the 2011 tsunami. Anyone grieving or who just wanted to talk would go and speak into the disconnected phone and their voice would be carried on the wind to their loved ones. This story follows Yui, who lost her mum and daughter in the tsunami, and Takeshi, whose wife died from an illness and their daughter hasn’t spoken since. They meet on their first visit to the phone. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to cope with this book, after losing someone very close recently, but I really enjoyed it. Yes, it covered loss and grief but it also gave hope and love. I would certainly visit if it was closer to home. A delightful read. Thank you to NetGalley, Bonnier Books UK and Manilla Press for letting me read and review it.

Really good read. Would recommend to friends and family. I could sympathise with characters (important for any fiction novel!) and looked forward to picking it up and reading the next few chapters! Interesting plot line and a good ending. Will look out for more novels by the author. Thank you.

This is a wonderful book even though the subject is mainly loss and grief! Don’t be put off! The writing is beautiful and the descriptive nature makes you feel you are in the story. The main characters are brought together in grief and travel to The Phone Box at the Edge of the Word to talk to their loved ones who are no longer with them. The story rolls along nicely although I would have liked a more in-depth knowledge of the characters. It is nice as well to learn a little of the Japanese culture and traditions along the way. This is a book and the lessons I learnt from reading it that will stay with me for a long time.

Beautifully written book about grief, love and hope

"Perhaps it doesn't do any harm, she thought, to continue talking to those who are no longer with us"

A beautiful story about death, and grieving and trying to live your life after a loved one has died. Really well written. There is hope along with the sadness. This is a memorable read.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

A story of tragedy, that brings two people together.
The place of this connection is at a phone box, here we meet people who’s lives have been altered and how they are struggling to find their way.
This is a story of loss, grief, but most of how how we cope with that pain and move forward.
In moving forward sometimes we find more love than we ever thought possible.
A beautiful story, definitely one to curl up with.

I loved this book, and I have a feeling it is going to mean a great deal to me. I remember seeing it for the first time on Twitter and knowing I had to have it on my to read list.

The story centralises around 2 main characters, Yui and Takeshita. Yui lost her mother and daughter in the Tsunami, Takeshita lost his wife to illness. They don’t know each other, but cross paths on their way to the Phone Box at Bell Gardia, and their lives intertwine like they never knew they would. It’s a lovely story of friendship, and it warmed my heart so much.

I loved the idea of a phone that let you speak to someone you had lost. If only this was real. Well... I didn’t know until I finished the book and read the extras that the wind phone is actually a real thing, a real place. I googled it, and it looks beautiful. I hope it manages to stay around for a long long time. I love what it stands for, and what it brings to people.

You come to realise that even though its a phone in the book, it could be anything, not necessarily a phone. I’ve had a similar experience of which for years I carried around a lot of regret and guilt surrounding my Grandmas passing, and a dream gave me the much needed comfort shall we say, and helped me move on. The wind phone symbolises that very thing, and is a beautiful thing to have. To see it in person one day would be amazing.

I enjoyed the different way the book is laid out too, each second chapter is very small, sometimes only a couple of lines, but it is about something that is mentioned in the chapter before. Like chapter one is Yui on her radio show. Chapter 2 is a lit of racks played during her show that night. It gave the book a different edge, but a nice one.

The end made me tear up, and I honestly think this book could help a lot of people who are struggling with grief.

I’d love to read more of Lauras work, so I will be on the lookout for a new novel :)

In a garden in the middle of nowhere, where the wind blows constantly, people come from far and wide to speak into a phone box to their lost loved ones. Yui lost her mother and daughter to a devastating tsunami. As she travels to the phone box, she meets Takeshi, a widower with a daughter, Hana, who hasn't spoken since her mother's death.

This chance meeting will change both of their lives. They will find a way back to love, and to joy, and Hana will find her voice.

A beautifully poetic and understated book about grief, the healing power of love and the comfort of shared experiences.

First of all, this book is truly beautiful in its tone and story. It's a tragic yet comforting tale of loss, love, grief and healing. I loved the descriptions of Bell Gardia and the symbolism behind the phone box. Having lost loved ones, I can understand the comfort that the phone could provide, the feeling that those left behind can connect with those on the other side. Each character in the story had something to bring and a different perspective to present. I found a warmth towards the developing relationship between Yui and Takeshi, which originally began as a shared understanding of loss due to the Tsunami, and eventually blossomed quietly into something quite different. I loved the references to Japanese culture with all its sweet treats, festivals and conventions, and I could picture Bell Gardia in my eye, I could see the flowers and the garden, and the different characters entering the phone box or walking around the garden.

I found the drawings of the birds at each chapter truly stunning and fuelled with symbolism of freedom, and I loved the mini chapters after each big chapter, that were like a stage whisper to the reader of extra pieces of information or back story.

Unfortunately this book didn't quite grab me emotionally as I wanted, hence the 4/5 star rating. I wanted a little bit more emotionally from each character, rather than simple observations or surface level descriptions of emotions which is what I felt we were given. I expected the characters to be riding the grief rollercoaster a little more than they perhaps did, with days of sorrow, anger, disconnect etc.

However this is still a beautiful book which is well translated and a great exploration into Japanese culture and grief. My only further personal wish is that the glossary of Japanese terms was at the front of the book rather than at the end. I could really have done with it from the beginning to feel truly immersed in the story and understand what was going on - sadly I only found it once I had got to the end!

Thank you so much to Bonnier Books at Netgalley for a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for this beautifully written, evocative story exploring loss and how we come to accept it.
One of our characters is Yui, a radio broadcaster who lost her mother and daughter in the recent tsunami. She seems emotionally stuck in the aftermath, not sure how to move on from such a loss. Like so many dealing with such unexpected loss, the emotions are complex.
Alongside Yui we have other characters. They are brought together by the existence of Bella Gardia, a remote garden curated by an elderly man, in which there is a disused telephone box. When people speak into the phone they are given the opportunity to talk to their loved ones, to have another moment with those no longer there. Through this opportunity, they begin to come to terms with their grief.
When Yui travels there she finds she does not need to speak into the receiver. For her, the process of visiting the garden and hearing the stories of others is enough. One of the people she meets is Takeshi, a man mourning the death of his wife and trying to work out how to help his daughter who has stopped speaking.
What follows is the tentative blossoming of a new relationship. It ends on a beautifully hopeful note, yet there’s a wistful tone to this that I think will remain with readers. I loved the fact that after reading the story I learned it is based on a real place, and right now that seems a lovely thing to be able to hold onto.

A deep and insightful exploration of grief, growth and parenthood.

I was captivated by the story and the intriguing, often difficult characters. Potential difficulties in explaining Japanese terms and culture are treated lightly.

Perhaps it was just the mood I was in but I found this book hard going and although it was a good story I found it hard to read. Having said that, I think if I read it again I would probably enjoy it more.

A beautiful, touching story that ultimately leaves you feeling hopeful.

The subtly of the story, the writing style & there were stand out quotes really resonated with me. I really enjoyed the taste of Japanese culture and language captured within these pages

I loved the main characters and how they fit into each other's lives. The short chapters alternating between the character's lives and little lists/details perfectly entwined the story together.

It just missed out on 5⭐ because I would've really liked more of a plot, I understand why it doesn't and I'm sure lots of others will disagree with me but I just felt it was missing that little something to make it extra special.

Overall, a thought-provoking, poignant & uplifting read based on a real place in Japan. This story is certain to provoke feelings and would make a perfect book club pick.

A huge thanks to Bonnier Books UK & NetGalley for sending me a copy in return for an open & honest review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Yui and Takeshi have lost loved ones. Yui lost a daughter, Takeshi has lost his wife. They meet on their journey tomthenphone box and a bond is firmly made between them. Theynare travelling to the wind phone, al,old disconnected phone box that's in a garden of a stranger. It's said that it Carrie's your voice to the people you have lost.

I loved the thought of a phone box we could all go to and phone our loved ones that have passed away. It's a heartbreaking read but it's also full of hope. I loved both Yui and Takeshi who were believable and I found myself rooting for them. There's quite a lot of tragedy but by the time you reach the end you just feel glad that you've read it. This is a book you will think about for a long time after you've finished it. A story 9f love, loss and grief.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bonnier Books UK and the author Laura Imai Messina for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved reading this book.

The story of various characters, the Bell Gardia was told in a manner which is very comforting and told in a very soothing tone. The prose lacked theatrics of the grief and loss experienced by the characters which was a plus point as it lead to seeing their lives in a way which we could grasp and have time to process while reading.

Thank you to Manilla Press for a gifted copy of this gorgeous book. I'm going to come straight out and say it, this book deserves to be huge. I can't fault it. It's perfect.

Yui lost her young daughter and mother in the tsunami that hit Japan in 2011. She has struggled with the grief and guilt for many years. And then she hears about a place, Bell Gardia. Set in beautiful gardens is a phone box. A disused phone box where people come to speak to the dead. People travel from all over to make the pilgrimage to the wind phone, and Yui does to, but she doesn't speak on the phone, she can't bring herself to do it. Here she meets Takeshi, a widow, who is bringing up a little girl, Hana, on his own. They start to make it a ritual, once a month they travel from Toyko to Bell Gardia together. Here they meet other grieving people, families and realise that life must go on.

For a book about such a heartbreaking matter, the subject of death is handled so delicately. Each page is filled with beautiful story telling. There is something so comforting about this book. I wanted to wrap myself in it like a comfort blanket. I didn't want it to end. This book was a real revelation. "Yui realised she had learned another important thing in that place of confinement: that silencing a man was equivalent to erasing him forever. And so it was important to tell stories, to talk to people, to talk about people. To listen to people talking about other people. Even to speak with the dead, if it helped"

You know those type of books that rein you in with the first few chapters and pull on the old heart strings?..well this is one of those books.

Yui lost her Mother and young daughter tragically after a tsunami hit. Takeshi has lost his wife. Both seek out The Wind Phone, an old disconnected phone box in the garden of a stranger, said to carry your voice to the people you have lost. This is how they meet, just when they needed each other, almost like it was meant to be. Takeshi picks up the phone, Yui can't bring herself to do so, seeking solace from the beautiful garden instead.

Without giving too much away, the story follows the path of the two characters and the love that develops between them.
It's a book smothered in grief, but also in hope and joy, with characters who seem so real. The Phone Box at the Edge of the World tells a story of finding love after loss. The fact that it is inspired by true events and a real phone box in Japan, makes it even more emotional. Beautifully written/translated, this book will no doubt bring a tear to your eyes. I didn't cry, honest!

A beautiful tale of the phone box at Belle Garcia where the wind whistles past the land and the sea, and you can lift the receiver in the phone box and talk to your dearly departed. It’s a lovely story of loss and a coming to terms of the tragedies and pain that have torn your heart. A journey across time and the catharsis of talking to the loved ones who have gone before us.
It is delicately and plainly written and yet is poetic and eloquent. I really loved this book and shed a tear or two in chapter 26 where Yui describes sharing parts of herself, losing them and having them returned when friendship or love moves on. It’s a long time since a description touched such a deep nerve.

A fantastic and thought provoking journey through Japanese culture, loss and life. I would highly recommend this book.
Thank you so much #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review

This is a beautiful book about a real life setting. The phone box at the end of the world, I was delighted to discover, really exists. What a charming and hopeful place.

I enjoyed the chapter layouts. The odd numbered chapters give you the story and the even numbered chapters give you notes and backstory relating to the chapter you have just finished. I have not read a book like this before and it was highly pleasing. I did find the middle third of the book a little slow pace wise and I wasn’t sure where the story was heading, but by the last third the author had captured my imagination again and drew the book to its conclusion well.

This book is heartwarming and moving. A lovely escape that shows you that hope endures even in grief.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.