I really enjoyed this book. This book is about love and loss. Dot works in Lost Property connecting lost belongings with their owners. She feels adrift - her father is dead and her mother is in a home with dementia. She seems separate from her sister and friendless.

As you become aware of her back story - her beloved father - an odd man who did not fit in with modern life - committed suicide and she blames herself for his death that you can begin the understand her need to hide.

Her quest to return Mr Appleby’s hold-all and her wish to help her mother to remember their past force her to face her memories and rebuild her life.

A heartwarming read which I will be recommending.

I loved this book SO much! I really enjoyed Dot as a character, I found her incredibly quirky but very likeable. The setting in lost property was such an interesting backdrop to the story.

It was a little slow at first, but I soon found that, as the story unravelled, I just couldn't put it down. The story went in such a different direction to what I had been expecting and I really enjoyed how much it surprised me.

This book was a different genre to the books I usually read, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it.

I was looking forward to reading this book as it sounded promising from the blurb but sadly, for me, it was not as enjoyable as I had expected.

I did not really warm to the main character, Dot, and felt that there was a bit too much waffle and not enough oomph to keep me entertained. Sorry.

I loved this book. The main character Dot, is so full of life, emotion, pain from the very first few pages that you can't help getting engrossed in her story very quickly. A slow piecing together and analysis of her life builds throughout the book as does the strength and development of her character and force. The way in which the author handles hugely impactful topics of loss is sensitive and thoughtful and allows the book to not dwell on these individual occurrences but look beyond to the impacts and human cost.
I read this book very quickly as I couldn't put it down and have thought much about her character since.
I would definitely recommend this and already have.

I liked Dot and her story was an interesting one though I felt it tended to lose its way a little bit sometimes but overall it was a nice story which I enjoyed reading.

Enjoyable but an unusual book!
Dot works in the lost property office for TFL. She is a quirky character, who sees her job as her life. She is obsessive and set in her ways but with a heart of gold. She wants to help everyone.
Dot originally wasn’t like this , At the beginning of the book you find out how Dot became broken .Caring for a mum with dementia, her late dad with mental problems he kept hidden and a miriad of other reasons. The book continues with Dot finding herself, beginning to engage with people and starting to live again.
This book is very cleverly written, a unique book and one I would recommend

What a bittersweet tale. Found myself willing Dot on, take herself off the edge and live again ! A portrait of a family, who only knew bits and pieces about each other, and then the pieces come together, like Gail's jigsaws.

Lost Property is the story of Dot who works in the lost property office of TFL and enjoys the order of filing lost items and reuniting lost property with its owners. Dot’s life has stalled somewhat as she struggles to come to terms with a loss she has suffered and the realities of her mum suffering from dementia. Dot is a very lovable character and you are rooting for her throughout. While the story contains very little surprises and there is an inevitability to its conclusion, it is a very enjoyable gentle read that is full of heartfelt emotion. 3.5/5

A very easy to read that captivated me from very early on. Dot is an usual character and her obsessive and unusual ways are what keep the story line going. Many feelings come to life as they are expanded upon. I await this author’s follow up book.

This is a lovely gentle humourous book that takes us deep into London Transport's Lost Property office where we get to know the motley assortment of characters who work there. The book focussed on Dot who has pared down her life to the essentials after her father's death - but life has other ideas and gradually Dot is forced to ditch her routine and step way outside her comfort zone as she tries to reunite one elderly gentleman with a lost bag.
A perfect read for lockdown times, there is a hint of romance, a mystery to solve and lots of fun mixed with a little heartbreak on the way.

This book is a warm-hearted story, with a definite fell-good vibe, but sadly I didn't warm to it. It is just like so many other similar books, and I'm afraid I found it all a bit too cliched. No-one really came alive as a real character, and I found Dot just a bit irritating. I'm sure a lot of people will like this book, but it wasn't for me.

I expected this book to be a rather average romance, chick-lit perhaps. I thought from the title that it would be a simple tale of people being magically reunited with their lost belongings, all knitted around some kind of love story.
I couldn’t have been more wrong. Yes, there is a touch of romance but it’s far from being the main focus of the book. This book explores some really deep issues and themes – loss, relationships within families, how we often misunderstand those closest to us - I won’t say more as I don’t want to spoil it.
I couldn’t relate to the heroine, Dot, at first. I’m not sure why. Perhaps my own expectations of the book clouded the way that I read the first chapter or two. By the end, I loved her. I was rooting for her. I understood her. I wanted to meet her, to befriend her.
I admire so many things about this book.The author has a very quirky and poetic way of describing things like the slug on a magic carpet of kitchen roll.I like the luggage labels and the little lost/found descriptions at the start of each chapter. And I love the underlying wisdom of this book.
It’s an astonishing debut novel. Can’t wait to read Helen Paris’ next book!

Dot Watson has lost her way. Twelve years ago her life veered off course, and the guilt over what happened still haunts her. Before then she was living in Paris, forging an exciting career; now her time is spent visiting her mother's care home, fielding interfering calls from her sister and working at the London Transport Lost Property office, diligently cataloguing items as misplaced as herself. But when elderly Mr Appleby arrives in search of his late wife's purse, his grief stirs something in Dot. Determined to help, she sets off on a mission.

This was definitely a slow burner for me, I don't think the author conveyed Dot very well, I couldn't decide on her age and personality, sometimes she was described as old, and sometimes a lot younger. I felt a lot of her thoughts and process' appeared quite judgy.

Overall, I would describe it as a holiday read, one that you read around the pool or beach but not one I would discuss in length. 3.5 stars. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Lost Property is an unusual book, quite quirky really and most definitely bitter sweet. I can't say I liked the main character Dot, probably because I just could not relate to her in any way, but she was interesting in an odd sort of way. The main force behind the story is that of the different forms of familial love both in actuality and also in memories. No two siblings remember their upbringing in the same way and that is definitely true of Dot and Phillippa. An interesting read.

The title of this book is quite apt I think - because somewhere in the book, I am sure there is a good story but sadly its been lost in among a lot of irrelevant waffle that it sadly meant I missed any sort of story developing. The synopsis made it sound like it would be a good book to read too but sadly, I just couldn't find it.

I started reading this book thinking I wasn't going to like it that much if I'm brutally honest. I thought it was going to be completely fluffy and obvious 'chick lit', and the slightly quirky main character didn't change my opinion. Not straight away anyway.

What we have is the growth story of a woman whose life paused at a very specific and tragic moment. We get insights into how she used to be, why she changed, and the story takes us on a journey of self-discovery. I don't really want to say more because it will spoil it!

Suffice it to say, I empathised with Dot, although her personality grated at the start. I was interested in her story, which - although ending on a predictable note - had taken several unexpected twists and turns to get there. Ultimately, I enjoyed this book, it was well-written and engaging, and a little bitter sweet at times. Four stars, and I'd love to read more from this author in the future.

Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to read before publication.

The blurb for this book led me to expect a very different sort of story than what it actually presents. I found it to be very slow, with endless descriptions of lost items, and detailed floor plan of the Lost Property office where Dot Watson works. I suspect Dot May suffer from OCD on some level, given her obsession with correct categorisation of lost items/ efforts to reunite said items with owners. This
part of the book is extremely verbose, and Dot veers off along so many tangents that it is hard to stay focussed on the story, whatever that is, because it’s not clear at this point. To be honest, I’m not sure it ever is.
I did not get a sense of Dot, I did not find her relatable, no age is indicated, but she comes across as staid, unbending and obsessive.
She is a product of her tragic family history, which continues with her mother’s admission to a care home due to dementia. This is heartbreaking, and Dot’s sense of loss is palpable. That part I can relate to.
The theme of the story focuses on loss, in its many forms. I found it too depressing to continue. I did not want to pick it up again when I stopped reading, never a good sign. Sadly this was a DNF for me, I find I can’t handle depressing books at this particular time, real life is depressing enough. I read to escape from it.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this title.

Loved this tale of Dot who had buried herself amongst the lost property of Transport for London. As she unravels the truth about her childhood, which she had misunderstood as a younger sister, she finds peace and happiness. There are interesting characters and mysteries to be solved but the biggest mystery is that of what Dot wants to do with her life.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

Working in the lost property office was not Dot's choice of life - it just worked out that way. She makes the best of it and finds satisfaction in returning things to their owners. Then the past begins to catch up with her and she has a bit of a breakdown. She finds out gradually that her view on her parent's lives may not be accurate but manages to turn her life around in the end. I enjoyed reading this - it was quirky and original and the characters were well-rounded.

I began this book unsure if I would enjoy it. It has a rather amusing beginning, describing and showing us Dot’s rather mundane life.
It then becomes much deeper.
Full of feelings, memories, emotions, sadness and love.
A beautiful read.
Thank you Netgalley