This is the kind of book you just want to wallow in; one where you want to know everything but you don't want it to end . . .

Dot Watson once set off into the big wide world; twelve years ago she lived in Paris, had her career on track and enjoyed being in a relationship but somehow her life fell off that track and now she spends her days working in Lost Property and visiting her mother in the care home. She takes her work seriously, getting satisfaction from doing a thorough job which sees lost items reunited with their owner. Then a gentleman turns up seeking his late wife's purse and it resonates with Dot - it's suddenly terribly important to locate it and, perhaps, find herself along the way.

From the very beginning, I really liked Dot. She not only takes great pride in her work but she has the ability to describe others with great humour. It's easy to picture her colleagues and I couldn't think of her sister without seeing her arm windmill! I was hook, line and sinker with this one right up until reality began to wain and then, for quite a bit of the book, I struggled to keep my focus. Overall, however, it is a very good read filled with delightful characters and with an ideal conclusion. Beautifully written with excellent prose, I did enjoy this one and am happy to give it 4.5*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

Despite the cheery tones of the book’s cover, this is a dark, sometimes distressing, read. I don’t often do trigger warnings, but will mention up front here that it covers issues including suicide, substance abuse and a sexual/physical assault that left me feeling as shaken as the character involved. None of these serious topics are used gratuitously – they are treated with sensitivity and understanding, and Dot’s journey may even help some people dealing with similar issues, but don’t go into this story expecting a jolly romp of skipping around matching people to their treasures.

There are some very obvious comparisons to Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine here: the main character is socially awkward and adheres to her own customs and rituals, quietly judging those around her who are louder, more social, more comfortable with themselves. However, Dot is her own character, with her own past traumas and current issues to overcome, not just a Oliphantine carbon copy.

I really enjoyed the almost mystical world of the Lost Property office, with its poignant mustard-coloured labels and cavernous shelved storage of wonders (and umbrellas). Dot’s reverence for the building, the lost items, and the routine of recording and (hopefully) reuniting is touching and a little contagious, and I found myself sympathising with her horror at the slapdash ways of Anita, SmartChoice et al. It was fun to watch Dot gradually loosen up a bit, and start to deal with her trauma at the loss of her dad.

Until she loosened up a little too far, and it became clear that she was spiralling into a very deep, dark hole that she was going to struggle to drag herself back from. On the way, she attempts to solve a few mysteries (The Case of the Dead Father; The Case of the Missing Holdall), avoid connecting with family and friends, and put aside her old dreams of travelling the world. She is not entirely successful in all of those aims, despite her best efforts.

This is a beautifully written, heart-tugging story about love, family secrets, losing and being lost, which takes the reader to some dark places, but brings them out again with the hope for a lighter future.


'You have to be precise in Lost Property. You have to find the exact right words and fit them on to the modestly sized Dijon-coloured labels tied to every single lost item stored here. If you write ‘Woman’s Handbag, dappled burgundy’ rather than ‘Woman’s Handbag, red’, it can make all the difference as to whether that bag is reunited with its owner or languishes in Lost Property for ever.
Leather handle, you say? What kind? I ask. Looped? Stitched? Buckled? Chewed? Admittedly, it’s a challenge to make one black collapsible umbrella stand out from another, but I do my best. I pay attention to the details.'

– Helen Paris, Lost Property


Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

What a lovely, lovely book. It tells the story of Dot whose father leaves her through suicide, mother by dementia and sister by marriage. Emotionally devastated Dot gives her all to her job, working in a Lost Property Office.

There is a lot of humour in the book as Dot navigates her days organising lost property with the aim of returning at least some of it to the rightful owners. However it gets very sad too when things do not work out for her. Dot's story is told in a beautiful way, often light and funny but always tugging at the heart strings.

There is romance too, again touched on gently here and there but always hopeful. The culmination of this actually brought tears to my eyes and I read that bit three times! I just loved this book and could hardly believe it is a debut novel. I will look forward to more from this clever author.

An enjoyable soft read. Dot is a lot like the articles she looks after. Lost. She is no longer living her dream life and needs to come to terms with where she is at but she cares about her lost property. Through tracking down one old gentleman and reuniting him with his battered bad she finds her own reconnection to her lost life.
Dot is CNN likeable but I found her frustrating at times and in the first part of the book I wanted to move her and her story along but was glad I kept going

Dot struggling with her past is now in London working for the London Transport Lost Property Office. When Mr Appleby seeks her help to find his late wife's purse she starts on a recovery journey of her own. A journey of self discovery. Be prepared to laugh and cry.

I really enjoyed this book. The character of Dot was so well-written and the story was great. I highly recommend giving this one a try!

A great light hearted read that also covers serious issues.

Dot is the main character and how can you not love her? Easily relatable.

GreAt read

I enjoyed this moving and funny book! Dot is a great character and the premise is so interesting.

Even though the overall feeling the book gives you is uplifting, the story does cover some serious topics. The author handles them with care though and Dot's journey is rich and emotional.

I found the beginning of the story a little difficult to fully engage with and perhaps that was because it wasn't a pacy start, but it soon picked up and I was glad I continued with it.

Thanks to NetGalley and to Random House for this advanced copy.

4.5★ A story of love, loss and grief that is so full of warmth you won't want it to end, and a remarkable debut.

Dot Watson's life has shrunk in recent years. She's working at the Lost Property office for London public transport, living quietly on her own in her mother's maisonette, visiting her mum in the care home on weekends, and satisfying her desire to travel by reading the eclectic collection of guidebooks that come her way at work. It wasn't always like this, and we soon learn that Dot is struggling to come to terms with the loss of her father, to whom she was very close. Before she succumbed to dementia, Dot's mum got rid of almost all her husband's things and now all Dot has to comfort her is his pipe and the memories. But things are changing and Dot's life is about to get a shake-up.

There is so much to love about this book. Dot is a wonderful character - so caring and thoughtful in regard to other people's losses but so vulnerable and full of hurt when it comes to her own. Even if you don't relate directly to everything she's going through, it's still easy to empathise with her on many levels. As her story is gradually revealed, you can't help but wish her well. Then there's the Lost Property office as a setting. Well, maybe not as a workplace, but as a vehicle for the glimpses into other people's lives and at what they've lost. Dot speculates and marvels and really cares for them. Finally, I have to mention the flipside of loss - the finding. Of course not everything is neatly found, but there's enough to make this a satisfying read.

My only tiny criticism, and the reason it wasn't a full 5 star read for me, is that I couldn't see Dot. I know her fashion sense, that she has dark hair and is skinny, but I wasn't really sure how old she was or anything else to picture her in my mind (so, not fully pixelated, but certainly smudged). This novel has been compared with Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, which I understand (although I'm not going to buy into it either way), but I mention it because in my mind Dot looked like Eleanor without the scars.

All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended read.

I enjoyed this book. I liked the main character, Dot. I found her totally relatable and believable and I connected with her straight away. What a rollercoaster of a storyline as far as emotions go. I did cry at the sad bits but also feel it’s good to be reminded to treasure the people you have in your life and make the most of the time you have with them. I definitely recommend this book, thank you #netgalley.

Lost Property surprised me in a good way. The cover suggested something rather warm and sweet but actually this is quite a serious and sad book in many ways. Dot Watson has found solace in her job in lost property after her father’s suicide 12 years earlier. She is stuck and increasingly withdrawn as she deals with her mother’s dementia and her sister’s domineering presence. A series of events when an old man come in looking fo a lost bag leads her to the chance to reevaluate her life, her father’s death, and her part in causing it. Helen Paris has a written an insightful book about family, mental health and redemption. I really enjoyed it and found it to be a really intelligent and refreshing read. I’m not sure that the cute yellow cover does it justice.
Thank you to #netgalley and #doubledayuk for inviting me to review this ARC.

I did enjoy this book outlining Dot's world. As the story unfolds we discover the events which led to francophile Dot working in the transport Lost Property office in London. Dot has an interfering sister Phyllis who is trying to sell Dot's home from under her. Dot moved in with her Mum to support her as she has dementia. Mum is now in a home hence Phyllis's rush to sell her Mum's maisonette. We see daily life in Dot's office and I loved her astute observations of the staff who work there. I'm sure we'll all recognise characters that we've all bumped into in our working lives. As the story unfolds we discover events from Dot's past and her close relationship with her now deceased Dad. It is a charming book, great characters and a very engaging story. Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

This debut novel is a heart-warming, often very emotional, and extraordinarily funny journey of self-discovery for Dot Watson. Her job is reuniting people with their lost belongings and her ‘safe place’ is being tucked away behind the counter at Transport for London's Lost Property Office, with her Dijon labels, Schaeffer pen and felt uniform. Dot is lost, very lost, and it is much safer for her to live her life reuniting people with their possessions, within the familiar order and routine of her job, than to live her life out in the big wide world.

This book deals with some rather heavy topics, such as suicidal thoughts and depression, however we see Dot try and overcome these things and take back her life and her plans.

It was a very thought provoking read, often reminding me of Eleanor Oliphant, and Dot is a very endearing character, who I instantly warmed to even though she lacks social skills
Thank you to Netgalley and for an Earc of Lost Property in return for an honest review.

This was a really touching and uplifting book, I felt so many emotions for Dot and her family. I laughed at so many parts, Dot is very witty. Despite this, it was also very sobering and heartbreaking reading about the tragedies they as a family went through. I was behind Dot all the way urging her on willing her, her happy ending and for her to build her a life she wants. It surprised me to have rom-com elements and I loved how it ended.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this! It reminded me a lot of Eleanor Oliphant - and I always appreciate a fictional look into a function that makes a city work but which most of us don’t think about... like a lost property office

I’d like to thank Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Lost Property’ by Helen Paris in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Dot Watson works in the Lost Property office in Baker Street sorting out items left on trains, buses and black cabs and reuniting them with their owners. She didn’t intend staying there for ten years as it was supposed to be a temporary job, but there she is stuck in a routine, working with Anita who pops out regularly for a break and Ed from the station next door who spends all day propping up their counter. Nor did she expect to still be living with her mother who suffers from dementia and having to put up with her sister Philippa whose furniture is all hard lines and angles, much like her in fact.

After reading the description of ‘Lost Property’ I was keen to read it as it sounded like another ‘Eleanor Oliphant’ but that’s where the similarity ended. I was expecting humour but got a novel with a slow start that was difficult to work up any enthusiasm for, and although the subjects of dementia and mental health were dealt with sensitively it was more depressing than cheerful. I kept waiting for something to happen but it didn’t and by the time I was halfway through I wasn’t interested enough to finish. Ms Paris has written a well-formed story with a good turn of phrase, about a woman who’s stuck in a routine and needs to find a way out, and I desperately wanted to like it but unfortunately it didn’t do anything for me for which I apologise.

What a debut novel!!! I really loved this book. I thought this was going to be a funny chick lit but it covers so many emotions/dilemmas/problems throughout.

Dot Watson works in the Lost Property Office for London Transport; she takes extreme care of the items that are brought to the office and likes to think she can reconnect these with their rightful owners. None more deserving than old Mr Appleby, who is looking for his lost holdall that contains his late wife's purse. He needs it back as it's the last thing he has of hers.

Dot meanwhile also has to juggle her work to spend time with her mum who is in a home suffering from dementia; she has a sister who has 2 children, a husband and is obsessed with cleaning!

Dot tries to find a way to locate Mr Appleby's luggage and get his treasured wife's purse back to him.

There are many obstacles along the way, Dot has to face up to many events that have shaped her life, not easy but how she does this is a truly wonderful read.

A great debut, can't wait for the next one!

Please read this, it is a truly lovely tale and you will find yourself really rooting for Dot. A 5 Star Book.

I have toyed between 3 or 4 stars for Lost Property, I found it quite a hard read to start off with. Dot works in The Lost Property Office and gets very involved with looking for a hold-all that an elderly man has lost.
Dot lives a very simple lonely life and has been looking after her mother who suffers from dementia and have moved to a care home.
She feels she has always been less thought of by her mother and second best to her older sister Phillipa.
Life turns dramatically for Dot and she finds herself jobless and nearly homeless.
In the second half of the book we discover Dot feels a lot of guilt for the way her parents life’s have turned out.
Lost Property turned around completely and by half way through I couldn’t wait to read what was going to happen.
A story of a lonely woman and how we can see things in life that aren’t how they really are.
Thank you Helen Paris and NetGalley for an early download of this book

Talk about pulling on my heart strings! Lost Property brings us the completely endearing Dorothea (Dot) Watson and her journey with loss – both emotionally and literally. The way it is written conveys the trickier side of human emotion in such a tender and loving way.

Dot works at the Lost Property office for Transport for London. A wondrous cave of everything lost on transport. I really liked the scenes describing Dot’s workplace. The idea of all these abandoned items having a story of their own and the way Dot really cares about reuniting them with their owners made me feel fuzzy and warm.

In her personal life, Dot is dealing with a variety of emotional loss. Her father has died, her mother has dementia and her relationship with her only sibling, her sister, is fractured due to their very different personalities.

So the two threads of this book are seamlessly woven together. Exploring the lighter and darker sides of loss – the contrast works wonderfully and develops into a rich back story for Dot and her family.

What I loved about Lost Property was how it tackled quite heavy subjects in a gentle and approachable way that many readers will be able to translate back into elements of their own experience.

As a child, Dot wanted to be a librarian and travel the world, she now collects travel guides as her passion is still there. (Travel guides are not something I ever considered reading for fun but they are the perfect form of escapism when you think about it.) She has to work out why she abandoned her dreams, address issues from her past and reunite a very special piece of lost property with its owner.

There were echoes of Eleanor Oliphant in Dot’s character. I loved Dot’s slightly archaic way of speaking, her wry observations and her heart of gold. She also has a darker edge to her story arc that I wasn’t expecting but really made me feel for her and invest in the story so much more.

Highly emotive and highly engrossing, I really valued my time discovering Dot’s story. Lost Property is a little gem that I definitely recommend adding to your reading list.

This was a dream of a book, quirky corners and interesting stories. Dot Watson works in a lost property office, matching lost things with their owners. She comes across an old man trying to find his late wife's purse, nad Dot sets on a mission to help him with that and more.