Many thanks to NetGalley for a chance to read and review this book. I have The Handover by David M. Bennett three out of five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

For the first half of the book, I found it quite hard to connect with the characters, writing style and the dual stories that were unfolding although there was the mystery part of the book which kept me going. I was very intrigued to find out this big secret Daisy has been keeping since she was nine years old.

As I kept reading, I started to enjoy this story a lot more and liked reading about Daisy and Nate. I loved the setting of the museum and the various lessons learnt throughout the book.

Definitely mixed emotions on how I felt throughout reading this book but overall it was an averagely enjoyable book to have read.

This synopsis intrigued me so much...I work nights and was excited to read this book. Especially loved the idea of seeing someone only a few minutes a day and the relationship you would have with them.

The is well written but the story just didn't quite grip me. I really disliked Daisy. I also think we needed to know the awful thing that happened much earlier. Just like it changed Daisy's life it would have changed the book completely. It was introduced much too late and that was very frustrating as until we knew that information everything else just kind of stalled.

I think knowing the key information and then Daisy working through that would have made the overall narrative much more engaging rather than waiting for it to be the reveal in the later half of the book.

I appreciated the story overall and thought the writing was very good but some big changes to the narrative were needed.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this archived before I was able to download, therefore I was unable to read this. I have seen a lot of positive reviews though!

This was an interesting read.
At first I didn't really like the main female character, she was really annoying and not in a good way.
The book was an okay read for me
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion

So, the first thing that drew me in about "The Handover", was that DAISY was the security guard, Daisy is the one working the Night Shift. To sound insanely cliché, imagine me sitting in front of my kindle shouting: YES GIRL; WERK! And that she did. And absolute genius of a character, one that I fell for hard and fast and - can we write women like this from now on please?
I absolutely loved the setting, the love story, the MYSTERY. This book was everything I needed it to be and more. Absolutely adored.

I loved this. Read it in a day. Loved the storyline, the setting and the characters.oved how everything progressed and would recommend to everyone like me.

I really enjoyed this. Very different to the books I normally really but enjoyable. Few twist u don't see coming.

This was a very cute and unique book that gave me Night At The Museum vibes but with a love story thrown in for good measure.
Premise

Daisy is the night security guard at the Manchester Museum of Social History. She takes her job very seriously, protecting the museum from teenage troublemakers.

Nate works the day shift, though he'd be more suited as a museum guide the way he chats with the visitors. Daisy doesn't approve: how does he find it so easy to talk to strangers?

For five minutes each day their shifts overlap at handover. He passes the torch over to Daisy - always with a smile on his face, and she asks him for a full report of the day, which he gives reluctantly. It's the only interaction they have... until mysterious things begin to happen at the museum.

It was neat seeing the dynamic play out between Daisy and Nate and I really enjoyed reading their story and the different things they encounter during their time at the museum. I always love a fresh and unique concept and I thought this fit the bill perfectly.

This was such a sweet book. The two perspectives worked really well for me. I loved how complicated each of the protagonists were and how their stories began to intertwine as the book went on.
Daisy's story was so sad and quite shocking in places, as was Nate's, so I was really rooting for their happiness. I loved the side characters, who felt like fully rounded characters I could easily come across in real life.
Possibly the only negative was, looking back, I can't remember that a lot happened in between the significant plot points... but it was definitely charming!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought by the synopsis that this book would be better than what it was. I wouldn't say it was poor but it wasn't a page turner for me.

A sweet and heartwarming story that made me smile and root for the characters.
Two quirky solitary that meets, their stories and their life as museum guards with some strange things happening.
I loved the style of writing and loved the characters.
This is an excellent book, engrossing and entertaining.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Daisy and Nate both work in a Manchester Museum, however with Nate working the day shift and Daisy taking over just before closing, they don’t really have much to do with one another as they are always crossing paths. They are unalike in so many ways, with Daisy being one to follow the rules and never stray away from them, and Nate who has no qualms about bending the rules to talk to the visitors and even playfully names the dinosaur Barry.

Daisy finds all of this exasperating, especially when Nate never provides her with a written report at the end of his shift. When an item goes missing Daisy quickly reports it to her superiors, but they don’t seem as concerned as she had expected – especially when the item reappears a few days later. This is what brings Daisy and Nate together, as he agrees to help her look into the mysterious moving items, with some encouragement from his teenage son.

As the unlikely pair spend more time in one another’s company they begin to realise that they have more in common than they initially thought, and as their friendship grows they both have to finally face their inner demons in order to be able to move forward with their life and fully open up to one another.

Daisy and Nate are two very different characters, but both of them are endearing in their own ways. Despite how different this duo are, as the story progresses you learn that they share a lot of the same morals and traits in life, it is simply the lives they have lived that has shaped them into the people they are today. Both of them have their own deep past stories to share, and as they start to lower their guards down we really get to discover who they truly are.

The storyline itself is wonderful and totally unique, from the place in which the story is set within the walls of the museum, to the way in which the central characters are drawn together. The story is full of humour, intrigue and love – and not just in the romantic sense either, it perfectly highlights the benefits of friendship and letting people in to your life. This is such a beautiful story that captivated me entirely from beginning to end.

This was such a lovely heartwarming read.
The Handover is a fairly predictable romance but outside of that romance so much happens and there are little twists too, one of which I saw coming but the others not so much.
It’s really nice how the friendship between Nate and Daisy develops over time neither of them have had the easiest life/upbringing and you can see that plays a part in their lives today. You can tell Daisy doesn’t feel like she deserves to be happy because of what she did to Rosie when they were small and that she carries around this constant guilt. Daisy and Nate are very different but are very much drawn together. This is a wonderful book with lovely characters that you just can’t help but love.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Publishing for this ARC. I think I'm in the minority when I say this book just wasn't really for me!

The concept is absolutely brilliant, and very different to anything I've read, The best bits were how well deeper issues were intertwined into the book, such as grief, domestic abuse and terminal illness. The twist about Daisy's bully definitely shocked me! Nate was a really engaging character and I enjoyed his POV a lot.

However, I think the development of Daisy and Nate's relationship could use some work. They literally went from 0-60 with indication as to why they suddenly saw each other in another light and very little chemistry throughout, even after their realisations. It just felt like a very forced to romance for me.

The writing was so playful, also enjoyable to read. All these characters were so relatable.
If you're looking for something to kick a reading slump or if you just want a fun, romantic book to sweep you off your feet this summer: look no further. This was such a good book.

This is an endearing romance novel with just the right balance of humour, charm and entertaining characters, without the sickly sweet-ness usually found in this genre.
I enjoyed the simplicity of this story and despite many of the plot functions being hugely predictable, it did not hamper enjoyment.
I would recommend this book as well-written, escapism that won’t have you reaching for the sick bucket.

A bittersweet story featuring Daisy who works the evening shift as a security guard at the Manchester Museum of Social History and ate ho works the day shift. Their paths crossing once a day for the handover that Daisy insists is important.

Each harbouring struggling in their own lives, Daisy letting her past cripple her to the point where her life consists of looking after her sick mother during the day and her work at the museum in the evening. With her drunk suiter added into the mix too. Whereas Nate is attempting to be a different father to his son Ben than his own abusive father. Navigating life after his divorce as his ex introduces her new boyfriend.

The story has a similar feel to Elinor Oliphant and The Flatshare. An endearing journey as Daisy and Nate learn the importance of letting people close to them and discovering a deeper connection.

I’ve read precisely one romance novel in my life.

This.

To say I was unfamiliar with the genre would be as plain as a pound shop sandwich.

Normally if it doesn’t feature swords, lasers or sometimes laser swords books don’t often grab my attention.

There are sometimes exceptions, but if you’d asked me a year ago if a book about a love story set in the Manchester Museum of Social History would have held my attention, let alone captivated me I would have asked you just how many Aliens were in it.

David M. Barnett has a real talent. This is unfortunately about to sound like the backhanded compliment of the year but I promise you it is a compliment. He has a real talent for writing about nothing.

For large swathes of this book absolutely nothing seems to be happening. The Romeo and Juliet of our tale see each other for five minutes a day. Some how out of this Barnett manages to tease out a relationship, two mysteries, multiple sub plots about bullying and family relationships and manages to tie them up into not just a working, but enjoyable conclusion. Barnett writes about nothing in the same way Douglas Adams did. The “nothing” contains everything. I’m damned if I can see the joins.

I’ve seen this bandied about as a Rom-com. It’s a little lighter on the comedy than some of his other books. there aren’t as many gags but when they do show up his comedic skills and timing shine through. I would take an entire series based on the exploits of Derek’s Dominos for example.

Of our star crossed lovers, one of them isn’t very likeable for the majority of the book. The reasons for this become apparent but some how Barnett still manages to make you root for them. The narration switches between Daisy and Nate’s first person perspective and this was a little strange at first ( especially on the audiobook version ) but the jarring me out of what had just happened soon gave way to me rushing to find out the others perspective on events that just transpired.

In a past review I referred to David M. Barnett as the “Stephen King of Poignant” all of his books feature a real air of sadness and melancholy. Daisy’s childhood trauma, the break up of Nate’s marriage and relationship with his abusive ex-boxer father all tug mercilessly on the heart strings. Daisy’s mother’s battle with cancer was particularly well handled and reminded me of my own experience with my mothers decline. Barnett’s skill is writing in a way that links his readers real life experiences without swinging a sledgehammer at them.

As sad and tear jerking as the The Handover is it’s also funny, up-lifting and a great story with a couple of twists you might not see coming.

I’m glad it was David M. Barnett who took my romance novel virginity. I’m not off to browse the Mills & Boon section just yet, but this may just have just broadened my horizons enough that I’m willing to allow some of cupids arrows take to take aim at my reading choices.

This is such a heartwarming book that left me feeling so content and optimistic. Although the story starts off a little slow the stories and intricacies of the characters keep it interesting.
The character arcs are so well written and the development of the characters, both main and side, is beautifully crafted. I found myself rooting for everybody.

I highly recommend this book for a nice lighthearted read with a very deep meaning which will stay with you once you have finished reading the book.

Daisy and Nate work opposite security shifts at the Manchester
Museum of Social History. Daisy takes her job very seriously, making very detailed notes and patrolling the empty corridors of the museum during her night shift. During the day shift Nate chats easily to the patrons of the museum while he is working and, in Daisy’s opinion, spends more time socialising than patrolling.

When Daisy starts finding items on display going missing, a mystery starts. Along with Nate is she able to discover what is happening?

More than a mystery, this is a slow emotionally driven book that captured my interest from the first chapter.