What a wonderful read! I was completely engrossed in the story from the very beginning. Very well written and extremely enjoyable. I look forward to more from this author. Thank you!

Not for me. I liked the premise but I didn’t like any of the characters and that made it tough to root for anyone. My first of this author’s books, so maybe it’s a style thing - just didn’t do what I was hoping for. Never mind.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. A light, warm and funny read. Good writing and characters. An enjoyable book!

I loved this book and absolutely raced through it!

Liv is such a relatable character. She’s an expert cleaner and housekeeper and juggles multiple cleaning jobs. One of them is with Essie Starling, a world famous novelist who writes the Georgia Rory series. Liv has loved Georgia Rory since she was a teenager. she has read the whole series and often returns to them when she is sad or needs comfort. Working for Essie is a dream come true.

Essie is aloof and mysterious. she’s rarely been seen in public in recent years and her books, while still popular, have lost a bit of sparkle. She realises that Liv may have more to offer than just cleaning her apartment.

When Essie dies Liv is given an extraordinary mission. Essie requests that her death is not revealed until a set date, and the Liv is the one to complete her latest book, the last in the Georgia Rory series. Georgia is expected to find lasting love and the fans are desperate to find out who she chooses after years of adventures.

Liv has to juggle her family and marriage with writing the rest of the novel. She also wants to find out more about Essie. Who was the love of Essie’s life? Why did she withdraw from public life? An d why has she chosen Liv to complete her legacy.

This is a real journey of self-discovery as well as a mystery. I loved how Liv’s character developed. She has always been content as a wife and mother, but it is now time for her to rediscover her own dreams and work out who she is now that her sons have flown the nest.

This was such a good read. Thank you to Netgalley for a gifted advanced copy. I really enjoyed Liv and Essie’s characters and there was lots to keep me guessing along the way

A light and fluffy read perfect for chic lit lovers. Not a ground breaking story but still fresh, fun and relevant.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this story, and was interested to see how the story developed.

This book was a quick light read and was it was just so lovely to read and I thoroughly enjoyed it and couldn’t recommend it more, delightful to say the least and it ticks all the boxes for me ..

I loved this story of the enigmatic best-selling author and her under appreciated housekeeper. The insight into the publishing world piqued my interest from the start. Thanks NetGalley!

"As she was discovering more about Essie, Liv was finding things out about herself too...She felt like a very different person to the one who sat timedly with Essie nibbling tiny cakes in the kitchen."

Present day London and 42 year old mother of two, Olivia (Liv) Green works as a cleaner. Thanks to her late father, a university writing professor and to the Georgia Rory series of books, she dreams of being a writer. Fortunate to find herself cleaning for the author of the Georgia Rory books, reclusive and spiky Essie Starling, nervous Liv is given a dilemma when Essie dies unexpectedly and wants her to finish her last novel. Will Liv take a risk and why does Essie need her help?

Told from protagonist Liv's perspective, the reader learns about her life with preoccupied childhood sweetheart Jake, and their teenage sons, bound for university. Close to her mum, they both miss her late father, who inspires Liv to write. As she decides to find out more about Essie's life, whilst keeping her death a secret until publication date, Liv also finds out more about herself. Initially naive and perhaps too sweet, Liv (who also makes her own cleaning solutions), becomes braver, whisky staying true to herself and to Essie's wishes. Charming and full of hope, I will definitely search out the author's other books. Perfect for fans of Hazel Prior and Beth Morrey, this is wonderful uplit.

"If you meet something insurmountable, don't try ans fight it. It will only leave you withe bruises. The trick is to outsmart it and do something it wouldn't expect."

This is the first book I have read by Phaedra Patrick but it won't be the last.

Liv is a cleaner but loves to read so when she lands the perfect cleaning job at her favorite authors house she cannot belibe her luck.

This is a fun, easy to read and enjoyable book,

Liv Green loves a mundane life, cleaning for people that barely notice her. Outside of her job she loves to read, losing herself in a good book. So when she lands a job as housekeeper for her favourite author she can’t believe her luck.

I really enjoyed this uplifting story. I found Liv a well written, sympathetic character. It’s the first book by this author that I’ve read but not the last!

I like Phaedra Patrick's stories and I liked this one even if some parts were a bit hard to believe.
She' delivers another heartwarming and poignant story that kept me hooked.
I liked the characters and the plot.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

What a gorgeous, heartwarming and uplifting read this is! A beautifully written and joy filled read, The Book Share by Phaedra Patrick has everything anyone could possibly want from an emotional and feel good story this spring.

Liv Green loves to lose herself within the pages of a good book, but her everyday life as a cleaner is a far cry from the lives of the beloved characters she reads about. So when she’s offered the job of housekeeper to best selling author (and personal hero of hers) Essie Starling, Liv jumps at the chance. But when Essie unexpectedly dies, Liv is given the opportunity of a lifetime: to complete Essie’s final novel. As she steps into Essie’s shoes and begins to write, Liv uncovers a surprising connection between herself and Essie – and a secret that has the potential to change Liv’s life forever…

Phaedra Patrick has written a gentle tale that drew me in from the very first page, with likable characters who touched my heart as the heartwarming story began to unfold. The Book Share is very much a character driven, heartfelt story that focuses on new beginnings and how it’s never too late to reach for the stars and follow your dreams.

The perfect book to enjoy as we leave the darkness of winter behind us and head into the warmer days of spring, I loved this lovely, heartwarming story and immersed myself in its pages, not wanting to put it down until the final page had been turned. Phaedra Patrick’s writing is glorious as she skilfully weaves together a tale that brings these wonderful characters vividly to life.

A gorgeous and life affirming read that had me enthralled from beginning to end, The Book Share is a book I would highly recommend.

This rather whimsical tale held my attention throughout. It did feel a rather unusual story that someone could go from a cleaner to an author so swiftly. One had to wonder what she was ever doing as a cleaner with a father who was a professor of English.
The twists and turns of her story made for an interesting if rather unlikely story.
Enjoyable light reading

This is the first book I've read by this author. I don't usually read 'feel-good' books, I read Crime and Psychological Thrillers, but some glowing reviews caught my eye and I curious to give this a try.

Liv is a cleaner, mother to teenage sons, and wife to a self-employed and struggling small business owner. Money is tight and she works hard to keep everyone else happy.

She cleans for Essie Starling, the reclusive author whose bestselling Georgia Rory series has brought Liv many happy hours over the years. As events unfolds Liv is put in the impossible position of having to finish off the final book in the series.

The character writing is superb, as Liv struggles with her self-doubt and faces up to the challenges ahead, determined to do justice to the beloved character. Agents, deadlines, a snooping journalist and an international book fair are just some of the obstacles in her way. As Liv grows in confidence she is forced to take stock and re-evaluate many aspects of her life.

I love Phaedra's writing, poignant, insightful and frequently very, very funny.

I don't know about 'feel-good'? I was close to tears for a lot of it, so emotionally wrapped up in the lives, loves and losses of the characters.

I picked this out of curiosity and ended up completely swept along, it is a story of hope and inspiration, overcoming challenges and second chances to shine. On Phaedra's website it describes her style as 'Curiously charming fiction' which fits it perfectly.

Highly recommended and l'll be searching out and reading Phaedra Patrick's other books very soon.


Thanks to Netgalley and HQ

This book felt so relatable and charming. I love a good, uplifting book about second chances and watching characters grow. Thank you for this unique and heartwarming ARC!

The book features Liv Green, a wife, mother and cleaner, who is taken out of her comfort zone on a journey of self discovery after the death of one of her employers.

It took me at least 1/3 of this book into order to get into it. I just couldn’t connect with the main character at first and found myself not being invested in the story overall. The remaining 2/3’s of the book are better and they did make me want to read to the end. If it wasn’t for the first 1/3, this book would have easily gotten 4-5 stars.

“I want to think there’s going to be another chapter, another story and a chance to say hello again. I prefer to say, until next time, friends…”

I thought this was a unique plot line, although not very realistic. I liked the way Liv developed as a character during her search for answers about the author’s mysterious life. She became more interesting and I eventually managed to connect with her. The writing style was a little clucky at times and along with Liv’s repetitious thoughts, it was boring reading in places.

The book is ideal for reading when you don’t really want to think about much. Sitting by the beach on holiday would be perfect!

An enjoyable enough read with a very likeable protagonist but I found it a little bit predictable to be honest.

I really enjoyed reading, The Book Share, by Phaedra Patrick

Following her father’s death, Liv Green left school early to help her mother makes ends meet and doesn’t have the confidence to feel that she has much to offer the world. We meet Liv as a middle-aged, married with two sons, one in college, the other about to go to college. Liv isn’t unhappy with her life but definitely feels that she is underappreciated and taken for granted.

Liv’s favourite author is Essie Starling. a reclusive best-selling author. Essie is also one of Liv’s clients. When Essie dies unexpectedly, her will stipulates that Liv has to complete a task, if she does so, she will never again have to worry about money. Liv ends up on a journey of self-discovery. As a result, Liv’s confidence is boosted as is her passion for writing.

The Book Share has a lot of twists that kept me engaged – I would never have guessed the ending!
A well-deserved 4 Stars.

This was the first book I have read by this author and I really enjoyed it. It was well written with strong and relatable characters. The plot has lots of surprising twists and turns which kept me engaged. A fantastic feel good story. I will be recommending this book to my friends.