Hands up – I ADORED this book! Some of this I’m sure is because I am very similar in age to Jenny and Nick – they were 2 years older than me (I was going to add at the start of the book – but TBH they stayed 2 years older than me throughout the entire book!) The book starts with their paths crossing at 6th form college in the late 1980s – and then spans the decades through to now, meeting them at various points across the 30 years. Generally a TFL station (although occasionally a New York station) features as the backdrop to that chapter.

I know Sarra Manning loves London (if you follow her on Twitter you can be pointed in the direction of some fabulous Rightmove finds in North London that she would purchase if she won the lottery!) and London is most definitely an extra character in the book – which Jenny loves with a similar intensity.

Lots of ‘major events’ in my lifetime are used as the back drop to new chapters – I blogged about a couple back in the day myself – and other times like GCSE results day and the new Millenium which I also remember really clearly. Weirdly something else I’ve blogged about – remembering your friend’s childhood phone number, and how parents answer the phone, also features! I told you I loved this book because I could empathise so much.

The story of Jenny and Nick twists and turns, with supporting characters appearing and disappearing throughout – just as happens in real life, and I don’t want to give too much away – as you need to go on their journey (see what I did there?!) with them.

I have to say that the final chapter – set in the present day – made me WEEP. I don’t think, as yet, many books have addressed the pandemic and what we’ve all been through in the last 2 years, and this was done brilliantly and felt very ‘real’.

I would highly recommend ‘London, With Love’ to everyone – and it’s out later this week on 5 May 2022.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, the publisher – and Sarra Manning – for such a fantastic book.

London, With Love follows the story of Jennifer and Nick who for twenty years they seem to have fallen in and out of love with each other with the timing never being quite right. I thought the premise of the book was interesting but I found the book far too drawn out to really enjoy it. It covers some major events in modern history but i found the lack of pace made it boring in parts. Thank you to NetGalley, Hodder and Stoughton and the author for the chance to review.

The perfect mid life love story. If you were dating in the 80s you will love this. It will make you laugh and cry. The memories it brought back were many and varied and I loved it. From 9/11 to the London bombings. Sensitively written, a very special book.

I've just finished reading this one and I'm not really sure of my feelings on it.

When I first started reading this, it just didn't grab me a few chapters in, so I shelved it for a few days before returning because I wanted to give it more of a chance. It still didn't really have my full attention until about halfway into the book when I thought it got more interesting/more happened.

There were a few big events that the author wrote about and it really took you back to those moments, especially 9/11. I thought the horrific events that happened in London and New York were some of the most authentic scenes in the whole book.

I definitely feel like Londoners would appreciate this book and I wanted to love it too and read about places in London that the characters/author loved but felt most of the book happened around the tube and the character was forever talking about what tube line to get or which buses would take you to a part of London and that just didn't feel relevant to the story, except for the few times that there are moments between the two main characters in the underground stations.

3⭐

Thank you to NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton and the author for the review copy, provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this book. It is essentially a will they, won’t they love story between old friends Jen and Nick. But what raises it above similar books is the other love story running throughout: the love of London. As someone who has worked in London for nearly 15 years and has lived in London (south of the river - not something Jen and Nick would approve of!) for 13 of them, I appreciated the descriptions of London as well as so much of the story being played out on the tube. I also really enjoyed the nostalgia resulting from the story being told from the 80s onwards. I’m a little bit younger than the characters but I still appreciated some of the fashion, music and other cultural topics that cropped up.

There was one chapter of the book which felt a bit jarring - I understand why the plot went in that direction but the descriptions felt very different to the tone of the rest of the book. I’m also not sure that I completely agree with the ending but these are minor points. Overall, I would definitely recommend it to others.

Jen and Nick become friends at the last ever Smiths concert and their lives are intertwined from that moment forward. After spending all of their time together through college, when out to celebrate Jen’s 18th birthday she finally admits her feelings, only for it not to end well and them not talking for years. This book follows her life moving forwards and all of the interactions Jen and Nick have over the years.

I loved how relatable this story was, going through the different phases of Jen’s life and even the name changes too (Jen, Jennifer, Jenny). Jen’s character development is incredible and you really feel like you are going through the highs and the lows with her. The relationship between her and Nick keeps you hooked, but it did feel a little bit repetitive towards the end where feelings would be admitted and still Jen would hold back despite feeling exactly the same way. Having said that, it is still one of the things I love about the book, you just really feel like you are going through it with her. The depiction of the traumatic events is also very well written.

Overall, this is a great friends to lovers romance and I would highly recommend jumping on this rollercoaster of Jen’s life, the good, the bad and the ugly are so worth it.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

An enjoyable, slow-paced read, perfect for the fans of One Day and Love, Rosie. The first half of the book definitely stood out for me, however, the other half didn't give me any butterflies. This is not a love story; this is a story of obsession over one guy for many years. Although a few events were kind of relatable, the rest of the novel was based on the miscommunication trope, which was annoying to say the least. That being said, this book would be better with some changes, as the main story was entertaining. The author has a good style of writing and all the descriptions of London were pretty.

Review of London with Love by Sarra Manning

This was a beautiful read, very well written and spanning across time. Following the story of Jenny and Nick who first meet as teenagers in college in the 80s. It then follows them over the next few decades. A very enjoyable read, well written and interesting characters. Recommended

Immediately this book reminds me of “One Day.” We meet two best friends Jennifer/Jen/Jenny and Nick across several decades, falling in and out of love, breaking and healing their friendship, and the will they won’t they situation.

Initially, I did love this book. We meet sixteen year old Jennifer who is awkward, shy, and desperate to reinvent herself as she begins college (A levels). Changing her name to the Jen, she wants to become the cool girl she’s always imagined. I mean, she could almost be describing me when I started college but without the name change. Jen is relatable and you can’t help but feel a little heartbroken for her at times. I felt like I didn’t get to know Nick as well, we’re just constantly told that he is pretentious. I think as the book progressed I was waiting for the characters to grow up, it felt that I was still reading about teenagers when the characters were supposed to be in their thirties.

I wonder if this book might have worked better had we got both characters as narrators. Told entirely from Jen’s point of view, we learn about everything from her. We understand (maybe not all the time) her actions, her view point, her decisions, and we grow to know her. I think it would have been interesting to see some of what happens through Nick’s eyes, how he has dealt with both of their decisions or his thoughts on certain situations. As the book progressed it didn’t appear that it was that they could never get their timing right, but more that they didn’t communicate.

Overall, it is an enjoyable book but I found that my attention waned at certain times.

I would just like to say a big thank you to NetGalley who very kindly forwarded me an arc copy of this book, for my Kindle, in return for my honest review.

London, With Love is - obviously - set in London and takes place over two decades.
The story starts when Nick and Jennifer are teenagers and it’s a story when they can never quite get their timings right… they fall in love, fall out of love, kiss, stay just friends, ignore one another but after everything they always manage to find their way back to each other - right??
This book shows us what can happen when life gets in the way and is full of wonderful nostalgia.
I really enjoyed this book and now need to read more from this author…….

How can I tell you how wonderful this book is?
Mmmmm, well it is a love story, with humour, sadness, wit, at times dark wit, heart, soul and emotion but none of them stereotypical to this kind of read
It feels like I have been on a journey with Nick and Jen ( nifer/ny ) from their teens to their 50’s and experienced everything they did with them
The book was so well done re world events that happened through their lives ie 9/11 and 7/7 that they both lived through ( living in London the descriptions of that day and the emotions were brutally spot on ) to the epilogue of the lockdown, and that again was written so so well and I imagine with much personal and honest feelings, it was hard not to be moved by these events that are cleverley woven into the story
The authors love and knowledge of London is immense and I loved reading about where I live in such an unusual and informative way
And who can resist a book where ‘The Smiths’ and ‘Jilly Cooper’ are mentioned from time to time 🤗
I dont feel I can do this book justice, it is simply wonderful, the right book at the right time ( had a family emergency unexpectedly happen, one where you cant do anything but wait for news and this book calmed a worried and frantic mind )
I can even forgive the 4 pages of ‘sex’ ha ha they had earnt that right
Amazing book, thanks to the author for writing it ( and now I am going to look at all her previous books )

11/10
5 Stars

I have mixed feelings towards this book. As it was my first ARC, I really wanted to love it but there were some elements that wasn’t for me.

First, London’s subway could definitely be considered as a character in itself. A lot of events happen there. 🇬🇧 Meaning that there is a lot of descriptions of it which can be a bit confusing if you don’t know the London’s subway.

But one thing I really enjoyed is how real life events are intertwined with the story. The death of Princess Diana, 9/11, covid… they all impact the characters and their stories. I loved reading how the author plays with those events. Also, they are a lot of pop references. As an 90s kid, it was fun to read those.

The pace felt a bit long at times. But I enjoyed seeing the evolution and the ups and downs of Jennifer and Nick’s friendship. Seeing how they navigate between their friendship and wanting more. Their love for each other felt very strong.

Also, on a side note, I seem to have the same taste in food than Jennifer. So yay for us having that in common. 😂

Thank you to NetGallery for the opportunity to read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The story follows Jen and Nick, who meet in the 80s at the age of 16, and then folliws them through 20+ years of friendships, arguements and world events.

Jen was a relatable character! From being a teenager, having a crush and growing into womanhood, her story focuses on her life and achievements, and regularly fliping between her feelings of simple nostalgia and love for Nick. It would have been good to have some of Nick's point of view.

I found the book slow in places, longing for something exciting to happen, which it does in the second part of the book. The first half found me forcing myself to read, but could not put it down after about half way through.

A lovely light hearted story about Jennifer and Nick who meet as teenagers and follows them through time.
The author has real love for London and this was witty and funny at times and romantic you can really get lost in.
Would recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley & Hodder & Stoughton for a advanced copy.

London with love is the perfect name for this book. While I don’t live anywhere near London I think I could manage to travel quite easily on the London Underground thanks to this story.
Jen is a young girl starting college, sixteen years old and looking forward to life, finding her tribe, her people. Instead she meets Nick, who’s too cool for school and certainly much too cool for Jen, or so she thinks. However after a disastrous night out at a Smiths concert where her “friends” desert her it’s Nick who comes to the rescue and this is where the true friendship begins.
I have to say initially, I thought this was a great story but as it went on I felt like I didn’t care what happened to either of them, especially Nick who’s character was easy to dislike. I always knew how it would end but I felt like it took too long to get there and I struggled to finish it. So I would give this book 3⭐️
Many thanks to #NetGalley for my advanced copy of this story.¡)

A novel about two teenagers, who drift back and forth into each others lives over two decades. With so many opportunities to cement their relationship, its a small miracle that they finally accept the inevitable. Each has differing ambitions, career aspirations and relationships along the way, but their deep routed feelings for each other win through. The love story was a bit tame, slow paced and to be honest a bit dull.

There were sections where my attention waned and others that were absorbing. The depictions of Jennifer and Nick were skilled; they were likeable, at times frustrating personalities. Occasionally we saw a hint of humour, but the best writing was around the 9/11 disaster which evoked tingles down the spine simply from the memory.

My thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton the publishers for this advance copy.

4.5/5

Sarra Manning is one of my favourite authors so when I was approved for this ARC, I was so excited!
This is a cute read, spanning from 1986 up to post lockdown. It also has some upsetting moments including 9/11 & 7/7 terrorist attacks.

Not one of my favourite Sarra Manning books (I count these as ones I have or want to reread) but I still devoured this in 24 hours as I couldn’t get enough of it!

Thankyou for the opportunity to read this with Arc provides by netgalley. I did enjoy this book, it definitely took me on a rollercoaster of emotions however I found it to be a little slow took me a while to get into and in turn took me a while to finish as I was easily distracted but none the less I went back to it, finished it and did enjoy it, so its not one that I would dismiss or didnt finish. Will I read it again ? Possibly however I think I would have to be in the right mood in order to do this but I am not saying no. Thank you again for allowing me to read this before release I do really appreciate it

The synopsis sounded good but there was just a bit too much will they, won't they for my liking. If anything it was more the reminiscing of the other things going on that I preferred ie the 80's music, Princess Diana dying and the 9/11 - that is the stuff I seemed to enjoy more, especially the 9/11 part of the book.

If you love London & a good love story then this is the book for you. Beautifully written, easy to read, loved it