Mike Gayle has done it yet again - The Museum of Ordinary People is so relatable, so engaging and so endlessly entertaining that you don’t really notice him pulling on your heartstrings until it’s far too late to be able to stop reading.

An original and charming book. It deserves to be a massive best seller - many thanks to all concerned for allowing me to read and review it.

This was a thought-provoking and witty book that provided joy and laughter. There were parts that were slow and disengaging yet convenient but it provided an insight to a world that we are well-aware needs attention.

I absolutely loved this book. The idea was wonderful, the thought of a safe space for unwanted belongings was charming.
I highly recommend.

Although I'd never heard of Mike Gayle, the title of this book caught my eye. A few pages in, and I was already wondering, what else has he written and why haven't I read anything by him till now!

I was hugely disappointed that it was written in the present-tense narrative, which is my literary pet hate, but notwithstanding, my enjoyment of the book was immense. Gayle is just brilliant. He's written a delightfully heart-warming story that hooks you from the start. And subtly topical: what happens to 'stuff' that has history, a meaning and emotion attached to it? Items, which appear ordinary and unspecial, that are found or can't be kept by their owners for whatever reason but that shouldn't be condemned to a hole in the ground to the detriment of our damaged environment? With luck, it'll find a home in the Museum of Ordinary People.

Beautifully composed with engaging characters, it's also quite thought-provoking. You find yourself wondering what, of all your possessions, would you like to have exhibited in such a wonderful place once you've popped your clogs!

Superb, and there's absolutely no question I'll be seeking out more by this author.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy. I was excited to read this having loved previous books of Gayle's, and 'The Museum of Ordinary People' did not disappoint. It was warm, engaging, and I was invested in the characters and their stories. A lovely book.

There's not been a Mike Gayle book that I haven't fallen in love with. As always beautifully written, designed to tug on those heart strings.

Allow Mike to take you on a journey to The Museum of Ordinary People, where your trinkets and treasures are priceless, holding onto your memories of loved ones lost.

I adored all of the characters, all flawed in their own ways, but with so much love and friendship to offer.

Heartwarming, uplifting and a highly enjoyable, emotional read. It will evoke memories, and make you think what items would you chose to place in the museum.

Many thanks to Netgalley for my ARC.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book is lovely.
Jess has always wanted to be a museum curator but life has conspired to stop her following her dreams.
Mourning the loss of her mother and spiralling towards a traditional future she stumbles upon the museum of ordinary people and it conspires to change her life forever.
Quirky, light and thought provoking

I love reading Mike Gayle’s books. This one was just as lovely. An easy story to read with a relatable main character. Jess lost her sense of direction in her life after her mother died but The Museum of Ordinary People helped her enormously.
I’m looking forward to reading Mike Gayle’s next book.

4.5 rounded up

Jess Baxter is grieving for the sudden loss of her much loved mother, she clears her house and keeps some mementos including a set of encyclopedias which became an aim high symbol of her mothers hopes and dreams for Jess. One year on, her boyfriend Guy wants her clutter gone (one mans clutter…) so they can sell the apartment, she needs to find a new home for her precious goods. Has her best friend Luce found somewhere in the “Museum of Ordinary People “ in Peckham (Derek Trotter country!). The museum is amazing, full of every day things that are special to someone for a variety of reasons. Jess persuades new owner Alex to let her curate and rebrand this Aladdin‘s Cave and reopen to the public.

Mike Gayle has such a wonderful way of turning the every day into something special and tugging at your heartstrings in the process. There’s a lot here that is emotional, clearing your parents home for a start and often putting their precious possessions into a bin bag or onto a skip as your heart breaks with guilt and love. How the author conveys this is spot-on.

The premise and the concept of the museum resonates, who doesn’t have a little treasure that is priceless to us so the museum is much more than a symbol of kindness and understanding and we need more of that. I wonder if they’ll take my battered copy of Wind the Willows, a seventh birthday present from and signed by my father and a well worn one eyed teddy bear??? Some of the items have a superb backstory which just goes to prove the need for a museum like this. I love how the author writes about how the museum takes shape and then takes off.

The characters are lovely some have been through a lot, most of so likeable, there’s humour, love and affection between them. The friendship shown to Jess just when she needs it most warms your heart. The storyline evolves well, there are ups and downs, some convolutions, some deceptions and the impact of it but it’s the warmth that shines through. In places it’s sad but it’s also uplifting, it’s poignant, grief is put to a good purpose and it’s thought-provoking and a lot of it resonates.

Overall, this is an author whose books I’ll always want to read. He writes about ordinary people in such a way that makes them feel extraordinary.
This is another little gem of a book.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Hodder and Stoughton for that much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Jess Baxter has always dreamed of working in a museum. Unfortunately life had other ideas and upon completion of her masters in museum studies she had to give it all up to look after her mother. Once her mother is better Jess simply drifts into a job as a receptionist. A few years later, after her mothers unexpected death, Jess has to clear out her family home. Some possessions are easy to dispose of, others have sentimental value and are far too difficult to simply give or throw away. Unfortunately Jess doesn't have anywhere to store all of her sentimental treasures and that's when she comes across The Museum Of Ordinary People, a place that is willing to look after the things that people are struggling to dispose of because of the memories they hold.

Decluttering has been a big thing in the last few years, particularly when many of us were confined to home because of the pandemic. We're told "if it doesn't bring you joy" - get rid. If you haven't used it in six months - get rid. Unfortunately there are times when decluttering is forced upon us; down-sizing, the break-up of a relationship, moving home or the death of a family member.

The Museum Of Ordinary People is about those instances when decluttering is forced upon us. Jess was brought up by a single parent, with no other relatives around, and when she has to clear out her mother's home you can feel the turmoil of emotions. Trivial things such as a shopping list reduce her to tears. The sense that her mother is everywhere and nowhere really resonates.

The Repair Shop is a popular TV programme and The Museum Of Ordinary People is that in book form. A home for those items we grew up with that are intrinsically worthless but to individuals are treasures because of the memories they hold, connections with our past and relatives no longer with us.

The story really struck a chord with me in so many ways, the most poignant being wanting to pick up a phone and be able to pour my heart out to someone who's no longer around.

There are other themes explored within the story; never giving up on your dreams, not taking things at face value and never settle for "good enough" but the main one is about the things that mean the most to us, the treasures we turn to when the people connected to them are no longer around.

I love Mike Gayle’s style of writing, it’s always an easy and light hearted read. The Museum of Ordinary People felt the same. I loved the concept and would totally visit somewhere that Jess created. The personal storyline felt very discombobulated and somewhat unnecessary. I feel conflicted as this book was almost split, one part I loved and the other I wasn’t fond of.

There's something about a Mike Gayle book, that no matter what emotional turmoil they throw at you, it just feels so heart warming.
This is the perfect example of that.
There is a lot of emotional storyline, that you'll connect with on some level, be it grief, loss, friendship or relationship.
Not everything works out how you think, but I bet you'll be smiling along the way.
A lovely idea for a museum, and a lovely book.
I'm going to be sad next time I stroll down Peckham and don't find it

Firstly love this author and this novel was outstanding. Jess hears of a museum in London that is hidden away, the museum of ordinary people. A man would take in these objects and keep them safe. Jess looks into the museum and hearing its due to be closed due to the death of the owner offers to run it herself. Items are donated and stories are told. This novel, and its unforgettable characters, know no boundaries. To read this book is to laugh, to mourn, to learn, and to grow….

Very like other Mike Gayle books. Well written and well-plotted. A gentle novel about dealing with loss.

I’ve just discovered this author just before I read this book. Well written and really really full of brilliant characters. Bravo!

A lovely easy to read story. Bursting with fabulous characters and all with their own story to tell. Lots of ongoing secrets and mysteries that all get revealed completing the story well.

This is the second book I have read from Mike Gayle I thought it was bit slow at the beginning and was going to give up but I am glad I continue because I loved it. The story is about Jess who mum has died and is lost in life. She stumbles across building that has a museum called ordinary people and this could change her life and Jess meets Alex who wants to sell the building. But the museum of ordinary people could change there life and also pull out some secrets. The characters are easy to connect with. Definitely read another of Mike Gayle books again.
Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this book.

Absolutely loved this. As always Mike Gayle writes beautifully about an unusual but important topic. Fabulous!

A poignant and gentle reminder that there is nothing ordinary about our connections to the people we love, or how we grieve for them when they die. Uplifting and thought provoking, with the most beautiful last line that really struck a chord…

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I like this authors style of writing it always makes me smile. This was a thoroughly good enjoyable read from start to finish and I would highly recommend to other readers.