I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook of “The Girl on the 88 Bus”. The narrator does a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life. So much so, that hours went by without my noticing as I was captivated by the audiobook. I loved the mystery of what happened to Frank’s Girl on the 88 Bus and how it brought all the characters together. I became really fond of Frank and his friends. It’s a bittersweet, poignant but ultimately a feel good, uplifting read. I would definitely recommend it to fans of cozy mysteries, unlikely friendships and romance.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm fairly new to reading 'feel good', this came very highly recommended.

In 1962 Frank was riding on the bus and he met a woman who would change his life. They got chatting, he got her number, then lost her number and never saw her again.

He’s travelled on the 88 bus ever since hoping to see her face again.

Frank is a wonderfully open hearted character, his kind nature draws others to him. Heart broken Libby Nicholls is one of the people he meets, they become friends and she decides to try to help Frank reunite with the girl on the bus.

There's so much more to than that. There's depth of character, emotion, plotting and some quite excellent twists.

It's a heartwarming feel good romance, taking your heart on a journey through all sorts of emotions. I cried, a lot and came away from it feeling very calm and contented.

Highly recommended!

Thanks to Netgalley and Bonnier UK Audio.

This book was a joy to read! Everything about it is just perfect :-} Frank, an 88 year old man rides the 88 bus hoping to see a girl(woman)he last saw in 1962. She gave him her number and he lost it. He meets Libby, who is 29 and has just been dumped by her boyfriend. She sets out to help Frank before it's too late.

The plot is engaging and pulled me right in and wouldn't let go. It made me laugh and smile, and also shed a tear or two. The characters are all wonderful and totally true to life. I absolutely adored Frank and was rooting for him all the way through the book. And that ending, well it was perfect.

The book is narrated by Georgia Maguire, one of my favourite narrators, who made a fabulous but even more wonderful.

Okay, so I knew going into this that it was narrated by my favourite narrator Georgia Maguire. She just has that voice that seems to connect with me and I find it so easy to listen to every word without distraction.
That being said, the plot and characters were fantastic. Narrators have to have a great book to really show their talent, and I loved this book.
The blurb just grabbed me- I am a huge romantic and the story of an 88 year old man, Frank, taking the 88 bus in the hope of finding a girl he met on the bus in 1962 was such a gorgeous meet-cute and I was gripped immediately.
Libby, our protaganist has a had a difficult time leading up to meeting Frank, and I adored their friendship so much.
Utterly gorgeous on every level.

I must admit this book broke me a little bit. This is a beautiful story and beautifully narrated as well. This tells the tale of an unlikely friendship that forms between Frank and Libby when they meet on the number 88 bus. As Frank tells Libby how he rides the bus looking for a girl he met many years ago and never saw again it sets off a chain of events that changes everyone’s life in the process. Through Franks friendship Libby learns to heal from her heartache and to finally take control of her life and not worry what other people think and in turn Libby promises to find Franks girl what ever it takes. This will make you cry but is not to be missed.

The search for the girl on the 88 bus had me completely invested in finding out what would happen next, although the actual conclusion to the search had me feeling somewhat despondent - not quite the heartwarming, feel good book I was hoping for. However, the romance between Libby and Dylan, which runs as a subplot, is sweet enough, despite them being a very unlikely couple and the supporting characters (everyone's family aside) also illustrate the best in human caring and kindness. The story does touch on some more serious topics - old age and infirmity, dementia/alzheimers, and there is a character with Down's Syndrome, although this is very much an underplayed/unauthentic element.

On the whole this is an easy and enjoyable enough read - I would class it as more women's fiction than romance - and the audio version with multiple narrators Is well produced. Many thanks to NetGallery and Bonnier UK Audio for allowing me to get a copy.

I absolutely loved this book. I was hooked from the start. Such a lovely story with a rather emotional ending. Th narrator was fab too!

What a lovely novel this was. I listened to this every opportunity I had. All of the characters were great. Libby, Esme, Frank and Dillon. I enjoyed the interactions between all of them, while different they all melded together into a lovely friendship. The narrator in my opinion was exceptional. It touches quite sympathetically on dementia without sounding patronising.

Thank you for the advance copy.

This is a happy book! Well not all the circumstances for the characters, who as the title suggests, mainly meet on the 88 bus, are great but the way they interact and develop relationships is heart warming and full of hope. Thank you to Freya for writing such a book i haven't read anything quite like it for a long time. If you want to be cheered or are feeling down or unwell, then please give this book a chance and I can be pretty sure you will finish it with lifted spirits!

Thank you to Bonnier UK Audio and Net Galley for the ARC of this audiobook. It has been my pleasure to read and review it.

This is a story about unexpected, intergenerational friendships and a shared understanding of the trials and tribulations of love.

Libby arrives in London, lodging with her judgemental sister with the seemingly perfect life, following the break up of her relationship with Simon. A chance meeting with an elderly gentleman, Frank, on the number 88 bus triggers her to question her life choices. He shares his story, telling Libby about an inspirational girl he met on the bus some 60 years ago. The girl, whose name he doesn’t know, gave him her phone number and they were due to meet at the National Gallery. Having lost her number, Frank then spends the next 60 years travelling the 88 bus route in the hope that he will find her again.

Moved my Frank’s tale, Libby endeavours to find the mystery girl and reunite them. Along the way Libby self-reflects and reassesses her priorities in life.

Time is against them as Frank has dementia which is gradually worsening. I thought the depiction of Frank’s dementia and the heartache it causes was cautiously, but accurately portrayed.

The audiobook switches between the main narrator and that of Peggy - an elderly lady whose story unfolds alongside that of Libby and Frank. The different voices really helped in differentiating between the two parallel stories. Peggy especially was brought to life through the energetic and believable performance.

The Girl on the 88 Bus by Freya Sampson is such a beautiful and hopeful book that restores your faith in human nature.

1962, Frank is a young man the 88 bus who strikes up a conversation with a beautiful young woman who really makes a huge impression on Frank. They plan to meet at the National Gallery, but in a horrible twist of fate Frank loses the young woman’s phone number.

Cut to the present day, Libby, a young woman temporarily staying in London, crosses paths with Frank on the 88 bus and learns his story and how he rides the 88 bus in the hope of meeting his girl from the 88 bus. Libby is swept away by the romance of the story and sets out to help Frank find his girl from the 88 bus with the help of Dylan, Frank’s carer.

This is an utterly enchanting book. I really felt like Frank, Libby, Dylan and Peggy had become friends listening to their stories unfold. They were such lovely big-hearted, open-hearted and kind characters. They were all lost in their own ways, but came together on the 88 bus. It’s a book that fills you hope, belief in the human spirit and restores your faith in human nature.

This e-audiobook was excellently narrated by Annette Holland and Georgia Maguire. They really elevated the book and made it come alive.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Bonnier UK Audio, Zaffre, for making this e-audio ARC available to me in exchange for a fair and honest review.

What a wonderful, uplifting and lovely read. I adored all the characters and the delightful, original storyline. I laughed and cried. A real tonic of a feel-good read. Brilliant narration too. Highly recommended by me.

I think this is the type of book you'll enjoy if you love London and entertaining stories with sweet characters whose motivations are a little bit on the crazier side. This is probably perfect for the upcoming summer!

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Zaffre for approving me for an ARC of this book.

🚌I defy anyone not to fall in love with this book! Libby and Frank are two characters that resonate off the pages. They tug at your heartstrings and make you want nothing but the best for them. The intergenerational friendship that they created is simply beautiful.

🥹Be warned you will want the tissues for this one. On quite a few occasions I found myself welling up and a particular scene, involving a bench (IYKYK), had the tears escaping.

😊The misunderstandings between Dylan and Libby as well as direct characters such as Esme and Hector brought the biggest smile to my face. The secondary characters played a huge role in this story and helped to make it all the more special.

🕵🏻‍♀️The mystery surrounding Frank’s missing girl gave the story its momentum. I kept everything crossed that they would find her and Frank would get the chance to not only explain what happened but thank her. With time seeming to run out for Frank, it definitely felt like they were up against the clock.

⭐There are so many important themes running through this book, all of which are dealt with sensitivity. The characters are far from perfect but it is their imperfections that make this book so special. From finding a lost love to finding oneself, this story deserves all the stars!

I listened to The Girl On The 88 Bus by Freya Simpson on audiobook and I adored it. It’s a charming and uplifting story that begins with a man called Frank. When Frank was 22 he met a girl on the number 88 bus in 1962. This was 60 years ago. She wrote her phone number on a bus ticket and gave it to Frank so he could call her but sadly Frank lost the ticket so every day Frank rides the number 88 bus in the hope he will find her. Frank is now in his 80’s. One day Libby gets on the bus and Frank finds himself looking at her as she looks a little like the girl he lost. Libby ends up listening to Franks story and she decides to help Frank find ‘his girl’., especially as Frank is in the early stages of dementia. This is a wonderful and adorable audiobook narrated by Annette Holland and Georgia Maguire who breathe life into the cast of characters that make up the unforgettable story of The Girl On The 88 Bus. Thank you to Bonnier Uk Audio and Netgalley for my copy.

Thank you for letting me listen to this audiobook. I really enjoyed to listen to this audiobook. The story pulled me in really quickly and it reminded me of the movie the Holiday.

A really fun and exciting read that's keeps you wanting to listen to find out what will happen. The narrator did an amazing job st bringing the story to life.

often found myself stopping what I was doing to listen and concentrate. Protagonist Libby, is a long-suffering, people-pleaser who allows her controlling boyfriend, mother and sister make decisions for her. Meeting elderly, dementia-sufferer Frank on the 88 bus in London, sparks an adventure, a quest for Frank, for Libby, Frank's carer, Dylan and her new-found friends. There are plenty of obstacles and bumps in the road, not all navigated with ease. Whilst Frank's dementia sadly progresses, his and Dylan's support help her break free of those trying to control her life, finding her own route to happiness. The characters are wonderful, the pace was just right and there was sadness as well as joy. This is a wonderful uplifting, emotional, found family tale of making your way in the world with the help of unexpected friends.

Such a sweet book but you really have to feel for Libby who at one point or another seems to be blamed by everyone around her for circumstances usually out of her control. Yes, Libby is ‘a nice girl’. But do nice girls win? I can’t say as that would spoil the story. It’s not a simple tale of girl meets boy, true love, the end. There are some pretty mean characters and some who are just plain unlikeable, there’s also illness and aging and issues with conceiving that make this more than a sugar coated quick read. This is a snuggle up with a blanket and a mug of something nice and enjoy the virtual ride on the 88 bus.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and author for this ARC copy of The Girl on the 88 bus. All opinions are honest and my own.

Lovely heartwarming read about Libby who thought her future was settled but finds herself moving to London and starting again just before her 30th birthday.

Travelling on the 88 bus Libby meets Frank, an elderly gentleman who is still searching for the girl he met on that same bus route decades earlier. Caught up in his story she decides to try to find her, making other friends along the way and realising she can have the life she wants and not the one other people think she should have.