Oh what a lovely story this was. I loved it from the beginning.
Jo has split from boyfriend James and is struggling with emotions. Meanwhile her favourite uncle has gone in to care and her parents have asked her to caretake his shop in London. The novel follows Jo as she comes to terms with the reality of the relationship and the different personalities she meets in the shop.
I felt real sympathy for Jo from the beginning, so it was easy to read and root for her. I loved the characters in the shop and the friendships that developed.
Beautiful.

Sometimes you just need to curl up with a nice book. No thrills, suspense, dragons magic or spice but i found myself smiling an awful lot as i read this book.
I highly recommend this book if you need an easy read, it will make you smile, you'll be routing for Jo and her band of merry friends and it will leave you longing for new stationery.

It was a nice gentle romance read which is not something that I normally would choose. Not really my story but it was well written and easy to get through.

A wonderful delve in to loneliness, friendships and the complexity of life that really was a joy to read.

The Book of Beginnings - Sally page

Oh my I loved this book, so find a wet day a comfy chair and get reading. This was an easy to read uplifting book about friendships and I did not want to put it down.

Jo goes to manage her Uncle Wilbur's hardware / stationary shop after he is admitted into care. Jo has just split up from her pain in the neck boyfriend James and is also trying to mend her friendship with her best friend Lucy which has suffered because of James. When she opens the shop and starts to improve the stationary side of the shop she helps a number of people and meets three people who will change her life for the better. Ruth Malcolm and Eric.

I loved the characters in this book and their stories as well as the thought that the resident ghosts in Highgate Cemetery could come back to visit on Christmas Eve. Such fun.

I immediately went on the read Sally's A Keeper of Stories which I am also enjoying nearly as much.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy.

For a beginning you need an ending first. Jo comes to London to run her uncles shop after he is taken ill. Leaving is bliss after a broken heart by her live in boyfriend and work colleagues. Taking redundancy to escape the humiliation and gossip not only at work but locally as well.
Meeting two people who have a major influence. Friendships grow and support is extended to all members of the trio.

I don't often read romance stories but I was in the mood for some relaxing bank holiday reading and the description of this book drew me in. This was probably helped by my love of stationary and old fountain pens!
This is the story of Jo, fleeing from the painful end of her relationship and taking refuge in her uncle's shop in London. She has agreed to look after the shop during her uncle's illness, and it gives her much needed breathing space to assess her life, her relationship and most importantly, her friendships. Getting to know her neighbouring shop keepers and befriending a lonely elderly man and a troubled vicar show Jo that there is so much more to her life.
This is a gentle book about friendship and finding out that it is never too late to become who you want to be. It's not particularly original or challenging, but it did make me think about the people who are important in my life. At times it gets a little bit lost about exactly what it wants to say, and the Highgate cemetery sections seem a little shoehorned in at times, almost like research done for a different book that didn't get written. Some of the revelations feel a little undramatic after a big build-up, Jo's relationship with her best friend never quite worked for me, and Eric was convenient rather than believable.
But the central story of the frienship that developed between Jo, Ruth and Malcom was a real delight and will stay with me.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for providing a digital review copy in exchange for a fair review of this book.

A warm hug of a book about friendship and belonging, forgiveness and acceptance of oneself, faults and all, with twinkling Christmas lights and snow near the end too.
This is well written and nicely researched, with added historical figures for depth and interest. A little poetry thrown in to the mix and some lovely quotes from the characters. Perfect!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this lovely book.

This was a really enjoyable read. I loved the main character, Jo, and her friends, the Reverend Ruth and Malcolm. The little trio were such a different little group, which I think definitely added to the enjoyment.

When Jo's Uncle Wilbur is no longer able to look after his stationery shop in London, Jo is more than happy to move from the Yorkshire Dales to take over. Jo has split from her manipulative boyfriend (who she later discovers nobody seems to like) and this seems like the ideal situation.

We meet Eric the Viking, Lando the tattoo artist and a host of other characters throughout Jo's story as well as learning about some of the characters laid to rest in Highgate Cemetery.

Would absolutely recommend this book for a light-hearted read. 5 ⭐️

I took my time reading this book because I didn't want it to end, the most wonderful story, absolutely chock full of friendship, gentle humour but especially love particularly between Jo, Malcolm and Ruth, oh, my heart, thank you for such a beautiful story

Jo Sorsby has left her boyfriend and job in a bank, her Uncle who runs a stationery/ hardware shop in London has a fall, and Jo decides to look after the shop while he gets better. Sadly her uncle has dementia and sadly dies.

While running the shop, she meets up with Ruth - the runaway vicar, Malcom a retired forensic Accountant , Eric the Viking (the optician).

A really lovely book to read, showing how new friendships are formed and how to enjoy life when you are down.

An easy to read, heartwarming book about relationships, loss and friendship.

Jo is looking after her uncle’s shop whilst he has, what is hoped to be, a short stay in a nursing home. The author is a lover of stationery and I was interested to discover, also has a website PLOOMS, selling beautiful foundation pens and accessories. This love permeates the story and the relationships shine with pathos and humour.

It’s a perfect Christmas gift for friends or yourself. Don’t expect a gripping read, more, a slow, comfortable, comforting, hot chocolate of a story.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the opportunity to preview.

I have just finished reading this lovely book and still have tears in my eyes. A cozy, comfortable read where I felt really invested in the characters and their stories. It is beautifully written and although easy to read didn’t feel predictable. Highly recommended.

I’d not read the author’s first novel - the Keeper of Secret's, but after reading this I’ll definitely be seeking it out. This is a fabulous story about friendship and moving on from the obstacles that hold our lives back. Set in a stationary shop (I’m glad it’s not just me obsessed with notebooks and fountain pens) the characters are drawn together in an unlikely but warm and strong friendship. I laughed and cried at times and am now planning my own visit to Highgate Cenetary. Maybe I’ll find a lovely little stationary shop along the way.

WOW, what an amazing heartwarming good feel book.

Excellent idea for a book, ghosts, peer group friendships, personal challenges, and a time for people to come together in their own way.

Highgate Cemetery sounds like an awesome place macarb as it sounds.

Christmas Eve will never be the same again.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this excellent novel. I now await for more from this author.

If you need a little warmth this cold season, then I recommend The Book of Beginnings. In fact it should be made into a Christmas movie that you can snuggle under a blanket with, complemented by a glass or two of mulled wine.
Predictable in the way you want it to be. A stress free and relaxing read for when the world becomes too loud.

“It’s never too late to be what you might have been “
Mary Ann Evans
(George Eliot)

I absolutely loved this book. I don’t think I have ever been so captivated by a story and its characters. It’s so well written and I literally couldn’t put it down. I am actually quite sad to have reached the end. Perfect Christmas gift for book lovers.

Many hanks to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me a copy of this book to read and review. What a delight it has been to read this story, so very different from the many 'light romcoms' on the market. The story is centred round Jo, who has taken over her uncle's Stationery shop while he is in hospital. The people she meets become a huge part of her life, the Runaway vicar, the older Malcolm who has lived a secluded life, the lovely Eric the Viking. There is such humour in the writing of this book, yet mixed with pathos and sadness. Jo comes through as a wonderfully strong and funny personality, and her reply to James' 'Come back baby' made me howl with laughter.
Thank you for this book. I want to read it again.

After being stuck, in a chick-lit happy ever after all things romance loop, for many years…I knew I needed to pick up different genres & find authors that captured my imagination again, helping me escape from some of my difficult days…. Enter #Netgalley and the endless titles available. ‘The Book of Beginnings’ has depth, it not only is a story of friendship & the chance to start a new life, but it looks at each character’s vulnerability & bravery whilst they overcome their struggles. If you’re given a 2nd chance, take it, but keep those dearest to you close by and always find strength to stay true to who you are. A gorgeous read with a healthy balance of #humour #grief #tension #history #religion #love & #success for the characters we end up adoring! Thoroughly enjoyed :)

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an arc of 'The Book of Beginnings'. What a delightful book about friendship, new and old...and also of course stationery. Sally Page has written a fabulous story filled with delightful characters that you will welcome like old friends. I really enjoyed how she wove the stories of some of the 'residents' of Highgate Cemetery around Jo, Ruth the runaway vicar and Malcolm. It's a heart-warming book that had me laughing out loud one minute and crying the next. Thoroughly enjoyable and one that I am happy to recommend.