Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A well-written book about family and friendships. A recommended rad.

Absolutely loved this wonderful story from the very first page to the last.
Well written with endearing characters I was completely hooked.
Jo is trying to come to terms with a broken relationship & failing miserably.
She’s left her job & run away to London to get away from it all & look after her poorly uncles stationary shop as a way out.
Friends come along in all shapes & sizes as she slowly gets to know the people who come into the shop.
These people have a way of changing her life without her even being aware.
She just needs to let them in.
This engaging story held me throughout as I got to know & love all these great characters.
Heartwarming cosy well crafted story.

What a beautiful, stunning read.

Jo is adrift and agrees to help out by looking after her uncle's stationery shop in London.

Ruth is a vicar with a past, having run away and disappeared.

Malcolm is an older gentleman with a hidden talent.

The three are not the most likely companions but together they are a formidable team!

I really enjoyed this book, it felt very different to my normal reads. The characters were brilliantly described and as someone who loves stationery I really wanted to visit the shop! I would definitely recommend this.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Sally Page can writes and the stories are always about how to tell stories or keep them. This novel made me wish I could visit a stationery soon and I loved the characters.
Heart warming and life affirming
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.


The Book of Beginnings by Sally Page is a story about Jo Sorsby who has moved down to london to look after her Uncle's shop while he is in a care home, after ending a long term relationship.

In some ways The Book of Beginnings by Sally Page is a novel without a plot, I do not mean by that literally Jo Sorsby the narrator of the novel is definitely not the same person at the end of the book.

However if you are looking for a book that has a moment which the novel builds up to that is the main point of the book then you will not find that in Sally Page’s book.

What you will find is a novel about friendships both old, new, permanent and temporary combined with how they can have an effect on people's lives.

The main character Jo Sorsby (known to herself as Ordinary Jo), is a young woman whose life is at a point when she does not know what she wants after leaving her job and the ending of a relationship.

However with running her Uncle's stationary shop she gets to study the people who come to her shop, as well as, connect in an emotional way, from Eric the Viking, Ruth a runaway vicar and Malcolm the old smartly dressed man who keeps buying notebooks.

What I liked about The Book of Beginnings is the way that Sally Page writes a great cozy novel which stated previously nothing really happens in plot ways, but the story has many key points throughout the novel, which leads to a study in friendship which is what this book is about.

Added to this the way that the writer allows each character to have their secrets as well as their flaws which Sally Page is able to give each of the main characters, not for shock value or to ridicule these people.

It is done with such care that you will feel that you not only get to know them but become invested in their trials and tribulations throughout the novel.

Making The Book of Beginnings by Sally Page the perfect comfort read.

A lovely tale of making new friends in a new city, when Jo’s uncle has a fall he needs someone to takeover his stationery shop. Jo is recovering from a failed relationship and could do with a new start, so it seems like the ideal opportunity. A lovely feel good tale.

When her uncle falls, Jo agrees to look after his stationery shop down in London while he gets better.
Glimpsing the lives of her customers between the warm wooden shelves, as they scribble notes with fountain pens and browse colourful notebooks, distracts her from the life she has left behind.
Yet far from home,. . .her parents, her best friend and her life are all still up in the north of England and Jo feels adrift.

This is a book about friendship and being accepted for who you are.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and of course the author for gifting me this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book by Sally Page and I absolutely adored her first book, The Keeper of Stories, so I had high hopes for this book; and it did not disappoint.

Set in a stationery shop, Sally has created a wonderful story, that not only brings love and happiness but also covers some serious topics (loneliness, dementia, relationship difficulties, pregnancy but they are covered in a respectful way to compliment the story. It is a story that definitely makes you believe in the beauty of friendships with strangers that can blossom when you least expect it and how everyone has a purpose and comes a long at the right time.

A truly wonderful story that I will definitely want to read again.

I was sent a copy of The Book of Beginnings by Sally Page to read and review by NetGalley. I really enjoyed this novel, I like the author’s style of writing and her characters are always so accessible and real, if a little sentimental at times. There was a good deal of inspiring content – I was enticed into thinking about getting a ‘real’ pen out and actually writing letters, as well as longing to visit Highgate Cemetery, which I have wanted to do for many years! The only thing that I felt let the book down for me a little was the amount of repetition that occurred throughout the story. I know that certain aspects of this were used as punctuation marks, as it were, but I found myself sighing and thinking, not again! I wouldn’t let this little niggle of mine stop other readers from choosing this book though, as I really did enjoy it – sensitive and insightful, very nearly 5 stars!

Sally's uncle has had a fall and someone needs to look after his stationery shop in London. As a child she had spent happy holidays there helping out, so as she has recently split from her undeserving boyfriend and left her job at the bank where they both work, she volunteers to go to London.
There she meets 'Eric the Viking', Malcolm who is in his 70s and the runaway Vicar Ruth. Where will these friendships lead?
A heart-warming story of friendship and possible love.

I really enjoyed this book - perfect for a wintery spell before Christmas, which is where the book takes place. The age-old story of a girl recovering from a painful relationship is elevated from a typical rom com by it's exploration of friendship and its importance to survival. Through the combined purpose of researching some of the residents of a famous cemetery for a novel, Jo finds genuine understanding of herself and her companions, and of the nature of real connection. Sentimental and in places tear-jerking - yes, but perceptive and uplifting too. A warm blanket of a read. Lovely!

Stationery but not stationary.
Just right for the run up to Christmas with its warmth and charm this book would melt the coldest heart.
Jo working at a Bank with her live in boyfriend, who nobody likes but her. After James breaks up with her, she realises that everyone except her saw through James, his arrogance and snobbishness.
Jo leaves her job and travels to her Uncle Wilbur's stationery shop to look after it whilst he is in hospital. Jo's love of stationery and all things related to it began when she was a child and was encouraged by her uncle. Jo meets lots of charming people in her shop, encouraging them in trying out fountain pens , notebooks and folders.
Most notable of the people she meets are Ruth "the runaway Vicar" and Malcolm a lonely writer with secrets.
The other shops in the alley are an Optician's and a Tattoo artist, Jo gets these two men mixed up with hilarious results. She is a friend to lonely Mums, Policemen and people who are just curious.
A friendship develops between Ruth, Malcolm and Jo, they confide and comfort one another. One of their meeting places is Highgate Cemetery, an atmospheric and haunting place. All three of them take the stories of two residents of the Cemetery and imagine their conversations together.
In the background of the book is Lucy, Jo's best friend who are struggling with their relationship.
Very entertaining with funny and moving moments.
Thank you NetGalley and Sally for an entertaining and informative read.

A wonderful book, friends, books and beautiful stationery it’s the perfect read, fabulous characters and setting. I enjoyed it all especially the graveyard exploits and plot discussions. Anyone who read and enjoyed The Keeper of Stories will enjoy this book too.
It’s a highly recommended book Thank you

A beautiful story that examines friendship. I fell in love with the characters and now want to look at relationships more closely. Definitely a heartwarming book.
Many thanks to Harpercollins UK, Harper Fiction and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is the story of Jo, who moves to London to look after her uncle’s stationery shop when he’s taken into hospital.

Jo’s recently split from her boyfriend and her relationship with her best friend isn’t in the best place.

But as Jo meets the shop’s clients and her fellow-shopkeepers, she starts to heal.

Jo makes friends with Ruth, who has her own story to tell, and Malcolm, who has the stories of other people in him, just waiting to be told….

There’s something magical about this book. The story takes place in Highgate, down an alley where a little stationery shop sits; the cast of characters is small; and ultimately not much happens but it is so beautiful, so satisfyingly hopeful and joyful that it expands into a whole much greater than the apparent sum of its parts.

The fountain pens, the dungarees, the noticeboard, the Viking…. I loved it. It’s a cracking read.

A delightful exploration of the meaning of friendship. Doubly so because it also explores friendships across generations. It is a compulsive read and there are many ups and downs with a few mysteries thrown in as well. In all an excellent read.

#Netgalley This is the second book I've read by this author & tbh I wasn't blown away by either of them. It's a nice enough book about friendship but it completely fell flat in places, it could have been done so much better. The ending was very rushed & didn't really make sense. I'd say 3/5 stars at best.

An absolute joy of a book. I can not recommend it highly enough. It’s not my usual genre but I will be looking forward to any new books by this author.

Another page turning novel from Sally Page that is every bit as enjoyable as her debut was. With themes of friendship, new starts and second chances, the reader is soon drawn in to the lives of the characters, and the story is uplifting, beautifully told and hopeful. I
Over the stationery shop setting and the way the characters were all different yet connected, and the well paced plot keeps the reader engage throughout.

I enjoyed this book - interesting characters and concept but it didn’t grip me as much as the previous book I read by this author - I loved the runaway vicar storyline and the main character Jo at times the story for me went a bit of track but overall a delightful read perfect for the cold winter days