Lila Metcalfe works for Derby's local newspaper The Echo, she covers all the stories with local interest which is why she finds herself on Hope Street about to meet the last resident who is refusing to leave to allow redevelopment of the area. She is surprised to find she is moved by Connor's story and is determined to help him. Moving and exciting story.

Wonderful character descriptions. I felt I knew them all especially Connor. . This is a great story of friendships developing in unexpected circumstances. I just loved it from the start to the ending. Another brilliant work by Mike Gayle

Connor's mum went missing three years ago and he's still waiting for her return. When the council announce they are going to demolish the housing development they've lived in his whole life, journalist Lila decides to help investigate the case to finally give Connor the closure he needs to help him move on, and move out.

Initially I found this one quite hard to get into as I wasn't particularly enjoying any of the three povs and the storyline wasn't something I'd usually go for. However, its charm did grow on me and I was very intrigued on how the story would play out and what had really happened to Connor's mum Bernie. This book had lots of different side plots as well as the main investigation into Bernie and I felt like you really got to know the characters well - towards the end though I do think some relationships felt very rushed.

Similar vibes to a Beth O'Leary novel but was slightly lacking that spark for me. Haven't read any other Mike Gayle books before but I've seen a few others are quite popular so maybe will have to try out some more to see if they are for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc !!

**All opinions are my own !!**

Lila Metcalfe is a trainee journalist in Derby and aspires to work at a major news outlet in London. When her editor sends her to 121 Hope Street to visit a resident, Connor McLaughlin, she thinks she might be getting a long awaited big break. The local council have big plans to redevelop the area and despite all his neighbours moving, Connor's refusal to do so only raises the question why?

It is simple. Connor can't leave until he finds out what happened to his mum, Bernie. One morning, three years ago, Bernice left the house to run errands but never came back. Despite a police investigation and media attention, the results were fruitless and with the lapse of time and lack of interest, the search has simply stopped. Lila knows this holds the potential for a great story, but could there be something more that could eventually unravel the story and lead Connor back to his mum?

Another wholesome and heartfelt offering by Mike Gayle. This is the second book I have read of Mike's and one I thoroughly enjoyed. The love Mike has for his protagonists shines through the pages and he is great at exploring the depth of human emotions and vulnerability in a simple yet emotive way which stays with you till the end.

Connor has my heart. Life has not been easy for him as a vulnerable adult. People can be mean, the short interaction he shares with his father leaves your heart reaching out to him and even strangers who take advantage of him was heartbreaking to read and yet horribly realistic. Where there is bad, there is also alot of good. This book was more enjoyable as Connor's found family, Marcus Lila and Alan, hold genuine friendship, care and kindness in their hearts for him. Looking at the story develop from this angle is another reason to pick this one up.

The other issue of community vs regeneration and redevelopment is also dealt with in the book. The people who have to move from their homes at the cost of this vision rarely do benefit from the new housing and the question of affordability and showing how the issue generally is dealt with by local councils is an intriguing part of the narrative that keeps the story flowing.

The core element is the love - not just what Connor and Bernie have for each other but within other relationships too. They were all explored wonderfully and it almost felt you were watching a movie. This is a sweet, wholesome book that is definitely worth a read.

Thank you @netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest, unedited review.

What a lovely book. Vulnerable 27 year old Connor and his mum Bernie live a quiet life while resisting the council moving them out of their home in Hope Street. One day Bernie goes out and doesn't come home. Three years later, after the Pandemic and all it entailed, local journalist Lila comes across the story and features it in the local paper. Connor's friend Marcus, who keeps an eye out for him is incensed, but Connor trusts Lila and so begins a friendship among the three. A search for Bernie ensues. Beautiful relationships, friendships and against the odds situations. And above all hope. Just beautiful. #netgalley #HopeStreet

Hope Street is exactly that, a tale of hope.

Connor lives with his mum, works at DIY-Depot and is generally happy with his life. Until things start to go wrong…when Connor’s works starts falling apart he relies on his friend Marcus and reporter Lila, Connor tries to put his life back together..

I love the characters of the book, the plot and subplots are all perfectly woven together.

A story of family, hardship, love, loss and hope this really is a lovely read.

My favourite book of the year so far! I absolutely loved it from beginning to end. Mike Gayle is one of my favourite authors and got me in to reading during lockdown, so I was very excited to be accepted to read this!

This book made me sad, happy and laugh all at the same time, I would definitely recommend this!

MY HEART WAS WELL &TRULY SQUEEZED.

This book was heart-achingly good…

Easy to love characters. A missing person. A fight to stay put. This book was pure gold.

Focusing on the importance and magic of friendships &belonging. Whilst highlighting ‘Home is where the heart truly is’.

As an adult speech therapist this one sucker punched me!

@mikegaylethenovelist ‘s books just get better and better!!

Perfect for those who enjoy:
- Poignant storylines
- Eye watering endings
- Binge easy books

Thank you to Hodder and NetGalley

I have read several books now by Mike Gayle and have enjoyed them all.

We meet three main characters in this book and as with all Mike Gayle’s characters, I quickly felt I got to know them as they were so well depicted. Lila is a journalist on a local newspaper, usually working on quite small stories, when she is sent on what she expects to be another routine assignment. When she meets the last resident of Hope Street, Connor, she quickly realises that there’s more to the story than she thought. The street is due to be demolished for redevelopment but Connor wants to stay because three years earlier his mother left and didn’t come home. He doesn’t want to leave because he is convinced that she will come home and how will she know where to find him if he has moved? His mother is Bernie and we hear her part of the story in flashback sections leading up to when she disappears.

Hope Street is well named. When Bernie was a young single mother, being given a house on the street gave her hope of living in a friendly community to bring up her son. For Connor, it was a place where he never gave up hope that his mother would return to him. And this is a book full of hope really. Although things don’t always work out for the characters in they way they might have wanted, we see that there is always hope no matter the situation.

I really enjoyed this story. It was fascinating following Lila’s investigation into what had happened to Bernie. I was so hoping that she would be able to track her down and bring her home to Connor no matter how unlikely that seemed. As you get to know Connor you realise that there is no way his mum would walk out on him so it doesn’t seem like there can be a happy resolution. I’m not sure if Connor would be described as neuro-diverse but he finds certain situations difficult and very much needs his routines. His life hasn’t always been easy as some people had been so cruel to him. His mum was his rock and security and helped him in so many ways. My heart really went out to him

Hope Street is a really heart-warming story from Mike Gayle. Connor in particular is one of those characters who finds their way into your heart. Hope Street is moving, memorable and another uplifting read from Mike Gayle.

☕️🍪 hope street review 🍪☕️

What a stunning read and I'm ashamed to say that this is the first book I've read by this author 🙈 but I will 100% be getting to more now!!

This is a book that just sucks you in, the characters, the plot, the drama and the added mystery too.

Lila gets put on a story about a person who won't move from his house, a house on a lonely street that the council want to tear down to make money to build a "better" one.
Connor lives in this house, a house that means so much to him. He doesn't want to leave until his mum comes back (pause for me remembering this breaking me 🤭).
Connor has learning difficulties but he gets on with his day to day life, going to work, playing his games, making dinner and seeing friends, some "friends" take advantage of his vulnerable nature 😡 and Lila comes along and wants to know his story and why he won't leave his community that he's known for so long. She has to finish this story and help find his mum, she's so determined to do so even if things in her life are pulling her away from it.

I just loved these characters soooo much (well except one!!) I wanted to give Connor a hug badly. For everything he's been through in life he's so strong and takes it all until one day it's like he's had enough.
I was literally sobbing towards the end, I had to put it down for about 10 mins 💔. It got me thinking about a certain person in my life that I miss terribly.

Thanks so much to netgalley and Mike Gayle for this early arc. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I look forward to Mike Gayle's new books. First few chapters were a delight, so I knew it would be a good read for me. Good characters, which made for an excellent read.

Review of Hope Street by Mike Gayle.

If you have read a Mike Gayle book before as I have you know you are in for a treat. Mike writes wonderful relatable characters and Hope Street has a good few of these. This book is both heartwarming and heartbreaking an emotional rollercoaster which again is often the case with Mike’s books.

Lila a journalist on Derby’s local paper the Derby Echo, is sent to Hope Street to interview Connor who is refusing to leave the only home he’s ever known, a home he used to share with his Mum until she disappeared suddenly, three years earlier. The street is to be flattened as part of the Vossington Park redevelopment. The events that follow change Lila’s and several other of the characters lives.

I loved this book with its themes of kindness, hope and friendship which made a lovely change from all the depressing news you hear on a daily basis.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me access to an advanced copy.

-- I'm so angry that my face gets all hot. I've had this my whole life, people treating me like I am a child, and I'm sick of it! I have a job, I cook for myself, I keep the house clean and tidy, and still people treat me like I'm not a grown-up. I stare at Alan, my lips pressed together hard. "What do you mean, 'Someone like me'?" --

Connor is the one resident left on Hope Street, a street of terraced houses in Derby. As he tells Lila, a reporter on a local paper, it's nothing to do with holding out against the council and their plans for redevelopment; it's because his mum went missing three years ago and he has to be in the house still for when she comes back.

Connor, who has a purposely unspecified learning disability but is, as the quotation shows, perfectly able to live a good and productive life (were it not for assumptions and bullies) was Bernie's life, and through flashbacks throughout the book, we see their closeness and her love for him: so why did she go out of the house on a slightly secretive shopping mission and never return?

Lila can't help but get emotionally involved as her journalistic instincts are fired up but also her empathy and care; Marcus, Connor's best friend, is a solid ally and maybe more, and together they try to save Connor's house on Hope Street and find Bernie.

Mike pointed out at the launch event which I attended that setting the book in Derby was done in an effort to share stories of ordinary towns outside London and perhaps Manchester, to help the Midlands have an identity, as part of his strategy to share ordinary details of ordinary people's lives throughout his 26-year (so far) writing career. I commented that the men in the book, Connor, Marcus and actually Alan, who is normally more supportive than in the quote, are the kind of kind, maybe slightly dull, reliable men who don't normally get a look-in in popular novels. But who doesn't have (or need) that person in their life like Marcus who you can always rely on to get hold of a van and run a tricky errand?

Anyway, it's a lovely read with believable characters to care about and cheer for and some genuinely edge-of-your-seat moments.

Blog review published 7 Feb: https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2025/02/07/book-review-mike-gayle-hope-street/

There is something so lovely about settling down with a Mike Gayle book - you know it will be full of characters that will steal your heart and will be full of emotion but will also make you smile. And his latest book, Hope Street, which is out today, is no exception.

Connor is in his 20s, a vulnerable adult and the last person still living in Hope Street, which is earmarked for demolition and redevelopment. He refuses to leave until he finds out what has happened to his mother Bernie who disappeared without a trace three years previously. When local newspaper journalist Lila visits him in search of a story, once she gets to know him she can’t help but get involved personally, and looking for answers for him takes them both on quite a journey.

I love the way in which Gayle creates characters who you connect with right from the outset - I defy anyone not to fall in love with Connor - and from those seeking to do good to those with less charitable intent, they all feel very real. It is a real emotional rollercoaster of a story - with an element of mystery and a sprinkling of romance, it is a story of love and friendship, and a reminder never to give up hope. You will put it down with a huge grin on your face - and I couldn’t have loved it more!

This was such a heartfelt read overall, I loved the characters and enjoyed following their journeys.

Wow what an incredible book that I am still thinking about 2 days later after I finished it

Without giving any spoilers out I loved all the characters in this book my favourite being Connor and I love how you find out about the other characters like Marcus and Lia too

Many thanks to publisher and NetGalley for opportunity to read this

Oh my... this book nearly broke me...
We start with Lila, a trainee journalist in Derby who is currently in a long distance relationship with her boyfriend who has moved to London, she hopes to follow him there soon, well, as soon as she gets a job there sorted. As the trainee, she is used to getting the dregs of the stories so it falls to her to cover the story of the final resident of Hope Street who is refusing to move to make way for the new Cossington Park development.
The resident in question is Connor who, as we find out, has a very good reason for not wanting to move... quite basically, he is waiting for his mum, Bernie, to come home...
And that's all I am telling you as I think it's best you find out the ins and outs as the author intended. As well as the story being told in the present, the narrative is peppered with past events to complement, illustrate, and explain, again for you to discover.
I am still relatively new to this author, and I am still trying to get through his back catalogue as well as snaffling up every new release as soon as I can get my grubby mitts on it. There is something abut the way he writes that just completely gels with me. His characters, their stories, the way he puts the two together, it's just perfect for me. I'd have got through more of his back catalogue by now if he was better served by my local library, but I am working on that!
I said this book nearly broke me, don't worry, it's not too heavy. It is quite intense at times but I think it was my connection with the three main characters that got me a bit too emotionally involved at times. Especially Connor... Oh how I got so enraged at one point... you'll know when you get there...
It's a beautiful poignant read that I devoured in just a couple of sittings and I was totally devastated when I realised my time with Connor, Lily, and Marcus was swiftly coming to an end. I know it's probably too much to ask, but I would really love for the author to revisit them in a future book, even if just as a small cameo. I'd like to know how they are doing outside of my imagination...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Hope Street’ written by Mike Gayle in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

The council want the tenants in Hope Street to move out so they can demolish the area. Lila Metcalfe is a trainee journalist at the Derby Echo and her editor is sending her to Hope Street to write about the solitary resident, an autistic young man called Connor McLaughlin, who’s refusing to leave and for a very good reason. Three years ago Connor’s mum Bernie left their home at 121 Hope Street and didn’t come home and he fears that if he moves away she won’t find him when she returns. Lila persuades her editor that there’s more to the story than just a stubborn tenant and persuades him to let her find out what happened to Bernie.

‘Hope Street’ is about a young man who holds down a job at DIY-Depot in Derby, and the reporter at the Derby Echo who forms a friendship with him. It’s a heartwarming story of love, care, trust and genuine friendship and is told by Lila, Connor and Bernie. It’s told in the present time reverting back to what happened to Bernie three years ago. I loved all the characters, Lila, Connor, his friend Marcus, and Bernie who wouldn’t willingly have left the son she adores. It was written in such an easy manner that from the first page I was so desperate to know what had happened to Bernie that it was impossible to stop reading. This is the first novel I’ve read by Mike Gayle and I feel I’ve missed out on so many hours of pure enjoyment that I’m going to look for more of his books. This wonderful novel is deserving of a huge five stars although I’d give it more if I could and I can wholeheartedly recommend it.

Wow what an emotional rollercoaster of a read!
Mike Gayle personifies the gauntlet of emotions that we as humans experience in day to day life and relationships.
Throughout the book we are reminded of the importance of friendship, kindness,resilience and hope and we experience the rollercoaster of emotions experienced by the four main characters Bernie,Connor,Marcus and Lila in such a well portrayed realistic manner,
Heartbreaking at times enough to bring a tear to your eye but ultimately uplifting in a triumph over adversity type of way.
A book that will stay with you you long after reading it
Thank you NetGalley for this early read

Hope Street by Mike Gayle

Connor is the last resident in Hope Street, Derby, refusing to move and make way for the developers because he's worried that his missing Mum won't be able to find him when she comes home. Lila is a journalist assigned to the story and tries to help Connor and find his Mum.

What a lovely heartwarming story with fantastic characters - readers are going to fall in love with Connor and cheer him on all the way! Mike Gayle is an auto-buy author for me and I loved everything about this book. Very VERY highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.