Another triumph by Mike Gayle, a smattering of romance, mystery and found family. Hope Street will warm your heart and make you stop and think. A always we meet some lovely characters and follow their story. A gentle read and highly recommended.

What a gorgeous read that was, love everything Mike writes and this didn't disappoint, a lovely story with some wonderful characters it was a pleasure to get to know, bit gutted I've finished it

This is a gentle, sweet story with a bit of a mystery, some moments of peril, and a central character I became very fond of. It encompasses quite a lot of storylines, and I wasn't always sure that everything worked or was necessary, but the central story of Connor and his missing mum, and the threat to their home, is engaging and I enjoyed seeing Lila trying to help him. I enjoyed the way it slowly unfurled Connor's mum's story...I hadn't guessed at all what had happened. And of course I was rooting for Connor the whole way through.

I’ve been reading Mike Gayle since the release of his first novel many years ago and I’m always so excited to see a new release from him.
Lila is a journalist working on a local paper in Derby. She has a long distance relationship with her boyfriend Gabe and is desperate to leave Derby for a job on a national paper in London. When she’s given the job of reporting on a local council redevelopment issue she has no idea she’ll be pulled into the life of Connor and his search for his missing mum.
This is an absolutely beautiful novel and maybe my favourite of the author’s novels so far. I loved the characterisation and all the characters are portrayed with empathy and sensitivity. The various plot strands come together well and I felt emotional and bereft at the end. I raced through this over the course of 24 hours and was completely drawn into the lives of Lila and Connor.
A warm hearted and emotional read that I’d highly recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Lila is a journalist who is covering a story on Connor the last resident in Hope Street. Once meeting Connor Lila becomes immersed into his life vowing to help him find his missing mother Bernie.
What follows is a heartwarming story of friendship, love and never giving up.
The characters in this story are brilliantly written in Mike Gayles unique style and the story is so touching.
Another fantastic read by Mike Gayle who never fails to write a 5 star read.
Thanks to NetGalley, Hodder and Stoughton and Mike Gayle for an advance copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Wow what a book! His best work yet in my opinion. I absolutely fell in love with it from the first page, I adored Connor and Lila and Marcus too and it really took my heart. What a beautiful book and so very brilliantly written! Would highly recommend!

And Mike Gayle has again exceeded himself with "Hope Street".
Although I didn't have a feeling I'm reading Mike Gayle's book, to be honest, it read somehow different - but still, it was a brilliant read. There were some things that felt too rapid and not ended, but altogether, if I could I would read this book in one sitting. It was unbelievably touching and authentic but without being too sad or overdone. The author has, again, found a topic that is important and wrote about it without making it too unrealistic.
There is a lot of love and empathy and care in this story, the characters are brilliantly developed and written, they jump off the pages and feel this realistic and they grow on you quickly and you simply care about them and their outcome.

Shortly, this book has it all. Laugh and cry, hope and losing it, genuine friendship, great relationship and kind people. Moving and poignant but also down to earth and genuine in reception. Emotional rollercoaster with some truly great moments, written without a fault, with a really good balance between describing/telling and dialogues and a real emotional depth. Another winner from this author!

‘Lila is a journalist in Derby and being a trainee, she is used to covering the stories that nobody else wants. When her boss tells her that the city’s new Cossington Park development is being held up by a solitary resident on Hope Street who is refusing to leave, she knows she’ll be tasked with finding out why.

Connor is the last resident of Hope Street. He has lived there all his life and has a very clear reason not to move: he is waiting for his mum to come home. His mum who disappeared without a trace four years ago.’

This is the first book I’ve read from Mike Gayle. The blurb intrigued me and drew me in instantly so I was thrilled to receive an eARC from Net Galley courtesy of Hodder & Stoughton.

This was a 5 ⭐️ read for me. It made me emotional. I connected with the characters so much. I’m genuinely sad to have finished the book as I will miss Lila, Marcus and Connor. Mike Gayle has written a beautiful, uplifting and personal novel in Hope Street. It is filled with love, friendship, triumphs and trials and I know I will think about this book for a long time. I don’t want to give too much away about the plot so I urge you to read this when it’s released on the 6th Feb 2025. You truly won’t regret it ❤️

I have read and loved many a Mike Gayle book and I'd say that the bones of this book were reminiscent of those books, but I didn't feel like it entirely hit the spot.

There were a few bits that teetered on tell don't show. A few events that were 'and then we had a lovely time and then a month had gone by..." or something similar. Marcus' mum's birthday party was an example. It was meant to develop the relationship between Lila and Marcus but was more of a summary of the event and then never mentioned again. Maybe this is just because it's an ARC.

The whole Adele plot had a massive build up and was super dramatic and then just never went anywhere or really had any impact. If that whole plot was removed, the book would be the same. I didn't enjoy it.

Marcus felt undeveloped for me too. What was the story with his ex? I feel like it was hinted that she was Orla but I don't know if this was ever confirmed? Again, it was raised but then fizzled out a bit and then Marcus felt like he existed just to progress Connor and Lila's stories. It felt quite promising with his Dad as a backstory, his support of Connor and that pressure, Lila...

Having said that, there were some elements that I did enjoy. I liked that some of the plots twisted in an unexpected way. The main plot, I'm really glad that it wasn't a twee happy ending. The ending was way more hard hitting because of that. The supporting characters were quirky. The friendship between Lila and Connor was genuinely lovely. The way Connor fought for his mum was emotional.

Considering there is a tidal wave of 5 stars, I think maybe this was on me, swimming against the current.

This ticks all the boxes of what you want and hope a Mike Gayle book will be.
He never let's you down.
I'm always left with that warm fuzzy feel good vibe at the end.
Characters you can warm to, situations you can empathise with and possibly a bad guy or two to boo at.
It's always a happy day when a new Gayle book lands.

I wish Mike Gayle could write all of our life stories because, no matter what, things are better at the end.
Connor is living alone on Hope Street, with every other house around him empty and waiting to be demolished by the council but he won't leave; his mother went missing and, if he leaves, how will she know where to find him again. This book is just the most intimate and beautiful story of love, friendship, the family you're born with and the family you choose; it's hope against hopelessness and it's harnessing our inner strength when we feel insecure and it's the exact book we need to be reading when the world out there is so bleak. I was genuinely sorry to reach the end and have to rejoin the real world.
Mike Gayle writes to our hearts and he does it better than anyone else I've read. I just want to live in his world forever.

Hope Street by Mike Gayle is one of his more uplifting stories, which can make the reader laugh,cry and cheer the characters on at various stages of the book.
Lila Metcalfe is a trainee journalist in Derby and is given a story to cover which will have repercussions for many of the characters that become involved in the story.
Her editor asks her to interview the solitary resident left on Hope Street that is holding up a new development, the city’s Cossington Park development.
So Lila meets Connor, the twenty something who is the sole resident for holding up the new development.
He is not what Lila was expecting and he has a reason for not wanting to move, he is waiting for his mother to come home.
A wonderful moving story, with eccentric characters and an unexpected ending.
Highly recommended

Lila is a journalist in Derby when she receives a puzzling job of a man who is refusing to leave his house in Hope street he’s the last one standing as the council plan to demolish and rebuild. Lila goes to speak to the man Connor but his story is more than she ever thought and starts her and Connor on a journey of belief.
Fantastic read with funny and heartwarming moments that just keep you reading I finished this beautiful story in one sitting loved it.

An emotional rollercoaster and a heartwarming exploration of friendships and relationships, set against the backdrop of everyday life that makes all Mike Gayle's books so wonderfully credible. Another really great read

Oh Connor… what a beautiful human being! A wonderful story of hope, love, resilience, strength and happy endings. Another beautiful book from Mike Gayle. My heart swelled!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Hope Street introduces us to Lila Metcalfe, a trainee journalist in Derby who often finds herself covering the stories no one else wants. So when her editor sends her to investigate a city development being held up by a single resident on Hope Street, she knows it's another thankless task. But that all changes when she meets Connor.

Connor, a twenty-something man, is the last remaining resident of Hope Street. Far from what Lila expected, he has one very simple reason for refusing to leave: he is waiting for his mum to come home. What unfolds is not just a story about a redevelopment project, but a poignant tale of resilience, hope, and heartache. The issue of redevelopment is handled with sensitivity, reflecting the real-life impact of such projects on communities, as neighbourhoods are uprooted in the name of progress.

The emotional depth of the story is remarkable, as Connor's fight to stay becomes increasingly desperate, and the toll it takes is heartbreaking. The book powerfully portrays the human cost of such battles, making it an incredibly moving and thought-provoking read. The way the redevelopment issue intertwines with Connor’s personal story is compelling and truly tugs at the heartstrings.

I highly recommend Hope Street for its insightful exploration of both personal and societal struggles and for its ability to engage readers on an emotional level.

Read more at The Secret Bookreview.

This was a wonderful read with such great characters, most especially Connor who is refusing to leave his home which is earmarked for demolition for a very heartbreaking reason. Local journalist Lila gets asked to report on Connors story and when she hears about how he is waiting for his mum to come home despite being missing for three years now she not only wants to tell his story but help him to try find out what happened to his mum.

Connor is so well represented in this and whilst his learning difficulties do come across it’s a very positive reputation of him as a person both in terms of his fight to find his mum and how he lives his life. Lila has a genuine desire to help Connor but this is balanced out well with events in her own life and I loved how Connor’s friend and support Marcus slotted so well into the story. There’s some really bittersweet moments in this and whilst it’s an uplifting read it’s not all sunshine and roses and I think that’s actually the strength of this book along with the characters themselves which combine to make this a very beautiful story indeed.

I can easily imagine the author having fun writing this book, feeling like a magician making all the themes and storylines come together.

The characters are unique and feel like real-life, some long-time and also several unexpected new friends, some kind from the beginning, some not so kind, and some surprising like bossy people who turn not to be Mussobloody-lini in the end. All set against the backdrop of things normal people have been (Covid) and are dealing with on a daily basis.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

Another brilliant and heart warming story from the author. The subject matter was sensitively handled and I'm pleased there was a conclusion to the novel although part of it was somewhat sad .

What a book! Right from the get go the story of Bernie, Connor and Lila had me hooked.

Written from the three main characters points of view I was taken on a true rollercoaster of a journey and let me tell you, there were tears. I really liked how Lila came into Connors life and helped him. So far every book I’ve read by this amazing author has had me pulling out the tissues. I loved Connor. As the parent of a nine year old with additional needs I could certainly see things from Bernie’s Point of view and Connor’s likes, dislikes and routines definitely reminded me of some of the things around my house.

I highly recommend this book and I already have, my mum has it preordered after I told her how much I loved it and at that point I was only half way through.