What a beautiful and wonderful book. 'Life can begin with a single story. You just have to Bring Your Own Book…' I love that and I loved this book. The story of Grace, her husband loved books, her not so much. But when her husband dies and she eventually joins husbands old book club things change for her.

This is a story about healing, friendship, a new life and it is a gorgeous, emotional and heartfelt read. If you love books you will love this uplifting story. Well written and the characters are a treat, easy to read and it will have you turning the pages.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I received a free copy of, The Forgotten Book Club, by Kate Storey, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Grace is a widow after losing her husband Frank. Frank loved books, and was in a book club, before he died. Graces decides to try out Franks; book club, but it is not whats he expected. This was a great read, I loved all the characters.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I really enjoyed this book, liked all the characters and the storyline and would recommend to other readers.

The Forgotten Book Club is an upcoming novel by Kate Storey, author of The Memory Library. In this story, we follow seventy-year-old Grace, who, after the death of her husband Frank, decides to visit the book club he created. Frank was a voracious reader and book collector, but when Grace attends her first meeting, she’s surprised to discover that it’s a silent book club where members bring their own books and read together in quiet companionship.

It’s rare for me to read books with a protagonist in their seventies, but I really enjoyed this perspective. I loved reading about the books discussed in the novel, some I’ve read, while others are now on my TBR. I especially appreciated the exploration of ADHD, as multiple characters navigate life with it in ways that felt authentic and well-researched.

My only critique is that the book club members felt underdeveloped compared to Grace, Frank, and her family. I would have loved to learn more about them. That said, this was another stellar novel from Kate Storey, and I highly recommend it.

Another winner from Kate Storey! I was excited to get my hands on and read this touch novel after loving her last release “The Memory Library.” While it wasn’t quite to the level of Memory Library it was a sold 4⭐️ read.

I went into this book completely blind so I was pleasantly surprised to read about a “silent book club” as I just started a local chapter of one in my area. From. Selfish personal stance, it actually gave me some ideas for future meetings!

One thing that Storey does well is explore the intricacies of relationships and how people can get a deeper understanding of a loved one.

This book also relies heavily on neurodiversity awareness; specifically ADHD. It is a little preachy at times but it didn’t bother me over all. The one thing that was a bit odd, and maybe this is a geographical area difference since the author is from and the books setting is in England, is that in the US ADHD is quite common. While I’m sure there are areas in the US where it has a harsher stigma, overall I don’t think the stigma portrayed in the book matches reality, at least in the US. I almost feeling like underneath it was more explaining the autistic experience of adult individuals with low to moderate support needs. Regardless it brought a spotlight to neurodivergence and mental health in general which is always a good thing.

The book was a page turner from beginning to end and leave the reader with feel-good fuzzy warmness in the end. I can’t wait to share this with my mother who also loved The Memory Library after I suggested it.

This book comes out April 10, 2025 so get it on your TBR today as you’ll be glad you did!

I am thankful to have gotten the eARC for free from Avon Books UK through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

Absolutely loved this beautiful book filled book. Covered many thought provoking topics in a sensitive way, both educating and informative. Had damp eyes a few times. Happy to recommend

The Forgotten Book Club by Kate Storey is a book about grief and so much more. Grace is mourning the loss of her beloved husband Frank with the help of her daughter Rosie and beloved grandson Juan and at their suggestion she agrees to go to the book club he founded despite not being much of a reader. Once there she is surprised to find that it is nothing like she was expecting, instead it is a silent book club where a diverse group of members gather together once a week to read whatever books appeal to them . Grace struggles with the silence, it gives her too much time to think of Frank and so she rushes away only for one of the members, Annie, to follow and convince her to try again. Annie and Grace strike up a friendship and slowly but surely Grace embraces the silent book club and its members, and they in turn are overjoyed to welcome her. New found friendships are not the only thing that Grace finds as she embarks on this new adventure, she also learns more about her husband and the legacy that he has passed on to his daughter and grandson.
This is such a sweet and wholesome read, and one that many book lovers will enjoy. Each member of the group has their own story to tell and I really felt like I got to know and love them over the course of the book. There is so much compassion and empathy displayed by these characters that it really was a feel good read, but that being said the author is not afraid to tackle some difficult and heavy subjects head on including depression but with a strong emphasis on the value of connection and community. There is also a lot of discussion about neurodivergence and several neurodivergent characters and I think the author did a good job of pushing beyond the typical stereotypes and showing that it is a spectrum of experiences even if it did seem a little heavy handed in places. Finally I found myself making a TBR list of some of the recommendations that the characters made when discussing their favourite books, as someone who loves books about books this one ticked so many boxes for me.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

What a lovely read. When Grace was widowed she struggled for a year to open her husband’s study where he stored his most precious books. Concerned about her welfare her family encourage her to join her husband Frank’s book club. Not a typical book club where people read a shared book Grace discovers this to be one of silent reading where people can escape for an hour a week. As the members become her friends she is enveloped in their warmth and becomes part of their caring community. Bringing new life into the book club Grace finds herself confidence to live again.
A brilliant read. Full of emotion, compassion, friendship and love. If you love books you’re in for a treat.

This is the 1st book I have read by the author and i am going to read the rest of the authors books as I adored this book and loved the story of the characters with grace being my favourite and loved the meaning behind the book club and I loved all the books mentioned in this book

I wish the author all the best with this book

Many thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for this review

This was a great book! It was heartwarming, and it pulled on the heartstrings for sure! I like the cozy feeling it gave off, and it felt comfortable. I do love books about books, and it kept up and stood up to the good reviews I was reading about it!!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

This was both a heartwarming and heartbreaking read at times and I went through a whirlwind of emotions whilst reading it. A really lovely story

What a lovely story about books, book clubs and bookshop. I really enjoyed this sweet story as much as I enjoyed the other book Kate wrote. Very addictive and I was desperate to find out the ending. More please. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. Nice gentle read but with some interesting insights - Frank sets up a "silent book club" for people who don't necessarily want to be part of a more conventional one. He can't get his wife Grace to join, that is until he dies. Then, Grace becomes involved and enjoys meeting the other members and this helps her with the grief of losing Frank. Several of the characters are neurodivergent including Grace's daughter and grandson and she finds out that Frank was too.
Definitely recommend this book. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC

The Forgotten Book Club by Kate Storey is a touching story about love, grief, and the importance of community. As a book lover, I appreciated how these themes were explored through the power of books.

After the death of her beloved husband, Frank, Grace struggles to move forward, unable to step into his treasured library. Frank, a lifelong book lover, founded a silent book club—a space where people could come together, share a little of their lives, and read in quiet companionship. Encouraged by her grandson to attend, Grace is initially unsure if it's for her, but over time, she realises this unconventional book club might be exactly what she needs. Along the way, she not only rediscovers herself but also uncovers more about Frank and their family.

This was an easy, enjoyable read, and I immediately connected with Frank’s deep love of books. The novel’s themes of community and connection, particularly their impact on mental health, resonated with me. The story also explores ADHD and its effects, and while this was handled with sensitivity, it sometimes felt overemphasized and forced, which affected my enjoyment of the overall book.

Overall, The Forgotten Book Club is a heartfelt read with a unique premise.

Thank you to @netgalley and @avonbooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Grace is finding it hard coming to terms with her husband Frank's death. Her grandson Jude persuades her to join Frank's book club where she finds it's a silent book club. She doesn't think it's for her but she gets involved with the members and it seems to be changing her life

Kate Storey’s new book is an emotional and moving tale of one woman’s attempt to deal with her grief at losing her husband through the books that he loved. I thoroughly enjoyed The forgotten book club and would definitely recommend it. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this novel

The Forgotten Book Club explores themes of grief, mental health, and neurodivergence in an accessible format. Grace begins attending the book club that her late husband, Frank, started a decade prior. Through meeting his friends and reading his journals, Grace comes to understand additional facets of her husband and decides to continue progressing the goals he'd set out for himself. The power of community and reaching people where they're at are resonate themes of this book.

As an ADHDer myself, I found the content about neurodivergence accessible and in a story format that I can see recommending to others in my life to better understand my lived experience. I especially appreciated Grace exploring how her grandson's diagnosis has threads back into her daughter and husband's behaviors as well. Additionally, I liked how the discussion centers adult experiences and not just childhood impacts of ADHD.

Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this title for my review.

Way out of my comfort zone but a thoroughly good read, enjoyed reading about Grace although it was a sad and heartbreaking journey with excellent characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for this very poignant ARC which I can recommend.

This was a lovely and very moving story about Grace, who had recently lost her husband, Frank, and who was struggling with grief and loneliness. She discovers Frank’s old ‘silent’ book club and finds herself surrounded with new friends and a new life. There is a neurodivergent storyline running through this book which is handled so beautifully, showing both the challenges as well as the many positive aspects too. Really enjoyable!

I can do no better to explain the book than to quote from it “This book is about love, loneliness and grief, and it’s about the building of a community of disparate people who all have their humanity in common”. There is also a recurrent theme of neurodiversity.

I found it an enjoyable read but the constant discussion of ADHD felt forced and unnecessary at times. The exploration of grief and loneliness was well done and the different perspectives added positively to the storyline.

I am grateful to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC