Another great story from Kate Fforde. Very true to life with enjoyable characters and a story that you hoped would have a happy ending as all the characters worked to hard to succeed.

From London with Love by Katie Fforde is a charming and heartwarming tale set in 1968, brimming with romance, adventure, and self-discovery. Felicity arrives in London from Provence intending to improve her English, completing a secretarial course, and meeting a suitable man. However, she is immediately captivated by Oliver, a free-spirited mudlarker who makes his living by searching for hidden treasures along the River Thames.

Felicity’s world soon expands as she becomes involved in Oliver's quirky life, taking up mudlarking herself and painting scenery for his actor friends. As she pursues her passion for art, she grapples with the expectations of her mother, who does not approve of Oliver as a potential suitor.

Fforde captures the essence of 1960s London with delightful attention to detail, from the cultural nuances to the intricacies of class. The novel is a refreshing mix of romance, adventure, and personal growth, brimming with kindness and love. Felicity’s journey of self-discovery, as she learns to follow her heart and embrace her dreams, makes this a thoroughly enjoyable and uplifting read.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

From London with Love - Katie Fforde due for publication 13/2/2025

Felicity moves from France to stay with her mother for a while in London and meets up with Violet who lives upstairs. Felicity meets Oliver and Violet meets Henry. As usual love does not run smooth with misunderstandings along the way.

The novel is set in the swinging 60's and feels somewhat reminiscent of that period. Oliver is into mudlarking which was interesting to read about. Throw in Felicity's father and stepmother back in France and her annoying mother in London along with Violet's best friend Jenny and her love for Violet's father (the new Lord of the Manor) and you get a delightful feel good read. My only criticisim is that the encounter Violet had with Miss Wynter was so short. It felt like the old lady had a good back story that deserved more air time.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy.

Violet and Felicity, two very different women, find themselves living in the same house in late 1960s London. The book basically follows the women as they fall in love with two very different men - Felicity with mudlarker Oliver, and Violet with writer Henry. Unfortunately I felt the book was very long and quite disjointed, with little actually happening, it felt like the book could be drastically cut. That said, I liked the mudlarking stories, and the visit to Felicity's family in France.

A lovely, nicely paced book. Good characterisation and story lines. Mostly set in yesteryear London.
I Would recommend.

I really wanted to enjoy this because I have loved Katie’s books in the past. The last one I read by her ‘island in the sun’ was really disappointing and largely unlike her previous novels.

I liked the sound of this one though, set in 60s London with a mudlarking theme, it sounded intriguing and interesting.

My goodness though, it needs a prune! This story could have been half as long and still been too much. It rambled and rambled and rambled…

I kept waiting for something of note to happen but it was really hard to pick the bones of the story out of the flab around
it. It’s such a shame as Felicity and Violet are lovely and I really enjoyed their friendship. I liked Violet’s friendship with Jenny and Jenny and Aubrey but there just seemed to be endless characters and threads, most of which would have made interesting stories on their own but jumbled as they were with all of the other stories, it just got too much.

The love interests were engaging but instead of focussing on their own back stories, they were muddled with other stories and irrelevancies that made it hard to see what was happening.

I’m not sure what’s happening with Katie’s writing at the moment - perhaps she needs a better editor? This story is too rambling and too long, which is a shame as there are lovely characters and the setting and stories are so promising but overall it just misses the mark.

Read it if you’re happy to pick up a story and put it down again and find it didn’t really matter much what happened previously…

Not the best Katie Fforde book I’ve read.

You know what you’re getting with a Katie Fforde book - a story full of friendship and love. A cosy read to curl up with a hot drink.

This book focuses on Felicite, a young woman who has moved from Paris to live with her mother in London with a big dream of becoming an artist. We also follow Violet, the woman who lives in the upstairs apartment and becomes fast friends with Felicite.

This is an easy read, the romance is sweet with a few twists along the way. Sometimes you just need a sweet,easy read and this fits that bill perfectly

Thanks to NetGalley for sharing a copy of this book with me

Another lovely read by Katie fforde set in 1960s London
This book felt like a real step back in time pre mobile phones, computers etc and a totally different dating scene, it was interesting to compare and contrast how much things have changed within my own lifetime!
Violet and Felicity seemed so young and gauche with the dating scene but had a lovely friendship and seemed to live a very privileged existence in London with very little money!
Lovely insight into the world of barge dwellers and the activity of mudlarking which I found very interesting and enlightening
Overall a nice read
Thank you NetGalley for this early read

An engrossing and atmospheric 1960's story, full of the ups and downs,of life, I enjoyed the rich descriptions and lovely characters immensely. With travel adventures and romance. this is a real page turner.

A wonderful romance with two side by side stories . Set in London and France. Lots of interesting facts that will amuse and amaze you.
Enjoy I did.

This is probably the first Katie Fforde book that just didn't hit for me. I think the fact that it was set in the 60s is what ruined my enjoyment in it as her writing was as fabulous as always.

Katie takes us back to the swinging 60's, but this time we are in London not France. We join Felicity who is Alexandras (who we have met in previous books) stepdaughter, as she moves from France to stay with her mother Lucinda to complete a secretarial course before starting Art college in Paris.
Felicity makes friend with Violet who lives in her Godmothers flat in the same building, their flourishing friendship holds both their stories together as they navigate their new lives in London - new romances, new jobs and escapades in The Thames and draughty castles in a Scottish Winter.

The book is nicely joined together with the previous 60's storylines with David who keeps travelling between France and England with his antique business. but this is still a book you could read and enjoy without reading the others before.

Enjoyed the stories of Violet and Felicity and how they came together with the same but different issues around love. Good characters - some you liked and some you didn't (as was the intention).

I wanted to know more at the end so wanted a few more chapters!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for this ARC.

I've been reading Katie Fforde's novels for years and I've always liked them but I only gave the last one 3.5 stars. I had high hopes this would be better but unfortunately I couldn't get on with this at all.

The story is so slight. There are two young women living in the same house in a posh part of London in 1968 who become friends and both deal with step families and romances that suffer from miscommunication.

There was some attempt to show the quaintness of the sixties with maps and telephone directories (and the casual sexism of that period) but other than that I don't think that decade was drawn too well and it didn't feel particularly relatable.

I didn't like all the classism and hatred towards French people, there wasn't enough plot going on and I constantly mixed up Felicity and Violet and their two suitors. I also didn't believe in the chemistry of any of the love stories, and the pacing was all over the place.

The mudlarking and trying to find a forgotten palace was at least some semblance of a story but it wasn't enough. I am afraid this was too predictable and instantly forgettable. There was also no reason to set the story so far back in time. This book will work for a lot of people but for me it's not one of the author's best.

Katie Fforde does it again! Another hit for me!

Fantastic storyline, I loved Violet and Felicity's friendship, following their romantic adventures ❤️ well done Katie!

Another glorious winner from Katie Fforde!
Absolutely revelled and enjoyed this latest book, based in London in the late 1960’s.
Felicity has come to stay with her birth mother Lucinda in Chelsea to attend a secretarial college from Provence in France, and although Felicity is bilingual the English can be challenging.
Violet lives in the flat at the top of the Lucinda’s house where Felicity is staying and they become great friends. Through love and family complications the two new friends support each other.
Amazingly reminiscent of late 60’s London, English culture and class. Refreshingly good, this tale is full of kindness and love.
A hugely feel-good book that will lighten up anyone’s day! Another absolute classic which I loved from the first page to the last!
Thank you to NetGalley for the early read, loved this book!!

I really enjoyed this book. The book is set in the 1960s, and tells the story of Felicity who has moved to London from France. I really enjoyed the developing of friendships and love, and felt that this was a perfect chilled out read.

This is a cozy quick read...a fun read. Curl up in a comfy chair with a warm afghan, a cup of steaming tea, a delicious scone and enjoy...family and friends...

An easy read. I do enjoy Fforde's books, but this one seems a bit twee. Everything's so simplistic and there's little conflict. I think it lacks emotion too. Oliver is lovely and I think is given too hard a time. But there is lots to like; life in London, the new friendships which are struck up . . . With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another fun novel from Katie Fforde.

It's the 1970s, and Felicity has moved from rural France to London to live with her mother, who she has rarely seen throughout her childhood. She soon meets Violet, a neighbour, and Oliver. Will she settle into London life, or will France call her back? How will her relationships develop?

As ever, an effortless (and somewhat predictable) read. Thoroughly enjoyable and great for holidays or curling up with on the sofa.