The 24-Hour Cafe: The most uplifting story of community and hope in 2021 from the Sunday Times bestselling author of THE LIDO

Having read The Lido, I had hoped for a similar type of book, but the story of Stella's Cafe and the people that work and visit it, left me feeling full, with a warm comforting novel not unlike the feeling of drinking a hot chocolate. Warm, butter-sweet, comforting and heartwarming. Hannah, Mona and the intertwined lives of the customers that visited the 24 Hour Cafe, left me feeling happy, hopeful and...like a hot chocolate, I wanted to drink it down in one go, wanting to return for more - in this case, to read more from Libby Page. Thanks to The Reading Agency for my copy via my book group, @MumMeBooks (Parent's Book Club)

I need to caveat this review by saying I haven't yet finished the book! This is a light read, focused on the friendship between the two main characters Hannah and Mona. Throughout a single working day we see how they interact with their customers, friends and strangers, and how little acts of kindness can bring community into an otherwise impersonal city. This book doesn't have an action-driven plot, so personally I'm not finding it a compulsive read, it's a slow-burner of a book. I'm hoping that the storylines of the various strangers that the women meet in the cafe will somehow tie together nicely at the end! I think this book would appeal to readers who like to people-watch and are interested in the details of their lives that make them who they are.

Like The Lido, The 24-Hour Cafe is another charming study of human relationships from Libby Page and a reminder that hidden in the big city that is London are little communities. She captures what close friendship can feel like, and how it compares and intertwines with romantic relationships. Reading this book with my morning coffee or afternoon tea, I felt like I was in Stella's watching strangers in a cafe - catching little glimpses of their lives and filling in the blanks myself. Reading this book was a great comfort during the lockdown we still find ourselves in. We may feel alone but Page offers hope in reminding us we are all alone together, as part of a bigger story. And one day it will end and begin with a much needed hug.