I absolutely loved this - 24 hours of dipping in and out of the lives of the visitors to the cafe; finding out the inner lives, desires, dreams and emotions of those who passed through. I was cheering them on inside - utterly absorbed into their world.

I love how @libbypagewrites captures community spirit so beautifully in her stories, first in The Lido and now in her second novel, The 24 Hour Cafe which is released in the UK on Jan 23rd.

The novel tells the story of 24 hours in a London city cafe with flashbacks weaved throughout, a style I really liked as it moved the story along well.

The cafe is an example of "lives brushing up against each other", a concept I've thought about in London especially, with such a massive population crammed into small spaces, everyone has a story. This book focuses briefly on each of the people coming into the cafe - the City workers (accurately captured, such as the women in trainers and a suit...that's me!), the labourers, the travellers, those who are a bit lost. There is love, loss, new beginnings and important life turning points. All taking place in parallel.

To me, I took away two things from this that were emphasised. The first is people's capacity for kindness, how something so simple and small can make a huge impact on someone's day...and sometimes you dont realise how much.

Secondly, it was the value in different types of friendships. Our main characters are Mona and Hannah, the stories are told from both of their perspectives. We find out about their own dynamic, their love lives, their interactions with those entering the cafe, their parents and ultimately what keeps driving them forward. In the people that come through the cafe, we get a snapshot into their lives at that point. Much like the cafe staff, some we see again, some we never know how things panned out. Some people are destined to cross our paths only once. "She thinks suddenly that this is probably why we need friends - because however self reliant and composed we may seem, none of us are quite strong enough to get through life shouldering these weights on our own"

Overall a great read, I'd definitely recommend it!

Thank you to @netgalley and @orionbooks for the opportunity to review.

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I would rate this one a 3.5. It didn’t quite live up to The Lido in my opinion but I still thoroughly enjoyed it and thought that it was a lovely, thought provoking and relatable story. Libby’s writing style is quirky and evocative and she has a real talent for making her characters likeable and really telling their story. I loved the setting of the story and the concept of not knowing what someone is going through or what their background story is. I did find the main character quite selfish and not entirely likeable in parts and if she had featured a little less than I’d have probably pushed my rating up to a 4. Overall an enjoyable read.

Stella's cafe is open 24 hours a day, manned by a staff who regard themselves as a family. Hannah and Mona are flatmates, the closest of friends, both waitressing in the cafe as they pursue their respective dreams of singing and dancing.

Through 24 hours in the cafe, we see the whole world go by: lovers, honeymooners, homeless, students, the elderly, as we learn the story of Hannah and Mona's lives and watch the changing emotions of their friendship.

A delightful read, heartwarming and cosy.

A surprisingly enjoyable book. The book tells the story of the people in a café opposite Liverpool Street station over 24 hours. The main thread is the friendship between 2 of the waitresses, Mona and Hannah. The other stories include a homeless student, a young mother and an elderly couple finding love second-time round. At the very end, the author jumps one year ahead so that the reader finds out what has happened to some of the characters.
Libby Page has managed to write an entertaining book that does not contain explicit sex or violence and nor is it a romance.

The 24 hour cafe charts (unsurprisingly) 24 hours in an all day, all night cafe in London. The story is told mainly through the voices of best friends Hannah and Mona as they make their way through their shifts, interspersed with stories of the cafes customers.

I really enjoyed the format of this book and sped through it as it was an easy and engaging read. Although an easy read the book manages to cover many important themes including bereavement, abusive relationships, mental health issues, societal issues and immigration amongst others.

What really stuck with me though was the way the book shows that there are a myriad of issues people can be experiencing under the surface that do not show to others. I came away from the book reminding myself not to judge, and be kind to others as you never know what other people may be going through.

For anyone who likes nothing more then to sit in a cafe or a bench and ponder on the people around them, then this book is for you. I found this book to be really heartwarming, and thought provoking, not just a standard tale about friendship but a book that shows you never really know what other people are going through. A book that will stay in my thoughts.

I feel a bit heartless saying this,but I was a bit bored by the book. Only a bit,in parts.
It was a bit like a collection of short stories,the customers of the cafe. Never really enough time to feel invested.
Hopefully it's just me that thinks this.

Loved this book, title says it all really. The comings and goings of all sorts of people,friendships, kindness,sadness. Lovely read cwtched up. I hope there are more to follow. Thank you netgalley.

I thought this book was sweet enough and it certainly kept me engaged throughout. I liked how the main focus was a female friendship. I liked the extra stories that featured but must admit I didn’t feel a real connection because they were only snippets.

This is a book about the power of friendships in all their forms. It is a well observed book with interesting characters. It was easy to attach these characters to people we know in our own lives. The author has spent many a happy hour people watching and speculating!.