What a perfect little gem of a book I really loved it a rare beautifully crafted piece of perfection .Two perfects on one sentence seems poor writing but sometimes just sometimes it’s needed !
I immediately fell in love with the main character the keeper of stories who’s collection of peoples essence of life stories are gained from amongst the clients she cleans for and the conversations she overhears on the bus driving around
Cambridge to her work places
The people are so real all totally believable a fabulous selection of British eccentrics .I particularly loved the ex spy Mrs B from her first appearance disguised in kimono and hat with mouldy cherries on the top
The book is warm and joyful but dies not avoid difficult potentially triggering subjects like suicide and alcoholism.It approaches these areas with sensitivity which is never banal.This is not a sweet slushy book but one that wraps it’s sentiment in truthfulness and tenderness
The book to buy your friend when she is in need of something uplifting and life affirming .
This is the author’s first book I for one will be watching what comes next

I really enjoyed this book. I was drawn in by the beautiful cover and the title; the blurb intrigued me enough to request the title and I was not at all disappointed!

Janice is an extraordinary cleaner. She really cares for her clients and spends time ensuring their needs are met with barely a thought for her own. She’s a collector of stories and shares fragments of them with us as we read on. But her own story? That is a deep, dark secret that she can’t bring herself to share. Her life begins to change when she meets Mrs B, a cantankerous nonagenarian with an interesting story of her own. At its heart this is a story of friendship and it’s really rather magnificent.

I found the characters a real strength of this book and there were lots of them! Sometimes that could be confusing, but in this case, each had their own little story which kept them all straight. I was pleased with the way it all turned out in the end and found the whole book a gentle, heartwarming read. I very much enjoyed the stories within the story and very much recommend that you read this book! Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my ARC.

Wow - wonderful premise, original, beautifully written story with characters that you will come to care about.
Sweet and so charming; I just wanted to keep reading this one.

Janice is a cleaner, the best in Cambridge. She also collects stories, of both those she works for and people she encounters in her life. Her personal life is not easy and little by little it is revealed why this is the case. This is mainly a book about friendships and about how the past can impact your future. The story is well told and emotions are dealt with sensitively and realistically. Janice comes to realize her worth as the book progresses and starts to let friends into her world .
There are quite a lot of characters at the start of the book, I did not find this confusing and quite quickly there was a distinction in the main characters and the bit players. I finished the book with a feeling of optimism, though the book also made me cry at times too
Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

To be honest, I thought it was petty of Janice to insist she could call the old battle-axe Mrs. B. Thankfully, she realized this herself.

What a great cast of characters and what a colorful storyline to get all those human stories in this book.

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

I loved the premise of this novel, but found it really hard to get into because all the different characters in the beginning didn’t seem to be connected in anyway or to Janice in any way. I did enjoy the excellent writing and the way the author described and showed each character’s story. So creative!!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

ugh i hated this book. it was arguably bad. it was one of the worst books i have ever read. the premise is awful. the plot line is awful. whole thing. dumpster fire. turn it.

I chose The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page as I was initially attracted to the cover, I read the blurb, and it sounded like a great book.

Janice is a cleaner who collects stories. However, she doesn’t know her own worth. She doesn’t think she has her own story until she meets Mrs B. She finally learns her value and her own story and can choose to create her own story as she wishes.

While Janice silently cleans people’s houses, she learns more about them, picks up stories, and makes up the bits she doesn’t know. This is a distraction from the pain of her own life. She is married, but he is a “man of a thousand jobs”, having never stayed in one role for more than a year since they met, and she is tired of his dull and tedious ways.

The characters are well rounded and developed. Janice is so lovely but has a devastating past that controls her, along with her waste of space husband. Euan is a bus driver who looks like a geography teacher; he is kind and caring and likes Janice. Adam, a twelve-year-old who has recently lost his dad to suicide, is heart-breaking, his pain is evident, and he needs to lash out and then learn to live his best life.

Mrs B is my favourite character; she is a grumpy, old and wise ex-spy who doesn’t initially want a cleaner but soon becomes firm friends with Janice. Her detestable son, Mr Nonono is horrid, and his wife, Mrs yesyesyes, is very annoying and no better than him. However, their dog, the cursing fox terrier, Decius, is brilliant. I love how Janice reads his expressions and thoughts.

The ending of the book was beautiful. I enjoyed how things came together; enough was left to the imagination while most things were cleared up.

This poignant read gave all the emotions, from happy delight to the most profound sadness, to the characters. It’s a feel-good read with an exciting plot and excellent writing style, even better for a debut novel. Again, Sally Page has delivered an outstanding read.

Many thanks to the publisher, author and Netgalley for an Advanced Review Copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and are not influenced in any way.

A quick and easy read that I found myself picking up after a long day to unwind. The characters are beautifully written and I came to love them within the first few pages and was rooting for them all the way to the end. At times I wanted to stop reading because I just wanted the experience to go on for longer.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Janice who cleans houses has heard many secrets and stories over the years. Her new client thinks she may know more than she kets on. Janice prefers to keep the secrets of her clients to herself. I liked the different characters in this book.

This is a really great read. I started it worrying it was going to be sentimental but it wasn’t at all - the writer’s voice is fresh and the pace of the story never falters. I loved all of the characters, especially the sweary dog.

Janice is a cleaner. She sees many things as she goes about her work and feels everyone has a story to tell- just one that makes them who they are. She really doesn't like her husband any more- he has had almost a job for every year she has known him and she finds him dull and tedious so she finds life in other people. When she goes to clean for Mrs B, she finally meets someone who wants to know her story- but does she have one?
This is a treasure of a read- there is just that certain something about Janice that keeps the pages turning- to me the skill of an excellent author. I believe that this is a debut novel- wow- keep me posted for the next one please- a stunning piece of writing that makes reading this so easy and a pleasure-not something everyone can do. A warmth of characters that you can't help but take to and a story that invites you in with a welcome. A highly recommended read.
(rest of links on publication)

This new to me author, Sally Page, has written a beautiful, heartfelt, wonderful story! This book is one that once you pick it up, you will not want to put it down.

Full of engaging characters that keeps the reader wanting for more. The main character, Janice (the cleaner), is the Keeper of Stories. She loves hearing everyone else’s stories but doesn’t really feel she has one herself, Janice truly doesn’t realize her own worth and as the book progresses you will find yourself wanting to befriend Janice.

This is a wonderful story and beautifully written, It’s an extremely easy read and one that you will not want to put down.

Thank you to #netgalley, #harpercollinsUK and #SallyPage for giving me the opportunity to read this lovely story.

Janice collects other stories but does not think she is worthy of her own story. She is a mother of an adult son, has a husband (meh) and quietly goes through life, working as a house cleaner. She has a childhood secret that makes her feel undeserving of a story of her own. As Janice puts it, she is JUST THE CLEANER.. Mrs. B, a feisty ex-spy and new client helps Janice see that she can have her own story. Along the way, you will meet Decius-the cussing terrier, Geordie-the singer and Euen who looks like a geography teacher. And more memorable characters. This is such a feel good book. Janice soon realizes that she is NOT JUST THE CLEANER and I thoroughly enjoyed going on that journey with her. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Janice is a quite woman who would not stand out in a crowd. Not because she's unimportant but because that's the way she wants to be ,she wants to fade into the shadows and not bring attention to herself. Janice is a cleaner, a cleaner who visits lots of houses cleaning and collecting their stories. She now has a whole library of stories inside her head tore tell.
When Janice goes to work for the cantankerous Mrs B she is asked what her story is. Janice doesn't have one, but she does. It's buried so deeply inside her and has a wall built around it that she cannot get it out and Janice needs too.
I enjoyed this book. The author could have written a book of short stories but instead she has woven them into this wonderful story of love, of guilt and of happy endings. Love it.

The Keeper of Stories is an interesting, enjoyable and quite engaging story, I particularly enjoyed it as I love to hear peoples stories myself. I think anyone who is fascinated in people's lives, with love this book and be completely engrossed from start to finish.

I had a hard time getting into this book and at times I lost interest. The first half of The Keeper of Stories felt like short (unfinished) stories about several characters and none of them felt connected to the main story about Janice. The book did get better at the end. Thanks to author Sally Page, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for an honest review.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and #NetGalley for my honest opinion. Opinions expressed are completely my own.


Lovely book with a well written story.

What a beautiful book!
I was hooked by the cover and the blurb definitely reeled me in - that's what it's supposed to do, and it did its job!
Janice is a cleaner, wh, over the course of her 'career' has collected the stories of many of her clients. She is a firm believer that everyone has a story. Except her.
But, fate works in mysterious ways and meeting a couple of very different people, and a dog, through her job, and her daily travel, prove to her that everyone does indeed have a story, including her.
I was rooting form Janice from the off, especially after learning about her waste-of-space husband. Here's a woman with a heart of gold, and so much to give to the people around her, yet he sees her as 'just a cleaner'.
The added characters of Euan, and Mrs B (I LOVED her!) really gave the story a kick, and Decius the dog was an added bonus!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a cute book. I have read so many stories lately that are similar storylines, so this was a refreshing book! Janice is a cleaner that loves to hear others stories. Mrs. B asks about her story, and Janice doesn’t feel hers is important- she is just a cleaner. The book goes on to show what she means to all these characters. I think you will enjoy this one :).