An absolutely engrossing book based on the stories that Janice (just a cleaner as she thinks) collects from her clients. It was hard to put down. Super characters, including a beautifully described fox terrier!

Janice is a cleaner and a collector of stories. When I started reading this book, I had forgotten that it wasn't a fantasy book and I was puzzled, but I liked it anyway. Sadly, I was reading so slowly (nothing to do with the story) that the file expired. As the book is published on the 22nd of February, I think I will purchase it because I'm really curious to know what Janice is hiding and how will evolve the story of Mrs B.

The stories where very long winded and took away the real story of the characters.
Janice is a cleaner and loves telling stories about people she comes across, when she is employed by Mrs B they both start telling each other their stories on other people.
I loved Janice and Mrs B and the story of their real lives but once they started telling each other made up stories to each other it took off in other directions and I lost interest and was confused.
If it was just the lives of Janice and Mrs B I would have give it 5*
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Interesting book about a cleaner Janice who collects stories. Found the first half of the book full of alot of different characters and it dragged forme. The second half was better as characters like Mrs B and Mrs Yeah,yeah,yeah and Tiberius became more connected and developed.. Also the bus driver began to grow on Janice.
Lovely ending. Thanks to Netgalley for an A.R.C.

When Janice starts cleaning for Mrs B – a shrewd and tricksy woman in her nineties – she meets someone who wants to hear her story. But Janice is clear: she is the keeper of stories, she doesn’t have a story to tell. At least, not one she can share. Mrs B is no fool and knows there is more to Janice than meets the eye. What is she hiding? After all, doesn’t everyone have a story to tell?

This is a sweet read but I cannot help but feel it is a bit of a jumbled mess. Janice is a story collector and throughout this read, Janice shares some of her stories with us. This aspect almost felt like lots of short stories. Alongside this, there is an overall story and I just did not think the two went particularly well together. Separately, they could work but together resulted in a confusing, mis-match of a read.

The more I read, the more I did enjoy the read, I think it took me a while to get used to the style. However, I did not find it very gripping and my interest waned. Then we have the characters and I just did not really warm to them. They are all quite sweet and likeable people but there was no connection there and I did not really care what was happening. Interspersed with the light heartedness is a more serious plot thread but I thought it was swamped by the sweet. There were moments of promise just not enough.

'The Keeper of Stories' just was not for me. It is charming but needed more oomph to keep my interest.

Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for an advance copy.

First I want to say every book is not for every person. This book, while I think the author wrote it well, just was not my favorite style. I felt the story dragged for the first half of the book. That is just the style it was written in. There were many diversions from the main plot line, and that left me very frustrated. I honestly wanted to stop reading many times, but I try to finish every book I read, so I pushed on, hoping my feelings would change.

At half point of the book, that did happen. I was more invested in the many story lines and definitely knew I would continue reading to the end. I was happy that I pushed on and read the entire book. The ending was excellent and worth the read. I did enjoy the main plot more than all the diversions that went out from it.

This was the first book I read by Sally Page and look forward to her future books.

I want to thank HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for allowing me to read the advance reader copy, with no obligation to write a review. My review is written freely as a hobby, and is totally my own opinion, not influenced by receiving the ARC.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

This book is a debut novel. It was an enjoyable and lovely read. The main character Janice is a cleaner who is likeable and has ‘collected’ stories, that are other peoples.

The man she’s married is so boring, but she’s still with him. Baring these stories, she doesn’t see her worth as a individual. The characters were amusing and the storyline was interesting.

The book wasn’t what I was expecting, but it was well written. It makes you unable to put the book down until you’ve finished it.

If you want to read a emotional and heartfelt, feel good story, this is the book for you.

Highly Recommend This Book.

The Keeper of Stories by S. Page, published by Harper CollinsUK/One More Chapter, is a beautiful slow burn.
It tells the story of Janine, a cleaning lady who's through a lot in her life. And she collected stories on her way, some sad, some beautiful.
This book with its stunning cover is a delight to read. Told in a multiple pov, has this new to me author managed to keep me in suspense from start til the last page. A great read, 5 stars.

Who doesn’t like a good story, especially one that keeps you on the edge of your seat with adventure and heroes that are ordinary people? Everyone has a story, some more. But not everyone wants to share their story or think it would make a difference to others.

In this book, Janice is a cleaner and collects stories from others while trying to bury her own. She discovers that being invisible and observing, she learns a lot about people as they share their stories with her. Janice has always gotten the short end of the stick whether in childhood or in her marriage, so she does not realize the positive impact that she makes in other people’s lives. One day she meets a very old woman, also a collector of stories and a keeper of a very interesting story of being a former spy! Mrs. B too is being lorded over and discounted by her loved ones and made to feel invisible. Janice finds a kindred spirit in Mrs. B and together they help each other draw out their own stories as worthy to be told.

I like the references to Arabian Nights where the collection of stories told were to keep one safe and also of Vanity Fair. I found this an interesting read, not only because I wanted to continue to hear the story being told of Becky by the character Mrs. B. but to discover Janice’s own story. The author helps you to sympathize and root for Janice and to applaud Mrs. B. Add to that, some interesting characters are sprinkled in with her varied clientele such as a young boy who lost his father and an opera singer to name a few, made this an enjoyable book to read.

Many thanks to #netgalley #harpercollins #thekeeperofstories #sallypage for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I was initially attracted to the description of the story. However, once I began reading my interest waned rapidly. I just couldn’t get interested in the either the main character or her stories. This was a miss for me.

Gorgeous and atmospheric. Loved it

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

Many thanks to NetGalley/author/publisher for a copy of this book.

A genuinely lovely read that I simply could not put down. What an amazing debut from this author, I cannot wait for the release so I can purchase a physical copy.

The book revolves around Janice, a wonderful lady who works as a cleaner and collects stories from everyone/everywhere. Janice is someone who is down on her luck, which makes her instantly likable.

There are a lot of characters within this book to start with but this was dealt with well, I didn't instantly feel connected to anyone but by 100 pages in I was hooked and didn't look back.

Would definitely recommend it for a heartwarming read.

What a triumph of a debut this is from Sally Page. An accomplished tale about Janice, a collector of stories, who works as a cleaner. There's a gentle unravelling of tales as we meet each of her clients and when we meet Mrs B, it's clear they've met each other's match as gradually an unforgettable friendship forms. Be prepared to lose a few hours, if not your heart to this cast of characters. Perfect for fans of Sally Rooney and Annie Lyons.

I could not put this book down . It drew you in. Janice collected stories. She was in a unhappy marriage and finally had the courage to leave him. She cleaned for a living and finally fell in love . A very old but characterful lady helped her and told her amazing story. Janice was also able to make peace with her son and sister - her childhood had been tough. A must must read.

Just an enjoyable story. I don’t read a lot of women’s fiction but I would read more like this. I just laughed and cried and what more can you ask from a good book.

'"I know you like stories that reveal how, within the ordinary, there is often great talent, goodness, and courage. You have to allow me a few stories that give us hope that our villains are redeemable. I do like to hold on to that."'

The Keeper of Stories is the tale of Janice, a wonderful woman who, in many ways, has drawn the short end of the stick. Being married to the 'man of a thousand jobs', her life is one of working full time, both in and outside of the home. In the book, we learn about the way in which she collects stories from other people around her (those she cleans for, those who are on the bus), while keeping her own story hidden deep within her. But this is also the tale of elderly Mrs. B, who finds a friend in Janice while her own son launches a campaign to get Mrs. B removed from her home; as it is the story of Fiona and Adam, and how they deal with the loss of their husband/father. In many ways, this is a book about life, the good, and the bad, the loss and the hope of new friendships and love, all of it cleverly interwoven with life-affirming stories, and laugh out love antics of a 92-year old grump.

I had a bit of a tough time getting into the book. Seemingly unconnected stories left, right and center, introducing so many characters that it was hard to keep track. But as the book progresses, and Mrs. B is introduced (and we get more of a red thread story line), I couldn't help myself in falling in love with the fierce woman. Of course this then also makes it easier to root for Janice, who was really just dealt a pretty bad hand, as well as Fiona, Adam, Euan and all the other characters. If you are looking for an inspirational read that inspires hope, look no further than The Keeper of Stories.

Debut novel by Sally Page

I struggled with the first half as it just felt a little random, all these characters and stories with no links… I wasn’t sure where the book was going, when we meet Mrs B she helps Janice to see she has a story!

I liked Janice as a character and her story!

Thanks to netgalley & Harper Collins for an ARC of this book.

The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page is a beautifully written story about Janice, the best cleaner in all of Cambridge. She is the keeper of stories but it's hers we find throughout the book. Overall a wonderful read and highly recommended.

A beautifully told story interwoven through the life of a storytellers and the people she meets in her daily life. Heart warming and laugh out loud in equal measure.

I think the concept of this book was great - someone gathering other's stories and sharing them...everyone has a story. However, I just couldn't connect with these characters and didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. The dog was the funniest and I loved their walks.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.