Liv loves to read, and manages to get a job cleaning for her favourite author Essie Starling, over time they become somewhat friends. Following Essie’s sudden and unexpected death, Liv becomes responsible for finishing off Essie Starling’s final novel, but she must keep it a secret from everyone. Liv struggles with her sudden responsibility and the secret she hopes to unravel.

Phaedra Patrick has written a novel that was enjoyable to read, and it is interesting to see Liv develop from meek and timid at the start to finding herself as the novel progresses, and finally putting her food down with customers, then her family and finally, herself. This was an interesting plot line that i didn’t quite expect.

Many thanks to NetGalley for an early copy of the Book Share for review.

"The Book Share" is a wonderfully inventive tale of how a book was written, independently, by two women. Olivia is a bookworm and cleaner who finds herself working for her absolutely favourite author. To say more about the plot would spoil the story which leads Liv to discover more about herself and her family. There are some great characters and interesting twists. Very readable and original.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

Essie Starling is a romantic author who has lost her edge. Liv is her cleaner who has always wanted to become an author. They form an unusual relationship and Liv is asked to help write the 20th final book in the series. There are many surprises along the way. Family, friendship and relationship issues are exposed. Before the inevitable unexpected twist at the end. I found this a very interesting read and would definately recommend.

Olivia Green would probably say that she was a very ordinary person. Although she would love to be a writer, she is a cleaner and a very good one. Her job with the well known author, Essie Starling, is one she loves , being close to her idol.
Essie dies suddenly and there are unexpected repercussions which affect Liv. She has a tasks to perform with a reward at the end. I like the way she threw herself into the writing. I did feel a little sorry for her husband who didnt play much of a part but obviously kept the household together.
I enjoyed the story even though it was maybe a little difficult to see it happening in real life.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advance review copy.

Liv is offered the chance of a lifetime, to ghost write for her favourite author. It was always her dream to be a writer, but with no qualifications, had ended up a cleaner. Not only does she live her dream but finds out so much more about her life. A really enjoyable and different book which I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

What a wonderful read. I could identify with Liv right from the start. I loved watching her grow in her self confidence throughout the book. I could totally identify with the teenage boys flying the nest and the struggle to realise who you are when you’re not parenting full time: as an individual and a couple.
It was very fortuitous that Essie as such a recluse for so long as it made keeping the secret a bit easier. I loved how Liv set out to solve the mystery of Essie, she took on the persona of Georgia Rory; the lead character in the novels, and uncovered a past that had many twists and turns and more than a few surprises, some which directly involved her.
It was refreshing to see the marriage between her and Jake thrive by the end. They both had secrets, trying to protect the other and I breathed a sigh of relief when they squished in the coat cupboard and had a heart to heart. Seeing Jake support her in the last chapters as she pieced everything together was beautiful, his quiet, solid, loving presence.
This was a lovely and moving read.

When Liv took on a cleaning job for a famous author, she never expected to have to finish her last novel!

I thought this was a unique plot line (not very realistic I might add, but hey this is fiction!) and I liked the way Liv developed during her search for answers about the author's mysterious life.

However, there were some issues preventing me from giving top marks.
the writing style was a little clucky at times (a lot of 'after this happened,' 'as she did this,' 'when she did this'), along with Liv's repetitious thoughts.
I also struggled to gel with Liv. I worked for many years as a cleaner, so I hated the implications that being "only a cleaner" made Liv a failure in life and that we can only be happy if we live in fancy apartments with designer clothes like the author. She just came across as selfish to me; moaning about having to look after her kids and her husband (who was seemingly having a hard time with work yet still did all the cooking?). Sorry :-(

BUT overall, it was a gently paced, feel-good easy read with a nicely tied up ending.

Liv Green loves losing herself in a good book. Her everyday reality is less romantic, cleaning houses for people who barely give her the time of day. But when she lands herself a job housekeeping for her personal hero and best-selling author Essie Starling, she can't believe her luck. When Essie dies unexpectedly, Liv is left with an astonishing last wish: to complete Essie's last ever novel. To do so, change-adverse Liv will have to step away from the fictitious worlds in her head, and into Essie's shoes. Essie uncovers a surprising connection between the two women - and a secret that will change Liv's life forever.

With Essie's last wish for Liv to finish her novel, made this an interesting read. Phaedra Patrick has a canny knack for writing real feel good stories. I have loved everyone of her books. Liv is quite a lonely but likeable character. This well written mystery has quite a a unique plotline. We watch :Liv blossom and her relationship with her husband and sons is not quite the same as they used to be. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #HQDigital and the author #PhaedraPatrickfor my ARC of #TheBookShare in exchange for an honest review.

A really great story keeping you enthralled throughout. There are some twists to the story that leave you wondering why things are happening and where is it going to end up.

Liv works a cleaning job for her hero and favourite author Essie Starling. When Essie requests her help to finish her latest book Liv can't believe her luck. But when Essie suddenly dies Liv is left to pick up the pieces of the incomplete novel by herself. Secrets and mystery surrounds the whole thing and Livs life could change completely but will it be for better or worse.

Firstly I'd like to thank @hqstories for granting me access to this book via NetGalley.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this but a book about a book lover?! I'm there! I loved all the mentions of other books throughout, each one made me smile a little.

Phaedra Patrick has a easy to follow writing style which made this a breeze to fly through after my last read. I really empathised with Liv on more than one occasion. Her family life, at times, resonated with me. And I loved her character arc.

The story kept me interested thoughout although at times it did feel a little implausible. Having said that I've never attempted what Liv did so who's to say it wouldn't all work out 😉

I gave this one a pretty decent 3.5 stars ✨

Very lovely book! Great characters, lovely plot and great ending! Definitely will recommend to friends. Thankyou so much for the arc!

What a fantastic read. I absolutely loved it.
Liv adores books and reading and when she gets the opportunity to work for a mega author she cannot believe her luck. The story moves at a good pace with lots of surprises along the way. I really do recommend this book and would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC. It was an absolute pleasure.

A charming book. One woman's life changed completely by trying to fulfill the wishes of her employer. The wishes seem random but does she know her more than she thinks? A tale of discovery, hidden talents and what we will do for our family.

Really enjoyed this book. I don't want to spoil the plot but the surprises keep on coming right to the end. I could the characters in my head and had a picture of how they looked. I will be looking out for the author in future.

The Book Share by Phaedra Patrick

Liv's favourite author and boss, Essie Starling, dies and leaves her the job of finishing her last book in a very successful series of 20. As she does so, Liv learns more about Essie and the people who were important in her life, and a lot about herself too.

What a lovely story! I absolutely loved Liv and rooted for her right from the start. The other characters were so real and Liv's journey throughout the book was really well done. Most of all this book was just wonderful storytelling at its best and I loved reading it! Very highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Liv Green loves losing herself in a good book. But her everyday reality is less romantic, cleaning houses for people who barely give her the time of day. So when she lands a job housekeeping for her personal hero and mega-bestselling author Essie Starling, she can't believe her luck.…. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in…..overall a fabulous novel!

Thank you Netgalley and HQ for the opportunity it’s to read an early copy of this book.
The book follows the main character Liv as she navigates her way through finishing the final manuscript for her favourite author. This was my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it. This story was well written with descriptive and realistic storyline. There was excellent character development and relationships in this story with enough plot twists to keep the story fresh and captivating
Overall this was a very enjoyable and easy to read book that I would recommend!

Having read The Library of Lost and found which I enjoyed, I was pleased to be able to read this latest book - and enjoyed it just as much. We are never too old for fairy tales and although the plot stretches credibility, it is a lovely feel good read. The characters are well drawn; the tension between Liv and Jake, the banter of family life with teenagers and the way that Liv grew in stature throughout the book. In trying to finish the famous author’s book, Liv battles with the ending feeling that she is missing something, a mystery that can be solved. A lovely read!

I would like to thank Netgalley, HQ and Phaedra Patrick for the E ARC copy of this book. This book is published on the 31st March 2022.
We meet Liv who is a cleaner for Essie, a famous author and the author of Liv’s favourite character and series. They get along well but one day Liv finds the manuscript for the next book, unable to resist she reads the first chapters and is caught by Essie. Essie asks her what she thinks and Liv tells her, once Essie considers things, she asks Liv to help her, once she comes back from her break.
Liv gets a phone call from Essie’s’ lawyer two days later and is told that Essie has died. However, she has been left something in the will and Essie has asked her to finish the book. Liv is astonished but agrees. The story then follows Liv as she starts the writing process and all she does to make the final book the best yet. We see her grow and her relationship with her husband and sons change. She begins to realise what she wants and what is important to her.
I liked the writing style and the characters in this book. I was kept engaged although there were a couple of things that happened that I was not in agreement with, it did not detract from my enjoyment of this book.

A feelgood read which I enjoyed reading. A book of unexpected friendships, pushing boundaries, family life together with some mystery and secrets. Plenty of twists and turns with interesting characters at different ends of the social spectrum within the world of books. I particularly liked the way that the main character, Liv, was developed from and unassuming woman being given a second chance to develop and become more self assured. Some quite entertaining fun bits too, especially when Liv attends a book event in Croatia. Uplifting and feelgood