This was a well written and enthralling read that I finished within 24 hours. I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend.

Once I got past the idea that spending 60 years searching for a woman you met once for 15 minutes was more creepy than cute, I found myself really enjoying this story. At times sad but mostly sweet, I found myself really rooting for all three main characters who were all likeable in their own way. Something of a romance but more of a story about friendships, I might have had my dubious moments about the plot but overall I really loved it.

I'm relieved to report that while this novel was undeniably adorable, it also had depth, emotion, and interesting, likeable characters. Frank has a lot of charisma, but he's struggling with the challenges that come with getting older. His luck turns for the better when he encounters Libby on the bus one day. Despite the age gap of almost half a century, Libby and Frank become fast companions.

The story explores some important social problems and the range of feelings that come with making significant life adjustments. This novel was lovely. I expected a romantic comedy and was surprised to find myself wiping away tears at times.

This is one of the most adorable books I've read in ages. It's emotional, bittersweet and endearing. Highly recommend.

Such a lovely story of Libby, who meets Frank whilst riding the 88 bus route. A lovely tale of friendship. This book had me hooked from the start and was an enjoyable read.

Lovely easygoing read, a great one for curling up on the sofa with and forgetting about the outside world for a while!!

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Frank is on the 88 Bus when a gorgeous red headed girl gets on at Clapham Common. A conversation starts, Frank wants to be an actor, the girl an artist. She gives him her telephone number, but Frank loses it. Always in the forefront of his mind, Frank spends countless years on the 88 Bus looking for that red headed girl.

Libby, heartbroken at her split from her boyfriend is on the 88 Bus on the way to stay with her sister as she has nowhere else to be. Libby starts talking to Frank and learns his story. Something in it resonates with Libby, especially the said girls freedom at doing what she wanted and go to art school. Frank wants to thank her for the choices he went on to make and Libby wants to make that dream come true.

With nothing else to do Libby along with a quirky bunch of helpers wants to find that girl, on that 88 Bus, that spoke to Frank. And we are along for the journey in this heartfelt and warm novel which makes you think of the choices made and the routes that we all take when we get on and off at certain steps.

As with Freya’s debut novel, she focuses on characters both young and old with equal measure, no one is really that dominant as the book progresses, they develop and perhaps become less annoying and more intriguing as time passes. Some of them almost challenge your perception of what they are going to be like and Freya manages to make sure that even the reader is as challenged as Libby.

A simple story of dreams and real life. You must buy a ticket for the 88 Bus and find your own journey.

This is a heart wrenching story of a man with dementia, the girl he met on the bus 60 years ago, and Freya's attempts to bring them back together. Heartwarming and often tear-inducing.

Freya Sampson has created a beautiful, heart-warming, emotional read that I enjoyed massively! A story of long-lost love, friendships and chasing your dreams, is entertaining and delightful, making it a book that I struggled to put down.

From the moment I was introduced to Frank and Libby, I was hooked! This unlikely friendship is full of compassion and wisdom, and when Sonny, Esme and Dylan are added to the mix, all the characters offer romance, excitement and vibrancy. A perfect feel-good story that I cannot fault at all!

The writing style of this makes it easy to follow, engaging and addictive. Told from different viewpoints, this added to the depth of the plot without becoming too heavy. The subject of dementia is handled incredibly well, and I think there is something for everyone within these pages.

An absolutely wonderful and enchanting read, that I recommend to anyone looking for a bit of escapism, perfect for a summer read, or as a Book Club read as there is plenty to discuss.

I adored this book. Full of gorgeous characters and a wonderful, interesting plot. I warmed to the main characters straight away. I love Freya’s writing as she knows how to get to the heart of her characters and always fills my heart with joy. Another corker of a book! Feel good vibes galore 🥰

This was such a sweet, enjoyable story, a really cosy read that was a nice break for me in between some more gritty or gory books!

When I started this, I thought I knew how it would all play out but it surprised me, developing in different ways than I expected. The premise is immediately appealing, I was intrigued by the prospect of someone trying to find someone who had clearly left their mark during a short conversation many years ago. I'm sure lots of people have small, at the time seemingly inconsequential interactions with strangers which have ultimately affected them one way or another in a larger way than expected. Frank is our example of that.

He's such a lovely character, and as the book progresses, it becomes clear that whilst Frank is searching for his girl on the bus, he too has positively impacted the lives of people he has met along his way on that same bus route.

Libby struck me as a fairly naïve character at first, and I have to confess that I found her quite annoying. However, as we get to know more about her and her circumstances, its clear that she has not been treated well by those closest to her in her life. Her family mostly awful, especially her mother! Its good to see Libby develop over the book, growing as a person through her experiences following that day that she first met Frank on the bus and I really grew to like her.

We get to read letters written by a woman to an unknown person, one who was clearly important in her life. We slowly find out more about their lives together and the final revelations of who these people were in context of the story were unexpected but lovely.

All in all, this was a story full of heart, one to warm your cockles when things are looking a bit rubbish.

Bus Adventures
The lively bus adventures of Frank, an elderly man in the early stages of dementia. Frank meets lots of people on the 88 bus and people remember him for his kindness and ability to listen to others. Libby is one of the people he befriends, she is in a desperate state after breaking up with her boyfriend and is on the way to stay with her very PC sister.
Frank relays his story of a chance meeting on the 88 bus sixty years ago and his continuing search for the girl who changed his life, Libby gets involved with the search to find her and finds herself drawn to Frank's carer a punk with a personality in opposition to the person he betrays.
Romantic and slightly gar fetched but enjoyable.
Thanks to Freya and NetGalley.

I adored this. I read it in one go on a delayed flight and cried my eyes out. Loved it so much, so well written and loved the setting. Would have tweaked the storyline a little bit.

Thanks to NetGalley, Bonnier Books and Freya Sampson for the ARC of The Girl on the 88 Bus.

Ahhh this book is just lovely. Every so often I need a book as a bit of a comfort blanket. A warm and cosy heartfelt cuddle before bed, and this is just the ticket.

When Libbie arrives back in London after her relationship falls apart. she feels like nothing but a failure. She was supposed to be successful and married by now. What has gone wrong?

A chance encounter with pensioner Frank on the 88 bus reminds her that one chance moment can really change your life. Frank explains how he met a woman on a bus in 1962 and lost her number. He's been riding the same bus for 6o years since trying to find her - but to no avail. With his dementia getting worse, Frank's days of freedom are numbered. Can LIbbie help Frank find the first true love of his life before it's too late, and what opportuniuties will it bring Libbie if she opens herself up and is vulnerable again?

Strong characters who will draw you in and grab a litlte piece of your heart (apart from Libbie's ex that is!) :)

Adorable

Beautiful love story on chance and fate and how one little thing can change your life

Can one chance meeting change the course of your life?

When Libby Nicholls arrives in London, broken-hearted and with her life in tatters, the first person she meets on the bus is elderly pensioner Frank. He tells her about the time in 1962 he met a girl on the number 88 bus with beautiful red hair just like her own. They made plans for a date at the National Gallery, but Frank lost the ticket with her number written on it.

For the past sixty years, he's ridden the same bus trying to find her. Libby is inspired by the story and, with the help of an unlikely companion, she makes it her mission to help Frank's search. As she begins to open her guarded heart to strangers and new connections, Libby's tightly controlled world expands.

But with Frank's dementia progressing quickly, their chance of finding the girl on the number 88 bus is slipping away. More than anything, Libby wants Frank to see his lost love one more time. But their quest also shows Libby just how important it is to embrace her own chances for happiness - before it's too late.

A beautifully uplifting novel about how one chance meeting can change the course of your life

Libby Nicholls comes to London to stay with her sister following her relationship breakdown. She meets Frank, an elderly man who has travelled the Number 88 bus for the past 60 years in the hope of finding a lost love. Libby decides to help him and along with Frank’s carer, Dylan they begin their task to reunite Frank with his one and only love!
This book was absolutely delightful! I love books based in London, so this was perfect for me! Libby is a wonderful character and I connected with her straight away. She was in such a sad place when she arrived in London, and it was great to see her lighten up with the mission to find Frank’s love. I also loved Dylan’s character! Being a punk and having a mohican, he was such a different character to what I expected! Frank was equally as lovable, and his storyline did bring a tear to my eye on more than one occasion.

The story captured me right from the beginning and I was well and truly hooked, unable to put the book down. The writing was captivating, with the author managing to bring the emotions felt by all the characters leaping straight out of the pages! The location was perfect, and it was great to see so many of the London sights on their bus journeys around the capital. It was filled with an array of great supporting characters – Esme was funny, Hector a proper question-asker and even Rebecca grew on me as the story moved on! This book focusses very strongly on the theme of friendships, especially multi-generational! Frank touches so many peoples lives on his travels and his storyline saddened me the most.

Of course, it’s a little bit of a tear-jerker, so get your hankies ready but by the end, be prepared to feel enlightened, charmed and completely head over heels in love with this amazing book! This is definitely one of those books where you will still be thinking about the story and its characters for days afterwards, and it will take a while before I find another book as special as this one! It was the perfect piece of escapism for these dark days we find ourselves in! Wonderful, beautiful, superb! Would definitely recommend!

I loved The Last Library so I had high hopes for The Girl on the 88 Bus and I am very happy to say it did not disappoint. This is super cute and just the perfect feel-good read that I was hoping to get. Plus, having lived on the 88 bus route myself for over 7 years it was super fun to recognise places throughout the story. I will be pushing this book into a lot of friends' hands, for sure!

The Girl on the 88 Bus is a truly delightful book – I had a feeling I was going to enjoy it as I loved Freya’s debut novel, The Last Library and this proved to be a worthy follow-up, a real gem of a book that draws you in with its charming story and loveable characters.

Libby’s life is frankly a bit of a mess, having been dumped by her long-term boyfriend with whom she also worked – on the 88 bus on her way to move in temporarily with her sister, she meets Frank, now in his 80s who shared with her a story of how he met a girl 60 years previously on this very bus route and has been looking for her ever since. Inspired by his story, Libby decides to make it her mission to try and track down the woman – and along the way she ropes in Frank’s carer, Dylan, and some new found friends.

Sampson truly does bring the characters to life – I loved both Frank and Libby and truly adored seeing how their cross-generational relationship developed. There is an equally delightful cast of supporting characters who all bring something to the story. I defy anyone not to want to keep reading to find out how the story ends, and there are even a few surprises along the way. There are plenty of emotional moments in the story, but ultimately it is an uplifting tale of unlikely friendships and of how seemingly insignificant moments can change lives and one that I adored!

I got The Girl on the 88 Bus by Freya Sampson for free from NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

On a London bus in 1962 a chance encounter between and a Frank and a you female art student on the 88 bus, leads to a change in the young man’s life. however because he loses her phone number the two never meat for their arranged.

There are times in your life as a reader when you read pick up a book that hits your sweet spot in such away that you fall in love with it straight away.

With characters such as Frank looking for a that one love that had such an impact on his life that it changed forever, in both the woman he loved and the path of his life.

Then there is Libby a soon to be 30 who has been told by simon her partner on the night that she thought they were getting engaged that, he needed to take a break from the relationship.

Added to the mix is Andy the punk rocker who at first sight is rather intimidating but has a heart of gold. Along with the other characters of this book that seem to be perfect for this novel.

In our modern day reading we like to classify books by genre where The Girl on the 88 Bus almost defies classification, with a number of different tropes form romance, woman’s fiction, second chance, lost love, contemporary plus a number of others some of which would be spoilers.

Then there is the writing, style which is like your favourite drink when your wrapped up warm in front of a fire, when it is snowing outside and you have no place to go.

There is a major weakness in the story however and that is it just not long enough, with the story and writing style you fly through reading The Girl on the 88 Bus, which means you want to be in the world created by Freya Sampson for longer.

So read The Girl on the 88 Bus by Freya Sampson, it might just be on of the best books you have read this year.

A fleeting meeting on the 88 bus
Who'd think it could be worth making a fuss?
But sixty decades may well have passed
But Frank dreams of re-meeting that girl at last.

She gave him the impetus to follow his dreams
But they never met again and now it seems
His dementia will stop him from trying to find
That young girl who he met and was so kind.

He shares their story with Libby Nicholls who
Is heartbroken and determined to help him through.
She want to help him reconnect with the one
Who changed his life back then, before his memory is gone.

This story shares the troubles these folks are in
And how their connections just start to begin.
It is a heartwarming story, a page-turner, too,
Encouraging you to make the most of life chances for you.

I really enjoyed this story and it was great to meet
The folks who had also next to Frank had a seat.
He'd shared his journey and story with many others
As Libby soon begins to discover.

The bus route may be the journey folks took
But there's much more to this story, so please take a look.
There's the difficulties of dementia, heartbreak and romance
As well as family relationships and making the most of every chance.

For my copy of this book, I say a huge thank you
And hope my honest review encourages you to read it, too.