Thank you to HarperCollins for access to the Netgalley of this latest Sally Page novel which comes out on 28th August. I've read all of her titles so far, and she goes from strength to strength with each one. This one is her best yet. It has heart, warmth, humour, and insight, and delivers a strong feelgood hit.

It features a diverse and eclectic mix of people, each with their own back stories, who come together as individuals attending a local community art group to enter an annual competition, including Kate, who gave up her dreams of being a painter years ago; Bardy, a retired English teacher grappling with writer’s block; Pia, a Danish human rights lawyer; retired businessman Leonard, and his wife Linda, a former nurse; cafe owner Luigi; entrepreneur Satya; and Bardy's former foster child Tay.

The characters are all loveable, well drawn, rounded, and relatable. I became so fond of them as the story unfolded, and they all feel very real.

As they work on their individual creative projects, they quickly become friends, forging an amazing bond and becoming a support network for each other, as they deal with their respective troubles and issues. This story is a hymn to found-family, and to friendship - especially male friendship, a subject not commonly featured in many novels.

The weekly meetings of this group, and their respective artistic, as well as personal challenges, are a great vehicle for Sally Page to explore the nature of creativity, and how therapeutic and beneficial it can be, which in turn prompts you, as the reader, to consider your own creative outlet.

With its north Norfolk coastal setting, this novel delivers a huge sense of place. It has really beautiful descriptions of the seascape, the skies, the light, and of course the sands and the beaches, populated by huge populations of seabirds, some who are native, some migratory.

This evocation of the natural world and the birdlife in particular, reflects important aspects of the novel, as the storyline explores both the definition of home, and the make up of the people in the art group, and the wider local community.

Just like the local birdlife, some people are confirmed homebirds. Some have arrived from other places - both home and abroad - and settled there, and some are seasonal migrants, natural travellers, passing through en route to other places.

How home is defined is a big consideration for some of the characters, especially Jon, who has a decision to make, and has to ask himself:
'Is home a place or a person?...Is home a place or people?'

With its themes of the transformational, life-enhancing power of friendship and creativity, as well as love, loss and second chances; a dash of Synaesthesia; and a sprinkle of Shakespearian references; this is a thoroughly enjoyable, heart-warming, thoughtful and uplifting read. I loved it. Perfect for fans of Claire Pooley, Ruth Hogan and David Nicholls.

A really nice read. I liked all the characters and the way they came together to support each other. Highly recommended.

Six Little Words by Sally Page is a slow burner. It took me a little time to become engaged with the story but gradually Kate, Bardy and the rest of the characters took hold of me. A diverse group of people comes together to develop their creativity with a view to entering a local competition. But that's not really what the book is about. There's very little plot in fact; rather it is an exploration of the characters: their creative natures but also their choices and relationships.

A fantastic read, ' to be or not to be' those are the six little words appearing on a small card in Luigi's cafe in Norfolk

Kate, who had set aside her aspirations of becoming a painter years ago. Each subsequent day brings a new line from a different Shakespeare play, sparking intrigue among the café's patrons. Among them is Bardy, a retired English teacher facing writer’s block. Together, Kate and Bardy trace these literary breadcrumbs, leading them to a community group that encourages individuals to rediscover their creative passions. For Kate, this journey offers a chance at renewed happiness, contingent on Bardy finding the courage to share his own story.

A delicious story of love and relationships among a group of strangers doc's certain age who become friends.
Jon Shakespeare, nicknamed Bardy, is a retired teacher who is trying to come to terms with his wife and adult sons being in the other side of the world in New Zealand. His best friend Lou runs a cafe in their home town in North Norfolk. Bardy has a secret, he some times sees people as a colour. Lou's late wife, Tina was a warm Mediterranean orange.
Barry and his wife, Hana, fostered children. In particular Tay has stayed close to Hardy and Lou. Realising that Bardy is struggling she suggests that he organise a group for people wanting to do something creative - painting, writing, sculpture - with a view to entering their creation in the MACKL award for amateur art.
Kate wants to try oil painting, Pia thinks she might make a quilt like those from her native Denmark and Bardy intends writing a short story.
Add Leonard and Linda and, of course Lou and the group is formed. They will support and bolster each other, take in new members and help their friends to come to terms with grief and loss.
This is a beautifully warm story set in a wonderful part of the country. The wide skies of Norfolk and the marsh land with it's waterfowl and wildlife is vital to the books characters and thus to the reader.

I loved reading this book, as I have all Sally Page books. It's like a hug in page form, that lets you sink into a somewhat nicer world full of considerate and genuine people.

Page's books are always full of humanity and unashamedly hopeful, which is refreshing. I've read them all and really enjoyed every single one.

In Six Little Words Kate, one of the main characters, is getting used to life after dealing with the impact of breast cancer treatments for a number of years. Noticing a sign in her local cafe - 'To be, or not to be' - she's intrigued. Over time a number of other Shakespeare quotes appear, and it transpires that the ad is for a local arts workshop run by retired teacher Jon Shakespeare, a man who taught Kate's daughters.

She goes along to the group's first meeting with a number of others , and in the course of getting more confident in her painting we discover some traumatic episodes from her past that have left her full of guilt.

The book is largely about the value of friendship, of being open to other people, and accepting people for who they are. Page is great at creating convincing and inviting settings, in this instance with the waters around Norfolk as the backdrop. It's a cosy yet invigorating environment that made me want to live there.

Through the arts group we meet the other characters, including Pia, a Danish lawyer grappling with loneliness and a lack of a sense of fitting in, and Linda and Leonard, an older couple. I especially liked the character of Linda. At first she appears to be a bit of a caricature - an older woman who loves baking and eating cake. But as the others learn more about her former life as a nurse, we see that there's a lot more to her than what she shows people on the surface.

Jon - or Bardy - is the other central character in the book. His wife left him a few years previously and he has been left unsure of himself, not knowing how he can not have realised that there were problems. A strong point of the novel is how both Bardy and Kate's insecurities and feelings of inadequacies manifest themselves.

Bardy for instance feels that he let Hanna, his ex-wife, down and 'wasn't enough' for her. He has blamed himself for the breakdown of the relationship seemingly without giving it a second thought. So a scene where his best friend Lou describes how his late wife had felt Bardy 'could do better' is really illuminating.

Bardy's long-lasting friendship with Lou, the Italian owner of the cafe, is really well written, as is his relationship with Tay, a young woman whose mother he once helped to foster. But it's his burgeoning feelings for Kate that steal the show in the book.

I think many (if not all) of Page's books have a central character who is grappling with issues from their past, and part of them becoming happier usually involves a developing romantic relationship. I have thought that maybe this is a problematic message - implying that in order to be happier, people must find a partner.

Yet at the same time, there's no doubt that it is nice to read about likeable characters finding someone who makes them happy and it's quite nourishing to read about positive romantic relationships in fiction. This book was the most overt in pushing the 'love story' element of the story to the fore, and a couple of times I found myself almost rushing ahead to find out what would happen with Kate and Bardy! That the story has the power to suck in the reader like that is a testament to how skilled Page is at creating characters.

Six Little Words is an uplifting and heartening novel, and is the perfect thing to lose yourself in. I will be recommending it, and thanks very much to Netgalley for the access.

Six Little Words - Sally Page due for publication 28 August 2025

A book of new friendships, love, creativity and hearts that are broken healing through the power of friendship.

A group of very different people meet to enter an art competition led by a retired art teacher Brady. But the group becomes much more, weaving each characters story into the pages using Shakespeare quotes and colourful landscapes of the North Norfork coast. Friendships grow troubles are shared and solutions found.

I loved each character and their stories. They were drawn so well I could picture them all. I wanted Noy the greyhound in Brenda's jokey knitted outfits to come and sit beside me. I wanted spikey Tay as my friend and caring Linda when I was feeling burdened and unwell. I wanted to know what colour Brady with his Synesthesia saw me surrounded by.

An uplifting read that made me smile and shed a few tears especially when we hear about Kate's relationship with her sister.

A quietly beautiful read.

Thanks to Netgalley for a pre publication copy.

Oh, I loved this so much. It was so sweet, and sad, and funny.
Mysterious Shakespeare quotes appear on a cafe notice board. They bring our group of characters together.
I loved the friendships that developed. The use of creativity and colour really enhanced it.

I adored this book and the story it told about friendship , pushing yourself out of your comfort zone to take on new adventures and I love how the author has such a way with telling stories and I have recommend this book to all my friends I also loved all the Shakespeare quotes in this book

If you have read Sally previous books you going to love this one

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for this review

If you are looking for an emotional pick-me-up then you can always really on a Sally Page novel and "Six Little Words" is no different. An unlikely band of characters are drawn together and form an art club. Each has their own story as to why they are there and this is explored in the heart-warming novel. It's like a big hug in a book form.

Well she’s done it again!

Kate has had a tough life - battling illness, grieving her sister, raising her kids after her husband left her for a younger model. Her kids have now flown the nest, can Kate find the happiness she’s been missing?

Sally Page truly has a talent for writing people, her characters are always interesting, funny, so incredibly loveable - but also complex and flawed and often struggling with their past. Every time I read one of these books I’m so fully invested, and this was no different.

This book was just so lovely - I adored the characters, loved the descriptions of the scenery and couldn’t wait to see what happened next for each of our characters. Whilst we had a main character to root for, there were so many little relationship nuances to see develop, and I felt like I was smiling for most of this book. The banter was wonderful, but there were also some really deep and heartfelt moments.

Uplifting, funny, heartfelt and feel-good - I will be recommending this to all my reader friends!

I've read the other books by the author so was excited for the new one. The characters are always so good and you feel as if you are there with them. Kate was trying to find her place and happiness at a time in her life where who she is becomes harder to define. A mother but with no children still at home is a hard time and having also recovered from ill health which makes you think.

You were rooting for Kate to find her happy and bring others along with her.

Lovely read.

A love story, set in Norfolk. An orange card on a notice board in a café – six words – “To be or not to be”.

Kate was curious – what did it mean? Kate lived on her own in a cottage, divorced, getting over cancer and grieving for a life she once had. She thinks about the words on the notice board in the café – “To be or not to be” and wonders how it could relate to her life and happiness.

Bardy and Luigi, friends since their school days, living in the same village since they were eight years old. Bardy is grieving for a wife who left him and Luigi a grieving widower, often get together for quiet chats.

Soon more words appear on the orange card in the café and more people become intrigued. This was about a small group of lonely people coming together to develop their artistic talents and enter a competition designed to help people with mental wellbeing.

I loved the way these people get together to develop their talents in arts, writing, craft and other hobbies, gradually helping each other with grief and loneliness. This was about friendship, families and secrets.

Kate and Bardy tell their story each with a different point of view. Lots of interesting quotes on love and mentions of the writings of Shakespeare throughout.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher HarperCollins for a chance to review this E-Book. Opinions are completely my own.

This was a really lovely read. Shakespeare references, well constructed characters who were credible and likeable (mostly) and great insights into friendship, confidence and community. Lots of laugh out loud moments too. The development of the storyline and the relationships was well done resulting in an engaging read. Four and a half stars from me for this one

Having greatly enjoyed Sally’s Page’s heart-warming previous novels, I was delighted to be granted a digital ARC of her latest work, for which I wish to thank NetGalley and the publishers. All the previous ingredients that make Sally Page’s novels so readable are here: two protagonists at the crossroad of their lives, a chance meeting, broken dreams that can be rescued … Set in the realms of art, drama, and Shakespearean literature, and with believable, likeable characters at its core, this book retains all the magic and good storytelling that put its predecessors head and shoulders above other ‘feel good’ novels – do read Six Little Words when you can!

I did enjoy this book though I think I hoped for more with the Shakespeare theme (I am an English teacher so maybe my expectations were too high).
I liked the characters and though there seemed to be a lot of them, they were so different it was easy to remember who was who. I would have liked to delve into some of their lives a little more. The main characters, Bardy and Kate had a lot going on but this did add to the story.
I did think from the blurb that there would be more of a mystery aspect to this, but this seemed to be solved pretty much straightaway.
On the whole, an enjoyable light-hearted read
4⭐️

Loved this book.
It was so enjoyable to read, great characters with life experiences that felt real.
How a little card on a noticeboard with a Shakespeare quote led to a diverse group of people together, making new friends.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It took a little time to get into the story and understand the characters but I found it a heartwarming. The descriptions of the area were really good and the characters engaging, I recommend reading this wholeheartedly.

To be or not to be..., this quote appears on a poster in Luigi's cafe, Kate is drawn to it - what can it possibly mean? One by one others are drawn to the same notice joining a group at the local community centre encouraging people to rediscover their creative spark. The motley crew go on to encourage and support one another.
A beautifully told story of relationships in later life.

Really enjoyed this book and the community it brought about. A really lovely heart warming story. Highly recommend.