The Last Chance Library

Content warnings: loss of a parent, cancer, loss of a friend, estranged children, bullying

Small-town library assistant June fights to save her small library from closure.

June Jones' life has been on pause since her librarian mother died of cancer. She's still working at the library as an assistant and enjoys helping the locals who frequent it. When the local council announces that they plan on closing the library to save money, June is saddened for her community.

June does everything she can to help the library succeed but becomes even more worried when she uncovers a scheme to sell the library building to a major corporation. To save the library, June must uncover the plot and find hard evidence to present to the locals.

June's story takes several unexpected turns throughout, and eventually she learns that it's okay to take risks and embrace the twists and turns. June's story is an interesting one, but the novel fails to make the reader invested in her journey.

Freya Sampson is a former TV producer for the BBC. She lives in London.

Publisher: Berkley (print); Penguin Audio

Narrator: Nathalie Pownall

Running Time: 8 hours, 13 minutes

Length: 336 pages

Release Date: August 31, 2021

Representation: Asian side character, elderly side character, homeless side character, teenage side character, Middle Eastern side character

I received an electronic galley copy of this title from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I also received a digital audio recording of this title from Penguin Random House Audio as a librarian review copy. I read the latter edition.