This Book Made Me Think of You

Tilly Nightingale is a Londoner whose husband Joe has died of cancer. A message from her local bookshop brings an unexpected birthday gift: a set of twelve books Joe chose before his death. There is one for each month of her first year without him, and every book is wrapped with a handwritten letter.

The story moves month by month through that year. When a new title is due, Tilly goes back to the shop. Alfie, the bookseller who keeps the parcels for her, becomes a steady presence in a life that has otherwise fallen apart.

The books draw her out of the house and toward reading-inspired trips, new friendships and a story she begins to share with other people. A private year of reading grows into something larger than her own loss.

This is a contemporary novel about grief, reading and slowly starting over. It is quiet and openly emotional, treats loss honestly and keeps hope in view. A gentle romance runs alongside the mourning, and the bookshop setting gives the book a warm feel toward independent booksellers.

The novel is Libby Page's sixth, published by Berkley in February 2026, and follows her earlier book The Lido. It was a USA Today bestseller and a BBC Radio 2 Book Club pick.