Published By: Boldwood
Pages: 208
Released On: 08/05/2026
Dot Brightmore has never been one for lists. But now she’s been given one of her own, by the love of her life, with whom she’s finally been reunited. Dot’s list has just two words on it:
- Marry me
The problem is, Dot can’t get married. Because what Dot hasn’t yet told anyone is that she’s still married. To a man she hasn’t seen in years.
But her beloved Mabel isn’t a woman who can be stopped easily. After all, her own last list helped her find Dot again. So now – together and with all the other friends they’ve met along the way – they have to find a way for Dot to answer ‘yes’ to the question on her very first list…
*****
Thanks to Laura for sending me a copy of her new book in return for an honest review.
This is a sequel The Last List of Mabel Beaumont, which is my absolute favourite of Laura’s books (and I’ve read them all bar 2, but I do own those 2). When reading Mabel, I don’t remember thinking it needed a sequel, but now it feels so obvious and I want sequels to everything.
I haven’t read Mabel for three years and I was concerned I would forget what happened in it, but I was straight back in. She’s not given us a complete breakdown of what happened in Mabel, I don’t think it’s necessary, but there are hints to it. But you could still read this as a standalone and get a lot of enjoyment out of it.
Mabel is as beautiful as ever and now we have more of Dot, she’s just the same. They’re opposites in so many ways but they feel so right together, there’s this connection of love and friendship that is so warming.
I will never stop shouting about Laura’s books, to the point where I worry I’m going to come across as a bit obsessive. But I’m not sorry about how passionate I am about her work. Her stories are so original, never overwhelming, they’re happy but honest, heartwarming but sometimes heartbreaking, magical and mundane (in the best way) with absolutely gorgeous characters of all ages, who have been through stuff that every reader can relate to. I haven’t read one that’s been less than five stars yet. I always know I’ll love her books and she remains my favourite author and she deserves to be everyone else’s go-to for uplifting fiction.
I love how positive it is. Who says that just because you’re in your 80s you’re too old for love, for travelling, for new adventures? It shouldn’t be a barrier for the things and people you love the most.
At the crux of it, this story is about love. “Traditional” love as it were, but also LGTBQ love, lost loves, missed loves, forgotten loves, love out of convenience, love out of choice, denied love, love for our friends and family, love for our pets and our community, and just a love for life. I think that’s missing for a lot of people – me included – so it’s been so warming to read this.
Oh how I cried. I won’t say if it was out of joy or sadness for fear of spoilers but I found it very moving.
It’s a properly gorgeous, uplifting, smiley, but very honest story about life and love and ageing and regrets and promises. She’s got the perfect balance between sickly sweet and being morose. She’s not hidden the darker aspects, particularly because Mabel and Dot are in their late 80s. But she’s wrapped everything up in a great big cuddle, exactly what I’ve come to expect from her books.
I devoured it in one afternoon, I just couldn’t put it down. It is as perfect as I wanted, needed, and expected it to be.
Books By Your Bedside 