Published By: Lake Union
Pages: 365
Released On: 28/07/2026
Lilly-Bob loves her home by the River Thames in the heart of London. Throughout her childhood, it echoed with music and her father’s love, and for seventy years it’s been her sanctuary through a life well lived. These days, the familiar walls and treasured memories keep loneliness at bay.
But for months she’s been ignoring letters from a building developer, and now a compulsory purchase scheme threatens to take her home by force. Seventeen-year-old Lilly-Bob didn’t fear change, but present-day Lilly refuses to let go.
As the pressure builds, Lilly feels increasingly alone. But as her neighbours rally together, she finds herself drawn into the fold—making new friends, finding purpose, and glimpsing the possibility of something new.
Torn between the comfort of the past and the call of progress, Lilly-Bob must decide: is home made of bricks and mortar, or is it a place inside ourselves?
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I have got a few of Amanda’s other books but I haven’t yet read them, so I had no expectations going into it, it just sounded lovely. And the cover is beautiful.
It has a timeline that is mostly set in the present day, but interweaved between that are chapters following our main character Lilly from the ages of 6 to 31. I know some people can’t cope with the flitting back and forth of timelines, but when it’s done well I love it. I think it’s a really clever way of telling the story without trying to work in unnatural flashbacks.
Lilly is a wonderful protagonist. We meet her in her 70s, and as a child, teenager, and adult. She’s delightful at all ages but she really shines in the present scenes. She immediately felt like a surrogate Nan, but not a stereotypical old nan, but a hip, cool nan and I couldn’t wait to follow her story. She’s the main star and I loved her but the supporting cast were equally as great. Some were more likeable than others, but they all worked well against Lilly’s story.
Overall, it is a joyful, hopeful, uplifting story but it doesn’t shy away from the more difficult topics, and I think that’s to its strength. It feels more real and familiar because real life isn’t all sunshine and happiness. And the difficult topics make the happier moments shine brighter.
It’s heartwarming and cosy, sad but hopeful, serious but fun. It gives you a bit of everything and it has wonderfully written characters.
According to Google, the average page count of a fiction book is 200-350 pages, so the mid-point of that is 275 pages roughly. So this is above that page count but it is so easy to get lost in it that it just speeds by and I read it in a matter of hours.
It reminded me slightly of The Memory Keeper by Abigail Johnson which I have recently read. Two women who are seemingly backed into a corner in regards to destroying something that means so much to them.
It didn’t end quite as I thought it would but it was still a lovely ending. It’s not the most thrilling book but I don’t care. I wanted safety, a story I could lose myself in without worrying about some twist that throws everything up in the air. I wanted something I knew would keep me happy and uplifted, and that’s what I got. Some people may not be happy about that but for me that’s a strong point.
It becomes less about the housing situation and more about character, love, friendship, family, regrets, joy, and the future.
I will definitely be moving her other books up my TBR list because this was so enjoyable.
Books By Your Bedside 