The 24-Hour Café

by Libby Page

Welcome to the café that never sleeps. Day and night Stella's Café opens its doors for the lonely and the lost, the morning people and the night owls. It is many things to many people but most of all it is a place where life can wait at the door. A place of small kindnesses. A place where anyone can be whoever they want, where everyone is always welcome.

Meet Hannah and Mona: best friends, waitresses, dreamers. They work at Stella's but they dream of more, of leaving the café behind and making their own way in life.

Come inside and spend twenty-four hours at Stella's Café; a day when Hannah and Mona's friendship will be tested, when the community will come together and when lives will be changed...

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Chick Lit, Adult, Friendship, Womens Fiction

407 pages, Hardcover

First published January 23, 2020

About the author

Libby Page previously worked in marketing, moonlighting as a writer. She graduated from The London College of Fashion with a BA in Fashion Journalism before going on to work as a journalist at the Guardian. THE LIDO is her first novel. It was pre-empted within 24 hours of submission for six figures in the UK, pre-empted for six figures in the US, and will be published in 2018 by Orion UK and Simon & Schuster US, followed by eleven other territories around the world.

Libby has been a leading campaigner for fairer internships and has spoken on TV and in parliament in support of fair pay for interns. Libby has been writing from an early age and when she was 16 she wrote an illustrated book called Love Pink to raise money for Breast Cancer Care.

After writing, her second passion is outdoor swimming. Libby lives in London where she enjoys finding new swimming spots and pockets of community within the city.

Reviews

[Ceecee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

I really enjoyed The Lido and so looked forward to reading this one. Although I enjoyed aspects of it there are sections that I don’t feel work as well as others. Hannah and Mona are friends. Hannah is a wannabe singer and Mona is a dancer and as both of them struggle to find jobs they both work long hours in the 24 hour cafe. Here their lives briefly touch on their customers, many of who put on a ‘jolly good show’ hiding their problems as many people do and using the cafe as a haven. We get a snapshot of their lives and I really like this part of the book and find this concept intriguing.

The cafe setting in London is very colourful with characterful chefs Pablo and Aleksander overseen by Ernest the large stuffed bear! Great image! The backstories of some of the characters are really interesting such as flat broke student Dan whose life is given a much needed boost via a random act of kindness from another customer, Joe and Haziq whose relationship is threatened by immigration law and Monique who is a struggling first time mum. You could picture the busy cafe really easily as the customers poured in during the day and you get a real feel for cosmopolitan London.

However, these intriguing vignettes are scattered between the storyline of Hannah and Mona’s lives and there is some repetition which seems unnecessary and I didn’t find parts of their stories very interesting. Mona is likeable but Hannah does not come across as well as she acts selfishly at times especially to Mona.

Overall, it’s a really good premise with parts that I enjoyed very much and others that were less appealing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orion for the ARC.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best friends Hannah and Mona both work at Stella’s Café the café that never shuts. Many of the customers that pop into Stella’s are regulars and then there are a few that are simply just passing by. After a while you start to know the faces of the regulars and in time you get to know a little bit about them.

This story is mainly told from Hannah’s point of view and some of the customers she gets to know. This is where the story gets very interesting and you just want to keep turning the pages to find out more about these people. Their stories will truly draw you in and you will find you are emotionally invested without realizing it.

This book took me by surprise as it was far better than I imagined it to be and I’m so glad I decided to read it. For some reason I thought I would become a little bored with this book, but it was quite the opposite and I found that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly recommended.

[Miriam Smith (A Mother’s Musings) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welcome to Libby Page’s ‘“The 24-Hour Cafe”, where night and day, communities come together and lives are changed.....
Having not read the author’s previous book “The Lido” but hearing good things about it, I knew this book would be just as entertaining. Straight from the start I was invested in Stella’s Cafe and Hannah and Mona the main waitresses there. I liked how the chapters were written, with ongoing customers coming in and their own individual stories told, then switching to either Hannah or Mona’s narrative, reflecting on their friendship and revisiting their own pasts, emotions, boyfriends and missed careers opportunities. Each chapter flowed onto the next and although it’s probably unrealistic, that so many people entered the cafe with a story worth telling, this still did make for me a light hearted and entertaining read. A novel like this one could easily go on for ever, new waiters/waitresses, new customers, changing seasons and weather but how the author concluded the story was apt and left you to your own conclusions for the future of the cafe.
This is very much a ‘people watching’ story and if like me, you have a natural thirst to know what’s going on around you, then this book is for you. However, if people constantly pass you by without noticing them you may find the cafe a bit tedious and drawn out. Personally, I loved it and would happily visit “The 24-Hour Cafe” for a cappuccino, a slice of cake and a relaxing snoop on other people’s lives, without hopefully divulging mine!

4 stars

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wanted to like this but didn’t

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘The Lido’ ( previous book ) was fab and so my expectations of this book were high, maybe unfairly so..

Firstly have to say I love the authors fascination with people and also London and how she mixes these 2 things up and writes books on them, clever and living here her observations are spot on

The book is all about the ‘24-Hour Cafe’ but surprising to me it focused more on the staff than the customers and the staff’s previous lives ( went back and forth, past and present with staff and customers ) and at times the customers almost seemed an ‘added thing’, they and their stories felt rushed and we only got a bare minimum with some, my fav customer was Dan who decided to spend all night there ( a through no fault of his own homeless Uni student ) and how a chance meeting with a crossword lover insomniac changed his life!

Mona and Hannah are the 2 main waitress characters, both insipid at times and and prone to rehashing their stories of old, a lot of the book is about their friendship and it does get waring

I did though love the idea of the cafe and pictured it as the now gone wonderful ‘Piccadilly Cafe’, anyone who remembers it will see the formica tables and waiters in their whites and the wonderfully normal
but comforting menu and pics and autographs of all the famous people on the walls within

I quite enjoyed it all told, not anything like I had expected it to be but had elements of a great read and the ending, well I LOVED the ending!!

7/10
3.5 Stars

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping to love this book as much as I did The Lido, but sadly I didn’t. It’s a nice easy read following friends Hannah and Mona over a 24 hour period in the cafe that they work and having a glimpse into the lives of some of their customers. I felt it took some time for the story to build and once it did, it just petered out afterwards.

[Kira · Rating 2 out of 5]

MILD SPOILERS AHEAD

15 THOUGHTS WHILE READING THE 24-HOUR CAFÉ
1. I’m loving the sound of this cafe
2. OVER 400 PAGES FOR A CONTEMPORARY WOW
3. I’m 20% of the way through and nothing’s really happened yet
4. Everything Hannah does reminds her of some memory 😂
5. Oooo it annoyed me that she took those £50 notes!!!
6. Hmmm pancakes!
7. 50% of the way and nothing’s happened
8. I don’t really like Hannah
9. So many characters and perspectives
10. Aw the old couple are so cute
11. A YEAR LATER?
12. So Hannah just left the same day Mona told her she was moving?
13. Aw Dan works there
14. Think it would be a good ending if Mona didn’t turn up
15. They’re friends again


I thought I was going to enjoy this books, it had so much potential! I loved the café setting and all the people watching and how everyone has a completely different story which was a perfect way to bring so many important issues into a book such and homelessness and postnatal depression but I just found the book boring, nothing happened. At the start I thought we were going to follow Dan but soon realised that wasn’t the case. I thought all the different character, while was a good idea, was just too much and there was too many memories that I found, especially with Hannah, who had one every 2 minutes, wasn’t necessary especially as it would be explained what happened and then we’d have to go through it again in a flash back and then one we were in Mona’s P.O.V. We’d have to go through it all again. I wanted to love this book but I just didn’t, it really wasn’t what I thought it was going to be and I think over 400 pages for a contemporary, especially one like this, is a lot 📖

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever had that feeling where you just want to climb inside a book and live there? That's how I felt about The 24-Hour Café, a delightful, heartwarming story that warmed my insides like hot chocolate on a cold day.

The story takes place over twenty-four hours at Stella’s, a London café that has a style all of its own, sharing glimpses of the lives of two of its waitresses, best friends Hannah and Mona, and some of its customers. Over the course of the day we get to know these people, see what they’re going through, what matters to them and how their interactions with each other affect their lives, some in ways they don’t expect. It is a story about life, love, friendships, dreams and heartache. We see people at their best and their worst, when they are at their happiest and when their life is falling apart.

At the centre of the story is Hannah and Mona. The friends both live and work together, the café providing them with flexible conditions perfect for continuing to chase their dream careers - Hannah of being a singer, Mona of being a dancer. They’ve always been more like sisters than friends but this past year, things have changed and they’ve grown apart. Can they fix their problems or are things broken forever? That question is underlying over the course of the book and I was so invested in these characters that I was rooting for things to be fixed.

I devoured this book in under twenty-four hours and just couldn’t put it down. It was an easy but immersive read, with interesting characters that felt real and relatable. I immediately cared about Hannah, our first narrator, and felt the same about each character as they were introduced. I loved the different stories the author created for each narrator and how she made me genuinely care about them individually. The writing was uplifting and alluring, transporting me to this world that felt real, the vivid descriptions of Stella’s making me want to hop on a train to London and go there.

The 24-Hour Café snuck in at the very end of the year to take a place in my top books of 2019. It is a book that manages to be quietly understated and dazzling at the same time and I predict this will be on everyone’s must-read list in 2020. If you’re looking for a delicious, captivating and touching read, this is the book for you.

Thank you to Orion books and Netgalley for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hannah and Mona are best friends, living and working together; both part time waitresses in Stella’s Café, a 24 hour café opposite London’s Liverpool Street station. An area I know well as I commuted in and out of that station for over 15 years. Stella’s café is well described with its eclectic style of decoration and I got a real sense of place for both the cafe and the location. Both women have ambitions of a different life – Hannah wants to be a professional singer, whilst Mona dreams of a life on the stage as a dancer – they are just waiting for their big break but in the meantime, waitressing pays the bills.

Over a 24 hour period, with both of them doing a double shift, the story shifts firstly from Hannah’s perspective and then from Mona’s; we discover how they first met and what their friendship means to both of them and how it can be tested, their backgrounds, their dreams and aspirations, whilst all the time the café welcomes a myriad of customers; some are mentioned in passing, others in more detail – such as Dan the young homeless student, grieving after the loss of his mother, the elderly couple about to go on their honeymoon and the couple whose relationship is about to ripped apart by immigration laws. I really enjoyed these glimpses into other people’s lives and could happily have read more about each of them. There are those who don’t even come inside Stella’s, such as John, the Big Issue seller, who stands outside in all weathers treating everyone with respect, even when he is shoved out of the way and ignored or even shouted at by passing pedestrians.

This isn’t a short read but never did it feel too long or padded, the author pitched the pace just perfectly with characters that seem so authentic. Stella’s is not just somewhere to grab a coffee or a sandwich, for some it’s a refuge from the stresses of life, and both staff and customers see it as a welcoming space.

This is a story of love and betrayal, of friendship and disappointment, of never giving up on your dreams and the kindness of strangers, I very much enjoyed it and it has made me even more keen to read the author’s debut ‘The Lido’ – (I know, I must be the last person in the world who hasn’t read it!) Also it made me cry which I really wasn’t expecting.

[Dash fan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4☆ A Heart Warming and Uplifting Must Read!

I really enjoyed reading The 24-Hour Café
It's a slower paced read but flowed along perfectly. Definitely a book you can get lost in for several hours.

The 24-Hour Café is about Stella's based in London, the café that serves fish and chips, bangers and mash and American pancakes to Londoners and visitors at any time of day or night.

It's about two waitresses Mona and Hannah who work, live together and are best of friends. Working at the Café whilst still chasing their dreams to become a great musician and dancer, they need the Café job to help pay the bills.

But this is a Story that follows their shift at Stella's as they prepare to work a 24hour shift.
It's a wonderful insight into just how much people become to rely on the café for many different reasons. It really opens your eyes, that no matter your situation a warm place, a friendly face and a hot drink can make a difference to so many and often a refuge to those in need.

The 24-Hour Café is a heart warming and uplifting story ultimately about Friendship, being kind, supporting each other, community spirit, belonging and never giving up on your hopes and dreams.
I really loved the idea that you get 1 hour segments of the shift. It was relatable and really gives you an insight into what it's like to work 24hours with people from all walks of life and all kinds of needs.
The Characters are quirky and endearing, the plot relatable. I highly recommend reading this Gorgeous Book!

Thank you to Compulsive Readers Tours and Orion Publishers for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.



My Review is also on my Blog Website :-

https://dashfan81.blogspot.com/2020/0...

[Marjolein · Rating 2 out of 5]

I absolutely loved 'The Lido' and 'The Island Home' but unfortunately, this was not it. Even the writing didn't do it for me, which is a shame, because I usually really enjoy Libby's writing.

There were too many random characters I didn't care about, splitting up Hannah & Mona's story the way Libby did really didn't work for me, the flashbacks were mostly meh and not all of them added anything to the story... and the ending was rushed and it didn't make me feel anything. Maybe because I didn't give a sh*t about the characters in the first place. This is supposed to be another celebration of friendship, just like The Lido was, but this definitely didn't feel like one. At least, not to me.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would rate this one a 3.5. It didn’t quite live up to The Lido in my opinion but I still thoroughly enjoyed it and thought that it was a lovely, thought provoking and relatable story. Libby’s writing style is quirky and evocative and she has a real talent for making her characters likeable and really telling their story. I loved the setting of the story and the concept of not knowing what someone is going through or what their background story is. I did find the main character quite selfish and not entirely likeable in parts and if she had featured a little less than I’d have probably pushed my rating up to a 4. Overall an enjoyable read.

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

The bestselling author of The Lido has written a new novel, The 24-Hour Cafe. Even though I have yet to read Libby Page's début, The Lido, I was still expecting great things from this book and I was not disappointed.

Stella’s, a London café, has a style all of its own and is the place to go for customers wanting a coffee, a pancake or a bite to eat, shelter from the weather, or for some comfort. In this novel the author provides the reader with glimpses into the lives of some of the customers, however the main focus is on two of the waitresses working there. Hannah is a singer and Mona, a dancer, and over the course of a twenty-four hour period the reader is privy to their lives, histories, hopes and aspirations.

Libby Page's first-class writing cleverly picks up the customers' separate stories, too - many are snippets and observations, but in some, their exposés reveal greater detail, achieved by shifting the points of view, allowing them to tell their own stories. This could easily have resulted in a disjointed narrative, and for the book to become a succession of fragmented, rather disenchanting short stories, but the flow of the story is firmly rooted by the contributions from Hannah and Mona, and by the cafe itself, which is a character in its own right. There was abundant examples of some stunning characterisation by Libby Page throughout The 24-Hour Cafe and my favourite of these, apart from obviously, Hannah and Mona, was probably Dan, a homeless student struggling with life after the loss of his mother, experiencing the kindness of a stranger.

The 24-Hour Cafe is a magnificent tale about all different walks of life with friendship at its heart. Hannah and Mona are soulmates who understand each other but sometimes they make mistakes and the things that are stable and comforting can swiftly change. The book is powerful, heartbreaking and uplifting, and a perfect reading experience – I absolutely adored every moment of it.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel at my request, from Orion via NetGalley, and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

[Yuthika · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the structure of the narrative. Seeing perspective from different characters, and how life changes, depending on who is looking at it. And this was really my favourite thing about this novel. I also liked the evolution of the friendship between Hannah and Mona. But I felt the pacing could have been better. At one point, it got repetitive and I just wanted to skim through the pages. The ending, however, brought me back.. made it worth it.

[Dale Harcombe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed it but didn’t love it as I expected I would. But that could well be just me and all that is happening here. Plenty of other readers have loved it and written glowing reviews. So best, I suspect, to take no notice of me.

[Kasia Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a great read. It was written from the perspective of a few people and I thought the structure was very clever. Looking forward to reading more books by this author 😊

[Chloe (libraryofchlo) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

Stella's café is open 24 hours and is situated across from bustling Liverpool Street station in London. Across the course of the novel, we meet numerous characters who frequent the café during the 24 hour period, and ultimately our story concentrates on two waitresses who work there. Hannah and Mona are best friends and both aspiring creatives. Hannah dreams of being a singer, whilst Mona wants to be a dancer, and the pair work as waitresses to support the pursuit of their dream careers. We are privy to their experience in the café, but also witness flashbacks to the pair meeting, and to relationships that they forge outside of the café vicinity.

I really love The Lido and it was with anticipation that I approached the 24-Hour Cafe, but unfortunately I'm left feeling a tad dismayed. Whilst the cafe setting is colourful, evocative and inviting with an eclectic mix of characters all with unique personalities and backstories, I felt at times there were either too many sub-par developments or long-winded descriptions about other characters that I didn't have much interest in. I didn't feel like Hannah or Mona were particularly likeable and instead found myself warming to some of the secondary characters more than the protagonists. It is an easy novel to read, and one to delve in and out of as if you are a customer in the café and are people-watching those around you and imagining the stories behind their appearance and their order. It's ultimately meant to be a story about friendships, and chasing your dreams, but there's also an underlying theme of kindness and not judging something by its appearance as there's often deeper meanings.

The premise of the diner itself reminds me a little of Ellen's Stardust Diner which I visited on my trip to New York, which had an eclectic mix of customers and also hired aspiring creatives to run the kitschy decored café. If you’re looking for something easy and lighthearted to read, this is one for you but if you’d rather something warm and cosy, opt for the Lido instead!

[Nila (digitalcreativepages) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book which provided me shelter in its pages for a few hours just like the Café allowed weary travelers of life to rest in its warm interiors.

This was about Stella's Café which was run day to day by the waitresses Hannah and Mona, who not only provided warm food but also an ear to listen to the problems of their customers.

My first book by author Libby Page, she has beautifully depicted the emotions which were true to all of us. Loneliness and past dreams, forgotten lives and second chances were weaved into the story one thread at a time. The Café felt to be a beautiful oasis in life's problems.

I wished I had one such place where I could perhaps rewrite a new life for myself. The waitresses, Hannah and Mona, had their own ambitions; I loved how they anchored the book. The story was a day in the life of this Café, a snapshot of weary customers and their lives.

Libby's writing made these characters and their interactions relatable, especially Dan whom I had a soft touch for. A book of kindness where everyone was welcome. Indeed.

Overall, a quirky concept and a refreshing storyline with varied characters made this a fun weekend read.

[Monica Mac · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book!

Hannah and Mona are waitresses at Stella's, a 24-hour a day cafe in London. During their shifts, they see all sorts of people coming in and out, and this book does give a short snapshot of a few of the customers they get in. Everyone has a story, and some of them get told in here.

However, the book is about female friendship, and how important that actually is to women. A strong female friendship is something to treasure and never take for granted, and it is the sometimes rocky path that this friendship takes that is charted here.

I loved these two main characters. They are flawed people but they are strong and determined as well. One is a dancer, the other a singer. They are getting older though and competition for jobs in their industries is fierce. At what point do you give up on your dream? Do you do a bit of lateral thinking about how to make a living or do you keep on pushing on?

Such a gorgeous, complex tale. I loved every single part of it.

5 stars from me. Wish I could give it more! I just wanted to keep on reading....

Thank you to TBC and Orion :)

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would very much like to thank Orion Books for sending me a finished copy of The 24-Hour Cafe. I am so so honoured; all the views and opinions discussed here are my own.

Wow. Wow. Wow. I literally have no words about how amazing this book is. It is so different to The Lido and yet Libby's powerful and evocative writing really shines through just as much in this story as it did with The Lido. There is not one thing that I didn't enjoy about this book; I smiled, I laughed, and I sobbed until I had no tears left.

The main focus of this book is best friends Hannah and Mona who both work a double shift at Stella's 24 hour cafe. The book follows Hannah for her 12 hour shift and then Mona for her 12 hour shift, taking us across a day in the 24-hour cafe, and although Hannah and Mona are our focus, we get to meet a variety of individuals who encounter the cafe looking for love, escape, and maybe just a bit of peace.

I honestly cannot put into words how much I enjoyed this book and every single character that we explored, I have some favourites Dan, Monique, Joe and Haziq, and HARRY AND MARTHA of course, but Hannah and Mona are the stars of the show. My heart ached for them both with their friendship and I love that Libby put the focus again, on the powerful relationship that is friendship between two individuals who just connect from the get go and relish in that connection. Hannah and Mona are kindred spirits; they may not see eye to eye all the time and they may make mistakes and hurt each other, but ultimately, there is such a profound love between them.

I couldn't put this book down and as soon as I finished it, I wanted to pick it back up and reading it all over again. I was so satisfied with the way this book went; the pacing is so good and it builds up across the 24 hours so well. Each character is so well crafted and even if you only get a little snippet of them, you can vividly imagine them and why they sought solace in the cafe. I immediately fell entranced by Hannah and when Mona reveals she's moving to Paris you instantly feel for Hannah and understand her anger, and then we follow Mona for the next 12 hours and immediately you can empathise with her and why she's made this decision for herself, in spite of her friendship with Hannah. My heart went out to both of them because you can completely understand how both of them are feeling.

This book did almost gut me when we jump to one year later; I had to pause for a moment to take in the fact that we wouldn't see the fall out for Hannah and Mona, but having read the next few pages I definitely think it was the right decision... and that's not something I say often about time jumps. Even though we don't get solid closure for the girls, I am really happy with the way the book ends because you know they're on their way back to each other.

I do have one bone to pick with Libby though... Harry and Martha. How very dare you. I knew as soon as I saw Harry's name on his own that Martha was gone and I just stared sobbing. They were so happy and pure and in love and you just destroyed me 😂😂

This is such an amazing read. It is heartfelt and uplifting and joyful and honestly makes me want to go and work in a 24-hour cafe and people watch for the remainder of my days. Highly recommend you go and read this!!

[Nicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh this book made me cry! I don’t cry very often when I read, it’s got to be a book that really touches my heart and not just because it’s got a sad storyline.

This book really crept up on me, gently pulling at my heart as I flipped the pages on my tablet. I so enjoyed reading about Hannah and Mona and the customers at Stella’s 24 Hour Café. I loved all their stories, sometimes cringing, sometimes laughing, sometimes holding my breath as to what was going to happen next in their lives.

I loved the gentle pace of this quiet novel, that hooked me and kept me wanting more glimpses into the lives of the well drawn characters. They all felt like real people, with real lives, something that Libby Page is so good at creating. Stella’s felt so real, that I was planning my next trip to London in my head with a visit to the cafe! 😀

Towards the end, when more was revealed about the staff and customers, well that’s when the tears really came, making me reflect on my own life, about the decisions and the friendships I’ve made over the years. Sometimes we get happy endings and sometimes we don’t, but that’s life and that’s the beauty of Libby Page’s 24-Hour Café.

Highly recommended if you enjoy gentle contemporary novels, but be warned you’ll probably need a box of tissues nearby.

[Laura Geater · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it... Fast becoming a favourite author! A few little mis-edits noticed and a bit too much repetition on some plot lines but overall a very absorbing story, ready for the next one please

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I might pin my colours to the mast at outset on this one, particularly having noticed a few early reviews that surprised me by being a little lukewarm – I thought this book was quite wonderful. As you might guess from the title, the book is set over a 24-hour period, in a cafe – a double shift for two of the waitresses, first Hannah a waitress/singer, then Mona a waitress/dancer, close friends at a critical point in their relationship. The long shifts offer plenty of time for reflection – first for Hannah, then the primary point of view switches to Mona, and we get a rich insight into their pasts, the current state of their friendship, their hopes and dreams.

But cafes also have customers, constantly changing, and the book picks up their separate stories too – some are just glimpses, observation that goes no deeper, but some of their lives are exposed in greater detail by moving to their point of view, enabling them to tell their own stories. All human life is here, and there are some stories that capture your heart more than others. There’s Dan, a homeless student struggling with life after the loss of his mother, experiencing the kindness of a stranger; Harry and Martha, off on their honeymoon having found love in later life; Monique, at her wits’ end with post-natal depression; Joe and Haziq, their new relationship about to be torn apart by the immigration laws. The focus even moves outside the cafe, to John the Big Issue seller, pondering both his past and future.

It would have been easy for the book’s narrative drive to become fragmented, for the book to become a succession of rather dissatisfying short stories, but it’s firmly anchored by the flow of the story of Hannah and Mona, and by the cafe itself which becomes a character in its own right. The book opens with an exceptionally vivid piece of description, the cafe frozen in time, the scene set: it then follows the next 24 hours in its life, its staff and customers, the moments of drama (and boredom), the street outside, the changes in the light and the weather.

This is a substantial book at over 400 pages, but I’d have been happy had it been twice as long. The author’s writing draws you into the story, and you become part of it – and not as a mere people-watcher and observer, although that’s an obvious part of its appeal, but engaging in the main story as you debate whether you can sympathise with one of the friends more than the other (for me, the answer was no… I felt deeply for them both) and entering the hidden lives of the succession of customers.

The book’s themes are too many to list, every one quite beautifully handled, given appropriate weight, allowing you to engage at an emotional level. Some of those themes, and the way the stories expose them, are heart-breaking – and the continuing story of Hannah and Mona really worked to expose the fragility of love and friendship, the importance of emotional support. The book is powerful, heartbreaking and uplifting, one of those perfect reading experiences – and I absolutely loved every moment.

[Jodie Sheerin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I didn’t love this book, I can definitely understand why other people do. I think the main reason why I didn’t enjoy this book is because it’s not a genre I normally read and like. There’s nothing that I really didn’t like about this book, it’s just not the right book for me. I found it a bit slow going and struggled to find the motivation to keep reading. It took me surprisingly long to finish it. However, I fell in love with the characters and with the 24-hour cafe. I really like Libby Page’s writing, but I definitely enjoyed The Lido more than this one. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy this genre, which unfortunately isn’t me. Great book, just not the right one for me!

[Skyesmum · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was thrilled to be offered to chance to read and review this book as I loved The Lido by Libby.
Again Libby has mastered the art of watching people and writing it down so well that you can so easily visualise the scene. It was as though I was in the cafe with them.
There were several points of the story that were heartening and also a few that brought a lump to my throat.

All in all a good read that you could dip in and out of, one I would recommend.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Underbar och mysig om 24 timmar på ett café. Två vänner är huvudberättelsen men vi får också följa några av gästerna och deras berättelser. Vacker, sorglig och ja, livet liksom.

[Beth Sandland (Beth’s Book Club) · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at about 40% on Audible. I really enjoyed the Lido so was hoping for a similarly charming read but I just found this boring. It’s centred around a 24 hour cafe opposite Liverpool St Station, telling the stories of the different people who frequent it at all hours of the morning. As a premise, it’s interesting, but in execution it felt bitty and repetitive. The protagonist, Hannah, is a wannabe thirty-something singer working in the cafe to pay rent whilst wistfully hoping her performing career takes off. As a main character, she’s just not particularly interesting to read about.

[Joanna Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 24 Hour Café is an emotional, absorbing read which was very addictive and I often found myself trying to fit in a few more pages whenever I could.

Firstly I loved the fly on the wall view that I had of life in the café which made me feel that I was there watching everything unfold. It felt almost like people watching at times, which I always enjoy and I liked seeing all the different people who visit the café.

The story is told mainly from Hannah’s point of view but sometimes other important characters come into the spotlight which makes for very interesting reading as I learnt more about them. Some of the customers back story was very emotional and I often found myself wishing I knew them personally so I could offer help or at least a hug. I wished I could follow them for longer so I could see how things worked out for them. I always think it is a sign of some brilliant writing when you end up caring so much for the characters.

Overall I thought this was an easy read, with the style of the book just drawing the reader into the story. The back stories of the characters let me find out more about them and what made them tick. They soon began to feel like old friends and I felt very sad to finish the book and leave them, and the café, behind.

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Orion for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

[Lydia Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Lido was one of my favourite reads in 2018 so I was excited to buy the new one by Libby Page. Sadly it was disappointing but probably in part due to having too high expectations. The story is a good one but the writing seems disjointed & without the same depth of feeling for her characters that she portrayed in the Lido. Also there were too many ‘information dumps’ - pages and pages of background info on Hannah & Mona which did nothing to drive the momentum forward. It does improve as the book goes on & although I didn’t love the main characters I was invested in knowing how everything turned out for them. An average read but disappointing in comparison to her debut.

[Emandherbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

If, like me, you enjoy people watching in pubs/cafes etc then this is the perfect book for you.

Not only does it have two main characters that you’ll fall in love with it also shows us so many different people and snippets of their lives. Not only from their own perspectives but also from Hannah or Mona’s, I loved this element so much!

I also enjoyed the flashbacks and descriptions of past events to help set the scenes better.

I didn’t want this book to end at all. I was savouring every last page willing it to last longer, the last 15% or so of the book was just so wonderful. The completeness of the loose ends and the very last sentence.

Such a simple idea for a story but executed so brilliantly!