This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page

Twelve stories. Twelve months. Once chance to heal her heart…

When Tilly Nightingale receives a call telling her there’s a birthday gift from her husband waiting for her at her local bookshop, it couldn’t come as more of a shock. Partly, because she can’t remember the last time she read a book for pleasure. Mainly, because Joe died five months ago…
The gift is simple – twelve carefully chosen books from Joe, one for each month, to help her turn the page on her first year without him.
And so begins a reading-inspired journey that takes Tilly around the world; from bustling sidewalks in New York and the tree-lined avenues of Paris to the tranquil Tuscan countryside and the white sands of Bali. With the help of the bookshop owner, Alfie, Tilly starts to discover who she is now, after Joe.

But can Tilly’s year of books show her how to love again?

My thoughts:

Thank you to Viking Books for the opportunity to have an early read of This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page. I’ve loved reading Libby’s previous books but this is now my favourite. I was swept up in this beautiful and emotional book over the weekend. Tilly’s journey through the grief of losing Joe is aided by the year of books designed by Joe and curated by her local bookshop where the bookseller has his own experience of grief to deal with. 

This story is a reminder that we all deal with grief in our own way, and that everyone has their own journey to navigate. Our friends and family will try to help us but might make mistakes along the way just because they want to help. Can the 12 books and the bookshop help Tilly move forward?

I also love how the book is filled with recommendations for books related to different topics – I think I’ve read about a third of them so I now have a new reading list to work through in 2026.

This emotional (may need tissues when reading) book will be published on Thursday 29 January in hardback and ebook formats. I’ll be adding five stars to my reviews and recommending that everyone reads it.