The vintage shop: Another feel good story from Libby Page

Former journalist at The Guardian, British author Libby Page writes stories that make you feel good about humanity, with uplifting endings that champion the power of female friendships. Her books are a nice escape from my usual dark and disturbing reads. The vintage shop of second chances is the third novel I have read by Libby Page. See my review of The lido and The island home here.

The vintage shop of second chances | Published February 2023 | Read February 2024

There are three women at the heart of The vintage shop. Lou, is in her mid-thirties and loves 1950s clothing, so she opens a vintage shop in the Somerset town of Frome, having returned to her roots after the death of her mother. This is a fresh start for Lou and a huge risk, having given up her secure job in recruitment in Brighton. She meets Maggy, a 70-year-old recent divorcee who is looking for a new beginning. The vintage clothes in Lou's shop send Maggy down memory lane, to a time when she was decked out in Biba and Mary Quant, working in a clothes shop in London. Donna is 60 and lives in a small town in upstate New York. She likes order and routine, but some shock news about her origins sends her into a tailspin and into Lou and Maggy's orbit. Together, the three women help one another to find the answers they are seeking and set a course for the future.

The vintage shop is heartwarming, gentle, and assuredly optimistic, with all the feels one would expect from a novel of this genre. Is it predictable? Yes. Is it a little twee? Also yes. It is hard not to like it, though, as the three women are easy to fall in love with - they are decent, genuine humans. I liked the way the yellow dress that once belonged to Lou's mother tied the three women together and I enjoyed the trip back in time to the 1950s. It was also nice to see the three women find their place in life by making tough decisions but with unwavering support from one another.

Libby Page always writes well-fleshed out characters and thankfully keeps the romance light. She evokes a strong sense of place in her books; the descriptions of Frome in The vintage shop made me yearn to be back in England 😊. The island home is my favourite Libby Page book, but I still had a nice time reading The vintage shop. Give it a go, especially if you want to curl up with a heartwarming novel that makes you forget about reality for a few hours 💓.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐