This review was originally posted on Star Crossed Reviews I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. This is the first book I have read by Lauren. Our main character is Gwen. She decides to volunteer at a charity shop while figuring out what to do with her life. As the chapters progress we learn more about Gwen and her past. Gwen has a lot of unresolved grief and generally feels a bit lost. She’s not at the same life stage as her friends and that can make it hard to maintain friendships. At times I found Gwen hard to bond with but she was a generally likeable character.

The story is intertwined with snippets about certain items that end up at the charity shop. We get a little of their history and these are cleverly woven into the other characters in the story. These little snippets really make you think about what happens to items after we fill our bags and leave them at the charity shop. I really liked this element of the book.

For me, this book was quite a slow burner. It is peppered with witty stories, especially the clock one, and heartfelt moments. I found this to be an enjoyable escape from the world around me.