I did not expect to love this book as much as I did. Books about the Blitz and the Battle of Britain - fiction and non fiction- are my jam. Add in books to the story  and I knew it would be good. But I didn’t realize it would be one of those library books that I would end up buying for my forever shelves. I fell in love with the characters and the story of Gertie, a recent widow who is wondering if she should sell her bookshop in south London following the death of her beloved husband with whom she shared the 30-year dream of owning and operating their bookstore. Right at this time Gertie’s friend Charles persuades her to take in a 15-year old Jewish refuge girl from Germany.  Hedy gives Gertie a reason to move forward as she learns about living with a spirited and opinionated teenager while still operating the bookstore and caring for her sweet dog Hemingway. Meanwhile as the war begins the bookstore becomes a haven for the collection of neighbors who are looking for diversions  -Gertie and her bookish friends and customers form a book club when the bombs start falling and they spend so much time in the air raid shelter. This is a book about found family, the transformative power of books, the resilience of the British during the blitz- it is a heartwarming and inspiring story like the Kitchen Front or Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting. Five stars for sure.