The Lost Ticket

Freya Sampson — 2022

Strangers on a London bus unite to help an elderly man find his missed love connection in the heartwarming new novel from the acclaimed author of The Last Chance Library. When Libby Nicholls arrives in London, brokenhearted and with her life in tatters, the first person she meets on the bus is elderly Frank. He tells her about the time in 1962 that he met a girl on the number 88 bus with beautiful red hair just like hers. They made plans for a date at the National Gallery art museum, but Frank lost the bus ticket with her number on it. For the past sixty years, he's ridden the same bus trying to find her, but with no luck. Libby is inspired to action and, with the help of an unlikely companion, she papers the bus route with posters advertising their search. Libby begins to open her guarded heart to new friendships and a budding romance, as her tightly controlled world expands. But with Frank's dementia progressing quickly, their chance of finding the girl on the 88 bus is slipping away. More than anything, Libby wants Frank to see his lost love one more time. But their quest also shows Libby just how important it is to embrace her own chances for happiness--before it's too late--in a beautifully uplifting novel about how a shared common experience among strangers can transform lives in the most marvelous ways.

Reviews

Jyc@joeesuuu

Jan 12, 2024

★★★ // this was a pleasant read and i almost always enjoy anything that has found family trope in it. i just think the storytelling could have been tighter, and the characters more fleshed out. while the central romance was sweet, i did think it was not as solidly built as i would have liked and the story did not fully explore the complications of the relationship they are getting into. i suppose it was trying to cover more than it could handle, so the result is a bit all over the place. still, what made this enjoyable for me was the spark of hopefulness every now and then, the idea of finally standing up and deciding for yourself, and the miracle of knowing that you have, in one way or another, affected someone’s life even in the most brief encounters.

gie@evajacks

Jan 7, 2024

best friends are soulmates too and i absolutely adored this book. at first it was a bit slow but as soon as the pace caught up it was so heartwarming to read. there’s /that/ thing of the plot i didnt loved but it was such nice ending after all. anyway love the friendships and romance in the whole book. 🥺

indri@inclri

Jan 5, 2024

everything in this book feels very Well That Escalated Quickly and not in a good way. such a shame because it actually has a promising plot 😐

big ab@snapitsabbey

Jan 2, 2024

** spoiler alert ** lots of cliches, just wasn’t my thing, throws up once? pregnant with another man’s baby. i really don’t like books when the main character is stupid and consistently makes poor decisions and i had a hard time believing a pregnant 30 year old woman would be okay with not having a job, not having any money, and not having a placing to live. also, so many odd side characters that i’m supposed to remember??? the ending was better but it was just not my thing.

Megan BV@megplantparm

Aug 3, 2023

What a beautiful book.

Petaco@didyousaytaco

Jul 15, 2023

I liked it, but I did not think the romance was good. It was a little sad but hopeful. I listened to this on audio so was surprised to see that the bus was not "ATA"! Lol. At times I was frustrated (view spoiler)[but the H stayed strong for me. I thought her family was pretty awful to her. I thought Dylan did not act or talk like a man pushing 30. It's weird, because he behaved like a teen. Maybe these are parts of British culture that I don't know?? I also liked how not everything was spelled out, so it allowed for tiny twists in the story. (hide spoiler)]