This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page
This Book Made Me Think of You
Author: Libby Page
Genre: Fiction
Publish Date: February 2026
Read: June 2026
Story Synopsis: Tilly has been mostly sleepwalking since her husband Joe died, holding down a successful career on the outside while quietly falling apart everywhere else. Then, on her birthday, she gets a call from her local independent bookstore. Before he died, Joe arranged a gift for her. One book a month, for a year. Each one chosen specifically for her, because he knew her.
Why does this book beguile? I read this in two days. Two days. I have a life, I have a job, I have hobbies, the app, a life, and I read this book in two days because I could not put it down. Fair warning: you will cry. Happy crying, heartbroken crying, the kind of crying where you're not entirely sure which one it is anymore. I cried on and off throughout this entire book, and it was worth it.
What Libby Page does so well here is show how being deeply known by another person doesn't just disappear when they do. Joe couldn't be there, but his understanding of Tilly, what she needed to hear, what she was ready to face, what she still needed to be comforted by, shows up in every single book he chose. Each one pushes her or holds her in exactly the right way at exactly the right time. It's one of the most tender portrayals of a relationship I've read in years, and half of it takes place after one of the people is already gone.
It's also, without question, a book person's book. The love for independent bookstores, for the particular relationship between a bookseller and a reader, for what it means when someone hands you exactly the right book at exactly the right moment. If you have ever had a book change something in you, this novel will feel like being seen.
I have read a lot of books about grief. I have read a lot of books about love. I have never read one that wove them together quite like this, or one that made me feel so fiercely grateful for both.
Bookshop.Org Link*: This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page
Amazon.com Link*: This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page
