Aging artist Julian Jessop often wonders what the world would be like if everyone didn’t always feel the need to pretend to be someone that they weren’t. One day, he decides to find out: he writes about his life in a small green notebook and leaves it in a local café for its owner Monica to find. Monica reads Julian’s story and then writes about her own life and how lonely she is. She leaves the book at the wine bar across the street for someone else to find and write in. With this plot device, we meet six different characters who are brought together into a kind of found family. This is a funny, heartwarming novel for readers who could use a pick me up, as well as a solid book club selection.

Try it if you liked: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce, or A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman.

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