Six Little Words by Sally Page

 

I loved the premise of this book, and having enjoyed several of Sally Page’s previous novels, I was really excited to dive in. Unfortunately, I struggled with the first 30% — it felt slow, turgid, and surprisingly hard to push through. But once it finally found its rhythm, the story picked up and I did start to enjoy it. The frustrating part is that the central idea is genuinely clever, and with a tighter edit this could have been a much stronger, more engaging read overall.

When Kate spots an orange card in a café window with the words “to be or not to be,” she’s instantly intrigued. A trail of similarly cryptic messages leads her to a creative group preparing entries for a competition. Kate joins with the hope of making new friends and rekindling her long‑neglected love of painting — even if she has no intention of submitting anything herself. Bardy, an ex‑English teacher wrestling with the collapse of his marriage and a stubborn case of writer’s block, is also part of the group. Around them gathers a wonderfully varied cast, each with their own backstory and creative spark. Before long, they form a close‑knit circle, supporting one another not just in their artistic pursuits but in the messy, complicated business of life too.

This is a novel with a genuinely clever core idea and some lovely moments of connection and creativity, but it’s held back by pacing issues that make the early chapters a real slog. Once the story finally gets going, there’s plenty to enjoy, yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that a tighter edit would have transformed it into something far more engaging. The heart of the book is strong — it just takes too long to shine.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8391166744