Guest post written by Love Walked In author Sarah Chamberlain
Sarah Chamberlain is a writer, editor, and cookbook translator whose articles have appeared in VICE, The Guardian (UK), Food52, and McSweeney’s Internet Tendency. When she’s not writing witty, sexy contemporary romance, she enjoys making dinner for her friends and family, watching Cary Grant movies, and setting records as an amateur competitive powerlifter. Originally from Northern California, she lives in London.

About Love Walked In (September 2nd 2025): A sunshine American bookstore whisperer clashes with the grumpy British owner of the shop she’s trying to save in this winning opposites-attract romance for book lovers.

It’s been a very hot summer here in London, and I hope you’re looking forward to cooler, cozier days as much as I am. In my second novel, Love Walked In, I tried to capture London in winter, both the not-so-ideal things about it (darkness at 4pm, gray skies, slush), but also all the things I love about this time of year. So come with me as I visit the best parts of Love Walked In’s London.

Here’s what I’m envisioning: a cold, bright day, the kind where I need to wear both a wool coat and sunglasses. The city looks particularly gorgeous on a day like today, every building glowing and edges crisp. I have my hot drink of choice in hand, of course, either an oat milk flat white or a hot chocolate.

First, I’d stop by Waterstones on Gower Street in Bloomsbury. This bookstore has Gothic turrets with window seats and endless nooks and crannies, and was the biggest inspiration for Ross & Co., the fictional bookstore in Love Walked In. I also drew inspiration from the luminous and elegant Daunt Books in Marylebone and the cozy, jam-packed John Sandoe Books in Chelsea. 

After a good browse through the stacks, I think my sweet-toothed MMC Leo would be craving a treat, so I’d pick up a slice of chocolatey babka or a bun packed with pistachios and sour cherries at Honey and Co Daily on Store Street.

Now for a walk down Charing Cross Road, to pay tribute to Love Walked In inspiration 84, Charing Cross Road. This street used to be London’s bookselling hub, and while there aren’t nearly as many bookstores as there used to be, you can still enjoy wandering through Foyles, Henry Pordes, and the antiquarian bookstores on Cecil Court, which are full of incredible collectible books. 

A stroll down through Covent Garden, and I’d reach the Courtauld Gallery – the best small gallery in London, and one of the inspirations for Mari and Leo’s museum visit in the book. If you want a perfect hour of looking at great art, this is the place for you. For me, visiting the Impressionist paintings here is like hanging out with old friends.

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Now for a trip across town to east London, where my characters really fall in love. The area around London Fields in Hackney is hipster central, packed with great cafes and delicious bakeries. There are also eight different indie bookstores in a mile radius of the park, including three just on the main street, Broadway Market. The Broadway Bookshop is my favorite – a tiny space packed with all kinds of interesting books. I always find something here I didn’t know I needed!

I hop on the train to head to my last stop, Hampstead, where Leo’s family lives. This formerly bohemian neighborhood is now pretty fancy, with rambling brick houses and village-like streets. But the best thing in the neighborhood is free to everyone: Hampstead Heath. The Heath has 790 acres of park and forest and open space, and it is my absolute favorite place in London to go for a long walk. On a clear day like today, the view over London from Parliament Hill is unbeatable. 

If you can’t make it to London, here are some of my favorite books to transport you – I love them so much that all of them made an appearance in Love Walked In: 

  • Paddington – Michael Bond
  • Ballet Shoes – Noel Streitfeild
  • White Teeth – Zadie Smith
  • The Morning Gift – Eva Ibbotson
  • The Cazalet Chronicles  – Elizabeth Jane Howard

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