Book Extract: The Book Lover’s Bucket List By Hannah Claire

Published July 18, 2026 | By Laura

I’m very excited to be welcoming Hannah Claire to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, The Book Lover’s Bucket List.

A bucket list to change her life.

Gabriella Brookes has spent years quietly loving Zach Osborne, knowing he only sees her as his best friend’s bookish little sister. He’s charming, successful, and only back in their Derbyshire village for the summer before his next big move.

When Gabby stumbles across her long-forgotten teenage bucket list, Zach proposes a deal: together, they’ll tick off her book-inspired challenges, if she helps him complete a few fun tasks of his own.

What starts as a perfectly sensible plan quickly turns into something far more complicated, when real life refuses to stay neatly tucked between the pages.

But as Zach’s past resurfaces and his future pulls him away, Gabby is forced to face a harder truth: dreams don’t come true if you only ever read about them.

Ticking off the challenges was meant to be easy.

Admitting what your heart wants is the real risk.

A cosy, small-town romantic comedy about courage, love, and rewriting your own ending.

Hannah has kindly shared an extract from The Book Lover’s Bucket List with us today. Find that comfortable reading spot, the refreshment of your choice and enjoy, as we head to Millbrook.

*****beginning of extract*****

It was late afternoon at Millbrook Library, and the only sounds were the hushed murmuring of voices, the turning of pages and the occasional clank from the ancient heating pipes. Gabriella Brookes cast her eyes over the display she was working on and gave it a nod of approval. Every summer they had a table for recommended holiday reads and, this year, Gabby was determined to make it bigger and better than ever. She adjusted the bucket and spade, sprinkled a little more sand around and reached for the large stack of books she had selected.

As far as Gabby was concerned, one of the best bits of her job managing the library was helping people find the perfect book for their current need or mood. For the summer Read Yourself Happy display, she had chosen novels set in far-flung and exotic locations, as well as sweet English villages beset by murders; some laugh-out-loud comedies and twisty, turny thrillers and, of course, a handful of swoon-worthy love stories with gorgeous romantic heroes. All novels you could relax with, and enjoy a much-needed break from reality. Too much reality was definitely a bad thing, Gabby decided, appraising the display.

‘Looking good,’ her colleague Ange called out as she walked over and joined Gabby at the table. ‘Perfect for the weather.’

She nodded to the large arched windows, which gave a great view of the rain lashing down on the usually bustling marketplace of Millbrook. The chocolate-box-pretty village high in the Derbyshire Dales was beset with heavy grey clouds, the trees around the square bending in the wind. The market was devoid of locals and tourists alike, everyone seeking refuge from the storm instead of browsing the stalls. The traders were huddled inside their coats trying to stay dry, though Gabby could see some of them packing up early, giving up hope of more shoppers when the weather was so terrible.

‘I love that you chose today of all days to do the holiday reads table,’ Ange went on. ‘It’s the worst weather we’ve had in weeks. We should be displaying blankets and hot water bottles, not seashells and ice cream.’

Gabby took a cuddly seagull from her box of supplies and sat it next to a stack of romantic comedies.

‘It’s the middle of June. There should be a bit of sun, at least. That’s why the display was on the list for this week.’

‘And if it’s on Gabby’s list, it has to happen,’ Ange teased. ‘Shame the weather didn’t get the memo. Though you know that sand will get everywhere, right? We’ll be hoovering it up from now until Christmas.’

Laughing, Gabby tucked a stray dark-blonde curl that had escaped from her ponytail behind her ear. She liked working with Ange. At thirty-nine, Ange was ten years older than Gabby, and while the two women were very different, they had bonded over their shared love of books. Ange was loud, confident, and liked to wear the brightest clothes she could find, with today’s rainbow-striped cardigan giving a welcome spot of colour in the murky, grey day. Gabby preferred more muted colours, her sensible dark skirt and cardigan making it easier to blend into the background.

She reached under the display table and took out a bulky item wrapped in a black bin liner. ‘I made this last night. I thought it could go at the front of the table, with the books around it. What d’you reckon?’

Gabby unwrapped the sandcastle she had built by gluing together old cereal boxes, toilet rolls and anything else useful she could find in the recycling bin, then covering it in a liberal helping of fine, golden sand. A flash of uncertainty swelled as she eyed the model critically, holding it in front of her and tilting her head. In the well-lit library, it appeared less convincing than she had thought the previous night.

‘It looks like it was made by a preschooler, doesn’t it?’

‘You mean it wasn’t made by a preschooler?’ Ange smiled. ‘Just kidding. It’s… cute.’

An elderly man at the computer bank caught her attention. ‘A little help, please,’ he called.

‘Be right back.’ Ange hurried off.

‘Maybe you should go in the children’s library?’ Gabby addressed the model in her hands. ‘Then everyone will assume a cute child made you, instead of an inept adult.’

‘Talking to yourself, Gabs? Don’t they say that’s a sign of madness?’

Gabby froze. She knew that voice. She knew that scent. The masculine, woody cologne of the man standing right behind her, so close she could feel his breath in her hair, was instantly familiar. She spun, smacking the man in the chest with her model, to be greeted by the handsome, grinning face of none other than Zach Osborne, long-time best friend of Gabby’s older brother, long-time crush of teenage Gabby and – if she was truly honest – object of regular fantasies of grown-up Gabby, as well as the last person she ever expected to see in Millbrook Library.

*****end of extract*****

About Hannah Claire –

Hannah has always been a bookworm, loving nothing more than escaping into fictional worlds, and can’t walk past a bookshop without adding to her already-overflowing To Be Read shelves. She writes contemporary romantic novels set against the beautiful landscape of the Peak District in Derbyshire, close to where she lives.

A firm believer in the power of love stories to offer comfort and escape, Hannah writes books that celebrate connection, hope, and the magic of second chances — stories designed to bring a little joy into busy lives.

She lives with her husband, their three children, two cats, and one very bouncy dog who still hasn’t worked out that squirrels generally don’t want to be her friends.

Hannah loves long sunny days spent outdoors and rainy afternoons spent indoors — ideally under a cosy blanket with a good book. Her favourite things include sparkly nail varnish, candles, bubble baths, and chocolate, and she remains convinced that there is no such thing as too many notebooks.

Say hi to Hannah via Facebook and Instagram.

The Book Lover’s Bucket List is a part of the Millbrook series and was released in May 2026. Click to buy on Amazon UK and Amazon US.