Literary Date: In Case You Missed It by Lindsey Kelk
The next book featured in my literary date adventures through London is…drumroll, please… In Case You Missed It by Lindsey Kelk. I’m excited to tell you all about this very enjoyable romcom book and to show you the places in London In Case You Missed It by Lindsey Kelk inspired me to go to. This book sent me fumbling through Borough Market, getting a taste of South Bank, and finally finding my way up the dome at St Paul’s Cathedral for those views.
We’re going to change things up a little today. Instead of a separate book review post that gives a sneak peek into my literary date, I will include a mini-book review here and then take you right to all the London sites In Case You Missed by Lindsey Kelk brought me to.
Synopsis
Ros was away in America for a few years for a great job opportunity but has come back home to London seemingly with her tail between her legs. Ros does not so easily divulge her reasons for leaving the States behind, instead, she gets nostalgic and tries to recapture the life she had in London before she left.
Things don’t go quite as planned- for one, her parents don’t exactly give her a welcome home party. Instead, her dad proudly shows her the shed he built for her in their garden. Yup, she’ll be living outdoors. Thankfully Ros still has her solid trio of friends but it is different than when they were younger with fewer responsibilities. Her friends also frequent a new bar Ros thinks is pretentious and she’s not too fond of the surly bartender either.
Cue the ex re-entering her life to create that classic romcom agony where in your head as you read you are screaming “Noooooooo” the whole time. Her friends aren’t into it either but Ros wonders if they could have a second chance at love while we wonder when her next run-in with the bartender will be.
If Ros doesn’t open her eyes, she could miss out on something real.
Book Review of In Case You Missed It by Lindsey Kelk
Lindsey Kelk writes fabulous banter and her spitfire humor kept me laughing while reading. Seriously, some of the more dirty jokes had me snorting out my English Breakfast Tea. Ros also has some deadpan humor that I especially loved.
I also love reading a book set in London by a British author because- and this obviously isn’t shocking news- but they perfectly capture that special way the Brits talk. I love the very proper way they talk with “Reckon this and reckon that” and they have the best insults ever like, “Well, I still think he’s a tit,” and even better, “Twat-Faced-Wank-Chops.” I’m definitely going to use that one.
I didn’t love the new podcast job Ros got (although it was purposefully terrible) or the fact that she had to live in a shed. I would have been horrified if my parents tried that on me. Ros seemed to roll with things very well. She is an exceptional person.
And of course, as we read, we don’t want her with her jerk of an ex but with the hot, sweet guy who works in the bar. Things with John (aka the bartender) do start off shaky but that’s all part of the fun.
Overall, I enjoyed In Case You Missed It by Lindsey Kelk. It had me laughing and rooting for the heroine both in life and in love.
Buy the Book: Amazon
Or get the ebook through your local library with the Libby App
In Case You Missed It Literary Date
If you’ve been following along with Literary Dates, then you might know that this isn’t the first literary date I’ve gone on inspired by a Lindsey Kelk book, it’s my second! I loved going on my I Heart New York Tour inspired by Lindsey Kelk’s book I Heart New York. I did think about skipping to I Heart London for another Lindsey Kelk-inspired literary date, however, ultimately I felt like I would have to do that whole book series in order so I decided against it. The I Heart series would send me to Hollywood, Paris, Vegas, and then London, and then the series continues to other amazing locales. Maybe one day!
Until those ultimate travel adventures are realized, I was happy to learn about Lindsey Kelk’s standalone book In Case You Missed It, which of course, is set in London.
In Case You Missed It by Lindsey Kelk often sends its characters to Borough Market because that is where Ros’ friends’ new favorite hang-out is, a bar called Good Luck Bar, which is fictional but Borough Market definitely is very real.
Borough Market
Borough Market is located in Southwark and is an amazing fresh food market with every kind of food stall imaginable from cheese to stuffed donuts and even paella. I enjoyed some wild mushroom risotto…more on that later.
As soon as I walked through this underpass, I was astounded that another amazing part of London existed in this corner of London that is across the Thames. I just imagined a bunch of food stalls thrown together but I didn’t realize that a whole other world exists in this little pocket of London. And it looks like a very trendy pocket with all these cool-looking bars and pubs that surround the market.
However, I have to admit that despite being completely enthralled, I immediately felt like this is an area where it definitely would be better with friends. I absolutely loved my solo trip to London and especially enjoyed being on my own, but in this spot, I didn’t love being on my own.
Honestly, I was a bit overwhelmed. Crowds and lines for food make me a bit anxious. I was amazed by everything I saw there but for me, this is the type of place I need to go to with a friend. When I see them stand in line for something, then I take a deep breath and I’m like, “Okay, I can do this too.”
So, since I didn’t have a friend with me, I imagined you all with me and when I found just the meal I was looking for, I got excited and my mood immediately lifted.
Wild Mushroom Risotto! YASSS! I heard this risotto was good from a London tips group I am a part of on Facebook so when I found it, I felt very successful.
Looks delicious, doesn’t it? I wandered around in search of a place to sit and didn’t find a spot. But of course, as luck would have it, I found a spot after I finished my lunch.
There is a section with tables past the Green Market. Oh well, it was for the best because, in my wandering, I passed a cheese stand and the guy working it generously added cheese cubes free of charge to my risotto. Yay for more cheese!
Oh, and flashback, as I stood in line for my vegetarian risotto, this sign was right across from me…
Oh, the Brits and their humor. As a vegetarian, I felt attacked by this sign but also as a vegetarian, I got to admit, bacon does smell pretty good.
Even so, I very much enjoyed my risotto that did not include any bacon and besides risotto, I also found a lovely tea shop to purchase some English Breakfast Tea that I brought back home with me.
Other Yummy Delights Not to Miss (unlike me- I missed them)
- Stuffed doughnuts at Bread Ahead
- Grilled cheese toastie from Kappacasein Dairy looks delicious!
- Cheese sandwich at Neal’s Yard Dairy
- Humble Crumble Desserts
There’s so much delicious yumminess here for every type of foodie out there, Argentinian empanadas, Ethiopian food, tacos, burgers, and more! You could definitely spend a whole day at Borough Market feasting on so many delights and washing it all down at one of the many nearby pubs.
Speaking of pubs…since Ros and her friends in In Case You Missed It by Lindsey Kelk, hung out at a bar in Borough Market throughout much of the story, I tried to imagine which spot the fictional Good Luck Bar could be.
We have a few contenders…
In the book, Good Luck Bar is described as having “a tiny sign stenciled on a huge plate-glass window in antique gold lettering.” Ros actually prefers their old hangout The Lex, which she lovingly describes as a “dark, dank, old man’s boozer.” We got those in NYC too!
From my pictures, The Anchor might be the strongest contender for the Good Luck Bar. Ros thinks it’s a pretentious bar and according to her, it has oversized pink sofas for “faux lounging” while you get that instagrammable shot. I can picture that scene. That scene might happen in The Anchor, but sorry to report that I don’t know because I didn’t actually go in.
Next time come with me!
Instead, I leave Borough Market to walk along the Thames, which will lead us to South Bank.
South Bank
First of all, flashback, to me walking across one of the many bridges over the Thames to get over to the other side of London in South Bank- I thought it was such a cool walk over! I left St. Paul’s Cathedral behind and saw great views across the Thames as I walked over. And it’s a hop-skip-and-a-jump to the other side. I loved it! I was thinking about how nice it is that it’s not a workout to get over to the other side of London.
And then once you’re over, it’s really nice walking along the Thames and seeing great sights like the Globe Theatre. South Bank is known for its artsy venues, great restaurants, and big attractions like the London Eye.
Here are some pictures from my walk inspired by In Case You Missed It by Lindsey Kelk…
Quote from In Case You Missed It by Lindsey Kelk:
“He was standing by the railings on Southbank, all of London laid out behind him…”
Let’s continue on a photography tour of London inspired by quotes from In Case You Missed It by Lindsey Kelk…
“All of London, new and old, sparkling fresh, straight out of the shower and shining on me…”
“Along the riverbank, different-coloured umbrellas danced around each other, streaming past the Golden Hinde, the Globe, all the way down to the Tate Modern…”
“…Across the Thames, St Paul’s was almost glowing in the sun, thankful for its long-awaited bath…”
“On my right, I saw the Tower of London battling for attention with The Shard. Centuries-old stone, competing with a decade’s worth of glass and steel, past versus progress, separated by a river and somehow managing to co-exist…”
Last but not least…speaking of St Paul’s Cathedral…shall we get a closer look?
St Paul’s Cathedral
In my Here for the Drama Literary Date, we went inside and learned a lot about the cathedral but we did not walk up the dome to see those views. Now we will!
View From Atop St Paul’s Dome
I was a little nervous to climb the dome wondering if I was in shape enough to do it. My tour guide from London Walks said she had never done it, which added to my trepidation. I expressed my nerves to the people guarding the entrance and asked them how long it would take, and I heard “Fifty minutes” and was about to turn around before they over-enunciated “Fifteen minutes” to put my overthinking paranoid brain to rest.
I smiled with relief and bounded up the stairs…um no, there’s no bounding up those narrow and twisting staircases. Those stairs made my head spin and reminded me where my gastrocnemius and soleus muscles were. Despite the burn, it didn’t take long at all and was totally doable for someone in their 40s who hasn’t seen the inside of a gym since 1945.
I did take a couple of brief breaks while making my ascent but I found it was better to push through. During those short breaks, my calf muscles were saying haha sucker, you may as well sit down, have a coffee, and open up a good book. We’re going to be here awhile.
It was all worth it though!
Check out these views:
That’s all from my In Case You Missed It by Lindsey Kelk Literary Date. I hope you enjoyed your taste of Borough Market, South Bank, and the view from St Paul’s dome. If you’ve read the book, I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the sites from the book and living vicariously through the characters with me.
Thank you all for following along on another one of my literary dates in London.
About the Author
Lindsey Kelk is a Sunday Times Bestselling author and in addition to writing a ton of awesome romcom books, she cohosts a beauty podcast and fun fact, a pro-wrestling podcast too. Lindsey Kelk is a British author, born and raised in England before moving to NYC for a bit, and is now settled in LA where she lives with her husband and “two very rude cats.”
If you’d like to learn more about In Case You Missed It by Lindsey Kelk and the author’s many other books (and podcasts)you can go to Lindsey Kelk’s website at LindseyKelk.com.
Buy the Book: Amazon– Only $.99 on Kindle!
Literary Dates
If this is your first time here, then you should know that I live in NYC and typically read books set in the city, which inspire a cool tour(aka a literary date) of the city. However, over this past summer, I took Literary Dates to London and have been sharing all about the London books I’ve read along with the literary dates in London they have inspired.
If you enjoyed coming along with me on my literary date featuring In Case You Missed It by Lindsey Kelk, then before you go, check out some of my most popular literary dates in NYC:
8 Fun Things to Do in Chinatown, NYC | Girl in Translation Literary Date
YOU & Me & NYC Tour: You, Set in New York City-Yes, this is YOU by Caroline Kepnes, which turned into one of the most popular Netflix shows
My Breakfast at Tiffany’s Tour in the City
And my other literary dates in London:
With Love from London Literary Date
Here for the Drama Literary Date
Discover a Day in the Cotswolds | You and Me, Always Literary Date
Also, I’m sharing more from my London trip on my social media, so make sure you follow me!
Instagram: Literary_dates
Facebook: Literary Dates
Twitter: LiteraryDates
This was such a cool literary date! So freaking awesome that you brought your literary dates to London!
I gotta read this book, it sounds right up my alley. And OMG that risotto looked so yummy!
I know what you mean about feeling skittish about being in a crowded place alone. It really is so much easier with a friend sometimes!
And those pics you took were breathtaking! WOW!
Thank you for reading, Sarah! Glad you enjoyed it and can relate. We have to go together! 🙂
Um, tasty itinerary alert! Can we talk about that mushroom risotto? The preparation of it alone is a showstopper! Hello, risotto! Great pick! Have to go to this market when we return, whenever that is.
Also, that photo of you by the London Eye. LOVE!