About

Great books, fair prices, and a UK bookshop that actually cares.


It started with a redundancy, a beach in Jamaica, and one very ill-advised eBay session.

I'm Lisa and Book Buddies exists because of the worst — and best — decision I've ever made.

In 2024, I was made redundant from a job I genuinely loved. Gutted doesn't quite cover it. So I did what any reasonable person would do: I booked a holiday to Jamaica to clear my head.

One evening, on a beach, with a drink (or two) in hand, I opened eBay on my phone. And I bought five pallets of books.

I'd forgotten about it entirely by the time I flew home. Then, a few days later, the deliveries started arriving. Pallet after pallet. Thousands of books, stacked up in my hallway / spare room kitchen / living room — actually every spare inch of my home, with absolutely no plan for what to do with them.

So I did the only thing I could think of. I started sorting, checking, and listing them. And Book Buddies was born — not from a business plan, but from a Red Stripe -fuelled mistake I decided to run with.

These days, Book Buddies is a proper little UK bookshop, based in Corby, Northamptonshire. We sell a curated mix of new and second-hand books — fiction, non-fiction, children's, and young adult titles. Every book is picked, checked, and packed by hand. No warehouses, no algorithms. Just me and my mum, still working through the fallout of that Jamaica trip.

What we sell

We stock a curated mix of new and second-hand books across fiction, non-fiction, children's and young adult titles. New titles are sourced directly from UK publishers and wholesalers. Our second-hand stock comes from private collections, library discards and overstocks and every used book is graded honestly:

  • New - brand new with some possible storage marked or shelf burn but unread
  • Like New — barely touched, could pass for brand new
  • Very Good — light shelf wear, pages clean and unmarked
  • Good — clear signs of previous ownership, but a great read at a great price

If a book has any specific marks, creases, or notes, we say so on the listing — and usually show a photo.

How we ship

Every order is packed in recyclable, book-shaped mailers and dispatched from Corby, Northamptonshire within 1–2 working days. UK delivery typically takes 2–4 working days via whichever shipping method you choose. Full details are on our Shipping page.

Why buy from us instead of Amazon?

Honestly? Because we're not Amazon. We're a one woman who reads the books we sell, answers your emails personally, and would rather you got the right book than the fastest one. Every order supports a small UK business — not a billion-dollar warehouse.

Get in touch

Questions, recommendations, or just want to hear how the pallets are holding up? I reply within 1 working day, Monday to Friday.

📧 lisaatbookbuddies@gmail.com We reply within 1 working day, Monday to Friday.

Come see behind the scenes

Most of the shop happens off this website. If you want to see the packing days, new arrivals, book reviews, and the ongoing fallout of the Jamaica pallet incident, follow along:

📸 Instagram: @bookbuddiesstore 🎵 TikTok: @bookbuddiesuk 👍Facebook: @wearebookbuddies

Book Buddies — Books worth reading, from a bookshop that started as a very expensive holiday mistake.