diff --git a/src/app/components/shell/router-helpers/page-routes.tsx b/src/app/components/shell/router-helpers/page-routes.tsx
index 09691a6d7..a387e8f0a 100644
--- a/src/app/components/shell/router-helpers/page-routes.tsx
+++ b/src/app/components/shell/router-helpers/page-routes.tsx
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import {assertDefined} from '~/helpers/data';
 import {GeneralPageFromSlug} from '~/pages/general/general';
 import {ImportedPage} from './page-loaders';
 import {RouteAsPortalOrNot} from './portal-page-routes';
+import Error404 from '~/pages/404/404';
 
 type PageData = FlexPageData & {
     meta: {slug: string};
@@ -53,13 +54,14 @@ export function DetailsRoutes() {
     );
 }
 
+// eslint-disable-next-line complexity
 export function OtherPageRoutes() {
     const dir = assertDefined(useParams().dir);
     const {'*': path} = useParams();
     const {layoutParameters, setLayoutParameters} = useLayoutContext();
 
     if (['books', 'textbooks'].includes(dir)) {
-        return (
+        return path === '' ? <Error404 /> : (
             <Routes>
                 <Route
                     path="/:title"
diff --git a/src/app/contexts/layout.tsx b/src/app/contexts/layout.tsx
index ce15d4445..ba25ba04b 100644
--- a/src/app/contexts/layout.tsx
+++ b/src/app/contexts/layout.tsx
@@ -35,29 +35,26 @@ function useContextValue() {
         },
         [layoutParameters]
     );
-    const LoadableLayout = React.useMemo(
-        () =>
-            loadable({
-                loader: () =>
-                    loaders[
-                        layoutParameters.name as Exclude<LayoutName, null>
-                    ](),
-                loading: LoadingPlaceholder
-            }),
-        [layoutParameters.name]
-    );
     const Layout = React.useCallback(
         ({children}: React.PropsWithChildren<object>) => {
+            const layoutParameterName = layoutParameters.name;
+
+            if (layoutParameterName === null) {
+                return <div>{children}</div>;
+            }
+            const LoadableLayout = loadable({
+                loader: () => loaders[layoutParameterName](),
+                loading: LoadingPlaceholder
+            });
+
             // Avoids initial flash default -> landing
-            return layoutParameters.name === null ? (
-                <div>{children}</div>
-            ) : (
+            return (
                 <LoadableLayout data={layoutParameters.data}>
                     {children}
                 </LoadableLayout>
             );
         },
-        [LoadableLayout, layoutParameters.data, layoutParameters.name]
+        [layoutParameters.data, layoutParameters.name]
     );
 
     return {Layout, setLayoutParameters: updateIfNotEqual, layoutParameters};
diff --git a/src/app/pages/flex-page/flex-page.tsx b/src/app/pages/flex-page/flex-page.tsx
index b375234d2..2b7025648 100644
--- a/src/app/pages/flex-page/flex-page.tsx
+++ b/src/app/pages/flex-page/flex-page.tsx
@@ -6,22 +6,32 @@ import './flex-page.scss';
 
 export type FlexPageData = {
     meta?: {type: string};
-    layout: [{type: LayoutName}];
+    layout: [{type: LayoutName}?];
     body: ContentBlockConfig[];
 };
 
-export const isFlexPage = (data?: {meta?: FlexPageData['meta']}) => (
+export const isFlexPage = (data?: {meta?: FlexPageData['meta']}) =>
     typeof data?.meta?.type === 'string' &&
-    ['pages.FlexPage', 'pages.RootPage'].includes(data.meta.type)
-);
+    ['pages.FlexPage', 'pages.RootPage'].includes(data.meta.type);
 
 function FlexPageBody({data}: {data: FlexPageData}) {
     return <ContentBlocks data={data.body} />;
 }
 
-export function LayoutUsingData({data, children}: {data: FlexPageData, children: React.ReactNode}) {
+function warnAndUseDefault() {
+    console.warn('No layout set for page');
+    return 'default' as LayoutName;
+}
+
+export function LayoutUsingData({
+    data,
+    children
+}: {
+    data: FlexPageData;
+    children: React.ReactNode;
+}) {
     const {layoutParameters, setLayoutParameters} = useLayoutContext();
-    const layoutName = data.layout[0]?.type;
+    const layoutName = data.layout[0]?.type || warnAndUseDefault();
 
     if (layoutParameters.name !== layoutName) {
         setLayoutParameters({
diff --git a/test/src/components/shell.test.tsx b/test/src/components/shell.test.tsx
index 29f734a67..821bf48d6 100644
--- a/test/src/components/shell.test.tsx
+++ b/test/src/components/shell.test.tsx
@@ -213,6 +213,14 @@ describe('shell', () => {
 
         await waitFor(() => expect(setPortal).toHaveBeenCalledWith('landing-page'));
     });
+    it('routes books routes to portal/books', async () => {
+        setPortalPrefix('portal');
+        BrowserRouter.mockImplementationOnce(({children}) => (
+            <MR initialEntries={['/books/slug']} >{children}</MR>
+        ));
+        render(AppElement);
+        // Nothing can really be checked; code coverage in rex-portal
+    });
     it('renders nothing when data is null', async () => {
         setPortalPrefix('/landing-page');
 
diff --git a/test/src/pages/details/common/featured-resources.test.tsx b/test/src/pages/details/common/featured-resources.test.tsx
index 2cfc9a7b6..e229cd030 100644
--- a/test/src/pages/details/common/featured-resources.test.tsx
+++ b/test/src/pages/details/common/featured-resources.test.tsx
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import React from 'react';
 import {render, screen} from '@testing-library/preact';
 import FeaturedResourcesSection from '~/pages/details/common/featured-resources/featured-resources';
 import ShellContextProvider from '../../../../helpers/shell-context';
-import {MemoryRouter} from 'react-router-dom';
+import MemoryRouter from '~/../../test/helpers/future-memory-router';
 import userEvent from '@testing-library/user-event';
 import {ResourceModel} from '~/pages/details/common/resource-box/resource-boxes';
 
diff --git a/test/src/pages/flex-page.test.tsx b/test/src/pages/flex-page.test.tsx
index 518806a64..9abfc1a98 100644
--- a/test/src/pages/flex-page.test.tsx
+++ b/test/src/pages/flex-page.test.tsx
@@ -4,10 +4,11 @@ import {render, screen} from '@testing-library/preact';
 import {describe, it} from '@jest/globals';
 import userEvent from '@testing-library/user-event';
 import MemoryRouter from '~/../../test/helpers/future-memory-router';
-import FlexPage from '~/pages/flex-page/flex-page';
+import FlexPage, {LayoutUsingData} from '~/pages/flex-page/flex-page';
 import {CTALinkFields} from '~/pages/flex-page/blocks/CTABlock';
 import {ContentBlockConfig} from '~/pages/flex-page/blocks/ContentBlock';
 import {HeroBlockConfig} from '~/pages/flex-page/blocks/HeroBlock';
+import { LayoutContextProvider } from '~/contexts/layout';
 
 const emptyTarget = {
     type: '',
@@ -66,6 +67,25 @@ describe('flex-page', () => {
         render(<Component />);
         expect(screen.getAllByRole('img')).toHaveLength(1);
     });
+    it('warns and renders with default when layout is not provided', () => {
+        const saveWarn = console.warn;
+
+        console.warn = jest.fn();
+        body = [heroBlock()];
+        render(
+            <ShellContextProvider>
+                <MemoryRouter initialEntries={['']}>
+                    <LayoutContextProvider>
+                        <LayoutUsingData data={{body, layout: []}} >
+                            content
+                        </LayoutUsingData>
+                    </LayoutContextProvider>
+                </MemoryRouter>
+            </ShellContextProvider>
+        );
+        expect(console.warn).toHaveBeenCalledWith('No layout set for page');
+        console.warn = saveWarn;
+    });
     it('renders heroBlock with top image alignment', () => {
         const modBlock = heroBlock();