Sounded interesting & promising, however seemed like too many ideas were trying to be crammed into one book and ultimately failed to deliver.

What a lovely story. I was thoroughly captivated by the characters and the twists and turns. I adored the two time periods and how they linked and related to one another.

Evie Woods explores some difficult and sensitive topics with great care and really brings the story to life, raising awareness of these matters.

This book was a joy to read and I’d happily recommend to others.

This book about a lost bookshop in Dublin that magically appears and disappears seemingly at its own will has three different points of view and two different timelines. There's Opaline, who found the shop in the 1920s, and there are Martha and Henry, who found the shop about a hundred years later. Slowly their stories unfold and those are not exactly picture perfect stories.

Although I liked the story, some of the magical realism elements felt a bit too random to me. I even flipped back a few times to see whether I had missed some information.

I loved the mystical feeling of this book it's the perfect book to curl up and read!
A couple meet by accident while he is looking for a lost book shop, a well written, original tale that draws the reader in
Loved it

Oh, this is a lovely book! A real fairy story of a tale, filled with interesting characters and unlikely happenings.
Occasionally confusing with the past and present mixing, I enjoyed it very much.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this book for review.

With references to books and meetings with authors such as Ernest Hemingway and James Joyce, this really is a book for bibliophiles. At times it's quite a dreamy read full of literary motifs, and I often pictured myself reading in the dimly lit basement rooms some of the characters stayed in.

The story has at its heart the alleged missing manuscript written by Charlotte Bronte. Part of this modern-day tale includes the search for a bookshop that no longer exists. Or does it? The hunt takes places in Dublin, London and Paris in the 1920s and modern day.

​There are three main characters whose first person chapters alternate. There are two young women who are both fleeing from abusive men and have romantic relations with attractive but unavailable men. It's easy to confuse the women's parallel lives despite one being from the 1920s. As the story progresses the link between the three of them tightens.

The book is well written and stylish, and the bookshop theme is enchanting. However, there is the menacing feel of women being oppressed and exploited by men, even the nice ones, domestic abuse and society's views on a woman's place and capabilities. There is violence although not described in any graphic detail, mostly alluded to.

A magical story with plenty of romance, it's easy to see how the popularity of this book keeps growing.

3.5 stars rounded up.

I found this a magical read, based around 3 intersecting lives and a bookshop (and person) that only appear to those who deserve it. Central to the story is women's position in society across the decades- women who are the property of men, and suffer abuse and controlling behaviour from the men in their lives. So at times this isn't a cosy, magical read, but it's all the more real for that.

Opaline is a fabulous character, and the writers love of books shines through on every page. It was a delight to read.

I wasn't expecting much when I grabbed this book - just a quick, unmemorable read. But I honestly really, really loved this. The way it ties in three different narratives was wonderful, I absolutely ADORED all of Opaline's scenes that took place in the past, and it was actually a bit heartbreaking at times.

I don't want to give too much away, but this book was about magic, love, feminism, being true to yourself, and persevering. Martha and Henry were sweet to watch, and Opaline is one of my new idols even though she isn't a real person.

I loved the magical element of this book, and it was a fascinating read. The dual timelines were inherent and made the story much more interesting.
Many thanks to Harpercollins UK and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a sweet story. I did have to pay attention at the start of each chapter as it kept switching between Opaline, Henry and Martha and I got a little confused sometimes because of that. I really liked it though and now I want to go to Ireland and see that magical bookshop!

I tried several times to engage with this novel but failed. It is beautifully written but not for me.

This is a book that speaks to those of us who love books, and bookshops!! It has a really magical feel along with a bit of history/mystery vibes going on - I loved it!!

It's a story told over a dual timeline, both of which are so captivating! In the now we follow Martha who arrives in Dublin, looking to put an awful past behind her and finds work as a housekeeper to an old lady. And Henry also arrives in Dublin searching for a missing shop! How can a building just disappear?! Their paths cross and their stories begin to be told as they feel so comfortable with one another.

And in the past we follow Opaline, a young woman who always has her head in a book. But her family need money and she's to be wed to someone chosen by her family....her only option is to flee so she sells some precious books and sails to France to begin a new life and starts to work at Shakespeare & Co - sometimes it's not so easy to run and hide though.

Through these characters we really get some wonderful insights to the places of the time, alongside struggles that people were facing when they wanted to live their own lives. I was totally absorbed in watching how their lives would pan out and following your own heart is always the key. The perfect bookish book!

One of the most beautiful books I have ever read. It's magic just sucks you in to another time/place! Will definitely read this authors next book.

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A brilliant read and one I really enjoyed. The characters are loveable and varied, the plot is one that is engaging and medium paced. I found myself completely drawn into the story and enjoyed the writing style.

Lovely book that grabbed me right away. Three seemingly lost and unhappy unconnected characters in Dublin, Ireland. They end up leaving tragic lives behind in search of something better. And they find it while looking for a lost manuscript and a lost bookshop. Bit of magical realism thrown in.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Opal one, Martha and Henry have been living their lives in the shadows until a vanishing bookshop casts its spell. They discovery their stories are extraordinary as the stories found int he pages of their beloved books. Together they find themselves transported to a world where nothing is as it first appears.

Unable to provide feedback or was never given a review copy. Potential review to be added to socials if read at a later date.

If you believe it, it exists.

This is one of those unexpected delights that satisfies the reader need for a story about books, magic, history, love, women’s empowerment and friendship.

This is the enchanting story of two women, Opaline and Martha. Set apart by years, Opaline’s story starting in 1921 and Martha and Henry’s in present day, their stories are brought together by Henry – a man who walks into their lives in pursuit of a bookshop he had been inside of just once, and then … lost. Opaline becomes a custodian of the bookshop after fleeing Paris from her overbearing brother who seems determined to control her, and Martha finds an intriguing home unexpectedly, whilst working as a career for an elderly lady after fleeing from her abusive husband.

I highly recommend The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods. It’s a reminder that we are each our own epic story, and that someone will always want to know about it. I can’t do it justice. I can only say … make a pot of tea and sit down to a good read.

This book was wholly unexpected. I was expecting a bit of a historical drama with a tinge of mystery and instead pleasantly discovered a novel full of magical realism, fantasy and, my favourite, many literary references. I absolutely loved the stories of Martha, Henry and Opaline. I wish a bit more explanation of the mysterious and magical had been given, but understand that this would likely have taken away from the appeal of the book. Highly recommend this gem!

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. this was fantastic, just what i have come to expect from this author and look forward to carrying in my book store.