The Printed Letter Bookshop was such a joy to read. I loved the character dynamics and the complexity of each character. It was fascinating to see how the events affected each woman differently and what effect it had on their character development. Plus it takes place in a bookshop! This was such a cozy and comforting read. If you're looking for charming characters, an intriguing story, and a whole lot of heart, consider checking The Printed Letter Bookshop out!

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A mild but heartwarming story - if it were a soup, it would be something tasty but without much body. There's a sweetness to it, and the idea of the a beloved small town bookshop is of particularly niche appeal to me, but it also felt a bit predictable and the characters were somewhat thin. And the focus on the psalm about the woman of valor might be of interest to some, but felt odd and displaced to me.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

What a cosy read. I could see this being made into a Hallmark Channel movie for sure!

Some of the characters in this book are really interesting, flawed, and lovable. Okay, most of them. I enjoyed their individual stories and was worried about some of them at times! No spoilers, but I thought the ending was really well done.

The main character's love story felt a bit insta-love to me, though. There was more getting to know each other throughout the book, but it was as if as soon as she saw him her heart was stolen. Like I said, Hallmark Channel. However, in spite of that, I did really enjoy the read because of obvious reasons (bookshop, hello!, great characters, a cat, families, friends).

I will be reading a few more of Katherine Reay's books when I need a light escape!

Believe it or not, this is my very first Katherine Reay book. I am happy to say that I have two more of her books on my Kindle and I'm excited for the chance to read them. This is her newest release and I think it was a great place for me to start.

I want to work in a bookshop. I think that might be my dream job- to be surrounded by books all day, to talk about books all day, to help people find books that they love ALL DAY. Seriously. I wish bookshops weren't starting to feel like a thing of the past. This book was all about that Painted Letter Bookshop and I loved it. By the end of the book, it felt like home to not only Madeline, Claire and Janet, but to me as well. I loved the book references and wished I knew more about some of the books spoken of. I think I have a bit more reading to do!

The story starts off with a funeral and a very confused Madeline who later learns she has inherited all that her aunt has. This sets Madeline on quite a journey as she has to not only navigate a store that is failing but the lives of everyone in connection with her aunt and her store. This story revolves around Madeline and the two women who work at the bookshop. Even though Aunt Maddie isn't there anymore, it really is all about her as well. Her influence is woven into each woman. It was a slow build of information but one I really enjoyed. I was literally getting to know each woman in a very personal and intimate way. Every woman will probably be able to find a bit of herself somewhere in at least one of these very different women.

This book isn't a romance. It isn't especially bright and happy either. These women are living real lives with real struggle and faults. They excel at some things and struggle with other things. Sometimes I felt the heaviness of it weighing me down but there was always a thread of hope to hang onto. It took me a bit to become invested in these characters but by about halfway through, it was tough to put this book down. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.

Content: some talk of God, praying, forgiveness. Mention of affair, drinking alcohol.

- I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Printed Letter Bookshop by Katherine Reay is a cutesy, lifetime-y, uplifting story. It reminded me of a classic hallmark movie, set in a bookshop! If you are looking for something that will make you feel good, this is the perfect light summer read!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Madeline has fond memories of her aunt but her parents haven't spoken to her for years.
For this reason, she has a mistaken perception of what occurred between them and blames her aunt.'
When her aunt dies and leaves all her worldly possessions to her namesake, Madeline begins to understand how complex family relationships are. She also comes to understand that the people who love us, know us best and want the best for us. She also finds that friends can sometimes be closer than family. A blessing of enormous proportion.

This is a story of life and death, love and friendship, joy ,sorrow and forgiveness There is so much packed in this seemingly simple story of three women of different ages and stages of life who were brought together by one bookshop owner.

I received a complimentary advance reading copy of this book. Expressions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a story about friendship and forgiveness centred around a quaint little bookshop.
The story is narrated by 3 women, each hurting from past mistakes and trying to heal with the help of each other and with book lists written by a dearly departed friend.
I have been searching out new books to read, thanks to the books mentioned in this one. Kind of like an Inception of books.

I received a digital ARC of The Printed Letter Bookshop from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book makes me want to open a bookshop! Overall, I don't think this book was really for me but the Printed Letter Bookshop seems like a magical place and I love how integral it was to the town.

This was a real book-lover's book, perfect for indulging in the fantasy of opening a bookshop one day. The central romance was engaging, and the well-developed cast of secondary characters and subplots complimented it beautifully. It was refreshing to see older women written so well, with rich motivations and conflicts of their own. Would definitely recommend.

NOTE: I received a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley and the publishing house. All my opinions are my own.
*****
I was in the middle of the book, pages away from closing this book and not finishing it. But I kept going because I have loved Katherine Reay’s writing in the past. Honestly it was the constant alluding to Janet’s past with no details that was driving me crazy. I was frustrated and wanted the author to explain it or stop referencing it. Then I started to question if I’d missed the explanation earlier in the book.

Soon after that point of ready-to-give-up, Janet’s past was explained and with it, out came the beauty of every other character’s story. The weaving in and out was no longer a distraction but a distinct method for their tales. It was then that I couldn’t stay away from the story, where before that point I was taking a day or so between reads and forcing myself to pick it up.

The conclusion was as satisfying for me as other Katherine Reay books. And I learned to love the characters and their different processes and stories more than I had for the first half of the book.

Of course I now want to be a part of such a close-knit group of booksellers. And I wouldn’t mind learning a few of the other skills these women have. Beyond their stories they are powerful characters with relatable flaws.

But above all, bless the author for celebrating the good and hard of several different types of relationships and sharing wisdom for the hard and beautiful spots of each.

There are two settings in novels that immediately make me feel at 'home': bakeries and bookshops. If a title includes the word "Bookshop", I'm instantly intrigued.

This was a charming yet emotionally powerful novel. I loved the charm that comes with the setting of a bookshop but also really loved how the characters were so invested in this particular store. I related to the passion that these characters have for reading and loved the references that were made to modern and historical literature.

As in life, each of the three main characters did have their flaws which made them relatable and realistic. I do have to admit that there were moments I became frustrated with each of the characters, but again, I think the struggles they were encountering and the decisions they were making were realistic.

For me this wasn't a 'quick' read to get through with the depth of the plot. It was a good story and showed how these women evolved and discovered themselves throughout the novel.

It definitely is a novel for those that enjoy characters who go through personal growth and discovery. For example, I think readers who enjoy books similar to "Eat, Pray, Love" and "Under the Tuscan Sun" will enjoy this novel as well.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

***Thank you to the publisher for supplying me with a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

This was a perfect light read for me after some trips down some different genres. It was nice to read a family/friend oriented book for once. This is Christian fiction but there's nothing preachy about it. The main theme, you'll find in this book, however is forgiveness.



When Madeline finds her aunt has left her The Printed Letter Bookshop, she's a bit gobsmacked. She hasn't had much contact with her and she's a lawyer, not a shop owner. Fate has other plans for Madeline though. Her life doesn't turn out quite how she planned it and the bookshop starts to take over her life. She also meets someone that changes things for her.



Its hard to describe some of the things that happen in Madeline's life without giving away the plot, but suffice to say she has some choices to make and she has things to learn.



Then there's Claire and Janet, two very different women that work for her. Both of them come with a unique set of problems too. But isn't that life? I really loved how their life and problems all managed to get entwined with the bookshop. Those problems are heartbreaking to say the least. This book has so many "feels" in it.



There are some happy moments too, especially with Janet at the end and Madeline as she works to find balance as her career isn't quite how it started.



There was a lot of friendship and love in this book, as well as forgiveness...so much forgiveness. I only wish Madeline would have been able to talk to her aunt, because Maddie was definitely a good soul and it had to be heartbreaking to know someone truly loved you, but because of a misunderstanding you pushed them aside.



Its really a sweet touching read that will stay with you for a long time after you finish it.

I really, really wanted to love this book, but it fell flat for me. I kept finding myself wanting more. I did like how having strong female friend relationships was a major element in the main characters becoming grounded in themselves. I also like the idea of Aunt Maddie being able to share books with people that helped them through whatever they were going through in life. I truly believe that books have a way of comforting us and make us feel seen in a way that reality cannot always convey because we find ourselves lost in the shuffle.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley, I was able to read an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a slow burn but one with a very satisfying ending. I'm not usually someone who goes for anything characterized as Christian literature...or even anything that could remotely be, but this wasn't heavy handed in the religion. It's about three women connecting over loss and trying to work together to save something that they love - a bookstore! The telling of the story in their different perspectives really drives home the sense of community surround the Printed Letter Bookshop, and the literary references were really the icing on the cake. A very charming read for any fan of cozy mysteries or women's lit.

I loved this book. I’ve been in kind of a grumpy mood lately where all fictional characters were just flat out annoying me. At the beginning I was afraid this was going to be the same. Claire is tightly controlled and invisible, Madeline is so confused and lost but clueless as to what she really wants, and Janet - well lets just say Janet takes self-sabotage to whole new levels. I was sure that I’d be more than done with these characters by the time I was 5 chapters in. But I wasn’t. With each page I felt like I understood these characters just a little bit more and by the end I felt like these were real life people and close friends at that and The Printed Letter Bookshop was a real living breathing place.

I don’t want to say too much about this one as I loved the experience of reading this book, getting to know the characters, and watching how everything works out knowing very little about the story. This is a light-ish read that isn’t fluffy. There are moments of pain, honesty, fun and just enough authentic sweetness to make it heartwarming and relatable all at the same time. This was one of those books that was exactly what I needed at the perfect moment. Definitely in my top ten of reads of the year so far.

I found this book on audio through the library app, Hoopla and decided to give it a try. I knew the author from previous reads and knew she was able to tell a great story. This one was lovely as well. I liked seeing the events unfold through the eyes of each of the three main characters. They were all women in different stages/places in their lives but were all connected through this bookshop. They were able to guide and support one another through different challenges and find growth and worth as they worked together. I thought is was a well woven story and enjoyed the references to books and stories throughout. Many of them I recognized or at least knew about. I have read many of them but now have quite a list of books to reread or become acquainted with.

This isn't a romance although each of the ladies has to work through and find joy in relationships. It has religious overtones without being in your face or preachy. I enjoyed it thoroughly and would recommend it to any book lovers or someone who just needs a pleasant, uplifting summer read.

I haven’t read within this genre for a while but as a book-lover I was drawn not only to the title of this novel but also to its gorgeous cover. Admittedly, I did find it to be a bit of a slow starter, but it wasn’t long before the characters had grown on me and I wanted to find out more about them.

With three different perspectives, Madeline, Janet, and Claire, are all at different stages in their lives: Madeline is a single high-flying career woman; Claire is married with two teenage children; and Janet is divorced with two grown-up children.

Madeline is the protagonist and has inherited The Printed Letter Bookshop from her estranged Aunt Maddie. The plot had a bit of a Sophie Kinsella’s Domesticated Goddess feel about it at the beginning: when Madeline is turned down for promotion, she jacks in her job as lawyer and runs away to the small town of Eagle Valley for a more simple life. Madeline has every intention of selling her aunt’s bookshop at the earliest opportunity, but as Madeline gets to know the residents of Eagle Valley, she realises just how wrong she was about what happened in the past between her parents and her aunt.

To confuse things even more for Madeline, is Janet and Claire who work at the bookshop. Janet and Claire also both have first-person narratives so the reader gets closely drawn in to their worlds, as well as Madeline’s. As well as the prospect that they will shortly be losing their jobs, both characters have their own sets of problems. Claire is married with two teenage children, and it is the problem with her daughter that troubles Claire. Janet is divorced with two grown up children; but her children have disowned her, blaming her for splitting up with their father. At first Claire and Janet resent Madeline, but there was more to old Aunt Maddie than the women bargained for, and the individual Printed Letters that she left each of them gradually bring the three women together as friends.

But this isn’t just about friendship, there’s also a sprinkling of romance – but is grumpy gardener Chris really that grumpy, and is he really a gardener?

The Printed Letter Bookshop started off slow for me but I grew to really like it! Definitely got teary-eyed at parts. It's about three women connecting while trying to save a bookshop from going under. The story is told from their different perspectives and I felt that it really told a well-rounded story. I loved all the various book references and the author gave a list at the end of the book too! Can't wait to check them out!

This book ended up being a charming read! The storyline intrigued me from the first time I heard about it and I immediately wanted to read it. Once I started it, I was drawn in to the lives of the three women. As the book progressed, it did get a little heavy with all the ladies were going through but the story wove together beautifully. By the end I had connected with a couple characters in particular and I ended up loving the book. A great read! It’s not a sunshine and flowers book but it’s real and good.

I received this book from NetGalley and was not required to post a positive review. All thoughts are my own.