This is my first time reading Michelle Gable, I was drawn to this book partly because of the bookish theme but also it's fun to discover new authors.

Told from 2 POVs, with one being author Nancy Mitford during WW2. She is also a new to me author, I was hoping to feel that desire to read some of her books. I enjoyed getting to know her and her family dynamics, what an assorted bunch, and the setting of an actual bookstore, Heywood Hill's was nice.

Current day is Katie who has an obsession with Nancy Mitford. I found it interesting how she arrived in England, a recent separation from fiancée/writer's block (she is also an author). While searching for inspiration discovers Heywood Hills and begins a search for a long lost manuscript.

The Bookseller's Secret is a dialogue driven story and while that works (sometimes) I missed the atmospheric elements and feeling the era. While I struggled to connect with the characters I did enjoy the history lesson of Mitford's life but given the time period I would have liked more of a connection to the war to have felt more of an impact it had on the lives of Nancy and her friends.

For me The Bookseller's Secret was an okay read, while I didn't love it I have The Paris Apartment by Michelle Gable in my TBR pile and will give it a go.

My thanks to Graydon House (via Netgalley) for an e-arc of this book. It is on sale now.

A women who is left with almost nothing of her past as she watches all her sisters speaking their minds and growing in success. Finding her way is a struggle as she has to rebuild it all

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Bookseller’s Secret

Author: Michelle Gable

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 1/5

Recommended For...: historical fiction, WW2

Publication Date: August 17, 2021

Genre: Historical Fiction

Recommended Age: can’t recommend, DNFed

Publisher: Graydon House

Pages: 400

Synopsis: In 1942, London, Nancy Mitford is worried about more than air raids and German spies. Still recovering from a devastating loss, the once sparkling Bright Young Thing is estranged from her husband, her allowance has been cut, and she’s given up her writing career. On top of this, her five beautiful but infamous sisters continue making headlines with their controversial politics.

Eager for distraction and desperate for income, Nancy jumps at the chance to manage the Heywood Hill bookshop while the owner is away at war. Between the shop’s brisk business and the literary salons she hosts for her eccentric friends, Nancy’s life seems on the upswing. But when a mysterious French officer insists that she has a story to tell, Nancy must decide if picking up the pen again and revealing all is worth the price she might be forced to pay.

Eighty years later, Heywood Hill is abuzz with the hunt for a lost wartime manuscript written by Nancy Mitford. For one woman desperately in need of a change, the search will reveal not only a new side to Nancy, but an even more surprising link between the past and present…

Review: I had to DNF this book at 23% in. The book is just really unbearable for me. It’s slow in a lot of places and the main character is not likable at all. There also seems to be a lot of plot points in the book that don’t seem related to the story whatsoever. I also didn’t know about the main character’s ties to Hitler (through her sisters Unity and Diana) before looking into the book and I don’t think I’ll be making another attempt at this book.

Verdict: Not for me but maybe for you.

I saw this book come across my summer reads list that I got from a publisher. I saw that it was about a book shop I was hooked. I had never heard of the author and am always looking to add new authors to my “read” piles. I was excited to start reading it. I hope that it would be amazing

Katie is a train wreck. She drinks and has to be driven home from a family get-together when she tells everyone what she thinks after too much booze. On the prodding of her best friend and the subsequent purchase of a ticket to London, she heads off to London for a break that will hopefully break her writer’s block. Nancy thinks that she is a failure. Her last book seems to be a flop and she doesn’t know what else to write. She takes a job at a bookstore in London at the beginning of WW2. Honestly, I couldn’t get past 62% of this book. I dreaded reading it every night. I didn’t like the two storylines and found the character of Nancy super annoying. We get that she couldn’t write a book. We get that she was cheating on her husband with a Frenchmen. The storyline of Katie took forever to develop.

I read this book and thought that I really could care less what happened to any of the characters. They could have fallen off the edge of the Earth and I would have been ehh about it. I did enjoy the fact that it was Historical Fiction. Katie seemed whiney and entitled to me. She just needed to get back on the horse and not worry about this and that. I don’t know why she was so dead set on writing a sequel to her bestselling book. If that is what worked maybe she could have done that. Nancy always blamed her Mother and Father for her failures in life. Her Dad not having any money even though he had a title. Now, I am not saying don’t read this book but this is something I don’t think I would even come back and try to finish. I am not sure if I would look into other books by this author.

If you have watched or plan to watch "The Pursuit of Love" on Amazon, you'll want to read this book. Like many historical novels these days, this has a contemporary frame story running alongside the historical fiction. Like most of these books, the historical fiction is really good, and the contemporary frame story is just okay.

The novel chronicles the life of Nancy Mitford during WWII, as she ran a bookstore in London for a friend and tried to sort out her writing life. As you read this account, you'll recognize many of the characters and situations found in Mitford's "Pursuit of Love."

This book was interesting and well written, but I really wish the author had focused s0lely on Nancy Mitford and left out the contemporary storyline.

The Bookseller's Secret by Michelle Gable does effectively accomplish what I love about historical fiction. It introduces me to a historical figure I am not familiar with. In this case, it introduces me to the fascinating Mitford family; I think that connection may be even more Nancy Mitford's claim to fame rather than her written works. It sends me on a search to read some of the actual history.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2021/08/the-booksellers-secret.html

Reviewed for NetGalley and a publisher's blog tour.

The Bookseller's Secret
by: Michelle Gable
Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House

The Bookseller's Secret is historical fiction set in 1942 London. Gable's story is intriguing and captivating, with a cast of characters to capture all of the emotions of the reader. The writing is excellent. This book is highly recommended for readers of historical fiction and lovers of literature themes in books. Thank you to Net Galley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House for the advance reader's copy and the opportunity to provide my unbiased review.
#TheBooksellersSecret #NetGalley

The Bookseller’s Secret is a literary thriller and historical fiction with a side of romance. If you’re like this reader and you love books about books and historical fiction, you’re going to love The Bookseller’s Secret.

Ms. Gable tells her story in a dual timeline. One is of 1940s Nancy Mitford, a socialite turned author, who takes over the Heywood Hill Bookshop while its owner is busy fighting in WWII. The other is present-day Katie Cabot, also an author, who has escaped to London to not only visit a friend but avoid her writers’ block and bad breakup. When Katie gets caught up in the hunt for an alleged Mitford memoir, the present-day story gets interesting and readers get to learn more about the real-life author, Nancy Mitford.

I appreciated Ms. Gable’s thorough research. I loved learning about Nancy Mitford and her scandalous sisters. Clearly, The Bookseller’s Secret is going to lead me down a research rabbit hole. Less dialogue and a more interesting denouement for both the Katie character and the literary mystery would have made The Bookseller’s Secret a top read for me.

3-3.5 stars

The Bookseller’s Secret was perhaps not what I expected, or maybe I expected too much from the book. The truth is I had a hard time going through the book, it felt lie the dialogue was too much and sometimes a bit pointless and I could not connect with the characters.
The story was interesting and even when I did not particularly like Katie; I liked her part of the story. The whole mystery thing, the setting in London, Jojo, Clive and Simon added to the story. And I know that the book focuses of Nancy Mitford but her part of the story felt so slow, so heavy, with too many characters (so many names!) and I did not like Nancy’s character at all (not saying she was bad, just did not liked her portrayal). Had I been a fan of Mitford, perhaps things would be different. Alas, it is what it is. I would definitely give Gable another chance, in fact, I have two of her books sitting in my shelf, but maybe I will not set my expectations so high.

I have mixed feelings on this book. On one hand, I enjoyed it. On the other, it was kind of meh.

What I liked:
- the switch between past and present story lines
- Nancy as a character
- the relationship between Katie and Simon
- the bookshop setting

What I was meh about:
- the dialogue - this was very dialogue heavy which was personally not for me (but other people may enjoy that aspect)
- not much focus on the actual war, it was almost like it wasn't even happening. Not a lot of suspense/drama

I think this would be a good read for historical fiction lovers who prefer dialogue driven stories. It was well written and well researched so by no means was it a bad book - just wasn't totally for me! Would still recommend to others to check out if it interests you!

The Bookseller’s Secret by Michelle Gable ⭐⭐⭐💫

The story behind the Bookseller’s Secret was wonderful, but unfortunately I just found that it fell flat. There was a ton of research and information, however it did not always flow. The switching back and forth between present day and WWII was oftentimes not as smooth as I would have liked. I would have preferred if there were fewer characters and that the characters in the book were developed more strongly. The relationships were weak, in my opinion and I found myself wanting more.

Nancy Mitford is estranged from her husband, has no money and her writing career is struggling. Her 5 sisters are infamous for their controversial politics. She finds herself working at the Heywood Hill bookshop during WWII. While there, she meets a French officer who tries to convince her that she has a personal story to tell and that she should begin writing again.

80 years later, Katie, a writer who is a huge fan of Nancy Mitford, finds herself at Heywood Hill. Her life feels like it is in shambles and she finds herself searching for Nancy Mitford’s lost manuscript. She will not only learn things about herself, but Nancy Mitford, and her link to today.

If you have an interest in Nancy Mitford, you may enjoy this book more than I did.

I love the premise of a literary connection to WWII but I wanted more about the bookshop and the Nancy's work. I also thought that this book was too long.

I know this is a popular book but I feel like we have read this plot before. I am sure many disagree. This was just not one of my favorite books.

I LOVE a good dual timeline WWII historical fiction, especially when it's based on real people. This novel focuses on the life of Nancy Mitford and her work during WWII. I really enjoyed getting to know this fascinating woman and her family. She was a struggling writer during the war and worked in a bookshop in London. I thought the author did a REALLY great job linking the contemporary and historical storylines. In the present day, we get to know Katie, also a writer searching for her next great book idea. She travels to London to learn more about Nancy and connects with an English man who has his own mysterious connection to Nancy.

This was so well written, the two timelines flow seamlessly and I was invested in what happened to both Nancy and Katie. Perfect for fans of stories about books and writing, and especially ones set during WWII, like The Paris library, The last bookshop in London and The librarian of Saint-Malo. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copies.

This is an intriguing novel set in London and told in the dual timelines of the 1940s and today. In 1940, writer Nancy Mitford is broke and at a standstill in her writing career so, she agrees to work at the Heywood Hill Bookshop while she figures out what to do next with her life. In the present day, writer Katie Cabot is suffering from writer’s block as well as a breakup with her long-term boyfriend. Katie travels to London at the invitation of a good friend. She has always loved the writings of Nancy Mitford and when she meets the dashing Simon Bailey, she is quickly caught up in his pursuit of a possible Mitford missing memoir.

Part historical fiction and part literary thriller with a touch of romance thrown in, The Bookseller’s Secret is an absorbing read with the star being Nancy Mitford. One of the notorious Mitford sisters, famous for their controversial political ties and alliances, Nancy’s writing career took off when she wrote a novel based on herself and her family. She actually did spend part of WWII working at the Heywood Hill Bookshop. There are also delightful cameos from some of the famous writers of the day like the sharp-tongued Evelyn Waugh.

Well-researched and intricately plotted, this is great novel to add to the WWII historical fiction novels being published now. If you are not familiar with Nancy Mitford’s books, or the intriguing Mitford family, this is a great place to start.

Two storylines in one book, in 1942, Nancy Mitford is an author trying to survive the war and while she has a few books under her belt she still feels as though she hasn't had that success. In present day, Katie has ended an engagement and after a disastrous holiday with the family she gets the chance to escape across the pond to a friend's house and maybe get that inspiration for her next book.

For me when I read books with a past and a present storyline, a few things happen and sometimes I love one of the storylines and just skim the other and that happened with this book. The current storyline had me hooked and I couldn't wait to read more and more of Katie and her adventures learning about Nancy Mitford and trying to figure out what she wanted to do next with her life, but for some reason when it switched to Nancy Mitford herself, I wasn't captivated and I wanted to return to Katie.

I think I would love a book dedicated to the life and times of Nancy Mitford because I think her story is interesting, but for some reason either the time that was focused on in this book or the way it was written just didn't capture me as much as Katie's storyline.

This wasn't my first Michelle Gable read, but I still have some of her backlist to catch up and I hope to do it soon to see if my feelings would change from this book and how I felt about one plot vs the other and her other books.

I’ve only read one of Michelle Gable’s books before THE BOOKSELLER’S SECRET, but I know for sure, this won’t be my last one! She hooked me from the very first page and never let me go! Michelle sure knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat while reading and I love when an author does that to me. THE BOOKSELLER’S SECRET is the story of two women who are living in two different timelines.

The twists and turns just keep coming. So much so, that you won’t be able to put THE BOOKSELLER’S SECRET until the very end. My emotions were all over the place while reading and as soon as I was finished, I immediately checked on Goodreads for more of her books! THE BOOKSELLER’S SECRET fictionalizes the story of Nancy Mitford, the socialite who becomes a novelist. She takes over a London bookshop and becomes involved with a French resistance fighter during World War II. I learned a lot about the Mitford Sisters while reading this story, who I knew nothing about.

Overall, THE BOOKSELLER’S SECRET is a book I can say nothing but fantastic things about. There is so much heart in Michelle’s writing that I was left with a huge smile on my face and my heart, very happy. All of the characters are very interesting and believable, so much so that I felt as if I’ve known them for a long time. I look forward to reading Ms. Gable’s previous books that I haven’t gotten to yet as well as her future ones. There is so much going on in this story, but Michelle does a wonderful job of weaving all the pieces together. All of the characters will have you feeling sad and then smiling on the same page. Once you finish devouring this story, you are going to want to tell everyone you know about this awesome book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Graydon House-Harlequin through Netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.

A fascinating read based on a real person, Nancy Mitford, told during the WWII phase of her life and Katie, an imaginary person who lives in contemporary time and is also a writer. Katie is invited to London by her college friend Jojo. There she haunts the bookstore where Nancy had worked 80 years earlier. Katie meets Simon who believes he as a connection with Nancy, and he is looking for Nancy's lost manuscript at this bookstore.
Michelle Gable weaves these two tales together with ingenuity. Read and learn more about Nancy Mitford. You might even want to read her novel, The Pursuit of Love.

This duel narrative focuses on the story of author Nancy Mitford during her time as a bookseller in London in WWII. The contemporary narrative follows protagonist and fictional author Katie as she navigates her new life as a single woman and three years of writer’s block. The stories weave together many similarities as each woman works through her time around the same bookshop.

Much promise in this book but it just fell flat for me. The scenes about Mitford feel didactic and yet many moments were questionable. Following along as Katie talks about Nancy Mitford, whom she’d written her thesis on, is confused as she equally knows a lot about the author and proclaims love for the writing but doesn’t know a lot about her at the same time.

I didn’t love this book as I’d hoped. The characters are interesting but I wasn’t invested and just worked through to get to the end.

Out in my garage, there are a number of plastic tubs (about 30) brimming with books that I want to read. One of them is Mary S. Lovell’s “The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family.” So naturally, when one of my favorite authors, Michelle Gable* decided to write a novel with one of the sisters, Nancy, as the historical protagonist in a duel-narrative timeline, I had to read it!

If you’ve never heard for the Mitford Sisters, they hail from an aristocratic English family and became particularly infamous in the 1930s. An eccentric group of ladies if there ever was one. The last sister died in 2014. (It’s well-worth jumping down the rabbit hole with both feet to learn more about them.)

However this novel is set in the 1940s and in contemporary times.

In contemporary times, novelist Katie Cabot has hit a slump. For the last three years she has been searching for a subject for her next novel. One of her writer friends, Jojo, invites Katie to visit her in London, believing that a change of scenery will spark her creativity. On Jojo’s advice, Katie visits the Heywood Hill Bookshop and the place where one of her idols, Nancy Mitford worked during World War II.

While visiting the bookshop (which still exists today), Katie meets several characters, all who are searching for a missing manuscript autobiographical novel that Nancy supposedly penned while working there. (Fact: Nancy was a very successful author in her time). While there seems to be a lot of subterfuge, nothing seems to be truly at stake.

The historical timeline takes up most of the book---and is the most interesting, as readers get to know Nancy and her sisters. After Nancy began working at the bookshop, she, unintentionally, turned it into a literary salon, where her wealthy and writerly friends gathered on Sunday afternoons.

Sounds like a great read, doesn’t it? For me it was slow…very, very slow. Even though Nancy’s section didn’t have any tension until the last third, it was my favorite. Katie’s contemporary section read more like a romantic drama than a search for an eighty-plus year missing item. And I never felt that Katie’s section had a real resolution. I felt like I was left hanging. Therefore, “The Bookseller’s Secret” receives 2 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

*If you haven’t read Gable, her two best novels, in my opinion, are “A Paris Apartment” and “The Summer I Met Jack.”