At first, I wasn't sure about this book, but I am so glad that I didn't give up! I liked the dual timeline, especially as it revolved around a London bookshop that is still there today. I didn't really know much about Nancy Mitford, so that part was really interesting.

I found this book tedious at times to get through. I feel that it would have been a better read if the whole story had been about Nancy Mitford without the character of Kate and her relationships.
I may have missed something but to me the connection between the characters was very weak. There was also too much "name dropping" of authors and book titles throughout the story. These names meant little or nothing to me and I found myself skimming much of the book instead of becoming absorbed in the story.

I tried hard to like this book. It just didn't do it for me. I gave up around the 35% mark and that was a lot of reading for a book that I was just not enjoying.

It was well written and seemed like the author knew about the time but it was not what I thought it was going to be.

I won't give it a poor star rating as that would be very unfair to the author.

Thank you #netgalley, #michellegable, #harlequin for this ARC. This is my own thoughts about this book.
It's just not for me.

3/5 stars and read it for yourself. You may love it.

While a fan of Nancy Mitford's life and work might find this book interesting, few other people will do so. There is a dual timeline of Mitford's wartime life as well as a modern day fictional storyline of a writer also doubting herself as she visits London in an attempt to jump start her next novel and finds herself at the same bookstore where Nancy Mitford worked during WWII, trying to uncover Mitford's wartime memoir. Most of the characters are pretty one-dimensional, with more information dumps than believable plotline. There are characterizations of Evelyn Waugh, the six Mitford daughters, as well as their parents and friends, and this provides a bare hint of the gossipy, catty relationships in aristocratic Britain during the war. The modern day timeline is much too predictable with an old flame and a new interest that tries, and largely fails, to create interest in the main character for the reader.
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Author Katherine has writers block on her next book and has finally broken up with her longtime boyfriend for good. While in London staying with her friend, Katherine discovers Heywood Hill's bookstore where her idol Nancy Mitford worked and wrote during WWII. Determined to learn more, Katherine teams with mysterious teacher Simon and store manager Felix to uncover all scraps of writing Nancy may have left about her time at Hills.
The dual timeline story also lays out Nancy's life during the war - her marriage, affair with French Colonel Pelewski, family drama, and her writing process. Nancy's portion is the more interesting thread; Katherine is sometimes a bulldozer and merely a frame for exploring Nancy's life. But the novel in an interesting peek at a lesser-known period in Nancy's life.

A dual timeline story: author Nancy Mitford in 1942 and author Katie Cabot in 2016. The link is Heywood Hills bookshop where Katie is in search of a lost manuscript authored by Nancy. Each woman is suffering from writer’s block. It took me a while to feel engaged in the book. I was not a fan of Nancy’s caustic wit. I wanted Katie to get her act together. I love reading books with strong woman characters. These women felt entitled and spoiled to me. This was not the hook I was expecting.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Bookseller' s Secret reveals the struggles of Two authors during two periods in history--World War Two and present day. As the war continues on the fronts Nancy endeavors to succeed in writing her book and in love. Years later her secret is investigated in the bookseller' s shop and mysteries are revealed and concealed. Great historical novel.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

Was so excited to get an early sneak peek at this book.

Set in two different timelines this book brought to life some wonderful characters.

Two women both writers. Both having trouble writing their next book come together in a book store that holds shelves of secrets.

This book was so good. Set in WWII and surrounded with intrigue and mystery I was all in. When Katherine travels to England to ease her heartbreak she never expects to be drawn into the life of Nancy Mitford someone she admirers. With help of a handsome teacher, Simon Katherine sets on a journey to discover Nancy's lost manuscript. Along the way, she discovers secrets and just how much she and Nacy may be alike.

This book truly was a wonderful read for me and kept me captivated from the first chapter.

2.5 Stars

Thank you #Netgalley #Harlequin # @GraydonHouse for a complimentary eARC of #TheBookSellersSecret upon my request. All opinions are my own.

If you enjoy stories that are primarily dialogue-driven and you are a fan of Nancy Mitford, you might enjoy this fictionalized story of her writing life.

I wish:
* I had felt more connection with the characters and story
* The characters had been more likable
* The story had more suspense (as the title indicates it might)
* The ending had been more satisfactory
* The story had included how the war might have significantly impacted the characters in the past timeline
* There had been fewer characters to track in the past timeline
* The present timeline didn't mirror the past so closely (although it was easier to follow)

The author has written a well-researched story, and fans of dialogue-driven stories might enjoy this more than I did. Overall, I was left feeling underwhelmed and unengaged. Others have loved it, please check out more reviews.
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Book: The Bookseller’s Secret
Author: Michelle Gable
Rating: 2 Out Of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Graydon House, for providing me with an ARC.

I think this one has promise for sure, even though I didn’t give it a very high rating. I honestly just had a very difficult time connecting with the book and anything about it. This doesn’t mean that it’s a bad book, but any means, it just didn’t work for me. Since I really couldn’t connect with what was going on, I found myself really not caring about the characters and their lives around them.

I found the characters to be engaging at first, but as the book went on, I just found myself losing interest in them. We follow two writers in two different timelines. Both of them are different, but, yet, are kind of alike-if that makes any sense. We see them both kind of struggling with not only their writing, but also in their personal lives. This alone should have kept me hooked throughout the whole book, but it didn’t. There was something missing to really drive the whole point home. While we did seem to have these rather complex characters, there was just something missing about them. What they are dealing with is something that all humans have to deal with. They are at their lowest and are trying to rebuild from that. However, just the way it was done, just really didn’t work for me. There just seemed to be an overall lack of emotion.

I guess that was really the missing link for me. This sense of going through what the characters are going through should have made me feel sorry for them. One of the points of view is set during the height of World War II. There should have been some tension, some sense of urgency, but there was nothing. I know that the world didn’t really hit everyone, but this is London. We should have gotten a sense that everything may not be okay. We should have felt their pain, joys, and all of the other human emotions. Yet, I felt nothing.

It is the writer’s job to bring the story to life. I’m not saying that Michelle is a bad writer by any means. I just think that her method did not really work for this story. We have a lot of dialogue and a slow pace. Now, this does actually work for historical fiction. It just doesn’t work for historical fiction set during a war-especially one set during World War II. We all know about total war, but that just really didn’t seem to affect the characters. I don’t know…I really don’t know….

Anyway, this one comes out on August 17, 2021.

I'm a book lover and a huge fan of dual timeline novels, so I was excited to read this book. However, it fell a bit flat for me.

Based on the title, I was expecting a huge twist/big reveal, but, sadly, that wasn't the case. The suspense angle was sorely lacking, as well. There was a lot of potential to the book, but it just didn't live up to it or hit the mark for me.

This book was received as an ARC from HARLEQUIN – Trade Publishing - Graydon House in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was so fascinated by this book and showed a well deserved appreciation for it since I am a librarian and know the power of words and books. This book was a clear reflection not only on a historical moment in time but the value of books and manuscripts are very overrated and they could be of astronomical value in the future and in this case 80 years. Even though this book is categorized as Historical Fiction, I do think this should be on the high school reading list to reteach the young generation the power and value of words and books and how it's not all about the technology. Having also be a former bookseller, I could completely relate to the love and passion Nancy developed throughout the war and now I definitely value that experience as well as being a librarian.

We will consider adding this title to our Historical Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

I had difficulty connecting with the protagonists in this book. I found myself very interested in Nancy Mitford the writer and put a hold on her books at the library but this book just seemed to fall short. Some things were not developed enough, some things seem over developed.

I found this one to be a very uneven read... There were times when I was completely pulled into the story, wholly engaged and interested to see what was going to happen next, but there were more times when I found myself irritated at the shenanigans of the two main characters in their separate timelines. They were both a bit self-centered and rather unlikable, and regardless of whether that is true for the real-life Nancy mitford or not, it didn't make for a very engaging character in the novel. I found the supporting cast generally unlikeable also, which made it difficult to want to slog through the parts of the plot that dragged along. The only character I really liked was Heywood Hill - and his bookstore! - and frankly he wasn't enough to save the book for me...

I really enjoyed this historical novel set in WWII and present day. I've read a lot about the Mitford family and have enjoyed Nancy's books in the past. Makes me want to re-read them. And, of course, anything about book stores are interesting.

I really liked this one! I liked the dual timelines and how they became interwoven between the two women. I liked Katie a lot! I just felt for her and her struggle and the pressures from the people around her. I liked her relationship with Simon and how we learn and see Nancy throughout.
A charming story for lovers of books and bookshops.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Put off reading this for some reason and I should have jumped on it. It was captivating. I highly recommend this book. When I have time I am going back to reread it again. A first choice for sure!

his dual timeline novel explores the lives of Nancy Mitford, a wartime novelist who can't seem to write a new novel, and her contemporary counterpart, Heywood Hill, who is thinking of giving up writing because she has no good ideas.
Circumstances develop so Heywood is presented the opportunity to search for Nancy's lost manuscript and as she searches, she finds many similarities between her life and Nancy's.
At times I lost interest in the characters. Themes seemed to be repeated and the plot was dull.
I would recommend this for diehard fans of historical fiction, but there are so many excellent historical novels available this year, it would not be high on my to read list.

Thankyou Net Galley, the publisher and the author for the ARC of this book.

When it comes to reading, my tastes are very simple – mysteries, spy thrillers, history (fiction and nonfiction) and military fiction. My time periods range from ancient Rome to the Middle Ages to WWII and to the present. Every so often though, a book not in one of those categories catches my attention and it really affects me. THE BOOKSELLER'S SECRET is the latest such book. The author, whom I had not heard of before, MICHELLE GABLE, has written a masterpiece.

I was vaguely aware of Nancy Mitford, a mid-20th Century British author and her eccentric family through news stories and my affiliation with the book publishing industry (for nearly 50 years). And as a reader. As Paul Harvey used to say, “Now you know the rest of the story.”

This novel is based on fact. Ms. Gable explains what is real and what is not in a postscript. Some of the facts I checked via a Google search. The historic elements are accurate.

There are two narrators. During the years of WWII, Nancy Mitford is living in London through the Blitz and working in a bookstore. The bookstore is G. Heywood Hill Ltd. a real store that is still doing business. In the present day, it is Katie Cabot an American author living in Virginia near Washington, D.C. Both have a similar problem. They are both searching for the subject and storyline for their next book.

When Mitford is the narrator, the reader meets many of her friends and her family. Both groups contain wonderful characters who are a little off beat. Among Nancy’s family are communists, fascists and Nazis. One sister has been jailed for her pro-Nazi sympathies. The communist sister has moved to California (where else?) with her husband. The Mitford parents are of minor nobility. They have estates but little cash or income. Nancy needs the three pounds a week she gets from her job in the bookstore just to survive. One sister, Deborah, married the 11th Duke of Devonshire (their son, the 12th Duke, now owns the bookstore). Mitford is looking for a story that she can write that will become a bestseller. She had published three or four critically acclaimed novels, but financial busts, before the war.

Katie had written a couple of books that also were not financial successes. Her fiancé Armie had been her friend and then lover since they were five years old. She is in her mid to late thirties. Her best friend other than Armie is Jojo Boyers who met and married a British executive. Jojo lives in London with her four kids. Katie and Jojo went to school together from their earliest years through Cornell University in upstate New York. At Cornell, Katie’s senior year thesis was on Nancy Mitford.

Katie decides to visit Jojo after Thanksgiving (late November). Her friend tells her to visit the bookstore in the neighborhood. There she meets Simon Bailey who may or may not be a missing part of Mitford’s extended family.

This story provided me with a great deal of fun entertainment. If the whole COVID 19 pandemic is getting you down, read this book. You will feel much better if you do. If I could, I would give this book 10 stars on a zero-to-five-star scale. The author has a few other books available. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

GO! BUY! READ!