Sad to report that this one didn’t work for me.

I couldn’t connect with the characters, the long chapters bored me and the internal monologues really didn’t work for me.

Unfortunately - this one didn’t work.

I was really excited for this book, the premise seemed interesting plus the title and cover are eye-catching. However, it is a struggle to push through the text based on the writing style. I also found it hard to connect with characters, which led me to DNF this one.

Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Muse for the ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance reader's copy of this novel.

DNF at 15%. I just can't bring myself to care about these characters, as much as I thought I would love the bookstore setting. I was enjoying some of the insight into running a bookstore and setting up author events, but I found myself dreading going back to the book because I just didn't care what was going to happen to these characters.

I really was looking forward to getting sucked into this book, as it had everything I was looking for in a great book! I adored the bookstore vibe and the pet tortoise, but unfortunately everything else fell flat for me. The main character, Sophie, is having a bit of a difficult time with her husband recently passing, son that is struggling and the cute bookstore she runs is having a bad season. The chapters were long and I found a difficult time connecting with the characters.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was not for me, unfortunately. I found the plot to drag on, the internal monologues to bore me, and the writing style dragged on. DNF'd around 25% through, which I usually never do.

I found the writing and the characters in this novel absolutely awful It was a chore to finish-I do not recommend it at all.

Growing up, we had a number of vacuum cleaners. There is a system to replacing the three vacuums that we have in my parents‘ home, one for each floor of the house: despite only being used once per week, the ground floor vacuum is always the newest. Regardless of which appliance breaks, the new device will be placed in its little nook in the conservatory and the other two are being rotated - the second newest to the (most-used) upper floor and the oldest to the basement. After moving out, I first had a great blue machine that moved easily and dealt with everything thrown in its way admirably, and now I share one with my flatmates that, unbelievably, works even worse than my parents‘ basement vacuum. I am looking into replacing it with a more modern device, but will refrain from shooting the current one with a gun.

If this paragraph bored you more than anything you’ve read in the last year, this book is absolutely not for you. Vacuuming is a central aspect of the plot for some reason, and the bookstore’s owner Sophie holds endless monologues in her head about all the vacuum cleaners she has owned in her life. I feel like it’s supposed to be comedic, but all it did was make me fall asleep. Repeatedly.

The writing style in this book was all telling and no showing, which didn’t work for me at all. I couldn’t relate to the characters and felt very distanced from their emotions and thoughts. Even if you disregard the whole vacuum monologue escapades, nothing ever really happens other than Sophie talking about how nervous she is feeling (without ever really going into any detail) and Clemi‘s thoughts about her flatmates, (talking?) turtle and totally repulsive crush.

The whole story is supposed to be centered about this bookish event with that questionable author, but the book really only gets to that at the very ending and it is so unbelievably anticlimatic. Nothing is resolved and I just don’t get the point of the book. I already established that I didn’t find it funny in the least bit, and it didn’t give me anything else either.

There is some Jewish representation randomly thrown into the mix here and there, but it is just used as an aspect of Sophie‘s worries and isn’t very consistent, so it felt rather forced to me.

To sum things up, this was the most boring and pointless book I‘ve read this year and I would have dnf‘ed it after the first chapter if it wasn’t an arc.

1.5/5 stars.

I always like to read books that have ‘book’ in the title or about bookshop owners and was excited to read this one.
Unfortunately I was not very keen on the writing style and struggled to keep going. Having said that I did enjoy the ‘quirky’ characters and there were laugh out loud moments.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest view.

I’m an easy mark for any books with the word “book” in the title. I love books and reading about books and bookstores. Unfortunately this book did not strike a chord with me and I found it very rough going.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Harper Muse for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Really enjoyed this book !
The title immediately drew me and the characters were very intriguing
Thank you NetGalley for arc !

If the title has any variation of ‘Book’ in it, there is a 99% chance I will add it to my TBR! I loved the cover of this one and the premise sounded interesting. Unfortunately, the execution of the story fell a bit short for me. I found it hard to connect with the writing, there were too many subplots, and the connection between the subplots felt messy. On a positive note, I enjoyed the cast of eccentric characters and laughed out loud several times while reading. I think had the plot been a bit tidier, I might’ve enjoyed this a lot more. Still worth checking out if you’re down to bookish plots.

Favorite Quote:
“She sometimes thinks the world divides into two types of people, those who think books are for reading when there’s nothing else to do, and those who avoid other things to do in order to read books—and unsurprisingly she’s in the latter camp, but really, is that so awful?”

Errant hoovers, authors, ego’s, riots and litigation. Just another day in the life of a book store owner… A kind of stream of consciousness for those amongst the team at recently bereaved, Sophie Bernstein’s, bookstore. But who are worse, the authors, the staff or the general public? Every workplace has its foibles, their little bit of weirdness, commonalities and pet peeves. If you’re a book fan or a writer, you’ll love this hilarious book. If you’re not either, you still will!

I’m a sucker for anything with ‘book’ in the title or a book on the cover! This whimsical cover caught my attention and the premise sounded interesting.

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me. I struggled with the writing style, the characterization and the many subplots. I couldn’t connect to any of the characters, didn’t love the ‘humour’ and found that Sophie Bernstein, the owner of the bookstore, was not representative of her age.

I stuck with it and was rewarded with a satisfying ending. I also appreciated the behind the scenes peek into the running of a bookstore and the challenges that accompany it.

I do hope this book finds the right reader!

I was gifted this advance copy by Susan Coll, Harper Muse, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

“She sometimes thinks the world divides into two types of people, those who think books are for reading when there is nothing else to do, and those who avoid other things to do in order to read books - and unsurprisingly, she’s in the latter camp, but really, is that so awful?”

Synopsis: Independent bookstore owner Sophie Bernstein is burned out on books. Mourning the death of her husband, the loss of her favorite manager, her only child’s lack of aspiration, and the grim state of the world, she fantasizes about going into hiding in the secret back room of her store. Meanwhile, renowned poet Raymond Chaucer has published a new collection, and rumors that he’s to blame for his wife’s suicide have led to national cancellations of his publicity tour. He intends to set the record straight—with an ultra-fine-point Sharpie—but only one shop still plans to host him: Sophie’s. Fearful of potential repercussions from angry customers, Sophie asks Clemi—bookstore events coordinator, aspiring novelist, and daughter of a famed literary agent—to cancel Raymond’s appearance. But Clemi suspects Raymond might be her biological father, and she can’t say no to the chance of finding out for sure.

Personal review: 3 stars

This book had wicked potential and was a laughable affair, with intergenerational characters. The end of the day emails and connection between the characters was the element that I enjoyed best throughout the novel. The premise of this book was something I thought I would love and had great potential, being a bookish individual, but sadly it fell flat. The authors writing style, pace, and dark humor was not easily digested for myself and therefore wasn’t a match with me. I did enjoy the location, and the basic outline of the book. Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

What a busy bookstore! I enjoyed reading about the perspective of multiple booksellers in an independent DC bookstore. Once at the climax, I loved reading about all of the things that ensued.

I received this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This is a complete miss for me. I tried, several times I put it down, tried again and again. I cannot get used to the writing style. I felt like I was in the middle of one random thought that just kept jumping from one thing to the next. The idea of the book being about a bookstore owner and it’s employees was great! However I just didn’t get on with the execution or writing style.

I was initially excited for this book, the cover and title roped me in, and the premise sounded great. Unfortunately, this is a book I am giving myself permission to not finish. Maybe one day I’ll come back to it, but it’s just not for me at this time. I found the writing a bit stilted and the characters I didn’t seem to connect with. Maybe someone else cup of tea, but for now I’ll stick with some water.

I don't understand the trend of romances set in Bookstores and Libraries. This one was just ok, if I had read this before Book Lovers I would have had stronger positive feelings

There was a lot going on here...I mean A LOT, which added to the almost slapstick quality of the book. Having worked in a bookstore the author hit the nail on the head about many things including the workers and customers, but it just went too far to be a really good story. The deeper issues, that I believe the author was trying to convey, got lost in the whirlwind of the comedy. Lots of potential and worth the read, but just not quite there.

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

I was so excited to read a book about a woman finding herself in a world that is constantly bad, but was pretty disappointed in the story I read. I found it overall to be incredibly confusing. I usually love when a book is able to transition us from the current moment to relevant memories, but most of the memories seemed irrelevant or misplaced. One of the parts that troubled me the most, was the comparisons to Anne Frank when deciding if she could live in the spare room in her store.