I truly had high hopes for this book. The cover is adorable, the premise seemed spot on for me. However, the book fell flat. I think mostly it's the writing style that I couldn't truly adapt to. A bit confusing with the back and forth between the character's views and then the plot plus sub-plots. I really wanted to DNF this book, but I'm not a quitter and held on through the entire book. I was hoping somehow, it would turn around and I would enjoy it. I liked the premise of it but just couldn't get past the writing style. Confusing, so many sub-plots. Just seemed like a mess in a writing style sense. Truly wanted to love this book as the summary and cover made me think it'd be GREAT!

This ARC was given to me to review from the publishers and NetGalley. All comments above are solely my true opinion after reading this book.

Ebook/Fiction:. I wanted to love this book. I read the description of a city bookstore with quirky characters and an owner who just wants to seek permanent shelter in a secret room on the property. There were some funny moments; my favorite being the radio show where the Norman Mailer-like author gets more questions about the AGA he had in his house instead of his poetry book. I had to look up what an AGA was, (a European oven that stays on 24/7).
I really wish more character's backgrounds were delved into because I think I would have care more during the end's climactic scene of quirky mayhem.
I want to thank Netgalley for letting me read an ARC of the book.

Not sure I would classify this read as a "screwball comedy" per se. It does have some funny moments, but generally there is a lot of angst. The real world has enough angst for me right now! Not a bad read, I just didn't love this one.

This was touted as a kind of screw ball comedy with a cast of characters. It started off rather slow/depressing but leveled out once we were introduced to everyone. This book felt a little too chaotic to me. I laughed out loud a few times but overall it didnt really payoff for me.

Thank you to Netgalley & Harper Muse for an arc in exchange for a honest review! All opinions expressed are completely my own.

The cover and title of this book EASILY drew me in, but sadly this book was really hard for me to get into. :( Other than the setting (a lovely bookstore in DC), the only other thing i liked was the pet tortoise lol. I felt the book dragged, and the chapters seemed extremely long. Multiple pov’s are introduced, and I found it hard to connect with any of the characters. I feel if we were just shown 2-3 pov’s and delved deeper with them, I would’ve enjoyed this more!

This is a quirky read about a bookstore, its owner, and her employees. I really wanted to like this book, but I couldn’t connect with the characters or writing style. That doesn’t mean it’s not a good book, of course—everyone has different tastes so if the description appeals to you, give it a go.

This cover and title sold me before I even read a description.
•
Living in Maryland, I loved the DC setting and even more because it takes place in a bookstore.
•
A multi-point of view story, the story became complex and confusing. I would’ve loved it to just be about Sophie’s journey to start again. I find a lot of time in YA books, authors try to do too much with the plot, and I think this was a similar situation.
•
The ending wrapped up well and was a satisfying ending. Getting there was enjoyable, but I just felt it could’ve been stronger by having more focus and less sub-plots.

DNF. Unfortunately, this was a book I started multiple times but could just not get into. I appreciate having the opportunity to read this book, it was just not a good fit for me as a reader. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my gifted review copy.

As a book lover, I had high hopes for this book and wanted to love it. Sadly, it didn't meet my expectations. I loved the setting (bookstore), but the story itself felt disjointed. It felt like a bunch of short stories randomly thrown together, which made it hard to stay engaged. I did like the main character, and I think the book could've benefitted from just sticking with her as the main focus. I love turtles, so I did enjoy Kurt Vonnegut Jr.!

While I did enjoy that there was a lot going on in the book just like there is in real life, it was also at times somewhat distracting. I loved how the chapters ended with the store manager's daily recap of what happened each day, and I was entertained by many of the quirky situations involving a cozy hidden book nook, a notorious poet, a literal Chatty Cathy and the escapades of multiple animals. I just couldn't really connect to the main characters. That was the drawback for me.

However, as a lifelong bookworm, how could I not enjoy a book set in a bookstore? Even without a major draw to the characters, the "bookish landscape" was entertainment enough.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Muse and author Susan Coll for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Although this "collection" of characters includes some stereotypes that hardened readers can easily recognize and identify with, the plot itself doesn't hold up, the book is rather slow, despite the fact that everything happens within a week / ten days more or less, and it was not easy, as far as I'm concerned, to get to the end.

Per quanto questa "raccolta" di personaggi, annovera alcuni stereotipi che i lettori piú incalliti possono facilmente riconoscere ed in loro riconoscersi, la trama di per sé regge poco, il libro é piuttosto lento, nonostante tutto accada nell'arco di una settimana/dieci giorni piú o meno, e non é stato facile, per quanto mi riguarda, arrivare alla fine.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

This is a quirky read about a bookstore, its owner, and her employees. Throw in a disgraced poet, a scene stealing turtle, a bunch of "cats" and "birds", and a vacuum with a mind of its own and you get either a chaotic mess or masterpiece depending on how you choose to see things. The main story follows Sophie Bernstein, a newly widowed woman in her fifties who is sleepwalking through life. After discovering a long forgotten "secret" room in her bookstore she begins to make plans to move into it and live the rest of her life in solitude. There is so much going on in this story with multiple storylines that all intersect during one eventful summer week in Washington DC. The chapters were too long IMO and I found it a bit confusing to jump from multiple POVs. Each chapter ended with an "end of the day" report by the bookstore manager that summarized the craziness that took place that day. The ending was a nice surprise with everything wrapped up neatly, but the journey to that ending was painful at times. There was just too much going on for me and I didn't feel invested in any of the characters really. Being a “bookish person” I really wanted this book to be better. It was a really chaotic and felt disjointed, but I think that was the point. Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Muse, and author Susan Coll for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. This review does not reflect the opinions of any brands I represent.

Thank you to Harper Muse and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Ohhhh the potential that this book had. The first half of this book was really hard for me to get into. Sophie's character at first seemed to drag and have a negative viewpoint, which I didn't like. I wanted more for Sophie other than her dwelling on her late husband. However, by the end of the book her character got better. As for Clemi, right off the bat I loved her. I could see that she really cared for Sophie and the bookstore in general. I liked how this book switched from the various character's perspectives and gave insight to how they viewed their time in the bookstore. With this all being said, I didn't love the book but I also didn't hate it. It was just "Blahhhh."

I would like to thank the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this eBook.

Bookish People by Susan Coll had all the makings of a fun read, but somewhere along the way, it becomes a little chaotic and difficult to keep track of all the characters. It was a good book nevertheless.

Bookish People
by Susan Coll
It was funny mostly. Sometimes the story got bogged down in useless humor and took away from the story.I just thought the book lacked a story to tell.

This had all the makings of a great read for me – a storyline about books, a bookstore and writers. Unfortunately, what was billed as a “big-hearted screwball comedy” started out very slowly in a depressing vein, evolved into a disjointed series of loosely-connected threads highlighting troubled people, and concluded in a chaotic frenzy of activity and mishaps. The one shining bit of humor for me was a tortoise named Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., who rides around on top of a Roomba vacuum cleaner.

Sophie Bernstein is the owner of a popular independent bookstore in Washington, D.C. Having just lost her husband nine months ago, she is deeply grieving and struggling to fulfill her personal and professional obligations. Her store is staffed by an eclectic group of wannabe writers and overqualified escapists from other professions. Added to this mix of characters are a variety of quirky authors invited to hold readings and sign books.

This novel was not a good match for me. The author’s style, pacing and dark humor turned this read into an endurance exercise. I could only read a few pages at a time and was on the verge of labeling this a DNF at several points. I had difficulty embracing the ongoing focus on vacuum cleaners – first as an imaginary memoir and then as a mechanical nemesis.

My biggest issue was that I never felt an emotional connection with the characters. Sophie’s struggle to deal with loss on several levels, coupled with the tumultuous political atmosphere of the times, was understandable, but she came across as a rather ditzy, unsympathetic protagonist. I did enjoy Autumn T’s “End of Day Reports,” which provided continuity and a light touch of humor.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

This book is ridiculously, laugh out loud funny!

Set with the backdrop of a DC bookshop, we have the bookshop owner, Sophie, and her events coordinator, Clemi, as the books main narrators. Sophie is recently widowed and Clemi has just found out that a famous poet might possibly be her father. Set over the course of a week we see chaos ensue. You get a rogue bullet, a turtle named Kurt Vonnegut Jr., dogs on the loose, a lawsuit, a solar eclipse, and a key eating industrial vacuum cleaner.

At times I did think this book was a little bit too long but then something would happen that would make me think, “what else could possibly go wrong?!”, and I would be consumed by this book once again.

I loved reading the “End of the Day” emails that Autumn T. would send out to the staff as well as all of the book and author references!

I suggest picking up this book if you’re in the mood for a good laugh, want to read a book that revolves around books, and want something heartwarming.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I think owning a bookshop would be fantastic, and even better if it has a secret room. Sophie has it made. Minus the depressing loss of her husband. Watching her trying to cancel the book signing and inevitably forming a bond with Raymond, also suffering his own loss, was very sweet! Let's not forget the Russian tortoise either. He's the real star of the book.

A quick, lighthearted read, but did not draw me in as much as I’d hoped. I struggled to connect with the characters.

A good quick fun read for an afternoon escape, a weekend at the beach, a long plain ride etc. It will take you away and won't disappoint.