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.

I absolutely loved the idea of this book. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to expectation. I found there were too many sub-plots, and to be honest, I got a bit confused. I couldn't even tell you now what happened, other than Sophie losing her husband, and retreating into a little room inside the bookstore.
Sorry, 2/3 star review. Xx

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.

Delightfully written but not a whole lot happens. It starts off fairly enjoyable in a slow burn kind of way, but as much as I wanted to like this, it pains me to say that it just felt like its themes were more interesting than the actual story …which barely progressed at snail's pace

*** I received an early complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

As someone who considers herself a "bookish" person, I was eager to read about the exploits of the characters who work at a quirky DC bookstore. I found both of the main characters (Clemi and Sophie) to be highly relatable, and I loved the humor and witty dialogue. "Bookish People" left me wanting to continue to follow these characters into the next chapters of their lives. Fun and full of literary references, this book is bound to please all kinds of "bookish people."

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Netgalley & Harper Muse!

Sophie Bernstein is at a crossroads in her life. After the death of her husband, she feels like everything is starting to fall apart and she begins to retreat into herself. She decides to make a retreat for herself in the back of her bookstore as an escape.

A series of circumstances both comedic and less than funny build out the storyline of this book. There are almost too many side plots with some building on each other and others that are somewhat unnecessary.

This book was not for me. The plot sounded so interesting but I just didn’t connect with it. I didn’t find any of the characters to be particularly relatable. Some were flat and could have used a bit more development. The chapters are very long which can be off-putting for someone who does not like to stop reading in the middle of the chapter.

I had a hard time connecting to this story and the characters. The story is about a bookstore in the DC area and the lives of those that work there. I just couldn't connect with the story or the characters, not enough depth for me.

First off I’d like to say that I love the cover, it really drew me in and made me wanna read this book!

However, the plot itself lacked for me. There were so many times I got drawn in, then suddenly I was confused and the story was dragging again. This book was ALL over the place. I’m not a huge slap stick humor kinda gal, and so things like a whole chapter about a faulty vacuum just don’t do it for me.

Loved the bookstore vibes, and the thought of a hidden room within it, and a few of the subplots were enjoyable, but as a whole this wasn’t a very enjoyable read.

Also, while I understand this is an unfinished copy, the formatting/watermarking makes it very un-enjoyable to read. Literally half a page watermark every other page is a bit much.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Harper Muse and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Intriguing and entertaining story with delightful characters.

Bookish People by Susan Coll is a story about a bookstore and the intriguing lives of its owner and employees. Told from a variety of perspectives, we jump into the daily life and upkeep of this business to get a true glimpse into this world.

While there were certainly some silly anecdotes throughout the story: a rogue homeless turtle, mayhem that ensues when a dog steals a child’s bagel, a vacuum cleaner that just will not work…the plot was just a little too disjointed for me. There were just too many characters and subplots to really bring this piece together. That being said, the book felt quaint and cozy, but perhaps that is because I just love a bookstore.

I think that the watermark was also a deliberate choice for the book in its prerelease state, but it was a real challenge to read when it appeared so frequently, just a note to the publisher.

Many thanks to Harper Muse and NetGalley for this title in exchange for my honest review. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I walked away from this book with one thought in mind… “Damn the Man, Save the Bookstore” (if you get this reference, you’re my vintage, we should talk)

An independent bookstore, a rag tag bunch of book lover staff and a store owner who’s considering moving into the crawl space between the shelves sets the scene for what becomes an on trend, off beat work of bookish art.

I loved the quirky characters, the literary references and the genuine, heart you’ll find in this novel. Infused with humour, tenderness, sadness and a good dose of huh? Bookish People is the ideal read for … bookish people! A triumph of bibliophilia!

I wanted to love this book, but I have to admit it was a struggle. The bookstore setting was wonderful, but the actual story was such a hodgepodge that I kept putting it down. It felt like as soon as I caught on to the storyline and became invested in the main character (she seemed so interesting! Why couldn’t we just stay with her???) the story jumped to another character in some other situation. After awhile it was just too much to keep track of without enough excitement to make it worth the effort.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book.

Fun, crazy, comedy. Kind of all over the place so could use a little editing but it takes place in a bookstore and I am a sucker for bookstore fiction

As a DC resident, I loved reading about all the scenes in DC. Also, the descriptions of the independent bookstore world felt very realistic and set the stage well. There were so many characters that also felt simultaneously true to DC "types" but still real people. The character's emotions were conveyed really well through the writing so you felt those emotions as well, on their behalf. This helped keep all of their stories clear and coherent, even though there were multiple storylines that converged beautifully at the end of the book. Overall, a fun read that made me nostalgic for bookstore browsing!

Oh, how I wanted to love this book. Bookstores are one of my favorite settings for a story to take place. The synopsis of this novel sounded perfect. Widowed and grieving bookstore owner, Sophie Bernstein, finds herself lost in life and completely over books. The sad state of the world has her hatching a plan to go into hiding in the secret room at the back of the bookstore. Her bookstore is suffering, and her son is floundering in life. Her favorite manager is moving away. Sophie cannot seem to get a grip on things. The chapters in the story jump between Sophie and a few other quirky characters. There is the narcissistic poet Raymond Chaucer, recently scheduled to do a book signing at the store. He is also in the middle of an ugly scandal and being accused of his wife’s death. Then there is Clemi, the events coordinator at the store and aspiring writer, who is Raymond’s illegitimate love child. Clemi has recently figured out who Raymond really is to her and refuses to cancel the signing event even though she knows it will be a disaster. Comedy of epic proportions ensues. The rest of the motley, multi-generational, cast features authors, booksellers, and a Russian Tortoise named Kurt Vonnegut Jr. The one thing they all share is their love of books.

 The major premise of this book was wonderful. It was the execution that I struggled with. The story is told from alternating points of view. And while I enjoyed getting an intimate look into each character, it did not flow well. At several points, the disjointed scenes left me confused. Instead of having a single primary plotline, it was a series of ideas and sub-plots. They just didn’t seem to move well together through to the end. I struggled to follow the story and had to go back and re-read sections. It was an enjoyable story. I just didn’t enjoy the writing style. How the author wrapped everything up at the end was perfect and left me feeling satisfied. This was a 2.5 rounded up to 3-star read for me.