This charming and bookish tale revolves around Maggie, a non-reader who has taken on the responsibility of looking after her friend's bookstore while she embarks on her maternity leave. However, things don't go according to plan, and Maggie must find a way to swiftly boost sales without jeopardizing her friend's livelihood. Despite Bell River's strict rules and regulations, Maggie secretly sets her sights on selling contemporary novels alongside the classics. In a town where running a bookstore is considered the worst job imaginable, she manages to bring people together and kindle their love for books by establishing an underground book club.

Throughout her journey, Maggie conceals her actions from Rochelle and Malcolm, a member of the Bell Society with whom she is forming a bond. While I wish she had confided in her friend about her endeavors, I understand her reasons for keeping it to herself. The connections she forges with the other townspeople, particularly the initially grumpy neighbor Vernon, are truly remarkable.

Maggie's story is an exquisite representation of the challenges we face no matter our age or qualifications. We all encounter rough paths in life where we struggle to find our purpose, whether it be personal or professional. Many can undoubtedly relate to this sentiment. Maggie's character development throughout the narrative is remarkable as she rectifies her past mistakes. Her vibrant and free-spirited personality harmoniously intertwines with Malcom's introverted and bookish nature. Additionally, her relationships with the citizens of Bell River naturally progress and evolve. Witnessing Maggie blossom into a mature individual who searches for meaning in her existence while making unique contributions to her community is truly captivating.

This novel bears a resemblance to the works of Sophie Kinsella, particularly due to its incorporation of the business aspect.

Ultimately, it is a heartwarming and effortlessly enjoyable read, sprinkled with moments of humor.

3,5/5

A delightful read! THE SECRETE BOOK CLUB isn't just romance but was filled with books, friendship and finding yourself.

I didn't like Maggie's secret hanging over her head the entire book - it was a struggle to be OK with her lying to her best friend for so long.

I loved all the characters - they were so real and full of life.

I appreciated that Maggie hit a bump in the road and kept going. Her character development was perfect and I loved her relationship with Malcolm.

Thanks to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for the ARC! Opinions are my own

Thank you net galley and publisher for this ARC. I didn't realize this book was the same as "The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks". I really enjoyed "The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks" when I read it and would recommend it. I really enjoyed learning more about Maggie Banks and her experiences in Bell River.

I love books in bookstores setting or about books in general so I loved the premise for The Secret Book Club. Maggie goes to help her friend Rochelle at her bookstore but encounters that they're stuck in the past. Only carrying books about local writer Edward Bell and classic titles. So she comes with the idea to host secret book readings and selling modern books on the down low in order to make more profit.

In doing so she keeps a lot of secrets from Rochelle and Malcom, an employee of the Bell Society with whom she's starting to develop a relationship. I wish she had really confided with her friend on what she was doing since it's her livelihood, but at the same time I get why she did it. The connections she made with the other residents were great, specially with the grumpy neighbor Vernon.

Maggies story is a perfect representation that no matter what age we are or what qualifications we have, sometimes we hit a rough path. Were we don’t know what we want to do with our lives, be it personally or professionally and it’s hard to find a purpose. I feel like a lot of people can identify with that. I think she had great character development and helped right the wrongs she did. Also her relationship with Malcom felt very genuine and not rushed. And he was able to come out of his shell and do what he wanted at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK One More Chapter and Shauna Robinson for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This was a delightful read. I had assumed that the focus of it was going to be romance, but was overjoyed that there was not only a good romance, but so much more to the story. The characters were so immediately lovable, and the setting of a small bookish town was lovely. I really enjoyed the idea of setting up secret book meetings and selling contraband books and having meetings about it. It made me want to attend events like the ones in the books.

This was a lovely heart warming and easy read with some funny moments.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this read but I really did enjoy it.
I loved all the characters especially Vernon and I also loved the relationship between Maggie and Malcom. I loved how their relationship grew through their own little book club.

Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest reveiw

Thank you to author Shauna Robinson, HarperCollins UK, and Netgalley for providing me the eARC.
Publication Date: January 18, 2024

Maggie is at loose ends in her life when she gets the perfect invitation from her college friend Rochelle to come work in Bell River’s little bookshop. Maggie jumps at the opportunity for a new adventure and a chance to reinvent herself. Her plans go awry when she runs afoul of the town dictator Ralph Bell. Ralph won’t let her sell anything but pre-1975 classics in the bookstore and similarly runs many other small Bell River businesses with an iron fist. Maggie quickly starts making friends and bringing her fresh ideas to Bell River’s bookshop.

The Secret Bookclub is such a joyful, cozy, slice-of life read. The book’s plot does settle firmly in women’s fiction rather than romance—but the romance is cute. Maggie’s free spirit bright personality meets her match and opposite in Malcolm, the straight laced, bookish introvert. Maggie’s relationship with Malcom unfolds naturally along with all of her relationships with Bell River’s citizens. I enjoyed seeing Maggie’s growth as a character over the course of the book. She develops as a human being searching for a purpose in life, as she brings her own unique contributions and personality to Bell River’s community.

Other things I liked: the literary and movie references, general bookishness of the story, the lighthearted tone, found family, the low-key dating

I wholeheartedly recommend to any reader who wants a feel-good small-town story. The protagonist is relatable, spunky but over the top, and someone you totally root for to win in life and in her struggles throughout the book. The only major criticism I could foresee someone having is that the slice-of-life sometimes makes for slower pacing.

The Secret Book Club by Shauna Robinson was a fun and enjoyable story.
The author's writing is really engaging and she always keeps me hooked from the very beginning.
Characters were incredibly real and flawed.
I’ve read Robison’s previous titles and this was just as great as her previous ones.

Thank You NetGalley and One More Chapter for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Yay for going at your own pace, finding whatever works best for you. Instead of feeling like a failure, having all those insecurities, and thinking everyone else knows what they are doing.

Maggie Banks is one of a kind. And so is Malcolm. And Rochelle. And even Vernon, who is very reasonable and sensible.

A very enjoyable book, I'm hoping to read more by this author :)

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

This book was an unexpected five star read for me! The cast of characters are loveable, even the cantankerous old man upstairs. Sometimes you just need a hug in a book and this is the one I needed.

I adore novels about books and bookstores as a rule, and The Secret Book Club was no exception. This book was a delight to read. It is set in a whimsical New England town that is obsessed with the classic novelist who penned his most famous book in the town... or did he? The main character Maggie is fun, whimsical, and most of all incredibly relatable. It was great to watch her grow and discover herself while making an impact on the lives of those around her. I definitely recommend this for anyone who is looking for a cosy, happy read that emphasises the power of books.

Something about reading about books is so fun. The setting in this book was amazing and the romance was top tier. I enjoyed this book very much.

I love the storyline!

It has all of the elements of a great book! Maggie runs a bookshop in a place with strict rules about what she can or can't sell. But rules are made to be broken, and what is better than a secret book club? But then she discovers a secret.

It's the kind of book you can't put down. And the romance is so good!

It's so good, highly recommend it to all book lovers!

“The Secret Book Club’ by Shauna Robinson is the coziest bookish read for all book lovers. Set in the small town of Bell River, Maggie is helping with the local bookshop whilst her friend is on maternity leave. But this isn’t your normal bookshop, and this small town has its quirks. As chaotic as Maggie is, she establishes a secret book club, sells non-classic books under the table and manages to build her own little following.

This book gave me ‘Stars Hollows’ vibes with the different characters we meet at the beginning of the story, and how it is very centred around a famous author. Maggie is floating through life, not really sure of her direction, however she is so relatable!

As a book lover, I loved how Maggie brought together people from all walks of life and they were given a safe space to talk about books, their favourite genres and authors and share their love for books.

This was a great read! 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley, Shauna Robinson, Harper Collins UK and One More Chapter for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this wonderful book!

Maggie goes to help her best friend Rochelle while she is going on maternity leave. You have strict town rules, a book shop that can only sell classics. A dead famous author who seems to hold the town to ransom . You end up with a secret book club and lots of twists and family secrets coming out. Took time to get into but loved it by the end.

What's not to love about this book? Set in a bookshop, exploring the kind of books that make readers passionate about stories, not just classics or literary snobbishness (that still very much persists around genres especially romantic fiction), this book has so much soul and quirky chaos that I absolutely adored. Maggie is such an intelligent, vibrant person, loyally dedicated to helping her friend Rochelle by manning her struggling bookshop whilst she's on maternity leave, but early in the book you see that Maggie feels she's drifting without a plan, so many jobs that had aspects where she could apply her gifts, but that lacked meaning for her. I think a lot of people will relate to this, I certainly did. Unintentionally, Maggie brings anarchy to the status quo and unearths secrets that rock the foundations of the town of Bell River. Amongst this a growing friendship and attraction with Malcolm emerges, but as he literally works for the enemy it is certainly complicated.
I felt so emersed in the plot, and utterly adored the other characters too particularly grumpy Vernon and rebellious Abigail. This is more a story of Maggie's journey to finding out exactly what she wants out of life and the relationships she makes at Bell River rather than an all out romance, which I really loved.

This was a fun read. Maggie doesn’t read books but has agreed to look after her friend’s bookshop while she goes on Maternity leave. Obviously things don’t go as planned and Maggie finds that she needs to find some way of increasing sales quickly if she is not to lose her friends entire source of income. However, she is restricted to only selling classic novels so her plans to sell up to date books need to be carried out in secret.
I did love the character of Maggie and I think her problems with not knowing what to do with her life when everyone around her seems to be moving on will resonate with many people. I enjoyed the plot of the story and just kept waiting for all of the plates that she was juggling to come crashing down.
I think that there has to be quite a lot of suspension of belief in this book. I find it very hard to believe that a small town in America could survive by being a shrine to a little known novelist. However the warmth of the characters and the sheer fun of Maggie’s plans carried it through for me.
Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What a great story full of fun and mischief as well as some potential romance. Thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this book and was routing for Maggie the whole way.

Good book for book lovers looking for a feel-good, cozy story. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Secret Bookshop (aka The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks) is the latest, sparkly heartwarming novel from Shauna Robinson. Our protoganist is Maggie Banks, a young woman who is taking on the running of Cobblestone Books, the bookshop of her good friend, Rochelle, while Rochelle is on maternity leave. There is just one problem: Maggie is not a fan of books, and the bookshop's biggest investor takes a serious dislike to her. Maggie soon realises that the best way to protect the bookshop, could be via her dislike of rules ... leading to creation of The Secret Bookclub.
Maggie is a delight with her resolve, humour and allergy to rules. You cannot help but cheer her on, even while laughing at her honesty. I also loved the ".. read what you enjoy.." theme of the novel and the freshing attitudes of the characters.