Julie Shackman is back with another gorgeously escapist contemporary romance: The Bookshop by the Loch.

Lexie Dunbar is passionate about books. Nothing gives her more pleasure than losing herself in a good story and she adores visiting her local bookshop, Book Ends. So, she’s absolutely devastated when she hears that the store is about to close and vows to do everything she possibly can to save her favourite shop. Unfortunately for Lexie and her plans, artist Tobias Black turns up in Bracken Way with one goal in mind: to turn Book Ends into an art gallery.

Tobias might have managed to charm everybody in town, but Lexie will not be easily swayed. She is determined to fight tooth and nail to make sure that Book Ends stays put and nobody is going to dissuade her otherwise – not even when she realises that she might have more in common with Tobias than she initially thought. Lexie too has clearly misjudged Tobias and the more she gets to know him, the more she wonders whether he might just be the man to show her that happy ever afters can be found in the real world and not just between the pages of her favourite novels.

Books, picturesque locations, warmth, wit, humour and romance – Julie Shackman’s The Bookshop by the Loch is a terrific read that has it all! An irresistible romantic charmer with a lovely heroine readers will cheer for and a gorgeous hero they will love, The Bookshop by the Loch is a feel-good and uplifting tale that will cheer up even the gloomiest of days.

An enjoyable and enchanting enemies-to-lovers romance readers will adore, The Bookshop by the Loch is another winner by Julie Shackman.

This has been an enjoyable series and with the addition of an ailing bookshop which needs to be put back on its feet, it doubly appeals. Lexie has returned to her childhood home, licking her wounds after being passed over at work. Family is a big part of this story and she finds herself coping with a difficult situation. which affects all her family. Knowledgeable about books and publishing, Lexie seems the perfect person to revitalise Book Ends. Only the grouchy Tobias seems to stand in the way of her plans. As the sparks fly, you see Lexie show her pragmatism as she picks her battles wisely.

With the enemies to lovers thread, there is plenty to keep your interest as the story develops. Others in the community add light and colour to the story. Lexie emerges as a caring young woman who is not afraid to admit she may have got a few things wrong. This is an entertaining series and with the beautiful setting, you don't feel that it is misnamed.

In short: escapist and uplifting

This was a heartwarming read that beautifully captures the essence of small town Scotland. I loved the enemies to friends romance.Many thanks to HarperCollins UK and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Family secrets, twists and turns and a handsome, brooding artist - what's not to love? As an avid reader, I also love a story set in a bookshop and this one was no exception. Gorgeous setting, family, community and love - a really lovely read.

I was on the blog tour with Rachel's Random Resources

http://ramblingmads.uk/2024/02/01/blog-tour-the-bookshop-by-the-loch-julie-shackman/

The Bookshop by the Loch is a cozy, light romance fiction that will be good for a holiday read.

This isn’t the first romance that I”ve noticed that the love story is not the main plot - there are a number of subplots within this which, I feel, gives the book a bit more drama. In fact, when they finally got together, it felt like an afterthought to ensure the ‘happy ever after’ ending happened. The bookshop ended up being a bit of a forgotten plot, which I was sad about as the sudden success of the shop after a coat of paint and the purchase of more up-to-date titles was very unrealistic.

My biggest gripe - the author overdoes the descriptives, to the point that it felt that every line had one. This made it feel like it tried too hard and I was surprised that more weren’t edited out.

If you enjoy a holiday read that you don’t have to think too deeply about, this will be worth a read.

Lexie wants to save her village's bookstore and has lots of new ideas, but then Tobias, the owner's nephew, shows up and claims part of the store for his gallery.

Despite all the contradictions, can there be peaceful coexistence between the two?

Strong characters, stirring family stories, strangers who become friends.

Have fun reading for yourself!

The Bookshop by the Loch follows Lexie who has recently gone back to her home town for a break from work to discover that the local bookshop is being sold and knows that she has to do something about it. Lexie decides to take on the bookshop as a trial for a year and see if she can turn it around, only to discover that an artist is determined to turn the building the bookshop is in into a gallery.

Throughout the story, we follow and get Lexie’s POV, but we also see a lot of Tobias, Lexie’s family and some locals from the town. I really liked the characters that we followed how their stories came together and how much of a focus on families that comes too. There are many reveals around these families but also many discussions about how important family is and what this means to the characters.
The stories were all engaging and I really enjoyed learning more about all of these different characters, especially Celeste’s past.

I really liked the Scottish setting of this book which is not a surprise. Julie Shackman’s Scottish settings are really well written and I always find that they transport me to places that are peaceful and I just love. I also really liked to see how Tobias and Lexie’s relationship built up throughout the book, how much they came to trust each other and how much it positively impacted everything else going on in the book.

An easy 4 star fun read that I will be recommending and I cannot wait to pick up more books in this series and meet more characters while discovering more of these great Scottish settings.

Thank you to Netgalley and One More Chapter for a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I love a good cozy romance with small towns, interesting characters, lots of secrets, so I thought this would be a cute, easy read. Unfortunately I almost DNF'd it several times for several reasons. Descriptions are good in fiction, yet there were so many overly described things in this story that were just unnecessary that it was actually disruptive to the flow as I read. This book needed an editor with a very good red pen to slice and dice a lot of the superfluous adjectives and descriptions.

I had another big problem with a main storyline dealing with dementia. As someone who has a parent with dementia, none of this rang true. Granted not everyone with dementia progresses the same way but even the things that led the character to get a diagnosis aren't actually true dementia signs. Everyone has times when they walk into a room and forget why they went there - that is not a sign of dementia.

Sadly even the romance was a fizzle for me. There was so much repetition and very little spark. Sorry, but I cannot recommend this title.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Lexie’s favourite place, her local bookstore Bookends is going to be sold. Tobias wants to turn the bookstore into an art gallery. Lexie is set against Tobias’s plan and decides to fight for the bookstore. When they find out they have more in common than they first thought, can they work together to come up with a solution that will help them both or will their ideas get in the way

The Bookshop by the Loch by Julie Shackman

I loved the setting - The Scottish Highland is a place that I am very keen to explore for myself and husband, so these books have provided me with a taster, and made the dream even more prominent for me. One of the main insights I got from this book was a sign to never give up on your dreams. A lighthearted easy read, perfect for these darker months. Thanks so much Netgalley, HarperCollins UK and One More Chapter for this e-arc in return for my honest thoughts and opinions.

This is the 2nd book by this author, and sorry to say I did not like it. Perhaps I tried so soon after I tried the first. I just could not get into it. Some authors when I begin a book, by the end of the 1st page I am hooked. Sadly yeet again it did not flow and I had to keep going back a page to try and pick it up. Sorry once again I gave up

This was a lovely book. Good character development and unexpected developments. Highly recommend for a positive, heartwarming, easy afternoon read. Just the kind of book you need when the real world is a bit overwhelming!

A bookshop that is on the brink of closing, an painter who looks and acts like he is too good for anyone, a small Scottish town near a Loch and an enigmatic old woman who has a tale to tell. Just a few of the ingredients that made this book amazing.

I absolutely loved this book. It has everything that makes a cozy romance: small town, amazing characters, a bit of a mystery and books. I thought the storyline was great, and well-thought of. It was realistic yet felt like a fairytale.

I have read a few books now by Julie Shackman, all within her Scottish Escapes series, and I have to say, Scottish escapes were something I didn’t know I needed, but they make me seriously hanker for the Scottish highlands.

In The Bookshop by the Loch, it combines two of my loves, Scotland and a bookshop! I loved that Lexie, when she needed to review her career choices, found herself back with her mother and grandfather, and considering a complete change from being a book editor. I know I’m not the only bookworm who has dreamed frequently of running a bookshop. The description of the bookshop was simply beautiful, and the idea of looking out of the window of the bookshop to see the shimmering loch on the other side of the road sounded just idyllic.

I loved the tension between Lexie and Tobias, who both prejudged one another. The fact that the tension/chemistry between them was palpable to everyone before they realised themselves. I loved the descriptions of the art created by Tobias, and could almost visualise some of the paintings.

The additional storylines with Lexie’s father and with care home resident Celeste were sensitive stories handled in a beautiful manner by the author, as Lexie’s errant father returns to the family after many years absence when he receives a diagnosis of dementia, and Celeste is reaching the end of a vibrant and exciting life with a couple of items on her bucket list that can be assisted by Tobias and Lexie.

This was such a warm romance, with some poignant moments relating to Celeste and her story. I felt so invested in this enemies to lovers romance, which also considered family dynamics, and changes within those families. It also looked at adoption, and childlessness, and what constitutes a family.

Lexie is back in her home town when she gets the chance to run the bookshop. Tobias wants the space for himself, so they clash, but when they spend more time together will they see their first impressions were wrong?

This book was equivalent to a Hallmark movie with all of your favorite tropes from saving the small town business to enemies to lovers.

The story was a bit slow to start for my liking, with Julie taking over the store and meeting Tobias around 20% into the book. There were lots of details about what was happening to the store, so much so that at times I felt I could tell you more about the store renovation than I could about either of the main characters. The enemies to lovers did feel a bit forced on both the enemies and lovers sides of things, but not unbearably so.

If you are looking for something with a bit of fluff, this book might be for you.

I am always an absolute sucker forna book about books and I was delighted to find this was a fabulous read.
I'll admit I expected it to be lighter, but was suprised and impressed to find this was a deeper read, which I enjoyed immensely.
As always, I finished uplifted and feeling satisfied that everything came together as it should. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Another lovely book by Julie. This time about love, friendship, family and the love of books. Which if you are a lover of all things books just like I am then you will instantly feel connected to this book.

I am always up for a book about books and especially one set in a bookshop, so Julie’s latest was always going to be on my radar. This is the sixth book in the Scottish Escapes series, I have not read previous ones but can confirm that this is easily read as a standalone.

“You know what books mean to me. I don’t have to tell you how important I think reading is … At Book Ends, I hope I can encourage people who’ve never picked up a book before, to give reading a try.”

I thought this was going to be light and romantic - which in some aspects it was - but there was much more to this read than that. It definitely starts off that way and the enemies to lovers trope was ringing out strongly. However, the further along you read it becomes very clear there are multiple threads to this story. Julie has a few pokers in this fire and does a good job interweaving them and ultimately tying them all together. To be honest, I felt there were a few too many complications and removing one of them would have added to the overall credibility of the story.

If I had to make a decision on the theme, I would suggest that this is a book primarily about families and the many dramas and complications that often come with that. Under this heading topics of illness, separation, grief, adoption are some of the stronger themes rather than the romance which takes a back seat.

‘You grab happiness with both hands when it comes along - and never let go.’

If family dramas are something you enjoy reading about and how life presents opportunities for starting over, then The Bookshop by the Loch in the beautiful Scottish Highlands is calling your name.







This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.