We are back in Bracken Way with a new character Lexie. She has been working in Glasgow as a book editor for a publishing house, there is a vacancy that everyone thinks Lexie will get but maybe not. She comes back home and discovers that Book Ends, the towns bookshop could be closing. She loves this shop and comes up with ways to save the shop with its owner Trevor but not everyone is happy about this, least of all Trevor's nephew Tobias. He wants the shop for himself to run his art gallery from. Can they come to an agreement, can Lexie and Tobias get over their animosity and work together?
Add in Lexie's best friends Mum who is dying and wants to accomplish 2 more things before she dies, also the secrets she is carrying could come out and impact others. There are also secrets about Tobias that his Mum hasn't told him, what impact with they have?
Then we have the return of Lexie's father and his news.

There was a lot going on in this story, maybe too much. I wanted more about how Lexie dealt with running the bookshop, how she was trying to turn its fortunes around. That was missing and that was a shame.
I liked the setting and the characters but just too much of little bits and not enough of the main story for me, which was a shame.

This was a gorgeous story of broken families healing and slow-burn romances blossoming. Lexie was such a dreamy character, I adored her storyline, especially within the bookshop. Tobias was a gorgeous male lead, one of my favourites I've read this year! Whilst this book focuses on the blossoming romance between Lexie and Tobias, the two deal with a lot individually within their families, each of their stories being heart wrenching in their own ways but beautifully resolved with the support of one another. There was also another beautiful storyline woven within and it was an unexpected but lovely and endearing surprise. Celeste's story tugged at every single heart string I have, I got teary multiple times throughout her journey. It was all just so heart-warming, I couldn't have loved this book more.

Publication date: January 31, 2024

The Bookshop by the Loch is the 6th instalment of the Scottish Escape series by Julie Shackman. This is a closed door romance series that are read as standalone books. I have previously read one of the Christmas/holiday books in the series.

This book follows Lexie back to her hometown of Bracken Way after quitting her job at a publisher in Glasgow after being passed up for a promotion she was expecting.

After returning home and visiting all of her favourite places, Lexie visits the local bookstore and learns that the owner has put the property up for sale. After convincing the shop owner to refresh and relaunch with her as shop manager, Lexie finally starts to feel like her life is getting back on track…..Until she meets Tobias Black.

Tobias is the grumpy nephew of the shop owner looking for space for his art gallery. After a couple of run ins with Tobias, Lexie is certain they couldn’t work together and before she knows it, he is moving right into the bookshop.

While Lexie is sorting through the bookshops grand opening and working with the grumpy Tobias, her father shows up after leaving her and her mother 23 years ago to pursue his career.

I liked Lexie’s character and didn’t mind the grumpy/sunshine pairing with Tobias. I did find there were too many side stories that took away from the main plot. The theme seemed to be family turmoil but between Lexie’s father showing up, Tobias’ family secret and another family saga plot diversion it seemed a bit much to follow all of the time.

This was a quick read and I love nothing better than a book that takes place in the Scottish Highlands. This was a 3 star read for me!

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#NetGalley #julieshackman #thebookshopbytheloch

Sometimes I just crave a cozy piece of fluff, especially after reading a slew of high tension thrillers or literary fiction steeped in 5 syllable vocabulary. Unfortunately, this Scottish Escape, was not what I had in mind. It had all the elements to make it my perfect airplane read with a setting in Scotland, a faltering bookshop that needing saving and a hunky, brooding guy looking to upend everything. Not sure where it went off the rails for me, maybe all the family dysfunction, but it just never set a hook and drew me in. I also seem to remember that I was having difficulty with the prevaricating characters and grammatical mistakes but hopefully the latter gets cleared up.

Once again half stars would be helpful as this was A 3-1/2 star read for me. Thanks to One More Chapter and NetGalley for a copy.

Julie Shackman is the queen of slow-burn, feel-good romance novels and she has absolutely knocked it out of the park again! I fell in love with Lexie right off the bat, I could relate as someone in their 30's who needed to get their life figured out beyond the work promotions and silly titles at work. There was major work burnout, I was so happy to see that she could come back home and rely on her mum and grandpa. The added layers of her long gone father returning and coming with complications really made the story more interesting!

Tobias Black coming with his own baggage was just the icing on the cake! I could tell Julie really wanted to make this story more about the character's journey and wrote with such flourish, I could smell the flowers blooming. Celeste, the silver songbird and the bookshop itself were the other important characters in this one and I was glad to see that Lexie and Tobias could team up together and move the story along as well.

Thank you so much to Julie Shackman, I will always read whatever her team sends me! Major thank you as well to NetGalley and One More Chapter as Harper Collins for sending me the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

When a promised promotion is given to someone else instead
Lexie Dunbar took owed leave and home to Mum she fled.
Three months to decide whether to leave her job or to stay,
And think of new possibilities, anyway.

Book Ends is the bookshop she went to as a child
To say she's shocked its closing is putting it mild!
A chat with the owner brings along new ideas
Will she take the challenge, put aside her fears?

A story with new friends and new chances,
Even the opportunity for romances.
Emotive adoption tales, dementia, too
And new dreams coming into view.

A heartwarming read that I thoroughly enjoyed from start to the end
And one that I highly recommend your time you spend.
So many challenges to face up to in life
But maybe there'll be fun and love after strife?

"Grab happiness with both hands when it comes along -
and never let go," says the silver song(bird).
For my complementary copy, I say thank you,
As I share with you this, my honest review.

Book six in the Scottish Escapes series is a lovely romantic story about family, forgiveness, loss, love and secrets. Lexie returns home on extended leave, still smarting from missing out on a promotion she worked hard for. It makes her want to reevaluate her career, and her hometown, by the loch, is the perfect place. I love the characters in this story; they are relatable and invest you in their lives.
Modernising the local bookshop by the loch she loved as a teenager restores Lexie's confidence and introduces her to new friends and the possibility of romance. The theme of forgiveness defines this heartwarming story, and it sensitively explores poignant life experiences. I enjoyed the gentle enemies-to-lovers romance and the family dynamics, too.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

I enjoyed reading this book. I hadn’t realised it was part of a series so read it as a standalone book. No prior knowledge of any character or place is needed to enjoy the story. I actually thought it was a stand-alone and didn’t realise there were other books until I had finished it. However, I will definitely look for the others in the series to read.
This book is not only about romance, but also family, friendship and loss and features several touching storylines alongside the main developing romance between the two main characters.
An enjoyable read.

❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 The brand new Scottish spring escape from bestselling author, Julie
Shackman
Lexie Dunbar is a book lover. And her favourite place in the world is her local bookstore, Book Ends. So when she hears that it’s going to be sold, Lexie decides she needs to do something to help.
Lexie’s plan to save the ailing shop is fully underway until gorgeous-but-grouchy artist Tobias Black arrives on the scene determined to turn the bookstore into an art gallery. Lexie is horrified, the last thing the quaint town of Bracken Way needs is a pretentious artist, even if he does seem to charm everyone but her.
Tensions continue to rise until Tobias discovers a shocking secret that shows they might have more in common than they realise. As sparks fly, can Lexie and Tobias work together, or will opposing ideas get in the way of them finding their very own happy ever after... 📖‼️♥️ - Review That feeling when you’ve had a nice bath, got new oh’s on and your bed has fresh covers on 🥰. THAT is what this book makes you feel like! I felt like I was right there in the bookshop with them. I like to take a break from my crime books now and again and I’m so glad I got to read this book! I read the Xmas Lodge book by this author and@loved it also. There are a number of previous books by this author and I will definitely be working my way through them this year. ♥️♥️. #insta #viral #likes #insta #viral #photoshoot #explorepage #india #likes #bhfyp #followback #lfl #loveyourself #followers #likesforlikes #comment #sad #likeback #following #likes4likes #liker #myself #likesforlike

If you are looking for a sweet, cozy romance, then The Bookshop by the Loch is the perfect book for you. If you're a book lover, of course you want to save the bookshop you grew up loving. This is exactly what Lexie encounters in her hometown. And when you throw in the supposed enemy who wants to change the bookshop into something else, you know that sparks will fly.

The characters come to life in this sweet tale set against a small Scottish town by a loch. It is a feel good story that touches on many different issues (relationship and family). It is a quick and fun read that will sweep you off to other lands!

Thank you to Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

Lexie has returned to her hometown after not getting her dream job. The local bookstore holds such fond memories for her, she’s heartbroken to hear it may be closing.
Tobias needs a new location for her gallery. He thinks Lexi’s place will be perfect.
What starts out as two people at odds with each other slowly turns into a lovely romantic story. There’s some family drama mixed in and new friends with issues.
It’s a nice story, perfect to escape into. I couldn’t put it down.

After working in the publishing field for years doesn’t get Lexie where she hoped, and instead, she’s passed over for a big promotion, she suddenly finds herself back home to take all the time off she’s accrued. It isn’t long before she finds herself in the middle of trying to revamp and renew interest in a bookshop that’s been around almost as long as she has. A brooding artistic love interest, Tobias, his uncle, who owns the bookstore, an abandoning father who suddenly reappears, a very caring, yet anxious mother, a loving grandfather, an adventure loving older woman and her daughters all surround Lexie as she and Tobias try to make sense of some very chaotic family moments.

This book is as much about families and processing grief as it is about romance. It balances them all together in a compelling way, and you’ll never know what secrets will be unearthed next. There is not a lot (if any) diversity represented in the different characters regarding their race, ethnicity, gender or sexual identity, however.

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the sixth book in this Scottish series and it didn’t disappoint. It’s a cozy read that will leave you with a fuzzy feeling.

Lexie doesn’t get her promotion at work so decides to go home to her childhood town by the lake. The book shop has been put up for sale and she wants to revamp it instead. The book shop means so much to her that’s she willing to leave her job as an editor and fully commit.

It’s a beautiful book, Lexie is a lovely character to read about and it’s good to read about the in and outs of publishing a book. The location can’t be faulted and the author really brought it to life.

A great installment to this series.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy,

After Lexie is passed over for a promotion at the publishers where she works she decides to take an extended break and move back to her home town. There she takes the opportunity of running the local bookshop, only to find that she has to share it with Tobias who plans to open it as an art gallery.
This is the latest episode in this series that I have read and enjoyed. In this episode both Lexie and Tobias have relationship issues and it's interesting to see how this pans out. There are also family issues for both of them, but counterbalanced against this is the marvellous Celeste, a glamorous local care home resident with a secret of her own. I really must visit Scotland again as this book has reminded me of the wonderful scenery there. Definitely recommended.

I loved it! I’m sitting here with a big smile on my face!… I laughed out loud lots of times… I’m still chuckling. What a wonderfully delightful book this was!… Jam packed full of fun and laughs… Lots of light-hearted moments, emotional scenes and parts which will have you laughing out loud!…

After Lexie doesn't get the promotion she's been promised, she takes all her leave to go back home and think about her future. Her beloved bookshop is closing but she suggests lots of ideas to revive it. She immediately gets offered a job as a book shop manager.
But the owner's grumpy but handsome nephew turns up wanting space for his gallery.

Sounds like the start of a typical romance book. Except these poor characters get more and more thrown at them.

Lexie's dad returns after 23 years with a dramatic announcement.
Tobias finds some old love letters that lead to dramatic revelations about his family.

Again, that's fair - no one's life runs smoothly and romances need some complications to be the source of miscommunications for the dramatic reveal.

Then Maeve visits the bookshop needing a book editor and a portrait artist (convenient!) - which then adds her dying mother, local gossip, more family revelations, shouting at strangers in shops and a road trip to the story. Lexie and Tobias get extremely involved and emotionally invested in Celeste very quickly given that the main stories take place over about 4/6 weeks.

I really wanted to love this book. It's well written but it's not a romance. There are some near kisses and then they get together, after a lot of inner monologue turmoil.

The book would be better with 1 of the complications instead of all of them. The romance takes a back seat to Celeste's story, which could be a book in itself.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Lexi is a book editor for Literati in Glasgow. She, along with the rest of the staff of Literati believe that she is guaranteed a well deserved promotion. However the firm bring in someone from America to fill the spot. Devastated, Lexi takes an extended break and returns to her family home in Bracken Way. Lexi finds the local book shop Book Ends is going to close. The bookshop she visited every weekend with her grandma and developed her love of books. After speaking to Trevor the owner, he unexpectedly offers her the job of manager and gives her 12 months to turn the shop around. We follow the twists and turns of Lexi’s time at the book shop. We meet Lexi’s Mum and Grandad, the nephew of the shop owner, some lovely customers and an unwelcome face from the past. I enjoyed spending time in Bracken Way and look forward to reading more from the author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the chance to read the ARC.

This was a good read, entirely predictable but sometimes thats all you really want in a feel good book.

Lexie gives up her job as a book editor after she is passed over for promotion and goes home to live with her mum and grandad. The local bookshop is closing down and Lexie convinced the owner to let her run it for a year and turn its fortunes around.

The owners nephew turns up and demands a space in the shop for himself which causes a lot of friction, but not everything is as it seems and secrets become unearthed and lost family members arrive to chuck a cat amongst the pigeons.

I enjoyed it.

Overall a good read. I do feel the author crammed a lot in though, and that more time needed to be spent on some issues. Less is more, a few plot points could be removed. Loved the setting. With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A very sweet and cozy read set in an idyllic Scottish town by a loch. Ultimately, this was a little too slow-paced for me and I had trouble staying engaged with the story for this reason. However, I can definitely see the appeal of this book. For readers who want to vicariously inhabit an adorable small town with all its accompanying dramas and squabbles, and an enemies-to-lovers romance arc, as well as it being a book-about-books -- this one is a great time! I don't really have anything negative to say; this was just not quite fast-paced enough to keep me reading. I also see that this is part of a series but I didn't have trouble following any of the plot points so I don't think you need to read the others to enjoy this one.

DNF @ 30%

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.