I’ve had The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin on my tbr for years and when I was invited to read the book to promote the film adaptation, I jumped at the chance. I read this charming novel in one day, almost one sitting. I adored the writing—sharp wit wrapped in a blunt delivery. I was getting major Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society vibes, a novel I rave about often… until the ending didn’t go the direction I wanted it to go.

And I apologize in advance for this meandering review.

I typically hate to give spoilers, but since this is a much older book, and I can’t think of how to review it without spoilers, I’ll be including hints to major spoilers, without coming out and saying what it is specifically. If you haven’t read the book, and don’t want to be spoiled, stop reading now!

I knew this one would have an element of sadness, but I went into it thinking the main characters would be safe since our leading man has already suffered a deep loss. I’m not a reader who requires a happy ending to all my books, but in this case it didn’t feel organic to the story. It wasn’t even an overly emotional ending for me—I shed no tears—but I just wasn’t satisfied with how this one wrapped up.

Now, I’m bummed that I’m not as excited to watch the film. I even wouldn’t mind if they gave it a different ending—which goes against my typical feelings about book adaptations. But I’ll still probably watch it because I do love the actress Lucy Hale who’s playing Amelia. Although she’s nothing like the character is described—tall and blonde, A.J. comparing Amelia to Courtney Love.

But overall, I adored the story, the delivery, and the characters. It may be stereotypical-grumpy-bookstore-owner-meets-quirky-bookseller, but I loved it. Until the ending, at least. I also adored A.J.’s “unexpected package”, a.k.a. the Maya storyline. While it might have also been formulaic, it was executed well, bringing joy and levity to the tale.

I found The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry to be a warm, bookish, cozy read, but with sad elements disguised in humor. Much of it is set in autumn, however, which was a nice coincidence, making this one an unexpected seasonal read. While I wasn’t a fan of the ending, I feel like maybe it will at least be memorable.

📕Wow I took my time to cross off this book from my TBR list! After getting so many recommendations, finally Algonquin’s book tour did it for me. Tomorrow x3 was my first book by Zevin, and I fell for that book hard. So expectations were sky high for this one since it was the OG Zevin
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📗Fikry was like my fave dude, Ove. Stubborn, annoying, hasn’t gotten over loss of love his life yet, this bitter. He was a snob in what he read. He was a killjoy. But lonely yet deep inside mush mush people who lost what means most them tend be like that. Finding that perfect match had been really hard for them to begin with, so losing that very early was the absolute worse. I don’t blame him; I just want to cheer him up
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📘Luckily in the most unconventional way AJ found his second and third perfect chances. He was no longer the loner that Island folk made him to be. He was alive again, only to find out maybe this time around he was going to be the heartbreaker. This gave me so much old school Turkish films vibe where you jump from tragedy to tragedy. Although I liked the story, Tomorrow x3 is THE Zevin for me

This is a cute and heart warming book. I can't wait to see this as a movie. Easy to hand sell. Makes a great book club title.

This book (about a grieving widower and his bookshop) was cute in a Hallmark movie kind of way. There were a couple of parts that seemed a little far fetched but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the tale.

I devoured this book. My one complaint is it wasn’t longer.
A mix of life events that gives us the storied life of AJ.

Thank you NetGalley and Algonquin Books for the copy of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. Someone recommended this book to me six or seven years ago and I’m sorry I didn’t read it then because I really loved it. It took some time to get to know A.J. and he is a prickly main character, but eventually he grew on me. I loved his book recommendations for Maya that were interspersed throughout this book ,and I think they said a lot about A.J.that he probably wanted Maya to know. The end felt really abrupt but the book was more about the beautiful journey of A.J. and his bookstore. If you love books and love reading, this is the book for you. If you love watching good characters develop, this book is right up your alley.

Book: The Storied Life of A.J Fikry
Author: Gabrielle Zevin
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Algonquin Books, for providing me with an ARC. Like so many others in the book world, I have heard of this book, but never actually read it. I was quite happy to be offered the chance to review it for the movie release.

This book is just simply following A.J. Fikry throughout the years. In the beginning of the book, he is unlikeable and in mourning for his wife. He runs a book shop and is not liked by anyone about him. He lives above the bookshop and every night drinks until he passes out. This all changes when his rare book is stolen. He begins a mad hunt, because it is the most valuable thing in his life or so he thought. He comes home one day to find that someone has left a child in his shop. He doesn’t know what to do with her and soon finds his entire world revolving around her.

AJ is a very difficult character to get into. The author, at the beginning, gives us this very unlikable man and you are not supposed to like him. I don’t care what anyone has to say. In the beginning of the book, you are not supposed to like his character. He is mourning. After all, his wife was his world and now she is going. He going through life without really living. He is a shadow of the person that he used to be. The loss of his book should have been the final straw, but it wasn’t. This is where we start to see the change. He thought that this was going to be the end of what was left of his world. That is until Maya comes into his life. This little girl changes him for the better. We start to see him interact with others, form friendships and bonds, and even fall in love. She brings out the light in him and makes him a better person. I have only seen a few characters’ whose arcs have had the impact on me that AJ’s did.

The characters in this book will pull at you. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that the author took the time to allow the characters to develop. The plot is not what makes this book. It is the characters. They are written and presented in a manner that will pull at your heart in so many different ways. You will feel their pain and suffering, celebrate little victories with them, and enjoy just following them throughout their day. I don’t know how to put into words the way these characters made me feel. It was being giving everything in life to you. These people are real. They are not going on a grand adventure and to new places They are just bringing you a dash of normal life and showing you how amazing it can be.

This book is out now with a shiny new cover to celebrate the movie release.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/FQZnCY_ldWQ

Since it came out in 2014, I have seen many readers extoll The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry as a favorite. With the release of the movie on Amazon Prime, it was time to read this novel. I greatly enjoyed Gabrielle Zevin’s impressive second novel, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, but can understand the appeal of Fikry, especially among those who love books and wish fulfillment and happy endings.

Fikry is an uplifting story of serendipitous connections and discovering love after grief. It’s about the ways books create community and connect people. The characters have their pain and flaws, and yet are beloved by readers. Books are discussed and quoted and referred to, and those of us who are widely read will encounter many beloved friends. It is a love story–love of a child, between friends, love of a man and a woman, and the love of books.

The novel has its darkness and bad actors and tragic deaths, and yet it leaves the impression of an uplifting and happy story. I feel that Zevin’s second novel is more literary and accomplished. But Fikry will appeal to readers looking for comfort in a troubled world.

I received a free ebook from the publisher. My review is fair and unbiased.

What a beautiful story! I’m
Not sure why I waited so long to read this. Thanks to NetGalley for the copy! The book and the movie were both so meaningful.
I fell in love with the characters and their stories.

I loved the idea of this book from the moment I heard about it. As soon as I was able to, I ended up buying my own copy so that I could finish it. I never finished it here because I wanted to leave the mystery of what the end will be until I could get my own copy.

If you love books or bookstores you will love this story. It isn't a mystery, memoir or book about a dysfunctional family. It does have death, philandering and child abandonment but no murder, rape or erotica. It is just what I call a slice of life story that touches your heart

I did not have a chance to read this book, but it is effecting my feedback rating. I am giving books 5 stars that I haven't read to improve my feedback rating. I am not recommending the book for my classroom or students since I have not read the book. There needs to be a better system of leaving feedback for books not read.

This book was a wonderful start to my reading for 2015. It was a delightful and charming story with characters that I liked and really cared about. All of the characters have a quirkiness about them which made them both engaging and lovable.

I found myself wanting to sit and read this book in one sitting as it was a wonderful combination of sadness and humour. There were a few occasions when I chuckled to myself but there are also moments of real poignancy. I was completely gripped from the first page. Our introduction to A.J.’s irascibility at the outset of the novel meant I could not help but like him and ignited my desire to find out how the author was going to shape his character as the story progressed.

My only criticism is the ending which just felt a bit rushed but this does not detract from this book being a very enjoyable read.

However, this is a little gem of a book and one I am sure I will reread in the future. It is an uplifting story of second chances and the power of love to transform lives. An excellent read and I would recommend it to anyone who likes books about books.

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry appealed to me for the same reason it will appeal to many readers: the quaint bookstore setting and the literary references sprinkled throughout. I also enjoyed the elements of mystery and romance incorporated in the story. Overall it was a fun read.

This one was hard for me to get into, and I didn't manage to finish. It was somewhat of a "set it down, never got around to picking it back up again" type of thing. I would like to give it a chance again in the future though, as the writing was good and the story showed promise!

Thank you to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for the gifted book and opportunity to read and review it prior to its publication date! This in no way affected my review, all opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book, it was such a pleasure to follow the journey of the characters. It was uplifting, moving, sad, but never boring.

I adore this book. ⭐️ I laughed, teared up, and closed it reluctantly at the end. I will miss these characters. Will look up Ms. Zevin’s other novels soon.

Wonderful and uplifting book about a bookseller with a broken heart. I recommend this title to anyone who.enjoys books about books or booksellers, as it is a treat!!

This book was an unexpected treat. A bitter man quickly yet slowly has his life changed by one event that is later determined to be the accumulation of many other events, all intricately yet unknowingly tied together. What seems like a simple story about a man, a book and a child id much larger. This is a story about a man, a child, a woman, another woman, another man, the other woman.and yet another woman.. Small choices, even those seemingly innocuous, can ,have a much bigger impact longer term.

A wonderfully quiet and sweet story of AJ, a middle-aged widow trying to find his way again as he runs his bookstore. His life changes in so many ways when Maya is left inside Island Books. A story that examines love and the power of it. A lovely book that will definitely become one that I recommend!