A great read, the story of Emma, taking a well earned break from running her family's book store. With no Wi-Fi, internet for phone, and a rental house that has its share of problems, how will she cope? A great read.

Not Quite by the Book is a soft romance, one that flows through the pages without bashing you in the face. Emma has some familial conflict in her life right now and decides to leave her family’s bookstore for a few weeks respite. Her destination is the hometown of Emily Dickinson, not too far away. As she pacifies her family, including her pregnant sister, Emma tries her best to live as Emily lived. Things keep going wrong, however, and her savior ends up being the landlord she finds herself distractingly attracted to and irritated with at the same time.

While the secret admirer is glaringly obvious and predictable, the story was fun. When you’re taken advantage of for too long, you tend to do crazy things like take leave, run to a different town, and try to live like your favorite poet. Maybe that’s just Emma. I tend to get to the end of my rope and then get a divorce, but that’s just me. We all handle these types of situations differently. Emma probably could have been a little less selfish and sat her family down to talk instead of dropping a bombshell and then running away. If she’d done that though, we wouldn’t have the story Not Quite by the Book.

I enjoyed the story. The characters, setting, and plot are engaging. The book is full of excellent imagery and character development. The author's writing style is fluid, the pacing is perfect, and the story is so easy to read that I couldn’t believe I was almost done already. I found myself engaged and completely captivated in the story from the very beginning.

Not Quite by the Book, by Julie Hatcher

4/5✨
Contemporary Romance

Emma Rini is 31, single, and a romantic, and she can't help but feel like she will never find love. Her whole life revolves around working in her parents' bookstore, but they are too preoccupied with her sister's imminent birth to notice that Emma is unhappy. Then, a fellow bookstore owner she met in a Facebook group tells her about an opportunity to rent her manor house in Amherst, the hometown of poet Emily Dickinson, who happens to be Emma's spirit guide. Emma decides this is her chance to take some time off, explore her future possibilities, and, most importantly, give up on love. But then she meets the homeowner's nephew, and suddenly, giving up on love doesn't seem so easy anymore...

🌸 Books about books
🌸 Grumpy MMC
🌸 Small town
🌸 Slow burn

I love when characters relate so deeply to a historical figure that they make it their whole personality, and that's exactly what Emma does with Emily Dickinson. The book is filled with Dickinson quotes and facts about her life, and my favorite quote is: "Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door." This quote is particularly meaningful for Emma, as she is going through a difficult time and searching for happiness. When she finally starts to see the light again, she is ready to embrace whatever happiness comes her way, by simply waiting. And I think that's something we all should do: pursue happiness just enough so that it finds us when we need it most.

Now, I must say that the narrative was slightly slow-paced in the middle of the book, but I didn't mind the calm: it felt emblematic of Amherst and the 1850s. I have to admit that I hated Emma's parents and sister throughout the entire book. They were entitled and selfish toward her, but their behavior once again led me to an important realization: if you are unhappy, speak louder. And if they still ignore you, take matters into your own hands. In Emma's case, she leaves her town for six weeks, and boy, does that create resonance waves!

As for Davis, he’s a solid MMC, though I wish we had seen more of him. This book is probably more about rediscovering your inner self than a romance, but the slow burn was real - and very, very good.

"Maybe it was the historic manor at our side, the starry sky above, or magic in the air, but our kiss felt otherwordly."
"She believed that having one life to live, one chance to exist to the fullest, was what made living so sweet."

Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. Our main character Emma, has prioritised the family bookshop business in her life over everything else. She decides to take a holiday away from the bookshop and her usual life before her sister has her baby and her parents retire. Emma goes to stay in a cottage, in the town where her favorite author, Emily Dickson, used to reside. She’ll be a hermit, and live out her Emily Dickinson fantasies, during her vacation and also make some decisions about her own future. With no internet Emma loves her temporary switched off life in this quaint small town where everyone knows everyone. Emma had thought she would never find love but finds herself falling love with the small town and the residents, she even has a secret admirer sending her flowers. This was such a delightful read, I found myself also falling in love with the characters and the village lifestyle. I was initially drawn to this book of course because from the cover and title it was obviously about books to some degree which is always a huge draw card for me but it was so much more than a cute bookstore read. I loved being along for Emma's self discovery journey and seeing how she grew and developed relationships with people and reconnections in her life. A delightful read that will leave you with a warm heart and a smile on your face. #notquitebythebook #juliehatcher #netgalley #lakeunionpublishing #tea_sipping_bookworm #getlitsy #thestorygraph #amazonkindle #bookqueen #bookstagram

This was a fun, lighthearted, women's fiction, kissing only romance that sees a workaholic bookseller taking a vacation to embrace her Emily Dickinson/recluse era only to find out that she's not as introverted as she thought and she just might be falling for her mysterious pen pal! Good on audio and perfect for fans of You've Got Mail and anonymous text/letter exchange romances. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Not Quite by the Book by Julie Hatcher
Contemporary romance.
Emma Rina has put the family bookshop business as top priority in her life since her mother recovered from an illness years ago. With her sister pregnant and her parents looking at retirement now, Emma realizes she hasn’t had a vacation or time off in more than six years. She decides to prioritize herself and books a six week stay at a cottage in Amherst, in the town where her favorite author, Emily Dickson, used to reside. She’ll be a hermit, just like Emily, during her vacation and make some decisions her future. But no internet or cell service, and a cottage that’s more than 100 years old requires skill that Emma doesn’t have. Like laying and starting a fire in the fireplace. Davis Sommers, the owner and handyman of the cottage is the best looking man Emma has ever seen, but he keeps catching her at her worst. And he’s a little cranky.
Emma finds she’s a people person and not really fit to follow Emily’s footsteps at being a recluse. She falls in love with the small town and the residents. She plants fall flowers and spring bulbs at the cottage. She’s also getting flowers delivered from someone and letters written in calligraphy that aren’t signed either.
Emma’s life has changed while on vacation. Now she needs to think about her future and what she wants in it to be.

A delightful realization that today and tomorrow can be more. Emma’s time away makes her self aware and also opens possibilities without changing everything. She can’t change her parents or sister, but maybe she can talk to them rather than shut them out. Love is more than a single person, place or thing.
The romance is there too, in the story. And it’s sweet and adorable and perfect.
I really enjoyed all the pieces including Emma’s growth and her realizing Emily Dickinson may not have had all the answers as they apply to herself. Plus the hottie that sends her handwritten notes is pretty special too.
Dreamy and delightful.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.

This is a sweet book. I liked the characters and the premise of the story. Nothing feels too rushed or too forced, which can sometimes be problematic. Definitely recommend for a lighter read.

Just finished Not Quite by the Book by Julie Hatcher — tried too hard to be quirky but felt flat. Characters felt shallow, and the pacing dragged. Not my cup of tea. 2/5.

I'm sad I didn't love this one more, but something about it just didn't work for me. I love books and I love writing, so both of those being core interests of the main character really intrigued me. But it fell a bit flat. I found Emma to be a little one dimensional and a bit dramatic for my liking. I also felt like the romance part of it was really underdeveloped.

I also found the pacing to be off. It felt like there was so much conflict (a lot of it really unnecessary) that dragged throughout, but then it all got resolved quite quickly right at the end.

It was an adorable setting though and I loved all the bookshops and letter writing classes. I do think I'm the outlier on this one since a lot of people really liked it, but it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Bookstore owner-to-be, Emma, is reeling when her parents tell her they plan on retiring and passing along their family bookstore to her and her sister was on board with this plan. All Emma has set out to do was successfully run the bookstore because that was always her role, while her sister went on to do other things, like start a family. In her almost tailspin, she embarks on an adventure to channel her inner Emily Dickenson in a secluded historical home for 6 weeks. During this time, she meets some wonderful people, as well as people she has met online through a bookseller group chat. I loved seeing Emma progress through her self discovery journey while balancing her family expectations and always around Davis. Along with the romance, there is a hint of mystery with who her secret admirer is who keeps sending flowers. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the gifted eARC. All opinions are my own.

Instagram post went live 27Feb25

This was a cute, fun yet predictable romance. I love books about books and bookshops and this one was delightful. An enjoyable book for a beach read in summer or a cozy fire in the winter.

Emma feels like she’s not in control of her own life. Her parents have been showing up less and less to help out at the family bookstore, her sister is pregnant and has become distant, and Emma doesn’t know what *she* wants from life. A long-time Emily Dickinson fan, she decides to make a six-week visit to Amherst, to stay in an historic house about to undergo renovation.
What follows are Emma’s attempts, often clumsy but sweet, to rediscover herself, through Dickinson’s poetry and lifestyle. While a few moments are telegraphed, this is a sweet story. Tales of self-discovery can be tricky, but the author includes failures as well as successes, and the self doubts, while painful, become stepping stones to Emma’s own future.
The characters - and their misunderstandings - are well written, though occasionally not as fully developed as I would have liked. The house is a character more than a setting, drawn with both foreboding and humor. Dickinson’s poetry and prose is referenced throughout, an almost mystic presence in the face of modern tensions.

Thank you to the author, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Since I'm a sucker for anything centering bookstores, of course I had to read this. It was... not good. It had a great start, but unfortunately as so often happens in women's fiction, the conflicts are blown way out of proportion, they could have been easily resolved, and depended heavily on miscommunication and just general stupidity of the characters. Every conceivable romantic and family trope was dragging in and put through the meat grinder, which wore me down after a while. My one quibble, which grew into a mountain from a molehill involves Emily Dickinson, who is centered in different ways in the story. The female protagonist grew up 40 miles from Amherst, home of Emily Dickinson - you mean to tell me she's a mega-fan and has never made it up the road to Amherst in all her 30+ years? Not to mention the general lack of research on basic Dickinson facts and the gay erasure of Emily Dickinson. Nope. Not having it.

The story was fun and lighthearted and I had a good time reading it.
This was a wonderfully written romantic comedy.
I absolutely loved these characters and really enjoyed getting to know them.
A sweet, funny and heartwarming read!

I really wanted to love this one, but I was left with a feeling a wanting more - in an unfinished kind of way.

The connection between the MC's just didn't resonate with me. But, if you love a softer romance with plenty of things going on outside the love story, this it the perfect book for you.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

Emily Dickinson has a heavy influence on the storyline if Not Quite by the book, as main character Emma takes off for a historic home in Amherst to sort out her life and figure out what she wants - all while trying to live like Emily did. I learned so much about Dickinson’s life and now I’m more curious about how it influenced her writing.

This romance had a fun mix of tropes, including enemies-to-lovers, mistaken identity, and forced proximity. The blossoming romance is so sweet as Emma and Davis clumsily get to know each and avoid pursuing anything despite their chemistry.

I loved that so much of this book was focused on Emma’s personal growth and her family relationships. Sometimes I was so frustrated with Emma, but that made the story extra gratifying when she finally starts to value herself and her dreams more.

This book is one for the romantics, who will appreciate the love letters and bouquets with intentional meanings based on the flower type. And it’s definitely for anyone with a fondness for Emily Dickinson!

Follow Emma on her journey to self discovery, happiness, and absolutely no romance, none whatsoever. Will what Emma thinks that she needs and wants turn out to be what she truly needs and wants? Read Not Quite by the Book to find out.
I loved reading Emma’s story. It was very entertaining, especially all the funny little hiccups that happen along the way. It was full of realistic characters, that you can’t help but root for. The story was stellar, but the ending felt a bit abrupt in comparison.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing the ARC.

I really wanted to like this book, but everything about it fell flat for me. Emma likeable enough, but she was not an interesting or dynamic character. I absolutely disliked Davis, especially as the love interest. He kept so many things from Emma, even when he had every opportunity to come clean. He sabotaged his relationship with Emma and made things worse by constantly hiding the truth about everything.

The pacing was really off with this book. It seemed like the author couldn't quite pick which trope she wanted the focus to be, so she included multiple. The result was a very disjointed story that made me confused as a reader.

This started off with Emma needing to get away and immerse herself into Emily Dickinson's way of life. She had given up on love and decided her favourite poet could be her inspo for her life henceforth.

I thought it a bit odd that she'd put so much stock in what a person from ages ago did and took it so personally when she failed at some of the things. I did like that she learned some lessons along the way no thanks to her current undertakings.

I loved the MMC Davis at the beginning. Loved the chemistry. When his reasons for being a jerk came to light, I was mad. He went on to lie or withhold information from her. I didn't want them together after that.

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. It's out now.

Rating: 3⭐
Steam level: 1🌶️ Kissing only

What a great little romance novel. I loved the journey of the main character finding herself, finding friendships and what is important in life. Relationships, family and friends, reaching out, giving of self but learning to set limits, it all led to Love. This is a well written, feel good little novel to read on cold winter days with a cup of tea and a cat on your lap. LOVED THIS