¡¡¡¡2.5!!!!

I think I have a pattern of always being interested in romances that have a book related background (I'm just a simple girl),so here's another one, although it looked interesting and the cover is beautiful (that's what caught my attention to begin with).

It hasn't hooked me as I expected, maybe it's more my thing, but although it promises Emily Dickinson references to the prota having her as a reference (it would be me with Jane Austen) and to get out of her monotonous life, renting a mansion to imitate her (who like her), I don't know, I think neither the romantic interest nor the chemistry attracted me.

But it's still a quick read and maybe others might find it a catchy story (I'm not that person).

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC.

An ode to Dickinson...

Emma Rini is self absorbed. Selfish, even. She works in her family bookstore and has an obsession with Emily Dickinson, so its off to a retreat where she plans to write bad poetry, journal and bemoan not having a meet-cute. She's thirty and feels like she's thirteen. She lacks real life experience and embraces her lack of a love life.
Told first person, I guess I just wasn't feeling the vibe, though I did a semester on Dickinson.

This book by Julie Hatcher (AKA Julie Anne Lindsey) is a womens’ fiction/romance novel which is not my standard genre. I have read her mystery/romance as Bree Baker and thought this would be along those lines.

I found it slow to start and probably would not have finished it but I did promise to read it and give my honest opinions. It kind of reminded me of “You’ve got Mail” with a twist. It dragged in many places and I figured out who she would end up having a relationship.

I did like it but it was painful with all the Emily Dickenson references.

I was given and advanced e-copy from Netgally and it was the book I chose from the latest FIRST READS.

1⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced copy of Not Quite By The Book.

Emma has decided to give up on love. Emma is in a rut and she feels like her family is all moving on with life while she is standing still. She decides to take a page out of her favorite author Emily Dickinson and she decides to rent a manor and learn how to be alone.

This was just not for me at all. The female main character was absolutely awful and she came off very whiny and it was honestly difficult to get through the book. It was also way too predictable.

I liked the basic idea of the plot, which tells the story of a romantic woman who always wished for an epic love story but has become a people pleaser and, after years of sacrificing for her family and business and putting her own life on hold, wants to do something for herself, turn her life around and most of all stop looking for true love (a bit ridiculous at thirty-one!). To do this, she books a historic mansion in the hometown of her idol Emily Dickinson and wants to spend her stay in the same way she lived. But Emma hasn't reckoned on the many obstacles she has to overcome and that life as a recluse like her idol in the 1800s isn't quite as romantic as she had imagined. And then there's the landlady's handsome nephew and her anonymous pen pal admirer...
The story has some humorous moments, but unfortunately I didn’t really like the first half of the book. It was boring and frustrating at times. I couldn't even say exactly what triggered me, but Emma's obsession with her idol and the relentless repetitions got on my nerves after a while.
But the story got better, although predictable, as the book progressed. The protagonist undergoes great character development, there are lots of likeable secondary characters, a few twists, a mystery, a budding romance that reminded me of "You've Got Mail" and a sweet happy ending.

If you like sweet and clean romances with heroines on a journey of self-discovery, poetry, mishaps of mishaps, secret admirers and dogs and rabbits as cute supporting characters, you might enjoy this book!

I received a free ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and left voluntarily.

Cute easy to read closed door romance, which felt a little more of a women's fiction than romance. No real complaints about this one just fell a little flat for me and was ready for it to wrap up by the end. Would rate it 3 stars. I want to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC.

I was super excited to read this because the plot had the book/bookstore element, which is always my favourite type of read. Unfortunately, it didn't meet my expectations. There wasn't a lot of chemistry between Davis and Emma. It just wasn't an enjoyable read overall. Quite predictable, as well.

Not By The Book is a warm and cheerful read which had me yearning to book an extended holiday in a drafty Victorian mansion.

Emma and Davis are delightfully earnest and kind, each on their own journey of self discovery. Emma’s energy and introspection was contagious and empowering. Whilst I found the plot a little scattered at times, with occasional lulls in the pacing, overall this was a quaint and warm read.

I enjoyed the many literary references, and the obvious homage to You’ve Got Mail. The town of Amherst made for an atmospheric and romantic setting, and the letter writing classes such a quaint setting. A lovely read for anyone looking for a cosy and bookish romance.

Thank you Lake Union Publishing for an advanced copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you for accepting this arc from me. I want to give an honest review, this book attracted me with its premises but the reading seemed too slow and failed to capture me. that is, I found everything a bit surreal and I would have liked the protagonist to have had a bit of character from the beginning. Dnf at 31%

This story has a very intriguing angle - a bookstore owner goes to stay near Emily Dickinson’s homestead for a few weeks to take a pause and finally get a chance to focus on herself. Especially as someone who went to college in the area, I was curious to see how it would be depicted in the book!

Unfortunately I struggled to connect with the FMC. Maybe I just wasn’t in the right space for the book and I’ll try again another time!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love books about books, and this one was an absolute joy to read.
A young woman’s journey to find herself leads to a beautiful exploration of self-belief and love. With beautiful writing, a charming setting, lovable characters, and a story that will capture your heart, this book is truly a delightful experience.

This was honestly pretty disappointing. The characters are slightly insufferable and the story was kind of mediocre overall. This book depended heavily on the miscommunication trope and blowing things out of proportion. I just didn't feel invested in any of it

Emma Rini needs a reset for her life. Her people pleasing ways have let to her parents taking advantage of her and her pregnant sister being resentful. She currently runs the family bookshop with little help from her family and they are content to push the responsibility on to her. When her parents announce they want to fully retire she surprises everyone by announcing she is taking a six week break. She rents a run-down manor house outside of Amherst and makes a list of things she wants to accomplish during her sabbatical.

What she finds is that she likes people and makes local connections in the town. I found living like Emily Dickinson a bit tiresome, but I’ve stayed in some iffy AirBnbs. I did like Emma’s journey in figuring out what she wants. Sadly the romance didn’t work for me. Miscommunication is one thing but actually lying and sabotaging are a hard pass. And I think more had to be done to redeem her relationship with her parents. Yes mom said a few of the right things but dad was hardly involved at all. That was disappointing to me as her parents and family were her most important relationship.

Listen, I love smut as much as the next red-blooded romance reader, but what I especially appreciated about this book was that the romance wasn’t the whole story—it was just one piece of a richer, more layered narrative.

Love rode shotgun alongside questions of family, identity, the future, and where she truly belonged. The crumbling manor setting was both picturesque and atmospheric, making me wonder—could I survive six weeks without modern conveniences?

It was cozy, charming, literary, and utterly lovely.

And thank goodness the author has an extensive back catalog.

Emma Rini is in a rut. She finds herself hiding in her family bookshop, never taking a holiday, and has no love life. When her parents assume she’ll take over the shop for them without a break, she realizes she needs to get away—back to the nineteenth century. Channeling her favorite poet recluse, Emily Dickinson, Emma rents a crumbling manor house outside Amherst where she can learn how to be quietly, blissfully alone. Yet, the reality of the situation that she finds herself in is very different. She is constantly arguing with Davis, the architect who is renovating the manor, but that turns into something that she hadn’t anticipated.
An entertaining and sweet read, but I wasn’t quite sure about the romance. I liked seeing how Emma takes her life into her own hands and finds a solution out of the doldrums.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is such an entertaining and enjoyable read. It’s not just a romance but about life choices, following your dreams and ultimately finding yourself and happiness.
Meet Emma. She runs her parents’ bookstore and is obsessed with Emily Dickinson. While her little sister is very pregnant, and her parents are talking retirement, she often feels left out and overwhelmed. She’s not even capable of maintaining a proper relationship. Yet she is a people pleaser and puts everybody before herself. So everyone is shocked when she announces that she has decided to take a 6-week vacation in Amherst, MA. In her favorite poet’s hometown, she wants to live like Emily Dickinson, embrace her solitude, do some writing, baking and gardening just like Emily and give up on love for good. Her plan does not exactly work out as expected, partly due to the handsome handyman, Davis.
I absolutely loved Emma’s energy, outgoing personality and busyness and admired her idea of taking a sabbatical when she felt stuck and needed to find herself and her purpose in life. The cozy town in New England is a perfect setting. I adored all the animal references, the towns people and the little cafes and parks as well as the historical element with 19th century poetry quotes and the old manor Emma rents for her vacation. The book certainly provides plenty food for thought and makes you think about what you really want in your life. I wish we could all be a little like Emma. I loved the writing especially the development and growth of the characters, including Emma’s family. This book calls for a sequel!
I would like to thank Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing and Ms Julie Hatcher for the opportunity to read the advance copy. I truly enjoyed it and the above is my honest review and own opinion.

This story is so charming.

Books about books is my absolute favourite thing, so right away, we start off strong.

I loved the crumbling manor setting.

I, weirdly, loved that the romance was a big part of Emma’s story, but not the ONLY part.

I loved the self-reflection I did as I made my way through this story.

I loved everything except the bunnies. It’s stew for you furry lot.

The leaning into Emily Dickinson, the Language of Flowers, and all the Grumpy Neighbour Goodness, has me itching to track down more from this author.

Overworked and disconnected from her family, Emma Rini takes a six-week sabbatical in an Amherst mansion to live like Emily Dickinson. Determined to embrace solitude, she struggles with failed baking attempts, a chaotic garden, and an unexpected attraction to grumpy handyman Davis Sommers. As their connection deepens, Emma must decide what she truly wants from life. Julie Hatcher’s novel is a charming, heartfelt story about self-discovery, independence, and unexpected romance, blending humor with emotional depth.

I could have stayed in this book with these characters so much longer! The whole book was satisfying and refreshing to read with the fun of bookish characters, bookish inspiration, book stores, letter writing, and just the perfect small town rom com. There were some areas that made me want to yell at the characters, some that made me clap and cheer for them, others that made me aww and giggle out loud. This was so good and so fun.

#arc
#netgalley
#notquitebythebook

I got sucked into this story, even though there were parts that annoyed me. This was essentially the plot of Youve Got Mail but with a FMC who's unnaturally obsessed with Emily Dickinson and trying to live like she did. The plot felt really predictable and slow moving.

The characters got together so quickly in the last pages, I was like that's it??? The FMC was a bit annoying, especially with all of the forcing herself to do hobbies that she didn;t enjoy, and I didn’t see chemistry with the MMC. There was also so much hemming and hawing about who the letter writer could possibly be, but she never talks to any of the other “contenders” or builds up tension with them. It was a foregone conclusion from the beginning.

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