Storybook Ending by Moira MacDonald
3 stars/5

I did not love this story. It felt just average to me. None of the characters were that well-rounded or likeable. I do like an epistolary story and some of that was fun, but the mistaken identity of it all was a little too much.

A good story, has a big plot hole but I did enjoy the story. I would have enjoyed it more if it didn’t feel like it dragged on at times. It was all one big misunderstanding that seemed to last way longer than one would expect.

Moira Macdonald's debut novel, Storybook Ending, is a delightful and heartwarming tale that celebrates the magic of books and unexpected connections. The story follows April, a lonely remote worker, who leaves an anonymous note in a book at her local Seattle bookstore, hoping to spark a connection with the charming clerk, Westley. However, the note is mistakenly found by Laura, a widowed single mom, leading to a charming case of mistaken identity and a blossoming friendship between the two women. Macdonald's writing is witty and poignant, capturing the nuances of modern relationships and the serendipity that life often offers. With its blend of humor, romance, and the comforting backdrop of a beloved bookstore, Storybook Ending is a must-read for fans of feel-good fiction and literary love stories.

I feel so bad giving a not positive review but this book sadly didn’t do it for me. I was very excited from the cover and even the summary of it piqued my interest but it was a bit of a let down. So much so that I read it a while ago and just forgot to send in a review (so sorry about that!) that now while I’m trying to write this, there isn’t much that stood out and I’m having a hard time remembering the characters names even..
I do love the cover and it has a bunch of the cozy bookstore vibes that every bibliophile may look for in a story but this one just dragged on a bit too long that it was difficult to want to keep reading it. I can see the potential and some similarities with how it reminded me of You’ve Got Mail but just was a bit too bland to really make it exciting? My true rating was 2.8 but 3 was close enough!

This book was not what I was expecting - I liked it; however, based on the summary, I was under a different impression of how the book would be. In a way, I was almost disappointed because I was looking forward to a different story.

I will say, there are still plenty of positives about this book. Moira does a great job at building this world up - it is incredibly character driven, sweet moments of found family, and impactful friendships that are endearing.

A fun little cozy story about a bookstore and the people who pass through it's doors. Part comedy of errors after a pivotal miscommunication, part ensemble snapshot of life, Storybook Ending is a very sweet and comforting read. Macdonald weaves the stories together well and gives a nice even spread of time to the vas cast of characters. I loved the low stakes plot that let me relax and enjoy the characters interactions. I read this on vaction and it was a perfect low stress read for a very busy time.

The book's concept reminded me of the premise of "Dash and Lily" and I loved the TV show. I liked the coziness of the setting and the different characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this.

Unfortunately I DNF this one at 25%. I think I was expecting a different sort of story, more romcom and less contemporary. For some reason I just couldn't seem to get invested in the characters or the story. I always hate to not finish a book, but this was the second time I tried to pick this one up and I just couldn't get into it. I'm sure this one may hit the mark for contemporary romance lovers, it just wasn't for me!

Sadly, although this book had such a cute premise to the story, I just found myself not very interested in this one as I thought I would be. I just found the writing style to be hard to follow and extremely wordy for my personal preferences with contemporary romance novels. I really wanted to like this one but just couldn't get far into it without having to read parts of it over and over again. This one was a DNF for me.

This book had spades of potential and I think some readers will love that the plot is an ode to “You’ve Got Mail”. The characters just fell flat for me. They were all dull and I just kept thinking that the best word to describe them was “boring”. And I didn’t find the plot believable in the slightest. If the characters had been in their late teens and the setting had been a college or high school library I think I would’ve bought the plot but, as it is, these were people in their late 30s / early 40s and they were acting very childish.

The Seattle setting was nice and I enjoyed descriptions of the bookstore. Overall, this didn’t work for me but I think there will be readers who love a cozy plot even if it is slow-moving and predictable.

Late ARC Review

Laura has her eye on a cute guy that works in the used section of her favorite bookstore but is too shy to go right up to him to talk. She writes him an anonymous letter and slips it into one of the books. The letter ends up in someone else’s hands and it changes everything.

I loved that this book featured different POVs and we got to see how all these people cross over each other without any of them really knowing. It was a cute story and I loved the concept of the stories and movie that were within the book.

Release Date: May 27th, 2025

The premise of Storybook Ending sounded great: anonymous notes, a cozy bookstore, and themes of connection. In practice, it fell flat. The characters felt underdeveloped, and their exchanges never built much tension or emotion. For a book about loneliness and friendship, I never felt truly invested in any of them.

The bookstore and movie backdrop added little beyond scenery, and the pacing dragged to the point where I was waiting for the story to finally take off. A few warm moments showed potential, but overall it read more like a Hallmark outline than a novel with depth.

This was a fun book! A cute story with cozy vibes, "Storybook Ending" puts a playful twist on the secret admirer trope. I really enjoyed seeing the friendships blossom as lonely people reached out and connected to one another over books, movies, and storytelling.
I particularly liked Laura's storyline; I found her the most relatable.

The writing is solid, with plenty of showing instead of telling, and the dialogue made each character feel unique. The plot had several unexpected turns, and I was so happy with the ending.

Overall, perfect book for a cozy night in, and just a sweet, happy story.

Thank you for allowing me to read this book early!

It was difficult for me to get truly engaged with this story until about the halfway point. There was a lot of character building which is not a bad thing at all, but I just felt as though there was too much in the first half. Once I reached that halfway mark, the story really grabbed my attention and I enjoyed it! Found Family is one of my favorite tropes in a story, as it is something I truly resonate with. It was a charming read and I loved the aspect about bookstores and books.

Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

I had such high hopes for this because of the title and cover and description.

I actually DNF because it did not hold my attention.

This book was enjoyable. April leaves a flirty note in a bookstore, only for single mum Laura to find it and mistake it as meant for her. Their anonymous note exchange sparks unexpected connection and change, while clueless bookseller Westley remains caught in the middle.
I was overall enjoyed the book it was fun to read and I would recommend it to others who enjoy cozy book reads.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ebook to preview.

the premise of this appealed to me sooo much. But it ended up falling flat for me. It didn’t hold my interest, I had to really push myself to read it- which is just not enjoyable. This was just not for me. I’m sure there are others who would love this though.

This one seemed cute on the surface, but it dragged, quite a bit. And I didn't really connect with the characters early on, so it was hard to keep reading. Overall, cute, some people would really like it, but not for me.

I thought the premise of STORYBOOK ENDING was a good one and ahhhh, set in a bookstore (among other places).

There's something romantic about bookstores and the way we picture them to be (in our minds, but the reality can be different).

I never could really get into the story - I think there may have been too many characters. They all had one thing in common - loneliness.

Being alone and not necessarily enjoying it is a central trait our characters are all sharing.

The pacing felt slow and took a long time to get through. However, I think lovers of women's fiction will greatly enjoy it.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for an e-copy of STORYBOOK ENDING to review.

I rate STORYBOOK ENDING three out of five stars.

When April, a lonely, work from home, somewhat misguided introvert decides to be brave and leave an anonymous note for the cute used book sales guy at her local bookstore, she fantasizes that sparks will immediately start flying. Her imagination is what sparks instead and a misunderstanding just spins out of control.
Laura, a widowed single mom, is the one who discovers the note and assumes it's from the cute used book sales guy. The assumptions and awkward interactions that follow are a bit cringe worthy. And not only that, they last way too long and it became repetitive.
All of the main characters were lonely and introverted. They admired the strangest characteristics in other people and developed the strangest imaginings about their situations. It only started to perk up for me once the newfound relationship was discovered. Unfortunately, it was only towards the end of the story so it was shortlived but cute.