I love the premise of this book. Secret notes left in The Hunger Games as a way of correspondence for two shy people. It reminded me of one of my favorite holiday series, Lily and Dash. But this fell flat for me.

I loved meeting the characters:
April, a work from home, twentysomething with an annoying brother who takes advantage of her.
Laura, a young widow with a second grade daughter, she’s a personal shopper and I found the parts of the book where she’s working to be so fun.
And Westley, just like the in The Princess Bride, a book store employee who both April and Laura find attractive, but honestly is not a compelling leading man.

Overall the pacing of this book did not work for me. I found myself trudging through the middle after meeting the main characters. The climax and resolution seemed to happen in the last few pages of the book when I think it could have happened earlier and we could have been given more details into the ending.

Love Triangle: Book Lovers Edition
An accidental letter changed the course of three lives. Feeling daring April, a remote tech worker, leaves a letter intended for the handsome bookseller Westley. However, it finds its way into the hands of Laura, an older single mom who spends most of her time alone. They exchange letters hinting at falling into an accidental three-way fantasy relationship. Impeccable writing wraps it all up into a nice bow and truly this story read like a hug, a slow-burn romance you just want to curl up with alongside a warm beverage. I personally loved the tri-pov, being able to slip in and out of each persons story was fun and kept the book going during lulls. The cozy Seattle setting was so well-written and atmospheric I wanted to book a trip asap.
My only qualm, hence the -1 star, would be this is NOT the HEA which you may expect from the title. This is more of books lovers love letter to books, found friendship, and ultimately girlhood.
Amazing reading experience overall and definitely recommend! 🎀📚🌷🛍️

Thank you for this opportunity!

I really enjoyed the inciting event in this book, because who hasn't found bookmarks, receipts and all manner of items in books they're donating? So many possibilities with who could end up finding it! The story told from three perspectives was new for me, but I loved how each character was so distinct. I was attached to each of them, but Westley most of all. A fun ensemble read!

Special thanks to Penguin and NetGalley for this ARC.

A cute book, however, I found it hard to thoroughly enjoy. I felt no connection to the characters. I generally love books with inner thoughts but I felt it was all there was.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Dutton Books for the eARC! All opinions are my own.

A story of books, friendship and unlikely connections.

I’m very unsure how to rate this book. Parts of it were an utter delight and other parts really let me down. I adored Laura and April. Their eventual friendship was so sweet and I wish we saw more of it.

The movie plot point felt underdeveloped to me and a little pointless. I was so sick of Westley by the end and was confused why literally everyone was so obsessed with him.

Most of the book was enjoyable. Slow paced and relaxing much like the bookstore in the book. But the end felt really lackluster.

The cast of characters simply felt too large to be pulled off well in a book. I struggled to fully connect with anyone. I do think it would make a lovely tv series or movie though!

The trope of *Storybook Ending* by Moira Macdonald revolves around **mistaken identity, serendipity, and an unexpected love triangle**. The story follows April, a lonely remote worker, who leaves an anonymous note in a book for Westley, the charming bookstore clerk. However, Laura, a widowed single mom, accidentally finds the note and believes it was meant for her. This misunderstanding leads to a series of humorous and heartfelt interactions, while Westley remains oblivious as he focuses on a movie being filmed at the bookstore.

The novel plays with classic romance tropes like **love notes, mistaken attraction, and destiny**, all wrapped up in a charming literary setting. It also explores themes of friendship, love, and the small, unexpected moments that can change a person’s life.

💥 Pub Date: 5/27/2025

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

• friendship & romance
• love triangle
• Seattle setting

I love books about books! This one has an interesting premise and feels like a warm, cozy hug 🤗 or blanket. I found some parts a little slow, but the ending felt rushed. This is a debut, and I will definitely keep my eye out for this author in the future.

🗣 Thank you to netgalley and Dutton Books for the opportunity to read and review this book via gifted eARC! All opinions are honest and my own.

This was a cute story, albeit a bit confusing in direction at times. I wish the mixup had been resolved 2/3 of the way in as it was unclear that the goal of this book was friendship (which was honestly refreshing). Considering neither of the women had spoken to Westley I guess it was obvious enough, but the build up felt overdone and I enjoyed seeing more of the side friendships flourish. Not sure about the side character interlude chapters - reminded me a bit of when Harry met sally or early SATC, but perhaps that was the intention. A decent debut.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This rom-com has it all: romance, an interesting and convoluted love triangle, and a wonderful message about the importance of friendship.

UM??? This book had no right being this cute, cozy, sweet, lovely, and wholesome!!

The story focuses mainly on three characters: Westley (a handsome, shy fellow who works at the local indie bookstore), April (a woman who leaves a note in a book for Westley to find), and Laura (the woman who finds the note and mistakenly thinks it's from Westley!). Thus ensues a series of epistolary correspondences and a sort-of love triangle situation. All three characters are feeling rather "stuck"; there are several moments when each of them laments that they are perpetually "waiting for something to happen." The letters are a bright light for both April and Laura, and when the truth comes out (i.e., it's not actually the cute boy who's writing the notes), the focus of the novel switches from romantic prospects to that of friendship, both are which are rather lackluster for all three characters.

This is a VERY character-driven novel; there are a lot of descriptions, and not much "happens" in terms of plot. The characters joke that they're living in a rom-com, but the tone of the book is more general or literary fiction. It is ultimately an ode to books and bookstores everywhere, as well as one of romance and friendship. With a cast of quirky and unique side characters, I felt this book was SO beautifully written, with both some lighthearted quips about, and wonderful insights into, human nature. Trust me, you'll find yourself highlighting a lot, too!

2.5⭐️ {ARC}
(ARC review) — Thank you to author Moira Macdonald and her publisher Dutton Publishing. I received an Advanced Reader Copy for the May 2025 release of 𝑆𝘵𝑜𝘳𝑦𝘣𝑜𝘰𝑘 𝐸𝘯𝑑𝘪𝑛𝘨 in exchange for my honest review.

I struggled with this book. It was promoted as hilarious, comical and a romance. Not sure where the marketing team got those branding buzz words. This book was about friendship and family, with a tease of romance through love letters. So wasn’t anything that I was expecting, when I started it.

It was very slow and felt like not a lot was happening. It had a cuteness factor but overall this one just wasn’t for me.

FAVORITE QUOTE:
“𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛, 𝙄 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙.”

Overall a very cute book! I definitely went into this book with a different expectation based on what it was described as but once I continued to read and began to connect to the characters I really enjoyed the story. The author does a great job of portraying a variety of characters in different phases of life who all feel their own version of stuck. The cozy setting and the different POVs gave a great storyline. Loved the ending showing how lives can end up connected and how each person found something to gain from the experience of this "love triangle".

I might have liked this more if it wasn't cataloged as a romance in Netgalley. The best storyline was an ode to female friendships. My least favorite was a lump of a man getting out of a rut with some luck and good looks.

🧼Squeaky clean.

‘Storybook Ending’ by Moira MacDonald is a love story of mixed signals and mishaps. A bookshop clerk, a personal-shopper single mother and a lonely work from home marketer. The unlikely three are bonded by a series of letters left in books at the bookshop.

The setting is immaculate. The cosy vibes of the bookshop and homely atmosphere around all three characters made the perfect light-hearted read. The near accidental encounters especially displayed by side characters were great.

I loved the concept and was really sold by the love triangle concept but found the execution a bit lacklustre. I didn’t feel connected to the romantic relationships and found the ending a little rushed. The lead up would sometimes drag romantically and was enhanced by the other events in the novel. The movie was a unique and interesting addition but I felt brought in some unexplained and confusing elements.

I would recommend this to someone looking for a cute and light-hearted read.

Thank you to #netgalley for this edition of #storybookending
3/5 stars

Storybook Ending by Moira Macdonald was such a delightful surprise! It’s a fun, quirky love story about two women—April, a lonely remote worker, and Laura, a widowed single mom—who get tangled up in a love triangle when a note April wrote for Westley, a bookstore clerk she’s crushing on, ends up in Laura’s hands instead. Laura thinks it’s from Westley, and, of course, that sets off a whole series of misunderstandings.

The best part? Westley doesn’t even notice either of them at first—he’s too busy with a movie filming at the bookstore and his own ambitions. But as April and Laura start writing back and forth, they begin to shake up their otherwise quiet lives, and that’s when the magic happens.

I loved how this book is all about fate, mistaken identities, and the unexpected things that can happen when books (and notes in books) connect people. It’s heartwarming, funny, and definitely a love letter to bookstores and the hidden moments we find in between the pages. If you’re a fan of stories about romance, friendship, and, of course, books, Storybook Ending is a must-read!

I was able to read this debut novel thru NetGalley and it was a nice light book to enjoy during some cold March days. The concept of 2 people connecting romantically thru notes left in a book in a bookstore grabbed my attention, Though it was a little predictable I enjoyed the main characters journeys.

I enjoyed this book! I initially thought it was a romance, but it really isn’t. It has romantic elements but I think this book focuses more on the beauty of friendship, which is really nice.

This books is a triple POV book with a couple of other POV’s sprinkled into it. It took me a bit to get used to because I’m not used to reading so many POV’s but I really liked it actually.

Would definitely read another book by Moira Macdonald 😍

This is a love story for everyone who loves books! What a fun premise! Lovable characters, it’s a breath of fresh air. Please Reece, make this a movie!

A lonely woman spices up her life by slipping a sweet love note into a used book, hoping the bookstore clerk will find it and respond. What follows is unexpected and delightful—a love triangle, a film set, letters of all kinds, and the quiet ache of modern loneliness.

This book was utterly charming. MacDonald’s prose begs for a cozy reading nook, a warm drink, and soft music. I loved how it masquerades as a mystery while capturing the essence of slice-of-life storytelling—everyone watching, everyone longing. It beautifully reminds us that we may not get what we want, but sometimes, we end up with what we need. Also, can we, as humans, write more letters?

A wonderfully quiet journey through a Seattle bookstore, filled with an ensemble cast you can’t help but adore.

Storybook Ending was a bit of a conundrum for me. It should have been a super quick and fun read. Yet for some reason, it took me almost 2 weeks to finish, and I was left feeling like 3/4 of the book was pretty much a slog while I flew through the last quarter of it in about 30 minutes. I felt like it was very unbalanced. While I enjoyed the concept of a romance created through notes left in books at a bookstore (what reader wouldn't love this?), I feel as though it could have been carried out more effectively than it was. For much of the beginning of the book, I honestly could not keep the two main characters straight. While there were very obvious differences between them (one is a widow and a mother to a young daughter while the other is a young woman with not many defining characteristics), their voices did not feel unique to me, and so I had a hard time keeping them straight. My other major complaint is that the romantic male interest of the story just seems so....lame. Sure he sounds amazingly good looking (as told to us by basically every character who runs into him), but other than that, he is completely self-absorbed and oblivious to the point where it almost seemed like a joke.