Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to get an early copy! Storybook Ending was not what I was expecting. It felt like it was making a point of being a You’ve Got Mail retelling, but I just feel like it fell flat in that aspect. I think that romance was very much said to be the focus, but it ends up not being much of a plot point at all. I’m totally fine with a lack of romance, but I was expecting something else!
I wish there were more exchanges in the letters and more of a meaningful relationship developed in them. It felt at times like these people were fighting for a relationship to start in person because they felt this undeniable connection, but I just didn’t get that.
I loved how friendships came about in the end and can definitely appreciate that!!

The cover is what initially drew me in and the premise of it being about books, is what hooked me. Howeverrrrr, I was expecting a little bit of a different aspect in the sense of the love triangle trope. I didn’t really get that in this which fell flat for me. Otherwise this was a really sweet book

April works from home and has no social life. She loves her local bookstore and is quite attracted to bookseller Westley, leaving him a note in a book which is found by Laura, a widowed mother instead. Laura thinks its Westley communicating with her and leaves him a note which April finds. You get the picture. Rather a love letter to bookstores and the human connections that can happen through books and reading, this one will bring a smile to book lovers everywhere.

"Storybook Ending" by Moira Macdonald is a cozy and charming story perfect for folks that love stories about books, bookstores, and female friendship.

If you're looking for a true romantic novel, this isn't it. Instead, it features a triangle between 2 women and a none-the-wiser male bookstore clerk in the middle who are exchanging notes in a used book. Identities are mistaken but I am so glad that April and Laura found their way to each other. What they both needed was a friend--not a romantic interest. And certainly not Westley, lol. He is bland and annoying, but the author makes it clear that is her intention in his characterization.

The pacing could have been better. I wanted to dive deeper into April and Laura's personalities, their desires, and ultimately, their friendship. They felt underdeveloped and would have significantly benefitted from more exploration. Too many pages were dedicated to ancillary characters or storylines, in my opinion.

I am grateful for the free ARC ebook copy that was provided to me by NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton. All opinions are my own.

This title releases on May 27 2025.

This book was a slow burn. It was perfect for the cozy bookstore setting as it created so much nostalgia. I just wanted more!
I think that each character could have easily had their own book or it could have stretched across at least 2 books. The idea and premise was a lot of fun and I kept picking up the book every chance I had.
I liked seeing the flaws of each characters, their anxieties, dreams, and more. It made them so relatable even if some of their situations weren't my own at all.
I would recommend this book to my nostalgic readers who love a bookstore setting! I also loved meeting all the staff members! Could absolutely see a spin-off for everyone.

3.5 but rounding up. While this book was pitched as a romance novel - it was more of a found friendship within a unknown love triangle. I enjoyed the bookish themes throughout the book and although it was slow at times this book is filled with feel good moments on how books can connect us in the most unlikely ways.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC of this book!

This was a cute rom-com read. It was nice to have something relaxing to read and the missed connection trope is fun.

Storybook Ending by Moira Macdonald is a sweet and heartfelt read that blends a bit of whimsy with real-life emotions. The story follows Westley, April, and Laura as they navigate love, loss, and the magic of unexpected connections. What makes it stand out is the way Macdonald captures the small, meaningful moments—whether through tender dialogue or vivid descriptions of everyday life.

The pacing is gentle but engaging, making it easy to get swept up in the characters’ lives. The ending, while a little predictable, still leaves you with a warm, satisfied feeling. If you enjoy cozy, feel-good stories with a touch of romance and nostalgia, this one is worth picking up.

3.75 ⭐ A lovely story of friendship and unlikely pairings that was fun to read. I would definitely read another book from Macdonald and look forward to seeing what else she writes. Perfect for book lovers and character driven novels, the characters are endearing and leave you with warm fuzzies.

I would have preferred a faster pace but the feeling of the novel overall is a lot like a cozy bookshop. It's not a fast paced read, and it does give you those vibes and that cozy feeling. Could it have been accomplished at a faster pace? I don't know. Lovely and hopeful for those that are looking for something that isn't a romance but has sweet Hallmark vibes.

Thank you to netgalley for an ARC to enjoy.

I am a sucker for books about book people–book sellers, readers, writers, lovers. Books about book people and me make for kindred spirits and this was a delightful new way to share that love.

April is a lonely remote worker in Seattle looking for an easy way to make a romantic connection. She decides to put a note in a book she knows the cute employee at the local bookstore will see when he goes through the used books before they are sold. The only problem is that the note doesn’t go to Westley; instead Laura (a widowed single mother) reads it and the resulting case of mistaken identity and low tech correspondence leave you enjoying the relationships that are built in an old fashioned world.

I loved the characters in this book. They were fun and innocent, earnest and oblivious. The side characters provided a funny backdrop that made me laugh and roll my eyes all at once (I’m looking at you the “14 year old Zach”). After reading this it made me want to leave some notes in books, support my local bookstore, and find some used books all at once. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

What happens when a bookish wallflower decides to send an anonymous note to her crush as the local bookstore? Add in someone else getting the note and a movie being filmed at the local bookstore and very mild chaos ensues. Part "You’ve Got Mail" part "When Harry Met Sally", "Storybook Ending" is a cozy read, but it isn't a romcom. For most of the book, I wasn’t sure where the plot was going, but I enjoyed it. This is for book lovers who love hat tips to bookstores, the bookish life, and a touch of epistolary action.

A really cozy, well done romance that does well to live up to it's title! I loved the characters and really enjoyed not exactly knowing how it was going to pan out. Really well done, and I would definitely look for more from Macdonald again!!

Sweet, cozy and bookish romance; a meeting of odd but endearing characters. The Seattle setting is a nice element.

Really enjoyed this book! A little cliched but likable characters, fast paced and sweet. The characters were flushed out, the story was easy enough to follow.

The interstitials were confusing at first (who are these people?!) but it clicked along after two or three

Storybook Ending is a delightful story about loneliness, friendship, and found family. Told from three points of view, the book tells of a misunderstanding between April, an isolated single woman working from home; Laura, a widowed single mom; and Westley, a handsome but clueless bookstore worker.

Privy to information the characters don't have, the reader gets to see the love triangle unfold; Macdonald expertly handles the shifting points of view, keeping the reader focused so you always know whose head you're riding in and seamlessly providing emails, texts, and other documents from supporting characters for context about what's happening offstage.

There are several "missed connections" moments where you think the characters will figure out what's going on, but Macdonald keeps the mystery going with well-crafted and plausible obstacles until the satisfying conclusion. All three characters are handled lovingly; it's a cozy read for people who love reading. Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy of this book for my honest review. Thank you to the author and NetGalley.

This was so sweet and a comedy of errors all wrapped into a sweet and swoony romance!
The characters were so relatable and I felt that they really were friends I was catching up with.

Really fun and cozy and great pacing. A compelling premise from the start! I hesitate to say “cozy” but, well, it fits!

Dear Mrs. Macdonald,

I just finished your book, thanks to NetGalley. I loved it. It’s going to be huge. So very happy for you.

I hope for readers’ sake that we get to read many more novels by you, each with an appearance by a different beloved recurring character. You’ve created a world that’s ripe with spin-off potential—much like Abbi Waxman has with her The Garden of Small Beginnings.

Also, fingers crossed your publishers keep the cover art as shown on NetGalley. It’s a great fit.

Thank you for the joy you’ve brought to me and to all your future readers!

Sincerely,

A

Firstly thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this book.

Now while I loved the cover and the synopsis of this book. It fell a little flat for me. I kept expecting the story to pick up but it never really did. In theory, this book should have worked. A love triangle, You've Got Mail vibes, it truly had the works to be great. It just didn't rise to the occasion.

It felt weighed down by the constant focus on the past and just the character's overall mundane thoughts. It was tough to get through and hard to focus on the main storyline.

I loved the idea of a secret correspondence romance and I liked how the three different main characters all had different perspectives of what was happening in the story.

However, this was such a struggle to get through. There was too much talking about what happened in the past and not enough happening in the present. There was also too many thoughts within thoughts (where the character is explaining something and then adds additional input in parenthesis like I just did). I didn’t feel like any of the female characters had any real personality, and reading about how attractive Westley was and how everyone thought so became tiresome after a while. I thought Laura was completely reaching to think that someone was leaving her a love note in a USED book she happened to buy.

| also really didn’t see the point in the additional chapters from the background characters. Maybe it was to give them more life in the story but their chapters felt too out of place.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.