I so enjoyed this book. I love to read a book with magic in it. The characters were so fun and man it brought my one visits a couple of years ago to Salem back to life for me. This author has quickly become a favorite of mine.

For those who have a love of witches that are fun and a book with magic and history and mystery. Read this!

It was just an okay book. I really don't feel like you get a lot of every characters' background and personality because it's just kind of supposed to be known with the different incarnated lives they've all lived. The pacing felt very quick but slow at the same time.

This book was so different to the usual books I read, but I really enjoyed it!!

The concept was super interesting, and I loved all the twists and turns. I did find a couple of bits confusing and felt parts needed extra details or explanation, and I also would’ve loved more of a history on the witch hunts in Salem. However, overall I did learn a lot and enjoyed the book overall!

4 stars out of 5 ⭐️

Helen Phifer has been one my favourite authors after I read her Maria Miller detective series because her word building and the plot was so unique that I was drawn to it. But didn’t know she’ll be this good in the vanishing bookstore. Here, she crafted a magical tale about a family of women accused of being witches during the Salem Witch Trials. These women have been cursed to live their lives repeatedly while being hunted by the same evil.

The story has been told in two different time lines as in Salem and present day. In 1692 Salem, A woman accused of being a witch hides a journal in a vine covered bookstore and runs. The bookstore mysteriously vanishes and is never seen again.

I enjoyed the writing, the dual timelines, the search for a missing bookstore. But sometimes I felt the plot has few plot holes and the 30ish something fmc is kind of annoying thing and it took long time to meet her mother as well but other than that I enjoyed it.

The English sisters were hanged in Salem in the 1600s, but have been cursed and are reborn into continuous lifetimes, along with their niece, Dora, her great love, Ambrose, and an evil witch hunter. Dora, with no memories from her previous lives, now works in a flower shop in London. She must remember in order to find the key to breaking the curse.

The premise of this book was promising. The first two chapters - a prologue in the witches' original lives in Salem, and an introduction to Dora and her shop in modern-day Long, had great potential. Unfortunately, once past those two sections, the book went drastically downhill. It was poorly written, had gaping plot holes, poor dialogue (real people do not speak in dramatic paragraphs), no stakes, and zero depth.

The magic system makes little to no sense, with the author glossing over any hole in the story with the fact that the witches "don't worry our pretty little heads about it" (Yes, that is LITERALLY a quote when a plot hole is brought to light). Dora is written as if she is a teenager/young adult, but is in fact a staggering thirty-three. She is spoken about constantly as "so young", referred to as "the girl" and generally treated like a child rather than a grown woman. She also speaks and acts in a juvenile way. Ambrose, who is also her age, is exactly the same, referred to as "just a child". I was shocked the first time their ages were mentioned, and their infantilisation continued to be off-putting throughout.

General inconsistencies also irritated me. For example, they're said explicitly to look different in each lifetime (apart from hair and eye colour), yet are also spoken as to look the same. Dora is called the "spitting image of her mother at her age" by someone who apparently hasn't seen her mother at all in the lifetime. A dress that Dora wore previously fits like a glove, without any discussion about potential size difference.

The entire plot is about a witch-hunter, yet there is no urgency whatsoever. The chapters ramble on about miscellaneous, irrelevant, mundane things. When the plot finally comes to fruition it is short-lived in a poorly written action sequence that's over quickly and easily. It's laughable that this battle has apparently waged lifetimes. Also, the titular bookstore appears briefly for a couple of scenes, with no explanation and nothing deeper than "it's a bookstore that they hid away".

The author's note at the end confirms that the novel includes inserts from the author's own life and interests that make little to no sense to a reader. Giles Corey was included in such a flippant manner, which is quite disrespectful to a real human being. His inclusion had no actual relevance to the plot. It existed only to tie in the reader's own interest in witch trials in Salem. To be relevant to the plot, his connection should have been explored properly. Perhaps he was a friend to the sisters. He existed as a minor, irrelevant character who was name-dropped unnecessarily.

Quite frankly, this book should not exist in its current form. It needed a great amount of editing and re-crafting that it didn't receive. I was very disappointed. I would have DNF'd it but I don't like doing that for NetGalley reviews and prefer to give a full chance to any book.
General inconsistencies also irritated me. For example, they're said explicitly to look different in each lifetime (apart from hair and eye colour), yet are also spoken as to look the same. Dora is called the "spitting image of her mother at her age" by someone who apparently hasn't seen her mother at all in the lifetime. A dress that Dora wore previously fits like a glove, without any discussion about potential size difference.

The entire plot is about a witch-hunter, yet there is no urgency whatsoever. The chapters ramble on about miscellaneous, irrelevant, mundane things. When the plot finally comes to fruition it is short-lived in a poorly written action sequence that's over quickly and easily. It's laughable that this battle has apparently waged lifetimes. Also, the titular bookstore appears briefly for a couple of scenes, with no explanation and nothing deeper than "it's a bookstore that they hid away".

The author's note at the end actually shocked me. I feel like this book is a vanity project, with inserts from the author's own life and interests that make little to no sense to a reader. Giles Corey was included in such a flippant manner, which is quite disrespectful to a real human being. His inclusion had no actual relevance to the plot. It existed only to tie in the reader's own interest in witch trials in Salem. To be relevant to the plot, his connection should have been explored properly. Perhaps he was a friend to the sisters. He existed as a minor, irrelevant character who was name-dropped unnecessarily.

Quite frankly, this book should not exist in its current form. It needed a great amount of editing and re-crafting that it didn't receive. I was very disappointed. I would have DNF'd it but I don't like doing that for NetGalley reviews and prefer to give a full chance to any book.

This was a cute story about witchcraft and a mysterious bookshop. Fans of Alice Hoffmann will probably like it a lot. I enjoyed it but would have wished for a bit more character depth.

I was looking forward to this book as the blurb hit all the things I love - witchcraft, bookshop, family secrets and Salem. It was a good story with plenty going on but it lacked the depth and connection I longed for to make it a book I would treasure and reread over and over (I think my high expectations may have affected how I read it).
I loved the reincarnation thread, how Salem was brought to life and the sisters. I also want to try the drink Black Magic

I already love Helen Phifer's Morgan Brookes series, and this stand alone novel from her caught my eye. Even before reading the plot, I noticed how absolutely gorgeous the cover is and that was enough to make me have to try it out.

This dual timeline story follows the English women, from Salem during the witch trials until the modern day. The secrets of their family are locked in an ancient book, that vanished with a bookstore in the 1600s, and only Dora, the youngest, might have the ability to find it and save her family once and for all.

This was definitely a new style of book compared to what I've previously read from the author, but it was so enjoyable. I always love a good dual timeline story, and the idea of witches throughout the century was intriguing. I do wish the story was a bit longer. I could easily have read another 100-200 pages delving into the Salem story or the current day hunt to learn more about the sisters and the book.

Cozy paranormal romance set in with witches and Salem. Cute story, for fans of romantic magical realism such as Joanne Harris and Practical Magic.

I wanted to enjoy this book but genuinely could not. While the general plot was an exciting idea (being resurrected and dying in a continuous cycle they were cursed to repeat) the way it unfolded for me was truly unsatisfying. I was either given too much information (usually from the aunties) or not enough (the flashbacks without enough context to be meaningful)

Very creative idea, I just didn’t personally enjoy how it unfolded.

4.5 stars!

I received both audio and ebook advance copies from netgalley.

The Vanishing Bookstore by Helen Phifer is so amazing! The characters are so well written and I love their personalities. I want to know these women.

This was a fun book. Witches and Salem and past lives? Yes please.

This was an almost a DNF for me. It was an interesting concept but later on i got sooo bored that I picked this up several times just to finish it. Only to gave me a slump. The main character was already in her 30s but she sounded like a teen. 😭 The ending was like the "final battle" scene in The Sorcerer's Apprentice where that "apprentice" beat the main antagonist without the Merlin ring. IYKYK.

And yeah, it's like The Vanishing Bookstore only appeared twice in this book. It's misleading yah know. 😬

This was a lovely, atmospheric book. I knew from the premise that I would really enjoy this book. It was very fast paced in my opinion, however sometimes I wish it did slow down the pace a little to allow the story to really develop.

Loved the plot and the vibes, but at times struggled with the pace and also did not really connect to any of the characters. I didn’t dislike any, but also didn’t love any either.

I was really excited about The Vanishing Bookstore. The concept of a vanishing bookstore in Salem sounded like the perfect mix of mystery and magic. However, while the premise had so much potential, I found myself a bit disappointed with how it played out.

The vanishing bookstore, which felt like it should have been central to the story, ended up playing a much smaller role than I expected. Once Dora figured out what she needed to do, the resolution happened very quickly, without much tension or real obstacles.

I also struggled to connect with the characters and their unrealistic reactions. Dora’s belief in the strange events around her seemed to flip-flop constantly. The villain’s motivation felt underdeveloped—his actions stemming from an unrequited crush didn’t feel believable or strong enough to drive the story forward.

Overall, the story moved at a very fast pace, but this left it feeling a bit half-baked, as if there wasn’t enough time to fully explore the intriguing concept at its core.

Witches? Salem? Historical fiction? Magic? Familiars? Witchy cocktails called Black Magic?

Absolutely yes, I'm in.

This book was ultimately a really fun and atmospheric read. The story itself captivated me from start to finish. It was full of intrigue, amazing strong female characters, atmosphere, and a bit of suspense. I could barely put it down to be honest.

What I liked:
- Historical Elements - The first half of this book regularly goes back and forth between present day and Salem in the 1600s. It was really fun to read both of these narratives, and then see Salem in the present day compared with how it appeared in the past for these characters.
- Salem. The atmosphere of Salem is perfection, and it was the perfect setting for this book. The detail of the people around the town, the witchy-inspired shops, the description of the landscape - it all worked for me.
- Hades! A magical talking crow familiar? Need I say more?
- Fun witchy details like the black magic cocktail. There were little details like this scattered throughout that were really fun.
- The sisters - Lucine, Sephy, and Lenny. I love them all. I want to join their witchy sisterhood and drink black magic cocktails. Is that really too much to ask?

Didn't like:
- The dialogue felt very cheesy and awkward at times. It almost felt YA?
- The bookstore. The title of this book is quite misleading. I was expecting to see a bit more about the bookstore, but really it only had a few pages in the book. I was a bit confused by this.
- The writing was fairly repetitive at times.
- Unanswered questions. After reading this I still had some questions and there were definitely some logical gaps. At one point one character says that it would be too much for their pretty heads to understand the details of what was happening... but really after 400 years of going through something you'd think they would have figured out a few answers.

The vanishing bookstore by Helen phifer
Lot many times you feel that a book will be going to be a hit only to get disappointed. This book needs so many changes in my opinion.

First of all, the main character Dora doesn't sound or behave like a 30 something adult woman but rather a naive, teenager. There's not much character development, there's hardly any relationship or bond development in the book. These women who has been suffering and suffering and yet there was no emotional dilemma or turmoil throughout the book.

The two main characters specifically annoyed hell out of me. When you come to know something you believed whole your life wasn't really true, how would you react? The reactions the characters had for lifetime of shocks were like "ughhh okay so this happened." There is no fleshing out of characters or plot.

The villain, was unbelievable and the way characters behaved was too. Like some characters were introduced in the start and later they are shown to be in danger and then author almost totally forgets about them except for a mention towards the end. There are many loopholes in the story. The interactions between characters are done very poorly and unrealistically and totally emotionless.

There were points in the book when I was so annoyed with dumb reactions to a life changing altercation from characters. I feel that the subject that is Salem witch trials was a perfect setting but very poor execution.

Thank you Netgalley and bookouture for ARC in exchange of an honest review. I had so many expections but was very disappointed by this book.

Magical spellbinding a perfect story.
A thrilling ride to the end.
This author's work is absolutely phenomenal.

It all started in 1692.
From there, the story just takes you on a wild adventure . A vanishing bookstore. It is such a magical story. A perfect witchy read . grab a copy of this wonderful story,

I absolutely love some of the quotes in this book. Referring to harry potter. Practical magic. Simply just an amazing story.
And the cover is gorgeous.

present day
Dora, owns a flower shop but needs to go home for family business.
So having a friend tend to business at the flower shop.Everything should work out.

Helen Phifer 💜🌹🌹🌹

4 stars

Dora and her aunt have always been close, since she's the only family Dora has ever known. But when events transpire that put her life in danger, her aunt takes her back to their ancestral family home in Salem, Massachusetts. There, Dora has to learn very quickly that the life she thinks she knows is not all it seems to be. A battle between witches and witch-hunter has been raging for centuries and now Dora needs to look within and find her power in order to stop her family from being hunted and killed. Again.

I thought this was a really fascinating read; it grabbed my attention from the beginning and wouldn't let go. The action oscillates between 1692 Salem (you know what was happening then and there) and modern-day London and then Salem. Action and pacing were good, and there were a couple of good twists that happened throughout to keep the story interesting and keep the reader guessing. I will be honest - I kind of expected the titular bookstore to feature more prominently in the story, but it was more of a secondary character waiting to be rediscovered; nothing wrong with that but it just wasn't my expectation.

Thanks to NetGalley, author Helen Phifer, and Bookouture for giving me access to a digital ARC of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own and are provided here voluntarily.

I think this book suffers from a bit of incorrect steering and marketing. While a few tweaks could make it better, this book ultimately isn't anything new or memorable, unfortunately.

I think my biggest gripe about this book is that it's a YA book but rather than recognize that they're trying to transcend the genre. The plot, romance, dialogue, everything about it would be better received if presented as a YA book, because that's what it is. You could change the main character from owning the floral shop to working there, with the elderly owner living upstairs, for instance. As it stands, none of the book seemed plausible for a 30-something woman. I nearly got whiplash from her back and forth on whether she believed everything or not, it was such a teenager level of emotional maturity throughout.

I was also wondering if they'd forgotten about the friend halfway through, but she eventually gets a brief one-off mention near the end.

The villain isn't really believable except from a teenage perspective, again. I don't know, maybe I'm too cynical. But this whole thing was because of an unrequited crush? I just feel like there's so much more opportunity for character development there, but instead we're left with a flat character whose lack of complexity ruins any chance of heightening the narrative tension that's *supposed* to be driving the story.

Many parts of the story were formulaic or have been done before, so from plot to background there's not really anything new here. Even the reincarnation bit was something that I felt like I'd read before, just with a different background. Even the animals were a bit cliche, as hard as that is to say.

Another misstep is calling this The Vanishing Bookstore. The bookstore weirdly has hardly any relevance, even though ultimately it's the most important bit. But then they find it and a few seconds late it's over with.

I wanted to like this book, I really did. I was intrigued by the summary and wanted a fun witchy read. Ultimately, did I get that? I guess so. But I wish I had gone into it realizing I was reading a witchy YA book that had nothing to do with a bookstore. This is a book of familiar tropes rather than any innovative storytelling.

I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity.

Oooh, I absolutely loved this one! Super atmospheric and cozy in a way. Great main characters and really engrossing story too. Would definitely reccomend!