Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for providing this book, with my honest review below.

The Midnight Bookshop is lovely, painting a picture of a bookshop any reader will fall in love with but its heart lives in the stories behind the three lost souls drawn to meet there at midnight.

Our three main characters are not in the best place in their lives and the bookshop seems to be the only light in their lives. Kye is a young man caught up in drug dealing trying to figure out where his life went wrong after his father died. Adelaide is long married to an abusive man and has repressed herself in order to protect herself. Jo is extremely intelligent and the only active reader leading to her run in with the bookshop but her relationship with her parents is stifling and the foil to her arrested development. The three are unlikely friends but the bookshop, and the owner of the bookshops ability to help them realize that their imaginations and the lessons they take from the books that find them there can save them, add magic to their lives and bond them.

This is a supreme comfort read and tugs at your heartstrings while weaving optimism and hope throughout. It really is a shame if we no longer have the independent bookshops and the libraries that help us find the books and those passionate about the stories together, because even if they don’t have magic they impart the same lessons we need.

Any story which focuses on books is one I will quickly seek to read. I found this a heartwarming story of self discovery, understanding, and seizing control over one’s life. All of this occurring around books just made the entire story even more wonderful.

Beautiful novel with engaging characters. I really enjoyed the magical and enchanting story about the power of books to help, perfect for book lovers!

Dreamy in a good way perfect for young adults in its style and theme. A magical experience that should be had by many while the subject of bookshops seems to be such a current trend.

Thank you to Netgalley and One More Chapter for sending me this magical book to read.
Jo, Adelaide and Kye were three strangers from different backgrounds, all very unhappy and feeling trapped, all wanting something better in life but not sure what. They did have one thing in common however, a love of reading and books.
Their paths crossed after they all received a leaflet about The Midnight Bookshop which was hidden away in an alley, you couldn't see it in the daytime. Jo had been along there one night on her own and 'broken in' and had convinced the other two, to return with her the next evening. She told them, you can only enter at midnight.
When they were all inside, they found that "certain books' found them, a reading therapy if you like.
This was a beautiful read as normal. This was probably Amanda James best book yet! A 5* read!

I was very excited to read this book as I loved her previous novel, The Midnight Bookshop didn't disapoint. It was one of those books that you can't put down but at the same time you don't want to finish it!
As readers we pick up a book & escape into it, this is what our three characters, who are strangers, do when they visit the bookshop.
They have different backgrounds & struggles from one another, & would not normally become friends, the bookshop bonds them magically together.
Each chosen book takes them on a very personal journey of discovery.
The author has written it using three POV's, which I feel works well, we get invested in the characters, eager to travel with them on their journey of discovery.
A beautifully written novel to curl up with, so looking forward to Amanda's next novel.

Thankyou to Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review

A heartwarming story of self-discovery and reclaiming control of your own life.

Three people, with very different lives, meet at the community foodbank and are drawn to each other, and the leaflet they have, advertising the midnight bookshop - if they can find it.

The bookshop and the books they delved into, in more than one way, was very sweet. I liked the concept that the book chooses the reader and the escapism and learning each character took from their book.

The characters themselves weren't entirely believable and I wasn't drawn to them.. Adelaide and Kye were likeable enough, Jo was highly irritating though and her mother was vile! There are similarities to other books I have read and enjoyed more, this didn't flow well in places and was repetitive. I feel that this will appeal to a young adult audience more than mature adults.

3 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Amanda James and Harper Collins for an ARC in return for an honest review.

As a lover of books and the genre of magical realism, I thoroughly enjoyed entering the magical world of The Midnight Bookshop. Each character was developed with a loving touch by the author and the descriptions of the bookshop and the imaginative journeys are highly evocative and beautifully crafted.

The lives of three strangers converge as they find their way to a bookshop that they are unable to locate until they venture there at midnight. Adeleine, Kye and Joanna are all struggling with unhappiness and feeling helpless in their respective relationships. Upon meeting Fay, the owner of the shop, she advises them that books choose the reader, not the other way around. Fay, of indeterminate age (wink) and flamboyant wardrobe, appears to possess the mysterious ability to know far more about their lives than would seem logical. Her charming and supportive presence, coupled with the magical qualities of the shop, enables the trio to put their lives in perspective through their respective books and imagination. The transformation each achieves sets a new trajectory for self-fulfillment and empowerment.

This is my first exposure to this author, and I am deeply impressed by her sensitivity and compassion as each character’s circumstance was explored, resulting in a hope-filled, uplifting storyline. At a time when world events feel chaotic and defeating, this book sheds light on the resilience of the human spirit.

My deep appreciation to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

The Midnight Bookshop by Amanda James

Fay owns a bookshop , but not any bookshop for the books within draw you in and chose you to read them.
I liked the concept of that because we all get different things out of the books we read.
We are introduced to Kye who feels out upon by his ill mother and a little bullied by his brother .
Jo seems to have it all a great life,and,a family who gives her everything she needs and lastly, unhappily married Adelaide who's husband is very I kind to her .
All 3 are drawn into the library and we find out about their individual stories and what the bookshop and the books can do to change their situations.

You don’t choose the book. The book chooses you.

In The Midnight Bookshop by Amanda James, my latest review book from Net Galley, three strangers that are dealing with problems in their lives find a magical bookshop that will change their lives forever.

After finishing the intense amazing book that was Angel Down, I knew I needed something a bit lighter for sure. As it happened, my next book was The Midnight Bookshop. While the book does deal with some serious issues, overall, it is a very cozy, magical book.

I don’t want to give too much of the book away but I do want to say that the book deals with how books affect us. Every book will read differently for different people. The imagination can create the world of the book in our head and provide an escape but also, perhaps, let us see something in our own life that we weren’t seeing. Books can change us if we let them.

I’ve loved reading since I was really young. I picked up reading and writing quickly and they have always been my favorite things. I couldn’t tell you how many books I’ve read over the years. I don’t even know what my first book was. Some books I’ve forgotten and others will never leave mind. I think The Midnight Bookshop will be a book thats stays in my memory. It was really wonderful.

The three characters in the book are complex, interesting, flawed humans. The book itself lets us see their lives and the magic of the shop. The book is descriptive but not overly so and the dialogue feels nice and cozy. The Midnight Bookshop is a book that long time readers will love. It gets to the core of why many of us read. It was a nice break in between all of these super serious and sometimes scary books I’ve been reading. The Midnight Bookshop is a nice, cozy fantasy about three people in need of hopes and dreams.

I know I could use a little bit of hope and dreams right now. I wish I had a physical copy of this book, so that I could write a thank you note to it and put it inside. Maybe I’ll write the note anyway. If you want to know what I’m going on about, well, please check out The Midnight Bookshop. Its waiting for you.

The Midnight Bookshop releases on May 16th, 2025. Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for providing an early digital copy of this book.

Not my usual read but so happy the cover jumped out at me
The cover is so stunning
This was such a beautiful read i literally felt all the emotions
A lovely easy read I really enjoyed
A magical world such a intriguing story
Will definitely be recommending loved it

Give me a book about books, bookshops, and book lovers; you know I'm there. Add in the fact that there may be a magical bookshop, and I'm a goner!
Amanda James' books have delighted me over the last few years, and The Midnight Bookshop's blurb hooked me immediately!
It's not a straightforward story. Three main characters, each with their troubles, and a bookshop they had never seen before, bring them together.
Adelaide is a married woman stuck in a painful marriage with a narcissistic husband who spares no opportunity to put her down.
Jo is lucky on the face of it. She has everything. A magnificent house, parents who are more than well off and leave her to want for nothing, no inclination to work... but she feels no connection to her mother, and her mother constantly belittles her.
Kye is a young man stuck in a life he hates because of circumstances. An unwell mother, and an overbearing brother who has overridden all of his dreams, and he is in trouble of getting sucked up into worse scenarios.
In a somewhat fantastical way, the bookshop helps each character to explore the power of books, and the owner, Fay, helps each of her new readers to interpret the messages the books they choose wish to convey.
There is fantasy, romance, family expectation, and much more within!
Once I was into the story, I didn't want to climb out! I want to visit that bookshop, too, and let a book choose me, so I can 'edit' my life, too!
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins, One More Chapter for an ARC.

This story starts with three characters who seek the Midnight Bookshop in an effort to escape their own troubled lives.

Sadly, I DNF’d this book 20% in. The premise of the story holds promise, and I think the characters had the potential to be complex with deep backstories. You’ve heard of “show don’t tell” writing, but this book seems to be written under “tell don’t show”. The characters felt mundane and shallow where they could’ve been complex. The descriptions of them and their problems felt borderline cliched, or like a forced role each one was supposed to be filling. I was struggling to read each page because it felt more like a series of statements, rather than someone telling a story. The concept of the midnight bookshop really interests me, so I am a bit disappointed.

This seems like a good plot with potentially great characters, unfortunately the execution just wasn’t there for me.

Thank you NetGalley & HarperCollins for this eARC!

So fun and incredibly whimsical, this was a great book! Finding the midnight bookshop will change their lives forever, but they can only imagine the ways.

The Midnight Bookshop is a delightful hallmark-esque story about the power of a book to inspire change and growth in the lives of its readers.

Jo, Adelaide, and Kye are three strangers who have almost nothing in common except for a vague (and in some cases under indulged) love of reading and tragic circumstances of their life leaving them feeling trapped. Their paths cross one fateful day when each of them happen on a flyer inviting them to the Midnight Bookshop. This book follows each of their stories as they grow into their autonomy and take control of their lives in a beautiful expression of “reading is my therapy.”

I would like to thank One More Chapter and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Grateful to #NetGalley and One More Chapter for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Fay Revil's magical Midnight Bookshop has a way of finding people who need it. Unlikely friends Jo, Adelaide, and Kye are stuck and unhappy with their lives, until they find what they need in the bookshop.

This is a love letter to books and a very sweet story of found family. It reads YA to me in terms of how the characters interact, but that also adds to the whimsy of the story.

I had to DNF this book at 25% sadly.

The writing style just felt a bit clunky for me and lacked that oomph and flare that made it really stand out to draw in my attention. I believe this is written in present tense? Which also really threw me off when reading, so that may be playing a part in why the writing felt a little clunky at times for me, as I'm really not used to that!

There was also no real distinction between the different characters which made it hard to connect with any of them on a deeper level. If it weren't for the names at the start of the chapters I honestly wouldn't have noticed that the POV had switched. Outside of them name dropping their respective family members/problems, there wasn't much to make each voice and personality really stand out and feel unique from one another.

The characters and their individual situations felt pretty shallow at this point as well. It all felt quite surface level and didn't really add much to their thoughts or feelings and why they act the way they are and I found it hard to really pay attention when their personal lives would come up.

I don't think this is a bad book by any means though, I think its just not for me.

A charming and mysterious escape into literary magic

The Midnight Bookshop is a delightful blend of cozy mystery and magical realism that had me hooked from the very first chapter. Amanda James crafts a warm, atmospheric tale that feels like a comforting cup of tea on a rainy evening—complete with just the right amount of intrigue to keep you turning the pages.

The setting is easily one of the book’s biggest strengths. The quaint, slightly otherworldly bookshop at the heart of the story feels like a character in its own right, and James’s writing paints it vividly. You can almost smell the old paper and hear the creak of the floorboards. The element of mystery is well-balanced, unfolding gradually with enough twists to stay engaging without becoming convoluted.

The protagonist is endearing, and her personal growth throughout the story adds emotional depth. The supporting characters are quirky and memorable, though a few could have used a bit more fleshing out. Some pacing hiccups and predictability in the final act keep it from a perfect five stars, but those are minor quibbles in an otherwise enchanting read.

If you love books about books, with a sprinkle of the supernatural and a strong sense of place, The Midnight Bookshop is well worth a visit.

The Midnight Bookshop is available May 16, 2025!

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the ARC!

I adored this book! Such a unique fantasy theory. In the midnight bookshop, we meet three characters that all come together after finding a flyer for the bookstore. Adalade, Jo, and Kye, are all unhappy with theor life for different reasons. Through this beautiful bookstore a freindship is formed. All three have their own struggles and unhappyiness, but find light in their bond and the magically bookstore.
The characters are real, and we'll constructed. And the book is wonderfully written. Also has a beautiful cover ❤️

The Midnight Bookshop by Amanda James is not to be confused with The Midnight Library by Matt Haig—though the title may lead some readers to expect a similar story. Instead, this novel offers a gentle, uncomplicated tale about the quiet power of books and how they might just change a life.
This is the kind of story you’d reach for on a rainy afternoon or to enjoy while lounging at the beach. It's not complex, nor does it try to be. The plot moves along easily, though it felt to me like it reached its natural conclusion a bit early—only to continue afterward in a way that didn’t quite land as powerfully.

I struggled to fully connect with the characters. Their personal situations, especially those involving abuse or criminal behavior, didn’t always feel authentic or believable. For instance, the portrayal of an abused woman didn’t align with what I’ve witnessed or experienced, and the character involved in drug dealing seemed overly simplified. The third character didn’t resonate with me at all—I found her hard to connect with or even like.

Interestingly, I learned that the story was written based on a title chosen by the editor, which may explain why the book feels a bit concept-first rather than character-driven. I suspect the title was selected in part to ride the wave of popularity following Haig’s novel—though I could be wrong. Regardless, the title did catch my attention, and I’m sure it will do the same for others.

If you’re looking for a light, easy read with a gentle message about the influence of books, The Midnight Bookshop might be worth your time. Just don’t go in expecting emotional depth or realism—this one’s more about comfort than complexity.