This story broke my heart open. A charming book following a pastry chef finding love again in books, cooking, her family and romantically. This story was sad and heartwarming and truly felt like a hug. I couldn’t hold myself back from reading it straight through.

So apparently this is the fourth story in a series of short stories centering around a family who owns a bookstore/cafe on a small island in Maine, written by the same author as Practical Magic.

Victoria lives in Paris, France, working as a pâtissiere but feeling unfulfilled with life. When her mother’s cancer returns, Victoria goes back home to Maine to spend time with her mom, and she figures out what’s missing from her life.

If you wondered if she’s missing love, then yes, you’d be right. That was literally a secret ingredient in a recipe Victoria had trouble making. So the story is a bit trite, almost tooth-achingly sweet, and predictable, but it had warmth and gentleness, too. The writing was smooth and you don’t need to have read the other stories in this series to understand this one, but I think it probably would be more enjoyable if you had. Not bad, probably not my type of story, but I can imagine suburban women in book clubs enjoying this.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The fourth story in the series of short stories! This one was just as amazing as the others and has shifted the focus to be more on Violet instead of Sophie and Isabel. I think all of these stories have been quite powerful and I've truly felt the grief and hope expressed in each one. I think this was truly Violet's coming of age story and I've been quite invested in all the stories! Definitely would recommend if you enjoy short stories and / or stories that are slice of life and don't shy away from heavy topics.

The Bookstore Family by Alice Hoffman

Thank you to Netgalley, Amazon Original Stories and Alice Hoffman for providing me a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really really wanted to love this story, but it was a no from me. I enjoy what this story tried to be - the plot alone is a beautiful walk through extreme change in one's life and how the FMC navigates that change, but the execution significantly took away from the storyline. To me, it felt disjointed, like I couldn't keep up with what was happening, and it was written in a way that didn't pull me in. There were formatting issues that made it feel like a constant block of text making all of the words come together. While I understand this is an ARC I thought the formatting would have been more uniform.

Another sweetly satisfying short story in this series!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Bookstore Family is the fourth short story in a series written by Alice Hoffman. To complete this review I went back and read the proceeding 3 short stories in order to make sure I was able to appreciate this story and I am so glad I did. By reading the proceeding stories I was able to see the characters develop along with the plot lines. The Bookstore Family actually made emotional near its conclusion as I could identify with the characters and the life events that were unfolding. The stories can be read as stand alones but I think you will enjoy the entire story so I recommend reading them all in order"
1. The Bookstore Sisters
2. The Bookstore Wedding
3. The Bookstore Keepers
4. The Bookstore Family

Each story is just under 40 pages so it makes for a quick but powerful read. Alice Hoffman remains a writing powerhouse so put these stories to the top of your TBR!

Thank you Net Galley, Alice Hoffman and Amazon Original Stories for the opportunity to preview this short story. The opinions shared are my own.
This short story is expected to be released May 13, 2025.

Thank you NetGalley, Amazon Original Stories, and Alice Hoffman for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I’ve loved this series and this installment was a great addition. It’s so bittersweet and follows Violet, who I was really hoping to learn more about in the last one because she reminded me of myself. Her story was beautiful and describes so many parts of life perfectly: love, loss, family, and a permanent connection to your hometown. Please pick this one up when it comes out!

Short, sweet but beautifully told, The Bookstore Family follows the story of Violet and her reconnection to her roots and finding love.

Violet grew up on Brinkley's Island, Maine and left to attend a culinary school in Paris eventually landing her dream job as a patisserie in a Parisian restaurant.

But something is missing.

Her aunt Isabel comes to stay and encourages Violet to keep looking.
But just as things finally come together with a chance meeting, Violet is called home to a family emergency where she begins to realise it's there that really holds the key to what she needs.

Thoughts

The Bookstore Family is part of the Once Upon a Time Bookshop series, and whilst the stories are interconnected, it stands well on it's own.

It really is a beautifully told story and can be read in one sitting. It's one of those stories that kept me highlighting sentences and passages because it resonated.

There were some wonderful references to books and the connections we make with them. Especially rereading our childhood stories as adults.

"Every time a book is reread it’s entirely different depending on who the reader has become"

Heartfelt and at times, emotional, exploring life, finding happiness, love, loss and grief - The Bookstore Family was a pleasure to spend time with.

Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for the opportunity to read and review this lovely, thought provoking short story.

never had i ever read a book by the author Alice Hoffman and well i just felt in love with this story. This story is a fast read and definitely will want to know what happened to David, Violet and Remy well all. Will definitely recommend this book, love how this book is about family and love. This book is so reliable.

This one packed such an emotional punch.

Violet and her family, particularly her mother Sophie & her aunt Isabel, were lovely to read about.

This was very much a slice of life read with grief, indecision and love explored quite vividly despite this being a short novella. Some parts hit very close to home & it was quite (slightly painfully) relatable.

A very whimsical, dreamlike quality that Alice Hoffman is fantastic at capturing.

Don’t wait is the big takeaway message from this story!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher & author for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This was a short, beautiful story revolving around family, love and loss. I loved the setting - taking us from Paris to Maine. I did cry.

Another edition to the Once Upon a Time Bookshop stories and ugh MY HEART! How is this a short story (only 32 pages) and I still managed to cry FOUR TIMES?! I should expect nothing less from Alice Hoffman though. She plucked every heartstring I had and then gave it a tug! Short and sweet and emotional and thought provoking and absolutely worth a read!!

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon and Alice for my eARC, I am so thankful I got to continue this series!

This book had a rough start for me - it wasn't flowing very well and it seemed too many characters and histories were being packed in at once. Halfway in, it calmed down and became enjoyable.

Anything Alice Hoffman is an automatic winner, and the short stories about this family of sisters and children are lovely. Bookstore family was definitely bitter sweet, and i hope Hoffman writes about them for a long while.

Another nice addition to this little short stories series.

Personally I didn’t love this as much as the previous ones, mostly because the main character in this one is the daughter/niece and her life she build after what happened at the end of the last story.

I like the stories that center more around the bookstore and the main sisters more.

That being said, this is certainly still a nice read and I enjoyed being back with the characters and this beautifully hunting writing and the absolut love the author so clearly has for books and stories.

I recommend this - as I do all of this series so far- and think it’s a good addition to this little series.

<b>And no . You can not just jump in here, you need to read from story one on. The stories build up in each other. </b>

In The Bookstore Family, Alice Hoffman crafts a tender and evocative story about self-discovery, the pull of home, and the quiet magic of following your passion. A charming, emotional read perfect for anyone who’s ever wondered where they truly belong.

And we're back to the bookstore in Maine—well, first we're off to Paris, where Violet has been living for the past few years. She's found success, but it's clear (to Violet, even if she won't admit it, and to everyone who knows Violet) that she hasn't found what she's looking for, and that she doesn't know what that is.

This is the third of this short-story series that I've read (encompassing, still, the only Hoffman I've read). It's nice to see more of a character who was a bit on the periphery in earlier books—and of course I'll never object to a vicarious trip to Paris!

As with the other short stories in this series, this leans a little saccharine for my tastes. (Partly it's the pastry names, I think, and partly it's the insistence that everything can be solved with love—generally the romantic and heterosexual kind.) I can see why people like Hoffman, but I think I'm best off sticking to these bite-sized stories rather than digging into something longer.

One for those looking for something quick and cozy.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

It was a beautiful story and hit a lot of great tones. I wish I had more of it! Having baking or baked goods symbolism emotional states and journeys is one my favorite tools of an author.

This was the perfect short story. I wasn’t longing for anymore, it was just right.

I love the writing, it is like reading a fairytale from long ago but set in our current world. The fantastical wording and feeling of being swept into a far off place.

Now i want to go back and read the first stories in this little series!

I have really enjoyed these short stories and hope they become a full size novel. The family with their love and flaws comes through in all the short stories and is no different in this one. The way Alice describes both settings and characters is real and descriptive. I hope many more stories about these characters come