I loved the beginning of the book- it took me back to Michigan, a place I grew up and love dearly. I just felt like it fell flat for me and I didn’t want to continue reading. I found myself not able to pay attention and ultimately DNF.

📚 Title: The Page Turner
Author: Viola Shipman
Format: Audiobook (narrated by Katharine Chin)
Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction / Family Drama

“Not everyone can handle the prologue…”

Bright, witty, and emotionally rich — a family saga about secrets, belonging, and the power of rewriting your story.
Emma Page, the black sheep of a literary family, returns to her grandmother’s lakeside cottage with a long-buried family secret. As she unravels the truth behind a scandal that nearly destroyed them, Emma learns to find her own voice — both on the page and in her life.

Mood: 👂📖🌊✨
👂 For audiobook lovers — warm narration and immersive listening
📖 A heartfelt tribute to books, writing, and literary families
🌊 Lake Michigan summer setting — cozy, breezy, with a touch of nostalgia
✨ Growth, forgiveness, and the magic of second chances

This audiobook is a perfect blend of heart and humor — ideal for beach days, road trips, or cozy afternoons. Fans of warm family dramas with a side of writing-industry insights will find Emma’s journey both soothing and satisfying.

Definitely one for book warms. It's so easy to hide from world in books that "save us." This one was a bit different from other Viola books. Full of mystery and insights into the publishing world. I love Enma and that she stayed true to herself despite all the family disbelief in her and drama. The narration was amazing.

A book about books and publishing, pick me. A book by Viola Shipman aka Wade Rouse, again, pick me. The Page Turner tells the story of the Page family. Emma is an unpublished romance writer, in fact noone but some classmates and university teachers know she wrote a book. Her parents are authors who also own their own publishing company, The Mighty Pages, where only serious literature is published. Her sister Jess is a book influencer who is quite well known and works for the company. Emma's grandmother was her greatest ally and was a huge lover of romance books. Her cottage was full of romance books, especially by her favourite author. When she dies, Emma was devastated and loved staying the cottage while going to school in Michigan. She has graduated and her parents want her to take her place in their firm, but Emma has other plans. When she finds out that someone has a secret that will destroy her parents and their publishing company, she digs in to see if she can help them. Will they be able to mend relationships and save the company or will the family secret take them down?

I really enjoyed this story about the publishing world, and the snobbish literary elite. I loved Emma. She was the most real of all the characters in the book. I wish she had more self-confidence in her talents, but with a mother who treated her the way she did, I could understand it. I had figured out part of the secret early in the book, but had no idea the depth of it. What people do for money, power and revenge is quite interesting. I liked seeing Jess and Emma heal their relationship, once they put themselves in each other's shoes. We also see the agents role in publishing shared by the character Vivi. She was disliked by Emma's parents and we learn why in the book, but was Emma's shot at getting a story published that she knows her family won't approve of. This was a wonderful story, one that shared the belief that everyone will find their reading niche, that all genres are valuable to someone and that the love of reading is a gift to give to others. I recommend you read the author's notes that share how his grandmothers and mother gave him the love of reading when he needed to find his place as a child, and gay teenager. I listened to this book narrated by Katherine Chin. I was very pleased with her performance, voices, tone and story telling. She gave the characters voices that enabled me to picture them as I listened to this one. If you enjoy books about books or the publishing world, I recommend you pick this book up in whatever format you enjoy.

Viola Shipman’s The Page Turner is a beautifully written, well-paced novel that pulls back the curtain on the publishing world while telling a heartfelt story about ambition, identity, and self-discovery. At the center of it all is Emma Page, a driven and talented woman navigating a world that often underestimates her—especially when it comes to the gendered expectations of the industry she loves.

The novel deftly explores timely issues like gender bias in publishing, revealing the challenges women face in getting their voices heard and respected. But it doesn’t stop there—Shipman delivers plenty of behind-the-scenes publishing “tea,” offering an insider’s look at the often cutthroat, image-driven, and politics-laced world of books. These elements are woven into the story in a way that feels natural and compelling, never overshadowing Emma’s emotional arc or the warmth that defines Shipman’s storytelling.

Narrator Katharine Chin brings Emma to life with clarity and nuance. Her performance is emotionally grounded, capturing Emma’s quiet strength and the undercurrents of frustration, hope, and determination that drive her. The audiobook production is polished and immersive, making this an easy and engaging listen from beginning to end.

The Page Turner is a smart, thought-provoking read with a lot of heart—and the audiobook edition only enhances the experience. A must-listen for book lovers, publishing insiders, and anyone who’s ever dreamed of having their voice heard.

Title: The Page Turner
Author: Viola Shipman
Narrated by: Katharine Chin
Publisher: Harlequin Audio
Length: Approximately 9 hours and 49 minutes
Source: Audiobook and ebook review Copy from NetGalley. Thank-you!

Where is your favorite setting for a book? The Page Turner by Viola Shipman is set in South Haven Michigan with action also taking place in the Hamptons and New York City. I loved the South Haven, Michigan, setting as I grew up in southwest Michigan. Our family loved to visit South Haven and swim at the beach. My Great Uncle and Aunt lived in a beautiful historic home in South Haven. It’s a beautiful community. I now live in a Lake Michigan Community in Wisconsin. The lake vibes in this novel were very relatable.

Emma Page has just graduated from the University of Michigan and is trying to figure out what to do with her life. Her parents own The Mighty Pages publishing house, which prints literary fiction. Emma has secretly written a romance novel and loves romance just as her grandmother did. When Emma discovers a family secret, how will it affect them and the man who is trying to take their family down?

My thoughts on this novel:
• Viola Shipman is the pen name of Wade Rouse in honor of his beloved Grandma. He writes the best female characters that really speak to me. His Grandma taught him well!

• I read this novel in May as part of the Brenda Novak Book Group. I loved Wade Rouse’s interview as part of the Brenda Novak Book Group. He is delightful and his interview was so interesting.

• GiGi, Emma’s Grandmother, was a wonderful character. She is the type of loving and sassy Grandma everyone should have. I was blessed to have one myself. I loved how she loved to foster the love of reading in her kids and grandkids.

• There were interesting literary discussions and allusions throughout the novel. Who gets to decide what is the great American novel? Why is romance always looked down upon as a genre?

• The novel was a love letter to Michigan with blueberries, the state flag, roadside farms, lighthouses, Lake Michigan beaches, etc.

• Jonathan Livingston Seagull is mentioned a lot. I have never read it, but it has been on my TBR forever. Have you read this novel? If so, what do you think?

• This novel also highlighted family dysfunction and pulling together to protect your family overall.

• I am looking forward to his next book that will be set in Palm Springs. It is called Thank-you for Being a Friend and seems to be Golden Girls inspired.

• I enjoyed listening to this book on audiobook. It was entertaining and captured my interest on long drives.

Overall, The Page Turner by Viola Shipman was a perfect summer read with great characters, a love of literature, beaches, and a sinister villain.

Overall, The Page Turner is a breezy, bookish escape with a charming voice and feel-good moments. A great pick for fans of Elinor Lipman, Jennifer Weiner, or anyone craving a novel about writers, family expectations, and the stories that shape us.

Viola Shipman's The Page Turner is part romance, part hurt/comfort story, part family drama which adds up to all the things I enjoy in a nicely written novel. I also admit to choosing this book based on the title and cover alone.

I liked these characters and as the drama unfolds, the relationships between the family members becomes more and more interesting. Shipman also does a really nice job describing the homes and atmosphere throughout the story.

The audio version of The Page Turner is nicely performed by Katharine Chin.

Talk about book that makes you angry! The family is this is truly the worst! Thank goodness they got their redemption arc! Also Marcus is a total d, which I know he's meant to be, but he was definitely a great villain for the story. I really enjoyed Emma and that she not afraid to speak her mind, although I wanted her to stick up for herself more sometimes, especially when he family is treating her like she's a child, when she is really the most mature one of the group! I loved the stories about Gigi and her relationship with Emma and how that shaped who she was. The little bit of mystery was great and I liked how the sister came together to "protect their flock"

This was a DNF for me. I could not get into it no matter how much I tried. Not as a reflection on the writing, I just think it wasn’t MY thing. I would still try other books from this author.

Viola Shipman is an amazing writer with a creative vision. I always enjoy her books and the way they make me reflect upon my own life as I read about the vivid characters that she has created. The Page Turner was no different. It definitely did not disappoint. If you’re ever looking for a new author that constantly delivers, I highly suggest that you pick up one of Viola’s reads.

Emma finds herself living in her grandmother’s house by the lake after she graduates with a degree in writing from U. of Michigan. She has always felt like the black sheep of the family. Her parents own a small publishing company but have always taught her that the only books that matter are those that match up to the classics. Emma picks up a book in her grandmother’s library that is part of a series and starts to enjoy it but questions whether or not what she is reading is good because of the ridicule that she receives from her parents. Emma has always wanted to publish a novel but feats being seen as a failure in her parents’ eyes.

Even though Emma’s families’ business seems to be doing okay…her parent are harbouring the secret that they are actually in debt and struggling. A well known publishing “shark” swoops in and offers Emma’s family an offer of a lifetime. They accept his offer but Emma begins to unveil additional secrets about her grandmother and the publishing shark that leave her reeling. She is determined to get to the bottom of everything and save her family business, as well as her grandmother’s cottage. Her sister becomes the Watson to Emma’s Holmes as they follow the clues from one lead to another.

The world of publishing books is all the rage to be written about right now as a storyline and I do dearly love it. I love the glimpse (real or not) at the behind the scenes of what makes the books we love.

Emma is the outcast in her family and it’s almost painful at times reading how her parents (mostly her mother) treat her. She’s not afraid to beat to her own drum and ruffle a few feathers along the way. Her parents publish “serious” books. None of that romance nonsense. And her sister is a social media influencer who reviews books. Emma has been writing a romance novel, but keeping it all a secret knowing her whole family would disapprove. When her Grandmother (her biggest cheerleader) passes away, she learns a few secrets she kept and has to decide the best way to use them in order to help her family.

I really liked the uniqueness of the concept. Not a love story, but a story about family love and love of books. The plot was a little light but the author makes a great statement about publishing, family expectations and self love throughout. Overall really enjoyed it.
Note: thanks to the publisher for an advanced arc audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited about this one and THAT COVER!! Unfortunately, I struggled to connect with the FMC and DNF at 30%

Although I found the story interesting and liked the writing style, I never got fully invested in the plot. I wasn’t a huge fan of the characters, and the pacing was a bit too slow for my liking. Still, I would be interested in reading other books by this author.

I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this (in a good way). I really enjoyed the story and how it played out. The characters were relatable and the story kept me wanting to know what happened. I definitely recommend as a cute filler book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for this e-alc in exchange for my honest review.

I liked this book just fine... but didn't love it. There was no connection to any of the characters (it was more of disinterest honestly) and although the pacing was perfect I just wasn't super intrigued or pulled into the story. I switched to audio and although I really enjoyed listening to the book over reading it on my kindle, I still struggled with staying focused.

Sadly, this one just wasn't for me. I found the story just meh and wasn't invested in the characters or interested in the story. It was really slow going in the beginning and the "secret" was obvious and fell flat. Also, the opening was extremely weird to me, what did it have to do with the story? And I didn't get the acorn theme.

Thank you NetGally for an advanced audiobook, all options are my own.

Liked but didn’t love. Cute audiobook to listen to & a good pace, but wasn’t super intrigued. Thanks @harlequinbooks for my audiobook!

The Page Turner is cute and entertaining, but also cartoonish in its characters and their motivations (and as a book reviewer, I felt it had quite a bizarre take on book reviewers/ influencers). It felt far more ya than adult, but if you enjoy light ya novels it may work for you.

Katharine Chin does a decent job narrating the audiobook.

Thank you Viola Shipman, Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House, Harlequin Audio, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.