Georgia Summers’ The Bookshop Below is everything I love and enjoy in fantasy fiction!

A magical bookshop, a whodunnit, a morally grey character, deeply rooted lore and all the trials and tribulations.

This didn’t feel like I was reading, it was simply too immersive to have been anything but magic... I can’t think of a single thing I didn’t enjoy. Summers wrote characters that felt familiar, but new and still evolving. As if we were exploring and figuring things alongside the characters. This is one of those books where “one more chapter” turns into 4 hours later.. and it’s actually worth it!

I cannot recommend this book enough! I had an amazing time with this story and miss the bookshop already.

Georgia Summers, you created some literary magic! Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for allowing me the to cross paths with lady fate!

I absolutely loved this book. It was cozy while scary and thrilling, emotional and just every range of emotion I could have throughout reading this. I couldn’t put it down because I had to know what was happening absolutely loved!

A well-written and emotional story about French Resistance fighters in WWII Paris. It’s cleverly crafted with some unexpected twists along the way. There’s plenty of pain, suffering, love, and loss—but it all builds to a beautifully uplifting ending.

Thank you for allowing me a preview of this title. I have some patrons that will love it. I, personally, am a little on the fence about it. I enjoyed the premise immensely, however, the pacing seemed slow to me and it was hard for me to get started. Once I was in about 25% the story had more of my interest and I was enjoying it much more.

3.5 stars!! What a cozy book! I really enjoyed the
fresh take on fantasy, and the ink magic was really interesting. I found it slow in the beginning, and agree with some other readers that I was confused until about 40% in. I think it might be because of the formatting, but the numerous narrators and letters/excerpts from other books were difficult to navigate.
I greatly enjoyed the approach to magic-who doesn't love a magical bookstore? The FMC was really tolerable and the side characters were great. The romance plot was cute and I liked how it wasn't a driving plot point for the whole story.
Thank you, NetGalley and Orbit books for the eARC!

Any dedicated reader knows that ink, paper and words can be an enticing and seductive combination. And the bookshop always comes first. Cassandra leaves a life of thievery behind to return to the bookshop where she grew up. The river from which they draw power is drying up, power hungry men keep trying to make the bookstore their own, and the other bookstore owners are hardly welcoming. All the while, a secret society is making plans of their own, and Cass is just trying to keep the books happy. The world building is dark and velvety, the characters well-written and more than one plot twist keeps the reader engaged. Very enjoyable read!

Another wonderfully atmospheric tale from Georgia Summers! This is a well written story for fans of The Book of Doors, Ink Blood Sister Scribe, and the Starless Sea. The City of Stardust, the author’s debut novel, enchanted me. I’ve been eager to read more from them. The Bookshop Below is an ode to booksellers, book lovers, and the very best book shops. The characters are complex. Our main character grows so much from the beginning of the story. The clues we get about her past shows how much she has grown as an individual by the end of the book. The magic system is complex. There is a lot going on with magical ink, a magical river, and “reading.” It may seem confusing at times but they are all connected and work together. There is a slight romance in this that I enjoyed. There are plenty of twists in the last 25 percent of the story that had be gasping out loud. The pacing was slow at times, but not bothersome. It gave me time to enjoy being immersed in the bookshop.

*MILD SPOILER*

The last chunk of the book was a little confusing with the multiple/alternate timelines. I don’t enjoy multiple/alternate timelines in my stories but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the book. The river and the magic in this story may hurt one’s brain if you think too much about it. Let yourself abandon logic and accept what the story is giving you. For me the river in the story mimics a lot of my reading experience. You don’t question the river and it’s magic. You just accept it and let it take you. I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future!

The beautiful whimsical cover is what drew me to this book along with the intriguing title. Unfortunately I found the story confusing. There was not enough world building in the beginning for me to understand what was going on. The magic seemed complex and because of the lack of grounded context, the plot felt a little haphazard.

I just didn't understand it. It needed more background information.

The premise of this book sounded really cool and unique so I was super excited to be able to read it. The idea of magical bookshops and secret societies was very fun and this book is definitely an escape from reality in the best way. While I was confused by how exactly the bookshops were magic and how the magic of this world worked, I really loved a lot of the other aspects of the story.

Starting with the FMC Cassandra, I definitely got a sort of loveable underdog vibe from her that made it easy to empathize and root for her. She seems loyal to a fault but at the same time, willing to do what is necessary to keep herself alive and safe. Cassandra truly has such a strong love for bookshops and books (don't we all?) that despite being initially kicked out of her mentor's shop and abandoned, when she's called back to protect it she does so willingly.

Lowell, the MMC, is so different from Cassandra, both personality-wise and in his backstory. Lowell has stayed a bookshop owner and has stubborn, strict views regarding them. At first, he doesn't trust Cassandra to be in charge of her former mentor's bookshop and is desperate for it himself. But as he gets to know Cassandra more and sees what she's actually capable of, he starts to really appreciate her talent.

The romance between Cassandra and Lowell felt like a true enemies to lover situation as well as being slow burn, which I really loved. I feel like the two of them really got to properly know each other and start to fall for each other, all while trying to figure out the mysterious aspects of the book stores.

The secret society is an aspect that we get glimpses of throughout the story and eventually we begin to see how it connects to Cassandra and Lowell, and how the death of Cassandra's former mentor may be more sinister than originally thought. This was one aspect that did confuse me a bit too, since it's connected to the magic system, but I still enjoyed the overall mysteriousness of it all.

There were some great side characters who, especially for Cassandra's assistant Byron, were very lovable and/or were very well thought out and added a lot to the story, making it more complex and intriguing. All in all, this was a great book with some confusing parts and I'm very glad I read it.

I was initially interested in the cover and the title but I started for the magic and wonder. This was a great read especially if you are looking for a little escape from reality for a bit.

The cover for this book caught my attention and the summary drew me in. The thought of a bunch of secret magical bookshops sounded so cool! The magic was really unique. A bit confusing but there's magic books! The characters felt well developed and I liked the romance. A heartwarming, whimsical read!

What an intriguing book! Cassandra Fairfax has the ability to use reading aloud from books to create magic, rooted in "the river," which flows under the bookshop where she grew up. This ability gets her in all kinds of trouble, especially as the river begins to die and the fate of all the tributary bookshops which sell magic books is threatened. Very inventive, full of entrancing characters. The secrets that are revealed are really heart-breaking, leading to a very emotional climax. A great work of literary fantasy.

This book caught my interest from the very beginning. No surprise that I was hooked right off the bat. I loved the pacing of this book. it always kept my attention. The magic system is unique, although I did find it confusing at times. Nevertheless I was still about to put together how the magic works. I was also confused about the entries from other books(?) that started on chapter 11. I didn't really see the significance in using them. Not sure if that was because it's an e-download so I'm not gathering how it's supposed to look on a physical book. The characters were well written. I loved the characters you're meant to love and hated the ones you're meant to hate. I felt all the emotions the author intended the reader to feel. Overall I REALLY enjoyed this story and I'm hoping there will be a second one because there's no WAY it can end the way it did!!

The cover for this book is absolutely stunning and it’s what initially intrigued me. The summary sounded so good, I mean a book about a magical bookshop and books? Sign me up! This is normally the type of book that would get five stars from me so I immediately dove in once I got approved. However, I struggled with this one. To me, it felt like I was dropped in on the middle of a story, I was so confused with the magic and the plot and the world building and that really hindered my enjoyment of the story. I never really got to connect with the characters and as a character driven reader, that impacted my experience reading this book.

This novel felt like a warm embrace from the moment I started reading. Its setting, a charming cozy bookshop filled with hidden corners and whispered secrets, immediately felt like home. The heroine is refreshingly relatable and courageous in the face of personal changes, and her connection with the love interest grows with a comforting easy chemistry. The tension unfolds naturally through gentle moments, shared bookshelves, and small discoveries that mean so much. The emotional journey is uplifting and heartfelt with just the right balance of introspection and hope.

If you are looking for a tender romance wrapped in literary love and small town charm, this is the perfect book to curl up with.

When Cassandra’s mentor died the last thing she expected him to leave her was his magical bookshop, the one he had kicked her out of ten years earlier. Now she has to fight off others looking to claim it, and its power, for their own, and find a bookseller to help her manage it. But when the magic starts to fade she finds herself teaming up with a rival bookshop owner to not only find out why, but what they could possibly do to save it.

I thought Cassandra was a great protagonist. She is clever and gritty, embraces her darkside, willing to do whatever is necessary to survive, and then try to make up for her actions to the best of her ability. She doesn’t back down from fights, even when she knows she cannot win, and despite the fact that her mentor Chiron treated her terribly after raising her, she is loyal to his memory and purpose.

The romance was unexpected, but pleasantly surprising. Lowell is the perfect foil for Cass: prim and proper, a stickler for the rules, until it involves those he loves. I enjoyed their banter and the slow burn of their relationship.

The magic system surrounding the bookshops was really unique too. Who hasn’t imagined reading a book and watching the pages come to life? It was a little hard to follow at first (since all the pov characters we get are already immersed in the world of magical reading so nobody really explains it) but eventually I figured it out. Me

My only complaint was the pacing of the book. The first half is extremely slow to pick up but then the second half takes off like a freight train.

Overall I was pleased with the book and would reccomend it to anyone looking for a unique modern fantasy with lots of delightful twists.

Who doesn’t love a book about books? Then add in a magical bookstore and really good characters and you get this cozy fantasy, grilled cheese and tomato soup, story! I was sold on the premise and engaged throughout! The love story was good but the friendships were GREAT! What a fantastic way for Georgia Summers to introduce herself to fantasy fans! I look forward to reading more from her.

As always, thank you SO MUCH, Orbit and Netgalley, I enjoyed the ride!

This was a lot of fun. I loved the bookshop and magic stemming from books (as I'm sure any reader would enjoy). I also really liked the romance here. The book loses a star because I think it needs one more scene at the ending and the magic system got a little complicated for me, but it was atmospheric and beautifully written. Would recommend to any fans of Laini Taylor.

I enjoyed this book! Overall a 4.25 rounded down.
TLDR: a good fantasy novel for fans of Divine Rivals, or similar fantasy-romance books with unique magic systems.

What I enjoyed:
- The magic system was really interesting and the world was well-built. It was familiar enough to understand pretty quickly, but unique enough to keep me interested.
- The characters felt well-developed, especially Cassandra. She felt like a real human with complex emotions throughout her story.
- It was well-written and kept me engaged, especially past the halfway point.
- The relationships between characters were nice, especially with Cassandra's allies.

What I didn't enjoy:
- Though I liked the magic system, I was confused a bit with how some of it worked. I also wish there had been more details for when the "readings" happened; I would have loved more explanation of it.
- The pacing was a bit uneven; I devoured the last 40% of the book, but the first bit took a while to get into, especially with the jumps to other characters POVs. The ending also felt pretty fast.
- The word "detritus" is used a lot. Not a bad word to use, I just started to notice how often I read it.
- I wasn't 100% sold on the ending; it was mostly satisfying, but not quite all the way there.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books/Redhook for the ARC. All opinions are my own and freely given.

I'm a sucker for books about magical bookstores. Something, I'm sure, most bookworms would agree with. I was so excited to get my hands on this one, and forwent most of my sleeping hours to finish it last night.

I loved how whimsical and dreamy this was, but never sacrificing the darker edge. It felt like my favourite books and movies growing up: The Golden Compass, Secrets of Moonacre, Alice in Wonderland, Spiderwick Chronicles. Stories that are like all the best fairytales-sharp toothed and a little cruel.

The main character, Cassandra Fairfax, reminded me a little of Charlie Hall in Book of Night. Both of them are complex characters who relish in their darker talents, even if they know they shouldn't. They both work in the shadowy crevices of a magical society that others deem worthy of killing for, and both have a hard time letting go of the past.

I really loved the love story. Cassandra and Lowell's relationship starts of in a bad place, but seeing them grow to trust and respect each other was delightful. I was rooting for them the whole way. Plus, I'm a sucker for the buttoned up, prim and proper MMC whose holding on to that veneer with everything they have. It's so fun to watch them unravel, to watch them lose control. I loved that these character really did build each other up, and that they grew into better versions of themselves as they started to grow closer. It's always fun to see a romance built off of mutual respect and genuine care.

Additionally, I loved the relationship between Cassandra and Byron. I think Byron is such an interesting character, and her main motivation being loyalty and friendship is so endearing. I think seeing Byron go out of her way for Cassandra, and how it changes Cassandra's worldview, is so important to see. That's what friendship is sometimes, and it's good to remember that you have to take the good with the bad. Ultimately, I loved how they both were after the same thing, and they understood each other like nobody else. The love for the bookshops, the love for the river and magic. How it was their priority, and they worked together to save it.

I do have a few nitpicks. KIND OF SPOILERS AHEAD! I think the whole story with Cassandra and the other former apprentice could have been built on a little more, so when the twist comes, it felt a little more impactful. I didn't really feel the betrayal, because I didn't care about the relationship between him and Cassandra, or him and Chiron.

Additionally, and this is just a personal thing, I would have like a little more ending. It felt a bit like a copout, not wanting to undo a sacrifice, but also wanting to satisfy the romantic happy ending. It was sweet, and it fit the story, so this isn't a complaint by any means. I just like things a little more solid, I guess.

Overall, I loved this. I really enjoyed the authors debut novel, and I think this so clearly displays growth of a writer. It's a little sharper, a little clearer. Like a distillation of everything I loved in her first book, with new and exciting elements. I''m so excited to see what she writes next.