I haven't read a Denise Hunter book in years, so when I saw she had one coming out about a bookshop, I had to give it a try! I think there will be many grandmas in my community who will love this book and want to check it out at the library. The grandmas of both Shelby and Grayson played such huge roles in their lives. Many people will find that relatable. Shelby and her family is grieving after her grandmother passed away. She was given her grandmother's bookstore, The Second Story Bookshop. The bookstore is called that because her grandmother received money after her husband died. She wanted to start a new life, a new story, so the "second story" bookshop began.

Shelby and Grayson fell in love when they were in high school. After Grayson wasn't able to secure a scholarship for college, he decided to join the Army so he could still get a college education. Shelby found this unforgiveable. I can understand her being upset that he made this decision without her, but I don't understand why she was mad enough about it to not answer his phone calls or letter once he was in boot camp. Her family's grudge against Grayson after this drama also seemed unjust. Shelby was the one who decided to end things with Grayson, yet her father and brother were very hostile towards Grayson when he returned to town to help with the bookshop.

Because Shelby's mother left when she was younger, Shelby, her father and brother all had abandonment issues which escalated their feelings towards Gray when he left for boot camp. BUT it still seemed mind-blowing for them all to stay so mad for so long. It made me feel like Shelby didn't really love Gray as a teenager. Teenagers normally will do anything for love. They think they can overcome any obstacle. She gave up pretty quickly with Gray.

I also found it incredibly unrealistic how much the town hated Gray, not only as an adult at present day but as an innocent teenager. Yes, his father was in jail, but I don't believe that that amount of people in a town would blame a teenager for their father's mistakes. When Gray returned to town and had his house vandalized, unjustly stopped by officers TWICE, and had his house shot at, it was just too much for me. I can understand a few people not wanting him to stay in town, but to go to the lengths that they did to run him out of town seemed ridiculous. And majority of the town backed up those actions by boycotting the bookshop for a time period.

Again, I think the people who just want an easy read with lots of drama will eat this book up. It was just too unrealistic and farfetched for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for providing me an advanced copy for my honest review.

5 ⭐️
This book was so cute! I loved the bookshop setting. It felt cozy and fun. And I think it would be a great book to adapt into a film! I don’t know why, but as I was reading it I just kept thinking how it would make a great movie lol 😂

I really connected with the characters and thought their story was beautifully written. Our FMC is loyal through and through and our MMC is genuine and puts others before himself. So many things wanted to get in their way but ultimately their love for each other brought them back together!

In this book We get:
•2nd Chance Romance
•BookShop Owners
•Forced Proximity
•Closed Door Christian Romance
•Small Town
And more!

I received the Audiobook version of this book and the narrator did an amazing job! I would highly recommend this one! I would love to read more by Denise hunter as I genuinely loved this book.

Thank you @deniseahunter and @netgalley for gifting me this Arc 🫶🏼

This was a interesting story, surrounding a second chance love and some conniving grannies. I really enjoyed the drama and the small town vibe but not in the good light most have, putting some reality to the bad side of small town gossip and straight bullying that happens. Makes you take a look at yourself and how you treat others makes a life long impact you may not even know you did at the time. Great story
Great narrations
Loved this!

Thank you for the opportunity to review.
This was a sweet, warm hearted tale of love resurrected. I loved the narration and they kept me completely wrapped up in Shelby and Grey.

Holy cannoli, I loved this book!

The Second Story Bookshop is a heartwarming second-chance romance between Shelby and her ex-boyfriend, Gray. The two are thrown back into each other’s lives after the death of Shelby’s sweet, meddling grandmother—who was so lovingly written, I genuinely felt a sense of loss. Her presence lingers warmly throughout the story.

Shelby and Gray unexpectedly find themselves co-owners of her grandmother’s beloved bookstore. As they work together to preserve her legacy, they’re forced to confront their complicated history—all while facing unexpected challenges that threaten the shop’s future.

The emotional history between them felt so real. I especially enjoyed the dual timelines—flashing between their high school years and the present—which added so much depth to their characters. There were moments I wanted to shout, “What are you doing?!”—but those frustrating choices made their eventual growth feel all the more satisfying. The character development is spot-on and incredibly rewarding.

There are emotional themes around bullying and parental abandonment, so readers sensitive to those topics may want to be aware—but I felt they were handled with care and added emotional richness to the story. The portrayal of bullying, in particular, was striking. At times I was shocked that someone would actually behave that way—yet sadly, it wasn’t unrealistic. The book does an excellent job showing how cruelty in adolescence can echo into adulthood if left unchecked. I appreciated how everything came together in the end, and the resolution still managed to surprise me.

I also loved the sister-in-law dynamic woven into the story, and the cameos from Gavin and Wes from Riverbend were such a fun treat for fans of Hunter’s previous work.

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator did an excellent job capturing Shelby’s voice. Her performance brought each character to life and made the alternating POVs easy to follow.

If you’re looking for a sweet, clean romance with depth, charm, and lovable characters, The Second Story Bookshop is one to add to your list!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review this ARC.

This book was an enjoyable read. Surely, it meets the expectations that one may have when one reads a romance set in a bookshop, even though I believe that a few themes could have been explored further (it seems to me that a few characters/mentions are just added here and there to make the reader go "aww so nice", but then promptly left aside). Overall, an entertaining reading experience.

I thought the book was incredibly cute and promising. Denise dives in with tackling hard-hitting topics like bullying, abandonment, first love, and how we can push people that matter to us away.

Gray is an outcast who is bullied and paying the price of his father's crimes, while Shelby is a ray of sunshine who is dealing with her mother, who abandoned her. Gray leaves Shelby heartbroken after graduation. (You'll have to read to figure out why 😉)

The book was solid where we get to see Gray and Shelby find each other again amongst the failing bookshop that Shelbys Grandma left them. We watch them fight to keep it afloat. We see Gray deal with childhood bullying (and how the town still bullies him) and how he won't do wrong by Shelby again. I honestly wished the book was longer so we could see more of Shelby & Grays relationship unfold. This is perfect for a palate cleanser after heavy books and will leave you smiling and rooting for the main characters!

The narrator did a great job of conveying emotions and keeping me engaged.

Thank you, Netgalley & Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio, for the ALC 💕

I thought this was super cute. I really liked the little banter between Shelby and Gray. I think the town hateing him and making everything a struggle added to the story. I enjoyed the narrator.

Narration was perfect but the plot fell a bit flat for me. I just couldn’t get into the love story of the two main characters. At times it felt like too much effort to make it happen and some of their backstories were a bit too far fetched for the emotions they depicted.

I loved the author’s last novel and was excited for this one. The premise is great I just think it could have been executed differently. Still an enjoyable listen for something lighthearted

The Second Story Bookshop offers a soft, reflective tone and centres on a second chance romance set against the backdrop of a charming small-town bookshop.

Denise Hunter’s writing carries emotional authenticity, gently exploring themes of grief, healing, and rediscovery. The main characters are well-drawn, with chemistry that simmers beneath layers of shared history and unspoken feelings.

The narration fits the pace and emotional weight of the story well, creating a soothing experience for audiobook listeners. A great pick for fans of heartfelt women’s fiction and sweet, character-driven romances.

A second time around novel. This takes place in a very small town. Shelly who helped her grandmother in the bookshop she started in Granville South Carolina. When she passed she left majority of the bookshop and minority to Gray. Gray is not accepted well in this town as his Dad murdered someone. He left town as soon as he could and made a name for himself in Riverbend. He did come back to Shelly with the bookshop despite the way people still treated him. He actually gave her his shares. See how they worked together to keep the bookshop thriving. Everyone is against them giving it a second chance until things happen. Definitely a nice cozy read, clean and light 3.5 rounded up. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity.

The Second Story Bookshop, written by Denise Hunter and narrated by Kim Churchill, tells the story of Shelby Thatcher, who helps her Gram run a bookshop of the same name. Our book begins with the death of Shelby's Gram, and Shelby begins to discover some of the surprises her Gram has for her, including leaving half of the ownership of the Bookshop to Gray, who broke Shelby's heart in high school. Gray has never really been accepted by the residents of Granville where Shelby lives, and Shelby's family seems to be struggling with her Gram's decision as well, wanting to protect her from getting her heart broken again. But as time goes on Shelby seems to realize that she might really need Gray's help, and that maybe he has some lessons of his own to teach her.

I really enjoyed this book, and the small town feel. I liked the chapters that helped us learn more about the past of the main characters, and also appreciated how the characters learned about each other and themselves. I also enjoyed seeing the relationships between characters change, and appreciated the talk of faith and religion without it being overpowering. I do think that there was also some wonderful self discovery included, especially when it came to family relationships, and why individuals act and react in certain ways in different situations.

This was my first book by this author but it will definitely not be my last! I recommend this book to anyone looking for a book with a small town feel, or a comedy/romance. Thank You to NetGalley and to the author, narrator, and publisher of this book for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great second chance romance with a lot of small town drama and even a little bit of action. I listened to this on audiobook and would definitely recommend. I loved the duel time lines and compelling characters. I listen at 2x speed and feel the narrator does a fantastic job with the different characters, she wan't over the top with the different character but was enough for me to differentiate them all and made this a very easy listen.

Cute second chance lovers.
I got a bit lost in the past to present but still loved it.
Felt bad for the boyfriend.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for allowing me to listen to this audio book in advance.
This was a good story and I enjoyed the characters. If you are looking for a typical romance story this is a good one. I enjoyed the narrator she done a really good job.

Absolutely loved this book! Denise Hunter is the absolute best at character development. She weaves laughs, tears, eye rolls & excitement into every book, flawlessly! This book had me from the first chapter. I hope Denise never stops writing books about books! She is the best.

When Shelby’s grandmother dies, she knows she will inherit the bookstore she’s been working at since high school. What she didn’t expect was to work alongside the boy who broke her heart in high school. Together, Shelby and Gray have to face their past in order to face the issues in present. Through that they start to wonder, can they actually be in each other’s future?

Have you ever had a time where it seems like everything is going wrong? The characters in this book keep getting hit with heartache, but also have some really sweet moments of hope and friendship.

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator was great at conveying the emotions of the characters.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the book for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book had me kicking and giggling my feet! Denise Hunter truly knows how to write a romance that feels both wholesome and deeply satisfying. The Second Story Bookshop is a beautiful, clean, no-spice love story that still manages to deliver all the tension, emotion, and chemistry you could want. The slow build-up between the two main characters? Perfecto. Their connection was believable and layered, with just the right amount of emotional depth and push-and-pull. The storyline flowed effortlessly, and not once did I find myself bored or skimming—Hunter kept me hooked from start to finish.

The characters were incredibly well-developed, and I loved how multi-dimensional they were. I could feel their growth and struggles, and it made their romance all the more satisfying. This was such a feel-good, heartwarming read, and I honestly can’t stop smiling just thinking about it. Denise Hunter, you’ve done it again. This is easily one of my favorite romances of the year and an instant fall must-read when it releases!

4.5 ⭐️

I just wanted to take Gray in my arms and make everything okay for him. Poor sweet boy getting bullied almost his whole life and just takes it. I wasn’t expecting this to be angsty, but damn do love a damaged/hurt Hero. Oh yeah…there is a bookshop in this plot but the storyline with Gray took center stage for me. So good.

Audiobook Review: The Second Story Bookshop by Denise Hunter
Narrated by: Kim Churchill

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the ALC of The Second Story Bookshop by Denise Hunter

I would give the audiobook about 3.25-3.5 stars.

I enjoyed the audiobook. I do think it has quite a few tropes, but I think they were done nicely.

I liked the storyline for the most part and really felt for Grey and his situation. I feel like his reasoning for leaving was quite reasonable and unfortunately there was just a lot of hurt and not enough room for communication. I found the third act was a bit easily solved, but I was happy for them.

I liked the narrator, was just a bit confused, that Grey’s inner monologue was in the female voice. It also was kinda slow, but I didn’t have a problem with it, since I could adjust the speed to 2,5x.

What took me a bit out of the story, was the real author names that were mentioned and the religious remarks. I thought it was a bit unnecessary and kinda took me out of the fictional world. The religious words weren’t that much, but since the storyline didn’t mention them being religious (or have I missed something?, I didn’t really get the point, but maybe it’s normal for some parts of the US or the authors writing. I also felt like the disability rep wasn’t done in the best way.

All in all it was a really nice heartfelt romance, about reflecting your life, forgiveness and communication with a happy ending.