Tuesday, November 5, 2019

The Printed Letter Bookshop by Katherine Reay

Genre: Romance
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Released: May 14, 2019
336 pages
About the Book:

One of Madeline Cullen’s happiest childhood memories is of working with her Aunt Maddie in the quaint and cozy Printed Letter Bookshop. But by the time Madeline inherits the shop nearly twenty years later, family troubles and her own bitter losses have hardened Madeline’s heart toward her once-treasured aunt—and the now struggling bookshop left in her care.

While Madeline intends to sell the shop as quickly as possible, the Printed Letter’s two employees have other ideas. Reeling from a recent divorce, Janet finds sanctuary within the books and within the decadent window displays she creates. Claire, though quieter than the acerbic Janet, feels equally drawn to the daily rhythms of the shop and its loyal clientele, finding a renewed purpose within its walls. When Madeline’s professional life takes an unexpected turn, and when a handsome gardener upends all her preconceived notions, she questions her plans and her heart. She begins to envision a new path for herself and for her aunt’s beloved shop—provided the women’s best combined efforts are not too little, too late.

  
My Rating & Thoughts:    🌟 🌟    (2 stars)   

I was really looking forward to this book. The idea of spending time with 3 ladies who worked in a bookstore excited me. What book lover doesn’t want to spend all day in a book store? However this story fell flat for me. I struggled to connect with any of the characters and could not get invested in book. I felt like I was on the outside looking in and being told everything that was happening rather than being there with the characters. The storyline felt choppy and the constant switching between character voices drove me nuts. I struggled with a few of the character relationships the main being Chris and Maddie, it is verbalized that they dislike one another, but I never saw any actual evidence of this. I also didn’t understand Madeline, she is portrayed as being loving and caring always trying to bring out the best in others but she hasn’t spoke to her only brother for 20 years, but then leaves her niece everything she owns. This felt like two different people. I cannot stop reading a book once I’ve started one so I continued through. It wasn’t until about three quarters of the way through that I began to care about the future of these characters. I was pleased with the way the story wrapped for each of the women, especially the improvement of the fractured relationship between Claire and Brittney.

(I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley;
opinions expressed in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

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