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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
Ugh. This book was all kinds of bad—but also just ok enough that I kept reading. It had potential with its triple narrative structure, following Opaline in 1920s Paris, and Martha and Henry in present-day Dublin. A mysterious, possibly magical disappearing bookshop? A lost Emily Brontë manuscript? Escaping abusive relationships and defying societal expectations? It should have hit. But instead, it dragged, and when it ended I honestly said, “That’s it?”
The men in this book? Awful. Abusive, manipulative, dismissive—and while I get that much of it reflects the time period, it’s still exhausting and infuriating to watch women repeatedly reduced to property, silenced, and institutionalized for “hysteria.” The rage is real.
The characters were mostly hard to connect with, the dialogue often felt forced or flat, and the “magic” of the bookshop never truly landed for me. That said, I did enjoy the bits of mystery, especially around Madame Bowden and Opaline’s storyline. But overall, this felt like a wasted opportunity wrapped in a beautifully marketed cover.
slow-paced
mysterious
medium-paced
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
This was a decent story. I loved the full circle moment, but Henry made me PO. He was so clueless during the entire book and I’m sorry, that’s not attractive. I loved Opaline’s story and Martha’s but I pictured Martha being in the 1980’s or 90’s, not present day. Martha I think needed more character development because I didn’t understand her fear of books…
i was really excited for this, it just fell a bit flat for me? i was honestly just bored
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
2.5/5 stars, rounded up
Overall, I think this was a decent book. I LOVED the premise of a magical bookshop and think that Evie Woods is someone who, clearly, loves reading and finds losing yourself in a good book to be as magical as I do. Whenever the narrators were talking about books, they almost felt like another character in this story and I loved that because, to me, books absolutely have personalities and opinions and ways they want to be read and enjoyed.
That being said, even though I knew there were some romantic elements in the book, I found them to be a bit hokey, predictable, and something that should have been secondary to the main plot of the magical bookstore but, more often than I really wanted, took center stage.
Romantic issues aside, I enjoyed the different timelines and the different perspectives. I think the author did a decent job of creating tension between chapters by adding in some sort of cliff hanger and then switching to someone else's perspective so you had to keep reading to find out what happened.
What I really loved about this book, though, was that it was about loving books, plain and simple. I couldn't wait to hear more about the magical bookshop and how it, as a character, behaved and moved the plot along. I loved hearing about how much Opaline loved stories, how they sustained her through difficult times, and how she was able to make a living as a modern woman in the early 1920s because her love of books persisted. I loved hearing Henry talk about how books and stories saved him while he was struggling with family matters and how much joy his work brought him. All of this really resonated with me and I wanted more of it.
The book did end somewhat abruptly and, as I mentioned, felt it was too concerned about the romantic lives of the characters and not nearly concerned enough about the magical bookshop. I listened on audiobook and it was amusing enough; there were three different individuals, each playing one of the main narrators, and they all did a lovely job bringing the characters to life. At the end of the day, though, I just wanted more book love and less people love drama.
Overall, I think this was a decent book. I LOVED the premise of a magical bookshop and think that Evie Woods is someone who, clearly, loves reading and finds losing yourself in a good book to be as magical as I do. Whenever the narrators were talking about books, they almost felt like another character in this story and I loved that because, to me, books absolutely have personalities and opinions and ways they want to be read and enjoyed.
That being said, even though I knew there were some romantic elements in the book, I found them to be a bit hokey, predictable, and something that should have been secondary to the main plot of the magical bookstore but, more often than I really wanted, took center stage.
Spoiler
In particular, I found it incredibly frustrating that Opaline seemed to become attracted to every man that waltzed into her life and was remotely kind to her. It seemed contradictory to have her keep identifying herself as this strong, independent woman, and then get googly eyes for at least three different guys throughout the book (including a married one!). Also, I think the miscommunication trope is so outplayed at this point and found myself just frustrated that Martha and Henry couldn't communicate even a little bit regarding how they felt about each other. It felt like a ploy to extend the story line, instead of really developing a good plot.Romantic issues aside, I enjoyed the different timelines and the different perspectives. I think the author did a decent job of creating tension between chapters by adding in some sort of cliff hanger and then switching to someone else's perspective so you had to keep reading to find out what happened.
What I really loved about this book, though, was that it was about loving books, plain and simple. I couldn't wait to hear more about the magical bookshop and how it, as a character, behaved and moved the plot along. I loved hearing about how much Opaline loved stories, how they sustained her through difficult times, and how she was able to make a living as a modern woman in the early 1920s because her love of books persisted. I loved hearing Henry talk about how books and stories saved him while he was struggling with family matters and how much joy his work brought him. All of this really resonated with me and I wanted more of it.
The book did end somewhat abruptly and, as I mentioned, felt it was too concerned about the romantic lives of the characters and not nearly concerned enough about the magical bookshop. I listened on audiobook and it was amusing enough; there were three different individuals, each playing one of the main narrators, and they all did a lovely job bringing the characters to life. At the end of the day, though, I just wanted more book love and less people love drama.
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No