3.95 AVERAGE

emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
hopeful reflective slow-paced

Magical. Loved every moment of this read.
emotional hopeful fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

This author has a way with words that is magical. I wish I could think this way about life-it’s so beautiful!
adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

This has so much promise, but I just didn’t much enjoy it. I loved the premise, but it got so bogged down in dual timelines and uninteresting characters. I almost gave up on it because it dragged and dragged. I could never decide if I liked Hazel or not. She made questionable decisions her entire life. Her mom was probably the most interesting character and I felt I wanted more of her. I felt like no one was actually well-developed. Bridie and Harry felt like caricatures of nice people who never make a mistake and are so “interesting”, wise, and perfect. Felt like the Peggy link had potential and just fizzled. I hated the cheesy ending scene/epilogue.

Very underwhelming despite having all the literary elements that I normally enjoy reading in a book: art and artists, literature and writers, English countryside, the art of storytelling, belief in magic, living outside the box, loving families, WWII and 60s settings, etc. There were many word choice errors (Americanisms) considering that the story is set in England. 2.5, rounded up.
adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

It’s not going to be a book with super in depth characters or a lot of critical thinking, but it is a cozy book with a bit of mystery, a nice twist and a satisfying ending. 
adventurous emotional hopeful sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Loved the scenery and old bookstore vibes. Parts of the book felt repetitive and drawn out. Final 15% sped up. I was worried there wouldn’t be closure.