Reviews - The Bookshop of Secrets

47 reviews for:

The Bookshop of Secrets

Kerry Barrett

3.79 AVERAGE

bookbabe1129's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

marder81's review against another edition

2.75

hopeful inspiring

Strong character development: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

merissa_archaeolibrarian's review against another edition

5.0

THE BOOKSHOP OF SECRETS is the latest book by Kerry Barrett and is set in Lisbon, Portugal, during the early 1940's. Lara has travelled there from London following the death of her father, in search of family on her dead mother's side. She finds a family of friends, but not the one she thought she would. A series of events leads her into staying there and there she is when war breaks out.

I loved this story! It is the third or fourth book by this author I have read and, just like the others, I was gripped by the story and the characters. The descriptions of the world Lara lives in are crisp and clear, defining the current state of affairs for her without hitting the reader over the head!

Fleming is a name that is dropped (which I loved!) as well as Edward and Wallis. There was also a hint about Sandra's background which was perfect and I would love the know who the inspiration was for her part. How the story was woven around these characters and situations astounds me. I found it to be phenomenally written and perfectly paced.

If I had one bad thing to say it would be that my romantic little heart was desperate for an official, rock-solid HEA for Lara. Don't get me wrong, it was alluded to, but I want to know for sure. In fact, not just for Lara, but for Bill, Phil, Miguel, Bea, Hector, Sandra... do you want me to continue? Suffice it to say, this book was outstanding but I'm not ready to let go of these characters yet. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by me and I can't wait for the next book by this amazing author.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Feb 5, 2025

haxxunne's review against another edition

3.25

informative lighthearted fast-paced

Gentle wartime espionage adventures

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This is not the book you expect it to be. From the title, you might imagine that it’s one of those redemptive East Asian books that have little plot or character development but lots of quirk and detail. But no, this isn’t one of those.

It’s also not a MOR romcom with a city girl lost in a rural backwater who stumbles upon the perfect emporium and the love of her life.

Instead, it’s a Second World War coming-of-age yarn that morphs into a light British Intelligence mission, with funny voices, heist-lite manoeuvres, and the Duke of Windsor and Mrs Simpson. Also the protagonist’s love of her life.

In 1938, Lara Hope finds herself stranded in Lisbon after trying to trace her late mother’s family, without a penny to her name and no passport. Depending on the kindness of strangers, she finds a job and a home, both through her landlady Bea, a formidable ex-journalist now trying to keep her bookshop open even as the Nazis encroach on the currently peaceable Portuguese. Brought up in the theatre by her director dad, Lara’s special skills—funny voices, mimicry, DRAMA—come in handy when the local branch of British Intelligence needs to bolster its disinformation team, trying to distract the Germans from a little upcoming action around Dunkirk… Throw in a lovelorn Nazi, a cast of odd Brits faceless Nazis, and as much male chauvinism as you can stand, and we have another narrative in the vein of Dear Mrs Bird, as if Miss Read wrote Le Carré.

A gentle almost comedic tone, clearly learnt at the feet of Dad’s Army, but with narrative holes wide enough to fly a Spitfiire through and an eleventh hour romance that could have been so much more, this was worth my time but I’m not sure I could read much more.