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3.26 AVERAGE
3.26 AVERAGE
This book sounds like a book lovers dream, opening a bookstore with her best friends. Absolutely! The book has such great potential. But when tell you if one more person sniffled and I read the word again one more time!!!!!
The good about this book, the enduring friendship between Toni, Leslie, Celeste and Yasmeen. But the amount of times each one of them kept tap dancing on the same issues over and over. These are grown behind women. Yes, we all have our issues and baggage but some of what was presented in these narratives I felt was drama to keep me turning the pages.
The characters weren’t fully developed to a point that I felt I cared a lot about them. I suppose part of the challenge there is we follow 4 storylines. Celeste’s refusal to go to therapy for so long to the point of ending her marriage? Leslie I imagine was hurt to learn the news about her father, but with a sick daughter, it seems keeping your family close would be enough to get over yourself, Toni should have consulted a lawyer or her girls about the blackmail. Going “live” on social is a thing, I get it but goodness it started to feel overstated at some points. But it makes sense, Toni had to earn her living.
Yasmeen girl I wanted to shake you so many times, yes she’s young but with friends who know you this long and so well, why not listen
Thanks #netgalley for the arc.
The good about this book, the enduring friendship between Toni, Leslie, Celeste and Yasmeen. But the amount of times each one of them kept tap dancing on the same issues over and over. These are grown behind women. Yes, we all have our issues and baggage but some of what was presented in these narratives I felt was drama to keep me turning the pages.
The characters weren’t fully developed to a point that I felt I cared a lot about them. I suppose part of the challenge there is we follow 4 storylines. Celeste’s refusal to go to therapy for so long to the point of ending her marriage? Leslie I imagine was hurt to learn the news about her father, but with a sick daughter, it seems keeping your family close would be enough to get over yourself, Toni should have consulted a lawyer or her girls about the blackmail. Going “live” on social is a thing, I get it but goodness it started to feel overstated at some points. But it makes sense, Toni had to earn her living.
Yasmeen girl I wanted to shake you so many times, yes she’s young but with friends who know you this long and so well, why not listen
Thanks #netgalley for the arc.
The premise of this book was so promising. I really wish it delivered more. I liked the storyline threading through the lives of four friends. It was interesting to get to know their individual relationships with money, with theirs families, and with each other. However the central play point, the bookstore, seemed so forced. At so many points in the book, I would have expected to see or feel a much stronger reaction to some pretty cataclysmic log events. However, the only real drama of reactions are shown toward the bookstore. And I just couldn’t get myself to care for that so much.
Having said that, the writing style is definitely easy to read. I just wish the book focused on books a bit less.
Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
Having said that, the writing style is definitely easy to read. I just wish the book focused on books a bit less.
Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infertility, Panic attacks/disorders, Abortion
3.5 ⭐
“Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.”
Entrepreneurship can be lonely, so when besties, Celeste, Yasmeen, Toni and Leslie, decide to open a bookshop together, they understand that there’s support in having friends in the trenches! One of the benefits is that they already know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
As often happens, once a decision to move forward has been made, the universe has other plans. The friends soon learn that things aren’t always in their control. I loved how they came together and supported each other.
As much as I love books and the superheroes who write them, the inclusion of book titles and authors was overdone. I found myself skimming. I also thought some of the drama was a little OTT and would have loved the bookstore to have more presence. These are merely personal preferences and no reflection of the author’s writing ability.
I really appreciated the time clues on the chapter titles and the theme of friendship and sisterhood. Lindo-Rice’s ability to draw me in with her characterization was remarkable. I can see this being a popular book for many and a sequel is a good possibility.
Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA, and NetGalley for an opportunity to read with no pressure to review.
“Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.”
Entrepreneurship can be lonely, so when besties, Celeste, Yasmeen, Toni and Leslie, decide to open a bookshop together, they understand that there’s support in having friends in the trenches! One of the benefits is that they already know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
As often happens, once a decision to move forward has been made, the universe has other plans. The friends soon learn that things aren’t always in their control. I loved how they came together and supported each other.
As much as I love books and the superheroes who write them, the inclusion of book titles and authors was overdone. I found myself skimming. I also thought some of the drama was a little OTT and would have loved the bookstore to have more presence. These are merely personal preferences and no reflection of the author’s writing ability.
I really appreciated the time clues on the chapter titles and the theme of friendship and sisterhood. Lindo-Rice’s ability to draw me in with her characterization was remarkable. I can see this being a popular book for many and a sequel is a good possibility.
Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA, and NetGalley for an opportunity to read with no pressure to review.
emotional
medium-paced
This book packed a punch of drama, a little too over the top most of the time. I loved the premise of best friends wanting to open a bookstore and cafe together but it seems just as they start planning everything in their lives starts to fall apart.
While I was expecting a nice cozy read, with some best friends and some best friends that is not at all what we got. They were mean to each other, judgmental and condescending at the best of time. At the worst of times they just down right didn't support each other. From a lottery win, secret gambling, a child illness, infertility, and PTSD from a car jacking months prior. All of this leads to each woman spiraling on their own journey.
It didn't end how i was expecting it to, and that did make it a little more enjoyable for having gone through it, If you can get through all the drama there are some underlining themes that are worth reading about even if just for the book recommendation they sprinkle throughout the book.
I received an arc for review, all opinions ae my own and given freely.
While I was expecting a nice cozy read, with some best friends and some best friends that is not at all what we got. They were mean to each other, judgmental and condescending at the best of time. At the worst of times they just down right didn't support each other. From a lottery win, secret gambling, a child illness, infertility, and PTSD from a car jacking months prior. All of this leads to each woman spiraling on their own journey.
It didn't end how i was expecting it to, and that did make it a little more enjoyable for having gone through it, If you can get through all the drama there are some underlining themes that are worth reading about even if just for the book recommendation they sprinkle throughout the book.
I received an arc for review, all opinions ae my own and given freely.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Bookshop Sisterhood is a roller-coaster ride of friendship, drama and life's unexpected events. I was not ready for the amount of drama among the four ladies (and their significant others)! It felt like I was watching an episode of "Girlfriends" or "The Real Housewives of..." as I turned each page! I was definitely entertained.
This is written in each of the four ladies' point of view and each has their own unique personality (& issues). It was easy to distinguish who was who. I laughed, shook my head, was annoyed and felt bad throughout the book for all the situations they went through. The book touches on a LOT of topics, such as depression, anxiety, being taken advantage of, etc. and actually felt believable.
The topic of opening the bookshop is not as prominent as I hoped, but was still touched on in the background. Friendship & relationship issues definitely took center stage. There were many author/ book mentions sprinkled throughout (in case you were unsure of your next read).
The words "sniffled" and "flailed" were used TOO much for my liking!
This is written in each of the four ladies' point of view and each has their own unique personality (& issues). It was easy to distinguish who was who. I laughed, shook my head, was annoyed and felt bad throughout the book for all the situations they went through. The book touches on a LOT of topics, such as depression, anxiety, being taken advantage of, etc. and actually felt believable.
The topic of opening the bookshop is not as prominent as I hoped, but was still touched on in the background. Friendship & relationship issues definitely took center stage. There were many author/ book mentions sprinkled throughout (in case you were unsure of your next read).
The words "sniffled" and "flailed" were used TOO much for my liking!
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
now see, i thought this was going to be a sweet, fun, cozy, and heartwarming story about four best friends opening a bookshop together but from page one you are trauma dumped into their lives and it doesn’t get any better as the book goes on. there was so much devastation and drama that happened to each character, around their relationships with their partners, and each other, that there wasn’t any room for me to take a breath from it all. it was just one thing after the other, to the point where the bookstore was a simple afterthought instead of the main plot and every time something came up i was thinking to myself, they really should NOT be opening up a bookstore lol. they each were going through so much and honestly, they acted immature in every situation. these grown women were acting like high schoolers for a majority of the book. they were dramatic for no reason! no logical thinking. they were self-absorbed and totally unlikeable.
and they were rude to each other. they were always bickering and arguing and half the time i wondered how they were even friends because if i said some of the things they said to each other to my own best friends, there’d be no friendship to fix lol.
the writing wasn’t cohesive and the dialogue was awful. and again everything was just so sad and over the top, there was more sadness than joy in this book. the author tried to do way too much with this. too many plot points, too much drama. and i never thought i’d be the one to say that there is such a thing as TOO much drama in a book. it got exhausting to read.
the ending…lol they didn’t deserve their endings. their endings were too good for them.
overall this was not what i was expecting and i didn’t enjoy a single plot line or character. this was a flop for me.
now see, i thought this was going to be a sweet, fun, cozy, and heartwarming story about four best friends opening a bookshop together but from page one you are trauma dumped into their lives and it doesn’t get any better as the book goes on. there was so much devastation and drama that happened to each character, around their relationships with their partners, and each other, that there wasn’t any room for me to take a breath from it all. it was just one thing after the other, to the point where the bookstore was a simple afterthought instead of the main plot and every time something came up i was thinking to myself, they really should NOT be opening up a bookstore lol. they each were going through so much and honestly, they acted immature in every situation. these grown women were acting like high schoolers for a majority of the book. they were dramatic for no reason! no logical thinking. they were self-absorbed and totally unlikeable.
and they were rude to each other. they were always bickering and arguing and half the time i wondered how they were even friends because if i said some of the things they said to each other to my own best friends, there’d be no friendship to fix lol.
the writing wasn’t cohesive and the dialogue was awful. and again everything was just so sad and over the top, there was more sadness than joy in this book. the author tried to do way too much with this. too many plot points, too much drama. and i never thought i’d be the one to say that there is such a thing as TOO much drama in a book. it got exhausting to read.
the ending…lol they didn’t deserve their endings. their endings were too good for them.
overall this was not what i was expecting and i didn’t enjoy a single plot line or character. this was a flop for me.