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3.26 AVERAGE
3.26 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was intrigued by the premise of "The Bookshop Sisterhood" by Michelle Lindo-Rice, but the sheer amount of drama was distracting. The women in this book caused their own issues and couldn't get out of their own way, leading to a frustrating read with all the secrets and stubbornness. Overall, it was a story of friendship turmoil with a dash of opening a bookstore, though that aspect didn't take center stage.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher MIRA for the advanced copy of this book. It has potential but it was challenging to get through. So much drama and whining. Four unlikely friends come together to open a bookstore but that is not the story at all. They all have back stories with so much drama is exhausting. I could only read so much before having to put it down but it did leave me wanting to know how it ended up so I came back for more. There are trigger warnings for car jacking, adoption, illness, addictions… Will be curious how others feel about this one. For me it’s a ok read only.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Chronic illness, Hate crime, Death of parent, Toxic friendship
Thank you NetGalley for all access to such a great read about friendship, love, honesty, and perseverance. I loved the character development, I felt like I was able to related to every single one of them. Frustrating at times, each character had their flaw and it was refreshing watching each character grow and blossom despite it all. This is a real feel good tale with insight and perspective about the value of true friendship. I truly enjoyed it!
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hopeful
lighthearted
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC! I was initially drawn to The Bookshop Sisterhood because of the plot: four best friends teaming up to open a black-owned bookstore (technically 75% owned). I found the writing in this book easy to follow, even though it was told through four different POVs. The characters are bonded together through their love of books, so a lot of authors and books are name-dropped throughout the chapters. I didn't mind this and even put some of the books mentioned on my TBR! However, I mostly enjoyed reading the two out of four POVs. I also think the ending seemed a bit rushed and didn't have enough closure.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Not my genre but I had fun this book. The characters are likeable and relatable. Part of it was each character POV has its own chapter. I appreciate the chapters are dated so there are clear time differences when it goes from present to past and back.
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing. This review is my own.
Even though I firmly believe friends shouldn’t go into business together. These 4 best friends Celeste, Leslie, Toni and Yasmeen decides to open a book shop. Immediately after creating their plan, one by one, each friend’s life started to take a turn for the worst. Throughout their troubles, they supported each other 100%.
I started off really excited with each of their stories. About half way through I stated to feel like some parts of the storylines were just too much for me or not enough. Like the overuse of book titles and authors - it’s great that they showed their love for books but it was a little overboard each time 10+ authors and books were mentioned in one paragraph so I got lost. The ending also felt rushed and I didn’t feel like I got a closure with each of their stories.
I would rate this a 3.5/5
Even though I firmly believe friends shouldn’t go into business together. These 4 best friends Celeste, Leslie, Toni and Yasmeen decides to open a book shop. Immediately after creating their plan, one by one, each friend’s life started to take a turn for the worst. Throughout their troubles, they supported each other 100%.
I started off really excited with each of their stories. About half way through I stated to feel like some parts of the storylines were just too much for me or not enough. Like the overuse of book titles and authors - it’s great that they showed their love for books but it was a little overboard each time 10+ authors and books were mentioned in one paragraph so I got lost. The ending also felt rushed and I didn’t feel like I got a closure with each of their stories.
I would rate this a 3.5/5