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2.92 AVERAGE
2.92 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is an enemies to lover Romance with a lot of steam, as well as some important character growth as the two main characters learn to not run away from love, and also try to deal with their grief.
Sera is an owner of a shop that sells books and her handmade journals. She is reeling from the death of a beloved friend, an elder named Ford. In comes Ford's grandson, Wes, who is at first very rude to Sera because he's hurt his grandfather left Sera some precious books. They actually don't stay enemies for very long. What begins as a lot of attraction early on becomes a hookup and then they become friends. Wes starts working for Sera for six weeks, and things escalate emotionally from there. I do like the two of them together even if it seems a bit predictable. This definitely follows all the tropes of Romance, small town included. I wish I could have seen more character development with Sera's best friends, and I do think the author is setting up for more in this series with the friends. I look forward to seeing how these storylines build.
Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.
Sera is an owner of a shop that sells books and her handmade journals. She is reeling from the death of a beloved friend, an elder named Ford. In comes Ford's grandson, Wes, who is at first very rude to Sera because he's hurt his grandfather left Sera some precious books. They actually don't stay enemies for very long. What begins as a lot of attraction early on becomes a hookup and then they become friends. Wes starts working for Sera for six weeks, and things escalate emotionally from there. I do like the two of them together even if it seems a bit predictable. This definitely follows all the tropes of Romance, small town included. I wish I could have seen more character development with Sera's best friends, and I do think the author is setting up for more in this series with the friends. I look forward to seeing how these storylines build.
Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.
As a fellow book binder and book artist, this was a great find, sprinkled with tea and tarot, even better!
Apart from the ending wrapping up quicker than expected, it has so much of what I love all in one book.
Apart from the ending wrapping up quicker than expected, it has so much of what I love all in one book.
Title: The Bookbinder’s Guide to Love (Book One)
Author: Katherine Garbera
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
As my first book club read, "The Bookbinder’s Guide to Love" captivated me with its enchanting blend of romance & the art of bookbinding. Being a book enthusiast, the focus on books added an extra layer of enjoyment.
The mix of eclectic characters, their deep friendships, & the sense of family within the story created a delightful atmosphere. The central love story between Sera & Wes, evolving from enemies to lovers, was well-executed, though some may find the "steamy" parts a tad excessive.
In summary, it proved to be a quick, fun read that I'd readily recommend to fellow romance aficionados. The promise of a two-part series intrigues me, & I'm eagerly anticipating diving into the next installment. "The Bookbinder’s Guide to Love" offers a magical escape into a world where love is intricately woven into the fabric of books and relationships.
Author: Katherine Garbera
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
As my first book club read, "The Bookbinder’s Guide to Love" captivated me with its enchanting blend of romance & the art of bookbinding. Being a book enthusiast, the focus on books added an extra layer of enjoyment.
The mix of eclectic characters, their deep friendships, & the sense of family within the story created a delightful atmosphere. The central love story between Sera & Wes, evolving from enemies to lovers, was well-executed, though some may find the "steamy" parts a tad excessive.
In summary, it proved to be a quick, fun read that I'd readily recommend to fellow romance aficionados. The promise of a two-part series intrigues me, & I'm eagerly anticipating diving into the next installment. "The Bookbinder’s Guide to Love" offers a magical escape into a world where love is intricately woven into the fabric of books and relationships.
Big thank you to NetGalley and Afterglow Books by Harlequin for this ARC!
This story had the perfect witchy vibes for October, which is when I read it. A cute love story that follows Sera, a small town business owner, whose unexpected friendship with an elderly gentleman leads to an unexpected upheaval in her otherwise quiet life.
Wes, grandson of said gentleman, comes to town after his grandfather’s death to sort out his affairs, and what ensues between Sera and Wes can be described as enemies to lovers.
It’s a cute story that was a quick read, and although it was rather straightforward, I found myself hoping for more depth from the characters. Overall a quick and fun read that I enjoyed.
Tropes:
Enemies to Lovers
Found Family
Spice:
This story had the perfect witchy vibes for October, which is when I read it. A cute love story that follows Sera, a small town business owner, whose unexpected friendship with an elderly gentleman leads to an unexpected upheaval in her otherwise quiet life.
Wes, grandson of said gentleman, comes to town after his grandfather’s death to sort out his affairs, and what ensues between Sera and Wes can be described as enemies to lovers.
It’s a cute story that was a quick read, and although it was rather straightforward, I found myself hoping for more depth from the characters. Overall a quick and fun read that I enjoyed.
Tropes:
Enemies to Lovers
Found Family
Spice:
2.5/5 stars
When I picked up The Bookbinder's Guide to Love, I was in the mood for a cute, light hearted romance. And, for the most part, that's what I got!
Let's start with the aspects I really enjoyed: Sera and her friends, the whole concept of WiCKed Sisters was super cute and Garbera sets up the next two books well by letting you know just enough about Poppy and Liberty without giving away too much. I also really enjoyed learning about Ford through Sera and the way their relationship developed over time. Basically, the platonic relationships were my favourite part!
Now it's difficult for me to pinpoint what exactly I wasn't enjoying about this book, but I will explain it as best as I can. I feel like most of the book read very YA, in the dialogue, in the explanations, it just felt like it was being written for that audience and that isn't necessarily a bad thing (I love YA books)! However, the YA-ness of the story made the spice feel very forced and out of place for me. I personally would have preferred this book with ftb scenes. It almost feels a bit like the spice was incorporated to market TBGtL to the Booktok girlies...
Having said that, I did enjoy the story overall and I will be continuing with the other books as they are released!
When I picked up The Bookbinder's Guide to Love, I was in the mood for a cute, light hearted romance. And, for the most part, that's what I got!
Let's start with the aspects I really enjoyed: Sera and her friends, the whole concept of WiCKed Sisters was super cute and Garbera sets up the next two books well by letting you know just enough about Poppy and Liberty without giving away too much. I also really enjoyed learning about Ford through Sera and the way their relationship developed over time. Basically, the platonic relationships were my favourite part!
Now it's difficult for me to pinpoint what exactly I wasn't enjoying about this book, but I will explain it as best as I can. I feel like most of the book read very YA, in the dialogue, in the explanations, it just felt like it was being written for that audience and that isn't necessarily a bad thing (I love YA books)! However, the YA-ness of the story made the spice feel very forced and out of place for me. I personally would have preferred this book with ftb scenes. It almost feels a bit like the spice was incorporated to market TBGtL to the Booktok girlies...
Having said that, I did enjoy the story overall and I will be continuing with the other books as they are released!
This was a cute fall-y read. I thought that this was gonna have some paranormal aspects and it did confused me when there was none.
emotional
lighthearted
sad
slow-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
This book was fairly chill but was a little repetitive with 15 mentions of "lavender", 15 mentions of "leading lady" and saying curl 3 times on 1 page. Also why were random body parts being touched during the smut like belly button and armpit.