10.6k reviews for:

The Lost Bookshop

Evie Woods

3.8 AVERAGE

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious tense 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
adventurous inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing fast-paced
emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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
adventurous inspiring mysterious relaxing medium-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: Yes
adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

A cute, cozy read about finding your way wrapped around the story of a magical bookshop in Ireland and the ruthless profession of book collecting. Along with some (at times surprisingly) dark, but all too real themes of DV, alcoholism, and the systemic silencing of women. Each of the three narrating characters go on their own journey of self-discovery, overcoming internal and external challenges. The thread of the past weaves its way into the present, as those who are lost, suddenly find everything they didn’t know they were looking for.



Absolute spoillllleeerrrsssssss below

Some slight criticism and questions: personally I kind of wish there was a better explanation for Martha’s extremely acute “intuition”… where does it come from? Why doesn’t she sense Madam Bowden (seems?) to not be fully human or possibly a ghost? Like not even an inkling, besides the fact that she’s much older than she seems?
And why can Henry and Shane see MB but no one else? If MB isn’t “real” then who invited her friends over and WHY? Maybe I forgot, but the old lady lunch party was strange and didn’t seem to add much to the story? Was there any significance to them or her former husbands that might give a clue to who MB really was? I know people have said she is the bookshop which makes sense but why sign the letter as B? It almost feels like B could stand for Brontë but I’m not 100% sold either way. Also why the magical tattooing on her back? Like I get it, but I kind of wanted more of an explanation as to why that kind of magic is possible, in a world that is seemingly not magical.




emotional inspiring reflective sad 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