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christenham's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.25
alexiachantel's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
4.0
LJ's story kept me reading. Her difficult past has marked her as sure as her tattoos that are compromised of the first lines of impactful books. But she's made a quiet life for herself with her flat and her job at a bookshop run by a true character.
Recommended if you're in the mood for a quiet little book about facing your past to embrace your future.
Recommended if you're in the mood for a quiet little book about facing your past to embrace your future.
kerinl's review against another edition
4.0
I love books with quirky protagonists! A little slow to start, a few too many pages in the last chapter but overall a sweet read.
phoebemayy8's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0
bargainsleuth's review against another edition
5.0
For this and all my other reviews, visit www.bargain-sleuth.com
This book is about a young lady named Loveday Cardew, who, among other things, has the first sentences of novels tattooed on her body and has worked in a bookshop since she was 15. She absolutely adores books so the job is a perfect fit. She hides the secret of her upbringing, raised in foster homes following a family tragedy that she doesn’t talk about. She’s very closed off because of this, and has a hard time getting close to people.
Loveday doesn’t have a very good self-image, and she doesn’t believe that anyone can love her, or that she can love anyone. She really has a hard time dealing with people, except for an elderly man, who owns the bookshop. Archie, the older man, really looks after Loveday and tries to help her realize her self-worth. As one would expect in this type of story, a man is introduced who stops in the store and loves poetry.
As someone who has worked in a bookstore and a library, I have to say I loved all the kooky requests coming into the bookshop. It reminds me of my days working in those environments. I also enjoyed the other subplots as Loveday’s backstory is unveiled. The book is divided into chapters about poetry, crime, history, and a few others thrown in towards the end.
I wouldn’t exactly call this a romance, more of women’s fiction with a romance thrown in. I always enjoy books about books and the people that inhabit them, and the book was set in York, which was a plus for me, too, even though I’ve never been to England! And if you’re going to try this book, go with the audio version. Narrator Imogen Church is one of my faves and puts in a top performance. She makes narrating sound so easy, giving the right tempo and emotion to the author’s words.
This book is about a young lady named Loveday Cardew, who, among other things, has the first sentences of novels tattooed on her body and has worked in a bookshop since she was 15. She absolutely adores books so the job is a perfect fit. She hides the secret of her upbringing, raised in foster homes following a family tragedy that she doesn’t talk about. She’s very closed off because of this, and has a hard time getting close to people.
Loveday doesn’t have a very good self-image, and she doesn’t believe that anyone can love her, or that she can love anyone. She really has a hard time dealing with people, except for an elderly man, who owns the bookshop. Archie, the older man, really looks after Loveday and tries to help her realize her self-worth. As one would expect in this type of story, a man is introduced who stops in the store and loves poetry.
As someone who has worked in a bookstore and a library, I have to say I loved all the kooky requests coming into the bookshop. It reminds me of my days working in those environments. I also enjoyed the other subplots as Loveday’s backstory is unveiled. The book is divided into chapters about poetry, crime, history, and a few others thrown in towards the end.
I wouldn’t exactly call this a romance, more of women’s fiction with a romance thrown in. I always enjoy books about books and the people that inhabit them, and the book was set in York, which was a plus for me, too, even though I’ve never been to England! And if you’re going to try this book, go with the audio version. Narrator Imogen Church is one of my faves and puts in a top performance. She makes narrating sound so easy, giving the right tempo and emotion to the author’s words.
sternchen333's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
4.0
givingyouthemomlook's review against another edition
4.0
It’s hard for me to turn down contemporary British fiction, and this book only reinforced my adoration. I will admit that it was a slow starter - I didn’t really know what to think of it after I’d read half, but the latter chapters really took off.
The story is told in throughout a timeline, weaving back and forth through three formative phases in Loveday Cardew’s life. There is some suspense as to what happened to Loveday in the past, but the author has left us a trail of breadcrumbs to collect and piece together as the chapters go on.
Readers who can appreciate poetry will likely love the inclusion, but if you’re more obtuse regarding poetry like me, you’ll still be fine. ;)
The story is told in throughout a timeline, weaving back and forth through three formative phases in Loveday Cardew’s life. There is some suspense as to what happened to Loveday in the past, but the author has left us a trail of breadcrumbs to collect and piece together as the chapters go on.
Readers who can appreciate poetry will likely love the inclusion, but if you’re more obtuse regarding poetry like me, you’ll still be fine. ;)
teresaalice's review against another edition
3.0
3.5. Okay, they were parts of this book I really liked. And there were parts of it that really grated my cheese. But if you like sullen, angry, self-sabotaging protagonists that somewhat change by the end of the book, then read this one :)
raynac's review against another edition
4.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I really liked this book but not *quite* as much as the sequel, which I read first, not realizing it was book 2 of 2. I did love being able to get to know Loveday and her story, and how she ended up with Nathan, and most of all, getting the meet the much loved Archie. But I did find this one a little slower and slightly less entrancing than the sequel, which I adored.
There were times I wanted to yell at Loveday for her relationship reticence, but I also know that’s a good sign that the story and the character were well written. Just found myself getting frustrated with her from time to time.
Still would highly recommend both books.
I really liked this book but not *quite* as much as the sequel, which I read first, not realizing it was book 2 of 2. I did love being able to get to know Loveday and her story, and how she ended up with Nathan, and most of all, getting the meet the much loved Archie. But I did find this one a little slower and slightly less entrancing than the sequel, which I adored.
There were times I wanted to yell at Loveday for her relationship reticence, but I also know that’s a good sign that the story and the character were well written. Just found myself getting frustrated with her from time to time.
Still would highly recommend both books.
louiseelizabeth's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book wasn't what I expected when I picked it up. I nearly gave up about a third of the way through, because I didn't like the writing style. But I decided to keep going a bit longer and eventually got drawn in to Loveday revealing her story. I think they could do with proofreading a bit more thoroughly as there were errors such as the wrong Harry Potter title and one point where the pronouns seemed to be muddled. Overall it was an interesting story but took a while to get going.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, Stalking, and Murder
Minor: Body shaming