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balletbookworm's review
3.0
This gets a star bump because Esme has pluck. She doesn't have a spine, however, and I think it would have been a much better book had she some spine and we could have done some better relationship development with a different character. The passage of time in this book is weird and hard to keep track of.
Also, oddly enough, Esme only sounded English to me - in comparison to the rest of the characters who are on the balance Americans - when she was using specific non-American verbs. Otherwise she just sounded like any old small-town person unused to New York City.
And Mitchell is a weasel. Couldn't he have got run over by a cab or something?
Review at Brazen Reads: http://brazenreads.com/review-the-bookstore-by-deborah-meyler/
Also, oddly enough, Esme only sounded English to me - in comparison to the rest of the characters who are on the balance Americans - when she was using specific non-American verbs. Otherwise she just sounded like any old small-town person unused to New York City.
And Mitchell is a weasel. Couldn't he have got run over by a cab or something?
Review at Brazen Reads: http://brazenreads.com/review-the-bookstore-by-deborah-meyler/
rdyourbookcase's review
2.0
So I was disappointed in this book. I wanted the bookstore to be a character in the book - to have a personality and life and be the focus of the book. In reality, the focus of the book was Esme's unplanned pregnancy and her strange relationship with the father. I wanted her to dump him so fast his head spun, but because of situations, she let him stick around - even though she knew better. I understand that she didn't want to have to be alone during this time, but it's better some times to be alone than be with a poisonous jerk. I liked the characters who were a part of the bookstore, but they weren't featured enough. I thought the focus would be on the characters who came in and out of the bookstore, and Esme would be one of them that told the story of the others. I would have liked to see more of them all. I suppose that I didn't like this book as much as others because of my expectations. I squeezed this one into my reading schedule because of its high rating on Goodreads, but I kind of wish I had focused on a teen book instead. I think that whether or not you like this depends on what you're looking for when you pick it up.
golden_lily's review
1.0
Read This Review & More Like It At Ageless Pages Reviews
This entire review contains detailed spoilers. Please be warned.
Truly one of the most bizarre reading experiences I’ve had. The Bookstore is a romance without romance. Self-fulfillment without fulfillment. A look into a quirky shop that takes place almost entirely elsewhere. It is frenetic, yet depressing. It’s poorly written with a distinct lack of plot.
In the first few chapters, there are a lot of stilted, uninformative lines, like “[The cat] slinks around my legs while I sort it all out.” and "...there is a night manager called Luke who often wears a bandana." This did improve as the book wore on, however, the plotting did not. For example, Esme is told she has chlamydia. This is never, not once, mentioned again. She never discusses this with Mitchell, her boyfriend. She never urges him to get tested. She knows he sleeps with other people, unprotected, and suggests that she needs an STD test. She never gets one beyond the vaginal swab during her pap. No HIV test. That’s safe.
Speaking of Mitchell, he is the most bipolar, schizophrenic character with an utter lack of development. It seems like every time the author tried to introduce something with him, she immediately backpedaled into a two page soliloquy instead. Observe.
They visit Mitchell’s family. There is a bizarre scene where he takes his supermodel/PhD ex-girlfriend for a walk on the beach and Esme accidentally sees them in a romantic moment. She confronts the ex. The ex says it was nothing, just Mitchell having a drama. Esme goes home alone. Mitchell wakes her up to confess to this walk on the beach, but says the ex is still in love with him and he was letting her down easy. She is never seen again. This scene is pointless.
Mitchell dumps Esme for not being sexually adventurous enough. They get back together. She attempts to initiate sex by waking him up with a handy. He has a complete meltdown that he’s not ready and he values purity. Later, Esme almost loses the baby. Mitchell tells her how sexy she is on bed rest in her cupcake jammies, because she looks so innocent. He gives off pedophile vibes. He then sexually embarasses her in front of his mother and subsequently propositions her for a threesome with a stranger. He dumps her again when she denies him.
Despite all of this, Esme continually utters lines such as, “If I am with him, I can make him see that I am worth loving.” “No, [my allegiance] is to you,” “I can help you, Mitchell, I can save [you]”, and “He is still radiant to me, and without him everything is dark.” Holy shit, that is some Twilight/50 Shades levels of codependence. Esme doesn’t need a baby, she needs a therapist and a spine.
The love triangle is very strange. Luke, the bandana-ed manager, seems to despise Esme, right up until it becomes obvious that he’s madly in love with her. Esme never sees it. They do not end up together. He pulls some kindergarten level flirting by insulting her musical taste or telling her how spoiled she is. Maybe later he can pull her hair and kick sand at her. She certainly doesn’t need to rush into another relationship after the hot mess that is Mitchell, but it’s deeply unsatisfying that there’s not even a confession of attraction or a hint that it may work out in the future.
Very little of the book actually takes place in the shop. I would say it’s 80 percent drama with Mitchell and the baby, 20 percent Luke and the shop. The quirky regulars in the blurb are seen once or twice. This is not an interesting look at bookstore patrons, no matter what they try to sell on the back cover. There is a subplot of Esme learning not to be racist and classist to the homeless people who sometimes work at the shop, so I guess that’s something.
At the 42% mark of my copy, I noted that this was a “baby” book, not a “bookstore” book. But now that it’s over, I can’t even say it’s that. The last fifth is so depressing, so at odds with other parts, so rushed, (including a time skip,) I can’t say what genre this book is. All I can say that I don’t recommend it.
This entire review contains detailed spoilers. Please be warned.
Truly one of the most bizarre reading experiences I’ve had. The Bookstore is a romance without romance. Self-fulfillment without fulfillment. A look into a quirky shop that takes place almost entirely elsewhere. It is frenetic, yet depressing. It’s poorly written with a distinct lack of plot.
In the first few chapters, there are a lot of stilted, uninformative lines, like “[The cat] slinks around my legs while I sort it all out.” and "...there is a night manager called Luke who often wears a bandana." This did improve as the book wore on, however, the plotting did not. For example, Esme is told she has chlamydia. This is never, not once, mentioned again. She never discusses this with Mitchell, her boyfriend. She never urges him to get tested. She knows he sleeps with other people, unprotected, and suggests that she needs an STD test. She never gets one beyond the vaginal swab during her pap. No HIV test. That’s safe.
Speaking of Mitchell, he is the most bipolar, schizophrenic character with an utter lack of development. It seems like every time the author tried to introduce something with him, she immediately backpedaled into a two page soliloquy instead. Observe.
They visit Mitchell’s family. There is a bizarre scene where he takes his supermodel/PhD ex-girlfriend for a walk on the beach and Esme accidentally sees them in a romantic moment. She confronts the ex. The ex says it was nothing, just Mitchell having a drama. Esme goes home alone. Mitchell wakes her up to confess to this walk on the beach, but says the ex is still in love with him and he was letting her down easy. She is never seen again. This scene is pointless.
Mitchell dumps Esme for not being sexually adventurous enough. They get back together. She attempts to initiate sex by waking him up with a handy. He has a complete meltdown that he’s not ready and he values purity. Later, Esme almost loses the baby. Mitchell tells her how sexy she is on bed rest in her cupcake jammies, because she looks so innocent. He gives off pedophile vibes. He then sexually embarasses her in front of his mother and subsequently propositions her for a threesome with a stranger. He dumps her again when she denies him.
Despite all of this, Esme continually utters lines such as, “If I am with him, I can make him see that I am worth loving.” “No, [my allegiance] is to you,” “I can help you, Mitchell, I can save [you]”, and “He is still radiant to me, and without him everything is dark.” Holy shit, that is some Twilight/50 Shades levels of codependence. Esme doesn’t need a baby, she needs a therapist and a spine.
The love triangle is very strange. Luke, the bandana-ed manager, seems to despise Esme, right up until it becomes obvious that he’s madly in love with her. Esme never sees it. They do not end up together. He pulls some kindergarten level flirting by insulting her musical taste or telling her how spoiled she is. Maybe later he can pull her hair and kick sand at her. She certainly doesn’t need to rush into another relationship after the hot mess that is Mitchell, but it’s deeply unsatisfying that there’s not even a confession of attraction or a hint that it may work out in the future.
Very little of the book actually takes place in the shop. I would say it’s 80 percent drama with Mitchell and the baby, 20 percent Luke and the shop. The quirky regulars in the blurb are seen once or twice. This is not an interesting look at bookstore patrons, no matter what they try to sell on the back cover. There is a subplot of Esme learning not to be racist and classist to the homeless people who sometimes work at the shop, so I guess that’s something.
At the 42% mark of my copy, I noted that this was a “baby” book, not a “bookstore” book. But now that it’s over, I can’t even say it’s that. The last fifth is so depressing, so at odds with other parts, so rushed, (including a time skip,) I can’t say what genre this book is. All I can say that I don’t recommend it.
meggreadsxo's review
5.0
An enjoyable read. The characters and prose do feel a little transparent, but I would credit this to the length of the novel. This is an easy to read, quick novel that will tug at your heartstrings. I recommended this if you are looking for a great story to spend an afternoon with.
kathleenww's review
4.0
This book is a loveletter both to New York City, to individually owned bookstores crammed to the ceilings with used books. Esme Garland (great name!) is an English girl, a grad student on scholarship working on her masters in Art History on scholarship at Columbia(a Froster schorlaship at that!). We meet her as she struggles with the sudden realization that she is pregnant,
Esme is a female character that defies description. She is not a chick lit character, obsessed with makeup and shopping and "boys." Nor is she a truly nerdy girl. She loves what she loves and who she loves, and is serious and thoughtful about people. She is open, in a way I think most native New Yorkers are not. She seeks the good in people, a quality rare in anyone these days, in our cynical socirty. But she is not a dupe, nor is she stupid. She is kind.
Esme's story centers around her studies and her job at The Owl, a small, independently owned boosktore that buys and sells mostly used books, and most predominantly, her pregnancy and relationship with the father of that baby. meyler does a wonderful job of letting you get to know Esme and her friends. Never forced, the author carefully reveals the thoughts of Esme and her feelings about those around her so that finally, you feel like you really KNOW Esme. And adore her, as well as her friends.
This book was not perfect, it had a few weak plot moments that I wished were different, but I really loved reading it. It was entertaining, and I was swept up into Esme's life. A perfect little summer read.
Esme is a female character that defies description. She is not a chick lit character, obsessed with makeup and shopping and "boys." Nor is she a truly nerdy girl. She loves what she loves and who she loves, and is serious and thoughtful about people. She is open, in a way I think most native New Yorkers are not. She seeks the good in people, a quality rare in anyone these days, in our cynical socirty. But she is not a dupe, nor is she stupid. She is kind.
Esme's story centers around her studies and her job at The Owl, a small, independently owned boosktore that buys and sells mostly used books, and most predominantly, her pregnancy and relationship with the father of that baby. meyler does a wonderful job of letting you get to know Esme and her friends. Never forced, the author carefully reveals the thoughts of Esme and her feelings about those around her so that finally, you feel like you really KNOW Esme. And adore her, as well as her friends.
This book was not perfect, it had a few weak plot moments that I wished were different, but I really loved reading it. It was entertaining, and I was swept up into Esme's life. A perfect little summer read.
jaimejustreadsromance's review
3.0
This book just wasn't my cup of tea.
It wasn't poorly written or badly edited, it was a decent book that just didn't fit my taste.
It probably says more about me that I feel it was too "intellectual" for me. It was hard to follow along with at times because I frankly had no idea who or what she was talking about when it came to a lot of the art and literature.
I kept waiting for something dramatic or life-changing to happen but this just wasn't one of those kind of books. It would be a good read for someone who is interested in art and knows more about the subject or someone who isn't always looking for a HEA. Not to say that Esme wasn't happy at the end of the book or that you couldn't anticipate that she would have her love story after all but really the book just sort of ended.
I liked the characters enough, mostly Luke, but I never really felt connected to them.
I wouldn't advise anyone to NOT read this book but I think that the audience for this is sort of narrow. If your looking for a nice, simple read and consider yourself an intellect then by all means this one's for you.
**Received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
It wasn't poorly written or badly edited, it was a decent book that just didn't fit my taste.
It probably says more about me that I feel it was too "intellectual" for me. It was hard to follow along with at times because I frankly had no idea who or what she was talking about when it came to a lot of the art and literature.
I kept waiting for something dramatic or life-changing to happen but this just wasn't one of those kind of books. It would be a good read for someone who is interested in art and knows more about the subject or someone who isn't always looking for a HEA. Not to say that Esme wasn't happy at the end of the book or that you couldn't anticipate that she would have her love story after all but really the book just sort of ended.
I liked the characters enough, mostly Luke, but I never really felt connected to them.
I wouldn't advise anyone to NOT read this book but I think that the audience for this is sort of narrow. If your looking for a nice, simple read and consider yourself an intellect then by all means this one's for you.
**Received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
gaderianne's review
3.0
3.5 stars (instead of just 3)
There are really two stories in this book. One is the story of a bookstore. A struggling independent store in the heart if NYC with its quirkiness, and its employees, and its customers and its wonderfulness. It's about a place that you explore and feel at home or like you are in another realm. I loved this story. I lived how the store accepted homeless people and gave them work. I love that they cared about (and made fun of) the customers. I loved the atmosphere and the joy of reading they conveyed. I didn't always love the conversations the employees had with each other - sometimes they were too academic, too smart, just too...too forced. But overall, I like that the bookstore was the glue and the support system that propped up the main character, Emse.
So the 2nd story in this book was Emse's story. Her saga. As a PhD student at Columbia se ended up accidentally pregnant and then made mistake after mistake. It is this story that I didn't like. I understand that she is young and in love. And in a way I understand wanting to be with someone who is not nice or good for you...(I think a lot of us have been there too) but....when she finds out (while pregnant) that she has chlamydia (from supposed love of her life dirt bag) and doesn't confront him or even seem to care ... WHAT??? So this story - which in many ways was the main story and the bookstore only a support character - I did not care for.
There are really two stories in this book. One is the story of a bookstore. A struggling independent store in the heart if NYC with its quirkiness, and its employees, and its customers and its wonderfulness. It's about a place that you explore and feel at home or like you are in another realm. I loved this story. I lived how the store accepted homeless people and gave them work. I love that they cared about (and made fun of) the customers. I loved the atmosphere and the joy of reading they conveyed. I didn't always love the conversations the employees had with each other - sometimes they were too academic, too smart, just too...too forced. But overall, I like that the bookstore was the glue and the support system that propped up the main character, Emse.
So the 2nd story in this book was Emse's story. Her saga. As a PhD student at Columbia se ended up accidentally pregnant and then made mistake after mistake. It is this story that I didn't like. I understand that she is young and in love. And in a way I understand wanting to be with someone who is not nice or good for you...(I think a lot of us have been there too) but....when she finds out (while pregnant) that she has chlamydia (from supposed love of her life dirt bag) and doesn't confront him or even seem to care ... WHAT??? So this story - which in many ways was the main story and the bookstore only a support character - I did not care for.
kkellymsu's review against another edition
3.0
While I enjoyed the book and the characters were well developed, I felt like the author got bored writing the ending and just stopped. The conclusions to tie up loose ends were not satisfying.
themaritimereader14's review
3.0
This book definitely kept me interested and I enjoyed it. It was sweet. I read it around the time of Gilmore Girls and parts of it reminded me of that (a little bit - not a LOT!) It is a cute little book.