Reviews - The Midnight Bookshop

116 reviews for:

The Midnight Bookshop

Amanda James

3.74 AVERAGE

jlhoytema's review against another edition

4.0

hopeful 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

cosymidlifebooknook's review against another edition

4.5

emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

This is the second novel of Amanda’s I’ve read — I was lucky enough to read an ARC of The Garden of Memories last year and adored it. When I saw the title, that gorgeous cover, and Amanda’s name, I might have squealed more than once!

💬 My Bookish Thoughts
I loved, loved, loved The Midnight Bookshop. The found family trope here is heartwarming, and the magical shop, with its wonderful owner Fay, was pure delight.

Three strangers — Jo, Adelaide, and Kye — are drawn together by a flyer for The Midnight Bookshop, and I mean, show me a bookworm who doesn’t love a story set in a bookshop!

Amanda’s imagination brings the shop’s personality to life, giving me the same awe and wonder I felt reading about Harry Potter’s first glimpse of Hogwarts. Fay is perfect — eccentric, kind, and always ready with hot chocolate 🤭☕

The characters’ lives and struggles are handled with real empathy, and this is one of those stories best discovered for yourself — full of beauty, imagination, and quiet magic.

If you love books about bookshops, magical realism, and found family, I highly recommend this novel. I’d happily read an entire series set here!

💭 If you could visit a magical bookshop at midnight, what book would you hope it chose for you — and why?

🙏🏼 Huge thanks to @netgalley, @onemorechapteruk, @harpercollinsuk, and @mandykjames for the gifted digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Content Warnings

astropunkgirl's review against another edition

4.0

hopeful lighthearted 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

sariereads's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous emotional hopeful 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

Content Warnings

katelyn11's review against another edition

3.0

emotional lighthearted mysterious reflective fast-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

Author: Amanda James

Genre: Cozy Fantasy

Series: Standalone

Age Rating: Adult

Synopsis

Strangers Jo, Adelaide and Kye are the least likely people to find themselves across the threshold of a bookshop. But as their midnight book club shows them that a single book can change everything, all three realise that their own stories can be rewritten.

Overall Rating: 3/5

Charming and quaint. A cozy read with warm bookshop vibes and the hope that the written word will always comfort and guide those who are seeking.

What I Liked

The bookshop and its magical owner: Who doesn’t love a magical bookshop that disappears and reappears just like Diagon Alley? It was incredibly dreamy and cozy at the same time.
Diverse representation: Each protagonist had their own struggle within their social class, gender, and economic situation. I appreciated the range portrayed—from domestic abuse to parental emotional manipulation to drug trafficking and chronic pain.
The power of the written word: Books hit us in different ways at different times, and sometimes we’re drawn to just the right book at the right time.

“You don’t choose the book. The book chooses you.”

What I Didn’t Like

It could have used another editing pass—there were several punctuation errors in my ebook copy, and the exposition was detailed and repetitive.

Themes and Reflections

Wisdom in the Written Word: Books pass on wisdom through fiction and non-fiction alike. Wisdom is communicated to each protagonist through their chosen book, and the books guide them into making different (better) choices in their lives.

“What you bring to a book, meaning your particular experience of life, well, it can change everything. Two people reading the same book will have different perceptions.”

Taking Charge of Your Story: Each protagonist moves from being bound to their story to changing it in positive ways. They are empowered by the books, the bookshop, and the owner.

“If you imagine and believe something might happen, then it can become a physical reality.”

We Can Always Learn Something: Books can always communicate something good and profound for the reader who is willing to hear it.

“The book might not be the best in the world, but you can always learn something.”

Writing Style

Amanda James writes in a warm, cozy tone, portraying the magical bookshop with ease and brilliant, fantastical descriptions. However, the pacing was a bit off, and portions of dialogue were redundant; James preferred repetitive exposition, describing again in detail conversations that had already happened.

If you’re looking for a cozy, relatively easy read, The Midnight Bookshop would do well with a mug of tea and a crackling campfire.

Tropes

Magical bookshop
Mysterious owner
Found family
Second chances

Books Like This

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

Content Warnings

General Rating: Teen+ (14A / PG-13 / TV-14)