Reviews

The Hobby Shop on Barnaby Street by Jillianne Hamilton

sscott2727's review

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hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

gillenwaaah's review

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emotional lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

rosaliefox's review

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I read this on my phone in the back of the car in a sitting and I freaking adore it. It could not be my scene more than it was... only if there had been more fighter pilots... man I loved it.
Can't remember when I last enjoyed a good light read like this. Jillianne nailed the feel of wartime London, the bombing raids... and when you add a sentence like 'I caught sight of a lone Spitfire soaring above us and I stopped to watch it cruise among the clouds' you instantly have my sentimental Spitfire-loving heart. Loved it.

lilbirdh's review

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5.0

WWII novels always have a spot in my heart and this one was beautiful. Such a great story that touched the heart with wonderful characters and a great romance.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

bookswritingandmore's review

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5.0

Maisie lives in the country with her parents outside of London in 1940. Her dad owns a few hobby shops and she work at the shop in her hometown. Its more of a village shop with produce and things a small town needs. Her brother Roy was given the shop in London but then he in listed in the Navy and his friend Cal manages the shop now. Roy never wanted the shop though.... Cal loves running the hobby shop but he stressed and overwhelmed with no help. Maisie is soon told she must go to London to help Cal.
I soared through this book in one afternoon. There was so much action with reading about what happened to London during the blitz. There was also some enemies to loves vibe between Cal and Maisie plus brothers best friend which is my favorite trope. I thought their flirtation and shyness was adorable and Cal was so gentle and sweet with Maisie. He really saw her and what her dreams were. I really loved this fast paced historical fiction and I'm excited for Nora's book coming in February.

emcollen's review

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

readinglibraesq's review

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fast-paced

3.0

bnk2011's review

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lighthearted fast-paced

3.5

chelz286's review

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adventurous emotional informative mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

This was such a run, quick historical WWII read! I love my historical fiction novels and this one was not too heavy of a read. Maisie get's sent to help at one of her fathers shop in London. Her brother who helped run the store has been shipped off to war and his friend Cal that was left to run things has been struggling. So in the midst of the bombing of London, Maisie gets send into the middle of it, because her mother would rather her be gone than her father. Off she goes, and quickly gets settled into a life without her mother harping on her for every little thing but it is dangerous. The air raid sirens go off nightly, and the lady she's renting her room from seems to have a lot of things she does not like, and the shop is hardly staying afloat with all of the rationing and funds going towards the war. But the bombings are not the only thing that is dangerous in Maisie's life. She often is questioning Cal and then she finds out her brother is not quite who she thought he was, the perfect son is not so perfect anymore and her secret side photography has just been discovered. I am so excited that the author is writing more in this Homefront Hearts series. I'd love to read Roy's story, as well as Nora and Cal's. Thank you to the author for sending me a free copy of her novel. I look forward to the next ones. 

brandongallant's review

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

 Thank you for the author, Jillianne Hamilton, for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review! 
This book was a very pleasant read. As the blurb above says, we follow two characters named Maisie and Cal. Maisie is sent by her father to help support her brother's hobby shop in London while he is away servicing in the navy during World War II. She wants to prove herself as being capable of running this store and will go to great lengths to support it, including putting her wages back in the cash till and starts taking pinup photos of women that want to send these to their partners that are off serving. This causes a lot of drama that I won't get into, but it's not seen as being a good job for a young lady in the 40s. 
Our other character is named Cal and he is Maisie's brother's best friend and co-owner of the hobby shop. He is not serving during the war, for reasons that are initially unclear. He struggles to keep the shop going and also seems reluctant to try out new things that Maisie suggests until they bond a little bit. Cal comes off as being very loyal and protective throughout the book, which are traits I really admire. 
Maisie's brother, Roy, deserts the navy and makes Cal promise to not do anything romantic with Maisie which puts him into a bad spot as he begins to fall for her and she falls for him. Included in all of this falling are the bombs being dropped every night. I know a bit about the Blitz, but I didn't really understand what it must have been like for people living in London during that time. Reading this has encouraged me to spend more time reading up on this dark period of time (I'm more familiar with World War I). 
Overall, I fell in love with these characters and their fight to love each other and keep their hobby shop open during this time of crisis. I definitely recommend checking this out! 
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