bewitched_bibliophile 's review for:

Not Quite by the Book by Julie Hatcher

3.75

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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 Emma loves Emily Dickinson’s poems and runs a family bookstore. She has no time for vacations. Emma is a people pleaser and she feels burnt out from taking care of the family bookstore. She never asks for vacation, and she has given up on love too. One day, she gets a chance to spend some time at a historic manor in Amherst, where she can embrace her inner Emily and take a break from the bookstore and her old routine.

I really enjoy it when a character embarks on a self-discovery journey. I admired Emma for standing by her decision to spend a month in the manor, despite her sister’s anger and her parents’ unpreparedness for her to leave the bookstore. I found Emma’s personal growth and self-discovery journey, as well as the new people she met in Amherst, to be very compelling. She didn’t give up, even after trying and failing at some new activities.

I love other things in the book like letter-writing, bunnies munching on Emma’s garden, mysterious flowers, and letters for Emma. The romance was a slow burn in the book.

Overall, this book was an easy read, and I love the descriptions in the book. I enjoyed reading this book.