Reviews with content warning for Suicide - The Lost Bookshop

Considering what a dud my last read was, this one could only be given a full five stars. I normally dislike parallel timelines telling two stories back and forth. This time, it felt less linear and more circular. I was yelling angered, saddened, shocked, elated, hopeful, satisfied, curious, cheerful, and so many other feelings all throughout the book. There are so open questions, but the book felt so good to finish that none of those questions actually need answers for me.

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nawilcox's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

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pasteldaydream's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A very intriguing story that isn't my usual go-to for books. While sometimes the characters felt flat, I did find myself needing to keep turning the page to see what happened to them. The mystery and magic of the bookshop and the search for the lost manuscript definitely keeps the reader hooked to see how the past, present and future are all connected.

Of the three POVs used, I felt the most drawn to Opaline's storyline. I felt she was more a ctive in her own story vs. Martha and Henry. In fact, I would go so far as to say Henry's POV wasn't needed at all. I fully admit to sometimes skimming through his just to get back to Opaline and Martha.

Martha did feel somewhat passive at times though. She often had to be pushed by those around to do anything for herself -- the reading, going to school, dealing with Shane, etc. None of those choices really felt like they were truly Martha's decisions, just choices she was kind of pushed to do by those around her (Madame Bowden in particular). In contrast, you hav Opaline, who does have her flaws too, but also managed to run away to Paris with no money, escaped an asylum on her own and confronted her brother.

When it comes to Henry, again, I don't think his POV really added to the story. The entire subplot of him being engaged and becoming an uncle just didn't seem to fit the rest of the story. Maybe because he is not tied to the bookshop in the same way Opaline and Martha are. Often it felt as though Martha was his manic pixie dream girl -- existing only to make him feel better about his dull life.

I would have loved to see Martha take a more active role in her own story, maybe finding the bookshop on her own and Henry coming in as a platonic friend and having a slow romance build between them (did he even have to be engaged at all? I truly hated that aspect of his story.)

Henry just didn't feel as inspiring as Opaline and Martha. His POVs certainly helped us see Martha, but also we could have gotten that from her POVs, too, especially if she took a more active role in changing the circumstances she found herself in.

All that said, I did love how the present mirrored the past. I loved finding out Opaline and Martha were connected and Madame Bowden...listen, she is the real hero of this book.

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