Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - The Lost Bookshop

I don't usually use .25 ratings but I really struggled to rate this book.

The book definitely wasn't what I was expecting it to be. I picked it up expecting a more of a fantasy/magical realism book, but it turned out to be more of a historical fiction with a sprinkling of magical realism. Coming from that perspective, I was pretty disappointed that the magic of the bookshop was largely ignored or glossed over. It seemed more of an extraneous detail, had you taken it away I don't think it would have changed the overall story much. I would have really liked to have read more about the bookshop and how the magic of it worked, where it came from, etc.

That being said, I think if I had picked this up expecting more of a historical fiction, I would have been enchanted by the subtle hints of magic and whimsy. It this sense, I would say it's a cozy, whimsical book perfect for casual reading by a fire with some tea - it just gives off those vibes. In between there is some truly beautiful writing and some fabulous tidbits of women finding and owning their power in a time and world that doesn't value them. The author's love of books is obvious, not only in the characters love of books, but in the many wonderful quotes about the power of books and stories. I thought that the 3 POV's and dual timelines were very skillfully intertwined, and I really enjoyed finding all the little connections as we alternated between them.

My biggest complaint though:

WHO WAS MADAME BOWDEN?! What happened to her? Who was she really? She was one of my favourite characters and I wanted more!

Content Warnings

town_scar's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.0

Docked a star because the timey-wimey stuff got to be hard to follow. I found the end very confusing and hard to follow. I did read this while actively traveling in Dublin so its possible my travel brain made it harder to follow along.

Content Warnings

winglesswarrior's review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

Content Warnings

jijirich's review

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mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

2.75

Based on the cover and title (specifically the Amazon Kindle title which called the book "charming and uplifting"), I expected a cozy novel. The mystery aspects were fun, but I wasn't prepared for graphic violence against women. I rated it as highly as I did because I think if my expectations were different, I would have liked it more, but even still the characters felt flat and the plot had several gaping chasms.

Content Warnings

girrllie's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

It started off with a good premise but then got soooo boring. I barely finished it and skimmed most of the last third. The character’s choices didn’t hold together for me. I was expecting a fun story with a little magical element and instead got secondary trauma.

Content Warnings