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kellerko's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed how the story of figuring out what happened with the main characters family was slowly revealed as she went from literary clue to literary clue taking her back through the many people who had touched her family’s life. A soft and gently told story.
awesomebrandi's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the premise of this book, with a bookstore setting and a mystery element. In general, I found the writing to be well paced and enjoyable. Here’s what I didn’t like:
The major plot point was so, so predictable. I think I called it by 20% in? So, that was disappointing, but story of my life.
The romance aspects were absolutely over the top gag worthy. That was my biggest issue. The MCs jerk boyfriends behavior had me rolling my eyes so hard. The book would have been so much stronger without the boyfriend element, because that just really brought it down. So, if you’re looking for a bookstore mystery, this is NOT IT. This is more a family and relationship drama book that happens to have books in it.
Not a bad book, but not a great one.
The major plot point was so, so predictable. I think I called it by 20% in? So, that was disappointing, but story of my life.
The romance aspects were absolutely over the top gag worthy. That was my biggest issue. The MCs jerk boyfriends behavior had me rolling my eyes so hard. The book would have been so much stronger without the boyfriend element, because that just really brought it down. So, if you’re looking for a bookstore mystery, this is NOT IT. This is more a family and relationship drama book that happens to have books in it.
Not a bad book, but not a great one.
readwithsarahkay's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
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
3.5
skynet666's review against another edition
4.0
This is really not a mystery, but more about the characters. I enjoyed listening to it.
emspock's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
ecp2115's review against another edition
3.0
This one was just alright for me. Not bad but not great.
kellyconboy's review against another edition
2.0
I couldn’t finish it. The narrator was insufferable, the author has obviously never interacted with a teacher in June but still tried to write one, the original romance was deemed to fail due to god awful characters and who even knows if the whining heroine will find love with the love interest directly dumped in front of her because I couldn’t finish the book.
Only gave it two stars because the premise had potential.
Only gave it two stars because the premise had potential.
uraveragemuggle's review against another edition
3.0
If I could give it a 3.5 starts I would. Definitely a well written novel. I loved the theme of the book. Personally it was a little slow for me.
sbn42's review against another edition
4.0
A scavenger hunt wrapped around an anachronism.
A history teacher in her late 20s is just starting to figure out what she wants for a future. Her boyfriend has invited her to move in, when she finds out her uncle has died. Fortunately it is during summer break, so she has time to go out and pay her condolences, when she finds out he has left his bookstore to her. She has no desire to keep it, but he has seeded literary clues for her to follow in an effort to make her understand why she should keep it going.
Some readers considered her whiny, but I don't believe she is any different from many people in her circumstance trying to plan out her life. Why would any young person find value in a dusty old bookstore that is no longer earning enough to keep it going? While I surmised the steps that played out along the way, it was still entertaining enough that I wanted to see how it got resolved.
A history teacher in her late 20s is just starting to figure out what she wants for a future. Her boyfriend has invited her to move in, when she finds out her uncle has died. Fortunately it is during summer break, so she has time to go out and pay her condolences, when she finds out he has left his bookstore to her. She has no desire to keep it, but he has seeded literary clues for her to follow in an effort to make her understand why she should keep it going.
Some readers considered her whiny, but I don't believe she is any different from many people in her circumstance trying to plan out her life. Why would any young person find value in a dusty old bookstore that is no longer earning enough to keep it going? While I surmised the steps that played out along the way, it was still entertaining enough that I wanted to see how it got resolved.
brandidean's review against another edition
4.0
Quality-wise, this is more of a 3 star, but I enjoyed it 4-stars worth.
I knew from the first or second scene what the big reveal was going to be, and even after some clunky misdirection in the middle I was still trying to figure out how it could still work. So, low grade for that.
And you know from almost as soon as the boyfriend is introduced that there’s no way that will last. (I didn’t think the new love was a very compelling replacement, though.)
But I liked Miranda and Billy (and thought the author did a fair job of showing his faults alongside Miranda’s hero worship) and the piece by piece reveal structure (though some of it did seem like a stretch, and Miranda’s mom was hard to swallow as believable). And of course, I liked it being set in a bookshop. Plus, it feels like the first book I’ve really enjoyed in a while, so it gets 4 stars.
I knew from the first or second scene what the big reveal was going to be, and even after some clunky misdirection in the middle I was still trying to figure out how it could still work. So, low grade for that.
And you know from almost as soon as the boyfriend is introduced that there’s no way that will last. (I didn’t think the new love was a very compelling replacement, though.)
But I liked Miranda and Billy (and thought the author did a fair job of showing his faults alongside Miranda’s hero worship) and the piece by piece reveal structure (though some of it did seem like a stretch, and Miranda’s mom was hard to swallow as believable). And of course, I liked it being set in a bookshop. Plus, it feels like the first book I’ve really enjoyed in a while, so it gets 4 stars.