Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks

This was a quick read with a breezy, conversational style I liked, and the setting and most of the characters are pretty charming.

The plot and the main character were just really, really bad. The protagonist, Maggie, hates classics and makes no effort to learn about or sell them and then is disappointed when no one buys them. She has a little bet with her boyfriend where she reads a book he recommends and he does an activity she chooses, and while he at least tries everything she doesn't take her part seriously at all and doesn't even read one of the books. She lies constantly, including in a cover letter for a job she applied for (about her availability!!! Girl if they hire you that's the one thing they need to be true!), things that affect the livelihoods of people she claims to care about (including stealing something from her boyfriend), falsifies her sales reports at work

and breaks into her boss's office to blackmail him about his grandfather.

No one stays mad at her for long about this, which is absurd.

No idea how the "society" that runs the businesses in town was supposed to work, since it seemed like one guy just calling random shots and not a board or anything. No place in the history of the world would operate like this.

Also this is more pedantic but the author apparently majored in English and this bugged me: the bookstore didn't carry any books published after 1968 for Reasons (for a guy who wanted to make money the boss was really into making it hard to sell anything) and another character (who likes classics) implies that the only books by Black authors that it's possible for them to carry are slave narratives. I can buy Maggie not knowing about the Harlem Renaissance because she's stupid but Malcolm? Come on.

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amberinpieces's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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onegalonelife27's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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bzliz's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was the cutest book I’ve read in a while. It’s sweet without being saccharine and has just the right amount of gentle twists. It’s proof that sincere romcoms need to make a comeback because this would be a perfect movie.

Maggie has always struggled to find her place in the world and is taking a break from disappointing her parents to help her friend Rochelle with her bookshop while she’s on maternity leave. The town of Bell River charms Maggie right away but that takes a turn when she sees how behind the times the bookshop is. She butts heads with Ralph Bell- the busybody micromanager who makes sure all his investments in the town in the name of his grandfather (author Edward Bell) stay under his thumb and revolve around the Bell Society- but Maggie managed to build a community but hosting a secret book club where authors put a modern twist on the classics. This also gives her the chance to secretly sell modern books (a fiendish practice explicitly banned by Ralph, who only wants the shop to sell classics and books by Edward Bell). All of this must also remain hidden from Ralph’s little spy, Malcolm, who keeps an eye on Maggie and the bookshop per his boss’s directions and harbors a secret love of sci-fi books. And of course, he’s cute.

The characters were all fun, though I think a few too many were named when they played little to no part in the plot. I love the relationship Maggie fosters with all the people in the town. She has a gift for bringing fun sprinkled with chaos wherever she goes and is full of excellent ideas for community events. She can win over anyone, even the local curmudgeon. My only disappointment was that we didn’t get to see more of her friendship with Rochelle.

Additionally, I appreciate the resolution of the book. It’s so easy to make a cartoonish villain out of someone like Ralph but the author humanized him in a very realistic way.

Shauna Robinson gave me faith in TikTok recommendations again. As soon as I finished this book, I immediately borrowed Must Love Books and I’m looking forward to her new book next year.

Content warnings:
Alcohol:

Lots of drinking throughout, not important to the plot.

Infidelity:

Edward Bell cheated on his wife. This is denied by Ralph and the Bell Society who basically gaslight everyone into believing the man was perfect. The evidence of this affair becomes important to the plot and is not there just for shock value.

Sexual content:

pretty glossed over, not explicit at all. Easy to skip if you’re not interested.

Sexism: (big spoiler for the end of the book)

Ralph tries to gaslight everyone into thinking Edward Bell was perfect when in reality he cheated on his wife with her cousin, Louise, then tried to forbid Louise from getting married despite being married himself, and then he plagiarized her manuscript and basically threatened her to stay quiet or he’s tell his wife about their affair. Ralph semi-attempts this in the present day but Maggie comes out on top.

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faeriefox's review

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funny inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book was a nice light read, very quick and easy. I enjoyed Maggie's character and her journey. I did feel that most supporting characters were a bit flat, but it was a very sweet and inspiring story that I would recommend.

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greatexpectations77's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I had a lot of fun with this book, and I love that Ms. Robinson is a local author. The writing was solid and the storytelling was extremely fun. It really made me want to help out my local independent bookstore. I'll definitely read this author again when I'm looking for something cozy!

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amris's review

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lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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