A review by lydiapresley
The Boy With The Bookstore by Sarah Echavarre Smith

lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I've been dipping my toes into romance again this year. I have friends who thoroughly enjoy books similar to The Boy With the Bookstore and I've had success with some of them. Unfortunately, this one was middle of the road for me.

I appreciated the setting -- I mean, bakery + bookstore seemed like it was a perfect, made-for-me story. However, as much as I wanted to get into the romance between Joelle and Max, Max's "bad boy" and hot-tempered personality was just too much for me. There was a lot of abusive elements between these two and the "happy ending" that is common in this style of story just didn't resolve those elements for me.