A review by snipinfool
The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce

emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.0

The Music Shop told the story of a group of shopkeepers on Unity Street in Castlegate, England. The main character, Frank, owned a music shop that sold vinyl. Frank had a knack for knowing just the right song for when a customer was looking for new music. His shop was a bit run down and contained many fixtures he created on his own. It was quirky and suited his needs. The other shops on the small retail strip were a funeral home, a bakery, a religious gift shop, a florist, and a tattoo artist. One shop was empty. Each of the shop owners was friendly and supported each other. Their shops were not in a popular area for shopping and didn’t get a lot of traffic. One day, a woman was seen looking into the window of the music shop. She fainted and Frank rushed out to bring her inside. The woman, Ilse, recently moved to town. Later, Ilse returned to the shop and Frank learned that she knew little about music. Music was an integral part of Frank’s life and he was happy to share what he knew. As time passed, there were changes to the shops on Unity Street and between Frank and Ilse.

This was a sweet story. I really liked Frank. He loved matching music and his customers. Ilse was a big mystery for a large part of the book. I don’t really understand the author’s reasoning behind that. I would have enjoyed learning her story earlier. The other shopkeepers were an interesting mix. All were concerned about being able to stay in business, but it didn’t seem like they made plans to remedy that. It was like they let life happen to them. I enjoyed the ending of the book and it left me with a smile. All in all, it was a nice read.