A review by rebeccaelizabeth94
The Boy With The Bookstore by Sarah Echavarre Smith

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I liked this book but it won’t be one of my top reads this year. I liked how Joelle and Max hit it off in the beginning and I was hoping for more of that consistently through the book. I liked the forced proximity when they had to share a space. I enjoyed the silly little adventures and the big road trip.  I liked how they planned dates to show the other something they never had or always wanted. That was absolutely the sweetest thing and I loved it. The road trip up the coast was so wholesome. There were two moments that stuck out to me as impractical in the book. The first was when Pumpkin got out and ate some of Max old books. I feel like he was right to say Pumpkin should stay at home. After all Pumpkin is a hamster that goes to a bakery where there’s no space so he’s by the food. Not a good look for me. The second was how easily Max and his mother reunited after years of trauma and neglect. The author kept writing that things aren’t fully better but it seems to me that that wouldn’t be something that resolves itself in 19 months.
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