Bea Reviews How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry

Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: August 14th, 2017
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | iTunes* | Barnes & Noble
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Blurb from the publisher:

The enchanting story of a bookshop, its grieving owner, a supportive literary community, and the extraordinary power of books to heal the heart

Nightingale Books, nestled on the main street in an idyllic little village, is a dream come true for book lovers—a cozy haven and welcoming getaway for the literary-minded locals. But owner Emilia Nightingale is struggling to keep the shop open after her beloved father’s death, and the temptation to sell is getting stronger. The property developers are circling, yet Emilia's loyal customers have become like family, and she can't imagine breaking the promise she made to her father to keep the store alive.

There's Sarah, owner of the stately Peasebrook Manor, who has used the bookshop as an escape in the past few years, but it now seems there’s a very specific reason for all those frequent visits. Next is roguish Jackson, who, after making a complete mess of his marriage, now looks to Emilia for advice on books for the son he misses so much. And the forever shy Thomasina, who runs a pop-up restaurant for two in her tiny cottage—she has a crush on a man she met in the cookbook section, but can hardly dream of working up the courage to admit her true feelings.

Enter the world of Nightingale Books for a serving of romance, long-held secrets, and unexpected hopes for the future—and not just within the pages on the shelves. How to Find Love in a Bookshop is the delightful story of Emilia, the unforgettable cast of customers whose lives she has touched, and the books they all cherish.

My Thoughts:

How could I resist this title? Well, obviously I didn't, lol. Books set in bookstores are like catnip; add in some family saga and romance and I was sold. 

"How to Find Love in a Bookshop" is a sweet, gentle, meandering story about a local bookstore and the people attached to it. It's a mix of romance and women's fiction, with a little bit of family drama.

Emilia is struggling with both her father's death and the inheritance of the bookshop. She has no experience running a store. Helping her through all this are the store's employees and customers. They provide emotional support and even practical advice. Her father was well-loved and well-liked and he was an expert at matching people with books but he wasn't very good at the business side of managing a store. Emilia struggles with how to keep the store open and even should she, although she promised her father that she would. In fact, much of the story has to do with her journey to becoming her own person. She spends much of the story doing things because that's how her father did them or because he did them or she thinks he'd want her to. Slowly though she starts to realize she can't live her life that way and she needs to do what she wants and what she thinks is right.

Helping on her journey, while on journeys of their own, are Sarah, local gentry with a personal tie to the store; Dillon, Sarah's employee who has a strong moral code; Jackson, a restless young man trying to be a better father who affects the store's future; Thomasina, a customer who also is learning to take charge of her life; and Bea, a lonely stay-at-home who becomes entwined with the store's future.

Nightingale Books is a book store that I would love. The focus is books, with a few other odds and ends. The sales staff are low key, low pressure, but knowledgable. It's a place where you can linger and browse to your heart's content. I wish I had a book store like that near me. It was interesting to see what part the store plays in the town and its importance to the residents. Anyway, the book is told from multiple perspectives but primarily from Emilia's. It's not a dramatic story, there's no major conflict apart from the store's future. While there are several love stories occurring in the book, perhaps the most important one was that concerning the store and the locals. They love the store and don't want to see it fail.

" How to Find Love in a Bookshop" is a slow-paced, slightly meandering but affectionate, sweet, warm story of people on journeys to figure out their life, tied together by a love of books and the store that sells them. And yes, there are happy endings for pretty much everyone.