Truly a book for book lovers and love lovers. Reminiscent of romcoms like He's Just Not That Into You and Valentine's Day, with a wide cast all inter-connected and multiple HEAs.

If you're looking for a cozy read where everyone gets a happily ever after, then this is the book for you. The stakes within it are low, and everyone gets what they set out for. I love the idea of a bookstore being the heart and soul of a community. The concept alone gives me the warm fuzzies.

However...

I'm not a fan of the fact that every single main character ends up with another main character; it comes across as forced and unnecessary. I don't like the idea that happy ending = everyone ends up in a hetero marriage. I liked the first 75% of the book a lot more than the last 25%. It's not a bad book; it just has a sloppy, rushed end.

This book is a warm hug for book lovers. At the same time, it underscores the importance of a local bookstore and the role it plays in any community. 

Emilia Nightingale returns to her small town in England when her father, local bookshop owner Julius Nightingale, dies. As she processes her grief and deals with losing her father, she comes to understand more about him through the community, including existing relationships that are strengthened and new relationships that are forged as Emilia works to get the bookshop out of debt and save it from the clutches of Ian Mendip, a developer who wants to turn it into a parking lot for his condos. 

When the store sustains significant water damage, the bookshop community comes together to restore it and make it better than ever to save the store from Ian Mendip and keep it as a community resource, honoring Julius's memory, for years to come.

Along the way we meet other characters whose lives Julius touched in some way, and how that extends to the people THEY know. Some characters find love. Some characters find friendship. Some characters realize hard truths about the people they think they know. 

Start to finish, it's a charming book with a delightful cast of characters (mostly - but every story needs a foil!). If you read and loved The Storied Life of AJ Fikry, you will most likely love this book, as well. 

I was absolutely enthralled by Henry's descriptions. It was a moodboard of aesthetics in writing form. I loved all but a few characters, and their growth throughout the book, even if their arcs, to me, got a little repetitive. I also wasn't sure about the POV switches, as they tended to happen in the middle of chapters, and in some places were quite jarring as to who was narrating what.

I also really didn't like what they did with Delphine, it felt very stereotypical, woman is treated as an obstacle to overcome than an actual person. The sort of "bitchy" girlfriend that stands in the way of the protagonist's love interest. I also wasn't in love with Marlowe's and Emilia's relationship either. It felt more like the author wanted Emilia to be in a relationship at the end for no apparent reason other than to have her be with someone. I also wished that June hadn't ended up with Mick, because she went through the motions of acceptance and character growth, and she had such a cool moment with her slamming the door in his face, and then it was thrown away within seconds.</spolier> Other than that, I absolutely loved the book, and even with my few grievances, it is what got me back into reading!