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finii's review
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
grlmoon78's review against another edition
3.0
Great book with interesting and unique characters enjoyed the book. However, this was kind of slow read for me.
mooolissaa's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.75
cervinlibrarian's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bookliz_fr's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I was starting to fall into a reading slump, so I went to a bookshop and found this book. Nothing better than a romance to break it!
The premise was intriguing. The book is set in France, and we are following the romance between two opposite people. Sarah, a young woman who owns a bookshop and lives her peaceful life with books. Then, Max is a famous actor who mostly plays bad boys in films. Behaviour that shows in real life, he loves a good fight. However, one day he is sent to Sarah's bookshop to do community service after an umpteenth battle that can have more consequences for his career.
The cast of characters was a good one. I was so invested in their story and wanted to know more about them; it wasn't only the two main characters but all of them. I connect a lot with Sarah; she is a book lover and a book hoarder. She also is a person who just wants to help and always find new ideas to help her shop. Max is the stereotype of romance stories. He is tall, dark and mysterious, but we love them! Here, I like to discover his story. He is complex, and I think he needs a therapist, but I like all the different aspects of his personality. And the revelation!! OMG!!
The problems I had while reading the book were the story's timeline and the smutty parts.
I was a little lost about when things were happening. It was like we had two different timelines—first, the village's timeline and then the romance timeline. So, it didn't feel like a whole story, but two stories put in one. The problem with this feeling of two timelines is that you have so many time-jump that the romance doesn't feel real but more too insta-love. Like they don't talk a lot, and next page, they are kissing like they are soulmates.
For the smut, the issue I had was the difference between what we know about Sarah and her behaviour. Indeed, you have a woman who struggles to even talk to a guy, and it's kinda low key that she doesn't have or not have a lot of sexual encounters, and then when she starts to kiss Max and more, it's like she knows everything and has a lot of experience. So those parts were, for me, the less believable.
I don't want to talk about the ending, as I am still processing it.
Overall, even if this book has some problems, I had a great time reading this romance. It was fast and sweet to read, the best to stop a reading slump before it starts to settle.
The premise was intriguing. The book is set in France, and we are following the romance between two opposite people. Sarah, a young woman who owns a bookshop and lives her peaceful life with books. Then, Max is a famous actor who mostly plays bad boys in films. Behaviour that shows in real life, he loves a good fight. However, one day he is sent to Sarah's bookshop to do community service after an umpteenth battle that can have more consequences for his career.
The cast of characters was a good one. I was so invested in their story and wanted to know more about them; it wasn't only the two main characters but all of them. I connect a lot with Sarah; she is a book lover and a book hoarder. She also is a person who just wants to help and always find new ideas to help her shop. Max is the stereotype of romance stories. He is tall, dark and mysterious, but we love them! Here, I like to discover his story. He is complex, and I think he needs a therapist, but I like all the different aspects of his personality. And the revelation!! OMG!!
The problems I had while reading the book were the story's timeline and the smutty parts.
I was a little lost about when things were happening. It was like we had two different timelines—first, the village's timeline and then the romance timeline. So, it didn't feel like a whole story, but two stories put in one. The problem with this feeling of two timelines is that you have so many time-jump that the romance doesn't feel real but more too insta-love. Like they don't talk a lot, and next page, they are kissing like they are soulmates.
For the smut, the issue I had was the difference between what we know about Sarah and her behaviour. Indeed, you have a woman who struggles to even talk to a guy, and it's kinda low key that she doesn't have or not have a lot of sexual encounters, and then when she starts to kiss Max and more, it's like she knows everything and has a lot of experience. So those parts were, for me, the less believable.
I don't want to talk about the ending, as I am still processing it.
Overall, even if this book has some problems, I had a great time reading this romance. It was fast and sweet to read, the best to stop a reading slump before it starts to settle.
shelleyann01's review against another edition
3.0
This was a nice change of characters and place and now I really want to visit the bookshop and village myself. The story was sweet and I really loved that this is a romance that takes place in a bookshop. This is a gentle story, there is drama and strife but very sympathetically described. There are sizzling moments, but just enough. The characters are believable and faults and flaws are present. The characters have you rooting for them to get together...even though Max is a cad at first. I loved the chemistry between the two main characters as well as between the other villagers in the story. This is an excellent pick for a quick pick me up.
Disclosure:
Thank you NetGalley, Emily Blaine and HarperCollins UK/One More Chapter for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.
#NetGalley
keirashepherd's review against another edition
3.0
This is one of those books that you read super fast, which is exactly what I wanted to read so I was really happy with it.
It was a super cute love story and I really enjoyed reading it. If you’re looking for a quick, slow but also fast paced read, this is definitely the one for you.
It was a super cute love story and I really enjoyed reading it. If you’re looking for a quick, slow but also fast paced read, this is definitely the one for you.
daniireads's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
The Bookshop of Forgotten Dreams is a short and easy summer read, which is perfect for those looking for something lighthearted and cute that will give you all the feel goods.
The story alternates between Sarah, the introverted owner of a small bookshop that has recently suffered some flooding, and Max, a bad boy actor who must help Sarah around the shop as part of his community service project. The two could not be more opposite, but despite that the two of them together kind of works.
Overall, I thought it was a cute book, but the pacing was a bit off for me. Sarah and Max’s relationship needed a bit more fleshing out in my opinion, but otherwise I enjoyed it!
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Bookshop of Forgotten Dreams is a short and easy summer read, which is perfect for those looking for something lighthearted and cute that will give you all the feel goods.
The story alternates between Sarah, the introverted owner of a small bookshop that has recently suffered some flooding, and Max, a bad boy actor who must help Sarah around the shop as part of his community service project. The two could not be more opposite, but despite that the two of them together kind of works.
Overall, I thought it was a cute book, but the pacing was a bit off for me. Sarah and Max’s relationship needed a bit more fleshing out in my opinion, but otherwise I enjoyed it!
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
ivankalopez's review against another edition
4.0
This book is for all the book lovers. It’s literally a book lover getting her happily ever after and to top it all off it’s the grumpy and sunshine trope.