Title: The Bookshop of Yesterdays
Author: Amy Meyerson
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Miranda Brooks loves her job as a teacher in Philadelphia. She loves her boyfriend, Jay, whom she just moved in with, and she’s looking forward to their first summer together. Until she receives a package in the mail and a clue and knows that one of her uncle Billy’s scavenger hunts has started. Except the clue is closely followed by a call from her mother: Billy is dead.

Growing up, Miranda loved her uncle, a seismologist. He taught her so many things using scavenger hunts, and she always loved the adventure. But when she turned 12, her mom and Billy had a fight, and she never saw him again. When she returns to California for the funeral, she finds that Billy has left her Prospero Books—his beloved bookstore, now teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.

Her mother will barely mention Billy—she didn’t even go to his funeral—and Miranda knows the scavenger hunt will lead her to the truth about the fight when she was twelve, the truth her mother doesn’t want her to know. Miranda works to untangle Billy’s clues while she searches for a way to save Prospero Books, the legacy Billy left her. Soon she realizes just how deep the secret her family has hidden for years goes—and wonders if happiness looks different than it did at the beginning of summer.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that I love a book about a bookstore, a book filled with literary clues and references. I enjoyed everything about this novel: the setting (Can I just move into Prospero Books?), the clues, the mystery, and especially Miranda herself. I loved how her mind works, and how determined she is to unearth her family’s secrets. An excellent, engrossing read!

Amy Meyerson lives in Los Angeles. The Bookshop of Yesterdays is her first novel.

(Galley provided by Harlequin/Park Row in exchange for an honest review.)

Thank you to the publisher and author for gifting me an advanced digital copy of this novel via netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I was totally drawn to this book by the cover and title. I am a sucker for stories about books and love a good bookshop. I was so looking forward to reading this. It had a good premise; the bookshop, a mystery, clues from books.. A promising start that unfortunately didn't live up to my expectations. I was disappointed. I found the main character, Miranda, to be pouty, selfish, impulsive and not that likable. She refers to herself as charming and easily able to win people over, but I didn't see much evidence of that in how she treated people, both those she knew and those she was just meeting. I enjoyed her journey to learn more about her Uncle and her past, but at the same time had a hard time cheering for her when she was hurting people she loved in the process. I also didn't care for the over use of the F-word throughout the novel, to swear and to refer to sex. It was out of place and offensive to me, detracting from my ability to enjoy the novel.

Amy Meyerson's debut, The Bookshop of Yesterdays, is a delightful novel that takes a devoted history teacher, Miranda, on a scavenger hunt to discover both why her uncle disappeared from her life when she was twelve and how to save his independent bookstore. This book is a perfect combination of the quirky staff from You've Got Mail, an homage to great books, romantic comedy (but it is not a funny book), and heart wrenching self-discovery. There are parts where I wanted to take the main character, Miranda, and shake her for her selfishness. This is one of those books I'll need to reread to fully appreciate it. I look forward to more from Amy Meyerson.

A interesting novel set around books that I enjoyed reading. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading about bookshops.

There's a fine little mystery inside this well written novel about a woman who unexpectedly inherits a bookstore from her mysterious Uncle Billy. Miranda is doing ok as a history teacher- she likes her students and she's just moved in with her boyfriend- when things are upended and she travels home to California. What she finds is a continuation of the scavenger hunts Billy constructed for her when she was a child. I guessed the answer (but not the whole story) before she did but I very much enjoyed how the mystery was constructed. It also made me want to re=read the Tempest which figures throughout, along with other literary masterpieces. Don't worry if you don't get the references immediately, you're not meant to. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Recommend this as a solid read about family. And bookstores.

Miranda has no plans to stay in Los Angeles. Her life is in Philadelphia where she is a history teacher plus, she just moved in with her boyfriend. But, when her uncle passes away he leaves her everything, including one of her favorite places ever, Prospero Books. He also leaves her clues to a scavenger hunt. This opens up a whole new world of secrets that may be better off left alone.

Well! Any book about a bookstore or books…I am ON TOP OF THAT! I love that this book creates the perfect spot for a reader. The book shop employees and patrons fit the story perfectly. They are a creative bunch which add so much to the tale and Miranda’s quest to keep the store afloat.

Miranda has really been kept in the dark. I love the way the author created a specific set of clues for her. They are in books, with different people and even at an old cabin. I have to be careful with what I say. I do not want to give away a spoiler and there is a pretty big turn toward the end. I did see it coming…so pay attention.

This is a wonderful read for a bibliophile. All the books and the mystery are a perfect companion for any type of reader.

I received this novel from Netgalley for a honest review

I really enjoyed this story! The fun, well-crafted scavenger hunt, takes the reader through books and people in Miranda's life who have stories she needs to hear. The hunt--that her uncle sets up for her before he dies--helps Miranda learn about who she is and confront what is really important in her life. Clever and engaging.

I can’t resist a book with a big stack of books on the cover. Books about books. Books set in bookshops. Yes please!
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The Bookshop of Yesterdays by Amy Meyerson from Harlequin (pub date Tuesday, June 12th) is the bookish story of Miranda, a history teacher, as she pieces together the life of her uncle through a series of literary clues after he wills his struggling bookshop to her upon his death.
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This book is heavy on book-related elements (books, bookstores, booksellers, book recommendations) amidst a core of family drama. I was thrilled with this! Sometimes I get ahold of a book that seems, because of the cover or synopsis, like a book about books, but the bookish elements are few and far between and hover far in the background. Not so with this story. Miranda’s inheritance of Prospero Books and her struggle to save a struggling bookshop are at the forefront.
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The family drama was interesting, however the scavenger hunt element was the weaker part of this story. Miranda’s uncle has something to tell her, and he lays it out in an elaborate series of clues strewn throughout the bookshop and in the hands of his past loves and acquaintances. This always sets me on edge a bit, and it seems like a lot of bookish-type books go the route of hiding clues in books. Not long ago I read The Last Equation of Isaac Severy by Nova Jacobs which deals with the same thing. Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew Sullivan… same thing. Is it a requirement that a book about books have a plot or subplot about clues to something be hidden in books? Or have my books about books choices lately just been coincidental that they all include that element? Not a negative thing necessarily, but I just can never help but think… can’t these people just write a letter revealing their innermost secrets?!
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Miranda’s journey to unravel her uncle’s life was a tad too long for my liking, but by the end I felt it was worth it.
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Thank you to Harlequin books and net galley for the free digital arc for my honest review.

“At the beginning, it seems like a play about vengeance but it’s really about forgiveness.”
–Amy Meyerson


The Tempest
Jane Eyre
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Frankenstein
Fear of Flying
Persuasion
The Grapes of Wrath
Bridge to Terabithia


“Whatever clue it held, wherever Billy wanted to lead me I didn’t want to follow anymore”-Amy Meyerson

As a young child, Miranda loved her uncle Billy. He always had the neatest ideas to keep her busy. Because Miranda was a clever girl, Billy often made up riddles for her to solve. Not the really easy kinds, but he often took her to his bookstore, introduced her to wonderful children’s books and made her think in literature.

“He’d bought me The Giving Tree perhaps to teach me about friendship or to assure me that whatever happened at school, he would be my giving tree”-Amy Meyerson

One evening after bedtime, Miranda wakes to her parents and Uncle Billy having an argument. This was definitely something serious. It turns out, it changes everything in her life and her mother is silent about the whole thing. After seeing her uncle only one more time after, he disappears from her life.

“Understanding prepares us for the future”-Amy Meyerson

…reads the card in the package Miranda receives 16years later without a return address. Now an adult, history teacher and in a relationship, she finds out her uncle Billy has passed away and left “Prospero Books" in LA in her hands….along with some clues to solve the riddle of his past and that fateful night, that changed their lives.

“Like Prospero, Billy wanted to tell me of his betrayal, the event that had exiled him from our family”-Amy Meyerson

***

This mystery kept me guessing and guessing. While the plot split between the family dynamics and Miranda’s thoughts, Billy’s mystery was a gradual slow burn that would not let up. This very creatively crafted riddle, slowly unfolded, while playing out Miranda’s relationship with her mother, boyfriend and all those she ends up meeting along the way from Billy’s past and "Prospero Books".

I very much enjoyed this touching book. It resolves into an unforeseen ending of love and forgiveness, as all the family members come clean and a big secret is revealed. The nostalgia of the bookstore was lovely and the title of the novel befitting perfectly as it makes all sense at the end. A lovely, touching novel.

A can't put down fun, adventurous read. Our protagonist receives a clue from her dead uncle leading to a mystery-- what is he trying to tell her from the grave when they haven't spoken in 16 years?
In tutu, I figured out the mystery of her uncle's message quite early- it was the only thing that made sense to me. I kept reading to make sure I was right, and find our more about how things happened, and all the people involved. There is also the side story of romance, and a woman trying to decide what she wants to do; continue teaching, or run her uncle's ( now her) bookstore that had been failing, across the country.
An interesting tale with many layers that are fun to unfold. Could be a great beach summer read!

I found this to be a interesting review to write. I enjoyed the premise of this book - inheriting a bookshop from a estranged relative? Count me in! However, I struggled to connect with the main character, and the twist to the story didn't surprise me - I could tell where it was headed from the near start of the story.

Having said that, I did enjoy reading about the backstory, and seeing how it eventually unfolded. Overall, it was a story that kept me entertained but not one that had me flying through it to find out what would happen next.

I received an e-arc via Netgalley from Harlequin. And while I appreciate the opportunity to read and review the book all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Miranda's favorite (only) Uncle Billy disappears after missing her birthday party. She grows up not understanding the rift in her family but does nothing about it. Later, as she has settled down with her boyfriend and a job teaching on the east coast, she finds out Uncle Billy has passed away. Then she receives a note from him, reminiscent of the treasure hunts he gave her as a child. This brings her back home for his funeral, to track down the clues he left her thereby uncovering decades of secrets and lies. Admittedly, nothing was too surprising. But through the journey, Miranda discovers herself and that was probably the most important part.

I regret to say that I really couldn't get into this one. There was too much exposition at the beginning, and it wasn't engrossing at all.

This was a somewhat suspenseful novel that kept me interested. I enjoyed it enough to recommend for a Library Reads list. I liked the structure of the novel.

I knew I would enjoy this novel based on the title alone. I quickly fell in love with the characters, quirks and all. It’s a light, fun read and would make an excellent book club selection.

Miranda Brooks’ life was great. She had a fantastic job and a hot attentive boyfriend. When she receives the news that her estranged but beloved Uncle Billy has passed away, Miranda drops everything and flies to Los Angeles to attend the funeral and to seek answers.

Why had her uncle and her mother fallen out years before? Why had he remained absent from their lives for years? And what was he thinking leaving her his book store?

Miranda can’t help but reflect and remember how Uncle Billy would create personalized scavenger hunts and slowly dole out the clues to her when she was a kid. Miranda loved spending time with her uncle, especially at Prospero books. When clues start showing up Miranda is hopeful she will gain some of the answers to her questions and what she gets is so much more.

Though I had an idea of where the storyline was heading, it didn’t affect my enjoyment.

I received an advance review copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

The Bookshop of Yesterdays by Amy MeyersonWhen she was twelve, the uncle that Miranda Brooks had always idolized disappeared from her life. She never really knew what happened to him. Over a decade later, she's shocked to learn that he's dead and that he's left his bookstore, Prospero books, to her. Also included in his will? A series of clues leading her to uncover a deeply held family secret.

The "twist" wasn't hard to figure out and the romance was a little formulaic but this was still worth finishing. The Shakespeare touches were nice to have.



Three stars
This book come out June 12
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

A unique way to tell a story. Books and authors used in a scavenger hunt to guide a young woman to answers about her life.

In The Bookshop of Yesterdays Miranda deals with her stilted relationship between herself, her uncle Billy and her mother.

After sixteen years of estrangement, Miranda receives the news that Billy has died - and left her his beloved bookstore, Prospero Books.

What reader hasn't dreamed of owning or running a bookstore? Of being paid to do that which you love most of all? This book resonates with you down into your very soul.

And as we untangle the mess of their relationships and uncover the truth that they were too afraid to acknowledge, we find out more about Miranda and more about ourselves.

Excellent read!

Main character and writing not interesting enough to keep readers interested--nothing compelling here.

Miranda is devastated when she hears her Uncle Billy has died. She hasn't seen him since she was 12 years old because of a family feud. She loved visiting him in his bookstore and solving the scavenger hunts he always played with her. When she inherits the bookstore she finds he has left one more hunt. I enjoyed reading this story, bookstores are my favorite setting. Miranda discovers family secrets and grows more mature as she solves Uncle Billy's final gift . I liked the ending with Miranda, her family and new friends celebrating Billy and his shop. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.