I really wanted to like The Bookshop on the Corner. It has a storyline that appeals to me - an introverted person that loves books and wants to share her love with them with everybody. And she gets to do it in a beautiful small town in Scotland around friendly people and good food to boot. But Nina comes across as overly insecure even when she's willing to abandon her home and move to Scotland. She comes across as a pushover that will let people walk all over her, and a hapless mess that people think is adorable and clean up after. And I don't feel any romantic connection despite two possible love interests in the books. It's like you have to be told she's in love with them, because it doesn't really come across in the writing. Her friend Griffin is annoying and feels like he exists to show the difference between someone (Nina) that really loves books and someone that's desperately just trying to collect a paycheck any way he can. Nina's friend Surinder manages to be the most redeeming thing in this book, although in pushing Nina to step outside her comfort zone, never really manages to take the plunge herself. Maybe if I hadn't gone in with the expectation that I would like this and it would be right up my alley I wouldn't have felt disappointed that it felt lacking in character development.

What a sweet story. I wasn't sure at the beginning, but after the first few pages I loved the story.

Definitely chick-lit, but sometimes that’s just what you need! Thoroughly enjoyable light read, about Nina, a big city librarian whose job disappears. She takes a leap of faith, buys a large van, and turns it into a mobile bookshop in the Scottish highlands. I loved the characters in the book, especially her gruff landlord, and the assorted townspeople.

This book was a nice, light read. The main character wasn't always the most believable but I did relate to her love of books. To me, it almost felt like the first half of the book and the 2nd half were two different stories. The romance felt a little forced and rushed. If you're looking for an easy read in between more intense novels then this is a good one!

What a fun piece of British chick lit!

Nina is a soon-to-be-out-of-work librarian who takes the plunge, leaves city life behind for Scotland, and opens her own traveling bookstore in a big van that she can barely handle driving. And, of course, there are love interests and a best friend and other people who she helps along the way.

After reading a very serious, sad book, I think I was in the right frame of mind for this light escapist novel. And as someone who still--at 40--doesn't know what she wants to do with her life, it was fun to live vicariously through Nina as she surrounded herself with books. It also didn't hurt that I was lucky enough to live in Edgbaston for a year a long time ago, and could relate to some of the locations (although I enjoyed it more than Nina did!)

Thank you to Book Club Girl at Harper Collins/William Morrow and Netgalley for providing me with a free arc of this book. It has not influenced my opinion.

This story was uplifting. At times I was a bit “ bored” with Nina because she seemed so ordinary.. As the story goes on it was enjoyable to see how she stepped out of her comfort zone and went after her goals. Since I am in the US at times it is hard for me to read books that take place in England.

A fun, quirky, quick read with few surprises. The main character can be naive at times which causes her grief and heart ache. It's a light read so don't overthink the basic plot. There's even Scottish men in kilts.

What spunk, what courage and compassion in the face of all that is not! I won this book from the Book Club Girls via Netgalley. I entered the giveaway because of 2 words in the title "bookshop" and "corner" Those 2 words were in books I truly enjoyed previously by other authors.
This book did not disappoint. Being quarantined due to the Covid pandemic, via this book I traveled to Scotland and completed a dream that was shared with someone dear, but I learned so much more...

The Bookshop on the Corner was a fun, enjoyable read. It was my first time reading anything by Jenny Colgan and I really liked her writing. I’m looking forward to reading more by her now. It’s a book I would consider to be women’s fiction but it also had some romance in it as well. It’s the story about Nina, a librarian, who finds out she is losing her job due to libraries being closed down. Knowing that books are the love of her life, she decides to risk everything and buy a van to use as a bookmobile and move to the country where she knows no one and try to start her life over. She was a very courageous woman in my opinion. I loved the location of the story being in Scotland. I had never read anything that had taken place there. I loved the way the author described the countryside and all the animals. I also thought it was a pretty neat idea of using a van as a traveling bookmobile. I have never seen such a thing. I’d like to thank Book Club Girl and NetGalley for introducing me to a new to me author to read and enjoy. This is a story I would recommend to others as I really enjoyed it a.lot, much more than I had anticipated I would! I am giving it 4 stars.

I enjoyed reading the book; it was engaging and the storyline at the beginning didn't go in the expected (my expected direction). I was impressed by the authors description of the location were Nina worked and the difference in her location in Scotland. I also enjoyed her description of Garrett and Surrinder (odd names to me). I expected a different outcome until the middle of the book when I recognized a love story of opposites with a pretty typical ending.

I got this book through NetGalley. Perfect book for an easy read. I’m not really into romance novels but having spent time in Birmingham and Scotland, I loved the characters . I can’t help feeling that this book should be made into a movie or a short series. I could just picture the characters and the way of life in the small village. Love the way the titles of various books were woven into the story. Also reminded us that there is a genre of books for all us and that we all don’t have to like the same books.,

Every now and then, a happily-ever-after story is just the right read and this book fit the bill perfectly. I enjoyed spending time in Scotland with Nina Redmond and the entire cast of characters who were quirky and charming. I found this to be a fun, breezy read set in a charming location; I could easily envision myself in the village eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Little Shop of Happy-Ever-After mobile bookshop. The book had a nice blend of likable characters, humor, and romance to make for an enjoyable bit of escapism.

After being let go from her library job, the reserved Nina surprises her closest friends (including her roomie Surinder and soon-to-be former coworker Griffin) and decides to buy a van, which she has no idea how to drive and has to go to Scotland to acquire, to open up a bookshop. Initially, she envisions setting up shop in the hustle and bustle of Birmingham but ultimately ends up in the small village of Kirrinfief in Scotland, where she purchased the van. She knows no one there and has nowhere to live, unless she decides to live in the newly purchased van that seems to have a mind of its own. A couple of the kind townsfolk Nina encounters help her find a dreamy place to rent from a (seemingly) grumpy local farmer, Lennox, who is in the midst of a divorce. Sparks fly (naturally ;)) between these two who both have put up barriers around themselves, which gives them both an opportunity to grow as the story proceeds.

Despite a few detours along the way, the two eventually find their true paths to happiness, giving the reader a satisfying happily-ever-after ending. I liked the fact that Surinder and Lennox both challenged Nina when she wasn't entirely realistic about certain plot points, such as her relationship with Marek the immigrant train engineer who risks his job to deliver books to Nina in the middle of the night. This would be a good pick for fans of books-about-books, books about people who love books, and daydreamers who wish they could drop everything to become a bookseller in a cozy village where everyone looks out for everyone else.

This review is based on an ebook galley I received from William Morrow Paperbacks via NetGalley. Many thanks to William Morrow and Book Club Girl for this delightful free Friday pick!

Received this as a Freebie Friday from Book Club Girls.

Forgot to download it, so grabbed the ebook from the library and it was just as delightful as expected, a perfect quarantine read.

This book is about Nina a librarian who loses her job when her library is closed. Nina travels to Scotland , buys a Van, and opens a mobile book store. This was a charming story. It had an old time flavor that was balanced by modern situations and language. The characters were well develped and the author told the story in a sympathetic and humorous way.

this is sweet story about a women who leaves her home to start a book business in Scotland.
She finds herself doing well and becoming a stronger and more open person.

I really enjoyed it -

This is.a quick read that is perfect for every book lover, who has ever dreamed of owning their own book shop. Nina is a librarian at a library that is closing and decides to follow her dream of owning her own book shop business. The only affordable way for her to pursue her dream is to buy an old work van and transform it into a mobile book store. The van she buys is in Scotland, so that’s where her new life begins with matching people to their perfect read. You get to meet some lovable characters and some wonderful descriptions of the Scottish highlands and her growing love of her new home. Perfect cozy read.

This book is about a librarian that is introverted and loses her job In England. Her dream has been to open a book store. She ends up buying a van in Scotland and proceeds to move to Scotland. She outfits the van into a mobile bookstore. The setting in Scotland is lovely. I don't usually read romance stories but I did enjoy this one. It is the first book I have read by this author.

The title of this book definitely caught my eye. I love the main character of this book, Nina Redmond. I worried about her driving that van...but loved how she overcame obstacles in the book. I wanted to be her on her adventure.

The characters in this book are ones that we can all relate to and like. The setting is amazing--The Scottish Highlands are very well described.

A fun easy read, that was somewhat predictable, but I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Nina matches books with readers until she loses her librarian job. After moving to a small village in Scotland she starts a new business of a driving a mobile bookshop in a van and begins making connections with her customers that change them all.

This was cute, quick read. There was something so engaging about Nina and her journey, which is filled with starting over and trying to find one’s way. Nina is by no means perfect and makes some mistakes that makes one cringe, but I think that makes the novel more relatable. After all, who hasn’t looked back and thought to themselves, what in the world was I thinking/doing.
Outside of Nina’s story, I love how books and the magic of books was woven into the storyline. Readers will feel a deep resounding understanding of the moment you find the perfect book or see someone else discovering the power of book.
This book will definitely be going into to be read again pile.