I really was looking forward to this one as the premise seemed really great and the setting so quaint. Unfortunately, this one was a miss for me but I appreciate the opportunity to review.

What I liked about this book: The setting in this book is cute. I liked the residents of the Scottish town and the images of Thea’s new home and village. Overall, the premise of the story was intriguing. (And the cover is adorable!)

What didn’t work for me: I struggled with so much in this book. The pace was too slow and the banter was really awkward and didn't flow well. I also didn’t care for the relationship between Thea and Edward as it honestly seemed toxic.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved so much about The Bookshop of Second Chances. I love that Thea is in her 40s -- it made her so relatable. I loved how she was never bored. And this book had everything I enjoy in romantic fiction -- starting over, a small town in Scotland, a bookshop and inheriting an old house from a relative. My only quibble was that I felt a bit bogged down in the middle. I loved the dialogue and the building up towards a new relationship but maybe that could have been shortened. If you like Katie Fforde, check this one out!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! Unfortunately, I didn’t love this one. As a librarian, I’m a sucker for bookish novels but the characters in this one just fell flat for me. It has some funny moments, and the romance was okay, but overall not the best I’ve read.

This was sweet, charming and very readable. It felt like a great gentle romcom read. I liked the main characters and their romance, plus the bookshop setting. Will definitely recommend.

This book was so cute! I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected going in. The setting was especially lovely! This book gave me definite Evvie Drake vibes. The only issue I had was that the author didn't dive deeply enough into why Thea wasn't desirable which made that aspect a little hard to understanding. I loved Edward as a character and that the book was messy!

I absolutely adored this book. It caught my attention and emotions from the beginning.
I loved watching Thea come out of her hurt and pain and learn who she is again. She was quirky and made friends easily. The way she just told it how it was is always a goal of mine and as I edge closer to 40, I find myself getting there.
This is a book that made me laugh out loud, cry, and wish I could be in Thea's group of friends.

The ending seemed abrupt as I want more. I want to continue on Thea, Edward, and even Charles journey. Definitely wouldn't mind a book about Charles.
This will be a book I recommend for a great summer read.

This is a super fun read. I really enjoyed this one!

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book!

There is nothing I would love more than to escape to this setting where I'm left a gorgeous historic home in Europe and find a low-ley life (and love) in a second-hand bookstore.

Sign me up!

Thea Mottram's life is in a tailspin. She's just lost her job, her husband has left her for her friend, and she somehow agreed to let them keep the house! And on yet another strange note, a distant uncle she hardly knew has left her his home in Scotland with a rather impressive antique book collection. In need of a change of pace Thea goes to Scotland to figure out what to do about her inheritance and is instantly enamored with the cottage, with the community, and maybe even with the local bookshop owner.

This was such a wonderful story! I was hooked from the beginning and found myself rooting for Thea immediately. I cannot believe this was a debut novel! I can't wait to read what Jackie puts out next.

I read "The Bookshop of Second Chances" by Jackie Fraser on NetGalley. It is about a woman in her forties, Thea, who recently found out that her husband had been cheating on her. She is at a loss with what to do with her life, when she finds out that she inherited a house from her great-uncle. I really enjoyed reading this and had a hard time putting it down to get anything done! A great read.

Thea is a young woman who has just been left by her husband and fired from her job. When she discovers she's been left a cottage by her bibliophile great-uncle she jumps at the chance to get out of her life for a bit while she figures out what to do with her future. She quickly falls in love with her new town and most of its inhabitants. Sweet and perfect when you just want a feel good book.

A few years ago, I read Shaun Bythell’s The Diary of a Bookseller, and it's impossible not to think of that while reading this book, because Edward, the cranky bookseller from a posh family, seems to be pretty close to Shaun's self depiction. Add on the protagonist Thea who has been left a home (and a lot of used books) by her great-uncle and her own recently ended marriage of 20 years, and you have a slow burn story about two people who slowly rotate around each other. I felt it was overly long, and had to laugh when in the acknowledgments, the author thanks one of her writing group friends for telling her to "get to the point." Still it will be catnip for many readers - small Scottish towns, booksellers, older narrator (mid 40s) etc.

Alternate titles for this book could have been “Sex Talk Shop of Second Chances” or “Adultery Shop of Second Chances”. This is an average Women’s Fiction/Contemporary Romance novel. I liked the relative strength of the female character, Theia, but the brothers, Edward and Charles, and even Chris, just came across as sleazy! I wish there was more to the plot. I was fortunate enough to have both an eBook copy and an audio copy. I am awarding a full star for narration/accents/inflection. I do think this is light, fluffy reading, perfect for summer.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and Ballantine Books for this advanced eBook copy.

I am a sucker for any book that involves a bookstore or library as part of the "cast of characters". This one started out slow - I had to push myself along for about the first 1/4 of the book - but once it picked up steam I had a hard time putting it down. It was definitely a fun romance and a good choice for a light summer read or your next vacation book.

So cute! Love the cover and the cranky bookshop owner! But the pacing was a bit slow for my personal taste.

I received an electronic ARC from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine through NetGalley.
Fraser captures the gamut of emotions a woman feels after discovering her husband has had an affair with a friend and is leaving her for that person. Readers see where Thea's journey begins and how she figures out who she is and learns to trust and love again. We see her leave her home behind and head to Scotland to see the property she has inherited from a great-uncle she barely knew. Her decision to stay for a couple weeks, then months, becomes a complete move as she gets back on her feet and discovers a job she loves. Of course, she meets her new love, Edward, and the story runs along some predictable lines though Fraser writes with fresh style. Edward is not likeable and has quite the past to overcome. He undergoes his own transformation as he faces who he is and who he wants to be. The bookstore makes a lovely setting as the two adapt and change to figure out who they are and how they mesh together.
A lighter read with enough depth to make readers think about themselves and their own roles in life.

I enjoyed this quirky book about a middle-aged woman who finds herself again after the end of a 20 year marriage. I loved the characters of Edward & Thea. Edward is sweet and extremely honest, Thea is not whiny, but cautious with a new relationship. Their banter is funny & loveable. Jackie Fraser is a new author to me, but I would enjoy reading more from her.

What I Loved:

The Premise. What drew me to requesting Bookshop is also what kept me reading it (for better or for worse). A down on her luck Thea inherits a creaky, gorgeous manor house in a small Scottish town, an antiquarian bookshop becomes her new second home, the quirky locals accept her wholeheartedly, and she has two squabbling brothers (who happen to be lords) fighting for her attention. It is fun, it is light, and it has all of my favorite elements in a fun light romance. The Scottish locals were all delightful to read about, and the creaky manor house and beautiful Scottish town made me nostalgic for a life I have never actually had but can imagine vividly. This book drove me to look up words for the feeling it gave me – the closest I could find was the Portuguese word saudade (“melancholy”), or the German word fernweh (“farsickness”).

The Bookstore and Bookstore Cat. Similarly, the old Scottish antiquarian bookstore with comfy nooks and a faithful cat named Helen Hunter (HH) drew me in. Notwithstanding the grumpy and semi-unlikeable owner Edward (more on that below), the bookstore sounds positively delightful with comfy nooks and antiquarian books that any collector would dream of. I loved how Thea transforms the little shop into an internet sensation through its Instagram and other social media pages, and it reminds me of so many other book stores I love to follow and fangirl over.

Thea (partially). While there are definitely some aspects of Thea’s personality I disliked, generally speaking Thea was a likeable character that you rooted for. When her husband leaves her and takes the house, Thea has to pick up the broken pieces of her life and move to Scotland to take care of her husband’s affairs. She handles this change with grace, humor, and a healthy dose of self-awareness. She is in her 40s and while at first she has some neuroses about living life to the fullest at that age, throughout Bookshop Thea experiences a beautiful amount of growth. I hope I can have this much fun in my 40s and stay as active as Thea is.

What Didn’t Work For Me:

The Pacing. I honestly almost put Bookshop down after the first couple of days of agonizing detail and introspection from Thea with absolutely no plot movement. The first 35ish percent is slow as molasses with no romance and not much else to read for. When the pace finally picked up and relationships finally beginning, I was hooked, but then the end was as abrupt as the beginning was slow. The end kind of just occurred, with no real purpose or momentous occasion. It was a letdown, particularly given how long this book was.

Edward Maltravers. As a slightly unpopular opinion, I actually liked Edward a little bit. I enjoyed his gruffness and his wry sense of humor, and I did genuinely feel Edward and Thea’s love for each other in Bookshop. However, Edward is a generally unlikeable character in his capacity as the love interest for such a strong, spunky, and likeable heroine. Edward ruins every one of his brother’s relationships by sleeping with the woman over something that happened when they were teenagers, he generally only has casual sexual relationships with women, and has a sign in his shop that says “No girls allowed” because “because they fall in love with me or I fall in love with them.” Edward is NOT the kind of guy we want Thea to end up with.

(Peripherally) Thea’s Love of Edward. Again, I am not 100% opposed to Thea and Edward’s relationship. However, it seems highly unlikely to me that Thea would allow herself to fall in love with a serial philanderer, regardless of how much Edward changes for her. I also hate how Thea looks down on Charles and his interest in her, while not once doubting Edward’s own motives. It altogether makes Thea seem like a weaker character than she is supposed to be. Edward should have had to work harder.

When everything in your life is falling part, there is nothing more healing than working in an old bookstore with a handsome but cantankerous man. Or, at least, that's what makes this specific kind of romance/chick lit novel so much fun.

When Thea loses her job and finds out her husband is having an affair with her close friend, she is crushed, but she soon receives notice from a lawyer that a distance uncle has died and left her his house (and library) in Scotland. She figures she can travel out there for a few weeks, go through his things, put the house on the market, and return to London. But when she arrives, she finds it harder than she thought to leave, especially after she takes a temporary job at a local bookstore.

Yes, this book was formulaic and predictable -- just like most of the books in this genre -- but I'd argue that's why so many of us actually enjoy this genre. When you're stressed out in your own life, you know exactly what you're going to get when you pick up this kind of book, and it's always a happy ending. And I liked these characters. No, none of them were particularly deep, but at least they grew and matured and learned from their mistakes. And, any book set in a bookstore in Scotland is a book I want to read... and dream about visiting someday.

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. It has not influenced my opinion.