Oh man, I wanted to like this - the premise was there! The execution? Not even close. So sorry to state this was a flop.

ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an open and honest review.

Fiction : DNF

DNF @ 6%
I cannot review this book as I did not finish it. I could no longer struggle through this epistolary novel the writing was confusing and hard to follow as well as I was not a fan of the rude character who seemed to just be mad at the world. I was thinking that I could move past that fact but unfortunately I do not want to move forward with this book.

I loved this book! It was heartwarming and strong. It was exactly what I needed with everything going on in the world! A happy little escape!

Confessions of a Curious Bookseller by Elizabeth Green
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Women's Fiction
Release Date: January 1, 2021

Confessions of a Curious Bookseller is a standalone novel by Elizabeth Green.

As an avid reader, I've dreamed of owning my own book store or being a librarian, so I was so excited about this book.

Sadly, I really struggled reading this book. The whole book is a mix of journals entries and emails from a struggling bookseller. To make it more confusing, her employees add in blog and social media posts.

There premise of the story could have been great. I think I would have preferred it from the competition's POV. At least then it might have been funny.

I'm so grateful to Elizabeth Green, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

I typically love books told through letters and emails. It's such a fun way to tell a story. But this one just didn't work for me.

First, I found the MC completely unlikable. And it wasn't just unlikable, she seemed to truly be an awful person. She complained about everything. She tried to hire professionals to repair her crumbling house and business and yet didn't want to pay them. She kept offering books or homecooked meals in exchange for the work. She would then become completely unreasonable and send nasty emails with snide remarks once they would explain that, unfortunately they were running a company too and would need to be paid.

She constantly lied to her customers. She would fully advertise and sell tickets to events with famous people that she just thought up in her own head. Then she would be surprised when whoever it was she wanted to arrive didn't respond or show up. She belittled her staff of teenagers for...just being teenagers. She bought them pizza and then honestly asked them to chip in money to pay for it. She tried to sabotage another book store by writing scathing reviews under false names on a local review site. Not even to mention the things she said and did to her family!

I kept reading thinking she would redeem herself. Then I kept reading thinking I'd get a butterscotch update. Then I was just reading to be done. I wish I had liked it this one.

Confessions of a Curious Bookseller by Elizabeth Green is an epistolary novel. The protagonist is Fawn Birchill, owner of the Philadelphia bookstore by the name of The Curious Cat Book Emporium. Fawn runs her store with three very patient employees and is trying hard to keep her head above water, especially now that a competitor is opening up shop on the next block. Her entire life seems to be an uphill battle. I enjoy reading about feisty and cranky characters such as Olive Kitteridge but Fawn’s nasty disposition is simply unpleasant. The book is almost five hundred pages and I had hoped that the storyline would vary long before the end. It felt like reading a very long rant. This story might have succeeded as a short story but it feels stretched as a novel. This is my opinion only and I am sure that Confessions of a Curious Bookseller will appeal to many readers. Thank you to Lake Union Publishing, NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

With thanks to Netgalley and Lake union Publishing for allowing me to review this book

I wanted to enjoy Confessions of a Curious Bookseller but sadly I just couldn't get into this book. a DNF for me sadly.

Right off the bat I was interested in this book from the cover, title, and summary. Unfortunately I didn't realize it was epistolary fiction. I really tried to give it a chance because I like to read outside my comfort zone, but I could not finish this book. I did not like the main character at all. I will try again in a few weeks to finish this book but I just can't get into it.

Thank you to Netgalley for the e-ARC.

I would actually give this book 2.5 stars, but I rounded up. I really thought I would like the story, since I gravitate toward anything set in a bookstore. I really wanted to like it, but in the end my reaction was just, "Meh." There were moments where I felt some sympathy for the main character, but she made such unlikeable, ridiculous decisions that I kept losing that sympathy. A number of times I just flat-out didn't believe that a person would do the things she did or perceive them the way she did. I did finish the book, but overall it just didn't do it for me.

This was a funny, weird, and at times baffling read. It wasn’t really anything groundbreaking, but I found Fawn delightfully ridiculous and enjoyed my time getting to know her.

I found this one quite hard to get into, although the characters are likeable they seem to jump around quite a bit at the beginning which made this quite a slow read for me.

I would like to thank the author, publisher and NetGalley for trusting me with an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Unfortunately, this book is not for me. While I did not mind the mix of epistolary, blog and diary style too much, I could not stand the main character. Fawn is way too annoying and there was not a thing I could relate with. She is bitter and simply nasty for the entire book, and it made the reading unbearable.
The final parts, were we see a sort of twist in the events, is quite sudden and underdeveloped, so that it failed to convince me and made it even more difficult to finish.

The author used a very different style in writing the is one and for me it worked. I enjoyed the difference in this book and it kept me fully engaged. The book struck home for me in the sense of the little guy fighting to know be lost in big corporate times. I liked Fawn and her struggle.

I would like to thank Lake Union and Netgalley for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was intrigued by this book by its cover and name, hence the reason for my wanting to read it. In the first few pages I realised that it was written in emails/messages and usually this is a format which I love. Unfortunately the main character Fawn is highly strung and quite honestly insufferable. If the story was from the perspective of one of her staff it may have been more enjoyable.

Sadly I have had to DNF this book at about 15%. The format was off to a great start but the strength of the main character's arrogance really let this book down.

This is fairly familiar territory - particularly for fans of The Shop Around the Corner - but it was still charming. Perhaps a little too charming. It did however have some very nice, sweet moments and will find a home with anyone looking for some escapism.

Really had high hopes for this book - I mean it’s a book about a cat loving bookstore owner (my dream!) but wow I couldn’t stand the format or the main character Fawn. I knew within the first 3 pages that this book wouldn’t be for me and I decided to DNF about 15% of the way in.

I think fans of Where’d You Go Bernadette might like this one, but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the chance to review.

Perhaps I'm not the right audience for this book. I don't want to tare it apart, but I will say I was just very confused. This novel has multiple different forms of story telling, social media tweets, emails, posting blogs. Also the protagonist is very hard to like.

I chose this book due to the picture on the cover because it looked fun. I am grateful to have access to the story, but i was not an overall fan of this book. I walked away from it several times, which i felt guilty doing because I enjoy reading. I did like the emails format of the book, but I wasn't a fan of Fawn's character. She seemed obnoxious and was rude to several people she had communications with. She lied to her family often throughout her emails which only solidified my feelings toward her. The writing of the book was great, it was just hard not liking the main character.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publishers for allowing me access to this story for an honest review.

I would like to thank the author, publisher and NetGalley for trusting me with an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Without question, Fawn Birchill knows that her used bookstore is the heart of West Philadelphia, a cornerstone of culture for a community that, for the past twenty years, has found the quirkiness absolutely charming. When an amicable young indie bookseller invades her block, Fawn is convinced that his cushy couches, impressive selection, coffee bar, and knowledgeable staff are a neighborhood blight. Misguided yet blindly resilient, Fawn readies for battle.

But as she wages her war, Fawn is forced to reflect on a few unavoidable truths: the tribulations of online dating, a strained relationship with her family, and a devoted if not always law-abiding intern—not to mention what to do about a pen pal with whom she hasn’t been entirely honest and the litany of repairs her aging store requires.

Through emails, journal entries, combative online reviews, texts, and tweets, Fawn plans her next move. Now it’s time for her to dig deep and use every trick at her disposal if she’s to reclaim her beloved business—and her life.

Okay, so as an avid reader any book that has "book" in the title I have to read. This book was utterly rubbish in my opinion. There was no substance to any of the characters. There was no fixed storyline. The characters were not well developed at all. I read the whole book to see if it changed any, but unfortunately, it ended the way the whole book went - with no remarkable ending. I would advise anyone to steer clear of this book. Apologies but it was really bad.

Ok I was torn over this book. I enjoyed it and it was a fast read but I really didn’t like Fawn’s character. She was obnoxious, loved the sound of her own voice and was very rude. This may be on purpose and if that’s the case, it’s a very good book haha! In terms of feeling for characters, my heart definitely went out to her employees. They put up with so much. I’d say that it’s clear Fawn is an unreliable narrator. As we see in her emails to her family, she is a pathological liar. I did enjoy the format with emails and texts interspersed through the diary feel text. The last few pages redeem her slightly but not enough to make me like her as a character.