I love the cover of this. It’s super cute and it draws you in. And the description is cute as well.
But nothing in this book called to me. I didn’t find to be the style of writing intriguing at all. I couldn’t hold my attention to really get into it. The most accurate way to describe the writing is probably that it comes off like the author was an amateur. I’m all for a good debut novel (not sure if this was hers) but the style of writing was just really a miss for me. And the plot of the book felt like a lot was going on, but also like nothing was going on.

I appreciate the advanced copy from NetGalley, and I was excited to read it but I wish it would have lived up to high standards for me

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. This book was a interesting read. This book is fast paced but well written. I enjoyed Sophie and Clemi's characters. I would recommend reading this book to anyone and everyone. This book is in stores for $17.99 (USD).

4.5 stars
This book was inventive! It centers on the quirky staff at a bookstore and the aging owner who seems to be having a midlife crisis after her husband dies. The book signings and events introduce chaos to the mix of the already drama-filled store and a vacuum cleaner takes center stage in parts of the plot. It is inventive and fun, with a bit of deep meaning strewn throughout. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Harper Muse and NetGalley.

Like other early reviewers, sadly this one fell flat for me. The writing was unpolished and didn’t hit the banter-y quirky note that I think it was going for. It just felt…off. None of the characters were super intriguing, and some of Sophie’s interests (or shall we say obsessions?) and actions were downright strange, but again not in a fun quirky way. Just weird. I love books about books, and books about people who love books, and books about bookstores, but this just missed the mark.

2/5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was excited to read this book and was very disappointed overall. Books about book stores are usually really fun to read with lots of interesting characters and storylines. This book had lots of characters, but not one I really was invested in......well, other than the turtle. The vacuum cleaner dilemma became so tiresome, honestly. I wish I had better things to write, but I just didn't like the book at all. The book was all over the place, skipping around to different characters and storylines to the point that it got ridiculous.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Harper Muse for an advanced copy of Bookish People in exchange for a fair review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper’s Muse for the ARC of Bookish People!

I love the trend of books about people who love to read books. It makes them feel really relatable. The cover is so cute and the premise was perfect, it had all the elements to make me love it and I just found it to be very average on most aspects. It seemed like there wasn’t a coherent writing style and the multiple sub-plots made the storyline feel confusing and cluttered.

I almost thought about DNFing the book unfortunately because it felt more like a slog to read than an enjoyment. Very confusing with characters that weren’t likable enough.

If you like reading about vacuums, you’ll get to read about them a lot more than I ever thought I would.

I enjoyed Bookish People immensely. I found the writing refreshing, unique, and funny. I quite liked how we got to see the perspective of 3 different characters, how they are connected, and how their lives impact each other. I enjoyed that each chapter was like a short story, that all connected in the end, rather than a novel that followed one, linear storyline.

The multiple interconnected subplots were fun, unique, and comical. Though the characters and storylines felt outlandish at times, there was an air of realness in the stories.

Though I can understand not everyone would be interested in this light, comical novel. However, I found Bookish People funny, unique, and real, and would recommend to anyone looking for a light summer read, or a refreshing view on reality.

As a bookish person, it’s a no brainer that I wanted to read this book! But what I wasn’t expecting was how funny this book was. I genuinely laughed.

Bookish People is a story about those who work at a bookstore, and all of the quirks that they have. We follow Sophie and Clemi as they navigate through life after some interesting events. Sophie lost her husband and is afraid that the world is ending. She is slowly turning the back room in her bookstore to a bunker that she can hide in since her husband had passed and the events unfolding in the world. Clemi has taken over the events in the bookstore while managing sharing a room with her best friend who was fired from the same bookstore due to a meltdown where she yelled at a customer over trying to find out the name of a book (honestly, I can relate. A book about birds and you want the goldfinch?? be more specific, people!!)

A whirlwind of events unfold when Clemi invites a poet, that is said to be the new Ted Hughes, to speak at the store. All while the vacuum is breaking and sucks up Sophie's keys, Clemi and another employee adopt a tortoise named Kurt Vonnegut Jr., and trying to keep the bookstore running. This is a very funny and quirky novel reminding us that we never know what anyone is going through behind the scenes! As someone who worked at a bookstore, I can relate to many of the traits that some of these characters possess. I would recommend this to anyone who likes to read books about bookish people (it was a fitting title!) This isn't a romance novel, but a cute, quirky story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the digital arc!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

When I first came across this book I fell completely in love with the cover and the titel, unfortunately the same can’t be said about the story though. The book is good, but there isn’t really anything special about it and if I’m being completely honest it is one of those book that I will forget about in a few months.

The one really great thing about the book is the way Susan Coll writes. The writing is amazing! I just wish there was more depth to the story and the characters to get the book from good and to great.

I will however say that the tortoise won a few points. I had a few great laughs about the tortoise Kurt!

Who doesn't love book references in books?

Book(ish) references are one of the most thing that excites me about romances. But this book was literally a ‘meh’ to me. Bookish People felt so flat. Also didn’t like the authors pen. However i can’t say that this book wasn’t cute.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review 🫶🏻

A look inside a frenzied period of a Washington DC bookstore. Two women's stories one recently bereaved one searching for a poet who might just possibly be her father. Sophie and Clemi struggle to navigate their paths amidst the chaos of bagel snatching dogs,a tortoise and a vacuum cleaner that refuses to cooperate.

In August 2017, bookstore owner Sophie is out of sorts. It's not just her husband's recent sudden death. Or her son's decision to become a yoga instructor. Or the upcoming solar eclipse. It is kind of the white supremacist rally in nearby Charlottesville. And a series of demonstrations at her own bookstore threaten to be eclipsed by the upcoming reading by Raymond Chaucer's whose wife's recent death (which he insists was not suicide) by carbon monoxide poisoning from their oven (which he insists was not an AGA) is causing comparisons to Ted Hughes.

Although she knows Sophie wants her to cancel the reading, events planner Clemi has her own selfish reasons for not doing so--she suspects Raymond Chaucer, not her deceased stepfather, is her biological father.

The bookstore staff deals with these and other crises (bagel-stealing, biting dogs, rogue turtles, electrical problems, and the broken vacuum Sophie refuses to get fixed) with considerable hilarity. For some reason, it took me a while to get into this book, but once it grabbed me, I couldn't put it down. #BookishPeople #NetGalley

I usually love books about book stores and book-loving people but this story line wasn't interesting to me. The characters are unique and quirky and the writing is well executed, but I didn't feel any emotional connection or draw to the characters or plot line. I think the story lacked emotion and an emotional connection is something that I love and seek out in fiction. This book may appeal to readers who want something light and funny but it wasn't for me.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
For starters I was not a fan of the language used right from the start the main characters came off as entitled and overly knowledgeable. As a local library clerk, I thought I would be able to really relate to this, as I adore books about books. However, I could not seem to develop a connection with the two main characters. I found myself nodding off trying to finish it. I was laughing at some of the jokes, but most of them I guess I didn’t find funny or I had a hard time understanding what the point was. The POV was confusing as heck, half the time I didn’t know what character was talking. I’m sure some people will relate differently to “Bookish People” maybe people who enjoy confusing comedy with some book references, sadly it was not a good fit for me.

A huge thanks to the publisher for my complimentary copy and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

The book is set around a bookstore and tells the story of Sophie Bernstein who owns a bookstore while in mourning and to add to that rollercoaster she is about to lost an employee. The book is told in multiple POV by Sophie and Clemi. The book is not fast paced but some parts of the book are and it's perfect for fans of books set in a bookstore.

An outstanding novel that left me wanting more. I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this story. Bookish People will leave you smiling.

Independent bookstore owner Sophie Bernstein is burned out on books. Mourning the death of her husband, the loss of her favorite manager, her only child’s lack of aspiration, and the grim state of the world, she fantasizes about going into hiding in the secret back room of her store.
Meanwhile, renowned poet Raymond Chaucer has published a new collection, and rumors that he’s to blame for his wife’s suicide have led to national cancellations of his publicity tour. He intends to set the record straight with an ultrafine Sharpie but only one shop still plans to host him: Sophie’s.
Fearful of potential repercussions from angry customers, Sophie asks Clemi bookstore events coordinator, aspiring novelist, and daughter of a famed literary agent to cancel Raymond’s appearance. But Clemi suspects Raymond might be her biological father, and she can’t say no to the chance of finding out for sure.
This big-hearted screwball comedy features an intergenerational cast of oblivious authors and over-qualified booksellers as well as a Russian Tortoise named Kurt Vonnegut Jr. and captures the endearing quirks of some of the best kinds of people: the ones who love good books.
Read in one sitting really enjoyable read totally recommend
Thank You NetGalley and Harper Muse
I just reviewed Bookish People by Susan Coll. #BookishPeople #NetGalley

There are a lot of books mentioned, both real and imagined, and it was impressive how well Coll mimics genres, such as The Girl in Gauzy Blue, a story of intergenerational drama, and Cuddly Killers, a non-fiction book documenting how domestic cats kill millions of birds each year.

The people here, however, are a mess of anxieties and immaturity, which mostly are just nerve racking to read rather than funny. Every now and then there would be some funny parts – but then the joke will go over long and become cringe worthy.

Despite a few pockets of amusement, overall this book is a depressing read.

I cared for only one characters perspective in this novel. This was quite a disappointment because I wanted to love it so much. A book about bookstores is a happy place for sure. It just didn't win for me.

The cover is a win though for sure!