I usually love books about bookstores and book lovers. Unfortunately, this one didn't quite live up to expectations. The POV keeps jumping around so sometimes I couldn't even tell who was speaking. None of the characters were sympathetic or well fleshed out. The plot was unfortunately quite dull. Sadly a miss.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for this ARC.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

I wanted to love this book with the cover and title alone.

However, this was not the case. I could never connect with the characters and couldn't get into the plot. Not for lack of trying.

Sophie Bernstein operates a book store in Washington DC. Still grieving for the loss of her husband, she navigates the busy and sometimes chaotic day to day adventures inside her book store. The story, while it does have some humor, misses the mark in a few places. In reality, I think this book is more about the relationships, the aspirations, and navigating the struggles. The characters are interesting and unique, but there is a lot going on in this book. I struggle with books that jump around between characters. I think this was my main struggle because at times I got confused. In addition, portions of the subplots feel less genuine and a bit forced. It was a fine read for me, but just missed the mark a bit.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC and the opportunity to read and review Bookish People.

I wanted to love this one. Because who doesn't love books about books. And I mean the cover's cute. The premise was great. However the writing style didn't click with me. That I could have pushed through and finished the book. But it was the fact that the 54 year Sophie read like a whiney 20 something to me not a 54 year old mother of a college grad son and widow. So I made it halfway before I threw in the towel. Because there was a single character that I ended up liking.

I am sorry to say i dnfed at 44%. I mean this book is marketing wrong, rom com it is not, Just my opinion.

This book was unfortunately a miss for me.
I was so hyped up to read this being a bookish person, but i just couldnt connect or focus. the cover art was amazing and promising but the story just fell flat for me.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Muse Books and Susan Coll for providing me a copy of Bookish People to review.
Sophie is done, widowed and burned out from trying to run her store during the craziness of the last few years and the awfulness it has brought out in people she has come up with a plan. She is going to close herself into a hidden book in her bookstore so she no longer has to deal with the fear. Her staff is noticing she is struggling but they are all dealing with their own lives and problems.
This book captures so well the feelings so many people have been experiencing the last few years, hopelessness, fear, loss. Combine that with a bookstore full of a cast of characters who add colour to this book you have a story that touches your heart. Sophie breaks your heart as she is the kind of character you instantly feel protective of and makes you laugh as her quirks are so recognizable in ourselves and people we know. As always books about books have a special place in my heart.

The story is told from multiple perspectives, all people who enjoy books - as the title would suggest, but with two main female characters. Sophie is a 50ish year old widow who runs a bookstore but is finding it hard to live in a world with so much violence (Southern US uprisings due to the removal of confederate statues) and without her soul mate. Clemi is a 23 year old aspiring writer with no time to write because she works at Sophie's bookstore organizing signing/publicity events while nursing a dangerous crush on a douchy coworker and trying to help her slightly wacky friend/roommate who is suffering from some kind of mental crisis. The main premise of the story is that a controversial author is going to be doing a reading at the store and both main stories, as well as a few of the secondary character plotlines all come to a head at the controversial event that could have a big impact on the staff of this odd little bookstore.

There are some truly wacky and hilarious moments in the story, including anthropomorphic turtles and vacuum cleaners, as well as a drunk poet, a strange cat slash bird protest which involves heavily costumed sports fans, and two security guards named Clinton and Bill who come armed with guns but are no match for the chaos of this odd little bookstore. It also has some really interesting themes throughout, especially one of self-reflection and multiple journeys of self-discovery.

The writing style is entertaining and despite having a few additional point of view chapters, the story is quite easy to follow. I did have a bit of a hard time getting into it, I think it took me a while to connect with the two main characters, but once I did I was sold. The wacky characters and how they all come together in a bookstore but are interwoven within each others' lives outside of the store as well is interesting and is clearly well thought-out by the author. It reminded me a bit of Fredrik Backman's Anxious People and a recent favourite, Shari Low's One Last Day of Summer, so fans of those two books should definitely add this one to their TBR!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Harper Muse for giving me the chance to read and review this silly, yet inspiring book!

I was really looking forward to this book based on the cover and the premise. However, it just didn't hold my attention. The story just didn't flow and I just couldn't connect to the story. I had high hopes as a Bookish person who dreams of owning a book store!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

If you've ever dreamed of working in a book store Bookish People is for you. If you've ever thought the idea of working in a book store, Bookish People, will convince you otherwise. Although, this particular bookstore in DC does seem particularly full of activity.

Sophie Bernstein loves her bookstore and employees. When her husband passes away and the news of the world makes her feel like it's all too much, Mrs. Bernstein begins a plan to hide away in a secret room within the bookstore.

The world seems against her plans though when a series of events make Mrs. Bernstein feel like she can't get a moment of peace. Everyone seems to need her attention. Her keys are locked in the Qwerk III. The power keeps going out. Her son, Michael, a yoga instructor, has borrowed the shop's van and doesn't seem to have plans to give it back. On top of that there seems to be an endless amount of party invitations all with different themes.

Clemi is the store's event planner. She has booked a very controversial poet to speak at the store. Mrs. Bernstein is worried about the event and really wants her to cancel but Clemi ulterior motives and this event must go on. Clemi also is pulled in many different directions and all she wants is a minute alone with the poet.

Also, what's that fishy smell coming from the closet?

Bookish People has many lovable characters . I really enjoyed the novel and all the craziness it had going on. This story might be a bit extreme but working in libraries and bookstores are definitely never dull.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to read this book because the watermarking behind the text made it too difficult. I look forward to trying it again after it is published..

I wanted this to be like Book Lovers, but it definitely wasn’t. There was no romance, and it really wasn’t that funny. It seemed way too over the top, and I just had a hard time getting into it.

This was supposed to be right up my alley but for some reason, I am having a hard time connecting with the characters. Also, the rythm of the composition is weird, it's like the words float in front of my eyes without being able to grasp its meaning. In all honesty, it might be me.

But I've tried to make it past 20% many times this last month, and i just can't. For obvious reasons, I will not be posting this review on Goodreads (as this experience is partly my fault).

I'm really sorry about this!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had a hard time getting interested in this book. The beginning was kind of awkward, but then it got a little bit better from there.

Every bookstore owner should read this book. And, every customer of independent bookstores as well. As a former bookstore owner, this book reads like an autobiography to my life. I yearn for that tiny, secret space the main character wants to climb into. A hilarious, immersive tale no matter who you are or what you do. Oh, I'm still thinking about that vacuum cleaner!

It really appealed to me that it's a book about book lovers, I'm all in when it comes to bookstores, but I couldn't connect with Sophie's voice
.
There are a lot of themes in the book and it has a lot of opinions that I felt didn't amount to anything, but it's my personal appreciation. I felt that I was waiting for the change, the twist that makes me reach the culminating point and brings the sense to the book
.
There are many literary themes and mentions to appreciate and perhaps dream of a bookstore with a hidden lair
.
.
Thanks to Susan Coll and Harper Muse for give me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion

I’m very confused how this book was supposed to be a comedy. It was not funny, not even dark humor. It was messy and there were too many characters and too many things going on and it just didn’t come together at all for me.

I really tried to get through this book but I only made it to about halfway. I felt like there were too many characters and too much going on to follow it accurately. Unfortunately, I put the book down and haven’t missed it.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free ebook ARC of this title.

I was excited about this title, I usually really love books about bookstores and booksellers. But this one didn't work out for me. I had a hard time getting into it and the character development seemed off. Wish I could say more, it was mostly a chore to finish, unfortunately.

2 stars = did not like it.

The entire idea of this book being set in a bookstore is what initially drew me in. Unfortunately I couldn't adjust with the writing style. This book revolves around Sophie a fifty-four year old bookstore owner in Washington DC. Her events coordinator Clemi has booked a controversial poet who she thinks might be her biological father. The problem is that he is accused of killing his wife and Sophie asks her to cancel on him. Sohpie had some problems on her own, she was recently widowed and didn't agree with her son's career choice. We get to see daily insights of what goes on in her bookstore and her interactions with customer as well as protestors. I admit that this book had some funny, laugh out loud moments but writing felt like a big rambling. The cover was adorable however the writing failed to keep me engaged because there was so much going on with every character in this book and it was difficult to keep track of it.

ARC provided by Netgalley and Harper Muse in exchange of an honest review