I found the writing and the characters in this novel absolutely awful It was a chore to finish-I do not recommend it at all.

Growing up, we had a number of vacuum cleaners. There is a system to replacing the three vacuums that we have in my parents‘ home, one for each floor of the house: despite only being used once per week, the ground floor vacuum is always the newest. Regardless of which appliance breaks, the new device will be placed in its little nook in the conservatory and the other two are being rotated - the second newest to the (most-used) upper floor and the oldest to the basement. After moving out, I first had a great blue machine that moved easily and dealt with everything thrown in its way admirably, and now I share one with my flatmates that, unbelievably, works even worse than my parents‘ basement vacuum. I am looking into replacing it with a more modern device, but will refrain from shooting the current one with a gun.

If this paragraph bored you more than anything you’ve read in the last year, this book is absolutely not for you. Vacuuming is a central aspect of the plot for some reason, and the bookstore’s owner Sophie holds endless monologues in her head about all the vacuum cleaners she has owned in her life. I feel like it’s supposed to be comedic, but all it did was make me fall asleep. Repeatedly.

The writing style in this book was all telling and no showing, which didn’t work for me at all. I couldn’t relate to the characters and felt very distanced from their emotions and thoughts. Even if you disregard the whole vacuum monologue escapades, nothing ever really happens other than Sophie talking about how nervous she is feeling (without ever really going into any detail) and Clemi‘s thoughts about her flatmates, (talking?) turtle and totally repulsive crush.

The whole story is supposed to be centered about this bookish event with that questionable author, but the book really only gets to that at the very ending and it is so unbelievably anticlimatic. Nothing is resolved and I just don’t get the point of the book. I already established that I didn’t find it funny in the least bit, and it didn’t give me anything else either.

There is some Jewish representation randomly thrown into the mix here and there, but it is just used as an aspect of Sophie‘s worries and isn’t very consistent, so it felt rather forced to me.

To sum things up, this was the most boring and pointless book I‘ve read this year and I would have dnf‘ed it after the first chapter if it wasn’t an arc.

1.5/5 stars.

I always like to read books that have ‘book’ in the title or about bookshop owners and was excited to read this one.
Unfortunately I was not very keen on the writing style and struggled to keep going. Having said that I did enjoy the ‘quirky’ characters and there were laugh out loud moments.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest view.

I’m an easy mark for any books with the word “book” in the title. I love books and reading about books and bookstores. Unfortunately this book did not strike a chord with me and I found it very rough going.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Harper Muse for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Really enjoyed this book !
The title immediately drew me and the characters were very intriguing
Thank you NetGalley for arc !

If the title has any variation of ‘Book’ in it, there is a 99% chance I will add it to my TBR! I loved the cover of this one and the premise sounded interesting. Unfortunately, the execution of the story fell a bit short for me. I found it hard to connect with the writing, there were too many subplots, and the connection between the subplots felt messy. On a positive note, I enjoyed the cast of eccentric characters and laughed out loud several times while reading. I think had the plot been a bit tidier, I might’ve enjoyed this a lot more. Still worth checking out if you’re down to bookish plots.

Favorite Quote:
“She sometimes thinks the world divides into two types of people, those who think books are for reading when there’s nothing else to do, and those who avoid other things to do in order to read books—and unsurprisingly she’s in the latter camp, but really, is that so awful?”

Errant hoovers, authors, ego’s, riots and litigation. Just another day in the life of a book store owner… A kind of stream of consciousness for those amongst the team at recently bereaved, Sophie Bernstein’s, bookstore. But who are worse, the authors, the staff or the general public? Every workplace has its foibles, their little bit of weirdness, commonalities and pet peeves. If you’re a book fan or a writer, you’ll love this hilarious book. If you’re not either, you still will!

I’m a sucker for anything with ‘book’ in the title or a book on the cover! This whimsical cover caught my attention and the premise sounded interesting.

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me. I struggled with the writing style, the characterization and the many subplots. I couldn’t connect to any of the characters, didn’t love the ‘humour’ and found that Sophie Bernstein, the owner of the bookstore, was not representative of her age.

I stuck with it and was rewarded with a satisfying ending. I also appreciated the behind the scenes peek into the running of a bookstore and the challenges that accompany it.

I do hope this book finds the right reader!

I was gifted this advance copy by Susan Coll, Harper Muse, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

“She sometimes thinks the world divides into two types of people, those who think books are for reading when there is nothing else to do, and those who avoid other things to do in order to read books - and unsurprisingly, she’s in the latter camp, but really, is that so awful?”

Synopsis: 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 ultra-fine-point 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.

Personal review: 3 stars

This book had wicked potential and was a laughable affair, with intergenerational characters. The end of the day emails and connection between the characters was the element that I enjoyed best throughout the novel. The premise of this book was something I thought I would love and had great potential, being a bookish individual, but sadly it fell flat. The authors writing style, pace, and dark humor was not easily digested for myself and therefore wasn’t a match with me. I did enjoy the location, and the basic outline of the book. Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

What a busy bookstore! I enjoyed reading about the perspective of multiple booksellers in an independent DC bookstore. Once at the climax, I loved reading about all of the things that ensued.

I received this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This is a complete miss for me. I tried, several times I put it down, tried again and again. I cannot get used to the writing style. I felt like I was in the middle of one random thought that just kept jumping from one thing to the next. The idea of the book being about a bookstore owner and it’s employees was great! However I just didn’t get on with the execution or writing style.

I was initially excited for this book, the cover and title roped me in, and the premise sounded great. Unfortunately, this is a book I am giving myself permission to not finish. Maybe one day I’ll come back to it, but it’s just not for me at this time. I found the writing a bit stilted and the characters I didn’t seem to connect with. Maybe someone else cup of tea, but for now I’ll stick with some water.

I don't understand the trend of romances set in Bookstores and Libraries. This one was just ok, if I had read this before Book Lovers I would have had stronger positive feelings

There was a lot going on here...I mean A LOT, which added to the almost slapstick quality of the book. Having worked in a bookstore the author hit the nail on the head about many things including the workers and customers, but it just went too far to be a really good story. The deeper issues, that I believe the author was trying to convey, got lost in the whirlwind of the comedy. Lots of potential and worth the read, but just not quite there.

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

I was so excited to read a book about a woman finding herself in a world that is constantly bad, but was pretty disappointed in the story I read. I found it overall to be incredibly confusing. I usually love when a book is able to transition us from the current moment to relevant memories, but most of the memories seemed irrelevant or misplaced. One of the parts that troubled me the most, was the comparisons to Anne Frank when deciding if she could live in the spare room in her store.

While I normally love books about bookish people or bookstores, this one was not what I was expecting. It's a bit darker than the blurb would suggest. However, I pushed through and saw some of the humour come full circle during the chaos at the end. There is a little something missing from the narrative that would normally keep my turning the pages. I felt for Sophie and what she was going through and loved the idea of a nook in which to hide. But she was just a bit too dysfunctional for me. I was worried for her mental health, not amused. Luckily, my concerns were erased with a satisfying ending. I wish there had been a little more of the "post-chaos" feel earlier in the book.

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

I enjoyed this novel—which I read very quickly—but I was hoping to get more from the book.

On the plus side, I loved the inside look at working in a bookstore. We get a great feel for the routine of bookstore life, including customers looking for books with hilariously vague descriptions. And then there’s the dilemma of the book-loving staffers desperate to find a way to dispose of unloved advanced-reader copies in a way that shows respect for the hopes and hard work those books represent for authors.

In addition to having an interesting setting, this book excels at humor. At one point, it made me laugh harder than a book has in a while.

I wish, though, that the author would have given us a deeper look into the inner life of the main character, Sophie, who is the owner of the shop. As the book opens, we find her grappling with both the death of her husband and the unsettling headlines in the news. I wish her feelings had been linked more closely to Sophie’s memories and world and uniquely tied to her. Instead, her mindset comes across as a general despondency about widowhood and the changing world, making it harder to connect with her. I did, however, enjoy the look at how the protagonist, who is in her fifties, struggles to relate her younger staff and keep up with technology (including an online dating site).

More compelling for me was the story of the other focal character, Clemi, who is dealing with some personal issues of her own while managing events at the store along with all the complications that go along with that.

The book has a lot going on with a variety of characters and subplots, and this sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. Some of the characters are memorable and richly drawn, but some are either caricatures, not fully fleshed out, or over the top to the point of being unbelievable (and even at times silly.)

I wish the book had ended with a more satisfying answer to the questions raised within the pages about finding peace or momentary joy in chaos. But I did love the fast-paced ending of the book, where the many subplots come together in a way that leaves a reader with that delicious feeling of something big about to erupt. All in all, this is an enjoyable inside peek at being a staffer at a busy bookstore during a memorable week.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the advanced digital copy provided for my honest review.

It took me more than a few pages to get into this story, however once I was invested in the plot I was completely sucked in! So many funny/bad things happen to the two main characters that it's not really comedy - it's DARK comedy! The adventures and events never stop for these women and you're taken on a crazy ride. Every situation and element that comes together during the time of this story is useful and important; I love a story without "extra parts".

The kicker for me was reading that the author once worked at Politics and Prose - a "bucket list" bookstore for me.

What do you get when you follow the stories of a bunch of bookish people? This riot of various characters who are each brewing plural personal storms. It mirrors life in that even we have to possess superhuman multitasking at times but most of us do not have to coordinate bookstore events, put up with author demands, figure out whether a certain tortoise is really talking or not, and be the witness to a battle between the birds and the cats on any given normal day. The last one in particular is a massive #ifyouknowyouknow scenario.

Be it Sophie or Clemi, both of them have so much to catch up to and despite their best efforts, things continue to remain just out of their reach leading to craziness and multiple messes. And Raymond, hopefully learnt his lesson about (unsuccessfully) avoiding to talk about one particular thing with everyone around him downright obsessed to be talking about exactly that. And Autumn T, well you keep on writing those epic End of Day Reports, girl!!

Sophie, that memoir in vacuum cleaners is really not a bad idea! Detailing the changes in life with the evolution of technology truly sounds great. We all take technology for granted at times or it is rather that technology creeps up on us till one day we realise exactly how much of our is influenced by its presence or absence. Hence such a memoir would surely help put a lot of things in perspective while also allowing the passing of unsolicited life advice.

Bookish People is out this August, you know just a four-your-information in case you’d be interested in meeting these crazy people. I received a complimentary copy of this book through @netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview of this book. I wish I could say I enjoyed this, but I found this book so hard to follow and very confusing.