I finished this book but honestly the story was mediocre at best. There are too many simultaneous story lines without enough detail to really care too much about any of them. I enjoyed the turtle but the vacuum situation was too much.

I normally love books about bookstores but this one missed the mark.

2 stars

⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper amuse for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really feel like the cover, and description of this book didn't match the content. Sometimes I don't always mind that but this book didn't work for me.

I received this book from netgalley for an honest review

I love books out books and the people that rapes. This book is very enjoyable and definitely kept me entertained for the weekend

TW// mention of suicide and self-harm methods.

Sophie is an independent bookstore owner in Washington D.C. whose quickly becoming weary and burnt out, after the death of her husband Solomon. Everything has slowly become overwhelming and difficult to keep up with, and nagging feelings of giving up are becoming more and more frequent. Clem is the events manager at the bookstore, beginning her career as a bookseller, her life is also beginning to spiral and slowly suffocate her. Choosing events for certain books are causing her more and more controversy and stress than she is prepared for, and as a result has had to put her own dream of writing a book on the back burner, as she juggle she constant changes and difficulties surrounding her job. The two women are slowly drowning in these feelings, and losing love for the thing that once brought them nothing but joy. It's got a lot of anguish and pain, but also a lot of humour, and quirkiness.

This was a really interesting story, about navigating this stifling world whilst experiencing grief, unrequited love, and consistently facing the hatred expressed by others, and trying to find ways through the tragedies and pain of the world with the ones you are about when everything just feels so dark and bleak. I found it quite moving at times, especially on the parts focusing on the anguish and loneliness that can come from managing anxiety and also trying to get onto the career trajectory you dream of, and just how difficult it can be to get out of your own way and slowly lose momentum and desire to come through for yourself when everything else is just piling on top of you. This story also highlights some really important topics such as racism and Anti-Semitism ingrained within the American system, which was really gut-wrenching to read at times, but so important to remember.

There's a lot of layers to these characters, which I found really enjoyable, shout out to the adorable Kurt Vonnegut Jr the turtle, a personal highlight. I also loved the way some of the character's lives were so complexly interwoven with each other. I really related to Sophie at times, when all she wanted was to move into the small nook in the bookstore that nobody knows about and just be with her books and escape the doom and hatred of the outside world, in her own safe space. I really adored how calamitous both Sophie and Clem are, they are so realistic and beautifully flawed, it's hard not to connect with them in some shape or form.

My only issue I had with the book is that sometimes the chapters were a tad on the longer side, so at times I felt like I was slogging along, other than that it was a really endearing read that highlights some super important topics, with realistic interactions between characters who are complex and charismatic

Reading this book, with its crazy characters and madcap plot, is like watching a Marx Brothers movie with many moving parts and sub plots occurring. All of the characters were agreeable and fun and their many stories were entertaining. Although this book has really no "redeeming social value" it was a lot of fun and it kept a smile on my face.

Schön zu lesen und ich hab mich Kurt Vonnegut JR verliebt. War wirklich toll und ich konnte es einfach nicht weglegen.

Thanks for the ARC for an honest review.
Unfortunately I DNFd after 20%.
From the cover and blurb I got the impression this was going to be funny. Personally, I wasn't getting that at all. In fact the two characters we are following both seem very depressed.
At 20% I like a book to already have hooked me, but I wasn't hooked by this one. Yes, there is potentially a controversial poet coming for an event at the bookstore. Unfortunately I didn't care enough about this to see it through.

If you are looking for a quirky book about book stores this is the title for you. I'm not sure that I would call it a great read, but it is at least a good one. The characters were interesting and I didn't feel like their were any parts of the story that I had heard before.

I will note that I would have given this 4 stars if it had not been so hard to follow at times. All the switching between points of view made it difficult to stay 100 percent focused on the story all of the time. I appreciated the different story lines, but the changing of narrators could have been clearer.

I was super excited by the blurb because it seemed promising, but unfortunately it is not for me. I am forever in search for a good over 30 MCs but this one did not deliver. However, I would definitely be on the lookout for the author’s upcoming books!

This book gave me mixed feelings. On one hand, the start was very slow and I almost DNF it but I always like to give books an opportunity and this one started picking up in the middle. The ending was funny and satisfying.

I have finally gotten around to reading Bookish People by Susan Coll. I rated this book 2.5 stars. I found it a tough book to read as it didn't really have a premise that intrigues me. I usually love books based in a bookstore but this booked not seem to excite me at all. I loved the MC and would have lied a little bit more around her background and stuff but I think they made the bookshop a little too crazy which ind of took from the story a bit. Overall it was not a read that I loved but I am glad that I picked it up and gave it a go.

DNF @ 28%

I hate DNF-ing an ARC, but this just really wasn’t holding my attention. Something about the way it’s written just isn’t making me care about anything that’s happening, which is unfortunate.

I’m still very grateful for the opportunity to read this early, and perhaps I will give this author another chance in the future.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

I found myself forcing to finish this book.. I wasn't hooked in the story unfortunately. I couldn't vibe with the writing style.

I did not finish this book. I just could not get into it at all. I think because I read other reviews that were not the best.

Cute cover, enticing premise, but ultimately fell flat.

I DNFed this book at 10% as the writing was quite amateur and chaotic, making it hard for me to follow the story and connect with any of the characters.

If I am correct in thinking the main character was also a 50 something widow - which I would have struggled to relate to under any circumstances had I persevered.

The romance book lovers dream book is how I can best describe this! It reminded me of the beach reads book club, and I loved it every bit as much.

The way in which the lives and romances of each of the bookseller’s intertwine is executed brilliantly. Whilst I adored the plot points, the characterisation was the cherry on top of the cake for me!

I love books about books but this one fell flat. The writing was amateur and the story did not stick with me

This book was laugh out loud adorable and fun to read. Sophie was a wonderful lead and her pain, grief, and yearning for happiness were really relatable despite the fact that I have barely any similarities in experience. Lovely!!

This book was first of colls I have read. The storyline was all over the place. It was chaotic and made for a interesting fun read. I love any book about books and would love to visit her bookstore. That silly Vaccuum cleaner.

I’m really sad to say that I disliked this book, the premise was so promising, but the storyline was a bit chaotic and I found it hard to connect with any of the characters. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.