This was a light read with quirky characters. The main focus was on a bookstore which only stocked classics written before the author whose work they are honoring. Just putting banned book week behind us, I thought this was going to be more about the many books that have been scrutinized. The author highlighted this in another way by restricting the titles the bookstore was permitted to stock. A light romance is added but stronger character development is needed. This is a quick easy read which is often what readers are looking for. #NetGalley

Want a great book. It had me thrilled with the whole thing. Maggie was a really interesting character she just had to find her way in life. So her friend Rachel let her come to The town called bell Creek Cause she was pregnant with her 2nd child. And I can do the job because you're in the autumn work. And this town was based on Edward bell who wrote this book Called 1st dollar. She had a hard time at the bookstore because all the books had to be published before 1968 they only came to this bookstore because this is where Edwardsville wrote the book called 1st dollar. Ralph was a control freak in this town yet everybody wearing these shirts and he controlled everything. She meets Malcolm who's Spy for Randolph. She meets the person who Rent the apartment about the bookstore And hes quite a character. And this book is like really like a mystery because it talks about Edward bell and how all you having secret Mrs. And you'll find out how this personalized onto the book. Maggie was really good at planning parties so she have a thrilling interesting concept I'm taking the classics and Turn them to a spoof. She also bought some books in which she wasn't But it really helped the store. And she went to a book connection To sell this idea about having Moby And she meets up with Malcolm. They hit it off really good at this and then they started a friendship. This has a really crazy term too to find out what really happened. Ralph was so protective of this town and how he Everybody believe this guy Edward bell was like a scent. Don't find out what really happened at the end of the book and it's That's a perfect book beyond book it's really Happen.

Sadly this book was not what I was expecting. It was slow and hard to connect with. I was hoping for a booking book that I wouldn't be able to help falling in love with but this was not that.

BOOK REVIEW 📚The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks

Maggie Banks doesn’t really know what she wants to do in life. She has floated about and doesn’t stick to anything. An opportunity arrives for her to manage her best friend’s bookstore. This bookstore isn’t your typical bookstore.. they are only allowed to sell classics.

Maggie starts an underground book club and secretly starts selling modern books. During her time at the bookstore, Maggie uncovers a massive secret that has been hidden for generations.

This book has ALL the small town feels! I loved the quirky characters. The small businesses. I felt like I was in Stars Hollow and that Ralph was Taylor Doose!

Very cute and quick read.

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Look out for this one on 10/31/22!

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks was a great story about the passion for books and the self-discovery of a young woman!
I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to anyone, who would enjoy a story about a bookshop in a small town and a girl finding her passion.

A few weeks ago I saw that my Junior Library Guild subscription service had this title in the upcoming books, so I made sure I had a chance to read it. It is a perfect selection for adult crossover in the category it was selected, and I love so much about this book. Maggie Banks is a flawed character you can't help but love and Shauna Robinson does an excellent job of blurring the lines between high literature and the books people want to read. The story feels timely because of the debate of what makes literature feminist, what makes it a classic, what makes a book worth reading? All good questions. My only remaining question is why did the word "banned" get used in the title? It is misleading in the middle of an intellectual freedom crisis plaguing librarians.

What a great feel good story about making connections, finding your way, and growing up. The premise of the book felt quite timely. In the story a bookshop is only allowed to carry classics and does not value modern literature and refuses to carry modern books. Currently, libraries and schools are dealing with people who consider certain books more acceptable than others and want to remove access to those "unacceptable" books. The story also looks at who gets to write history and how it can be a matter of privilege and power, rather than simply telling the truth. But, the author manages to handle all of these topics in a well written and thoughtful manner. There is much to discuss about this book and I think it would make a wonderful book for a book club. In addition, alongside all of these serious issues, the story managed to be funny and interesting with a bit of romance. (I read the book within a day). I plan to recommend this book to everyone, especially the bookish types.

This was absolutely delightful! I thought the moral of the story was so important- you can really kill someone’s love of reading/literature by restricting the books “allowed” to them. Seems very timely at the moment with current debates about “audiobooks/GN” not being “real books” - this same applies to looking down on certain genres. “The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks” was a wonderful reminder of how much enjoyment can be found in DIFFERENT types of books. This would also be a wonderful book club pick. Bravo.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was a quick read about an unlikely scenario, a bookstore that doesn’t care about profits. I liked the story of Maggie being a rebel but found parts of the book too predictable. Thank you for allowing me to read the book, I did enjoy it.

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

I loved this book so much that I added it to my list of books to buy. Reading it once wasn't enough!

The saying "some rules are made to be broken" is the perfect descriptor for this fun rom-com. Maggie doesn't know what to do with her life, so she's happy to temporarily move in with her friend Rochelle and help out in her bookstore while she's on maternity leave. When Maggie gets to Bell River, she is immediately put off by all the outdated rules that she is expected to follow at the behest of the Bell River literary society. So, of course, she starts secretly selling unapproved books and running secret events. When the inevitable blow up happens, can Maggie find a way to save this town she's fallen for?
I rooted for Maggie the whole way through, and absolutely adored her friendships with Rochelle and Vernon, and the burgeoning romance with Malcolm. The bookstore setting is always a plus. This all adds up to a fantasticly fun read.

This a sweet, light read which I always enjoy if I've been reading too many heavy things in a row. It's also a book about a bookstore, so that's an instant check mark in the pros column!

Where it fell a little short for me was the plot itself. Without giving away spoilers, several of the characters' actions as the story developed just didn't seem to be consistent with who they already were. They grew as people but without any really sense of why. There were also some plot holes for me.

For example, Ralph, who oversees most of the town's businesses including the bookstore, is portrayed as extremely controlling. So it didn't add up that Ralph would be ok with Rochelle (Maggie's friend who runs the bookstore) having her friend come to town to run it while she is on maternity leave.

It also didn't seem plausible that Rochelle would never come to the bookstore for the majority of the time that she is on maternity leave.

If those elements weren't so essential to the plot, then I probably would have overlooked them without a second thought. Although they weren't problematic enough to make me stop reading or even dislike the book, they did detract from the parts I enjoyed.

I thought the ending was much stronger than the beginning, and the story had good pacing for the last third. The ending was also a strength.

Overall, enjoyable, but I think it had the potential to be better.

After reading a dud,
I decided to start this book and figured I would read for twenty minutes and then do some other stuff. But the book hooked me in and I could not put it down. I ignored all the stuff and just got to know Maggie and the town of Bell River. I loved the writing and quips and the banter. I laughed out loud numerous times and fell in love with Maggie's army. Several hours later I finished. This book is fantastic. I loved the author's writing so much that I found her on IG and followed and bought her first book and preordered this book. I can't wait to see what else she writes.

Maggie has moved out of her parent’s house and left behind a series of unsuitable jobs. She is going to help her pregnant friend, Rochelle, run Cobblestone Books while Rochelle is on maternity leave. This is a small bookstore in a small town that reveres an author named Edward Bell. The bookstore is very limited in its offerings of books. When Maggie takes over and that selection becomes even more limited and starts hurting income for the bookstore, Maggie becomes concerned. A serendipitous meeting with a local romance author starts Maggie on an exciting path to help the bottom line of the bookstore and better serve the people of the town. A great story with heart and a wonderful journey of the people Maggie meets and befriends while saving the bookstore and helping it to evolve into a place that the whole community comes to love. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an advance copy of this book.

As a book reader and librarian, this book couldnt come at a more poignant space in time! Across our nation people are arguing about taking books out of schools, essentially banning youth from reading not only classics, but new books. These folk are missing the point. Books open lines of discussions and create opportunities to engage with others. Shauna Robinson gives us a quirky good-hearted book lover in Maggie.

From the author's blurb: "When Maggie Banks arrives in Bell River to run her best friend's struggling bookstore, she expects to sell bestsellers to her small-town clientele. But running a bookstore in a town with a famously bookish history isn't easy. Bell River's literary society insists on keeping the bookstore stuck in the past, and Maggie is banned from selling anything written this century. So, when a series of mishaps suddenly tip the bookstore toward ruin, Maggie will have to get creative to keep the shop afloat.

And in Maggie's world, book rules are made to be broken.

To help save the store, Maggie starts an underground book club, running a series of events celebrating the books readers actually love. But keeping the club quiet, selling forbidden books, and dodging the literary society is nearly impossible. Especially when Maggie unearths a town secret that could upend everything."

I have to admit this is my second Robinson book. I truly enjoyed Must Love Books and now The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks. It's easy to see Robinson loves words and books and when you turn the pages of her books, you will too!

This book has that quaint small own feel found in a comfy Hallmark movie. Think autumn and a community coming together for the greater good. Think opening your minds to new thoughts, books and friendship. There's much to love in the Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks.

Many thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark, NetGalley and Shauna Robinson for an engaging story about trying to figure out your life and stumbling upon your into true calling.

Perfectly charming. What's not to like about a feel good story about books? It gave me all the Stars Hollow vibes

Maggie Banks is floundering. Everyone around her seems to be living their best life with opinions about how Maggie should live her life too. When her best friend needs maternity cover for her job at a small town bookstore, Maggie steps in because she has zero other plans. Why not? But she finds herself in a role with a million inane rules, her hands tied to only selling one type and era of literature. Surely there has got to be a better way?

The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks was exactly the type of read I needed. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it broke my book slump. I would say the best thing about the book is Maggie herself - I loved her mischief and individuality and the way she thought outside of the box I loved her character development.. As I read on, I became really fond of the town of Bells River too. I wanted to hang out in the coffee shop and attend the secret events.
It was a lighthearted yet inspiring read (I want my own bookshop now!).I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to fans of small town fiction, romance novels, book themed stories and feminist reads. It’s a book that will leave you will a smile on your face - and who doesn’t need a book like that?

Thank you to Shauna Robinson, Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of the book. This book is published on 1st November 2022.

This a light, easy read about a woman figuring her life out. Maggie steps in to run her BFF's bookstore when her BFF goes on maternity leave. Maggie has never liked reading, and the fact that the bookstore is part of a literary shrine to a dead white author and only carries books published before his death doesn't help matters. Through some new friends, Maggie discovers a love of rom-coms and other popular books, which she starts illicitly selling from the back room. There's a meh romance and I really struggled to connect to any of the characters, including Maggie. She indulges in some very underhanded behavior (albeit well-intentioned) and everything eventually comes up roses for her as she discovers a talent for some very fun book events (also illicit). Overall, a bit of an uneven read but a lighthearted palate cleanser, which is what I needed when I read it. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for a digital review copy.

This is part of a series, which I didn't realize when I read this. It did make sense, so it could be read as a standalone novel. There is a nice mix in the cast of quirky characters, though the pacing felt a bit uneven. It was a bit difficult to determine if Maggie's development, the bookstore, or the romance was supposed to be the main focus. Those who enjoy reading books about books with enjoyable characters and a charming setting, this is a nice option to add to your TBR list.

After not knowing what to do next in life, Maggie Banks has a proposal for a new distraction while finding her new path. The proposal is simple: Run a bookstore while her friend is on maternity leave. Easy, right? Maggie doesn't expect a very famous author, a strict literary society, and the wish to start something new, fresh and secret.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC.