The story follows a group of reluctant readers who are brought together by a quirky book club, much to their dismay. As they navigate their differences and personal struggles, they discover more about themselves and each other. The concept of a book club for those who claim to hate books is a fun twist and provides a charming backdrop for the characters’ journeys.

Anthony’s writing is engaging and infused with humor, and the book is filled with endearing moments and relatable characters. The interactions within the book club are often delightful, and the sense of community that develops is genuinely heartwarming. However, the novel occasionally leans into predictability, and some of the character development felt a bit superficial.

The pacing of the story is steady, but there are times when the plot seems to meander, and the resolution, while satisfying, felt a bit rushed. The book’s focus on personal growth and relationships is touching, but it might not offer enough depth for readers seeking a more intricate or nuanced narrative.

Overall, The Book Haters' Book Club is a pleasant and entertaining read with a fun concept and a warm message about the power of connection. It’s a great choice for those who enjoy light-hearted fiction and stories about unlikely friendships, but it may not leave a lasting impact for those looking for more depth or complexity.

The Book Haters' Book Club by Gretchen Anthony is a delightful and uplifting read that is perfect for book lovers and anyone who has ever found solace in the pages of a good book, as it celebrates the power of reading and the people who bring it to life, making it a must-read for fans of heartwarming stories about the importance of community, family, and the written word.

I loved this book! It's well-written, enjoyable, and a great read. The author did a great job of writing in a way that captures the readers attention, and makes you not want to put it down until you're finished! I would highly recommend it!

I always jump at books about books, or bookish things, so that's why I was interested in this one. Unfortunately, it was a miss for me. It moved way too slowly and it didn't hold my attention. The second half of the book was definitely better than the first, but it was such a slog to get there.

Never take a beloved bookstore from a loving community. Hijinks will ensue and those folks won't back down. Filled with endearing characters and actual book recommendations, The BHBC is a delight of a read.

A book about a book store that is about to be sold, and the people who owned it, loved it, and were trying to save it. It is also about relationships between family and friends and the secrets we keep. A good read with lots of surprises to keep the reader involved. And I loved Elliott’s Book Hater newsletters.

I found this very enjoyable - what reader doesn't love a story set in a bookstore. Irma summons her family to tell them she is selling the bookstore she shared with former business partner Elliott after his death. Her daughters and Elliott's partner Thom have other ideas and set out to tank the deal. What ends up happening isn't what any of them expected. It's a feel good story with each character ultimately getting more than they expected.

The entire first half of the book is boring and I did not care for any of the characters. It only picks up in the last half of the book and by then I did not care. I am surprised I stuck it out to the end.

I had high hopes with this title, but for me it half way delivered too late.

Lost my interest with this one. It had such a good premise but I do suffer from ADHD and the buildup just takes forever.

I was definitely intrigued by the concept of this book but found it a bit hard to get into it. The first section of the book definitely was slow in pacing, but once I got past that and got more into the meat of the story I did find myself enjoying it more. I enjoyed the amount of humor injected in the story as it helped it move more and increased my enjoyment in it. I did end up overall enjoying the story and found the writing style easy to read even when the pacing felt slow.

Very slow start - it took me a while to get to the meat of the story. It's a humorous story and I enjoyed looking into the family dynamics at play, but I didn't connect with the characters and felt it was too long. If you enjoy reading character studies, this would likely appeal to you!

Just because a book is about books does not mean I will love it. I found this book to kind of be all over the place and it took a really long time to get interested in what was going on.

The Book Haters' Book Club is a novel filled with compassion, family drama and humor. Gretchen Anthony does a wonderful job of allowing the reader to step inside the fictional Over The Rainbow bookstore with its regular customers and fully immerse themselves in the story.

After one of the two co-owners of the Over the Rainbow bookstore, Elliott, passes away, the remaining owner, Irma, quickly decides to sell the property, much to the dismay of her daughters and and Elliott's partner. Together the group comes together to get to the bottom of Irma's reasons and tries to save the bookstore.

Overall, it is a charming novel that I would recommend to bibliophiles of any age. Thank you to NetGalley and Park Row Books for my copy of this novel.

This one wrecked me, if you were a big fan of the Guncle, this was a great read alike with humor and heart

Thank you HarperCollins for providing me with an advanced reader's copy in exchange for a review.

Irma is a bookshop owner and her business partner Elliot has passed away. She has decided it is time to sell the shop and move on to the next chapter of her life which will be retirement in Florida. Irma requests that her daughter Laney who lives in Oakland come to Minnesota for an announcement that she wants both daughters to be present for. Bree works in the bookstore and isn't looking forward to the announcement as she loves the shop and had hoped to work at the store after her mom retires. Elliot's spouse Thom is invited to the meeting as well to find out the details on the sale of the business.

I have seen some mixed reviews on this book and I can understand why as the story sometimes felt a bit slow. I enjoyed reading the book and found the story cute. It was predictable to a degree and there is a little bit of mystery and romance. The book is written with a few different points of view though I didn't really connect emotionally with any of the characters in the story. I think I would have enjoyed learning more about Irma.

I enjoyed the book and would rate it 3.5 stars. At times I wanted the story to speed up a bit. It did capture my attention and I would recommend reading if you want a feel good read that has a little bit of humour sprinkled throughout the book.

I originally dnfed this book because the first part was very boring about the ownership of Over The Rainbow Bookstore.
Thankfully after hearing from a few friends that the second half gets better I decided to give it another chance. I am happy I did, the second portion is where the bookclub begins.

2.5 stars

First of all, I would never, ever sell a bookstore if I had one. That seems like a sin.

All in all, this was a pretty good novel, but it definitely felt like it was dragging on. It took more than half of the book to even start getting to the point, and at times I almost felt like giving up and not finishing, but I really wanted to know if they'd sell the shop.

This book had a cute description but I think the execution fell short. It just wasn’t very exciting and it took me awhile to finish because there wasn’t anything keeping my attention.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

DNF @ 25%

It took too long for anything to happen and I could not get into the story at all. I may revisit in the future.

As much as I wanted to like this book from its description, I did not connect with the characters. I do not feel the need to find out what happened and so I decided to move on instead of read more.