Written by Laura Lee Guhrke, the first in the Scandal at the Savoy series, this novel follows Evie Harlow, a women running a book store in the .... late 1800s (? I am honestly still confused at the time that this book is supposed to take place) and Max, a duke who has taken it upon himself to bring Evie out into society and give her a 'much needed' vacation.

I really enjoyed this book and ate it up. It is very sweet (with a bit of spice) and presents wonderfully complex characters, if the 'how they live their lives' day to day is still confusing. I think ANY book of this topic is going to be very vague in how-they-actually-make-money-to-live. The Duke had a complex backstory when it comes to love and society, and Evie just need to find the next challenge to conquer.

If you are looking for a Bridgerton but with one party not being an aristocrat, I think this is honestly a really great option.

Unfortunately this one fell a little flat for me. As a bookish girl that loves historical romance, this should have been something I loved. That being said, there was nothing in this story that could pull me in and keep my attention. In fact, it ended up taking me a few months to read this story entirely because I just kept setting it down and never really felt compelled to pick it back up.

Cinderella is one of my favorite princesses so this made me curious what kind of twist it could have being a bookshop owner of first editions. Everyone loves first editions.

Evie was doing what every book owner being doing maintaining her bookshop above the water making a living out of it. Max Shaw came into her bookstore with a proposition to Evie all because he made a bet that he can turn Evie prim and proper. Even though Evie was not interested what so ever she didn’t have a choice when the bookshop needed renovations due to water damage.

Max took Evie and made her something she wasn’t or wanted her to be. He taught her, dressed her, and kept her safe. The romance was brewing.

The romance was very lite. It was the first book I ever read from this Author. Her writing style is so charming and did hook me as I read the book. However I was a little disappointed there was no epilogue I would have loved to hear more of the relationship that evolved throughout.

This was a pretty cute low angst historical romance! I enjoyed the beginning and appreciated that Evie knew about the Bet from the get go, but overall struggled with the power dynamic.

Laura Lee Guhrke gives Evie a lot of agency, but Max still has all the power so the dynamic did not always work for me. It really felt like she had the illusion of choice and options when the reality is, she kind of did not! I think if I had enjoyed the middle a bit more maybe I could have moved past this, but it was a pretty hard roadblock for me.

I did enjoy seeing a hardworking woman treated like a queen though!!

I absolutely adored this Cinderella retelling from Laura Lee Guhrke, which was romantic, joyful, and a delightfully easy read. This was my first time reading LLG but it definitely will not be my last. I appreciated the way insightful social commentary was embedded into the romance here, with discussions of class difference and societal roles and pressures woven into the very swoony love story at the core. I'm already looking forward to devouring more of these!

4.5 stars

I loved Evie and Max's story! It was fairly low drama despite the bet made at the beginning of the book. Evie is smart and interesting, and I liked how she worked through the issues she faced. It was sweet, too, how their friendship and then relationship evolved as the story progressed.

Laura Lee Guhrke is one of my favorite historical romance authors and I cannot wait to continue this series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for an honest review.

I love Laura Lee. She is one of my favrote historical romance authors and would urge everyone to read her older classics.
In typical Laura Leee format, Max is a bit of dunderhead. He bets with his friends that he can turn Evie into a princess a la my fair lady.
Slowly they develop feelings over the course of her staying at the Savoy. As far as the title goes, Scandal at the savoy was a much better name for this. Overall it was a very fun read and can't wait for the other books in the series.

Overall, I wasn't the biggest fan of the book.

I really, really, wanted it to work for me, but it just didn't. Something about the whole poetry thing I could get past.

But I did really enjoy how it was a My Fair Lady retelling and the characters were very enjoyable. Writing was even and smooth and kept you engaged the entire time. I look forward to the rest of the books in the series!

- Historical romance
- Cinderella retelling
- Bookstore owner
- My Fair Lady vibes

I adored the FMC Evie in this book. She is such a strong character. Even though society tells her she should be married, she instead happily runs a small bookstore as a single woman. One night Max, a Duke, He thinks she should attend a party because she will be the belle of the ball. She dismisses him outright, but after her boiler erupts, she takes his proposition and moves into the Savoy Hotel for the season.

However, she doesn't know the society dances and Max has to teach her. The interactions between these two are witty and clever.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and will be picking up other books in this series.

I found this extremely stressful. It wasn't quite divorced enough from reality for me to not care about the things that Guhrke was getting wrong about the time period, I really *wanted* to have fun, but I just couldn't get into the book

Thank you to Forever for the review copy!

This was a fun Pygmalion / My Fair Lady retelling where a Duke bets his friends that he can turn a bookshop owner - Evie - into the season’s incomparable. I really enjoyed it once I got over the beginning. First, I was disappointed that this wasn’t a Cinderella retelling. Second, I tend to have a hard time when the FMC starts out the book in love with a total jerk, which is how this book started. But it’s always so satisfying at the end when he gets put in his place!

I always love a historical where the woman has a career, and her love interest is supportive of her working! This was a little bit of a slow burn, so readers who don’t like a love at first sight will especially enjoy it!

I don't read a ton of historical romance but the ones I have read, I enjoyed them. This is the first book I picked up by this author and thought it sounded interesting. Unfortunately, I wasn't a huge fan of this book. I thought Bookshop Cinderella started slow and it took me a while to get into the story. I wish there was more chemistry between Max and Evie.

I really enjoyed Evie and Max's story. It was just so much fun watching these two together! I can't wait for the next one in the series!

It’s the way Evie and Max really had multiple Taylor Swift song moments in the last 3 chapters. We went from 🎶meet me in the pouring rain🎶 to 🎶you are the kind of guy who should be marrying the wrong girl🎶 to 🎶part the crowd like the Red Sea don’t even get me started🎶 back to 🎶and they said speak now🎶. So obviously 5 stars and I better get more moments of them in “Lady Scandal” when it comes out!

This was a great read but I didn't love it as much as the other Laura Lee Guhrke books! This was more like a She's All That retelling but in a historical setting with two likeable MCs!

Thank you Forever and NetGalley for the eARC of Bookshop Cinderella! All opinions in this review are my own.

If you like historical romance and the movie She's All That, you have to read Bookshop Cinderella! It is full of lovable characters and I like that Evie is in on the bet from the beginning. Rather than having her seen as a poor bookish woman who needs to be helped, Evie is a strong character who is able to keep her business afloat and make decisions for herself. I also loved that we had so much of Max's inner thoughts because we got to find out how hard he fell for from the beginning and how jealous he is of her relationship with Rory. I can't wait to read more from this author!

I was really enjoying this book, but around the middle things started to slow down and I just didn't feel interested anymore. I felt like the buildup didn't really pop when I wanted it to.

This was so cute! Cinderella with a Belle-esque flair, Evie is the bookshop owner of my dreams, surrounded by rare first editions as far as the eye can see. She's an empowered and independent character, making the most of her circumstances. She's also fiscally savvy, which we love to see. The romance honestly was an added bonus here, I could have done with just a novel about Evie sans boys. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

Evie Harlow, content with her modest bookshop in London, finds her world turned upside down when Max, Duke of Westbourne, walks in with an audacious proposition. Tasked with turning Evie into the diamond of the season to win a bet, she's initially offended but is forced to accept due to unforeseen circumstances. As their time together unfolds, a connection deepens, challenging the societal norms of their era.

Bookshop Cinderella is a delightful blend of romance and societal intrigue, showcasing the irresistible chemistry between a reserved bookshop owner and a charismatic duke. The tale unfolds with warmth, wit, and a touch of glamour, making it a captivating read for fans of historical romance and those who appreciate the transformative journey of its endearing characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

I’m always up to try a Cinderella-retelling/inspired story. Marry that with historical romance and a bookshop? Yes. And I will say that I enjoyed the overall story and vibe. The two leads complemented each other well. However, I needed more tension and chemistry between the two. Everything was easy and fun to read, but I don’t think this is a story that will stick with me. I would definitely like to read some of the author’s other titles.