<i>I would like to thank One More Chapter, HarperCollins Uk and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

The Lost Bookshop is a three POV and dual timeline story. The present timeline follows Martha, a domestic violence victim on the run, who starts working as an in-housekeeper for Madame Bowden. She meets the PhD student Henry, who is searching for an old manuscript and a lost bookshop, that should be located right next to Bowden’s house.
The past timeline starts in 1921, and tells us the story of the brave Opaline and her fight for independence.

This book was an interesting read. Evie Woods writing is beautiful and immersive, and I’ve found myself immediately absorbed by Martha’s and Opaline’s lives. It is worth to mention the story is full of literary references, from the Brontë sisters to Sally Rooney, which should delight all book lovers.

I really wanted to love this book but there were too many things going on on both timelines, some of them unnecessary for the story progression and that actually worked as a distraction to the main plot, which prevented me to fully enjoy the reading.
I disliked Henry from the moment we discover he is engaged until the end. I wish the romance was addressed differently, as there was no lack of drama on the present timeline.

Still, it was a lovely read and I recommend it for both Magical Realism and Historical Fiction fans.

T.W - Physical and verbal abuse, cheating

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods was a lovely summer read for me. Suspend reality and enter into the spirit of this one (!!) A very good and credible back story which highlights many of the historical abuses of women, from finance to freedoms and dignity. Strong characterisation and juxtaposition of past and present really helps focus on how far society has come yet how tenuous the advances can be. This was a very enjoyable read, peppered with literary references which I loved. Four very strong stars from me

Evie Woods weaves a spellbinding tale in The Lost Bookshop, an enchanting novel that transports readers to the heart of Dublin, where a forgotten bookstore holds the key to extraordinary adventures and the discovery of self. With its whimsical setting, endearing characters, and a touch of magic, this book is a delightful tribute to the power of literature and the profound impact it can have on our lives.

The Lost Bookshop is a delightful escapade that will captivate the hearts of book lovers and ignite their imaginations. Evie Woods transports readers to a world where books hold extraordinary power and where the ordinary can be transformed into the extraordinary. With its endearing characters, magical setting, and celebration of the written word, this novel is a testament to the timeless allure of literature. Whether you're seeking a whimsical adventure or a reminder of the enchantment found within the pages of a book, The Lost Bookshop is a journey well worth taking.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from HarperCollins UK through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you so much!

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods is a mystery/fantasy novel.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Harper Collins, Once More Chapter and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
1920's.  Opaline Carlisle,  trying to escape her family who is forcing her to marry someone she doesn't even know, ends up in Dublin, managing a small bookshop.  She is obsessed with Emily Brontë and wants to find her second manuscript.  She ends up being a really good book dealer....before her brother comes calling again.

Current day.  Martha Winter, trying to escape an abusive marriage, becomes a housekeeper in Dublin for a rather eccentric woman, Mrs. Bowden.  She moves into the small basement of the house, and books start appearing.  She will have to get over her fear of books.

Current day. Henry Field is also in Dublin, looking for a bookshop, a missing manuscript, and information on Opaline.   He finds Martha.

The bookshop....it comes and goes.



My Opinions:
This was quite good.  I like books about books, and I like books about magic.  Then I love a good mystery.  What more can I say?  This had it all.  Yes, there was a romance angle, but it didn't really get in the way of the mystery or magic.  The book was "enchanting".  I really enjoyed it (although at times it got a little wordy).

Told in multiple time-line and locales, by Opaline, Martha and Henry.  It was very straight -forward, no confusion.  I also learned a bit about a number of authors - everyone from Charles Dickens to Sally Rooney.

I loved the characters.  They were deep, and their thoughts and actions felt "real".  They were quite loveable, and you definitely cheered them on.  There were enough despicable characters to offset them....and I love that most of them got what they deserved.

This is my first novel by this author, but I will be looking for more!

Loved this book. A tough read in places due to the heartbreaking stories but also uplifting in others. Look forward to reading more by this author in the future

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods was a captivating story with a sprinkle of magic. Told in two different timelines the story follows the lives of two women who are trying to escape an abusive past and create their own lives. Opaline is my favorite of the characters. I was drawn to her love of antique books and her tenacity when it comes to creating her own path. The descriptions of the enchanted bookstore are so lovely and whimsical. I wish I could stumble upon such an interesting shop! I also liked all of the mentions of authors, shops, and published works from the 1920s. Martha and Henry have an interesting story within the story and I loved seeing them trust each other more and investigate the mystery together. The ending was done so well and I just knew Mrs Bowden knew more than she was letting on! This book reminded me of The Lost Apothecary and The Invisible Library series and I'd recommend it for fans of magical realism and honestly to all bibliophiles.

The book has three main characters and two timelines, Opaline's story starting in 1921, and Martha and Henry in the present. In the audiobook, they are all read by a different narrator which is really nice. This way, you don't easily lose track of who the chapter is about either, because the three voices are really quite different. The voice of Henry is read by Nick Biadon, an older sounding voice but a very nice voice to listen to. Martha's voice is read by Avena Mansergh-Wallace and Opaline by Olivia Mace.

I started reading first and switched to listening the next day during my walk. Then I got so excited by the three voices that I decided to listen as much as possible, if I sat down with the e-book then I also listened to the audiobook so that I was being read to, so to speak. In bed I read without listening but still heard the voices in my head which I really enjoyed.

So like mentioned earlier it's a book with two timelines, Opaline's story starting in 1921 and Martha and Henry's story in the present. Opaline is forced to marry off by her older brother, who has been the man of the house since the death of their father, and who has returned wounded from WW1. She refuses this and runs away. To pay for her flight, she sells a very special book. She flees to Paris and, after some wandering, ends up working at an English bookshop that actually exists. Shakespeare and company, although it did not have that name at the time.

Along with this story you follow the story of Martha who flees her abusive husband and ends up in Dublin. In Dublin we also follow Henry's story who is searching for a lost manuscript.

Martha and Henry's story is the most magical and otherworldly, Opaline's story only so much could have taken place during that time. The stories come together very nicely towards the end, some things I definitely didn't see coming. Honestly I am not very much into fantasy books and this book did have some of that in it but contained enough historical information to work that into a nice storyline as well.

Characters = 7 | Atmosphere = 8 | Writing Style = 9 | Plot = 8 | Intrigue = 8 | Logic = 7 | Enjoyment = 9 | Score 8,00 = 4 stars

I love the lost bookshop, a book about books, secrets and mysteries! We follow Opaline, Martha and Henry and their story with a magical bookshop in Dublin. It’s perfect escapism, I really loved Opaline, her story was heartbreaking but she showed such strength and hope. A little bit of magic, a lot of books and three interesting and loveable main characters and of course a beautiful bookshop in Dublin, there is much to enjoy and savour in this charming book.

A book about books and a bookshop is just about perfect for a bookworm like me. Everything about this book is magical - the writing, the characters and the feeling of hope when all is lost.
I loved learning more about the lives of Opaline, Martha and Henry. With each chapter allowing their voices to be heard, we were truly blessed to understand their actions and thoughts.
I loved the connections between their stories and felt this love of books and reading really strongly throughout the whole read. A great promoter of the
‘magical-ness’ of books and reading

A lot of people loved this book, and I can see why. The whimsical, bookish magic was charming, as was the historical setting of one of the book's two timelines.

But I just couldn't get into it. Three points of view felt like too many to me, and although the short chapters kept the pages moving, they also kept me from getting fully invested in any one character's story. I was interested in the mystery of the bookshop and in uncovering the connection between the book's two timelines.

All of the characters have difficult family backgrounds, and I found the sections on their past and ongoing trauma (which wasn't mentioned in the blurb) difficult to read and out of keeping with the tone of the rest of the book. Two-thirds of the way through, one character was the victim of a particularly upsetting bit of abuse, and because of this - as well as my lack of investment in the characters - I put the book down entirely. I'm sure I missed out on a delightful ending, but this was not the right book for me.

Any book about a bookstore gets my attention. Opaline, Martha and Henry live in different times in Dublin. but they are looking for the same thing - a lost manuscript of a second novel by Emily Bronte. There's also a disappearing bookshop in the mix. Both Opaline and Martha were abused by men in their families; women were secondary to the men's desires and lives so they had to be kept in their place. But some women could not be kept down and kept rising to their potential.
I found this book hard to get into at first with the chapters alternating among the points of view of Opaline, Martha, and Henry. While I liked the trajectory of the story, I found I could not identify with any of the characters. I understood their love of books and the way books could allow them to get to know people from the past. However, there was little that differentiated one character from another. The peripheral characters were more real than the central characters - Armand. Madame Bowden, Lyndon, Shane, Sylvia were more alive than Opaline, Martha, and Henry. The magic was almost believable but it was confined to Ha'penny Lane and it drew in the people it wanted there. I wasn't ever sure who Madame Bowden was but she was always there when needed.
thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of this book; the opinions are all mine.

In this delightful dual-timeline novel, Opaline, Martha and Henry are all characters in the same story. You see, on a quiet Dublin street there is supposed to be bookshop. Sometimes it shows itself, if it feels the person is worthy, but mostly it remains hidden. Henry is obsessed with finding the bookshop, and a manuscript that he believes resides inside. Martha has escaped an abusive husband and has taken a job as a housekeeper at the residence where the bookshop should be. She and Henry strike up a friendship, tentative at first, but one that scares both of them the more intense their feelings become. The other timeline began back in 1921 with Opaline, who escaped an angry and abusive older brother who was determined to marry her off without her consent. She eventually winds up at the bookshop where she works and lives. All three lives intersect in an unexpected way.

This book was absolutely delightful. It was a perfect marriage of historical fiction and fantasy. The fantasy part was whimsical and the historical fiction part was in turns interesting and horrifying. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can not sing it's praises enough to do it justice. I highly recommend this book for anyone, whether you love historical fiction, fantasy, or just love a good story.

The Lost Bookshop was a magical story (literally) about finding one’s place in the world.

Set in Dublin it is the story of Opaline, Martha and Henry. Opaline’s story opens in 1921 when she flees her controlling brother who is trying to force her into an unwanted marriage, Opaline has a great love of books, instilled in her by her father, She flees to Paris and gets a job at the Shakespeare and company bookshop, a mecca of the famous writers of the time such as Hemingway and Joyce, When her brother tracks her down to Paris, Opaline escapes to Dublin with the help of James Joyce and her lover Armand Hassan. Once in Dublin Opaline takes over an abandoned. Curio shop that just might be magical. She turns it into her dream bookshop, but then tragedy strikes in the form of her brother and all seems lost.

In the present is Martha who has escaped an abusive husband for Dublin. Here she becomes the live in housekeeper for the odd Madame Bowden. Henry is a somewhat failed scholar who comes looking for the Lost Bookshop which according to his maps is located right where the Georgian house that Martha and Mrs. Bowden inhabit. How can that be? How can a shop just disappear? Martha and Henry work together to find out what happened to Opaline and the book shop. There is tragedy, love, mystery, magic and a possible missing manuscript penned by Emily Bronte.

This was an enchanting book, I enjoyed the story and look forward to more books from this author.

Thanks to Netgalley, Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and the author for the chance to read and review this book.

Don’t quite know how to describe this book. Sad and happy historical with May threads. A book I read much quicker than I normally read. Not my usual genre but I loved it.

A fabulous read- perfect for lovers of historical fiction and book lovers alike. An emotional rollercoaster in the best kind of way.

A beautiful book set in two time periods. It tells the stories of two women, Martha and Opaline. Their stories inevitably link up but I won't spoil it by saying how. The book is held together throughout by the search for a supposed second book written by Emily Brontë and a good helping of magic. A lovely book which I thoroughly enjoyed reading. Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK One Last Chapter for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was actually a 4.5* read. A beautiful and magical story, which took me through a range of emotions. I would definitely recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Full of literary and socio-political references, it's a lyrically written timeslip tale in two timelines from three viewpoints. It charts the story of Opaline in the 1920s and, in current times, Martha and Henry. All are complex and courageous characters that the reader invests in. It highlights domestic abuse and the historical mistreatment of women by a misogynous society. The bookshop has a magical element that gives depth and mystery to this emotional story. It's an engaging read.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

The lost bookshop follows the stories of Opaline, Henry and Martha and how their lives all link. Overall, I think this is a lovely story about finding yourself and new beginnings. I really liked the theme and there's some beautiful quotes in there. It did wane off slightly for me in the second half, with the ending coming together very suddenly. I do have a few unanswered questions - but it was a great feel good book and an easy read.

"The thing about books, is that they help you to imagine a life bigger and better than you could ever dream of".

REVIEW
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC.I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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To be very honest, when I started this book, I never imagined it would take me on an emotional roller-coaster. I felt so sad, hopeful, and excited when I finished this book, and it was worth it!
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Now, let's talk book dealing, I love books and authors, but not as much as Opaline and the rest of the book dealers. Just think of them as fans who would literally do anything to get a belonging of their favorite authors. My love for authors does not even reach a tenth of theirs.
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One of my favorite things in the world is reading about characters that love books. I always feel so represented, and I loved the quotes in the book. I loved the characters, Martha and Henry, but Opaline is still my favorite. She went through so much and didn't give up.
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This book was a masterpiece and you should read it if you're a fan of Women's Fiction