I discovered Kiley Dunbar about a year ago and have devoured all of her books very quickly. I was so lucky to get an ARC of this new story and loved every second of the read. Joy and her daughter Radia head to Borrow a bookshop to upgrade the store’s tech and fall in love with more than just the experience of staying in the store. It will definitely make you cry, but it’s also got that warm hug feeling when you are done. Both male and female leads make you want to scream a couple of times, but in general I loved them and their story. The little bits of Radia Pearl’s young perspective give this story a sweet take as well. Kiley has done it again with great writing and a story that makes you want a small town, cozy life!

A cozy book to read on a rainy day by the fire, dreaming of the seaside.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A quick, cozy read. Makes me want to fall in love at the seaside.

Radia is brilliant and easy to love. Joy is so relatable, and her heartbreaking story is unfortunately all too real. And Monty. I love Monty and I want my own.

I really enjoyed this book. This was more of a contemporary literature story than a romance. I think I was expecting more of a love story than it delivered. This is the perfect book for anyone who has survived an emotionally abusive partner and is wondering what comes after. That was the underlying theme of the whole book. First coming to terms with what actually happened, learning to reframe the past, and then getting on with life after. Joy has been running away from her past ever since the birth of her daughter Radia with her abusive ex-boyfriend Sam. She was constantly afraid of Sam bursting back into her life, so she picks up and becomes a digital nomad. She and Radia traveled all over the world while Joy was a freelance tech programmer. She takes a job for the summer in a sleepy little beach town, and soon finds out there is nothing sleepy about small towns. Everyone is kind and helpful and Joy doesn't know how to cope with her bubble of safety being popped by well meaning townspeople. As the summer goes on, Joy starts to come to terms with the fact that what she endured at the hands of Sam was indeed abuse. He isolated her from all of her friends, and turned her family against her. It wasn't her fault and she slowly learns how to release all of the guilt. It also helps that there is a seriously attractive, sensitive, and kind fisherman named Montague helping her along the journey. This book did a great job of showing that you can break free from abuse, and there is a life afterwards. All of those relationships that are broken can be repaired and happiness is not a far off concept.

Not my favourite of the bookshop series but a decent enough read none the less. . .

I loved this book and the fact that challenging themes were not left out, with single parent families, and the reasons behind them.

The Borrow a Bookshop is an interesting concept and leads to so many questions between all of the characters, from the Siren's Tail to the ice-cream shop and all of the villagers and venues in between, and my favourites at the end, all of Elliot's animals.

I would love to meet Rads, Monty and Joy in another book and see where their life adventure takes them.

This is a book of love, loss and reconciliation, with lots of life questions in the middle. How to find family where you are, even if you don't want to.

This was such a sweet read! I didn't realize it was part of a series, but will definitely be going back to read the rest of the series as well. The locals and small town vibe absolutely made this book! A great, lighthearted read for spring for sure.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy!

If you love books about bookshops, Something New at the Borrow a Bookshop by Kiley Dunbar is engaging women’s fiction with a side of romance.

Something New at the Borrow a Bookshop is #3 in the Borrow a Bookshop Series but can be read as a stand alone. The premise for the series is based on a real life bookstore (see below) where bookworms can stay at the bookshop for two weeks and run it as their own.

It’s been seven months since the quaint coastal village of Clove Lore suffered a devastating flood. In the opening pages of the story, Joy (and her young daughter) arrives in the village to install new technology at the bookshop. While it takes Joy some time to open up to the quirky community, her daughter quickly makes friends. What the community doesn’t know is that Joy is running from something in her life and never stays in one place long enough for her past to catch up with her. Complications arise when she meets Monty and finds herself being drawn into the community. Can Joy stop running and make a new life in Clove Lore?

The Borrow a Bookshop Series is an interesting story because this “borrow a bookshop” concept is real! There is a bookstore in Wigtown, Scotland where book lovers wait on a list for years for their opportunity to run a bookshop for two weeks. So, part of the fun of the book is knowing that this idea is based in reality. Would you consider the opportunity?

If I were shelving this story, I wouldn’t shelf it as a romance, although slow-burn romance is certainly an element of the story. Something New at the Borrow a Bookshop is more accurately shelved as women’s fiction in my opinion. A great deal of the story focuses on Joy’s journey of running from her past, her sense of safety, taking risks, and making the right decisions for her young daughter. When I think of the romance genre, I think of a story whose central focus is the romance. This story is multilayered and romance is one layer. That being said, the story provides an HEA and a lovely, feel-good ending which is expected in the romance genre. It’s certainly understandable that many readers will consider this a romance. As usual, I’m overthinking it! LOL

I love quirky characters, and in Something New at the Borrow a Bookshop, we have a full cast of colorful characters! If you enjoy a small town atmosphere and supportive community, there’s lots to love here.

One thoughtful theme is definitely “supportive community.” The colorful cast of characters in this quaint seaside village rounds out the story. Other themes include helping others, the courage to carry on, supporting friends during their worst times, problem-solving, feeling safe, second chances, slow-burn romance, and hope for a brighter future.

Does the title attract your attention?! I fall hard for bookshop settings! I’m enthusiastically recommending this heartfelt story for fans of women’s fiction with substantial themes, for readers who appreciate happy endings and books about books, and for book clubs. I need to note that this book is the third in a series but it can be read as a stand-alone (I haven’t read the first one). This is a series I look forward to continuing!

Thanks #NetGalley @HeraBooks for a complimentary e ARC of #SomethingNewAtTheBorrowABookshop upon my request. All opinions are my own.

Joy has been traveling taking one tech job after another to try to keep the past from catching up with her and her daughter Radia. She's landed a job setting up the tech system for the Borrow a Bookshop in the picturesque seaside town of Clove Lore. She thinks it will be a chance for her and Radia to enjoy a mini vacation in between the bookshop setup.

The town brings out all the things that Joy and Radia have been longing for. Radia is growing increasingly tired of not being able to go to school like the other kids and to have friends. The townspeople slowly help break down the barriers that Joy has created. It has her questioning if it is time to put roots down and open her heart.

This is the third book in the series, but this book stands alone. If you like your romances more on the Hallmark clean side, you will enjoy this romance. I appreciated that there was just the right mix of characters but not so many that you needed a list to keep track of.

Kiley Dunbar has created such a special world that anyone who reads her novels will want to live in immediately. In this third installment of the Borrowers Bookshop, Joy and her daughter Radia find themselves reluctantly in charge of a bookstore. Radia, not so reluctantly. The citizens of the town are lovable and quirky, and while there are no big surprises or shocking plot twists, the story is heartwarming and moves along at a cozy pace.

Something New at the Borrow a Bookshop is the latest in the Borrow a Bookshop series by Kiley Dunbar. Come get transported to the small sea side town of Clove Lore in this sweet romantic story. This is Joy and Monty’s romance story. Will Joy be able to finally heal emotionally from her past, so that she can have the future she deserves before it is too late? Read Something New at the Borrow a Bookshop to find out.
If you are looking for a sweet romance that takes place around a bookshop in a small town, then this is probably the book for you.

As a book lover, any book where the storyline centres around somewhere like a bookshop or library will usually spark my interest. I thought the cover was very pretty.

This was a lovely, light-hearted feel-good story. I liked the characters and identified with them, and reading this cheered me up. I didn't realise that it was part of a series, so I would probably be interested in reading the others.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

The first thing to say is that you don’t need to have read either of the previous books in the series to enjoy this one. The wonderful setting of the community of Clove Lore and the bookshop is the same and if you’ve read previous books, you’ll enjoy spotting familiar characters. However, this book focuses on a new set of characters and can be read as a standalone novel. This time, the bookshop borrowers are Joy and her young daughter Radia. The bookshop has been closed for some months following a flood and Joy’s job is to get a new IT system up and running so it can open again.

Joy was perhaps not as immediately likeable as some of the other characters. She’s rather prickly and closed off, keeps people at arms length and shuts herself off from the possibility of friendships let alone romantic relationship. Despite herself, she becomes attracted to lovely, kind Monty, the overworked and disillusioned chef at the local pub. As I started to find out more about why Joy was the way she was though, I had a lot of sympathy for her even if I wouldn’t necessarily have reacted the way she did. However, as a previous borrower Jude says, there’s no such thing as secrets at Clove Lore and gradually Joy’s secrets come to light.

Radia was a lovely character to read about. She’s a friendly wee girl and has travelled extensively with her mother all over the world. She’s had some amazing experiences for such a young child and has a sharp mind. With her mother being so protective of her though, for reasons which I did come to understand, she hasn’t had the chance just to be a little girl, to make friends, spend time with her family, even to go to school. She is desperate to have these kind of experiences and live a more normal life even if she doesn’t really understand what a normal life is. I felt so sorry for her but loved watching how she quickly settled into Clove Lore and craftily yet innocently made such a difference in her mother’s life.

There’s the added fun of Minty trying to get her wedding planning business up and running and using an upcoming local wedding to try to showcase what she could offer. It was so funny reading about all the ideas she had whether the happy couple wanted them of not. Never mind Bridezilla, I’m sure all her wedding suppliers dreaded seeing Minty’s name popping up on their phone screens! And in the end, all that mattered was that the happy couple were able to share their day with their friends and family.

I really enjoyed this return visit to the Borrow a Bookshop and Clove Lore. It was definitely something new and a bit different for the bookshop. There are a few characters I’d love to read more about such as Monty’s twin Tom and the inimitable Mrs C! Perhaps they will feature again in future books. With drama, laughter and romance, Something New at the Borrow a Bookshop is another delightful read from Kiley Dunbar. It’s a heart-warming, uplifting read perfect for booklovers.

The perfect beach read that will be great for nestling in and feeling all the feels. I read this as a stand alone, and thought it was still just as good. I’ll probably go back and read the others in the series, so if you haven’t, don’t let that stop you, however, if you’re caught up with the first two books? You will love this addition!

I love books featuring bookshops but there's a lot more to love in this books: a clever MC who's a technical expert, issue like toxic relationships, a new story.
It's a compelling and well plotted story. Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Something New at the Borrow a Bookshop is the third book in the Borrow a Bookshop series by Kiley Dunbar, and I adore it. It is so cosy and lovely that I find I can’t wait to return to Clove Lore. Although this is the third in the series, I would say that you could read it without having read the first ones but I think you should read them all.

Joy is the latest borrower to the Borrow-a-Bookshop, as a tech nomad she has been hired to get the shop back up and running and ready to open after the floods. She arrives in Clove Lore with her five-year-old daughter, Radia. Running from their past Joy never settles down and is moving from job-to-job every few weeks, a lifestyle that she has been happy with until now. Upon arriving in Clove Lore Joy and Radia are welcomed into the community with open arms, especially by local man Monty, and her eyes are opened to the life that she and Radia are missing out on.

There’s romance in the air at Clove Lore as Minty is starting up her new wedding business with the upcoming marriage of Jude and Elliot (the main characters from the first book). Is the romance catching, not only for Joy and Monty but also some other returning villagers.

As I said earlier I adore this series, Kiley’s writing makes her books so easy to read and get lost in and not only that but they are full of hope and romance. You are transported to the little village of Clove Lore, and it sounds wonderful.

And this cover is so pretty!

This might be my favourite of the series, and I hope we get to go back soon.

Another stunning book by Kiley, and good to be back at the Borrow a Bookshop. Lovely range of characters and plot, penned in Kiley's expert way. Loved it!

I loved the first book in this series and really enjoyed book 2, so it was a pleasure to be back in Clove Lore, the little beach side town in Devon and to see that most people were still there and hadn't changed.

This book is Joy and Radia's story. Instead of a couple borrowing the bookshop, it is Joy a freelance IT specialist accompanied by her 5 year old Radia. Joy was hired to bring the shop into the 21st century and it quickly becomes clear that Joy is running from someone and trying to live in the shadow, but that's really hard in a lovely community like the one in Clove Lore where everyone knows everyone and all their business.

I loved being on this work stay/vacation with Joy and and her feisty little girl and really hoped she would find another way of living and open up to others, new friends and perhaps even romance. I loved the setting in the bookshop and at the beach and just the whole village vibe and could easily picture spending time there myself. I would have the best time ever!

This was just what I expected and needed. A cute mother daughter pair with some good subplots.

Not what I would call breezy. Dunbar had crafted a heartwarming, emotional novel which is a quick read for a holiday.

Joy is a single mother travelling job to job with her bubbly toddler, while carrying her ghosts from the past. I instantly took a liking to Joy and you can't help but sympathize with her, but be proud of her at the same time. And her daughter Radia is a pure delight. Talkative, extroverted, understanding, and childish, I found myself wishing for such a companion. Other characters are well written too, notably Patti, Monty and Mrs C.

If you're looking for beautiful scenery, a sweet romance, HEA, single parent, lovely kid, this is a great pick. Just to add, I think this books reads pretty well as a standalone, so you needn't read the entire series.

This was my first book by Kiley Dunbar, but I am in love with her writing style and ideas. I hundred percent recommend Something New at the Borrow a Bookshop and can't wait to read more by the author.

I have not read the first two entries in this series, but enjoyed meeting the characters from the previous books. Set in lovely Clove Lore, the premise of being able to rent or borrow the bookshop for a few weeks is a unique premise. This is just what Joy and her five-year-old daughter, Radia are looking for as they are used to not settling in any one place for too long.