Cady Bloomquist has a standing Thursday night call "date" with one of the patrons of her bookstore: the elusive "Fox." Until a comical, if not stalky series of events start to take place in her small town that turns both her and Fox's world upside down.

I was in this book for the bookstore, I love to read books about books and the cozy mystery kept my attention. I found the characters charming, even the "bad guys" and as the pace picked up further in, I was hooked through to a satisfying conclusion.

This was a light and fun read with a dash of spice. Would recommend for an enjoyable spring break/summer read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Oliver-Heber Books, Kerrigan Byrne and Cynthia St. Aubin for providing an advanced reader's copy. I have written this review voluntarily, and all opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Oliver Heber Books for the eARC.

While there are aspects I enjoyed about this book, I don’t think it was quite my cup of tea. I don’t typically gravitate towards romcom style but I’ve been trying some here and there.

I loved the purple cover and title of the book. It instantly drew me to the book and made me want to read. Cady was a likable, somewhat goofy character. I liked her demeanor and personality, even if her dialogue could be cringeworthy. Her love of her friends, her aunt’s bookstore and literature is admirable. And while I don’t know much about her disability, it seemed like it was well depicted.

Fox on the other hand, could have been a great character, but I got bad vibes from his depiction. The depiction of his appearance just made me think of Herman Munster or Luther Hargreaves and then I could never get over it. He was so creepy and possessive towards Cady. I admire the choice to make him a soldier suffering from PTSD but it seemed like it took too long to get to that. Some of the descriptions of sex were so cringeworthy. I never enjoy the description of “her sex” as a body part. It’s just not an appealing description to me.

Getting immersed on a phonecall.Talking err flirting over the phone. That was hot. The connection between the two when they met. As a reader it's fun to read a story about book and a bookstore. I love the revelation, the twist. Nevermore Bookstore is a must read.

I was unable to finish this book, almost entirely due to Fox’s personality. I understand that some people love this type of control toward their partner that Fox displays early in, but I am not one or them. To me, it is less interested and caring — more creepy and controlling.

2.5/5 stars

I wanted to love this book more but sadly I didn’t, and it may in part be my own fault. Even though I read the synopsis in my head for some reason this book was supposed to be partly “paranormal”?? DO I know why I felt like this nope… no idea.

I liked that the author touched on mental health issues and invisible struggles people can deal with. Also, I mean the book was set in a bookstore so like perfect setting. The whole ordering/calling once a week and living in the woods kinda through me off ngl for the MMC (maybe that’s why I thought it was supposed to be paranormal?)
I will say I did like the reveal at the end of some serious tea…. Lol The description of the loft above the bookstore also sounds like a dream I need to live in!

I didn’t love the writing and found I kept putting the book down but overall, it was okay, and I will probably still check out this author other books.

Thank you Netgalley & Oliver-Heber Books for an E-ARC for an honest review!

This book and I did not vibe. While most of it was well written, the themes and dialogue was just something that I could not relate to and did not enjoy. Spoilers ahead.

Setting the scene in a small town, we meet Cady Bloomquist, a bookstore owner who has mysterious phone dates with one of her customers each week. She is the type of girl that is overly trusting and too innocent for her own good. One day, her and her friend randomly get high from a local weed bakery in town. They also have a “vaginal centered” shop and a dirty book club that honestly aren’t necessary for the story or plot. Oh and she also randomly has a chronic back illness? She lets some stranger practically live with her and, surprise surprise, it ends up being her phone call guy. They can’t be together because he suffers from PTSD but they end up together anyway, why because why not right? Then the authors decide to give it an actual plot in the last 75 pages of the book where the town mayor and mother of her ex-boyfriend hide the deed to her store because the late husband of the mother and Cady’s aunt had an affair. The bookshop is saved and she starts some kind of weird garden growing medicinal plants for her illness.

This book was so weird. It had no direction except for the very end. It came up with random easy answers to problems it created within the plot that weren’t necessary. Lastly, I don’t want to read about weed cookies or sexual awakenings by a 65 year old in my romance books, I just don’t.

The saving grace of this book was Cady the main character. I thought she was sweet and caring and loved how she had faith in humanity. Honestly, I think it was forced at times, but still I liked her personality. On the other hand, Fox, was a serious creep and hate that the book industry has normalized letting random strangers near and women not caring about their safety because they’re “too innocent.”

*I received an advance reader copy from NetGalley. Thank you for allowing me to share my honest thoughts.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oliver Heber Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

In Nevermore Bookstore, Cady inherits a bookstore from her aunt and small town political drama ensues over whether or not she actually owns the historical building. Thrown into the mix is her weekly call with a long time customer, Fox, whose voice and taciturn nature really get her going.

Cady has a chronic illness that puts some limits on her life but she's the kind of person who doesn't let first impressions be the end-all-be-all. She knows that our circumstances are not who we are. Fox is ex-military and dealing with pretty severe claustrophobia and other symptoms caused by CPTSD that have led him to remove himself from society and live in the woods.

I have mixed feelings about this book. For the first third or maybe even half of the book, I was massively creeped out by the stalker-ish tendencies Fox has towards Cady. Pretty much the only reason I kept reading was because I could tell that the authors were trying to tell a story about how everyone deserves love whatever the circumstances they find themselves in. And I wholeheartedly agree with that so I read on to see where the authors took the story.

However, there were details of this book that I just couldn't gloss over for the sake of the larger whole. There was a throwaway line joking about the #metoo movement and a sex scene where Cady compares her pubic hair to Colin Kaepernick hair style. Both of those were completely uncalled for and did nothing to add to the story so why they remained in the book is beyond me.

Beyond those two parts, I waffle over Fox's treatment of Cady. He constantly calls her 'woman' and is massively over-protective to, I would argue, an obsessive level. I think the book could have been a lot better if the off-page character growth and going to therapy happened on-page and waaaaay earlier in the book. I would have liked to see that change in their relationship.

If you are really into literature references, or voyeurism, this might be something you would enjoy but I wouldn't recommend this for general audiences.

⭐️ ⭐️ (2.5)
🌶 🌶 🌶

Tropes: grump/sunshine

CW: PTSD, chronic illness, combat memories/hostage, no condoms, memories of torture

#NevermoreBookstore #NetGalley

Fantastic disabilities, plus-size, and neurodivergence representation, though the cover doesn't reflect the size rep.

I enjoyed the plot twist at the end, where everything goes down in the court scene. I was pleasantly surprised by the fun and depth of this scene!

For romance, the conflict was too easily resolved for the first time the characters slept together. I was really off-put/disturbed by the first sex scene, where no conversation is had about condoms or safe sex, especially with no conversation about how the male MC has lied.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this eARC!

I read some mixed reviews before starting this book and because of them I wasn't sure I would like this book or even finish it. But I finished it! And I even liked some of it!!

This is a small-town romance but in a way a little different from what I'm used to. It deals with some heavier topics relating to mental and physical health (important!). But it still got some classic small-town romance elements.

While I enjoyed the story, the characters were sometimes a little weird. And there were quite a few cringey sentences in their conversations as well.

However, while this is different from what I normally read, it was still enjoyable, so it was more like 3,5 stars!

Nevermore Bookstore was definitely a surprise read for me. When I got to the first chapter by the male protagonist, I wasn't sure I was going to make it through the book - to be honest. But this book grew on me and I became vested in the characters and the story and I am now actually excited to read the next book in the series.

Cady and Fox are definitely unconventional - but they exude authenticity. They both faced personal mental and physical struggles that posed challenges throughout the book. The supporting characters were very well developed, interesting and added so much to the humor and whit of the story.
This one is definitely a steamy read and it might not be for everyone. But I am definitely looking forward to book two in this series!
Thank you to NetGalley, Kerrigan Byrne & Cynthia St. Aubin, and to Oliver-Heber books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Nevermore Bookstore was published on 3/28/2023 and is now available for purchase.

Thank you Netgalley, Kerrigan Byrne & Cynthia St. Aubin for access to an arc-copy in return for an honest review.

The first couple of chapters of this book had me absolutely hooked. A mysterious man with a deep voice? The flirting was just so good and a man who loves books? It had me wanting lots more until it didn't. The spying on her and being in my opinion, super creepy, especially when they have phone sex and he's watching her with binoculars... later this is revealed to be a kink of hers, but she didn't know he was doing it which makes it really weird. Disguising himself as a traveller was a bit weird, I understand he needed to get close to her. The biggest thing I don't understand is how she didn't pick up his voice. I'm sure at the beginning of being 'Bob', he changed his voice but when he would laugh, and get into full conversations, surely he would slip up, right?

I enjoyed some aspects of both their characters, separate from all the creepy behaviour. He cared about her body disease without treating her like fine china, and I liked that. The aspects of PTSD that were spoken about, were also nice to have. Seemed pretty accurate from what I know about it. I liked the flirting, the banter, and the way he was protective of her, super greatttt. I liked the best friends who had her back. I liked the small-town setting. I just couldn't give this more stars with the weirdness it gave me with his behaviour & how easily she just forgives him- gave me feelings of Joe from YOU.

I enjoyed reading this story that gave me a cozy feeling. The characters were fantastic, the swooning feeling and connection between them. Definitely an unexpected story that was simply sweet.

I’m torn with this story. I wanted to love it as I’m a huge fan of this authors historical romance but I wasn’t hooked like I usually am.

There were parts I enjoyed and parts I definitely didn’t. Finding the hero someone I didn’t connect with at all made it difficult. Supporting characters were great and the premise of the story was one I enjoyed but sadly this one wasn’t for me.

Great characters, compelling romance, had me laughing, nice bit of mystery that I didn’t see coming.

While the premise of the book was intriguing, the execution left much to be desired.

Firstly, the pacing of the story was incredibly slow. It took several chapters for anything significant to happen, and even then, the action was not enough to keep me fully engaged. The characters lacked depth and were difficult to connect with, making it hard to care about their fates.

Furthermore, the writing style (so obvious written by two authors) was inconsistent and sometimes confusing. The authors frequently switched between different points of view without warning, making it difficult to follow the narrative. The dialogue was also stilted and unnatural, making it hard to believe in the relationships between the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, Kerrigan Byrne and Cynthia St Aubin for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first sub 3,5 star rating book I have adored, and I am as shocked as you. I actually went into this one completely blind to the ratings, and I'm glad I did, because wow I really liked it? However, I understand where the criticism is coming from.

Let me just start off by saying, just like Nebraska, this book is not for everyone. Fox, our main love interest, has PTSD from his time in the army. Severe, debilitating PTSD. And Byrne & St. Aubin wrote his POV and character so well and so convincingly that it was a bit jarring and uncomfortable at times. And yes, at times, Fox had some tendencies that were a bit creepy, but they weren't simply brushed off, and Cady acknowledged them as so. I think people would've had less of an issue with Fox overall if we had seen a bit more of his recovery near the end, versus him just showing up and saying "I'm in therapy now." Like no babes, you were literally living in a cave in the woods, we need to know you're getting *a lot* of help (that you deserve).

It devastates (DEVASTATES) me that this book is rated so low though, because we get some truly amazing chronic illness rep in Cady. I nearly dropped my kindle when I read that she had ankylosing spondylitis (try saying that 5 times fast). AS is in the same family as the more well-known rheumatoid arthritis; it is a debilitating autoimmune arthritic disease that primarily affects the spine. Cady is such a strong character, and it was truly special to see her character development throughout. I was diagnosed with RA back in 2021 -- it later turned out to be a misdiagnosis, but for the better part of several months I cycled through the same fears and insecurities Cady did. I was so thrilled to see her get her happy ending, and the love and support she deserved. For as weird and out there as Fox was, you could not deny he really loved and supported Cady and was the perfect match for her.

I'm going to strongly advocate that people ignore the rating and give this book a chance. Approach it with an open mind -- PTSD can be a monster, and Fox is dealing with some very real demons in this book. Celebrate the amazing chronic illness and disability representation shown in this book. And hey, ultimately it's about a indie bookstore in a small town in the PNW -- what's not to love?!

Nope! This was definitely not for me. It really felt like I was reading bad fanfiction. I DNF'd at 15%.

<i>DNF AT 49%</i>

<b>The Good</b>
This book has a cozy air to it. Cady and "Fox" aka Roman charmed me from their very first conversation and I liked them together.

<b>The Bad</b>
The cover and the overall personality of Fox had me thinking this book was going to be paranormal in some way but Fox was simply just a creepy man. If he was a werewolf or something I could justify his behavior somehow but as a human man he just was odd to me. This book was really mis—marketed by the cover.

Every Thursday, mysterious Fox calls Cady's Nevermore Bookstore promptly at 8pm to place an order for books - and talk. Cady finds their interactions swoon worthy.

Fox is a loner living in a tent on the edge of town, but he is a voracious reader. He allows himself only one day a week to talk to Cady. That changed when he called her by accident and overhears a break in.

He decides to watch over Cady and moves closer to town. Will she figure out the "homeless" man she is helping is the same man she dreams of?

This is a quirky read that I found amusing. Cady has a very interesting way of describing her thoughts and it made me chuckle more than once. Looking forward to the next book in this series!

Ok - I was ready to love this book, as I was excited to see Kerrigan Byrne do contemporary, and it didn't quite live up to my expectations. It's not a terrible book, but the writing style definitely didn't work for me. I'll still probably read the next book in the series to see how that goes. It was nice to see characters with chronic illnesses represented.