Bell River is both a totally fabulous location for a book, but equally between the town, the Bell society, and all of the various rules in place by Ralph, I do sometimes wonder if I was almost reading about a cult.

Or at least the setting of a rather disturbing film, as there is something just so creepy about the hero worship of author Edward Bell.

He wrote his most famous book in the town, and as a result it thrives on tourism of people that are fans of the man, and thanks to the Bell Society, the bookshop in town that Maggie is looking after, it's only allowed to sell books that were around before Edward's death. So nothing recent, and predominately classics.

However Maggie who is doing a favour for a friend and looking after the shop for a few months, is a bit of a rule breaker, and well things start to get interesting. She's also just discovering an absolute love of books, and that is fabulous to see.

I absolutely loved the secret events Maggie set up, and if I was in town I would have happily gone to them, they sounded amazing.

However I never really gelled with the love interest in this story, I just couldn't really feel anything for him, and although I could see they were building a connection, it felt more platonic to me!

But other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I loved hating the obvious bad guy, and seeing Maggie develop as a character and find out what she may truly want from life is inspiring. .

And above all it is clear to me that with the two books I've now read, that Shauna Robinson really really loves books!

Thank you to One More Chapter and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

The Secret Book Club is about Maggie who's been unemployed for 10 month, suddenly encounter a chance for a temporary job at a bookstore managed by her best friend. Except, what's weird is that the bookstore only allowed a classic literature and mostly just a book by Edward Bell (the famous author who used to work at their bookstore. Hence it become a main attraction of the tourist). Maggie then having a wild ideas which is to snuck in a books from different genre and create an illegal book club at the store,

The story was entertaining and fun as you can relate to the main character, Maggie and how you just want to read more than just a classic literature. Owning a bookstore is a fun job, interact with people that have the same interest as you is a huge enjoyment. The romance is not that bad either.

However, the way the conflict is handle are quite abrupt considering the problem Maggie caused is big, irresponsible and childish. While I admire her courage and wanting to do more for people she love, she needs to think more of the consequences. Not only that, her action cause a damage to the town's images. Her character is relatable but at some part it's quite annoying.

I love her chemistry with Malcolm though. both of them are adorable. Their discussion about the books they've read is just so cute (I want to have that too not gonna lie). Overall this is an enjoyable read but the ending is quite rushed.

HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, One More Chapter and NetGalley provided an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

Pros:
- The premise
- The diverse small town setting
- Malcolm, the MMC
- All of the supporting characters

Cons:
- Maggie, the FMC
- Not enough spice

I am a sucker for diverse small town rom-coms and enemies to lovers stories. This was a very cute story - so cute that I kept reading even though Maggie, the FMC, was extremely annoying.

DNF'd at 10%. I just found this really boring and dull - I'm sure if you want something with relatively low stakes this will appeal to you, but I just couldn't bring myself to keep reading it.

This was a sweet story about Maggie, who moves to the small town of Bell River to cover for her friend Rochelle’s maternity leave in Rochelle’s bookstore. The whole town revolves around a famous writer - Edward Bell and many of the businesses are owned by Ralph Bell. Things have been done a certain way to put Edward Bell on a pedestal and Ralph doesn’t seem willing to change. I loved how Maggie quickly made herself at home in Bell River and got herself an army of friends, including the grumpy man who lives upstairs from the bookstore, Vernon. Maggie wants to make some changes, but has to do them secretly so Ralph doesn’t find out. Maggie was a loveable character and there was a sweet romance. When Maggie finds out some surprising information she does all she can to make things better for the residents. A fun read involving a small town, books, book events and friends helping friends.

Is it just me? When I see a book with the word book in the title I have to read it! This is a story about Maggie Banks and a town called Bell River where everything pays homage to author Edward Bell. His grandson Ralph more or less owns the town including a share in the bookstore run by Maggie best friend Rochelle. Maggie has come to help run the bookshop whilst her friend has a baby, but there are rules, lots of rules and Maggie soon manages to fall foul. A nice light and easy read with some great characters and a one sitting read for me.

Briefly, the best selling books in the bookshop are those written by Edward Bell. When these are removed from the shop to the museum by the Edward Bell society, Maggie is worried that the loss of income would affect Rochelle, so she hatches a plan. She starts simply just by selling a few modern books ‘under the counter’ but soon this isn’t enough for her and she starts to plan other events.

I could really imagine this small town in America, where one person runs the whole town, and nobody wants to do anything to upset him as they may lose their jobs/home. Maggie was a bit of a flighty character, hopping from job to job, never know what she wanted to do, but she was also very caring. She just wanted to help her friend and the townsfolk. She wasn’t, however, backward in coming forward in her relationship with Malcom! This was quite a quirky read, and one to be taken with a pinch of salt, but it’s also very enjoyable like being wrapped in a big warm blanket of bookish love.

DNF at 20% - this was not my cup of tea at all. Heroine is the most immature 28-year-old I have read about in a long time. The comparison the MMC makes of her to Lydia Bennet is completely accurate and likely why I don’t like the FMC. I didn’t like Lydia either. Good heart, with the brain of a teenager. She hopefully improves as time goes on, but between her comments about “musty old classics” and having zero interest in respecting her job (which was handed to her on a silver platter by her friend), I have no reason to continue reading.

And side note - I don’t like classics much either, but yikes, the tone felt icky.

Robinson's writing made it an easy read, with a good idea for the story, but I expected a little more for the execution.

The book started a little slow for me and in the first 10-15% or so all I felt was frustrated. By Ralph, Malcolm, this whole bizarre town, and with nothing good really happening to our poor FMC. But the writing was good, so I carried on, and managed to get into it soon after.

The romance in the book... I'm not sure I can get behind that. It's supposed to be a sort of enemies to lovers, but our FMC was just unapologetically into the love interest. No difficulty to admit it to herself and no bumps along the road with them. It was almost just too easy and I felt no chemistry between them. Or maybe the romance is supposed to be an afterthought and my expectations were too high.

With that being said, I loved the topics this book touched on outside of the romance. Especially about people's relationship with reading, how everyone can have such a unique experience. I loved seeing people discover reading as something fun -although again, our FMC got into reading and became.a bookworm almost a little too fast for me.

It was interesting reading the story where the solution for Maggie's "what do I do with my life" issue was so obvious (kick Ralph out somehow, join Rochelle in the bookstore, organise events, and build a community) -but made impossible due to financial constraints, which made it feel so real. Unlike the way Rochelle coddled her even after their standoff at night with Ralph and how easily Malcolm got over everything that happened.

And Ralph's reaction when Maggie found him on her way to the meeting with the journalist? Now that was the most unrealistic part. I get that characters often get redemption arcs, but not like that.

The book felt like a bit of a rollercoaster that way: I was frustrated with it, then got into it and liked it, then I was skimming and rolling my eyes again. Maggie's internal monologues got quite repetitive and annoying, and with the lack of good romance and the unrealistic-feeling scenes and reactions, I found myself just wanting to get through it.

I love books about books and people's love for them, but this wasn't it for me.

Maggie has been looking for her dream job, and every time she feels more passionate about everything but her work. She feels adrift, lost as if she cannot stick to one place. When her best friend asks for help in her bookstore in the little town of Bell River, Maggie seizes the opportunity to escape her parents. This book truly has everything for a cute rom-com:
🏡a quaint town with an eccentric community and random festivals
🤐a secret romance book club
👿a grumpy main male character and an even grumpier neighbor
🔥a book revolution

It's a story about finding your place, family, and community. It explores Maggie's perception of a fulfilled life versus her society / family expectations for her career, when and how she should land her dream job and achieve her dream life. Honestly, it was a great read, and I love books about books or bookstores; it's just so heartwarming 🥰

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my review 🫶

“The secret book club” follows Maggie as she moves to a small town to take over her best friend book store while she’s on pregnancy leave. She’s still unsure what to do with her life and is hoping working there will help her figure it out. However in this town and at the book store only classics are allowed to be sold. Maggie with the participation of all the other towns people found a book club to fight against all this. And while creating reading events and a blossoming of a new relationship, Maggie will have to figure out how to make the rest of the town see that books can’t be banned based on genre or publication date.

I was very drawn to this book based on the plot, it was very endearing seeing Maggie go from being lost to finally finding her place and dream. The cast of secondary characters were great, too. I was not 100% sold on the romance. I didn’t feel like it was necessary and it kind of ruined the ending for me.

Also the conflict at the end wasn’t really handled just brushed to the side, the “villain” of this story just changing his mind at the end wasn’t really how I envisioned this to end, considering how obsessed he was.

Thank you to NetGalley and One More chapter for allowing me to read this book.

“The Secret Book Club” - Shauna Robinson

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Summary: Maggie Banks is unemployed, back living in her parent’s house and feels like she is aimless, so when she gets the opportunity to go and work in her best friend’s bookstore for a few months, she takes it. However, when Maggie arrives in Bell River, and reaches Cobblestone Books, she realises the place appears to be a shrine for an author called Edward Bell, and the bookstore only sells books which were published before a certain date. After some time and mishaps, Maggie decides to run a secret book club, and accidentally stumbles upon a secret.

💭Thoughts:
I received this ARC from NetGalley and One More Chapter; thank you!

This is very different from what I usually read, but I did enjoy it. I felt a connection with Maggie, as someone who has been struggling to find a purpose within the workforce, and feeling like I have no clue what I am doing. Maggie is constantly feeling like a failure in life, and so when everything goes wrong in the shop, this adds pressure for her to try and salvage any profits for the bookshop. Malcolm, the love interest, was sweet, and I enjoyed how he slowly came out of his shell.

This was a quick read; but, it was more because I couldn’t put it down. I wanted to know what Maggie was going to do next, and how she was going to pull off her secret events, and her book club. The book showed how great it can be in a book loving community, which I enjoyed reading, and how being able to read different voices and genres can really open someone up to enjoy reading again.

This was a fun and fluffy read.

I wish the author luck for when it gets published (18th January 2024), and thanks again to NetGalley and One More Chapter!

A pleasant and inviting read by Shauna Robinson - Maggie Banks, a young woman who is struggling with her adulthood identity is given the opportunity to manage a bookshop while her best friend is developing a family. While this sounds like a dreamy arrangement, things are not as she initially planned.

A novel with book-related humour, challenges, growth and a few things to make you smile.

A big thank you to HarperCollins UK One More Chapter and NetGalley for giving me early access to 'The Secret Book' Club for the chance of an honest review. Publication date is 18th Jan 2024.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy of this book to review.

I really enjoyed reading this book - the concept was super interesting and having a FMC that resembles me so much was really nice to see. I too have no clue what I am doing in life.

I do feel like the book tied up things relatively quickly and felt a little rushed - the last 15% of plot flashed by me and we were at the ending. So I do wish it were a smidge longer.

And a final PSA, can I have a Malcom? Please and thank you. He was honestly my favourite character and I absolutely adored his and the main characters interactions

I definitely recommend this book for a light cosy read.

A book about books, a bookstore, and a secret book club.

Maggie moved to Bell River to help her best friend Rochelle run a bookstore, Cobblestone Books. Cobblestone Books doesn’t sell anything; it only sells classics, and the bookstore is struggling to make profits. To boost sales, she comes up with an idea, but she has to hide it from Rochelle and the director of Bell River’s Society.

Maggie was clueless about what she wanted for herself. Maggie is a character with a bright and friendly personality, and she can bring people together. She was a non-reader, but after meeting a romance author, she started reading and realised Cobblestone Store needed to sell books other than classics to make a profit. She gathered people to run a book club secretly.

Maggie’s friendship with Bell River’s people was sweet; she trusted them with her secret book club. They all trusted Maggie and didn’t doubt her intentions.

The only problem was that she tried to hide her book club from Rochelle; otherwise, I loved their friendship.

The Secret Book Club is a fun and light read.

How does a bookshop that only sells books published before 1935 survive? Well, by promoting the odd man after whom the town of Bell River is named. Maggie's been adrift since college and when her friend Rochelle asks her to help out at the store while she's pregnant, she takes the offer thinking it will allow her a few months to think. This is very much a "it takes a village" novel combined with an unusual romance not only between two people but with books. Maggie, after meeting a romance novel, starts selling romances and detective novels out of the back room and then, in a burst of inspiration, starts a highly successful covert gathering where an author gives a new take on one of the classics- imagine Moby Dick reconceived as a steamy one. One problem- not only Ralph, the villain who is the head of the Bell Society which controls the activities of most of the shops in town, but also Malcolm, the hot guy who works for him. Maggie and Malcolm have serious chemistry but can their relationship survive when Maggie starts poking into the truth of Bell's life? I liked this for the layers, for the back and forth between Maggie and Malcom, and for the generally good spirit. And, it wasn't what I expected. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

In this book we are introduced to Maggie who is taking over her friend Rochelle's bookshop in Bell River, a small town built upon the legacy of turn of the century author Edward Bell.

However, she quickly realises that the town isn't quite what it seems and Maggie starts to run clandestine book events at the shop which eventually opens a can of worms.

I thought this was a fun read, although I thought the ending was too 'tidy' and sort of spoiled it a little.

But all in all, a good read.

Books set in bookshops are always going to be on my reading list, and this was another fun story to add to the mix! And in Maggie, the author has created a character who is really relatable and really fun to read about!

Maggie finds herself filling in for a friend while she's on maternity leave, and so she's taking over the local bookshop but it's a shop with a difference as it's focused on the local hero 'Edward Bell'. Which means a very restricted sales list! this really bothers Maggie as her time is spent watching people walk past, or visit the shop and buying nothing! So she goes on a secret mission to overhaul the fortunes of the bookstore!

I love how she picked up on what books sell in the world and centres the shop around the most successful genres - despite the snobbery of the owners! She's never really settled in a job before and found herself almost drifting through life, but this shop seems to spark something in her and gives her that buzz and enjoyment as she also starts up a secret book club to find new books for new readers in the area.

There's also new information coming to light about the revered Edward Bell, and some aren't so keen on his past being revealed but Maggie is a woman on a mission to right the wrongs!! Really enjoyed my time with this book and characters and something a little quirky and different to the normal bookshop offerings!

The secret book club 3⭐️ 1.5🌶️

Contemporary Fiction
Bipoc FMC
Small Town
Book Clubs for Banned Books
Town Secrets
Found Family


This was an interesting story about a woman, unable to find her place, so she offers to run a bookstore during a friend’s maternity leave. the book store only sells books from a certain time period because of a historical society that owns and runs a lot of the town. To rebel against the strict rules, she forms a bookclub and sells banned books so the bookstore can make a profit.

While the premise of the story is great, and I wanted to like the characters… for some reason it fell flat for me. Maybe it’s because of the juxtaposition of a bookseller that isn’t a reader? Maybe it was hard to believe that a small town author kept this tiny tourist town on the map? Maybe it was the FMC being (kinda accurately) compared to Lydia Bennet? Or maybe a lot of the conflict could have been avoided with a little communication and action.

Thank you NetGalley, Harper Collins UK and One More Chapter for an Advanced eReader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

So I super loved this book. The story is emotional and relatable, the narrative is impactful.

But.

Through no fault of the author I have discovered that apparently, secret keeping and guilt give me heart burn and I spent the first 2/3 of this book anxiously waiting for Maggie to be on surer footing EVEN THOUGH THE ACTUAL TITLE PREPARED ME FOR THE SECRECY PART.

That’s very much a me problem. Absolutely loved the redemption arc, the non traditional path and the love story unfolding on the page and between the narrator and the power of reading.

Really want a Catward Bell photo tho.

Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter for this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

I wasn't hooked from the very beginning, but the more I read the more the story came together and managed to keep me interested.
I found it very intriguing that the story was set in a small town where the bookstore was only allowed to sell certain books while contemporary literature was banned. At the same time, I liked how it stressed that every book is valuable and that classics aren't automatically better.
Even though I'm a huge fan of romance, I liked that it wasn't a big part of this book and that the story rather focused on Maggie and how she found a community and purpose in her life. I also enjoyed how she, as a non-reader, found love for books. Still, Malcolm was a sweet guy and I liked how he opened up and started to try out new things because of Maggie.
The conflict at the end was resolved very quickly and while I get that some people would've wished for more drama, I liked there wasn't any unnecessary one.

All in all, I'd recommend this book to everyone who's a bookworm, likes bookish themes and is looking for a cute story in a small town setting.