I was given The British Booksellers by Kristy Cambron in exchange for my honest review by NetGalley.

This book takes place during the Second World War in Coventry, England and in flashbacks to the First World War. We follow Charlotte and Amos from their childhood friendship through the pains of first love in 1914. Time and events outside their control force the couple down different paths, but fate tends to bring them back together in ways neither expect. And the next generation must now contend with their own war and reaches much closer to home.

This book is written so beautifully that I was swept up in the history of the Coventry Blitz and the lives of all of these characters. I have read all of Kristy Cambron’s books, but this is my favorite. I loved the sense of community and faith of Coventry during such a heartbreaking time. You are really transported into this story, and care deeply about Charlotte, Amos, Eden, Jacob, and the land girls. I read this book slowly just to make my time with the British Booksellers last a little longer. A wonderful read.

I only read about a quarter of the book and DNF. I wanted to like the characters and the story but it was rather choppy and disjointed. I read a lot of books that jump timelines but this one seemed to jump without enough details or context. Maybe it would have been better in the end but I couldn’t finish.

Well this was a 3 star book for me. It is a dual time story set in Coventry, England in 1910, WWI era, and 1940, WWII era. It was a little hard to follow, but eventually I was able to understand the plot as I turned the pages. It was more of a romance than I liked, but it was interesting, and one of those curl up by the fires with a cup of tea read that is good for A rainy day. Nothing exciting, but a good story between two booksellers who loved, but lost each other due to the circumstances of the times, but love never dies, and gets another chance In this story. So I would recommend it, and I did learn about things England went thru in both wars, including using women in farming roles, land girls, and the high cost of war on communities and the men who fought to keep freedom alive, and the women who stayed behind and kept the home fires burning...but nothing that really took my breath away, but I did like it! So 3 out of 5 for me!!

The British Booksellers is the first book I’ve read by Kristy Cambron. It was such a moving saga of old friendships and new love, misunderstandings and missed opportunities, and the good things that come even through the scars of life. A split-time tale, I was pulled in and couldn’t let go to the end. I will be reading many more books from this author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions expressed are completely my own.

A tenant farmer’s son dreamed of a future with an earl’s daughter, but had to settle for his secret friendship with Charlotte Terrington, but war got in the way. Now decades later, he bears the scars of battles fought in the trenches and their futures that were stolen away. His return home comes with opening a bookshop on his own and retreating as a recluse within its walls. When the future Earl of Harcourt chose Charlotte to be his wife, she knew she was destined for a loveless match. Though her heart was with another, she pledges her future even as her husband goes to war. Twenty-five years later, Charlotte remains a war widow who divides her days between her late husband’s declining estate and operating a quaint Coventry bookshop—Eden Books, lovingly named after her grown daughter with Amos as the rival bookseller across the lane. As war with Hitler looms, Eden is determined to preserve her father’s legacy. Then an American solicitor arrives threatening a lawsuit that could destroy everything they’ve worked so hard to preserve, and mother and daughter prepare to fight back. Then their town is devastated by the Luftwaffe’s local blitz terrorizing the skies, and Amos and Charlotte must fight together to help Coventry survive.

Kristy Cambron does an outstanding job setting the scenes and describing the aftermath of the Coventry Blitz during WWII. She also describes her characters well and shows how time and change can make a difference. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read another outstanding historical fiction by this author. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in WWII.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Thomas Nelson, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in the review are completely my own. *

My favorite genre is historical fiction, but I'm quite selective. I love stories featuring books or bookstores about book lovers like me. The British Booksellers was the first book I read by Kristy Cambron. The cover and the plot caught my attention, and I felt I would enjoy it. Although it wasn't what I expected, this story had many enjoyable aspects. I loved the way the story was told in two different periods. It's one of my favorite things about historical fiction books. As a reader, you witness the development of Charlotte and Amos, the main characters. Sometimes, I wondered if Eden knew the truth about what Charlotte had faced in the past. I wondered if the truth would affect the relationship between Charlotte and Eden.

I was intrigued by Amos and Charlotte's relationship and wondered what caused them to drift apart. I hoped that they would be reunited at some point in the story. I loved learning about the Blitz, a historical event I knew little about. However, a few slow parts of the story took me some time to get into. I felt this was more of a romance story than a historical fiction. Although the story had historical aspects, it read more like a romance. I enjoy romances but would have preferred a better balance of history and romance. However, I was curious about the outcome of Charlotte and Amos.

My favorite characters were Charlotte and Amos. I also enjoyed reading about Jacob and Eden, but I felt like they didn’t have the connection that Charlotte and Amos did. In general, I enjoyed the story, and there were a few aspects of the story where I found it hard to put the book down. After reading The British Booksellers, I am excited to explore more of Kristy Cambron's work. I am grateful for the opportunity to read the book before its official release.

What an epically amazing story! I couldn't put it down!

There's so, so much to unpack here, from the main characters' shared history and friendship to their current circumstances as business rivals, to the impact of war on families and communities, and of course, to their love of books.

Some parts were hard to read and some parts were lovely. The writing is amazing as always. Amazing, amazing story!

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

The British Booksellers is a sweeping novel of a love story throughout two wars and several decades. Books about books are always an instant favorite for me and this one is no different. Though I thoroughly enjoyed this story, I didn’t like that the ARC was so difficult to read since it wasn’t optimized for mobile reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The British Booksellers is a very well told story of the time in WWII, when Germany attacked England. It takes place in the English country side, and is so alarming to be bombed nightly by Germans, near Conventry. Charlotte is to marry the Earl of Harcourt, whom she does not love. Her first love, is a local farmers son, Amos Darby. The Earl of Harcourt and Amos Darby enlist in war to help their country. This war leaves Lady Charlotte a widow. She is left to run the estate. While her husband is away, she has a baby, a girl.

She tries after many years to keep the estate in repair. But it is quite a challenge for her and now grown daughter. She has a love of books and opens a bookstore and names it after her daughter.The war continues and so do the nightly bombings of the area. Can you imagine being frighten nightly with the sound of planes and bombs dropping on your precious country. And to protect your loved ones and hope your home and your bookstore do not get damged by bombs.

This is a book with history, I feel we all can learn from this reading. Kristy Cambron did amazing research for this time period for all of us to learn. It was hard to put the book down as you wanted to learn what was going to happen to the characters as the chapters went on and on. I thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read this wonderful writing before it is published. thank you Krsity Cambron for your interest in history and writing.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson-FICTION and Net Galley for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
This is another good story by author Kristy Cambron. This story takes place during the Forgotten Blitz bombings. It centers on the relationship between Amos Darby and Charlotte Terrington. They are in love, but Amos is not of the same social class as Charlotte. Amos goes to war, and Charlotte marries another man. Now it is 25 years later, and they are both booksellers. Even though they are in competition with each other, they must come together to help the community when the bombing starts. I enjoyed this story. It was well-researched, and I learned a lot about this time in history. Highly recommend!

This is a story set years after WWI and also at the start of WWII shown as present day 1940's and flashbacks to 1918 forward.
Charlie and Amos are childhood friends from different worlds that aren't really "allowed" to have the friendship that they have due to their class differences. The stage is set early that Charlotte (Charlie) is expected to marry Will who is her match socially. Amos is just struggling as a poor farmers son and is trying to do all he can to help out his family.
There is war references and lots of sacrifices by all of these main characters and the story comes full circle when a young American comes in the picture with a lawsuit claim on the Holt estate that Charlie and now her daughter have maintained.
The book store reference is what drew me in and so there are many mentions of famous authors and the main characters love of books.
The love story kept me intrigued. The back and forth on the timeline was sometimes difficult to follow and I think there could be a little bit of editing to make the chapters a little more manageable but overall I enjoyed this book by a new author to me.

This book was pretty slow moving for me. I did like how it shifted from past to present and from 2 different POV's. The love story was cute and I liked the long time build up of it and the war aspects. I did think the book was quite long for the story and could've been shorter. Overall, I rate it right in the middle at 3 stars.

This book seems to have an identity crisis. Is it historical fiction or war or romance. While I always enjoy WW2 novels (and was particularly interested in the story about Coventry), I had whiplash at times figuring out where this book was going. Seems like sections were added to help it hang together.

Life-affirming, warm, descriptive and tender. A delightful historical.movel you will want to finish in one setting.

I liked the storyline. I think I would have really enjoyed this as a movie or even a television series. The writing style was not for me. Can’t really say why. Maybe too much of an attempt towards the lyrical?

3 stars from me.

I really enjoyed this story. I loved the historical world the story was set in, and I liked the back and forth times that the characters lived in, a similar feel to other books I've read by Cambron. I was drawn to the characters, and the overall story arc for the characters was very satisfying. I liked the mystery surrounding some of the events that kept me glued to the page.

I received a complimentary copy of this book and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

The British Booksellers was a beautifully written historical fiction by Kristy Cambron set in England during war times. The book was written in dual timelines. The characters especially Charlotte and Amos had so much depth that I felt very connected with them and the surroundings in which they lived. If one likes Downton Abbey, they will certainly love this one. I highly recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Kristy Cambron is one of my very favorite authors. Her books never disappoint and The British Booksellers is definitely no exception! It is my favorite book so far this year. Both parts of this dual timeline story are achingly beautiful filled with harrowing and difficult details of wartime life, family loyalty, romance, mystery, intrigue, and of course books. The characters and the plot have lots of depth and the story is crafted around well researched events and beautifully described places. Both engaging and inspirational it is sure to be one of my most often recommended books.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the opportunity to read for my honest review.

The British Booksellers
by Kristy Cambron
Pub Date: April 9, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Inspired by real accounts of the Forgotten Blitz bombings, The British Booksellers highlights the courage of those whose lives were forever changed by war—and the stories that bind us in the fight for what matters most.
I love historical fiction by Cambron and this one is not a disappointment.
Dual timeline serves this book well! The British Booksellers is filled with books, romance, mystery, and intrigue, and I was pulled back to read so that I could find out the secrets that spill onto the next war that devastated so many in Europe. The ending is so satisfying! I highly recommend this book.
5 stars

It was an ok book , but for me it was too slow and the characters did not keep my attention.. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion