DNF @ 30%

I really could not get into this book at all. The prologue was great but then it just fell flat. I put the book down and have no interest in picking it back up. I hate to give low star ratings and not finishing a book but it wasn't for me. Also, this book touches heavily on Covid in the beginning which might be an issue for some readers.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for this ARC. I'm sorry it wasn't for me but looks like other readers really enjoyed this book.

Another fabulous book from Eva Glyn. Claire is the book shop manger, Luna works at the shop but is frightened about coming out, Karmela is a professor at the university, Vedran is Claire’s cousin and other family members and friends. Each chapter is told by one of the main characters and clear to follow. The bookshop is in danger of closing but all those involved in the book club pull
Together to try and save it. Loveable characters with the backdrop of Dubrovnik past and present. Thanks to Eva and her publisher. An easy 5*.Thanks also to NetGalley.

A sequel, however not essential to read the first one, this does stand alone. We return to Dubrovnik and enjoy its beautiful streets and sights again. This time we are caught up in the lives of the Welcoming Bookshop and its bookclub members. Each person has their own story and issues to deal with. They have to band together to save the book shop, and by doing so they help each other. Engrossing and engaging, really enjoyed it

Eva Glyn is a new author for me and after reading this novel I look forward to reading more of their books. This novel is multiple stories in one. It’s has some great characters and is set mainly in a small bookshop in Dubrovnik’s historic old town. It covers a wide range of subjects but at its heart, it is a novel of friendships, family and moving forward. Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and the author for the chance to review.

An immersive, wonderfully descriptive, lovely book. You feel as if you are walking the streets of Dubrovnik and right into The Welcoming Bookshop. There’s a full year of book club recommendations that fit into the themes of the book itself. Each character has a story that unfolds with the help of their new friends in the book club. You will find yourself invested in their stories, the characters have personality and depth. One of the most interesting parts of the book was the history of Dubrovnik and the Ragusan women of the city. The Croatian War of Independence (1991-1995) is an important part of the history, one of the characters was a refugee from Sarajevo. Another minor character is a surviving Dubrovnik Defender. I have traveled through Croatia and saw the buildings riddled with bullets. This book gives insight into the lives of the people who survived.
There are other issues dealt with by the characters such as gay life in Croatia and domestic abuse from a perspective not often addressed.
Thank you One More Chapter of Harper Collins UK and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

A heart-warming story of friendships formed through a book club in Croatia. Four disparate people are the main members of the club. Claire has arrived in Dubrovnik to manage a book shop. Luna is it's sole employee. Vedran, the only man in the group, would rather hide at home, having had too much publicity over something for which he has been wrongly accused. Academic Karmela is also a reluctant member, until her skills find a use. As they all learn each others stories, through books cleverly chosen to have relevance to one another's lives, they bond. Then, the book shop is threatened with closure, so they make it their mission to save the place where they have found friendship and comfort. If you haven't been to Dubrovnik, with its old walls, narrow alleyways and mountain backdrop, this book will make you want to visit this beautiful city.

A wonderfully told story set in the city of Dubrovnik. Claire has come to live with her grandparents after suffering the aftereffects of Long Covid for far too long. Here, she has a job to manage a small bookstore with one employee, Luna.
They host a book club, and strong friendships are forged through this meeting. Karmela, a professor, is a reluctant member. Vedran, Claire's cousin, is another person who is only there to support his cousin and would much rather be back in his apartment alone.
Each of these four characters has a history they are either trying to escape or a secret they need to be able to open up about. Through the book club, the characters become closer, but not without their own ups and downs, and help one another to come to terms with their lives.
So many heartrending issues are touched upon within this book: loss, grief, being unable to be yourself, LGBTQ and religion, and all handled with sensitivity.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the whole story, as well as learning more about a beautifully historic place: Dubrovnik.
It was part of a series, but I didn't need to read the first at all, so it was a great stand-alone.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for an ARC.

I adored this book. It was just an amazing read. The main characters were so good and the story just brought me in and never let go. I wish I could be friends with these characters and live where they do. I just highly recommend this book.

What a wonderful book to end the year with! Such lovely characters-the author really gives us a group of people who are hurting one way or another and when they join this book club they find friends they never thought they would have. I like how the pandemic plays a part also as its affected me in similar ways. Makes me want to join every book club I can find! Also worth mentioning is the way this author describes the town, the buildings, the food! Beautifully done! Loved this.

The Dubrovnik Book Club by Eva Glyn is a story about friendship and how the Dubrovnik Book Club with the help of its members all working together saved the bookclub from closing.
The characters of Claire Thompson, her cousin Vedran, the employee Luna and Karmela, a professor of history all have their lives changed for the better by the formation of the book club and their friendship. It is an interesting storyline and the characters enhance the story as the country of Croatia and the country’s own history.
Highly recommended

A very interesting and well woven plot. I was drawn in immediately. The book looks at a number of extremely difficult issues in an optimistic way, through support and care of good friends.
A very good story.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins and Eva Glyn for the ARC of this book.

After starting the book, I realized that it is not the first book in the series Howeverit was written well enoughto be able to read on its own. The characters are well created, and I came to like them. The location of Dubrovnik, Croatia work as an addition element, almost another character to the book. 3 out of 5 ⭐️

After Claire has moved to Dubrovnik in Croatia to run a bookstore, selling books is not be only challenge that she faces.

Post-COVID, she must learn to feel comfortable being in the midst of people again. And when the bookshop comes under threat, Claire will need to work with a motley crew of characters - including her fellow book club members Luna, Karmela and Vedran - to protect the place that is a haven for everyone.

This is not the first book in the series, but Eva Glyn has done a good job of writing this so that it can function as a stand alone story. The characters are well-drawn and will grow on the reader. And the location is not just a backdrop for the story, but almost a character in its own right.

The attention given to accurately portraying the history and culture of Croatia is an additional plus to this book. Pick it up if you are looking for an entertaining read that will create space for itself in the heart of its readers.

I rarely give five stars but this book really does deserve it. The author has really brought so many characters together so well and told several very different stories in such a way that they intertwine perfectly. Once again Eva Glyn brings the backdrop of Dubrovnik to life making me want to book a holiday there!
Thank you to the publisher Harper Collins One More Chapter and Netgalley for this ARC

I received a free e-arc of this book from Netgalley. It's the 2nd in a series, but works well as a standalone book too since it focuses on completely different characters this time. My father was orginally from Yugoslavia so I found the locale interesting as the basis for the story which encompassed post-covid anxiety, relationship abuse, LGBTQ coming out issues, and a town banding together to save a bookstore. So there is lots going on and I enjoyed it very much. I would definitely read more by this author.

A story to savour, complete with a magical Croatian setting.

The novel had me at ‘the bookshop where all are welcome…’ I was lost in the streets of ‘the shining paving stones, echoing between golden-grey walks of the buildings that huddled together.’ A stunning array of ‘beautiful, flawed, wonderful’ characters with secrets and emotional baggage. Dubrovnik is also a strong character, wrapping itself around the characters. But the ancient city needs to ‘move on’ and the characters need to move on with their lives, thus a bookshop for ‘lost souls’ is the perfect place for them to begin. I loved the thoughtful attention to the cultural and historical backdrop of Croatia. The story is skilfully woven, and the characters are so real you care deeply about them. Mystery and romance also flowed, pulling me further into another beguiling narrative by Eva G

An Absorbing Read

I have now read several novels by Eva Glyn, but I do believe this is my favourite book. A story, or rather multiple entwined stories, told through the point of view of four characters which I found myself absorbed and carried away by.

Claire has come to Dubrovnik to run a book shop for the owner whose wife is seriously ill and runs a book club at the store. Claire is paranoid about catching Covid again after a particularly nasty bout of the disease and Long Covid too. She has to learn to cope with the proximity of others. Luna, her assistant in the bookshop has secrets and obstacles of her own to overcome. Karmela, a history professor, caught up with the past and the distant past needs to thaw and allow herself to have friends again and Vedran, probably my favourite character, has complex wounds both from the war and his toxic relationship with missing girlfriend, Didi.

When the future of the book shop is threatened all four of the main characters and their friends need to join forces to try to save it.

As the story unfolds we learn more about the past and present of these characters and their life aspirations too. The book club reading choices are cleverly intertwined with the narrative of the story experienced by Claire, Luna, Karmela and Vedran. I found myself sneaking away at all hours of the day to read a little more and was totally wrapped up in their stories.

I think this book could easily lend itself to a sequel. Bravo Eva Glyn.

A touching story about friendship, the power of books to bring people together, and finding the courage to live fully and truthfully.
Skilfully written with the compassion and insight I’ve come to expect from this author, each of the main characters is well realised and I was carried along, willing each of them to find the happiness and release they deserve. The bravery of ordinary people facing battles of various kinds is highlighted in the very different characters of Claire, Luna, Karmela and Vedran. Some familiar names from a previous book popped up and made me smile, but you don’t need to have read anything by this author before to fully enjoy this one.
Once again I was transported to Croatia by the beautiful writing. Its sights, sounds, smells and flavours made me wish I was in Dubrovnik in springtime, and not in the midst of a cold, wet British winter.

Five stars
“Good people. Beautiful, flawed, wonderful people with baggage…”


This book starts with a bang within a dramatic prologue: “Help me. Help me, please. My girlfriend went swimming two hours ago and she hasn’t come back.”
I was hooked and pulled in further by the intriguing characters who are all involved, one way or another, with a bookshop in the medieval quarter of Dubrovnik and who gradually bond in friendship.
Eva Glyn’s writing gets better and better. I love this book with substance. All of the personalities have problems and their stories interlink as they join a book club and as the story develops, they discover their own stories together along the way.
We have Claire with her “germ-obsessed head”. She needs to lose her fear of Covid; has to “recapture… joy in life for herself” – not easy in a confined space.
We also have Claire’s uncle Vedran – and I loved the mystery surrounding him that was introduced in the prologue: Didi – the missing girlfriend. What did he do to her? Is she dead? How did she die? Is he a good man? The press have massacred his reputation. Can he recover? He and his niece have become “a couple of hermits”, with their problems. Will they liberate their demons? Vedran doesn’t know if he will ever be able to “tell anyone the whole truth about how it was.” And the tension continues with this strand throughout the book. I wanted to know more… it made me turn the pages.
There is delightful Luna “who dreamed of tolerance, laughter and excitement and the opportunity to make new friends…” away from her bigoted upbringing in the countryside. Luna, the “butterfly” is probably my favourite character: complex, confused, thwarted, needing to escape her narrow-minded background. She’s frightened of her feelings. “Don’t be frightened of pain, because without it you will never know joy.” another protagonist (Karmela) tells her.

Professor Karmela Simic from Sarajevo, a Bosnian, born a Yugoslavian, now living in Croatia, studies history and the divisions of the past. Burrowing into history makes her feel safer. History is like a “weapon” for her – the only thing she can fight with. I enjoyed viewing the antiquity and architectural details of the beautiful ancient city through her eyes. She is particularly interested in the Ragusans, part of a period of history she wants to study more – the civilization that had ruled Dubrovnik in medieval times. She too has trauma in her past that has held her back for thirty years.
Rafael – a drinker and a huge character – an unlikely friend to Karmela – a fighter from the recent war. He’s not a big reader, but the book club becomes for him “a place of sanctuary” as he tries to dumb down his time as a “Dubrovnik Defender” in his younger years.
There is Ezra too – the techy geek who is a useful character in helping the club in developments that arise to thwart its future. I found him less memorable, but nevertheless, he is an important part of the story.

I love that the themes of the books the club members select for each month are in turn reflected in their modern-day stories. (Read the author's notes on this at the end of the book). “That’s the essence of a book club, isn’t it? Trying different things…” and the discussions help work out, winkle out, problems and issues all these characters have.
“So much of what should be out in the open is brushed under the carpet. It’s good to talk about these things,” says Claire.
There is lots of delicious food – savoury flaky pastry delights, fish stews, comfort food of all kinds. I need to visit Croatia to savour for myself.
I highlighted several wonderful descriptions but will only cite one as this review is already too wordy: “Greenfinches flitted between the trees, the yellow flashes on their wings catching the pale morning sunlight as the silvery leaves rustled in the gentlest of breezes.”
It’s an optimistic book – There is “love for everyone and love to spare.” I learned a lot from reading this story and I highly commend it. Five stars.
I was lucky to receive an early issue and I thank the publisher. My review is unbiased and my own opinion.

Another beautiful book from Eva Glyn. This book whisks you away to Croatia and allows you to wander through the city of Dubrovnik surrounded by the old stone walls and centuries of history.
The novel centres around an old book shop, and a book club that Claire the manager is running. Each part of the book is separated into the book club’s read that month, so you can see why this novel is every reader’s idea of heaven. The authors does a fab job of bringing this bookshop to life and even though it’s fictional, it is somewhere I am now desperate to visit and happily lose myself in for hours.
Each of the main protagonists - and there are four - is carrying hurt from their past: one of which is a mystery that needs to be unravelled, one of which is truly a tale of modern times, one is a story that sensitively illustrates the cultural differences that still exist between some countries in Europe and the UK (where the book was written and published) and one is a touching account that relates back to the Yugoslav wars of the 90’s which shows how ‘War damages us all in different ways’. Together they try and find some answers and as they become closer, the more they open up - allowing them each to face their demons and begin to live truthfully.
This book is a beautiful tale of friendship and belonging, of support and non-judgement and has history, romance, and mystery all the way through. Being an Eva Glyn book, it can be relied upon to pull the reader in deep with immersive and evocative settings and snippets of wisdom deftly, and naturally, woven in. Captivating, poignant and wise, I absolutely loved it.