Exciting read, I wasn’t sure at first however I’m glad I read it. The intrigue kept me reading into the early hours, that and the twists.
Harriet Main is starting to make a new life for herself and daughter Olive, after husband Jason decides he wants a divorce.
Harriet moves to Rivers End to open up a bookshop, but first she needs to find books. After collecting some books Harriet finds a diary which she tries to return, to no avail. Olive is fascinated by the diary and persuades Harriet that they should read it, only to discover it is full of clues and messages, but no names!
The bookstore helps them both get to know the inhabitants who sound delightful, can any of them possibly be connected to the diary?
You may think you’ve worked out who’s who, then something happens to make you decide otherwise.
Brock Salisbury sounded like a good friend! My favourite character was Bess for her innocence. Least favourite has to be Jason.
This is my first by this author, I’ll definitely read more.

This is a sweeping heartwarming story that takes the reader on a wonderful journey . Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity for review. My review opinions are my own.

Harriet and her daughter have a bookstore in a small town in Australia. Harriet is starting over after her husband left them to find himself. She is determined to make a success out of the bookstore and a life in the charming community. When they find a mysterious diary from decades gone by they investigate and soon are drawn to the contents and the story of the people in the dairy. A wonderful story of human emotions, starting over and connections to the past. This is highly enjoyable read that I recommend for your reading enjoyment . The characters are well crafted, the story is intriquing and the setting is charming. A perfect escape read for all who enjoy women's fiction.

Set in Australia, The Bookstore at River's End is not the first book by Phillipa Nefri Clark to be set in small-town River's End, but this one features new characters--former librarian Harriet, approaching 50 years old, and her 20-year-old daughter, Olive, who have moved there to open a bookstore. After recovering from a potentially fatal brain tumor, Harriet's husband had decided to end their marriage and his career abruptly to travel the globe to "find himself." He had purchased the property in River's End, where he had spent happy childhood days, to allow Harriet to turn it into her long-dreamed-of bookstore but didn't endear himself to her when he did so without her knowledge or input.

Nevertheless, a new venue and a new start are just what Harriet needs, not to mention what Olive needs after leaving her first year of college after a disastrous romance. The mother and daughter team find they work quite harmoniously together, each offering her own individual skills. It is when they find part of a diary from 1961, detailing three teenage friends' adventures putting together a scavenger hunt and treasure hunt for a younger sister's birthday, that the story takes flight. The diary entries ignite Harriet's and Olive's imagination and curiosity, leading them to investigate what really happened and the connection between those teenagers and members of the current River's End community. Readers should be able to put together some of the facts even before Harriet and Olive do, but others remain difficult to discover.

I like the combination of the mystery, the portrayal of the charming town, the intriguing, developing relationship between mother and daughter, and the mature romantic relationship between Harriet and an attractive local chef. The story is told in such an engaging way that I may check out other books in the River's End and Temple River series.

What a lovely story!

Ms. Clark is able to write with such vivid descriptions and emotive words; I cried and I laughed. I also got angry on behalf of Harriet and Olive. The story captures your heart and mind, sweeping you away to beaches, storms, treasure maps, mysteries, and books. Very well written tale that I can't wait to read some more set in Rivers End.

I received an ARC; this is my honest review.

Harriett moves with her daughter Olive to open at bookstore at River's end. they find an old diary and stumble on a mystery. very good read.

355 pages

4 stars

This is a different sort of book for me to read. I have always liked historical/dual timeline novels. So, I decided to read this one. I enjoyed it very much. I particularly liked the way Ms. Clark slowly drew out the backgrounds of the characters involved in the two timelines. I learned enough about the protagonists in each storyline to feel as though I knew them. I felt very close to the teen girls.

Harriet is recently divorced. She and her daughter move to a small seaside town to open a bookstore. Harriet, a retired librarian, has always dreamed of owning a bookstore. She and her daughter Chloe work very hard and make the store a success. Harriet and Chloe also want used books in their store so they go searching for some. They acquire some interesting finds, some valuable.

Along the way, Harriet meets a chef who is very interesting, indeed.

One of the used books is an old diary from the early 1960’s. It tells the story of a group of three friends who want to set up a treasure hunt for one of the girls’ pre-teen sister's birthday. They spend weeks planning, writing clues and hiding them in out of the way places. At the same time, one of the girls, Ruby, seems out of sorts. Nettie, who considers herself Ruby’s best friend, tries to encourage Ruby to tell her what is wrong. Bess is a very timid girl and is the third member of the group.

Harriet and Chloe decide to see if they can follow the clues as written in the diary. They take it slowly. Both Harriet and Chloe are deeply affected by the young girl's story as written in the diary.

The part of the book that affected me the most was the story of the treasure hunt as told by Nettie in the diary. The adventure and the tension in the story was told brilliantly. Interspersed as the two stories were, the girls’ misadventure was almost painfully drawn out. I shed an occasional tear now and then for those young women.

I liked Harriet and Chloe’s relationship, too. It was a little unbelievable and I found Harriet a little sappy at times. But all in all, it was a very good book.

A little mystery, a little adventure and a little romance, something for everyone!

I want to thank NetGalley and Storm Publishing for forwarding to me a copy of this very nice book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

A lovely story set across two time frames, linked by an old diary.
I would have loved to read more of the 1960's timeline, the snippets shared were very evocative of the time period and attitudes.
The modern day treasure hunters in the form of Olive and Harriet were also well written although I took an instant dislike to Jason and he never redeemed himself to me!
A bit of mystery, a touch of romance and the hope of redemption- what is not to love?

What a stunning read. The intertwining of then and now. Brock, Harriet, Olive and the JAM ladies all perfectly linked on the journey. A wonderful way to pass my Sunday.

I really enjoyed this novel. The author's writing is flawless and makes you feel like you are in the book. The story was easy to follow and had a good cast of characters that were believable and likeable. A really enjoyable read that I highly recommend.
❤️ Thank you to netgalley and storm publishing for my arc ebook copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

As a result of her divorce from her husband Jason, Harriet Main and her daughter move to the small township of Rivers End where, unknown to Harriet, Jason had purchased a property some years before.
The property allows Harriet, a former Librarian, and her daughter Olive to follow Harriet's dream of owning a bookshop. While Jason moves on with his life 'to find himself' after a medical crisis, Harriet and Olive settle in the small township of Rivers End.
While on a book purchasing trip, Harriet and Olive find a mysterious diary and when the owner doesn't want the diary returned, they make the decision to read it and to follow the treasure hunt that had been made by teenagers back in 1961. `The journey brings mother and daughter closer together and as much as they enjoy exploring their new town and the residents they meet along the way, there is a sadness to the diary and it has them wondering who the girls are described only by initials. As they read the diary, the hidden story unlocks a decades old mystery. Does Harriet have the strength to help heal an old wrong? And how will her own life path be altered by the discovery?
I loved this second book in the Temple River series and I look forward to more adventures in the next Temple River story.

A sweet love story. A clever mystery. The back and forth between the diary events and the present kept me intrigued. There were a few words that had me guessing. Needed an Australian to American English dictionary. Smile! Didn't read the first one in this series and don't think it was at all necessary for my enjoyment of this one. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

A well written story about newly-divorced Harriet and her daughter, Olive and their new start, opening a bookstore in a small town called River's End. I really enjoyed the relationship between the two women and seeing Harriet grow in confidence after her divorce, with Olive's support.

The story is told across two timelines, as when they discover a treasure map in an old book, they decide to follow the clues together and solve the mystery. The welcoming town they have moved to has some hidden secrets from it's past and Harriet and Olive are determined to piece it all together.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up. Thanks to Netgalley, Phillipa Nefri Clark and Storm for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Newly divorced Harriet moves with her daughter Olive to open a bookstore in Rivers End. The discovery of a diary including a treasure map will lead them on a quest that will take them on a journey of discovery.
Phillipa Nefri Clark's books make you slip through the pages unhurriedly, enjoying the story. In this case two stories of friendship, complicity, belonging and pain but also forgiveness and love. The two parts are perfectly matched and flow together with characters that draw you in.
In short, a tremendously pleasurable read for a good moment of relaxation.

This story was beautifully written. It was my 1st book by Phillipa Nefri Clark, but certainly won’t be my last. I loved the characters and was immediately invested in their story and life. It made me want to move to a small town, open a bookstore, and go on adventures.