Unfortunately this book did not do it for me. I could not get into the writing style as it felt like I was getting a rough summary of a Hallmark movie. It may be just me seeing that a lot of readers seem to have enjoyed it and this just was not what I would enjoy.

This is a lovely story about sisterhood, love and second chances. I loved the tight knit community and how they helped out the sisters through their hard times. There were some heavy themes but overall this book was very heartwarming.

"The Bookstore Wedding" is a short story by Alice Hoffman and the follow-up to "The Bookstore Sisters." Fans of Hoffman know that she writes beautifully, especially in exploring the bonds of siblings. This story follows the one of the sisters in her repeated failed wedding plans with a few bittersweet twists and turns and a theme of second chances.

What I love most about Alice Hoffman's books are the vivid settings and memorable characters, and while a lot of short stories don't have an opportunity to devote time to rich description and development, "The Bookstore" Wedding manages to accomplish this well. The descriptions of the baked goods in particular made me wish for an afternoon spent baking. I'm holding out hope that one day, Hoffman will release a cookbook based on the recipes in her books.

Though stories in this genre tend to be somewhat predictable, "The Bookstore Wedding" was still entertaining and made for a nice afternoon reading break, like a Hallmark movie in short story format. I'll be looking forward to future stories in the series.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Sequel to The Bookstore Sisters, The Bookstore Wedding takes place 5 years later where Isabel and Johnny have missed their wedding numerous times due to something always happening at the last minute. I enjoyed the first book more than this one only because most of this was a recap of the first book. Since this is a short story, it doesn't feel like there's enough time for a recap.

Thank you NetGalley, Amazon Original Stories, and the author for giving me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Two sisters and their journeys to find love

Thoughts: Super cute short story. Loved the message that a sister’s love is endless. My only minor complaint is that I didn’t feel the connection between Isabel and Johnny. I know it’s a short story but could have been a little stronger.

Thank you to Alice Hoffman, Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley for the digital copy.

Loved this so much. I love stories that seem simple and are simply told but end up being so complex. This was a beautiful story that made me feel so cozy the night I read it.

This short story is a satisfying cozy read about the power of love and embracing the unexpected. A fun and upbeat read, it delivered on its premise. The hint of magic in this story could have been developed and would have made it a 5/5 for me.

I truly enjoyed it was a very short story but really with the power and the notion of the inconvenience, we can’t control everything and sometimes things just happen when we least expect for good and for bad.. I loved the sisters and the way they are connected to the bookstore, how Isabel
Just wanted her right moment with Johnny and how he found a way to give her

The Bookstore Wedding is a cute short story with a hidden meaning. Loved how much emotion was put in so few pages. Love between sisters, family, and childhood friends.

Thank you for the advance copy of this short story. Isabel returns home after her parents death. She reconnects with past love and sister. A good story showing how much you would be willing to give up for the betterment of others. I like reading short stories between novels and have enjoyed several of the Amazon offerings. Thank you again!

What a lovely short story. I didn’t want it to end, but it was perfect. I can’t wait to go back and read the first book in this series.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest in the Once Upon A Bookshop short story series by Alice Hoffman. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Isabel is finally back home on Brinkley's Island, Maine, reunited with her sister, Sophie, and her niece, Violet, as well as her childhood love, Johnny Lenox, and working at the family bookstore. But every time Isabel and Johnny set the date for their wedding, something happens at the last minute. Is their love meant to be?

I adore Alice Hoffman's writing and really like this short story series. Do yourself a favor and start with the first one - they're easily read in a sitting and that way you get the full experience. I want to live on this island and go to this bookstore and bakery. The names of the pastries are so fun! But it's the relationships that take center stage here. Can't wait for book #3!

I love short stories in general, but I really love these short stories. This sequel was so good in every way, and I love how there is an actual plot in each book despite there only being 40 pages. In those 40 pages there are character arcs, plot lines, sentimental relationships that are built, and it’s just overall the best little pick me up reads. They helped me out of a slump and I am excited to follow along with the story when the next one comes out in February 💛 (I am rating it a 3.25, just because it’s hard to rate short stories but I really did love it. I rate almost all small books between the 1-3 star mark).

This was a cute little short story about two sisters, a bookshop one of the sisters own and a wedding. I obviously picked this book for the title and saw it was going to be on Amazon. I did not realize it was the second of a series. AH did a great job summarizing book 1 in the start, but I feel like I would have enjoyed this more reading the first one. Alice Hoffman is always a go to reader for me

A short story about a woman who decided to never love and leaves home after losing her mother to cancer and seeing her father's grief. I'm not always a lover of the short story format, but this is beautiful and encompasses so much in such a few number of words. I really enjoyed it.

It’s rare that a 39 page story feels complete and it’s a sign of Hoffman’s writing ability that she makes this one such.

Isabel and Sophie are sisters who grew up on Brinkley Island. Their parents owned a bookshop on the island which they hoped their daughters would run on their passing. But Isabel, traumatised by her mother’s early death from breast cancer, turns her off from the romance of a bookshop and of love.

Enter her childhood friend Johnny Lenox. Their connection is strong and even though Isabel runs away to New York, she eventually returns to the island. I liked their friendship & relationship. Johnny allowed Isabel freedom to be herself. He didn’t suffocate or seek to domesticate her, rather allow her to thrive.

Isabel discovers how to love in her own way. It’s beautiful to read.

I received an ebook copy direct from the publisher via NetGalley but this had no bearing on my review.

All in 39 pages.

A delightful short story by Alice Hoffman is exactly what I needed after ten days of hosting six teenagers.
Isabel is back in her hometown and along with her sister and niece, running the family bookstore, and pretending she's not in love with Johnny Lenox.
As Isabel and Johnny grow close, real life, and real worries start to interfere with their relationship. This may be a very short story but it is full of heart, and I loved it.

When I saw the page count u thought oh this shall go breezily but tell me why a 50+ pages book has done what more than a 500+ could not do?
I fell in love with the characters and their close knitted community, their support was so immeasurable and their love for the family touch so deeply in me. The author explored a explained the topics of grieve and forgiveness and second chances so well I feared a bit whiles reading it.
I was so filled and happy when I was done with this book which was a surprise because rarely do short stories lives me satisfied. If wonder where a novel from the author would leave me if a short story from her was that good.

<I>“I’m sure I’ll do something else stupid, and then you’ll be angry at me again,” Isabel said sadly. “If you do, I’ll forgive you all over again,” Sophie assured her. “We can fight and still love each other. That’s what sisters do.”</I>

Thank you Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. And I was so excited that we have a second story in this cute series. I'm so glad that the sisters are back and this time with a wedding, This one was short, cute, and sweet.

Thank you to NetGalley for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this short story from Alice Hoffman!

★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ | 1/5

Although this book is an installment in a series, and the second edition of a short story collection, it genuinely didn’t matter. From what I understand the first book was (poorly) summarized in the beginning, and then everything that happened in this book felt very summary and telling not showing. I didn’t connect or care about any of the characters or what was happening in the plot, regardless of prior knowledge of these characters or not.

Isabel’s voice felt very immature and juvenile, and her supposed romance with Johnny felt weird and forced from Johnny’s end to hers, and she was like “I’m so in love.” Like girl…no. She felt too tied down by everything and then everything that happened really happened around her and she was just a character for plot purposes.