I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this! It gave me very The Binding vibes, but with a dash of The Lost Apothecary, both of which I loved. The journey was very realistic, with just a dash of magic and wonder. I was appalled by the treatment of Opaline, but it isn’t all that different than how things actually went down, so I have to give the author credit for realness. The characters were fun and not too dim witted when it came to the obvious feelings between them (I hate the misunderstanding but really in love trope, but this one was done well), and the romance felt very sweet and sincere. I easily read this in two sittings and only because I had to work early the next morning and forced myself to put it down.

My one and only complaint is the amount of magic and surrealism at the end. I didn’t mind it, but it was very out of character for the rest of the book. Most of the book just had a dash of whimsy here and there, but there’s one large chunk near the end. I understand why it was done that way, but it made the ending chapters feel just a bit rushed for me. I still really enjoyed this though! 4.25⭐️

Books have long been a source of inspiration, wonder and solace for so many of us. This book brings that home to three strangers who find themselves in a very extraordinary bookstore. A beautiful and moving story

Women have always lacked the freedom of men, no matter what century the story takes place in. Opaline, who does not wish to marry the man her brother has arranged for her, runs off, becoming a book dealer. After further stalking, she has to flee yet again and change her name, finding refuge in her own bookshop in Dublin. Martha, escaping the abuse of her husband finds work in a mysterious house in Dublin and meets a young man looking for a bookshop that should be right there.

The unfolding of the story and the way that the stories weave together are a compelling read. The characters are flawed and well-developed.

Thank you to Harper 360 and Net Galley for the eARC!

Thanks to NetGalley, the publishing company and or the author for giving me the chance to read and review The Lost Bookshop.

Love everything from the characters to the plot.

2.5 stars.

Hear me out - absolutely LOVE the concept of this story, however the details and the storyline felt jumbled to me majority of the time. The 2 different timelines felt super confusing to keep up with, as so much was happening.

I loved the mix of historical fiction & magical realism. It’s a super special book in that way. It felt like a warm hug , but sadly I give it a 2.5 stars because I did get confused and it felt like there were a lot of plot holes (unless it just went over my head which definitely could be the case).I also was super distracted while reading this. At times I was laser focused and the other times it was not holding my attention. The last 20% of the book was my favorite part of it all!

All in all, I’m still glad I read it and I’m looking forward to reading the second book in this series!