This is a fascinating tale where magic can touch anyone. I enjoyed how the narrative shifts across different time periods, allowing us to see the contrasts in beliefs and lifestyles from one century to the next, as well as how the characters’ lives intertwine. It’s a truly brilliant concept!

Such a beautiful, magical read! I love anything written by Evie Woods so I knew instantly what to expect. And, of course, it was right on que! Fun, magical, love,

From the start of this story, you have to be willing to suspend your belief in black and white (if that's where you function). Because nothing in this story is black and white. I thoroughly enjoyed the 3 main characters and how they interacted and how their stories were told. The mystical happenings just added to the enjoyment.

This was a fun read. If you like the Invisible Life of Addie LaRue- this is perfect for you!

I loved how the story did the flashbacks and tied it all in the end. I did not expect that ending!

This is a really interesting story where magic can find anybody. I love how the story jumps between time and we can see the differences in beliefs and life from one century to the next and how the story's characters connect together. Very awesome concept!

Lovely book with magical realism and a nice dose of hopefulness. Who amongst us readers hasn’t envisioned living in and being part of a wonderful, magical shop? Throw in Ireland and a missing Brontë manuscript and you have a delicious summer read.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

I loved this! Mystery, drama, setbacks, a love story—this story has it all. The characters are relatable and mostly likeable, except for the one who are deliciously unlikeable! The plot clipped along at a good pace and the ending was wholly satisfactory. I enjoyed the back and forth of the different timelines as well and feel it really helped the plot.

Thanks to #netgalley the publisher, #harpercollins and the author for this copy of #thelostbookshop to read. All opinions are my own.

This is a great book to read if you enjoy books about books, and books that pay respect to the book world. There are two timelines in this book: Opaline in the past, who does not want to marry and instead flees her brother and his plans and winds up working in a bookshop in Paris, and Martha in the present, who removes herself from an abusive relationship and goes to work as a house cleaner. There is also Henry in the present, who is an academic looking for a manuscript and ropes Martha in to help him look for this lost manuscript.

There is romance, magical realism, and sizeable character growth within these pages. The author did a great job of incorporating history with this book, and really made books themselves another character. This had all of the right balance and I enjoyed every minute of reading this. I even felt like I was within the story myself.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper360 for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Summary
The lives of two present day people and a 1920s bookseller are intertwined through a bookstore in Dublin that's only there some of the time.
Review

I downloaded and read two ARCs at about the same time – this book and A Harvest of Hearts – and a very faint similarity of covers somehow made me consider them together. As it turns out, one had stronger writing, the other a stronger story. This is the one with the better prose.

The writing throughout The Lost Bookshop is smooth and assured. The plot is on the predictable side, but appealing. Unfortunately, while Woods’ prose is strong, the characters are less so. There are three principal actors – a woman in the 1920s, and a woman and man in the present day. While each have different backgrounds and motivations, I found their voices relatively indistinguishable. They appear in succeeding chapters throughout the book, and the chapters are short – too short, perhaps, to allow them to settle in, initially. Because we have so little time with each, and because they all sounded the same to me – in their approach and inner dialogue – I often found it hard to tell which chapter I was in – which decade and which gender.

The problem becomes more marked because the book leans a little more toward romance than fantasy, yet I tended to lose track of who was reluctantly falling in love with whom and why. The why is often thin in any case, and sometimes forced. The fact that the characters sometimes act inconsistently didn’t help.

While Woods has clearly done a fair amount of research into her true-to-history characters, there’s less attention to some of the practicalities. All three major characters seem to generate funds out of thin air; they’re often short on cash, but somehow the magic of economics allows starving runaways to pay rent, buy stock, and immediately make a profit.

The secondary characters are also on the thin side, and often fairly two-dimensional – especially the villains. I think the book would have been more effective and convincing had the bad guys had a little more depth.

One fairly central mystery is never really addressed at all; it’s set up, but then (as far as I could see) abandoned to simply exist unexplained as the book’s magic mechanism. It’s not a crisis, but I did find it disappointing that the story pointed us toward a revelation and wrapup and then failed to provide it.

There’s nothing wrong with this book – it’s a pleasant approach to a familiar but always appealing trope (special bookshops), the writing is good, and there are some intriguing and surprising elements to it. But I did feel that, story-wise, it didn’t deliver what I had hoped for.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

This novel has enough material in it to be the theme of at least three books. Magic, two World Wars, rare books, lost manuscripts, spousal abuse and cruel brothers.
It also has two timelines and connected women in both eras. I found it nearly impossible to separate the two, Martha in the present and Opaline from the twenties to the mid-forties There is so much odd stuff and also several characters who float in and out without explanation.
worst of all, I kept getting the two women mixed up.

I hate to give up reading when I have invested hours hoping that something will grab my interest and appeal to me. I persevered and that never happened. Yet there was enough promise in some quirky sections (putting tattoos of book passages all over your body? Really?) that kept me hoping. Sorry.

Thanks to Harper Collins and Net Galley for a copy of this book.

‘If you tilt your head,’ he told me once, ‘you can hear the older books whispering their secrets.’

This story is set in two timelines, and mainly follows three characters, although there are two main characters, Martha and Henry in the present timeframe, and Opaline in the past. What they share in common is a love of books.

There is a sprinkling of magical realism as this story proceeds, a journey from Paris to London and Ireland, as well as a love of books, but there are also moments of darkness that seem to get a bit darker as the story progresses, at least for a while.

Somewhat recently I read Evie Woods ’The Story Collector’ and so when I saw this one was still available, I quickly grabbed a copy, since I had enjoyed that one so much. I’m so glad that I did. Overall, a lovely read.


Published: 07 Nov 2023

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Harper 360 / Harper360

Every bookworm knows the definition of a good book is when it’s 11:30 p.m. and you’re dosing off while reading, BUT you have to find out what happens next, so you skip ahead a little bit—JUST TO MAKE SURE that said character(s) are okay.

That being said, this is one of the best books I have ever read.

Our story begins with three main protagonists: Opaline (from the 1920s), Martha, and Henry (from present times). Opaline’s brother wants her to marry, but she wants freedom and to share her love of books; Martha has left an abusive husband; and Henry is trying to find a lost bookshop. No, really. The bookshop is gone—poof, missing in action. Readers are taken on an epic yet whimsical adventure that eventually connects all three protagonists’ stories.

Highlights:
⭐️ Dual POV chapters from all three protagonists, always in the same pattern (i.e., Opaline, Martha, Henry, repeat, repeat). I personally enjoyed this because no character was more fleshed out than the others.
⭐️ All the characters. I love Opaline. I love Martha. I love Henry. I love Madam Bowden. I love them all.
⭐️ The pace of the plot and the writing flow. It had a nice leisurely pace without being dull or boring. There wasn’t a moment when I was overwhelmed with a ton of information or plot twists, nor was I ever bored.
⭐️ The plot.
⭐️ The twists. I did not see that coming.
⭐️ Everything else I didn’t mention.

Pitfalls:
❌ The fact that I can’t actually go to the lost bookshop. I’ll be okay, though.

If you are a bookworm, you will absolutely adore this book. Go read it. Now.

Thank you, NetGalley and Harper360, for a free copy of this book for my honest review.

This book, “The Lost Bookshop” by Evie Woods was published on November 7, 2023 by Harper360. That was strike one for me, I requested this book because I was under the impression that it was an ARC of a book that had not been released yet. I was sorely disappointed to see that it already has so many reviews.
This is getting a one out of five star review from me, which entails that I had to DNF it. I just couldn’t do it. The writing was incredibly juvenile and underdeveloped. It felt like someone had a great idea for an amazing book, but absolutely had no idea on how to actually write it.
I could make an exceptionally lengthy review about all of the things that I didn’t like, but I don’t want to waste another minute thinking about this book. I definitely do not recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper360 for this e-copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

The magical realism is what drew me to this book. And it was amazing… but it wasn’t my favorite part.

At first, I couldn’t tell where the book was going. We have Opaline narrating in the 1920s and Martha and Henry narrating in the present. All three have their own issues at the beginning. Opaline is about be forcefully married to a man she doesn’t know. Martha just ran away from an abusive marriage. Henry is a scholar on the hunt for a manuscript that doesn’t even seem to exist. But how are these three people connected? Parts of the connection are very obvious and revealed right away. Others aren’t revealed until much later in the book, providing beautiful twists and narratives. But all we know starting off is that Opaline, Martha, and Henry are all connected to the lost bookshop.

Like I mentioned earlier, the magical realism was great. There’s magically lost bookshop that was run in the 1920s, but in the present-day, it’s as if the bookshop never existed. And there’s multiple things that bookshop seems to do by itself, in both the past and present, with no human intervention. The magical realism plays a large part in pushing the plot, allowing the story to unfold in the way it does. However, there doesn’t seem to be much logic behind the magical realism. It just happens, and we never know how.

I didn’t mind the lack of logic with the magical realism because to me, it wasn’t the star of the show anyway. My favorite part of this book is how the three narrators feel like real people with real lives. For the first half of the book, I just kept reading because I was invested in the characters’ lives; I wanted to see them solve their problems and achieve their happily ever after. That isn’t to say the characters were perfect. They had their flaws, but it just made them more realistic and easy to connect with. The book is written in first person perspective from the three main characters, yet all three voices felt distinct the entire time.

Then, the latter half introduced us to so many different reveals and twists. Opaline, specifically, goes through so much. Her story was heart-wrenching. As I kept reading, many of the questions I had throughout the book were answered. At the ending, we can really see how these characters and their stories are connected. However, I felt the ending was rushed. There was so much happening in the last few pages that it actually created more questions for me. I wish the ending had tied everything together better.

I had no issues with the writing; it was simple and easy to understand. It worked well for this kind of story. My favorite part about the writing is definitely how distinct the characters’ voices are. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It has one of the things I like best in any media: conveying emotion in a way that makes me feel the same emotion. This book made me feel like I was experiencing the characters’ lives with them.

This book was a book that I couldn't put down! I wanted to keep reading to see what happens. It's a cozy, mystery, thriller and magical realism vibe book. Really love the bookish refernces The story has three characters Opaline, Martha and Henry who's live all intwine around a myth of a bookshop. They story is told in two time frame Opaline in the 1920's and Martha an Henry in Dublin.

Interesting story about a bookshop that has enchanting powers and the people who come across the bookshop.

Do you like mysterious bookshops? A little sleuthing? Strange old lady’s that talk in riddles? Multi-POV? Then this is for you!

I mistakenly requested this thinking that it was an ARC but nonetheless I was not disappointed. Overall a great story that had me hooked from the very beginning. I loved the parallels between Opaline and Marta as well as the twists at the end for both of them. Opaline’s story broke my heart and I wanted to throw hands on her behalf so her eventual HEA was definitely deserved. I have more questions than answers when it comes to Madame Bowden but at least someone was taking up for Marta.

Will there be a book 2 🤔 because how are we just going to end on the manuscript is in an Irish bank just waiting to be found??

Okay maybe I’m glad this wasn’t an arc because maybe Evie will answer my questions.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper360 for this ARC! "The Lost Bookshop" by Evie Woods is a captivating blend of fantasy, mystery, and romance that takes readers on a magical journey through the streets of Dublin. The story follows Opaline, Martha, and Henry, who are drawn to a mysterious bookshop where they discover that the stories within are deeply connected to their own lives. Woods masterfully weaves elements of fantasy and reality, creating an immersive and vivid world filled with unexpected twists and turns. The characters are richly developed, and the themes of self-discovery and the power of storytelling are beautifully explored. This enchanting novel is a must-read for fans of magical realism and heartfelt narratives​.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper360 for The Lost Bookshop.

What I loved:

-The magical realism
-Believable characters
-Heartwarming journey of self-discovery

Things that could be improved:
-dialogue was sometimes a bit stilted; there were some good lines but, in some places, I felt like it was forced and detracted from the impact of the story. Show more rather than tell.

I could tell that Evie Woods poured her heart and soul into this novel. The dual timelines was easy to follow and added to the story's magical quality. I would read more from this author, and have The Story Collector next on my TBR!