If you are looking for a story to get lost in this spring, pick up a copy of the newly released The Page Turner. When Emma Page returns home following college, she’s expected to take her place in the family publishing business. The only problem? She doesn’t quite fit in with the image her parents have created for themselves with the high-brow vanity press; she would rather read and write romance and women’s stories (gasp!). In Viola Shipman’s newest novel, readers are given an inside look into publishing with a powerful ode to the power all of us have within us to follow our dreams.

I have read and loved many of this author’s books, but the first chapters felt like I was reading something different, and to be honest, I did not love it. The story had a different vibe and some of the language stood out as too modern. In the past I have felt that the stories radiated a timeless quality. However, I stuck with it and soon fell in love with the story of Emma and her family. As per usual for Shipman’s novels, the heroine has to overcome some predicament and experience personal growth along the way. I particularly appreciated that this novel was not at all a romance. If anything, it was about Emma’s relationship with her recently deceased grandmother GiGi and her sister Jess.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

The synopsis of this one is so good! I always enjoy a book about books. But…

The overall theme is girl power, let’s be strong and independent women! But the vibe was just kinda off for some reason. I wish the main character was a little more likable, she didn’t really make me root for her like I should have. And the villain…oh dear. I didn’t like the way it resolved at the end. That was not handled well in my opinion.

I read the authors note at the end and he is very passionate about using his grandmothers name as his pen name. I would really like to encourage him to use his name. The whole book is about standing up for yourself and being yourself and reaching for your goals…not hiding behind a pen name. It was odd that he used a pen name after all of that dialogue.

This tried to cover heavy topics and to be inspirational but it just missed the mark with some immature moments. However as the book says there is a reader for every book and this might be a favorite for a lot of readers.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for allowing me to read this as an ARC.

I read anything written by Viola Shipman! I love all of his references to our beautiful state of Michigan. And in this book, I loved his references to some movies, especially sound of music, which is one of my absolute favorite.
Wade rose never lets me down. I’ve read everyone of his books and they’re all of the same high-quality with wonderful characters. Absolute amazing description. And this one is no exception!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC

One of my favorite books of the year! Still coming to terms with the death of her beloved grandmother, Emma is trying to figure her life out. Her parents don't understand her, they run a publishing company for only "serious" writers. Emma has secretly written a romance novel. When she goes back to her childhood home, long hidden secrets will be revealed..

I love everything that this author has written and this book is no exception
A wonderful relationship between a granddaughter and a grandmother
and a little insight into the publishing world for the rest of us

The Page Turner was such a sweet read - exactly what I needed right now!

Emma comes from a family of writers and others in the publishing industry. Now that she’s graduated college, she’s trying to figure out her next steps. Does she follow the plan her parents expect of her? Does she uproot her whole life and move on following her beloved grandmother’s passing? Or does she forge her own way that feels deeply true to her, even if those closest to her may be adverse?

I loved reading about Emma’s journey of coming into her own. I also enjoyed that there was a sense of family mystery. Emma’s grandmother has secrets of her own. And so does a rival author who has formed an unexpected partnership with her parents. How far is she willing to go to protect her family?

If you’re looking for a sweet read with family drama and personal growth, The Page Turner is one you’ll want to pick up!

Wowowowow did I like the second half of this book so much more than the first. That's not to say that the first half was bad, by ANY means. It was just nice to see our main character working together WITH her family, specifically her sister. It made me sad at the beginning to see them all as their own islands, and it was really nice that we got that happy ever after.

Now onto the book in earnest. In this story, our main character just graduated from Michigan and wants to be an author- she even has completed her first novel already. She is navigating post-grad life. Her parents run a publishing house, but it's very "academic" or "pretentious," and she feels that her family would look down on the book that she wrote. She is also dealing with the loss of her grandmother. Then, the story turns into a sort of mystery when a very famous (infamous) male romance author starts to force/convince Emma to turn against her family and help bankrupt their publishing house. Emma and her sister need to figure out WHY he's decided to take down their family and then figure out a way to STOP IT.

As I said, I much preferred the second half of the story where Emma and Jess work together. I would have read hundreds of pages about their sisterly exploits. This book also made me want to go to Michigan, I really need to make a trek there sooner than later.

The characters in this book are well written and honest. The family is complex, but it's clear they love each other and are as real as book characters can get. Gigi (the deceased grandmother) was also incredibly present in the story, even if she wasn't necessarily there herself. Shipman does a very good job of writing about characters and places that feel so real that I forget I'm reading fiction. I also cannot tell you enough how much I appreciate a happy ending and I am so glad this book has one. :)

Campy, as in the characters are just a smidge too over-the-top. Provides and interesting behind the scenes look into the publishing world but not much else. Will be a fun read for those that like books about books. The author's note at the end is enjoyable.

“Every book is important to someone.”

Good grief. No. Just…no. DNF @ 23% and it was painful just getting that far.

The female protagonist is insufferable. God a man can’t even breathe in her presence without her taking some kind of offense to it.

I had hoped her character arc would find me noticing some maturity but nope. And how many times can you say nepo baby in the same book?? Ugh hard pass on this one.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This is a review of the audiobook.

A women's fiction novel that completely challenges both the ideas of what makes good literature and the assumptions given to Romance novels and ChickLit and all those other monikers that belittle the genre. While slower and more reflective than action packed at times, the story of Emma navigating family secrets and threats to her connections with her family - both internal and external - brings new life to these conversations and proves that every story has its place and that every genre has value. That publishing to the average reader isn't a literary sin and that enjoying a romance novel does not rot your brain...

I am a Viola Shipman fan and this book was another great read! I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Emma and her grandmother. Even though Gigi had passed away, I feel that we still get a strong understanding of their unbreakable bond. As a Michigan resident, I loved the references to various places in our great state.

The insight to a family business and the publishing industry was also interestingly woven in throughout the book. I did find the start to this book slower than I would have liked, but a little later on, the plot picked up and I became hooked.

Thank you for this ARC.

I really disliked the writing for this one. I think it was a mixture of the pacing or the way things were worded. I think the story had potential, but I couldn’t get past the actual writing to enjoy it.

The best part of this book for me was Emma’s relationship with her grandmother who has passed away. There is nothing more special than a relationship between a grandchild and their grandparent(s). I felt like I almost know Gigi.

However, for whatever reason this family drama and the mystery that unfolds among writers and publishers was just ok. It wasn’t my favorite book by this author, but I’ll definitely ready more future works by Viola Shipman.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I always enjoy Viola Shipman's novels. They are cozy and provide a gorgeous armchair adventure in various parts of Michigan. The Page Turner takes us to a cottage in South Haven, right by the beach, and immerses us in a world of books and writing.

Emma is a sympathetic and compelling character. Just out of college, she's expected to join her family's publishing business even though she doesn't like the kinds of books they work with. They (the books) are snobby and elitist, compared to the stories she grew up reading with her beloved GiGi. Her parents also have connected with an author Emma completely hates. And she has a good reason to! He reminds me of a certain person who took over a social media outlet and changed its name to a single letter, if you get my drift. I don't want to say anything else as to not spoil what happens next or anything beyond that, but just know that you will be rooting for Emma the entire time!

I could relate to Emma over being different from others in my family. I usually feel like an outlier, but for different reasons. At least I share similar book interests with my mom and sister. I love that this novel had a villain, as it added a whole new layer to the story. I don't remember many of Viola's novels having villains, although I think there was one in The Secret of Snow. I also loved that this wasn't a typical romance, but was instead about family and following one's passion. There's even a mystery aspect that kept me turning the pages, so to speak!

Overall, another treat from Viola Shipman and I already can't wait for whatever she writes next.

(Trigger warnings below.)

Movie casting suggestions:
Emma: Jane Widdop
Jess: Olivia Holt
Phillip: Justin Theroux
Piper: Jessalyn Gilsig
Marcus: Christian Bale
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TW: Death of grandparent, emotional abuse, sexual harassment

I expected to love this book as I have really enjoyed other Viola Shipman books but it was just ok!
Had it not been for the audiobook narrator being great I might have DNF this book. While I enjoyed the main character but not her chauvinistic pig boss, I felt that she wasn't perceptive in seeing what was laid out right in front of her. I figured out how this book would end in the 2nd or 3rd chapter from what was revealed to her.
I did appreciate how she was trying to help her author and publisher parents save their business from a terrible person. I just wish the author hadn't made everything quite so obvious from the beginning.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arcs for both the book and audiobook.

This was a complicated read for me. The whole first half I was going to give it three stars, it was slow to start. It was cute and good, but I didn't love it. Then somewhere half way though it turned for me. I had to know what happened next. I had to know right now!

The characters were complicated. I did not like the parents, or the villain at all. The parents turned around for me. I enjoyed the relationship between the sisters. I loved watching Emmy's dream of publishing a book come true. What I loved the most was the setting of the book, on the shores of Lake Michigan. I could almost see it in my mind.

Overall, a really good book, a good mystery!

I think this was a good book but the beginning was a little slow. As the story progressed, it got so much better. It wasn't a favorite but I do enjoy reading Viola Shipman books.

This book is half 5 stars, half 1 star, and unfortunately it's as if they were mixed in a blender and you get portions of 5 then a chunk of 1. First the 1 stars.... The plot is okay, but there's not much of a surprise it's more like, "When will this character figure out something that is obvious?" and then "When will this character do the obvious thing to do?" The "bad" guy is just bad - no complexity. The banging you over the head constantly with how women are harmed by men is just too much for something that is supposed to be a fun read. (And this from someone who champions women's rights and hosted book clubs just for that reason.)

The "5 stars" comes from some of the writing that is tender and introspective. The author writes women pretty well for being a man, but there are a few times it felt inauthentic (he uses his grandmother's name as his pen name.)

All in all I am sorry that I can't highly recommend this book, because it has some amazing parts. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC #sponsored

Emma Page has recently graduated from the University of Michigan. Her father, Phillip, is an author and he and his wife, Piper, own an independent book press called The Mighty Pages. Although the man has never been extremely successful, he still manages to impress people. Emma’s sister is a book influencer pushing her family’s books and authors of The Mighty Press. No one really knows that their money has come from his mother, GiGi, now deceased. Emma loved her grandmother and misses her dearly.

The Page family likes to boast the books they write are literature. Emma thinks that they are rich, entitled, driven and obsessed with their lives, careers and personas. So, Emma is hiding the fact that she is writing a romance novel like those that GiGi loved. She knows that if she shared this with her parents, they would scoff at her.

At a reception to celebrate Phillip’s new novel, author Marcus Flare, who claims to write love stories and not romance novels appears and pushes his oily personality. Only Emma is not impressed with him and lets him know it which infuriates him.

When both Emma and her sister, Jess realize that The Mighty Pages is not doing as well finally as their parents make it out to be, they know they have to do something to save it.

I found this story to be somewhat different than I thought it would be but I did enjoy learning even more secrets about the publishing industry that I did not know before. It was strange to find a man writing a book under a woman’s name. However, he did seem to have an understanding of women and their emotions. The lazy days at the cottage on Lake Michigan sounded delightful. Enjoy!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book hit me like a breath of fresh air. The last few books I read were fine, in the best and worst ways. Ways where the settings were interesting and the plots intriguing, I never engaged with any of the characters. Within a few pages, I was hooked on Emma's voice. Perhaps she's a tad entitled or a bit juvenile in her fights with her mother, but she is authentic. And, in reality, this book is an extended love letter to reading and the power of words to take us out of ourselves and into the community of the world. Read the summary above for the storyline. It's a good story with misunderstandings, a true villain and a redemption arc. Don't miss the author's notes at the end of the magic of reading. Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.