I really enjoyed reading this amazing book Storybook Ending by Moira Macdonald.
A delightful story about romance, friendship, and a love of books.
This was a heartfelt and hilarious read that was truly captivating.
I thought these characters were so fascinating and well developed.
It was so much fun being with these characters.
The writing was great and I was hooked once I opened my Kindle.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Dutton for the opportunity to read this ahead of its publication date in return for my honest review.

A charming story centered around a love triangle sparked by a mix-up with an anonymous letter. The pacing slows at times, but overall, it’s an enjoyable and easy read.

This book is just a cozy hug for book lovers. One handwritten note brings three strangers together as they try to figure out what that note means for their own lives.

This book is a nice and cozy romance read! Perfect for your Valentine's Day TBR.

I love when bookish elements such as libraries or bookstores are in books so I knew I would enjoy this one.

Some parts are a little bit slower paced but I did enjoy seeing the full character development progress throughout the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the eARC!

Storybook Ending by Moira Macdonald. Storybook Ending was a fascinating story about a customer who finds a letter in her book she buys and tries to find out who is sending the letters.

I was invited by the publisher to review this book. The premise of the book was phenomenal - April is lonely and works from home, but has her eyes set on her bookstore's worker, Westley. She leaves him an anonymous note in between the pages of a book. That same book is picked up by Laura, a single mom who no longer dreams of love, who assumes the note was left by Westley for her. To top it off, Westley is quite oblivious to his own world and interests to realize what is going on with these women. Both women strike up a correspondence with "Westley", not realizing they are actually writing each other.

This story can be marketed as a romance, but its strong point is really the amazing friendship that forms between two women. This book is also about womanhood in general. I thought the writing of the author was very descriptive and brought a different element to the book - it was multi-layered in its descriptions, but also the feelings it evoked. This is one of those books that you didn't know you needed to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This one was a little slow for me, took a while to get into it but, wow, once I did then it took off. This book is super sweet and I ended up loving it. When I finished it, I was in a great mood for the rest of the day :)

2.5 stars rounded up. I loved the premise the the character growth arc for all of the characters but this was not the lovestory I was expecting or hoped for. Told in three points of views, I wished we spent more time diving deep into the characters heads and that the big reveal happened earlier so we as the readers could get to see the relationship dynamics play out as I only felt semi-connected to one of the characters (Laura) by the end of the book. There was a lot of time spent with supporting characters as well and the story felt spread too thin for the length of the story. Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC.

Romance and books and bookshops and love... yes! Yes, to all of this. Macdonald's book is full of fun and I was entertained throughout. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC. This is a cute story about a book store and customers leaving notes in the books and who finds them. At times it feels a little uneven, but I really liked the ending. 2.5 stars rounded up.

Westley (why yes, he was named after that Westley) is very handsome and he’s also very tired and embarrassed by all the attention his looks get him. He just wants to work in peace as the used books coordinator at a bookstore. April admires Westley from afar and decides to leave him a love letter in a book she drops off. Unfortunately, Laura buys the book and assumes Westley is leaving notes for her…

This is a cozy and delightful read! It was fun to get to know April, Laura, and Westley. There are plenty of characters and side plots and the author does a nice job of weaving them altogether and giving the characters distinct personalities.

Thank you very much to Penguin Dutton and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

Storybook Ending had all the makings of a book I’d love—a cozy, bookish theme and a unique premise where a misplaced note leads to an unexpected friendship. While it’s marketed as a love triangle, I found it to be more about personal growth and the bonds between women. The character development was strong, and I enjoyed watching April and Laura’s friendship unfold. That said, the pacing felt slow at times, and I found myself losing interest in certain moments. The ending was sweet, but overall, it didn’t fully grip me the way I had hoped. Still, it’s a light, comforting read, perfect for anyone who enjoys stories about friendship and connection.


Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton | for an advance eCopy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin House for the ARC opportunity.

This was such a fun easy read. It definitely fit into the "cozy" vibe for me.

I am very particular about love triangle tropes, but this one worked for me. The characters were likeable and that helped alot as well. Plus, i love a good bookshop centered story.

All in all, i think Moira did a wonderful job writing this, and pulling the story together in a way that anyone could enjoy, even the ones who dont typically like this type of trope or story. I can't wait to see what else she does!

Such a cute story about books, friendship, and love!!!!

April left an anonymous note in a book for Westley. He works at the neighborhood bookstore. Laura then buys the book, finds the note, and thinks Westley has left it for her. So then it starts the love triangle with Westley being clueless about what's going on.

I loved reading about these characters. They are funny and cute!

Thank you for allowing me to read this story!

This book was a cozy story focused on three individuals and the various people they interact with on a daily basis. The characters were well defined and each had their own unique personality. I enjoyed seeing how each character, even minor background characters, get caught up in the web of the story. As the reader, I enjoyed making those connections and that they weren’t explicitly spelled out - like I personally connected the dots so felt rewarded.
I personally felt the story moved a bit slow for my liking, and the notes exchanged between the two characters were short and impersonal. I would have liked to see more of a connection grow between them as they corresponded in the notes.
I thought the way time skipped forward near the end (via email exchanges) was clever and worked well.
For those that care: no spice, low stakes drama, mid-30s-40 main characters.

I normally don’t like the miscommunication trope because it causes me undue anxiety. However, this book did it really well and developed the characters nicely along the way. There were a few parts that felt a bit repetitive (Westley is really handsome!) but overall the book was very enjoyable and the ending was so satisfying, I’d give the ending 5 stars.

Thank you to Penguin Dutton Group and NetGalley for the ARC

A sweet, fun read. However, the author borrowed a little too heavily from the rom-com genre (not to mention a PNW author whose book I recently read and loved) plucking scenes or ideas directly from movies (or the aforementioned book) and passing them off as her own. Why not take a chance and be original instead of copying what others have already done? Macdonald is a great writer, next time I hope she has the confidence to craft a story that is 100% her own.

Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton for an advance copy of Storybook Ending by Moira Macdonald.

I enjoyed reading this book! I loved all the bookish themes and the whole plot being centered around this book store and notes. I loved the theme of female friendships and the development of them in this book. It was cute, cozy & easy to read. I wish it was a little more fast paced but overall a solid 4!

This book was so lovely. It reads like a soft blanket on a wintery evening, a craft latte on a Sunday morning, an old bookstore with your love in a rainstorm. I loved every single thing about it.

Although this book is marketed as a story about an "unusual love triangle" after a note that was left in the pages of a used book is picked up by the wrong recipient, I truly believe this is a story of found friendship and ultimately, girlhood. We follow April, a lonely and seemingly stuck remote tech worker, Laura, a high fashion, driven single mom, and Westly, the handsome bookstore employee, throughout the book by following alternating chapter POVs. The pace sometimes slowed, however, I didn't mind this because in the lulls, we were able to connect with more side characters and learn just how interconnected everyone seemed to be. The song Mastermind by Taylor Swift kept coming to mind because everything, i.e., the emails, the side 'interview' style blurbs and random interactions, all had meaning at the end.

Plus, Moira Macdonald's way of describing ordinary things was just magical. A couple of quotes that immediately come to mind to get you especially interested: "[...] with a carelessly becoming beard and the kind of gentle smile that might inspire bad poetry." "Sometimes the old building just seemed to need to stretch out its bones and make mysterious sounds." "[...] and mellow wood floors that felt a little bit soft when you stepped on them, as if years of wear had turned the wood into carpet." The atmosphere that she created in this book was charming and just so welcoming. And to the quote that made me burst into tears, "You saved yourself. I just reached out a hand."

I would certainly recommend this book to anyone looking for a book that resembles a love letter to books, found friendships and girlhood, and ultimately a story with beautiful, descriptive writing.

Thank you NetGalley, Moira and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC in exchange for my thoughts & review.

5/5 stars

This book was so atmospheric, and the character studies were so relatable and interesting. I didn’t get bored at all when reading about each person’s thoughts, feelings, and motivations, which added so much to the story. Also, the addition of emails, texts, and articles was done so tastefully and really added a lot of depth to the story!

Laura’s interactions with Westley genuinely had me giggling, too. She kept on misinterpreting his signals which was hilarious to read. If you’re not a fan of the miscommunication trope, this book might not be for you, but I’m not usually a fan either and I thought it was done really well here.

I also had no idea how this book was gonna end, which really kept me hooked. But, while I’m on the topic of the ending, I think I would’ve preferred to have the characters’ futures be a little bit more ambiguous rather than pairing them up with people right at the end!!