The book had a great plot, but a poor execution.

The Salem Witch Trials, the blurb and the cover enticed me to read this, but it was so hard to read and go on with the book. The writing was flat and so were the characters. I could neither feel the high stakes, nor care if they actually succeeded.

Dora does not act her age and the biggest moments like meeting her mother also do not invoke any emotions. Also why would you keep her away for 33 years, then just tell her she is a witch and not let her remember?

The bookstore in itself didn't really make an appearance till 60% of the book and the end of the book was pretty hurried. The sex scenes also didn't add anything to the story. I also felt that the narrative was pretty confusing at times, especially when so many characters were mentioned and not really introduced.

I think if the book was probably 100 pages shorter, I would have still given the author the benefit but it was difficult to finish this book.

This book took me a minute to get into but it turned out to be a cozy little story. The story follows sisters from Salem who lived in the 1600s and then continued to be "reborn" due to a curse that they are trynig to break. The book has so much potential but I needed more character development and the plot jumped around a little too much for my liking. I felt it unrealistic how Dora reacted to being told she has been reincarnated multiple times in the last several hundred years and that she has a mother she had "forgotten" about. It was just kinda brushed over and it really made me lose interest.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

Dora English feels like something is missing from her life but can’t quite figure out what it is. When her beloved Aunt Lenny invites her to the United States for a work conference, Dora’s life is turned upside down.

In an unexpected twist, Dora uncovers hidden truths about her heritage, her identity, and even her own heart. As she begins to piece together her past, she finds herself in the midst of a dangerous situation with someone intent on ending her life. With time running out, Dora must navigate a labyrinth of secrets while discovering what truly matters.

The suspense and tension build as the plot unfolds, keeping you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. The blend of mystery, personal growth, and romance makes "The Vanishing Bookstore" a compelling and unforgettable read. I couldn't put this book down and highly recommend it to anyone who loves a gripping story with heart.

What a delightful story Helen Phiefer has woven! This dual timeline novel, set in the 1690s during the Salem witch trials and present day London and Salem follows the English sisters & their niece, Dora. Turns out, the English sisters aren’t your usual family — they’ve lived numerous lifetimes, always helping those in need, but cursed to be hunted in every lifetime. Only the youngest English, Dora, can break the curse, with the help of a spell book she hid in the 1690s, and which the sisters have never been able to find. But as Dora begins to remember who she is, and manages to finally find the vanishing bookstore, will the English sisters finally be able to break the curse, or will they be doomed to be hunted yet again?

I loved the blending of the Salem witch trials with present day Salem, the little spells and magic woven through the story, and Hades, Dora’s familiar. The Vanishing Bookstore has a small but mighty role, and perhaps there is a hint of another story featuring the sisters?

It’s a delightful weekend read, perfect for lovers of magical, witchy, fantasy novels.

This a a fantastic book. I didn’t realize before reading it that it would span so many years and continents.
The story at the beginning was so intriguing that I kept asking myself how this would lead back to the vanished bookstore. Quite clever how it’s all laid out.
The sister’s and mother’s will was always strong and you find out just how strong. This book has mystery, magic and a families love and connection. just showing if you work together you can defeat evil and save your community.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc.

Dora believes she lives a normal life running her flower shop in London with her aunt Lenny, but her life turns upside down when they take a trip to Salem, Massachusetts together. Dora learns the truth about her family’s history and works with them to end the curse set upon them once and for all.

Based on the beautiful cover and title of this book, I expected the plot to revolve more around a vanishing bookstore than it really did. I enjoyed the flashbacks to 1692 Salem, but these moments were few and far between. The present day storyline lacked a little something but I can’t place my finger on what it is. I just wasn’t completely immersed in the plot, I didn’t feel fully connected to the characters, the relationship between Dora and Ambrose didn’t feel as “tale as old as time” as it was described to be, and 33-year-old Dora felt more like a 21-year-old coming of age character than a grown adult most of the time. Overall, the story started off very promising, but it lost its luster halfway through. I pushed through and made it to the end because I was interested enough to see how it would play out, but the ending left something to be desired. If you enjoy historical fiction and you’re looking for a simple read you’ll probably like this one.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Helen Phifer for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Vanishing Bookstore out January 7, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I’ve always been really interested in the Salem witch trials. I’ve visited Salem and really love being there. I’ve read a lot of books about the history of Salem. I think the timeline in 1692 was a lot more interesting to me than the modern timeline. I’m not sure if the two timelines really flowed together for me. But I really enjoyed the Bookstore plot. I would definitely read more books by this author.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys books about the Salem witch trials!

Such a lovely narrator for this audiobook, which is such a great bonus to a wonderful book! Follows a family of witches who keep living new lives after death since Salem, trying to break the curse that haunts them. Very reminiscent of Weyward. Very good!

3.75 stars for me this was a great mix of historical fiction witches and I adored the dual timeline USA to London perfection. Honestly if you’re after a witchy read then this is for you! It’s kind of giving Sabrina the teenage witch vibes.

Author did a great job a with this book the audio was just unreal!

Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Now it took me a minute to get fully into this page turner. It’s a dual timeline story set in London, UK in the now and in Salem, USA in the 1700s.
We follow Isadora aka Dora in the present day, who has a simple life running her small but much-loved flower shop. Her dreams are laced with peculiar memory like moments, she lives with her Aunt Lenny who is a bit of a sourpuss.
A random but handsome man named arrives to look at flower arrangements for his girlfriend’s coffin, there’s a moment of recognition when their eyes meet but she cannot place him.
Her Aunt Lenny is desperate for her to come on a trip to Salem, USA, to break a 100s of years old spell that her and her two sisters have been haunted by and Dora too, if only she’d remember.
Leaving her friend Katie in charge of the shop, Dora is about to discover some truths she can’t settle into as her memory is still blocked, and yet Salem feels like home.
Will her memory return, can she break the spell and save some lives? To find out, you’ll have to pick up a copy. If you do, I hope you enjoy the read, magic and suspense as much as I did.

I love Salem and magic and books so figured I’d probably enjoy this book.

Dora is finally able to meet her mother but unfortunately the excitement doesn’t last long. Her mother says both of their life’s are in danger. Dora decides to dig into her family’s past and finds that the key to their survival is a hidden bookstore. What kind of secret’s will she uncover?! I had goosebumps the entire time I was reading this book. I enjoyed the story! And love when any books mentions Salem. It’s such a cool place!

This isn’t normally a book I’d go for but I’m glad I was given the chance to read it!

Thank you NetGalley, Helen and Bookouture for E-ARC!

I would like to start by saying I really wanted to love this book. The book had a wonderful cover that piqued my curiosity, and I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen. However, once things started to happen, it was a big letdown. When the story started to unfold the information was handed to the characters and it was very underwhelming. I was expecting memories to be explored through artifacts that would connect the dots to investigating the bookstore. Truly a bummer, if there is a second, I most likely will not pick it up. I gave the book three stars, simply because I did in fact finish it and kept believing it would turn a corner. Lastly, the most important information I think for the publishers is the book was classified as “Women’s Fiction, Historical Fiction”, and I do not think it qualifies for either of those genres. I think it would be better suited in New Adult, Sci-Fi-Fantasy.

Really enjoyed loosing myself in this witchy read. Had the audiobook and despite the English accent not being fully there, it was good to listen to. A quick and easy palette cleanser book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ebook and audiobook for review.

When I first picked up The Vanishing Bookstore by Helen Phifer, I wasn't sure what to expect. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this enthralling tale. As this was my first time reading a Helen Phifer novel, it has left a lasting impression on me, so much that I am eager to explore her back catalogue and discover more of her works.

The story follows Dora and her aunts as they embark on a journey to break a centuries-old curse. This curse, cast during the infamous Salem witch trials in the 1600s, has doomed them to relive their lives repeatedly, all while being pursued by a relentless witch-hunter determined to seal their fate. The plot is rich with elements of witchcraft, familiars, and historical intrigue, creating a captivating atmosphere that kept me engrossed from start to finish.

The book's vibe is truly enchanting. It combines elements of history, magic, and suspense in an engaging and immersive way. With witches and the historical backdrop of Salem, the narrative offers an exciting blend of the fantastical and the historical. I was so absorbed in the story that I devoured the book in one sitting.

I highly recommend The Vanishing Bookstore to anyone who enjoys a good witchy tale, especially those with a touch of historical context. Helen Phifer has crafted a spellbinding story that is sure to captivate readers who appreciate a mix of mystery, magic, and history.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing the e-book ARC in exchange for an honest review. This delightful book is a must-read for fans of witch-themed stories.

Not sure what I expected when I picked this book but I was pleasantly surprised by it. This is the first book of Helen’s that I’ve read that wasn’t a thriller, but it was equally as good. The title is a bit deceiving, it’s definitely more about the English women than about a bookstore, but the bookstore does hold the key.

I love that this book takes place mainly in Salem Massachusetts. Books that take place close to home always thrill me. Even though I’ve never been, I know enough about Salem to make me feel connected to it.

The majority of this book is about the connections between Dora and her mother and aunts, what they’ve been through back to when they were hung during the time of the Witch Trials. But there’s also a little romance in it. Dora and Ambrose, even through hundreds of years, still share a special bond.

I would happily read another historical fiction by Helen.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC of this book.

I have long been fascinated with the Salem Witch trials and Phifer’s spin is fantastic.
Four witches are tortured through eons of time as they are hunted by evil.
I love that the author used real people and knitted them in with the English sisters and the demon himself, George Corwin.
The descriptions of Salem, which I visited many years ago, make the scenes leap off the pages as I read.
The climax was jarring and satisfying.
I wish Lucine had a different ending.
Also, Dora’s father was supposed to come back but if he did, I missed that part.

Dora, her mother and her aunts lived in Salem during the Salem Witch Trials. Cursed, they are forced to relive their lives in the hope of finding a book of spells, hidden by Dora, in 1692, that will free them from their hunter.

Coming from the home of the Pendle Witches, this novel was right up my street! Full of magic and mystery, we follow Dora's reawakening and her attempt to rescue herself and her family. This was poignant yet exciting. I just wished the book hadn't ended so quickly as I wanted more!

Helen Phifer's The Vanishing Bookstore promises an intriguing blend of mystery, romance, and magical realism, but ultimately falls short of its potential in several key areas.

We follow the English Women, Lenny, Sephy, Lucine and her daughter Dora — witches cursed to face an untimely death at the hands of a witch-hunter who has been terrorizing them for centuries. At the heart of the story is the mysterious bookstore, which is said to have appeared once and never again across all their lifetimes. The bookstore holds a rare, magical book that could help defeat the villain threatening the characters. However, despite its centrality to the plot, the bookstore is barely featured in the novel. In fact, it is only present in a single chapter, and its elusive nature doesn't quite resonate with the urgency that the title suggests. The characters speak of the book’s importance and the challenge of locating it, but when protagonist Dora embarks on her search, she finds the bookstore almost effortlessly. After only a single day of searching, Dora locates the elusive book with minimal struggle, which feels remarkably anticlimactic.

Adding to the disappointment is the rushed romance between Dora and her long-lost love, Ambrose, a connection that spans past lifetimes. Dora's sudden recognition of her forgotten lover feels forced and lacks emotional depth. The transition from strangers to lovers is swift and unconvincing, and what could have been a poignant reunion instead comes across as shallow and rushed. The romantic buildup is more of a checklist than a heartfelt journey, leaving readers with little emotional payoff.

The pacing of the book also undermines its potential. The beginning of the story is slow, bogged down with excessive downtime, and the climactic moments feel compressed into the final pages. Throughout the novel, the characters are pursued by a witch hunter, but this sense of danger never truly materializes. The hunter’s presence lacks urgency, and the stakes don’t feel nearly as high as they should, especially when time is supposedly running out. Dora’s aunts immediately reminded me of Hilda and Zelda from Sabrina the Teenage Witch, which was a pleasant bonus for me, as I’ve always loved the show. However, that’s where the similarities end. Dora, for her part, uncovers everything on her own, and the reasons behind her aunts' failure to provide her with the guidance and knowledge she needs about her magical heritage remain unclear.

Amongst it all, the final battle, unfortunately, also felt extremely underwhelming. It was built up to be the most challenging battle of their lifetimes, one they had lost in every past life, spanning centuries. Yet, it was resolved within a few pages using the same tactics, and with a book they barely consulted.

Which leads to my next perplexing point of why there was a lack of action surrounding the special book they discovered, the one that could supposedly solve all their problems and hold the power to destroy the witch hunter and ultimately break the curse. Despite knowing about the book’s potential, the characters never consulted it or devised any plans around it. Even after discovering the witch hunter was after them, they didn’t seem to take any precautions, and ultimately, they were caught off guard. It’s baffling that they were so unprepared. The sense of urgency just didn’t match the situation.

Another small but befuddling moment where they mention: “The salt Sephy had made was too powerful. They never anticipated it being used against them." Really? They crafted such a potent substance to protect themselves from their enemies but never considered that it could backfire? It struck me as a glaring oversight—especially considering the salt’s immense potency. In the end, they were incapacitated by their own creation. Funny.

One aspect I have to mention as I found it to be extremely puzzling was that Dora is explicitly said several times to possess a unique magical gift tied to flowers and plants, particularly regrowth, but this power never fully comes into play during the plot or the climactic battle. Her magical abilities seem completely irrelevant to the overall narrative. It’s unclear why her connection to plants is even mentioned, especially since it doesn’t provide any advantage in the final confrontation.

One of the aunts also mentions that Dora has a dog that’s always protected her, even if she’s never seen it, much like her crow, which has similarly watched over her. However, I don’t recall any scenes in the novel that hint at this connection in Dora’s everyday life. It would have been a lovely bit of subtle foreshadowing if we had seen these guardians, even in fleeting moments, as part of her mundane world. This could have enhanced the emotional depth of later reunions and the idea of her being watched over by these mysterious, magical forces all her life. Moreover, Dora’s deep connection to her familiar crow, a bond central to her powers, felt hollow when she couldn’t even distinguish him among the other crows. The resolution lacked the intensity or complexity that such a long-standing conflict deserved.

I will say I found myself much more engaged with the scenes set in the 1692 during the witch trials, which are only briefly mentioned in the prologue. I truly wish the book had delved deeper into this time period. Instead of relying on info-dumping or summarizing the past events, it would have been far more effective to alternate between timelines, allowing readers to experience the past and present side by side. Ideally, each time Dora regained a memory from her former life, we could have witnessed those moments unfolding in real-time, alongside her. This narrative approach would have not only enriched the emotional depth of the characters but also amplified the intensity of their shared curse—heightening the sense of longing, tragedy, and the desperate yearning for escape.

In sum, The Vanishing Bookstore struggles to balance its narrative elements. The bookstore, a critical piece of the plot, is underutilized, the romance feels unearned, and the pacing is uneven. While the premise holds promise, the execution leaves much to be desired.

The Vanishing Bookstore is a story about a family of witches from Salem who have been cursed to constantly reincarnate and their lives to end in the same way every time. The only thing that can save them all is a journal hidden under a floorboard inside the “Vanishing bookstore” and Dora is the key to find it.

At first glance this book appears to be a cosy whimsical story about a bookstore and witchcraft, however, even though there are many cosy elements, it is much more serious and engaging than expected.

Two things attracted me to this book : the mysterious vanishing bookstore and the fact that it is about witches. Dora’s family of witches featured heavily in the story and I was pleased with that. But the bookstore itself did not feature as much. It indeed vanished 👀 So the anticipation of finding the bookstore was there through the story, but I got so engrossed in Dora’s family history that even forgot about it at some point🤭
The author perfectly blended cosy aspects like talking animals, a dash of romance, and the mysterious bookstore with serious subjects like the witch trials.

Talking of animals or familiars, there is a pet crow called Hades, I mean how amazing is that? I have a crow lamp in my room and I’m going to call him Hades now. Thank you Helen Phifer! 💕

Overall, an intriguing concept for lovers of witchy books.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher, and author for this e-ARC. All opinions are my own.

The Vanishing Bookstore is like a real life Hocus Pocus but where the Sanderson Sisters were good witches. This was a cute witchy read that tracks Dora and she tries to find a book that will fix everything. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!