Another edition to the Once Upon a Time Bookshop stories and ugh MY HEART! How is this a short story (only 32 pages) and I still managed to cry FOUR TIMES?! I should expect nothing less from Alice Hoffman though. She plucked every heartstring I had and then gave it a tug! Short and sweet and emotional and thought provoking and absolutely worth a read!!

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon and Alice for my eARC, I am so thankful I got to continue this series!

This book had a rough start for me - it wasn't flowing very well and it seemed too many characters and histories were being packed in at once. Halfway in, it calmed down and became enjoyable.

Anything Alice Hoffman is an automatic winner, and the short stories about this family of sisters and children are lovely. Bookstore family was definitely bitter sweet, and i hope Hoffman writes about them for a long while.

Another nice addition to this little short stories series.

Personally I didn’t love this as much as the previous ones, mostly because the main character in this one is the daughter/niece and her life she build after what happened at the end of the last story.

I like the stories that center more around the bookstore and the main sisters more.

That being said, this is certainly still a nice read and I enjoyed being back with the characters and this beautifully hunting writing and the absolut love the author so clearly has for books and stories.

I recommend this - as I do all of this series so far- and think it’s a good addition to this little series.

<b>And no . You can not just jump in here, you need to read from story one on. The stories build up in each other. </b>

In The Bookstore Family, Alice Hoffman crafts a tender and evocative story about self-discovery, the pull of home, and the quiet magic of following your passion. A charming, emotional read perfect for anyone who’s ever wondered where they truly belong.

And we're back to the bookstore in Maine—well, first we're off to Paris, where Violet has been living for the past few years. She's found success, but it's clear (to Violet, even if she won't admit it, and to everyone who knows Violet) that she hasn't found what she's looking for, and that she doesn't know what that is.

This is the third of this short-story series that I've read (encompassing, still, the only Hoffman I've read). It's nice to see more of a character who was a bit on the periphery in earlier books—and of course I'll never object to a vicarious trip to Paris!

As with the other short stories in this series, this leans a little saccharine for my tastes. (Partly it's the pastry names, I think, and partly it's the insistence that everything can be solved with love—generally the romantic and heterosexual kind.) I can see why people like Hoffman, but I think I'm best off sticking to these bite-sized stories rather than digging into something longer.

One for those looking for something quick and cozy.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

It was a beautiful story and hit a lot of great tones. I wish I had more of it! Having baking or baked goods symbolism emotional states and journeys is one my favorite tools of an author.

This was the perfect short story. I wasn’t longing for anymore, it was just right.

I love the writing, it is like reading a fairytale from long ago but set in our current world. The fantastical wording and feeling of being swept into a far off place.

Now i want to go back and read the first stories in this little series!

I have really enjoyed these short stories and hope they become a full size novel. The family with their love and flaws comes through in all the short stories and is no different in this one. The way Alice describes both settings and characters is real and descriptive. I hope many more stories about these characters come

Cozy and cute, but kind of boring. It has all the elements for a rainy day read: bookstores, baking, Paris, and love.

Thank you to Amazon and NetGalley for the ARC.

Cute short story about love and loss. With it being so short, there’s not a ton of attachment made to the characters, but the emotions are well written. You get a nice theme and happy ending.

Short, sweet but beautifully told, The Bookstore Family follows the story of Violet and her reconnection to her roots and finding love.

Violet grew up on Brinkley's Island, Maine and left to attend a culinary school in Paris eventually landing her dream job as a patisserie in a Parisian restaurant.

But something is missing.

Her aunt Isabel comes to stay and encourages Violet to keep looking.
But just as things finally come together with a chance meeting, Violet is called home to a family emergency where she begins to realise it's there that really holds the key to what she needs.

Thoughts

The Bookstore Family is part of the Once Upon a Time Bookshop series, and whilst the stories are interconnected, it stands well on it's own.

It really is a beautifully told story and can be read in one sitting. It's one of those stories that kept me highlighting sentences and passages because it resonatted.

There were some wonderful references to books and the connections we make with them. Especially rereading our childhood stories as adults.

"Every time a book is reread it’s entirely different depending on who the reader has become"

Heartfelt and ar times, emotional, exploring life, finding happiness, love, loss and grief - The Bookstore Family was a pleasure to spend time with.

Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for the opportunity to read and review this lovely, thought provoking short story.

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon for the ARC

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First and for most I have loved every book in the Once Upon a Bookstore series and this one was no different. This one takes us from Maine to Paris. It was beautiful! Highly recommend all the books in this bookstore universe.

“Every time a book is reread, it’s entirely different, depending on who the reader has become.”

‘The Bookstore Family’ by Alice Hoffman is 30 pages of pure magic.

The writing style is unparalleled: how the author was able to pack so much beauty, love and depth in so few pages is unfathomable to me.

I highly recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the e-ARC of this memorable book.

I find it hard to believe that this was written by the author of Practical Magic (or a human at all - this reads as if AI attempted to write an Alice Hoffman book). It’s just a clunky, amateurish, weak and thin effort that reads like fan fiction/cozy chick lit.

The way that I love this series! The writing is beautiful and exactly what you expect when you say the best of Alice Hoffman. I loved this check in with Violet and her family, and my only complaint is that I always want more, which is really not a complaint at all. Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon for the ARC!

Alice Hoffman’s The Bookstore Family is my new favorite in this heartwrenching and heartwarming series. Violet is now living her dream of becoming a pastry chef in France but something is missing. When she finds out that her mother’s cancer is back and the prognosis isn’t good, Violet returns home and is immediately submersed in life on the island.

Everything about this short story is perfection. The characters truly feel like family and only Alice Hoffman can paint such a vivid picture with the magic of her words.

I’ve followed this authors short stories since the beginning and she is my favourite author for short stories!

This book is from Violet’s perspective and her new life trying to find what’s missing in her world.

It was a bittersweet ending but was nice to have a book from Violet.

Thank you for the ARC.

I love this series! Alice Hoffman has a way of packing in so many details while telling a short story. She's my favorite short story author! We find Violet who is missing something in her life. Her aunt encourages her to start reading children's books and this is where she realizes she wants to find love...but how? This story starts in Paris, but finishes on the island and her family had the key to what was missing in Violet's life. While this would have been great flushed out as a novel, it was perfect as a short story. Sad this was the final installment of this series, but looking forward to what Alice Hoffman comes up with next!

Thank you to Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is another 'bookish' short story by Hoffman. It takes only 30 minutes to read, starts a little slow as we meet Violet who as an adult continues to struggle with people in general due to her father's death when she was very young. Well, she's convinced herself that's the reason.

Things change soon after her aunt Isabel visits Violet in her Paris apartment. She encourages Violet to start reading children's books again. And when she does. Violet rediscovers the wonder, curiosity and sheer joy of such literature, allowing herself to contemplate love.

The story feels quickly written as there are a couple of clunky bits but the wonder of new love and books makes it easy reading even with the sadness Violet experiences at the end.

I'm appreciative that Amazon uses NetGalley as an early readers forum, however, this has had no bearing on my review.