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.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I was touched by this sad but beautiful short story.

This is #4 in a tender, wholesome series of short stories about a close-knit family by one of my favorite authors, Alice Hoffman.
The Bookstore Family was a moving yet tragic story.
Anticipating the next installment in the series.
Thank you to the publisher/author for the opportunity to read to this complimentary advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I am unsure how Alice Hoffman packs so much into so few pages. I remember reading At Risk as a teenager on a plane and sobbing so loudly as I read. I ran a gambit of emotions as I read.

The Bookstore Family is only 30 pages and within those 30 pages, the reader experiences vicarious grief, trauma, love, hope, resentment, and more.

Within something so short, it is almost impossible to give a brief summary without spoiling it. There are others in this short story series that will help develop background information about the characters but it could be read without.

Thank you to Net Galley and Amazon Original Stories for the DRC. All opinions are my own!

I love Alice Hoffman, and this short story contains everything that makes me love her work: there was familial and romantic love, whimsy, and a reverence for books and words. This is such a fantastic series, and this is a wonderful ending, if it must be. I recommend these stories especially if you have Kindle Unlimited! Thank you to the publisher for a free ARC in exchange for a review!

“Books are always what we need. Don’t forget to look for magic.”

Our beloved family back again, with a story focusing on Violet. Violet is in Paris but isn’t happy & returns home. A little novella that packs a punch, right into the feels.

Tropes:
- terminal illness
- found love
- family traditions
- bookshop & baking

I hope Alice is working on putting her minis into an omnibus along with all of these recipes! I’d sell a small piece of my soul for this!

Recently I have been on a Hoffman binge reading her practical magic related stories, so this was my first in her bookshop series. This was a cute heartwarming romantic tale to the power of books. It is the power found in finding connections in literature that inspires us to do more. I wanted a bit more at the end but this was great for a short essay. I hope that the series will end up in an essay collection so that we can read them all alongside one another! Thank you Net Galley for this advanced digital arc in exchange for an honest review.