Name: Steph's review of How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry
Item: How to Find Love in a Bookshop
Rating: 4
Author: Steph

Veronica Henry

"Absolutely delightful." --People The enchanting story of a bookshop, its grieving owner, a supportive literary community, and the extraordinary power of books to heal the heart Nightingale Books, nestled on the main street in an idyllic little village, is a dream come true for book lovers--a cozy haven and welcoming getaway for the literary-minded locals. But owner Emilia Nightingale is struggling to keep the shop open after her beloved father's death, and the temptation to sell is getting stronger. The property developers are circling, yet Emilia's loyal customers have become like family, and she can't imagine breaking the promise she made to her father to keep the store alive. There's Sarah, owner of the stately Peasebrook Manor, who has used the bookshop as an escape in the past few years, but it now seems there's a very specific reason for all those frequent visits. Next is roguish Jackson, who, after making a complete mess of his marriage, now looks to Emilia for advice on books for the son he misses so much. And the forever shy Thomasina, who runs a pop-up restaurant for two in her tiny cottage--she has a crush on a man she met in the cookbook section, but can hardly dream of working up the courage to admit her true feelings. Enter the world of Nightingale Books for a serving of romance, long-held secrets, and unexpected hopes for the future--and not just within the pages on the shelves. How to Find Love in a Bookshop is the delightful story of Emilia, the unforgettable cast of customers whose lives she has touched, and the books they all cherish.

A Novel

How to Find Love in a Bookshop

Ashley Carlisle

Steph

It was fun, a quick and emotional read weaving many characters into one with the central locus of a bookstore. 

Giulia

Too many characters to keep track of so was a little confusing but i love a happy ending

Diana Budman

Lauren hughes 

This book has sitting unread on my shelf probably for 5 years or so. I wish I read it sooner! This book is so sweet and it has books in it! Loved the characters!!❤️❤️❤️Glad I FINALLY read it!😂😂

Nightingale Books, nestled on the high street in Peasebrook, a picture-postcard Cotswold town, is a dream comes true for booklovers. Everyone who enters falls in love with something. But owner Emilia Nightingale is struggling to keep the shop open and the developers are circling. The temptation to sell up is proving enormous - but what about the promise she made to her father? Not to mention her customers, for whom the shop is a comfort, a meeting place, a lifeline. There's Gary, a stable lad for a nearby trainer, who buys books to read to Nikki, who is lying in a coma. He spends every spare hour at Nikki's bedside, never giving up hope that she will come round. Betty, who runs a supper club from her tiny cottage, has a huge crush on a man she met and then lost in the cookery section, somewhere Auguste Escoffier and Marco Pierre White. Mrs Norris repeatedly 'forgets' to pay for her books - and Emilia never has the heart to remind her. But Mrs Norris isn't quite as forgetful as she pretends ... And then Emilia meets Dexter, local jack-the-lad, who is looking to improve his English so he can better himself. He buys all Emilia's recommendations, and together they re-discover all her favourite authors. But Dexter has a secret, and is not all he seems ... The Bookshop Girl is the delightful story of Emilia's fight to keep her bookshop alive, the customers whose lives she has touched - and the books they all love.

How to Find Love in a Book Shop

Lauren Sullivan

What a lovely, sweet book. When Emilia returns to her hometown to take over her father’s bookstore after his death, her life intersects with friends old and new. But how can an old, rundown, in-the-red bookstore bring happiness and love to an entire village? Yes, the plot is predictable. Yes, there are zero consequences for some pretty awful actions. But none of that really matters, because the book is so cozy and charming that you can’t help but enjoy it and accept the happily-ever-afters. This quote from the book says it best:
(view spoiler)[
  

  "As the door shut behind her newest customer, she felt a tiny thrill, and hoped he’d read the book and fall in love with reading. That was the whole point of Nightingale Books. It cast a spell over its customers by introducing them to the magic. And how wonderful, for her to open up a whole new world— She realized she was being utterly ridiculous. She was romanticizing. This wasn’t some Hollywood movie where she unwittingly changed someone’s life."

  

 (hide spoiler)]

I received an ARC from First to Read in exchange for an honest review.

Liz Carpenter

It's not a literary masterpiece, and it (probably) isn't going to change your life. But, I enjoyed the lovely story with some sympathetic and interesting characters. It was also a relief to not have to watch one single marriage painfully limp to its inevitable dissolution - even one that probably should've ended years earlier unexpectedly started to show signs of life. I'd prescribe this book to anyone who needs a bit of a lift and doesn't gag over a bit of romance.

Everyone has a story . . . but will they get the happy ending they deserve? Emilia has just returned to her idyllic Cotswold hometown to rescue the family business. Nightingale Books is a dream come true for book-lovers, but the best stories aren't just within the pages of the books she sells - Emilia's customers have their own tales to tell. There's the lady of the manor who is hiding a secret close to her heart; the single dad looking for books to share with his son but who isn't quite what he seems; and the desperately shy chef trying to find the courage to talk to her crush . . . And as for Emilia's story, can she keep the promise she made to her father and save Nightingale Books?

Becky

What an utterly charming book. I am noticing a trend in bookshop books lately and I keep getting drawn in by them. This was definitely the most charming of them I've read set in such a quintessential little English town. The typical tucked away hidden gem of a book shop.

This book had my tearing up from the beginning and I knew I was in for a blinder. I was right. This is the perfect cute autumn/winter read. It's the kind of book you read in one sitting with a hot drink wrapped in a blanket preferably by a roaring fire. I cannot praise it enough.

I didn't think I'd like a book told from so many different perspectives but somehow each characters voice was unique and I didn't get confused over who everyone was as I sometimes do.

lizbet koval

i’ve enjoyed reading it as much as i enjoy drinking tea or sleeping. it was like a sip of hot lavender tea.

The enchanting story of a bookshop, its grieving owner, a supportive literary community, and the extraordinary power of books to heal the heart Nightingale Books, nestled on the main street in an idyllic little village, is a dream come true for book lovers--a cozy haven and welcoming getaway for the literary-minded locals. But owner Emilia Nightingale is struggling to keep the shop open after her beloved father's death, and the temptation to sell is getting stronger. The property developers are circling, yet Emilia's loyal customers have become like family, and she can't imagine breaking the promise she made to her father to keep the store alive. There's Sarah, owner of the stately Peasebrook Manor, who has used the bookshop as an escape in the past few years, but it now seems there's a very specific reason for all those frequent visits. Next is roguish Jackson, who, after making a complete mess of his marriage, now looks to Emilia for advice on books for the son he misses so much. And the forever shy Thomasina, who runs a pop-up restaurant for two in her tiny cottage--she has a crush on a man she met in the cookbook section, but can hardly dream of working up the courage to admit her true feelings. Enter the world of Nightingale Books for a serving of romance, long-held secrets, and unexpected hopes for the future--and not just within the pages on the shelves. How to Find Love in a Bookshop is the delightful story of Emilia, the unforgettable cast of customers whose lives she has touched, and the books they all cherish.

it was like a sip of a hot lavender tea. 

Sophia De La Garza

How to Find Love In A Bookshop 
- while this book isn’t the most complex or groundbreaking book out there, it was a touching novel that left me with all the feels 
- I loved this book and the atmosphere that came with it. 
- Following Emília as she takes over her fathers bookshop and the customers who have been apart of its journey, this book takes you through the lives of multiple characters while not feeling overbearing 
- This book felt a bit like the movies Valentine’s Day and New Years days, with its following of different characters and their romances 
- This was a book where love was centered around a bookshop and I adored it 
- A simple but fun romance that got me in a cozy fall/winter mood 
- the first in my quest to read books about books/bookstore 

- 4.5 out of 5 stars

Jennifer Rittall

Such a sweet story

This was a great palate cleanser after a few heavy books in a row. And how can you go wrong with a book about books?

Patty M.

It's a brisk autumn evening. The sun has set, and the ground is peppered with damp leaves. A slight mist spritzes from the charcoal gray clouds above, and the air turns chilly. Ahead, a golden light shines warmly through a display window, beckoning anyone outdoors to enter. There is a promise of safety behind those windows. As I approach, I realize that it is a bookshop, and a smile graces my lips as I release a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. 

This is the scenario that ran through my mind as I read Veronica Henry's irresistible novel, How to Find Love in a Bookshop. Through delightful prose, Henry tells the story of Emilia Nightingale, whose beloved father, Julius, has just passed away. Emilia is determined to keep her father's bookshop, Nightingale Books, open, despite the fact that her father left the shop's finances in a horrific state and she has no idea where to start. 

The creation of the shop itself introduces readers to the small English town of Peasebrook. Henry's description of the quaint setting will make you want to pack your most prized belongings and settle into one of Peasebrook's cozy cottages for a long, luxurious stay beyond the book's end. This warm feeling will only nestle deeper into your heart as you meet some of the bookshop's many customers.

How to Find Love in a Bookshop is told through multiple perspectives, including Emilia's. We experience her heartache as she yearns for her father, the only parent she's ever known. We are introduced to Sarah and Alice Basildon, a mother and daughter who reside at the stately Peasebrook Manor. While not a regular customer, Sarah has a deep connection to the bookshop, particularly to Julius. Alice, on the other hand, is preparing to marry Hugh, a pretentious bloke whose party-boy personality doesn't sit well with Dillon, the estate's gardener. We meet Thomasina, a brilliant chef filled with insecurities; Bea, a designer-turned-housewife who discovers that life in the country isn't everything she dreamed it would be; and June, a longtime bookshop employee whose adventurous past has come back to haunt her. 

Henry is a vivid storyteller, providing enough detail for readers to clearly visualize every scene. She places equal amounts of care into the building and maturation of each character, which allows readers to develop concrete opinions based on the characters' personalities rather than the amount of text they've been devoted. Her gentle use of language oozes comfort and satisfaction without being too light and airy. You'll just want to curl up with this book and forget the rest of the world exists.

While the novel wraps up nicely, it's fair to say that it wraps up a little too nicely. Throughout the book, every character experiences a hardship in some way, shape, or form. However, within the final 30 pages or so, everyone's problems are solved and all is well and right with the world. Don't get me wrong, happy endings are wonderful things, but Henry's happy ending cast an unrealistic light on what was otherwise a realistic portrayal of common experiences and struggles of life in a small town. Some people's happy endings take longer to arrive than others, and that is okay. I would have preferred the book to have ended with a couple of characters on their way towards making things better for themselves, rather than having everything go smoothly for everyone at the same time. 

How to Find Love in a Bookshop will fill you with all the warmth that the fall threatens to take away. It will bring sunshine to your dreary autumn days and will remove the chill that settles into your bones during the winter months. Overall, in the eyes of all bibliophiles, there can never be enough books about books, and Henry's wondrous fictional creation of Nightingale Books is no exception.

Judy Hudgins

A fun read. Emilia's father passes away unexpectedly and leaves her with the bookshop she has grown up in. With side stories on the people she is in contact with and how the bookshop impacts them all, it's a great read on a cold, snowy day.

Jan Talkington

In the vein of "Love Actually" with the setting being a bookshop. The characters are all connected through the shop. A nice, light, romantic story.

'Romantic and utterly heartwarming' Jenny Colgan Emilia has just returned to her idyllic Cotswold hometown to rescue the family business. Nightingale Books is a dream come true for book-lovers, but the best stories aren't just within the pages of the books she sells - Emilia's customers have their own tales to tell. There's the lady of the manor who is hiding a secret close to her heart; the single dad looking for books to share with his son but who isn't quite what he seems; and the desperately shy chef trying to find the courage to talk to her crush . . . And as for Emilia's story, can she keep the promise she made to her father and save Nightingale Books?

Liv Gliese Johnsen

*sips my tea* well now I am happy

Books about books makes me VERY happy. Especially when the the book shop are my dream book shop and the people are the cutest. And all the small stories about the people of Peasebrook. *sighs in content*

Steph &
How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry

Reviews

Highlights

Join the club

Steph &How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry

Reviews

Highlights

Join the club

Steph &
How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry