I’m struggling how I feel with this book. So will take you through the timeline of the emotional roller coaster. That is The Lost Bookshop. 

It started out GREAT. Every book lovers dream. On the other side of that coin, I immediately picked up on feeling of being manipulated that somebody who loves to read would have a book written for readers. The next few pages or chapters, I realized the maturity of the writing wasn’t there. It didn’t feel well put together. There were some one-liners that could be grabbed/pointed out (another reviewers mentioned pulled out for marketing), but the overall flow of the book and the writing and the storyline was not cohesive. And I’m not even sure the lack of connection was the problem. I felt manipulated into gushing over this perfectly curated booktopia.

I feel the author took a list of all the things people who love to read obsess over. What is a book-girlie cliche?

• Paris
• Shakespeare and Company
• classic authors
• old books
• knickknacks
• old Victorian houses
• romance
• modern books, like Normal People
• Trinity college
• antique dealers
• chasing down a lost manuscript
• magic
• poems
• letters
• sewing
• WWII
• [insert other typical things a book-nerd would swoon over]

The author took that list and made a story outline with each of these items listed as a point in the story. After creating a basic outline, she added filler in between. That is my theory of how this book was written. (Spoiler alert, she did miss coffee culture ha) Even as I say that (here comes a rollercoaster hill) – I was loving it!

Yet, the proof is in the pudding, as they say. The overall feeling I was left with was manipulated confusion. There are parts in the book, and I won’t give away any spoilers, that felt forcefully put into the plot with no real thought added to it. Scenarios felt as if they were just copy and pasted into an overall good storyline.

Overall, like I said, it’s a great book, a really great idea for a book, with great things that people who love to read, would love to read about. It was just too much, too forced, and the writing wasn’t mature enough (is that the right word?) to be able to put all of that together and make something that people love to read, would love to actually read.

All that saying, (again, rollercoaster) the author isn’t wrong in thinking that people who love to read, love to read about these things. I still loved some of the descriptions of the places the author was putting us in. There are such great moments and it’s all such a great idea that I couldn’t help myself being sucked into all of these places. The execution was just lacking. Or maybe it was just too much at once. I’m really not sure. I am sure that if you want to read an ‘okay written book’ about a bunch of things you’d love to read about … read this book. You’ll love it.

Amazon Link – The Lost Bookshop By: Evie Woods

Stats: 448 pages – First published June 22, 2023

^{***Thank you to Harper, NetGalley and of course, the author Evie Woods, for a  copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Published Nov 2023.}