After October's thrillers and vampire reads I was really dying for some good, cozy contemporary romance - easy reads wherein, I am not on pins and needles waiting for someone to be violently killed.
How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry
Synopsis: 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.
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.
The Good:
- A book about books. Here at T is for Townsend we love a good book about books. I don't have a good reason for it other than we just love the vibe; and the bookshop vibes of this story are strong.
- It kind of reminded me of the movie He's Just Not that Into You in the sense that we follow a handful of characters that have seemingly independent story lines but are actually all intertwined.
- Atmosphere - not only are we getting cozy bookshop vibes in this book, but we are also getting "idyllic little village" vibes of Peasebrook
- There were no big plot twists in this book but I will say, after reading the first few chapters I thought I knew what we were getting into plot-wise and it ended up not being that at all. This happened with a couple other character arcs too, which is a good thing in that it kept me guessing as the story unfolded.
The Bad:
- Our main character Emelia's dad dies (this is not a spoiler it's on the back cover of the book) and I hated reading it - made me so sad.
- The pace - it was a little slow moving but hey, we're hanging out in a bookshop in an idyllic little village called Peasebrook so how fast paced can I expect this story to be?
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars
The City Baker's Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller
Synopsis: When Olivia Rawlings--pastry chef extraordinaire for an exclusive Boston dinner club--sets not just her flambeed dessert but the entire building alight, she escapes to the most comforting place she can think of--the idyllic town of Guthrie, Vermont, home of Bag Balm, the country's longest-running contra dance, and her best friend Hannah. But the getaway turns into something more lasting when Margaret Hurley, the cantankerous, sweater-set-wearing owner of the Sugar Maple Inn, offers Livvy a job.
With the joys of a fragrant kitchen, the sound of banjos and fiddles being tuned in a barn, and the crisp scent of the orchard just outside the front door, Livvy soon finds herself immersed in small town life. And when she meets Martin McCracken, the Guthrie native who has returned from Seattle to tend his ailing father, Livvy comes to understand that she may not be as alone in this world as she once thought.
With the joys of a fragrant kitchen, the sound of banjos and fiddles being tuned in a barn, and the crisp scent of the orchard just outside the front door, Livvy soon finds herself immersed in small town life. And when she meets Martin McCracken, the Guthrie native who has returned from Seattle to tend his ailing father, Livvy comes to understand that she may not be as alone in this world as she once thought.
The Good:
- This book had everything you could hope for in a cozy fall read: baking, a small town in Vermont, country music, takes place during the fall/winter months, and any other cliche fall thing you could think of. And we loved all of it.
- Our main character's faithful sidekick is her dog named Salty.
- Very detailed, very graphic, mouth-watering descriptions of delicious baked goods.
The Bad:
- Very detailed, very graphic, mouth-watering descriptions of delicious baked goods. Reading before bed made me very hungry.
- This book had one particular trope that I absolutely hate reading about - it's spoilery so I won't name it here, but I rolled my eyes so hard and whispered to myself, "seriously??" when it came up. I hate that it was included in the story because we could have had the exact same ending (which I really liked) without this one thing happening. So annoying.
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars
The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler
Synopsis: When Graham Barnett named his diner The Tourist Trap, he meant it as a joke. Now he's stuck slinging reindeer dogs to an endless string of resort visitors who couldn't interest him less. Not even the sweet, enthusiastic tourist in the corner who blushes every time he looks her way…
Two weeks in Alaska isn't just the top item on Zoey Caldwell's bucket list. It's the whole bucket. One look at the mountain town of Moose Springs and she's smitten. But when an act of kindness brings Zoey into Graham's world, she may just find there's more to the man than meets the eye…and more to love in Moose Springs than just the Alaskan wilderness.
This book was not originally on my TBR for November, but when I discovered this was the first in a series and the second book was Christmas themed, I had to read the first in order to read the second in December right?
The Good:
- The setting - Alaska. In addition to books about books, we love books set in Alaska. Wild, last frontier vibes
- The humor - this book is funny and I found myself chuckling out loud a few times.
- Our main characters. Graham is tough on the outside and really rough around the edges, but he can't help but be a good dude. Zoey is super relatable and down to earth and I really loved following both of these characters
The Bad:
- This book wasn't super believable on a number of occasions - which is fine entertainment-wise but sometimes it was little bit like, "oh come on 🙄"
- I liked the ending a lot but there was nothing creative about it
- Graham calls Zoey "darlin" and it's a little cringey
- This book was long. 390 pages and could have easily been done in like, 250. It became a little repetitive because of the length. Still ate up every page though so I can't be too mad.
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars
What did you read in November?!
