Oh, how I wanted to love this book. Bookstores are one of my favorite settings for a story to take place. The synopsis of this novel sounded perfect. Widowed and grieving bookstore owner, Sophie Bernstein, finds herself lost in life and completely over books. The sad state of the world has her hatching a plan to go into hiding in the secret room at the back of the bookstore. Her bookstore is suffering, and her son is floundering in life. Her favorite manager is moving away. Sophie cannot seem to get a grip on things. The chapters in the story jump between Sophie and a few other quirky characters. There is the narcissistic poet Raymond Chaucer, recently scheduled to do a book signing at the store. He is also in the middle of an ugly scandal and being accused of his wife’s death. Then there is Clemi, the events coordinator at the store and aspiring writer, who is Raymond’s illegitimate love child. Clemi has recently figured out who Raymond really is to her and refuses to cancel the signing event even though she knows it will be a disaster. Comedy of epic proportions ensues. The rest of the motley, multi-generational, cast features authors, booksellers, and a Russian Tortoise named Kurt Vonnegut Jr. The one thing they all share is their love of books.
The major premise of this book was wonderful. It was the execution that I struggled with. The story is told from alternating points of view. And while I enjoyed getting an intimate look into each character, it did not flow well. At several points, the disjointed scenes left me confused. Instead of having a single primary plotline, it was a series of ideas and sub-plots. They just didn’t seem to move well together through to the end. I struggled to follow the story and had to go back and re-read sections. It was an enjoyable story. I just didn’t enjoy the writing style. How the author wrapped everything up at the end was perfect and left me feeling satisfied. This was a 2.5 rounded up to 3-star read for me.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Harper Muse for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected publication date is August 2, 2022.
Goodreads Blurb:
Independent bookstore owner Sophie Bernstein is burned out on books. Mourning the death of her husband, the loss of her favorite manager, her only child’s lack of aspiration, and the grim state of the world, she fantasizes about going into hiding in the secret back room of her store.
Meanwhile, renowned poet Raymond Chaucer has published a new collection, and rumors that he’s to blame for his wife’s suicide have led to national cancellations of his publicity tour. He intends to set the record straight—with an ultra-fine-point Sharpie—but only one shop still plans to host him: Sophie’s.
Fearful of potential repercussions from angry customers, Sophie asks Clemi—bookstore events coordinator, aspiring novelist, and daughter of a famed literary agent—to cancel Raymond’s appearance. But Clemi suspects Raymond might be her biological father, and she can’t say no to the chance of finding out for sure.
This big-hearted screwball comedy features an intergenerational cast of oblivious authors and over-qualified booksellers—as well as a Russian tortoise named Kurt Vonnegut Jr.—and captures the endearing quirks of some of the best kinds of people: the ones who love good books.