When everything in your life is falling part, there is nothing more healing than working in an old bookstore with a handsome but cantankerous man. Or, at least, that’s what makes this specific kind of romance/chick lit novel so much fun.
When Thea loses her job and finds out her husband is having an affair with her close friend, she is crushed, but she soon receives notice from a lawyer that a distance uncle has died and left her his house (and library) in Scotland. She figures she can travel out there for a few weeks, go through his things, put the house on the market, and return to London. But when she arrives, she finds it harder than she thought to leave, especially after she takes a temporary job at a local bookstore.
Yes, this book was formulaic and predictable — just like most of the books in this genre — but I’d argue that’s why so many of us actually enjoy this genre. When you’re stressed out in your own life, you know exactly what you’re going to get when you pick up this kind of book, and it’s always a happy ending. And I liked these characters. No, none of them were particularly deep, but at least they grew and matured and learned from their mistakes. And, any book set in a bookstore in Scotland is a book I want to read… and dream about visiting someday.
Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. It has not influenced my opinion.