How to Find Love in a Bookshop

The title's a pretty strong implication of romance, but it's not, strictly speaking, a romance novel. Left to standard categorical labels, I'd call this more a blend of contemporary and chick-lit with a strong thread of love throughout.

The story follows the lives of half a dozen people, 4 of whom have their lives altered by their connection to the village bookshop, Nightingale Books. Emilia is the only daughter of the recently passed owner, determined to carry on and keep the doors open in spite of the uphill battle. Sarah is the lady of the manor house and is the poster child for silent suffering; her daughter Alice is lightness personified but dreadfully naive. Jackson is a man with a good heart and the victim of his own lack of show more courage and conviction, who gets himself stuck doing something distasteful. Thomasina is a painfully shy introvert who crushes on the cheese monger she met in the cookbook section.

They all have different stories, and their stories involve the stories of others. Some are painfully predictable (mostly the falling-in-love ones) but some are more complicated, with the author choosing to take the story in an unexpected, or at least atypical, direction. For me, Emilie's story was the most compelling and the reason I kept reading - I wanted to know about the bookshop! It sounded magical, perfect and I wanted to know what happened to it. But everyone else's story was good too. ;-)

It was an easy, enjoyable read. Almost a beach read, but not. There are a lot of painful moments scattered throughout, especially at the start when there are a few chapters that take place in the past, building up the world that's crashing down in the present; sniffly moments. Maybe good for the beach if you remember to pack tissues in your beach bag. Just in case. show less

How to Find Love in a Bookshop was a surprise hit for me. When I picked this one up at the library I was worried it could be cheesy because of the cover...I try not to do that but it's hard for me! I was pleasantly surprised that not only was it not cheesy, it ended up being such a delightful and enjoyable read. There is a great mix of characters and a great balance of loss, hope and love within the different storylines. This book was filled with charm and warmth but also some depth and I enjoyed how the ending wrapped up in the most perfect, non-perfect way.

When Emilia Nightingale's father passes away after a very brief illness, Emilia finds herself back in the small village of Peasebrook. Emilia always loved living there but finds taking over her father's bookshop, Nightingale Books, more of a challenge than expected particularly in the wake of his death. However, the whole village is there to support her and as she finds her way, the villagers who come into her shop find more than just books.

Quiet, charming, and sweet, this novel is a lovely read that allows you to drop into the life of a small English village. With a sizable cast of characters whose lives intertwine over the course of the book, all of them are compelling and believable and you'll find yourselves rooting that all of them show more find their happy endings. Excellent, cozy reading. show less

{stand alone. Fiction, romance, English country village}(2017)

This is a quiet, meandering story about a village where the bookshop owner has just died and how the people whose lives he was part of, including his daughter, carry on. He made time to make their lives richer and believed there was a book for everybody.

Emilia returned to the England when her father Julius was dying and inherited his bookshop, Nightingale Books. We see in flashbacks how he fell in love and then lost his wife when Emilia was born, how he consequently decided to start a bookshop and searched for the perfect place for one in a ‘chocolate box’ village in the Cotswolds. Now Emilia, though she loves the bookshop as much as ever, finds herself struggling to keep show more it going as she comes to grips with her father’s haphazard method of management and she also has to contend with a property developer with questionable ethics pressuring her to sell the building so he can knock it down to put in a block of flats. But the bookshop has become an integral part of the village and everyone wants to see it continue.

Although Emilia’s story is the main thread through the book, the book is about the lives of the people of Peasebrook. They are all interconnected and Julius and Nightingale Books were at the centre of them, as he always made time to listen - and to find the ideal book. Emilia finds herself continuing this tradition - although in a more modern, financially sustainable way. There are several love stories in this book including a couple where people reconnect (which always makes me happy) such as a father doing all the right things to stay in the life of his young son.

And we do get a proper look into all their lives and their worries; for instance we see Jackson asking Emilia for advice on books for his son and then we see him curling up on the couch to read to his boy. We see (amongst others) Sarah, who has had to open up Peasebrook Manor, her home, to make ends meet, worrying about her daughter who is about to get married; Emilia takes her father’s place as cellist in a string quartet; Thomasina is on the bookshop’s staff but she also has a passion for cooking which she realises by running a pop-up restaurant for two diners on weekends and passes on her love of cooking by teaching - with pleasantly surprising results - though she’s too shy to believe that a certain cheesemonger might be attracted to her; and so on.

There are no ‘big action scenes’ in this story but lots of happily ever afters. This was a lovely book to read.

(October 2022)
3.5-4 stars show less

I do love my mysteries, but every so often I crave a sweet, feel-good read with a happy ending. How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry was all of the above and the perfect read for a lazy Sunday.

Nightingale Books has been a fixture in the village of Peasedale for almost thirty years. "After all, a town without a bookshop was a town without a heart." Julius, the owner, is just as beloved by the residents. When he passes away, his daughter Emilia returns home to take over the shop she grew up in.

"Millions - there must be so many millions - of words. All those words, and the pleasure they had provided for people over the years: escape, entertainment, education...He had changed minds. He had changed lives. It was up to her to show more carry on his works so he would live on...."

Well, starting off with a bookshop at the heart of a tale had me hooked without turning a page! And then I met the inhabitants of Peasedale and became totally immersed in Henry's imaginings. Her characters were so warm and real. They're people you would like to have in your circle of friends. Many of them are holding on to secrets, running from or wishing for love and happiness - and some of them don't even realize it....

Henry's emotional descriptions of her characters and their wants and wishes was very well done. The memories of Julius had me reaching for a tissue more than once. I could only hope that they all would find what they needed by the end of the book. There are lots of miscommunications, missed cues and missteps along the way. But, this being a chick lit type of book, we know we can expect some happy endings by the final pages....and the journey there was so very enjoyable.

There were so many great book quotes and references throughout the novel. Bibliophiles will appreciate them all. "There's a book for everyone, even if they don't think there is. A book that reaches in a grabs your soul."

I really enjoyed How to Find Love in a Bookshop - it was charming, sweet and a lovely read. Five stars for pure escapist enjoyment reading. I'll be checking out what else Henry has written. Fans of Jenny Colgan would enjoy Veronica Henry. show less

How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry
Source: Netgalley
My Rating: 5/5 stars

Emilia never once suspected her father’s beloved bookstore, Nightingale Books wasn’t and isn’t a smashing success. Given the number of people who come through on a daily and weekly basis and her father’s lack of communication on the topic, Emilia is as shocked by the state of the bookstore as she is by her beloved father’s death.

For Emilia, it wasn’t supposed to be this way. Oh, sure, Nightingale Books is her inheritance and some day she fully intended to return home and run the shop in her father’s stead, but not this early, not this soon. As we well know, Fate is a fickle b*tch and when Emilia is forced to return home to her dying show more father’s bedside, she is shocked to find just how much of a mess he has left her. With nothing to do, but get on with the living and the working, Emilia doggedly decides to right the ship and make Nightingale Books her father’s legacy more than just her inheritance.

The instant she is back in the shop, Emilia is surrounded by love and support from the long-time customers who were also her father’s friends. The men and women of her small hometown are thoughtful and kind, willing to lend a hand, and encouraging of Emilia’s efforts to get the bookshop back on track. There’s her best-friend and accountant whose efforts are geared toward the numbers, there’s the wizened old woman who retired quite well-off and is more than willing to donate financially to the cause, and there’s the wasting her talents stay at home mom who’s perfectly situated to help Emilia re-launch Nightingale Books. In her personal life, there’s the return of the beautiful musician whose interest at first seems totally professional (his group needs a new cellist!) and there’s the married woman/manor owner whose life was, unbeknownst to all, intimately linked to Emilia’s father and the bookstore.

With so much love, support, and enthusiasm, it’s hard for Emilia to turn her back on the old bookstore, but there are so many obstacles to overcome and grief is a powerful thing. With every gain/victory, Emilia also experiences a setback, whether it be personally or professionally. Some days the setbacks are manageable and others, well, giving up just seems like the best option. What’s more, Emilia’s life isn’t the only life tied to Nightingale Books, and as she experiences the roller coaster ride, so do her customers/friends. Each experience and each event that occurs in every character’s life is somehow tied to Nightingale Books and losing the store would mean losing a piece of their own lives for everyone in town.

The Bottom Line: This is one of those books where I can’t quite wrap my head around the lower star rating on Goodreads. I absolutely adored this book, it’s intricate relationships, it’s complicated design, and its ultimately triumphant message about managing grief. Emilia is young to be carrying such a heavy burden, but because of her location, and her history with the people of the town, she has a built-in support system and that system comes shining through in this read! As all the help is rolling in for Emilia, there’s also a great deal going on in the background with those same characters who are helping the young woman. I love how intricately tied together the plot, sub-plot, major and minor characters are. Though not everyone knows and/or interacts with each other, they are all tied to the book store and Emilia which makes for a much deeper, more involved, and thoroughly enjoyable read. I’m adding this one to my highly recommend list and hope y’all enjoy this one as much as I did! show less

More ensemble than one might expect from the American romcom-esque cover, this novel of shared grief and interconnected love stories never the less manages to be adorable throughout, even with so many POV characters. Not much here will surprise you once you get past the frequent switching of viewpoints but there is much to delight in and everyone will find someone to root for. Cozy, emotional, and a generally pleasant diversion for anyone who has ever loved... a bookstore.