Cute story, although at times I felt I had to suspend my disbelief about the character’s’ actions. The story abounded with literary references, in addition to being centered in a bookshop. What’s not to love if one is a book nerd like me?! ( )

Really enjoyed this new author. Hope to read more. Kirkus: A woman inherits her late uncle?s struggling bookstore in Meyerson?s debut novel.Miranda once idolized her uncle BillyĄhe was charming, adventurous, and always let her pick out any book she wanted from his store, Prospero Books. He planned elaborate scavenger hunts and was full of surprises. But on the night of her 12th birthday, Billy and her mother have an explosive fight. Miranda doesn?t know what happened between them, but she loses touch with BillyĂ‚ÂĄuntil years later, when she?s a teacher in Philadelphia. Billy is dead, but he left her his bookstoreĂ‚ÂĄand a mysterious book and letter. Determined to figure out what?s going on, Miranda returns to Los Angeles and embarks on her final scavenger hunt, following clues that introduce her to books and people from Billy?s past. No one will tell her why Billy disappeared from her lifeĂ‚ÂĄnot her mother, her father, or the employees at Prospero BooksĂ‚ÂĄso the scavenger hunt is her only hope to figure out what happened. Miranda quickly finds out that Billy wasn?t just the fun-loving uncle she remembersĂ‚ÂĄhis life was also full of tragedy. As Miranda learns about his history, she must also juggle trying to save Prospero Books and deciding what she wants out of her life. Should she return to teaching and her boyfriend in Philadelphia, or would she rather stay with her family and her bookstore in LA? Miranda?s quest to learn more about her uncle leads to some surprises and plenty of references to literature, with clues hidden in classics like Jane Eyre, Frankenstein, and Bridge to Terabithia. Meyerson writes beautifully, with lush descriptions of LA and believable interactions between characters. Prospero Books is warm, inviting, and populated with lovably quirky employees readers will want to get to know.A lovely look at loss, family, and the comfort found in a good bookstore.Pub Date: June 12, 2018

I really didn’t like this and should probably rate it lower.

I’m a sucker for any book set in s bookstore and this one also included a literary scavenger hunt but that couldn’t save it from the behavior of its silly and unlikeable characters. I felt strong dislike of Miranda, the main character, from the start and that made it impossible for me to appreciate the rest of the story.

So many bad decisions by so many characters! Predictable mystery too. ( )

I found this book to be neither awesome nor terrible. The number one thing that killed it for me was that the main mystery was obvious by the second page of the story---no joke. A lot of that had to do with the book description on the dust jacket, though I probably would have figured it out fairly soon anyway. The rest of the mystery was clear by page 100. If they're going to be so obvious, I wish publishers would stop giving a teaser altogether. Oftentimes there is so much description in these blurbs that the reader is left knowing the plot and just reading the book for minor details.

Had the story been better written from the "mystery" point of view, it would have been a delightful tale full of fun riddles for the reader and a good look into the process of forgiveness.

The above frustrations, coupled with too many convenient plot hole fillers and the inevitable unnecessary foul language (does the average boring person really use this much language in mundane conversation? Are we really that primitive?) made it sort of a meh for me.

Author take note: Many of us refuse to read anything else by a new-to-us author when profanity is so blatant and unnecessary. Most people don't talk this way in normal conversation. Most people interested in reading a book like the one you wrote are intelligent enough to come up with more sophisticated words than the ones your characters can't help but utter. Are they falling off a cliff to their sudden deaths?---might be a more realistic place for all this profanity. ( )

So, the premise of this book sounded interesting... but it was just a meh read.

The main character was selfish and self-absorbed, the mystery was rather predictable, and the romance was even more predictable.

I did like the bookshop setting and the various literary quotes throughout but, really, what reader wouldn't?

There were also some sexual references and profanity. ( )