The Bookshop on the Shore

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Manufacturer: Jenny Colgan
Brand: Fiction, Romance
Brew: Paperback
Steeping Time: 416 pages
Tea Service: Tea and Book Box
Strength:

Synopsis: “Zoe is a single mother struggling to cope alone in London. Her little boy, Hari, is the light of her life but refuses to speak, and the landlord has just raised the rent on her flat. So when the opportunity arises to move to Scotland and help run a bookshop, Zoe leaps at it. A small village in the Highlands sounds like the escape she and Hari desperately need. Yes the owner, Ramsay, is moody and distanced and soon Zoe wonders if she’s made the right decision. But Hari has found his first real friend and the beauty of the loch is irresistible. If only Ramsay would be a little more approachable…”

Scottish highlands? Bookshop? Yes, please.

However, the synopsis on the back of the book is a tad misleading. Yes, Zoe is our main girl, and yes, she is moving to Scotland to help run a small bookshop. But the owner of the bookshop isn’t Ramsay; it’s a woman named Nina. Nina is pregnant and needs someone to run the bookshop while she’s on maternity leave. Ramsay is the father of three children in need of a nanny. He lives in a large, tumbledown estate on the shores of Loch Ness. As it works out, Zoe can nanny the children and get room and board in the big house while running the bookshop during the week to earn extra money. Win-win. This book is also the second in a trilogy. I have not read the first and thought The Bookshop on the Shore was a good stand-alone read.

Before Zoe decides to head out to the highlands of Scotland, we are graced with the presence of Jaz, Hari’s rarely-present father. If there is one thing Jenny Colgan does incredibly well, it’s to write someone that you’ll despise. Jaz is one of those people who constantly claims to have no money to help with Hari, and yet you see him hotel hopping through incredible places like Ibiza as he works to establish his career as a DJ. *Eye roll* He seems to have lost interest in Hari because of Hari’s silence. Again, eye roll. Luckily, Zoe makes the hard decision to give Scotland a go. What does she have to lose?

I really enjoyed The Bookshop on the Shore for the story.

If I were basing my review on the story alone, I’d have easily given it four cuppas instead of three. I like the characters, I think they have great development, and I adore Zoe. She’s just a gal trying to do her best and is giving it her all. Many of the other big players in this book are also enjoyable to watch grow. The three children that Zoe nannies (Shackleton, Mary, and Patrick) all have wonderful, and sometimes not so wonderful, quirks that keep Zoe on her toes. During her stay in Scotland, she sees her son make new friends and grow in his confidence. She sees changes in herself as well. Less stress and more time outdoors is a remedy for anyone, it seems.

My only complaint about the story is the romance aspect.

Now, I’ll be honest; I’ve never been a romance novel fan, especially the ones with hot and heavy bedroom scenes. It’s just not my cuppa tea. However, I do enjoy a good love story. I found myself really enjoying the ride with this book, and then out of nowhere, BAM. Romance. Lust. Need. It seemed a little sudden, even though the reader can see it coming. It’s like we all knew it was going to happen, so the author decided that it didn’t need much lead-up. But again, real-life can be that way as well, so I can’t complain about it too much. In the end, it all played out well, but I thought it a bit hurried at the beginning.

My main complaints come in with writing style, which is 100% a personal thing and doesn’t apply to all readers. This book is written in third person omniscient, which I adore as a narrative viewpoint. However, I found that it jumped too frequently between characters from one sentence to the next, which left me trying to figure out who was thinking what rather than enjoying the story. This threw me off more than once. There was a random name-swap mishap that had me reread a few pages to be sure I didn’t miss something important, and at one point, the author completely breaks the fourth wall and throws her own two cents in as herself. I found that one rather odd. Even now, I don’t know how I feel about it. On the one hand, it was jarring and took me out of the Highlands of Scotland very quickly. On the other hand, good for you for doing what you want in your own book. You’re allowed to do that, and I can respect that choice.

At the end of the day, I finished this book with a smile on my face and happy tears streaming.

If you’re looking for something heartwarming and not too heavy, The Bookshop on the Shore is a great book to read. It was a quick, easy read that kept me guessing and even had me on the edge of my seat a time or two. And it makes a phenomenal Dunkirk reference. Top marks in my book for that.

Have you read The Bookshop on the Shore? Leave a comment and let me know what you thought about it! Want to read it yourself? Click here to get a copy.
Cheers,
Lydia