Found in a Bookshop by Stephanie Butland

Loveday Cardew’s beloved Lost for Words bookshop and the rest of York have fallen quiet. At the very time when people most need books to widen their horizons, or escape from their fears, or enhance their lives, the doors are closed. Then the first letter comes.

Rosemary and George have been married for fifty years. Now their time is running out. They have decided to set out on their last journey together, without ever leaving the bench at the bottom of their garden in Whitby. All they need is someone who shares their love of books.

Suddenly it’s clear to Loveday that she and her team can do something useful in a crisis. They can recommend books to help with the situations their customers find themselves in: fear, boredom, loneliness, the desire for laughter and escape.

And so it begins.

BOOK REVIEW

There is something extra special to spend time with a character that you really loved. Loveday is one of my heart stay characters and she definitely doesn’t disappoint in Found In A Bookshop.

I will always be honest in my reviews and as much as I enjoyed the book, it was a difficult read. It is not one I could recommend to everyone without explaining the triggers of which there are a lot. Overall the feeling of being back in lockdown and if you suffered from separation from your family or a devastating loss then really this isn’t the book for you. There is a great deal of talking about, loss in all its forms and I was very upset at times during the book. I love the premise of the book but I feel the timing of it is just not the best for me right now.

I am a person who chooses each day to be happy and positive. It annoys people, it really does. But I made that choice to live and see the beauty and the love in the everyday little things. Because the alternative as maudlin as it sounds is that I just wouldn’t be here. When your whole heart shatters it is put back together in a different way. You are not the same and you have a choice. I choose to take time to find new happiness. Found In A Bookshop took me to a deep dark sad place and I just didn’t like being there. It is a very personal experience and I usually adore Stephanie’s books.

There was some uplifting takeaway from the book and I did enjoy all the prescriptions of books for each character I even wrote some down that I would like to try. I loved spending time with Rosemary and George, they really felt similar to my parents.

The book will surely touch your heart, as the relationships between Loveday and her customers, Rosemary and George, and the customers’ reactions to their unique situation, evoke the very best in us. While the world around us changes rapidly, the emotions remain the same: fear, loneliness, and a longing for connection. Stephanie Butland shows us the healing power of literature in the darkest of times.

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I was gifted my copy in exchange for an honest review.

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