What a treat of a story this was! And much more than I was expecting too! I am always drawn to books set around a bookshop and this is set in a beautifully old fashioned bookshop full of old books and owned by Archie who is a larger than life character, but a very perceptive and caring man. Loveday has worked at the bookshop for many years and within the shop she feels at home. She is very wary of people and the more you read her story, the more you understand why. So she prefers the company of books - let's be honest, don't we all! ;)
The story is set over 3 separate timelines all cleverly woven together throughout, as we look into Lovedays' childhood and see the heartbreaking things that have shaped her character and made her shut off from the world in many ways. It also looks back to a previous relationship and how that has impacted her life while also focusing on her as she tries to move forward with the support of Archie and the safety net of the bookshop. And mixed in with this is a little mystery of just where the box of books that turn up at the shop have come from as they transport her back to her childhood.
There was so much more to this story than I was expecting and I loved how it took me as a reader on a roller-coaster of emotions - I may have shed a few tears! The supporting cast of characters are also beautifully created and add so much to the story of Loveday and it captured my heart as I followed her story.
The story is set over 3 separate timelines all cleverly woven together throughout, as we look into Lovedays' childhood and see the heartbreaking things that have shaped her character and made her shut off from the world in many ways. It also looks back to a previous relationship and how that has impacted her life while also focusing on her as she tries to move forward with the support of Archie and the safety net of the bookshop. And mixed in with this is a little mystery of just where the box of books that turn up at the shop have come from as they transport her back to her childhood.
There was so much more to this story than I was expecting and I loved how it took me as a reader on a roller-coaster of emotions - I may have shed a few tears! The supporting cast of characters are also beautifully created and add so much to the story of Loveday and it captured my heart as I followed her story.