THE BORROW A BOOKSHOP HOLIDAY

 

SYNOPSIS

The Borrow-a-Bookshop Bookshop Café invites literature lovers to run their very own bookshop … for a fortnight.

Spend your days talking books with customers in your own charming bookshop and serving up delicious cream teas in the cosy café.

Bookworms, what are you waiting for? Your holiday is going to be LIT(erary).

Apply to: The Borrow-a-Bookshop Bookshop Café, Down-a-long, Clove Lore, Devon.

Jude Crawley should be on top of the world. She’s just graduated as a mature student, so can finally go public about her relationship with Philosophy professor, Mack.

Until she sees Mack kissing another girl, and her dreams crumble. And worse, their dream holiday – running a tiny bookshop in the harbour village of Clove Lore for two weeks – is non-refundable.

Throwing caution to the winds, Jude heads down to Devon, eager to immerse herself in literature and heal her broken heart.

But there’s one problem – six foot tall, brooding (but gorgeous) Elliot, who’s also reserved the bookshop holiday for two weeks…

As Jude and Elliot put their differences aside to run the bookshop, it seems that Jude might be falling in love with more than just words. Until she discovers what Elliot is running from – and why he’s hiding out in Clove Lore.

Can Jude find her own happy ending in a tiny, tumbledown bookshop? Or is she about to find out that her bookish holiday might have an unexpected twist in the tale.

Title: The borrow a bookshop holiday

Author: Kiley Dunbar

Publisher: Hera 

Publication date: May 5, 2021

REVIEW

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Imagine you’re given the chance to run your own bookshop for a fortnight. Then imagine said bookshop comes with a little cafe where you can (must) bake delicious treats. Then imagine you have to run them both along a dreamy hunk. Books, baking and a hot guy. Is that the perfect job or what? Certainly it is in my book! With such a premise I knew I had to read it and it did not let down.

The setting was absolutely gorgeous. I could feel myself walking around Clove Lore and, after learning it was loosely based on a real village I’ve added it to my bucket list of places to visit once life goes back to normal.

At the beginning Jude was a bit naive so it was hard to believe she was almost 30. She has led a very sheltered life so all the sudden changes in her life will force her to wake up. I loved her relationship with her best friend Daniel and Gran was another great character I would have like to see more of.

Elliot sounded like a dream so I can perfectly understand Jude falling for him so quickly, but he did something I usually hate in books, the “no, I can’t tell you my secret because you wouldn’t understand” thing. Try me! I thought it was gonna be endless pages of “tell me your secret” - “no, I can’t tell you my secret”, but second half took an interesting detour and when finally all was revealed I was glad I could not foresee that at all.

Can we talk about Aldous for a minute? OMG! What is it with me and dogs in books that I always fall in love with them?! When Jude learnt about the dog’s story I swear some tears fell down my face.

All the people in Clove Lore were charming  and I was glad to find some LGBTQIA+ representation. Their story was so sweet too!

A super cute read that will make all of us bookworms wish to be in Jude’s shoes.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hera Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.