Bookshop Girl follows Paige turner who is 16 years old. She lives in a quaint little town and for Paige, the only place she can find solace is when she is at Bennett’s bookshop. But chaos ensues when Bennett’s is at risk of closure so her and her best friend, Holly, must find a way to save their favourite place. This book was cute and an easy read. Personally, probably wouldn’t have picked this up if it wasn’t for a review (thanks netgalley by the way) as it seems like it is targeted towards the younger ages of YA rather than me, who is a 22 year old.

3 out of 5 stars.

Firstly, let it be noted that I laughed out loud at this book so many time whilst in a crowded airport and sitting on a full plane, so safe to say I enjoyed it a lot! I love the premise behind this book, a casualty of the high street that we have all seen a thousand times before, the local bookshop being closed. But it really does mean so much more to people that just a shop and I love that the heroine of this story is Paige Turner.

This book is also awesomely feminist, at every turn Paige and her friend Holly are able to drop in something about being powerful women and not allow themselves to be objectified as 16 year old girls, I thought this was great! Paige is just a great character to read about and I'm so pleased to hear that there are going to be more books featuring her coming soon! She is strong-minded and mature but has just the same sorts of thoughts that we all did when we were 16 and so i defy any reader not to fall in love with her.

As I've mentioned this book made me laugh a lot, it really is hilarious. Just some of the scenes that made me chuckle were during life drawing classes, moments with Paige and her friend Holly and moments where Paige is trying to play it cool in front of a new crush. So if those sounds like the kinds of things that would make you laugh then I suggest reading this book immediately!

The synopsis states that this book will make you want to start your own bookshop campaign and that is so true. This book is so much more than just some giggles an crushes. It has the whole massively feminist thing going on and also it has the support for an independent bookshop. They are becoming rarer and rarer these days and so this book is definitely in support of them and the importance of these institutions in our community. I can't wait to read more from Chloe Coles, this definitely doesn't read like a debut and you should all put it in your summer reading lists right now!

I really wasn’t keen on this unfortunately! I was disappointed as with it being set in a bookshop I really wanted to like it. So I didn’t finish it

The premise of the story is a simple one - when her place of work, a book shop, is threatened with closure, Paige takes action and starts a campaign to save it. There is a love interest too. I found the language a bit irritating - I don't like abbreviations in everyday speech - but then I am not the intended audience so this is probably not an issue. I did keep reading however and found that the plot pulled me along. It quietly shows that you don't have to accept what life throws at you. There are times when you can do something to change outcomes.

I liked this book a lot! When the regional manager announces that the book shop is to close in
four weeks, 16 Year old Paige Turner. (yes thats her real name!) is having none of it!
Paige and he friend Holly start an online petition to the local Council. Meanwhile they start attending life modelling classes. Where they meet a group of people who really help them with the cause and of course her crush is there! It’s an hilarious story of first crushes, how awkward teenagers are and what they can achieve when they put their all in.
Seeing Paige with her 16 year old views on feminism and doing the right things, and her first crush all in one summer holiday. It truly was an uplifting story one many teenagers would identify with.
I think this book is more for the younger readers of YA.
A great easy read that shows the strength of a community

This was a really fun and quick summer read. It follows the story of Paige who has just found out that the bookshop she works at is to be closed and demolished. Therefore, Paige decided to team up with her best friend Holly and her co-workers to start a petition in order to save the store. However as well as fighting for her bookshop Paige has to deal with her growing feelings for Blaine a fellow art student at her life drawing class. This is the first contemporary book I have read that takes place in the UK which I really enjoyed. I really liked that this book is about books and fighting for what you believe in it also talks about sexism. However, the book does read quite young as the main characters are 16 and I feel I would have enjoyed it better if I were a few years younger.

Bookshop Girl begins with tragedy. The staff at Bennett's Bookshop have been told that their shop is closing and that they are being made redundant. Among them is sixteen-year-old Paige Turner (yep, that's her real name!) and her best friend Holly. For Paige, the bookshop has been an escape, as well as a place to earn some much-needed cash to help her move out of her sleepy hometown: 'When you're inside you don't have to know that you're in crappy old Greysworth. You don't even have to know that you're a sixteen-year-old-girl with a wonky fringe and occasional breakouts; you can just live somebody else's adventure.'

It is Paige's determination not to let Bennett's be another 'casualty of the high street' that drives the book forward as she starts a campaign to save the shop. She is an excellent character, both funny and passionate, and her real love of books shines through. It will really speak to any fellow bookworms reading.

Paige's voice is colloquial and modern, without feeling forced. It's clear that Foyles' bookseller Chloe Coles really understands how young people speak; you feel like Paige is sat next to you having a chat. When a voice flows so easily that you forget it has even been written, you know it's been done well.

The story also comes with a fun cast of side characters. I particularly loved Tony, the ever-grumpy bookshop manager, and Sue, the life model who proves throughout the course of the book that she isn't afraid of getting naked wherever and whenever necessary!

I didn't, however, think much to Paige's love interest (even from the start) but I can totally see how I would have been swept up by him in the same way as a sixteen year old. It's an important life lesson that you can't always trust the arty man with good hair who likes to chat about philosophy!

If you've enjoyed Editing Emma or Big Bones recently, this is a good shout for you. I'm really excited to hear that Paige's adventures will be continuing in a second book, in which Paige and Holly have blagged themselves tickets to the hottest event of the year... Skegton-on-Sea Book Festival!

I wanted to like this book - bookshops! feminism! - but it just didn't do it for me. I was hoping for something akin to Holly Bourne's Spinster Club series but the writing just fell a bit flat for me. The 'voice' of the teenage narrator seemed more cringe than authentic. However it may just be me, I'm not a teenager any more so I'm not the target audience. It was quite a fun read, and anything celebrating books and reading is to be praised, so I hope it finds an audience.

I really liked this book. The writing is brilliant, it’s the perfect mix of Paige being utterly hilarious whilst striving to save something she loves. The first person narrative made me see things through Paige’s eyes and I loved her outlook on things and how she describes the things around her. Overall a funny, cute and light book.

The debut novel from this former bookseller, Chloe Coles writes a book that’s heartwarming and fun about trying to save the only bookstore left in a town made of grey (it’s called Greysworth for a reason!)

I am glad this book gets started quite quickly, it’s a short read but a very good one as we are introduced to great characters and a plot that really gives throughout the whole of the book. The characters in the book feel like a dysfunctional family but they work together so well and it makes for such a sweet read as this group band together to save the store.

I like that the romance is sort of a back plot to the friendships and the story as this is rare in books such as this, focusing more on the saving of the shop - it made me want to get up and buy a lot of books (and the pile of new books next to me shows that was pretty successful!) as Holly and Paige are so dedicated to making sure that Bennett’s doesn’t close.

A really enjoyable read, I can’t wait to read more from this author.

This book was really cute - Paige had a really strong voice and was very likeable. She felt like a realistic 16 year old with her inner monologue, especially the crushes. I think I'm a little older than the target audience, but it was a lovely easy read and the plot whizzed along. Giving it three stars as it's not totally my thing, but I enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed this, it's very British, very funny, and as a book lover I couldn't pass up a book about saving a struggling bookshop. I'm very much anticipating the sequel. This isn't going to break any new ground or keep you up at night thinking about it, but as a love letter to books and small bookstores it is fantastic.

I loved this. The characters were great and relatable in parts. Some of it was a bit predictable, but overall it was a wonderful read. It was quick and easy to read, and such a cute book.

I found out about this book because the author is going to be at YALC, and as soon as I saw this book, I knew I had to read it. I ended up really enjoying it. It was exactly what I was expecting it to be, and exactly what I wanted. Working in a bookshop is my dream job, so I was really happy to find a book about that.

I really liked the writing. It was quick and easy to read. It was also a really engaging read, so I managed to get through it super quickly.

I LOVED the fact that it had feminism in there. I love seeing more and more books including feminism, and having feminist main characters, even when that isn’t the main point of the book. There were some point where I felt like they were just being silly with it though, like saying that the red and green man at pedestrian crossings are a way of putting women in their place.

I’m always happy to see books set in England, and this one was actually set near where I live, which was pretty cool.

I really liked Paige, the main character, and Holly, her best friend. I liked how passionate they were about saving the bookshop. I also just really enjoyed reading from Paige’s point of view.

The only character I didn’t really like was Blaine, but everything worked out the way I wanted with him in the end, so that was good.

Overall this was a really enjoyable read, and if you are looking for something quick and fun and bookish, I would definitely recommend this one.

3.5 stars

This was a quick, easy but hilarious read about one girls journey to stop her book shop from closing down. It had me chuckling to myself at certain points and I loved Paige from the moment she was introduced. Yes, she’s not a perfect character and she does have some embarrassing moments, but don’t we all? It certainly took me back to how I was when I was a teenager.

The only thing that I didn’t really like was some of the teenager-ish language. I can’t say I have heard many teenagers speak the way Paige and her friend, Holly do but that could just be me.

Overall an enjoyable read that only took me a few days to get through. If you want a quick read full of laughs this is one for you.

I really enjoyed this book. As a bookworm myself, it was great to read about a teenager who thinks books and reading are cool and goes out of her way to make sure her bookshop doesn't close down. It had all the ingredients to make a fun YA book: crushes, best friends, cringy moments and humour. I'm looking forward to the next one in the series!

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a quick fun-filled read that reminds us of the importance of books.
Paige Turner (yes, that really is her name) works in a bookshop. It’s been a huge part of her life since she was small. When she learns that the council plan to close the store, Paige is determined to do whatever it takes to save the store.
What follows is an amusing attempt by Paige and her work colleagues to gather support for their campaign. Along the way there’s a little crush and some embarrassing moments.

This book confused me. I felt like I was reading something for a teenager & therefore felt like a grandma. I didn't form any attachments to the main characters & overall found it lacking in humour.

Bookshop Girl is a great fun read for anyone who has a love of bookshops and books.

However, I felt that the main plot of the book, saving Bennett's Bookshop, got a bit lost in other aspects of the plot. I didn't get a sense of what was driving the story forward, there didn't feel to be a sense of urgency to the plot and the climax of the story fell a little flat.

Still an enjoyable read but it will probably not stay in my memory for very long.

I think when I requested this book, I had some idea in my head as to what this book was about and to a certain point, the book delivered. However what I wasn't expecting was the disconnect with the way the main character thought, the language used in the book doesn't really feel as if it belongs to the current times? In a way.

Maybe if I had been in my teens, I might have loved it more?

I do love the basic premise of the book, anything even remotely involving a bookshop in a book grabs my attention and this book did just that. I loved the parts with Paige's art class and her genuine wish for Bennett's to remain open. I loved her passion for the books and her friendship with Holly was strong and good, too. I think, overall, the book achieved what it set out to do but there were many more bumps than I had been expecting.

The author's use of the words like 'Oh Em Gee' and such just didn't resonate with me and I am the kind of person who does use 'OMG' way too much. I am not quite sure why it didn't feel natural but it just didn't. Often it almost felt as if the author was trying too hard to present Paige as a teenager. The love interest in the book was interesting and the speech at the end was pretty good, too!!!

Overall, a light, mad, contemporary.book that could work for you if you are in the mood for something like that.