This is totally me... as a character in a book! haha

Although I'm slightly older than Hallie, her character is COMPLETELY relatable! I mean just when you think you've hit rock bottom, you win a dreamy book store and your luck starts to change - as does the love & luck of others that you get to unravel! It was an adorable story that really made me smile.

I won't spoil it but if you love cute twists, romance and LOTS of books - this is the novel for you! Sit back, grab a glass of wine (or cup of tea) and enjoy a feel good, easy-read like this one. You will definitely not be disappointed!

Thank you Jaimie Admans, HQ Digital and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. Always so grateful for the opportunity to read complimentary books!

The Little Bookshop of Love Stories by Jaimie Admans
Publication Date: May 8, 2020 - Out Now!!!

Description from NetGalley...
“Today is the Mondayest Monday ever. Hallie Winstone has been fired – and it wasn’t even her fault!

Having lost her job and humiliated herself in front of a whole restaurant full of diners, this is absolutely, one hundred percent, the worst day of her life. That is until she receives an email announcing that she is the lucky winner of the Once Upon a Page Bookshop!
 
Owning a bookshop has always been Hallie’s dream, and when she starts to find secret love letters on the first page of every book, she knows she's stumbled across something special. But Hallie’s beloved bookshop is in financial trouble, and with sales dwindling, she can’t help but wonder if she is really cut out to run a business.
Things start to look up when she meets gorgeous, bookish Dimitri and between them, they post a few of the hidden messages online, reuniting people who thought they were lost forever.
 
But maybe it’s time for Hallie to find her own happy-ever-after, too?”

Thank you to @NetGalley #hqdigital @hqstories for the digital ARC in return for my honest review.

My thoughts...
So, I’m not big into romcom books. But, the title and the cover caught my eyes and I was looking for something fun, happy and sweet. This is my first book from this author. I got this last week from NetGalley, read it in one sitting last weekend, and I’m glad I did. Maybe it was my mood, maybe I was looking for a quick read, I don’t know but I really enjoyed this book. It was cute, sweet and bookish. I didn’t care that the romance was predictable and saccharine because the book made me feel lighthearted. Yes, I surprised myself! It’s a daydreaming book.

Romantic comedies are not my go to read, but considering the current state of affairs in the world, I needed something light and sunny and this book did the job.
The main characters seemed sweet to me, but a little hard to believe, considering their ages. There are no big surprises or mysteries, and you can tell where the story is going from the beginning.
If you are looking for a sunny, feel-good story, The Little Bookshop of Love Stories is definitely a great choice.
Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Digital for the opportunity to review this ARC

This is a truly lovely story. It has very visual, laugh-out-loud humour, pathos, sadness, romance, and a certain joie de vivre that is quite compelling. Hallie Winstone has just been fired from her job as a barmaid after a perfectly awful accident which could only ever happen to accident-prone Hallie, she was already on a warning from her previous little mishap! She has never had a wonderful job because of her clumsiness, and here she is - in her thirties and still living in rented accommodation which she shares with a twenty two year-old student who alway has a string of beautiful girlfriends around, and eats all her food from the fridge. Hallie has always felt awkward, and has cut herself off from a social life, just absorbing herself in the life of the characters in her many, many books. When she gets home, thoroughly depressed, there is an e-mail waiting for her, she has won a prize draw, she is the new owner of Once Upon A Page, a bookshop in the Cotswolds village where her mother and sister live. Her dream job!

After she has visited the shop, where she has always spent a lot of time browsing, and signed the paperwork, which has some very strange clauses, she is able to move in to the tiny flat above the shop; still thinking she is eventually going to wake up and it will all have vanished! Her first day dawns, and the first person in the shop is a very unpleasant property developer, who wants her to sell it to him, he already owns the shop next door and wants to pull them down and build a leisure centre. She soon sends him on his way, and before long she has several browsers, and has made her first sale. The the door opens and a young man falls through, all his belongings showering out all over the floor. Hallie helps pick it all up, then helps him get up ... their heads bang together and his possessions fall over the floor again. Dimitri is as awkward and clumsy as Hallie.

Dimitri is an artist, and the previous owner allowed him to use a very old and valuable book of fairy tales, he is making sketches for a new version of the book, so he is often in the shop, and Hallie allows him to continue. Ha is actually a great help, as he knows where to find everything, most of the books have been put away in haphazard manner.

The shop is failing, there is very little cash available to buy anything new, but Hallie comes up with all sorts of ideas to improve things. But first she needs to do a stock-take. Dimitri helps, and night after night they clear shelves, dust the books and wash shelves and put things back in the correct places, as well as completing an inventory. They find things that set up a whole new adventure for them, and the shop, and their friendship grows, they learn a great deal about each other - or do they?

Then comes the fateful day when they put all their plans and hopes for the shop together, and open to their new beginning. Does it work? Well, like the curate’s egg it is good in parts! But Hallie and Dimitri both have to get very brave and talk to each other and a couple of other people before everything works out for them.

This is a gentle, sweet story about two lovely people who really need each other. An excellent feel-good factor, well worth reading.

I've never wanted a book never to end like this one before.
Calamity woman in her 30's wins a bookshop in a raffle. Doesn't sound like much does it?
But reading the struggles she faces and the new ideas of keeping this old bookshop alive, was so enjoyable to read.
Together with this handsome man who is all to keen to help her with the shop, and they discover romantic written notes in some older books.. they reunite old lovers.

I adored how the love of books was so beautifully explained.

A book I would happily read again very soon and a book that won't leave me.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins Publishers for copy

It’s my first book by Jaime Admans, I have no idea why as it was amazing!
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to own a bookshop? Hallie ‘won’ this in a raffle on the understanding that when the time came she gave it to someone else that loved books. What a truly amazing book, I loved it and will be reading more by Jaimie. I didn’t want it to end........ and now I want a bookshop too! ❤️ If you love reading books then this is the book for you.

Loved it!!! Such a magical book. Would love to win a bookshop, especially if it came with a frisky dog loving fish and and a handsome Dimitri. Loved the story, characters and writing style. All this bookshop needed was a fat orange cat to live amongst the books, although he might eat Heathcliff. Hallie did a great job running the bookshop with no prior experience, especially since Robert left her zero guidance. At least Dimitri was always there when she had questions. Loved the mystery behind all the messages in the books. My least favorite character was Hallie's mom. She was probably tied with Drake. Drake was simply a jerk and consumed with money. Hallie's mom just simply didn't understand her daughter and was always trying to set her up with men. Any man, it didn't matter who he was. She even went as far as to set up a dating profile for Hallie. I did find Dimitri's dictionary pics funny. The book just made me smile.

Definitely recommend the book. It was such a cute story. How could I not love a book about people who love books as much as I do??!!! I was sad to see it end. I would love to read more about Hallie and see what she is up to. Look forward to reading more books by the author. Loved the cover of the book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from HQ Digital through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Perfect book for these times to escape from the reality of life at the moment. I loved the idea of the stories behind the book inscriptions but did find the book a little predictable at times. Still a lovely easy read.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this novel in exchange for a review.

Hasn’t every bibliophile dreamed of running a bookshop at one time or another? If you have, this book is definitely for you. Fun, funny, romantic and so very bookish. 💗

‘The Little Bookshop of Love Stories’ is a bookish gal’s dream! I just finished my ARC and this one will stick with me: the characters, the bookshop, and the joy found in this other world that exists thanks to Jaimie Admans!

Hallie has always been a bit accident prone, in fact that’s how she seems to find it impossible to hold down her succession of jobs. She’s had a day from hell which involved embarrassing herself in front of all the pub customers and being handed her cards again. She comes home to her sad flatshare and gets the best news of her life. She has won her dream bookshop ‘Once Upon a Page’ set in the idyllic village of Buntingorden. She is terrified that her bad luck will follow her, and she will ruin this amazing opportunity. But despite the fact that the shop is in need of a lot of care and attention the resident artist, Dimitri, is also like a dream come true. He’s kind, gentle incredibly talented and bakes; the best of all he also loves books in the same intense fashion as Hallie. As they begin to sort through the jumble of books, they begin to discover a whole world of messages from the past inscribed within them and the adventure really begins. Gentle and uplifting I really enjoyed reading their story. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I did not finish this book. The naivety of the main character was grating, instead of sweet. It did not make me root for her, instead I was annoyed. Perhaps I could have gotten over it but if the first 50-60 pages didn’t do it, I doubted it.

I have read all Jaimies other books and thoroughly enjoyed them and this one was no exception. A book about a bookshop - what is there not to like? Hallie wins a bookshop called Once Upon A Page in a raffle - slightly unbelievable but then the story gently unfolds in the sleepy little village setting. She is introduced to Dimitri who shares her love of books and together they try to sort the bookshop out and put it back on the map. It is light hearted read - perfect for escaping the current situation we find ourselves in. A delightful read as always from this author.

This was a cute and cozy read with a lot of good one liners about books and reading. The romance was a little saccharine and predictable, but I was still swept into it. Both of the main characters were likable and quirky, and I just wanted them to be happy.

Bad luck follows Hallie Winstone like a dark cloud, so she is understandably amazed to find herself the winner of a quaint old bookstore.

Reading has always been Hallie’s comfort and she’s dreamed of owning her own store one day- but she didn’t realize how much work it would be to reorganize the old shop. Good thing it comes with a flat upstairs because the store is taking over her life. Financial concerns makes her wonder if she’s jumped from the frying pan to the fire, but a handsome, quirky artist convinces Hallie not to give up.

With Dimitri’s help, Hallie begins to get a handle on the business and excitement blooms when they find books with inscriptions inside their worn covers. The romantic in Hallie wants to bring the people in the messages together, so she and Dimitri hatch a plan to advertise the notes online and the results are more than either of them expected.

This is a sweet, charming rom-com with an underlying message of trust that I found refreshing. Klutzy Dimitri and hapless Hallie make a great couple. And who wouldn’t love to find romance in a bookshop!

“I voluntarily read an ARC of this book which was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.”

The concept of this book had me hooked from the beginning. Hallie Winstone is the most unlucky and clumsiest person in the world, and to top it off, she gets fired from her waitressing job. Her luck changes when she gets one of the biggest surprises of her life: ownership of the most charming bookshop and flat in a quaint little town. A book lover’s dream come true! The cherry on top literally falls into the bookshop, Once Upon a Page, on her very first day in the form of dreamy, book-nerdy customer Dimitri. The two strike up a quick friendship and get to work organizing the bookshop and all it’s charm.

The author penned many charming moments throughout the book, bringing the awkwardness of Hallie and Dimitri to life, as well as providing comedic relief with the adorable dog-watching goldfish in the window. While I enjoyed all of the sweet moments – and they carried throughout the book – I struggled a bit to keep going. It seemed that there was momentum in the beginning, then it began to wane a bit. I enjoyed Hallie’s mum at first, but her obsession with Hallie getting married and the directness she had toward her goal was a little unnerving at times.

Overall, I would say this was an enjoyable, light-hearted book that is perfect reading for book lovers daydreaming about what it’d be like to own a bookshop. It was charming, laugh-out-loud funny at times, and arse-over-tits romantic! Though a bit predictable at times, it is the kind of story that brings a smile to your face, and what more could you want during this time of quarantine?!

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Digital for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First Thoughts
As I stated at the beginning of this post, book-lovers love books featuring books. So I simply had to read this book when I saw it on NetGalley; a book about books, and bookshops, and love stories. The title, cover, setting, and the description ensured I was falling in love before I started reading it. And when I was done with it, I was, bottoms-over-chests (ahem!) in love with it many times over.

The Review
The Little Bookshop of Love Stories is that scribbled note full of love on the first page of a book; addressed to books themselves and to book lovers everywhere.

Granted, it was predictable (for me) almost from the very start, and some of it a little too perfectly wonderful to be believable; but then it is fiction after all. Nevertheless, there was a delight in reading this book that kept me going till the very end almost in one sitting. And I am sure it will be the same for you too.

Jaimie Admans takes her characters, and thus her readers on a joy-filled, heart-warming journey through the pages of this book. The setting is perfect – both the bookshop named Once Upon a Page (and who would not love that!) and the town it is in; and all the characters fit their mold perfectly too. Hallie and Dimitri are both adorably clumsy, wonderfully quirky book-lovers, and totally relatable. I also loved that with all that was going on in the book, blossoming love, rekindled love stories literally from the pages of books, and more, the focus still remained on books!

Have you ever indulged on light airy sweet-treats sprinkled with humor, with that wonderful smell of books and wrapped in a warm hug? You can, when you read this book. This book is where dreams meet reality (oh to own a bookshelf!!!) ; where books meet book-lovers; the words leave your heart feeling warm; where witty banter and happy accidents resulting from klutzy characters leave your face smiling as wide as it can; where social media meets quaint bookshops; and one which leaves you believing in happy-ever-afters!!!

In Summary
Quirky, heart-warming, adorable, light-hearted, sweet romance (for books and love stories) that is perfect for anyone who loves books, bookshops, fairy tales, happily-ever-afters, a little bit of magic, charming little towns, and yes, even baking.

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC of the book; these are my honest opinions after reading this book.

Thank you to net galley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary advance reader copy of this book and return for review based on my honest opinion,

If you are looking for an absolutely wonderful book about a bookstore, about books, about love, second chances, dreams come true with a little humour rolled in, this is the book you’re looking for. I absolutely adored this book,

Hallie is accident prone and unlucky, she cannot keep a job or a boyfriend, she is always waiting for the next thing to go wrong. When she wins her favourite bookshop in a draw, she can hardly believe her luck, she wonders if the universe saved all her luck up for this one event. The bookshop not only comes with an apartment above it but with a goldfish and clumsy artist who comes to the shop daily to work on his book, but the shop is failing financially. As Hallie with the help of Dimitri try to keep the bookshop alive and keep the wolves from her door she starts to live like she’s never lived before. Can she trust that Dimitri is all he seems to be, has her luck finally changed or is the bookshop in the red too far to be saved?

This book was funny, romantic, heartwarming and so enjoyable to read. I loved all the references to books although I found it hard to believe that she had never read The Princess Bride as that is one of my favourite books. I’ve loved every book I’ve read by this author and can’t wait for her to write more.

I literally couldn’t put this book down. I laughed cried and I shouted at Halle!l numerous times throughout reading this. This is such a light but brilliant read with fab characters, a lovely village and you wont regret reading it.

A charming read all about romance and books. This light and easy read will leave you feeling happy and warm inside. Loved the unique characters too, this book had a magical feel to it