A cute story involving books, a bookshop, and a small village by the sea,

Following a relationship disappointment, Jude (Judith) goes to Devon to fulfill her holiday booking of running a bookshop and café for two weeks. She was supposed to go with her ex, but upon arriving, she finds out she's splitting the booking with Elliot, whom she didn't know about.

Jude is a bit naïve about relationships, and she's not used to following her dreams. Leaving on vacation by herself is all new to her. She wants to make the most of running the bookshop and café, and she's not sure she wants to do it with Elliot, but soon they become friends and establish a good system to run both.

The problem is Elliot is keeping secrets and Jude wants to know what's going on.

I really like the setting and the village, and how everyone takes care of each other and the resident dog, and I especially liked to see how Jude and Elliot become a part of the fabric.

Very cute read and will look for more from this author.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

The Borrow a Bookshop Holiday has the most wonderful setting, and it's all booklovers' dream to spend two weeks surrounded by books!

The story itself is lacking and quite dull. Also, so much anticipation of working in the bookshop, and we barely get a glimpse of what it's like to work there.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

Judy, should be feeling ecstatic and on top of the world right now, for she’s just as a mature student graduated. Now, she can go public about her relationship with Mack, a Philosophy professor.

But it doesn’t go the way she’s thinking/daydreaming it will, as she’s just seen Mack kissing another girl. Not only that, they were going to have a holiday – running a tiny bookshop in Clove Lore for two weeks, which now, she can’t get the money back for.

But, Jude still decides to go, to Devon, hoping that in between the pages of a book, she can heal her broken heart.

Only, there’s a problem, whose quite tall and that’s Elliott, he’s also reserved the bookshop for two weeks.

So, they both try to run the bookshop, but Jude is falling in love, not just with the books. But then she finds out why Elliotts in Clove Lore.

Will Jude get a happy ending in this bookshop? Or is there a twist in her bookshop holiday...

Loved it.

I really loved this story and was thoroughly charmed. This was an unexpected treasure, that I decided read on the basis of the blurb. As a book lover, who wouldn’t love the opportunity to run a bookshop for 2 weeks by the sea? The town itself was delightful, the characters were interesting and fabulous. All in all it was a one of those heartwarming stories, that you read on a beach holiday in summer or snuggled in blankets in front of a fire during winter.

Thank you to the Author, Publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this story. I’m voluntarily reviewing and giving my unbiased opinion of a complimentary eARC.

Clove Lore and its bookshop is just my dream place for holidays; People are so welcoming, the view on the sea, steep cobbled streets, donkeys, foxes AND a love story. I'm all in !

This book is just sooo sweet ! I loved Jude, and completely understood her feeling of being trapped in her own life at the beginning. Elliot is this big strong tatooed guy with such a tender heart ... owww I melt !!

I like that when things go wrong, June doesn't become bitter (she should/could be after Mack). She's just heartbroken. Could I be like her, just move on ? Nop. Could I, like her, fall for someone in less than a week ? Nop either. I guess that's some kind of love at first sight and I know it's a novel, but I wish I could live it too.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an eArc in exchange of an honest review.

I found that this book started quite slow. The first seven chapters seemed to go on forever with parts that I wasn’t particularly interested in. But boy did it pick up. I really enjoyed the characters and the dynamics between each of them - also I LOVED Elliot (who doesn’t love a tall, mysterious and gorgeous man?!). The plot was fun, easy to read, and all round just made me feel really happy.

This book made me desperately want to own a bookstore (more than I did previously at least!). I absolutely loved the setting of this book.

If you love a good, light-hearted and easy contemporary read, this book is definitely for you.

This book is released May 5th 2021, so definitely go and check it out!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

The theme of this book really appealed to me - books and baking. - my idea of bliss.

I found Jude to be extremely annoying - for a 29 year old adult she cried an awful lot, and for this reason I found it difficult to eLmpathise with her.

At times I felt that certain events which were important to the story we’re not given the words that they should have been given, and this made the end seem a bit hurried.

Despite the above, I did enjoy the book and recommend it for light hearted holiday reading.

Omg this book is every booklovers dream!

From the moment I started the book I was hooked.
Everything about the bookshop and Clove Lore is just so well written that it is a joy to read!
This book put a smile on my face and for other booklovers I encourage you to read it ASAP!
I also loved the development Jude had throughout the story! The only thing not making it a 5 star, is that I found it quite hard to understand Elliots character but also hard to picture him.

I will now look into more of Kiley Dunbars books!

This is a good read for fans of stories set in Great Britain or fans of Jenny Colgan. A thirty year old recent college grad, Jude, who had an affair with an unfaithful professor has an opportunity to run a bookshop in Devon for two weeks. The professor was supposed to go with her but under the circumstances he is replaced by a stranger, Elliot, who also applied to run the bookshop. He is handsome and quite mysterious . Jude is from a baking family and is adept at baking to stock the cafe attached to the bookshop. Elliot is good at running the shop and cafe and together they make things work and of course, fall in love. Elliot is harboring a secret from his past which comes back to challenge him during their time at the bookshop. I ;enjoyed the bit of mystery and really enjoyed all the characters inhabiting the bookshop town. This was an entertaining read with a few twists.

It is a heartwarming story with an interesting plot that has a sprinkle of mystery. It is set in a small, beautiful seaside place that is a bit like Clovelly, which is a special place for the author, according to her notes.
It has a lovely crew of characters, including a mutt! Although the heroine Jude is 30, it feels a bit like a coming-of-age story as this is the point in her life where she finds herself and her self-esteem. The other main character Elliot sounds a heathcliffish, mysterious heartthrob. They feel an immediate attraction, and after some misunderstanding there is a happy ending of course.
It is a lighthearted and feel-good read. I can recommend it to everyone who loves a romance with loveable characters, set in a close-knit community.

The Borrow a Bookshop Holiday
by Kiley Dunbar

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I really, really enjoyed this book. I thought it would be a light fun read (and it was!) but it was much more than that too. Emotional, fun, charming and delightful.

Jude Crawley just graduated from university, an accomplishment she’s especially proud of since she had to care for her gran for several years before starting back to school. At her graduation she discovers her “secret” boyfriend, philosophy professor Mack kissing a young freshman, abruptly ending her plans to move their relationship out in the open.

Jude and Mack won an opportunity to run a bookshop in Devon for two weeks, a dream they shared. Jude refuses to go with Mack after his betrayal, and she insists on going alone.

When she arrives at the quirky bookshop, she learns that the owner of the shop replaced Mack with Elliott, a single veterinarian, with a secret. As they learn to run the bookshop together, and immerse themselves in the local community, they find themselves falling for each other.

As I said before, I absolutely loved this book. For me, it’s the perfect read, a quirky heroine, a kindhearted, but secretive hero, and a cast of eccentric supporting characters in an idyllic setting. There is enough mystery with the hero to make me want to turn each page to see what was coming next.

The writing is beautiful, and I was sucked into this story from the very first page.

I highly recommend this book to anyone, and I will be finding the author’s backlist and reading those too.

What an absolutely lovely read this was! The setting was stunning and the descriptive writing brings the seascape to life in vivid colour! In fact I kept thinking this lovely village sounds just like Clovelly , a place I have visited many times and is such an idyllic place. At the end of the book I discovered that it was the inspiration for the author .
This is such a heartwarming and humorous read ,with likeable characters and a few misunderstandings thrown in because true love never runs smoothly. I thoroughly recommend this book if you need a pick me up! I found it very uplifting and immersive. I read it in one sitting, I absolutely loved it! In fact I wanted to be in that little bookshop on my own holiday.

A book lover's dream. Who wouldn't want to run their own book shop? It's all I can think of now. Also it's going to take me a while to get over Elliot. Swooning so much right now. This was such a delight of a read. You couldn't help but fall in love with the residents of Clove Lore. I felt like I related to Jude, with her love of literature, not quite sure where she was going in life and of course her anxiety about numbers. This book will have you smiling long after you read the last page.

As a book lover the idea of renting and running a bookshop sounds like a dream scenario so I was quite keen to read this. The story was quite pleasant but I struggled to get into it as much as I had hoped I would. . The first few chapters were a bit slow but once she got to Devon and Elliot was introduced it picked up a bit. (2 1/2 ⭐️)

Thank you Netgally and Hera Books for sending me the ARC for this book

THE BORROW A BOOKSHOP HOLIDAY by Kiley Dunbar

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Absolutely everything about this book made me happy! It was such a gorgeous idea for a story, a light-hearted and fun adventure that completely swept me up!

Every bookworm should read this book. It’s just delightful and my heart feels so happy!

A holiday that involves books, a bookshop, baking, a dog and a hunk? What's not to love?
Jude's life revolves around her family, caring for her grandmother, and pottering around, helping her parents in the family bakery business, alongside completing her English degree part-time. Books are her faithful friends throughout her life.
When her forbidden romance, ends badly, along with finding out her parents are shutting up shop, and her gran wants to move to a retirement village, she's at a loss as to what to do, until an email arrives, confirming a booking Jude and her then-boyfriend had made for a two week holiday, running a bookshop and a cafe in a small village in Devon.
She arrives, after being forced by her parents and best friend to take the break, hoping for a fortnight of solitude, books and baking, and is rudely awakened on her first night by an intruder.
I won't go into more detail, other than to say that the intruder ends up being hot, and the bookstore comes with a mangy mutt, who both end up stealing the reader's heart.
Jude is a character who has such low self-esteem and feels like she doesn't have a real place in the world, and this story gives her a chance to grow into herself, and find the life she always wanted.
Elliott - that's the intruder - well, he's just a fab character, all big and brooding, but gentle and kind, too, and he's an animal lover. Oh, and he has a bit of a past that he's trying to get away from.
Aldous, the dog, oh, what a star! I loved his connection with the bookshop, and wished I could be the one to coax him out of his grief and stupor!
And all the characters in the fictitious village of Clove Lore, from Mrs C and her 'book' filled with bets on who will get together and stay in the village, to Minty, owner of the Estate, who has her suspicions about Elliot and why he's here.
A wonderful, sweet, feel-good read. And if you, like me, are someone who doesn't get along with maths, you'll relish this story all the more!
When I heard about Kiley Dunbar's latest book, I eagerly awaited the release date and was honoured to be approved to read an arc, as I have loved all of Kiley's previous releases.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Hera Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a lovely read. Devoured this in a couple of days. The type of book you can lose yourself in and escape. Well written and loved the characters. A definite read for anyone who enjoys the chiclit genre.

3.5 stars.
I mean isn't it every book lovers dream to be able to run a bookshop in a quaint little village? The setting and characters were really enjoyable.
The Elliot debacle was a little convoluted and far fetched but this book kind of got away with it anyway.
Thanks to Netgalley for my copy of this book.

Kiley Dunbar always provides a nice bit of escapism with her stories and this is no exception. It is a lighthearted read that is perfect for a rainy afternoon or to take on holiday with you.

Jude has just finished her degree and lost her boyfriend and home, leaving her at a crossroads with where her life is going. That is until she gets a chance to go on holiday and run a bookshop for two weeks in a beautiful Devon village.

There is nothing groundbreaking here but I never expect there to be with this genre. For me when I pick up a book like this it is all about enjoying the read whilst not having to think too much and this provides that completely.

One part I loved was the excerpt from a poem by John Donne about death and how it another life translated. This turned a possibly sad scene into how and reincarnation and gave the bookshop a purpose, which is explored in relation to other characters throughout the book.
Though for me the ending was a bit of a cliché where Jude was convincing herself she was like Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday but every reader knows it is not a spoiler if they are reading a romance novel because their trope of the genre is have a happy ending.
Overall, there is a nice whisper of literary references throughout the book especially with the character's personal comparison to 'Jude the Obscure', Thomas Hardy's final book, and how she is determined to not be that reflection of herself forever.

I would recommend this to customers of my shop who are looking for a light-hearted read with a heart of travel.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.