The latest book by Holly Hepburn, The Little Shop of Hidden Treasures, is set in York and in it we follow Hope who returns to York to rebuild her life following the death of her husband. She finds work in the Ever After Emporium, an antiques and bric-a-brac store that has captivated her since she was a little girl.

When she moves to York she gradually makes friends. I loved the connection Hope had with jeweller Will and his neice Brodie. When Brodie inadvertently introduces us to a mystery, we are taken back in time to Howard Carter’s excavation of the tomb of Tutankhamun and the lives of a young star-crossed couple.

One of her new friends encouraged to her to attend belly dancing classes, which sounded a lot of fun. Although I’m not so sure I would have wanted to take part in a public performance, although that is a ‘me’ problem!

As Hope takes steps to return to the world of dating, she finds that she has two suitors vying for her affections. From the start I was rooting for one particular love interest and was not disappointed.

I was captivated by the story of Elenor in Egypt, and would have loved to have known more about her love story.

The location of the main story, both in the shop and York itself were completely wonderful. I haven’t been to York since my honeymoon in the early 90s, but it really made me want to book a trip there.

The Little Shop of Hidden Treasures is a lovely comforting story about second chances at love.

Having read and loved the previous book by this author I was excited to read this one. I loved this book. It was perfect from the start. Hope is looking for a new start and finds the antique shop she loved as a child. From the beginning when she walked in there and had the most unusual job interview it was such a lovely experience being in the antique shop and watching Hope develop as a character throughout the book.

Through events that happen she meets some new people and stumbles on mystery surrounding an Egyptian antique which threads through the story and is almost a story in itself. Hope’s story is lovely to watch unfold and alongside, getting to see the Egyptian story be revealed is also a joy. All parts of the book are so brilliantly written that I felt I was there, alongside the characters seeing and feeling their experiences.

This is a lovely book that’s now on my list of re-reads. I spent a lot of time while reading, wanting to work in an antique shop in York and that’s the sign of a fabulous book for me. If you want something that’s basically like a giant cosy blanket, then this book is ideal.

It has been a while since I picked up a Holly Hepburn and I do prefer them when they are the complete novel as opposed to the serial parts realised. It means you can completely immerse yourself as I did with this joyous book.

Hope has lost her husband and finds herself back in York, where she grew up and is now back near her family. She needs to move on and build a new life without her love.

Since a small child she has walked past and stared in the window of the Ever After Emporium and always wanted to step inside. When a sign in the window is looing from some part time staff, Holly sees this as a sign to building her new life. Within the shop there are antiques, curios and wonderful Knick-knacks that caters for probably everyone. The shop and all that it contains is brought to life from the pages of the book and I felt I was in the shop every time the plot took us back there. Every object has a story to tell but it is the puzzle box and emerald ring that set Hope out on a new adventure.

One that takes her to the jeweller and his niece further along the road, to the university and a professor and to the story of the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb and a forbidden love affair. So much is going on that I was completely invested in the book and whilst events took some twists and turns there was so much love, friendship and community in this book that it just simply glowed with a warm cosy book.

The perfect book as a pick me up when you are feeling blue and you want to spend some time all warm and cosy. A book like this is a balm to the reading soul and sometimes we just need to indulge.

I do love Holly's writing and this new novel is no disappointment. I think I read the entire book in just one day!  I should point out that this was originally published as a series of novellas, which is why the beginning of each section reiterates some information (i.e. using the characters full names and giving a bit of a recap as to what occurred in the previous section).

The story revolves around Hope Henderson who has just returned to York after the loss of her husband. Walking through the city one day, she passes The Ever After Emporium, a shop that always fascinated her as a child, and she finds herself once again drawn to the Aladdin's cave of treasures inside. A job advert seems like fate and she finds herself starting work at the Emporium - the first step to rebuilding her life.

The story then continues in two main threads - the first being the discovery of an old Egyptian-style ring in a puzzle box and the second being her budding relationship with local jeweller, Will, and his young niece Brodie.

It is Brodie who discovers the ring and, as part of Hope's training, she is instructed by her employer, Mr Young, to try to uncover the story behind the item. This leads to a meeting with the elderly Isobel Lovelace and then on a heart-breaking but romantic journey from the ancient streets of York to the sand covered pyramids of Egypt, as she gradually finds the missing pieces and uncovers the mystery behind the ring.  It also brings the charming Professor of Egyptology, Ciaran McCormack, into Hope's life. It has been a couple of years since the death of her beloved husband and Hope has to question whether or not the time has come to let go of the past.

York really is the perfect setting for an old antique/curiousity shop. I could picture Hope and her friends strolling through the medieval Shambles, amongst the centuries-old buildings. I have never visited there myself, although it does top my list of places in the UK to visit, and this book makes me think that this may be the year I actually make it there.

The second sub-plot focuses on young Brodie and her uncle Will. Brodies parents were tragically killed, leaving Brodie in the care of Will. Brodie is a bright little thing but has not spoken since that terrible day. Can Hope help to bring Brodie out of her shell? Can they help each other to look forward to the next stage in their lives? And, what about handsome and dependable Will? He's so different from the exciting and charming Ciaran, and Hope finds herself caught between the two. Is she ready to jump into a new relationship and, if so, which of the very different men will she choose?

The characters are great - well-drawn, realistic and very relatable. I enjoyed taking a peak at Hope's friendships with her sister Charlotte and the florist, Iris (a very fitting name for a florist!), both of which brought a real splash of humour to the book. I also enjoyed the scenes with the prickly Isobel - now there's someone who needs to let her barriers down a bit.

The Little Shop of Hidden Treasures may contain elements of grief, sadness and hurt, it is ultimately a very charming and uplifting book, full of hope, love and friendship. It really is wonderfully written, Holly has a great writing style that draws the reader straight into the page. It really was an absolute delight to read.

This was my
First book by this author and won’t be my last as this was a beautiful poignant read. I absolutely loved the story being set in York a place I am very familiar with I could picture the descriptions of the city exactly. This was a perfect cosy escapism read.

Hope has come to York to make a fresh start after the death of her husband and this book follows her journey to find herself and to also find happiness along the way. It also has a side story going on alongside it documenting the hidden treasure that is found in the emporium and the history surrounding it which adds to the magical beauty of
This story. This book would make a lovely hallmark film on TV.

I can’t wait to read the next instalment to see where hopes life takes her and to also delve further into the lives of the other characters.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily.
This is the first book I have read by Holly Hepburn. It was evident that it has previously been released in 4 parts as there were some explanations about previous events which were unnecessary to someone reading this version as a whole book, and there were a couple of mistakes; we were told in part 3 that Mr Young had taken Hope to several auctions as part of her training but in part 4 he took her to an auction to "experience how it all works" and the dancing class was described as being for "a mixed range of abilities" but in part 4 we are told that Hope is in "the Level 1 Beginners group". I had guessed the final twist to the tale but this did not make the reading any less enjoyable. I was blown away by the content of the story and the characters. The descriptions of the shop and it's treasures were captivating and the mystery surrounding the ring was revealed at a pace to maintain interest whilst keeping it central to the storyline. The characters were well-drawn and very likeable and realistic. An excellent book, thoroughly enjoyable, I'll be signing up to follow Holly.

For those who like the style of Cathy Bramley. This new novel is an easy read and I really enjoyed reading it. The writing style is good and with a good storyline.

This was a wonderfully heartwarming story following Hope who is on a journey to find some happiness again, after recently losing her husband. She moves to York to be nearer family, and finds herself drawn to a little treasure trove of a shop that she was always drawn to as a child, who are advertising for a part time role! It's almost like her destiny to be at that shop! And what a shop it is! Full of hidden treasures, and wonderful objects that always have the customers, and staff!, intrigued and ready to buy!

she's a perfect fit for the shop as she has a great imagination which helps put a story behind each item and when Will and young Brodie enter the shop, they are smitten with all the items, especially an old puzzle box, which young Brodie helps to open - and that leads to an Egyptian mystery to be solved!

This is a story full of wonderful characters overcoming various challenges in their lives, and the need to find out more about the past revealed in the puzzle box allows them to detach a little from reality and escape into a different time and place. Just as I did as a reader as I could picture myself in the little shop and on the streets of York.

Just one of those books that you find yourself savouring every page of! Loved it!

Holly Hepburn is a go to author for me when I want some light in my life, the most gorgeous escapism. I love that this is set in York, one of my favourite cities and I could literally walk and see the city in the story, it’s fantastic when an author can do that for you, like others have said it’s a bit repetitive at some points , but that’s down to it being in 4 parts originally, but it’s not enough to knock any stars off my review. This is as always from Holly the perfect lighthearted read! Not your typical story though , she touches on serious issues and I thought she handled the writing of grief perfectly. Just another wonderful addition from Holly

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

The Little Shop of Hidden Treasures by Holly Hepburn
Hope Henderson has been widowed for two years and decides to move back to her home city of York to make a fresh start, but nearer to her family. Walking past an antique shop called The Ever After Emporium, she remembers looking in the windows when she was younger and all the exciting treasures it housed. When she sees they are looking for someone to work there part-time, she goes in and meets the owner Mr Young.
After being offered the job, she begins working there and soon meets Will, the owner of the local jewellery shop, and his niece Brodie. She also meets a rather gorgeous professor called Ciaran, who helps her try to unravel the riddle of an old puzzle box found in the shop.
This was originally four books, so is in four parts. This is useful to know, because I was slightly puzzled by the recaps in each part. It works very well as a novel though and I really enjoyed it, especially the two stories – the present day one of Hope and the story she discovers of Elenor from the 1920s.
It is beautifully written, Holly Hepburn has a great style to her work, which makes it very readable. The characters are very well drawn and realistic and I loved Hope straight away. The supporting cast is also excellent and I especially loved the enigmatic Mr Young, as well as Iris, Hope’s best friend who runs the florist opposite.
The York setting was very well done too and this book has introduced me to a new favourite word – snickleways (alleys)!
9 out of 10

As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the plot (plenty of reviews like that out there!)

This was an enjoyable light read, but with more depth than I expected due to the way it handled the subjects of loss and grief.

I loved the sound of "The Ever After Emporium", the name conjures up some beautiful images, and I can just imagine that if such a shop existed in real life, I'd be lost in there for hours at a time!

The lead characters are well described, and there's a great cast of supporting characters too. Iris sounds like a lot of fun, and I loved Brodie too, and how she "grew" during the novel.

My only criticism is the amount of repetition, which I found annoying. I now know that the book was originally published as four separate e-books, which explains it, but a further round of copy editing for this "whole" book would have been beneficial.

All in all a very enjoyable read though, and recommended if you feel in need of cheering up!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

In a Nutshell: A book that is just as beautiful as its cover. There are some teeny shortcomings, but the story is heartwarming enough to make you wanna forgive them.

Story:
Hope Henderson is not in a happy place. She lost her husband a couple of years ago to cancer. And now she has lost her job. To seek a fresh start, she has returned to York, the town where her family resides. While traversing the streets of York, she spots an advert about a part-time position in ‘The Ever After Emporium’, a local shop filled with a medley of antiques and curiosities from all over the world. She gets this job and begins to find her happy place in this new environment.
One day, an antique emerald ring is discovered hidden inside one of the knick-knacks. And thus begins a new adventure of trying to discover whom the ring belongs to. Helping Hope on this journey are Mr Young--the eccentric owner of the emporium, Will—the charming jewellery shop owner who is dealing with his own personal problems, and Ciaran—the equally charming professor of archaeology at the local university.
Will Hope find personal happiness? If yes, with whom? Will they discover the owner of the ring? Read and find out.

What I loved about the book:
👌 Let me begin with the obvious. The cover and the title. How could anyone not want to read a book with a picture as gorgeous as that and with that name!!!

👌 The Ever After Emporium and all the details about it. How I wish such a shop existed in my vicinity in real life! I would gladly spend hours there. I also found it beautifully ironic that Hope sought and found her ‘happily ever after” in a shop titled “Ever After”. This shop adds a quaint charm to the story.

👌 This is a feel-good book through and through. The story is heartwarming to a great extent, and most of the characters (barring two) are so well-written and layered. I don’t want to go too much into character details but Hope’s friend Iris, Hope’s sister Charlotte and Will’s niece Brodie top the charts of secondary characters. They are all amazingly written. As I am always biased towards children, four year old Brodie was a firm favourite of mine.

👌 There are many additional detailed bits in the story such as the belly dancing classes that Hope joins, or the Egyptian excavation of Tutankhamen’s tomb as described in their search for the owner of the ring. These are not just enjoyable but also add a further layer of interest to what would otherwise have been too straightforward a story. I am glad that I read Gill Paul's “The Collector's Daughter” last year. It helped a lot in recognising who Howard Carter was and what his role was in the Tutankhamen excavations. Knowing this background isn’t mandatory but it certainly helps.

👌 The way the personal struggles of two characters are written is true to life. You will strongly connect with them both in how they are coming to terms with their grief and how they want to move on but sometimes can’t.
I loved how the book emphasizes not just on moving on but also on being kind to yourself. Such an important idea to remember!

👌 When there are two potential suitors as the romantic interest and both are quite appealing, it is but natural for you to swing in favour of one character. And when that character ends up “getting the girl”, nothing like it, eh? The guy I was rooting for ended up with Hope, so that’s a plus point in my book. 😉

👌 I’ve never seen York but looking at the way it is described in the book makes it sound like a wonderful place. I am sure those who know the town will enjoy the descriptions even more. I love it when a book makes wonderful use of the location it is set in, and this book does that very well.

👌 Fact learnt from the book: There was an actual job title called “Groom of the Stool.” I was so sure that the author had made this up, but no! Google the term for some fun info. 😂

Where I found ‘okayish’ about the book:
⚠ As with almost every book in this genre, it is predictable. This shouldn’t be strictly taken as a negative because this genre thrives on predictability and a HEA ending.

⚠ I mentioned above that two of the characters could have been sketched better. For one of them, I simply couldn’t understand why the person didn’t learn a lesson from the earlier experience. It felt like this character was bent on making mistakes. For the other, the problem was not in the character but in the writing, the sudden turnaround in the nature was too abrupt to be believable.

⚠ You need to keep in mind that this story was originally published as a 4-part series. The story hasn’t been rewritten to suit this combined version but the four parts are just brought together. Because of this, there's a little bit of repetition in every new part in terms of introducing certain characters or in recollecting events that happened in the earlier parts. This isn't a substantial problem but it does appear odd if you don't know the original nature of this story.

Overall though, my complaints are just minor areas of improvement. I loved the book for its simplicity and warmth, for the incorporation of the emporium and the town into the narrative, and for many of its believable characters. It was a cosy and heartwarming read and is sure to lighten your spirits. This was my first Holly Hepburn, and I am glad it has been such a wonderful experience.

4.25 stars.

My thanks to Simon and Schuster UK and NetGalley for the ARC of “The Little Shop of Hidden Treasures”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

This gorgeous book is as stunning inside as out. Just look at that amazing cover, perfectly encapsulating the narrow, charming streets of York with the famous minster in the background. Don't worry if you've never been to York, just let Holly Hepburn take you there through her wonderfully vivid and huggably warm writing.

I simply adored this book from start to finish. The setting of The Ever After Emporium is to die for. If I ever found such a shop, I'm sure I would be lost in there for days never mind hours, especially when I discovered the book room. I warmed to the main character of Hope immediately; she is so likeable and friendly, despite being in terrible pain following the untimely death of her husband.

A chance discovery at the antique shop brings two very different men into Hope's life: jeweller Will and Professor of Egyptology Ciaran. It was Will's niece, four-year-old Brodie, who completely stole my heart though. Holly Hepburn brings this wonderful little girl (and her other characters) to life with such breathtaking descriptions that they virtually leap out from the page. The thread of which man will win Hope's heart is woven throughout the book and I was most definitely rooting for one over the other. You'll just have to read the book to find out which one, if any, she ends up with.

The Little Shop of Hidden Treasures was originally digitally published in four parts so this novel is the full collection of those four ebooks. You do, therefore, get a little bit of repetition at the beginning of each part as the reader is reminded about the characters and the story. It did interrupt the flow of my reading a little as I didn't take a break between parts, however, I'm sure that any slower readers won't even notice.

I love Egyptian history so that's what initially drew me to the book but I got so much more than I expected from this delightful novel. It's both a heartwarming romance and an Egyptian mystery rolled into one. I loved it so much that I plan to read it again.

The Little Shop of Hidden Treasures is a big warm fluffy hug in a book and it's the perfect book to snuggle up with over the winter months. Grab a blanket and a hot chocolate, curl up in your favourite reading chair and let Holly Hepburn whisk you away to the charming streets of York. I adored it and I can't recommend it highly enough.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and all opinions are my own.

Thank you to Books and the City for letting me take part in this tour. I love Holly’s writing and I recently visited York so I was very eager to read this book.
I really liked Hope. I think she is extremely strong and brave. I know this book is set 2 years after the death of her husband but I think she is coping better than I would. Hope really is someone to admire.
My favourite character was little Brodie. I absolutely adored that little girl. It was sucha pleasure to see her grow through the book.
Holly shows us that grief comes in so many shapes and sizes in this book. There is no one way to deal with grief and I liked that Holly showed us so many different ways of coping.
The only annoying thing for me was that as the book was originally published in 4 parts there was a bit of repetition. This was clearly for those who read them individually to remind them what happened but when I had just read it a few hours ago it really wasn’t needed.
I loved reading about York itself. I could picture it all so clearly, especially as I only recently visited. It’s such a beautiful place and I hope to go again soon.
Thank you Holly for such a joyous and captivating book. I can’t wait for the next one.

I chose this book as it was based in York, and that is where I grew up and could visualise the streets - this was a bit hard as I kept thinking the shop couldn't be where the author had put it! Luckily I dipped further into my imagination and change the street layouts and then I started to properly enjoy the story, which I did. With Hope moving from London back to York to reset her life and Will also having to adjust his life we have two stories that twist in out which is fun. My only negative of the book is thatyou can tell it was originally in four parts so therefore the story seems to have to restart at each point rather than flowing nicely to the end.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #SimonAndSchusterUk for a digital arc of The Little Shop Of Hidden Treasures by Holly Hepburn.

This book was originally published in four parts, but has now been released as a whole novel.

There is something very familiar about a Holly Hepburn book, it’s like snuggling in with your favourite fluffy blanket.

Following the death of her husband, Hope packs her bags and moves back to York to be near her family.
Once there, she secures a job in the antique shop that she has always loved.

There are two potential love interests for Hope. Will and Ciaran are very different men, who’s lives are on very different paths. They both have their charms, but who, if either will win Hope’s heart?

There is humour in Hope’s new hobby… belly dancing and her new friend Iris is bright and funny.

Add in some mystery in the form of an Egyptian antique and you get yourself an utterly charming read.

A beautiful story that will warm your heart and fill you with the feel good factor.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When a friend read this book in two sittings I knew I needed to read it sharpish so I made it my next read. Safe to say, I’m glad I did as I really enjoyed this! I found myself getting swept away with Elenor’s story and wanting to know more about what happened in Egypt. So much so that I found myself watching a documentary all about Tutankhamen and the discovery of his tomb.

But anyway, not only did Holly get me interested in the past, she also drew me into the present day with Hope and her love interest (or interests…) First off we meet Will and Brodie and there seems an almost instant spark between them on, I could tell immediately that Brodie was going to be a character that stayed close to my heart.

I was all set for a lovely romance to blossom between Will and Hope but after a rare discovery she meets Professor McCormack and it seems her heart has been pulled in a different direction. At first I was swayed by his charm but then started getting a little niggling feeling in my gut that something wasn’t quite right…

As we get to spend more time with Hope we learn a bit more about her and the Ever After Emporium, especially the window displays that sound amazing! I was drawn into the shop and can just imagine walking past it in the street and having to go back for a ‘quick browse’ - I’m not sure I’d buy much but I’d love to spend some time just wandering around all of the hidden treasures and wondering what life they’d had.

York itself is such a magical city and this book has just increased my want to revisit at some point, especially Shambles Street!

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was originally published as 4 separate parts- this is the whole book. The writing was seamless and flowed well.
This book deals with grief, and how people react in different ways. It is very sensitively written. The book is very emotional in places, but there are also a lot of heartwarming moments. It is well balanced.
The Emporium sounds fantastic, it was described so well, and I could imagine myself visiting there and spending hours browsing and reading. I envied Hope for working in such an amazing place.
The characters are all great, Hope is a lovely protagonist, and you can't help but wish that she gets her HEA and a second chance of love.
I loved the intrigue of the secret box and the ring. This secondary storyline really held my attention, I found it really interesting.
This is a fantastic book, I highly recommend it. Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC.

I absolutely loved this book. The magic and the intrigue with the mystery of the puzzle box and the secrets it holds and also the magic of the relationships that unfold. Hope, Will and Brodie have all experienced such tragedy in their lives, tragedy that leaves little Brodie a selective mute. Moving home to York after the loss of her husband, Hope is starting a fresh at the little shop if hidden treasures. Her favourite shop as a child, she now has the absolute delight of working there. She bonds with Will and his niece it also becomes a favourite place for little Brodie!

What a wonderful way to have spent the first bank holiday Monday of the year, in between the pages of this marvellous new novel from Holly Hepburn.

Originally published in four parts, I've read the complete version and given one of the cliff hangers between the parts, I'd definitely recommend reading it all in one go!

There are some big storylines that have an arc over all the parts, one of which is the discovering just what is inside a secret box, and finding out all about the discovery, which both fascinated and also hooked me in completely.

There's also two potential men for Hope, one of which was always my forerunner, and one of them is guardian to his niece, who is rather adorable.

There's light relief with Hope's new hobby of Belly Dance classes, and I loved her new friend of Iris who is incredibly lively.

But it's the emporium that I fell in love with, a treasure trove of antiques which has always called to Hope, and she manages to get a part time job there. Seeing Hope grow in confidence and skill with this job is inspiring to see, just shows with a little luck and some hard work you can really make a go of anything, and Mr Young is a great employer.

The descriptions of the emporium, and what's inside really captured my imagination, and despite not being a huge fan of history, I definitely felt at home in this shop, and in addition to being rather keen to discover more about the secrets to be uncovered.

This is yet another fabulous book from Holly Hepburn that I devoured over a few hours, thoroughly enjoying each and every word. Another must read book from an author I happen to love.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.