An easy holiday read. At first I wasn't keen on how the narrative switched between Jenny and Marianne but it grew on me and all tied up together in the end.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

A lovely escapist read for the summer.

I did mostly enjoy this book, what's not to love? A book about running a bookshop and on an island in the Maldives.

In fact there are two bookshops in this book. Marianne and Jen run a bookshop in Cornwall - so far so good. Marianne thinks that Jen needs to lighten up a little and do something different with her life rather than concentrating on the bookshop 24/7. So when Jen sees an advert to set up a bookshop in a luxury resort in the Maldives, she dreams of applying and fills in the form for fun. In a rash moment she sends off the form never thinking she will get the job.

Meanwhile Marianne the free spirit of the partnership finds a new love and decides to do a USA road trip with him. Unfortunately it coincides with Jen actually getting the job in the Maldives and surprising her best friend with the unusual news. But if they both go on their trips who will run the Cornish bookshop?

I enjoyed the route Marianne took in the USA as I had done a similar one previously and knew the cities she described. The Maldives sounded so dreamy but I was less impressed with the time Jen spent there. The plot felt a little laboured to me. I also didn't really warm to either character, they both seemed very immature.

I've never been to the Maldives but this book truly sold it to me. Lucy has a great talent for writing travel fiction and this is my second book of hers I've read and enjoyed.

It's somewhat based on a true story of a bookshop you can run for a temporary spell in the Maldives, and I loved the escapism and living vicariously through Jenny.

I also enjoyed the snippets we see of the US.

A great concept for a book that was also so well executed,

The best kind of summer read! I loved how much focus there was on finding yourself and the importance of different relationships in life. It made me laugh and also made me quite emotional at times. The detail in the writing of the locations were brilliant and made me desperately want to visit the Maldives!

Thanks to the publishers for this copy for my honest review.

When looking for a book seller in a resort you should be very specific in what you are looking for. I knew from the beginning Jen would not be very successful for the most part of this novel. She just doesn’t have that creative spark. She has the organisation, just barely any creativity.

The best friend Marianne is a selfish cow that is used to being the centre of attention from what I have gathered. She is the one with the men and travelling so when her co-partner applied for a job in the Maldives she is of course jealous and annoyed – EVEN THOUGH she has been telling her friend to get away for a while. Then, as Jen pointed out, Marianne is travelling the world with her latest boyfriends for a long time: 3 months. You learn a lot about a person you live with even for a few days. It’s your tolerability level – if you are constantly telling yourself it will get better or you barely know him and so forth – you are wasting your time it won’t work. So why spend 3 months travelling all over and talking about marriage with this dude? It is utterly pathetic. But she is creative so she has that going for her.

It’s difficult for most. You are either Marianne or Jen. But for some you can be both in the one person.

Jen should know herself by this stage in life however she wastes her time in order to get a free holiday as she is failing in what the company has hired her to do. Before she left England she had a row with her best friend so you can just easily guess where this is going.

If you are looking for a read to make you feel good whilst sitting out in the sun where it isn’t too much thought for a plot whilst you are relaxing this is for you. The entire read from start to finish suits a relaxing read. However if you want more depth you will average like this novel just like I did. I really did enjoy the holiday vibes from Jen’s side however Marianne was very annoying and jealous of Jen. Women and their bitchiness to copy I cannot tolerate anymore just do your own thing and stop copying!

I did however wish I was by the Maldives Beaches enjoying the atmosphere with a drink and book at hand!

Great read for holiday vibes by the beach or in a tropical island.

What a beautiful, beautiful story, friendships, lovers and far away places took me on a journey that I absolutely loved

This is a nice easy read with a holiday theme in it.

Jenny and Marianne her best friend run a bookshop in their hometown. On a spur of a moment Jenny applies for a job in the Maldives not expecting to get it. Marianne and her boyfriend Drew decide to go on holiday together to USA. This is where the girls end up having a disagreement in the fact they both want to have a break from the bookshop. Jenny has a crush on Evan who is Marianne’s older brother he volunteers to look after the bookshop. We see what happens to Jenny & Marianne while they are away.

The book was very enjoyable and is a nice holiday read. I enjoyed seeing what the woman got up to.

This book really is a holiday., all I want to do after reading this is lie on a sun lounger by a pool and relax.

Loved the contrast between the 2 characters and also a few tamfled webs of love.

Great book, made me feel warm and so glad everything worked out for the ladies

A book about bookshops?! What's not to love!! And this was the perfect Summer read following the story of Jenny who has turned her dreams into reality and opened a bookshop in Cornwall with her friend Marianne. And they make it work despite being very different personalities. Jenny is all about the work and being focus, Marianne is always living life on the edge and happy to take risks. That does cause a bit of resentment as Jenny always has to pick up the pieces, and that friendship is put to the test when Jenny decides to throw caution to the wind and apply for a temporary position at a bookshop in the Maldives!! Not a bad spot for a bookshop!!

So with Jenny in the Maldives, Marianne is also away in America with her new author boyfriend, and they're taking each day as it comes and having tons of adventures on the spur of the moment. And things for Jenny get off to the great start as it's a wonderful setting to be and she starts to see the positive sides to living life a bit dangerously and getting out of her comfort zone. She faces an uphill struggle with turning the fortunes of the hotel bookshop around though, but makes a few friends along the way to help her - and some enemies too!

This is a book all about being more spontaneous and doing what you love! There's no doubt that it makes both women look at their lives a little differently and see what they've been missing and what is important to them, and I loved that the time apart allowed them the space to realise what's important in life!

Loved it!!

What a great advertisement, or excuse, for taking a holiday.
America or the Maldives, or closed to home a trip to Cornwall, this book has all three covered.
Bookshop owners and friends Jenny and Marianne take off in different directions leaving Mariannes brother Evan to look after the shop.. Impulsive and extrovert Marianne takes a road trip in the USA with boyfriend Drew, while calm and normally dependable Jenny takes a chance and helps a hotel in the Maldives to open a new bookshop..
Exotic travel, books, a great storyline, just the book to take on holiday or to help pretend to be on holiday.

Really liked this book and would definitely recommend it if you are looking for a lighthearted holiday beach read.

Originally I didn’t like how the story moved between the point of view of Jenny and Marianne, I think that’s because the blurb makes the book seem as though it is only from the point of view of Jenny. So I was surprised when about half the book was from the point of view of another character. However, it did eventually grow on me as I read more of the book.

I do wish there was an epilogue at the end so that we could see how Jenn and Evan’s relationship progresses and also how Marianne and Drew’s relationship develops.

I was sent a copy of The Holiday Bookshop by Lucy Dickens to read and review by NetGalley. This is a very readable Rom Com about protagonist Jenny, who jets off to an island in the Maldives to set up a book shop there. Jenn’s best friend Marianne has her own adventure while she is away, travelling round America with boyfriend Drew, both girls uneasy about their own relationship with each other after leaving on bad terms. This is ultimately a story about friendship, love and facing your fears, both mentally and physically! The story was a little predictable in places, but that didn’t really matter as the characters were well drawn and the various locations stunning. An enjoyable holiday read.

Really enjoyed the layout of this book with it being the two main characters having ever alternate chapter to them self, but with cross overs.

I really liked the holiday feel and it made me want to visit all the places that are talked about.

The Holiday Bookshop is a great concept for a book and the reason for the title is just perfect.

I really like how exciting this book was an how I couldn't stop reading. The friendships and building relationships are so good and you want them all to succeed.

Oh the feels in this book totally snuck up on me. I was sat with tears dripping off my chin before I knew what had hit me. The soul searching and love and friendship in this book is amazing when it all knits together. I loved seeing Marianne and Dan on their road trip and falling in love, their expression and realisation of love was just as vibrant as the fantastic descriptions of Vegas, Joshua Tree and Palm Springs, I really felt the heat in Vegas and that snake bite in Joshua Tree. Jenn was a character that I could identify with, over thinking, over planning and needing to be in control. I loved watching her bloom, new friendship and new way of thinking. She went through every emotion and feeling to get the happy ending that she so deserved. The descriptions of the Maldives were amazing and I could hear the waves lapping in the shore and almost taste the mango juice.
An absolutely amazing read full of friendship and love.

I really liked this book. It's a story of two friends who go into business running a bookshop (a storyline close to my own heart!) and how the pressures exacerbate the differences between the two personalities, to the point where one of the characters leaves to take a break.

What a break! She goes off to the Maldives to set up a bookshop in a new resort - who wouldn't want to do that! I loved the central premise, which is to always be true to yourself to get the best results. For anyone who loves reading about bookshops, with a great smattering of romance and friendship included!

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

A lovely story of two best friends.

Marianne and Jenny grew up with each other, are best friends. Now, they have become partners, running a small Cornish Bookstore.

When Jenny is looking online, she sees an advert, a manager is required for a new bookshop, it’s in the Maldives, in a resort, Jenny applies for the job, thinking she’s not likely to get it.

But, then Marianne informs her that she’s off with Ace, on an unplanned American adventure.

The job that Jenny applied for, she’s offered and accepts and this leads to the best friends having an argument.

Now, they are off on their individual adventures, having not cleared the air.

I loved the study and it was easy to read with both Jenny and Marianne being in different places. The characters were relatable and likeable, but stubborn.

I recommend this book.

Oh my god I loved this! So much so I started looking into holidays in the Maldives! I loved both the main characters, even when I wanted to bang their heads together! They were both so different and so well fleshed out I was really invested in both their story’s. The scene setting was beautiful, I could feel the sun and the sand, hear the ocean, smell the coconuts…I wanted to be there so badly! And I felt like I was in America also, surrounded by all that atmosphere and excitement! It even made my cry at points but I won’t say what tears they were! Perfect summer read!

If you want to escape the normal mundane life then this is the book for you. This is a fun story and a very easy read. I loved it and I am sure many others will love it also. I am giving this 5 stars and I recommend this to all especially if you love books, and if you are reading this you must love a good read.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

I enjoyed the escape and descriptions of the tropical Island of Bounty Cove Cay, it sounded idyllic. The synopsis really excited me and I was looking forward to getting into it. It is written from a dual point of view, so you get to see both sides of the story, so to speak. Unfortunately, it took me a long time to become truly evolved in the story and connect it with the characters. It wasn't till about three-quarters of the way through that I really began to enjoy it, up to that point it just didn't appeal to me or grab me.

The story revolves around two friends and owners of a bookshop on the Cornish coast. They both crave adventure though and go their separate ways on a temporary break from the shop, on slightly bad terms. I didn't dislike the two main characters, Jenny and Marianne, but I never particularly liked them either. They were both a little needy in an understated way. Jenny was the character whom I felt grew the most throughout the story, but they both discovered what they needed to.

Overall, the book had real potential and I can't quite decide why it didn't grab me but it didn't and I never felt compelled to pick it up to discover what was going to happen next, which was a shame. I am sure that the combination of books, tropical beaches and little bit of romance will appeal to many though.

I liked the journey both women took in this book, especially Jenny and her time in the Maldives. I much preferred Jenny’s POVs to Marianne’s, I’m not really sure why but maybe I just found her more relatable? I also think Marianne’s story felt secondary to Jenny’s rather than them being equal.
I know this wasn’t a romance book, and maybe the fact that I usually only read romances swayed my views, but I felt as though the romance in the book was quite lacklustre and that both couples didn’t really seem to have much of a connection. That could just be me comparing them to romance novels, which would be unfair as this is focused more on their journeys and discovery of themselves.
One other thing is that the writing seems to jump around a bit? From one paragraph to the next, time has moved forwards a lot without any indicator that it is actually later in the day. Maybe this will be edited to include graphics or such, but it did confuse me quite a few times.