"Not Quite by the Book" by Julie Hatcher is a sweet romance about a bookstore owner's journey toward happiness and self-fulfillment, filled with insightful moments. Sometimes, you have to do things "not quite by the book" to find your true passion. After a string of thrillers, this feel-good story, with its inspiring messages, was a refreshing change.

Emma Rini is a people-pleaser who takes care of everyone except herself. She runs her parents' bookstore dutifully but is taken for granted by her family. Overworked and constantly putting others first, she never takes time to pause and smell the roses or enjoy life. Everyone around her seems happy - except for her. After a few failed dates, she’s even given up on love. Her pregnant sister is upset with her and barely speaks to her, her parents are busy traveling, and she feels left out and unnoticed - even by her best friend, Cecily. Emma reaches a breaking point when her parents announce their retirement and ask her to take over the store. While she loves books and the business, she’s not certain it’s what she truly wants.

On a whim, she takes a six-week vacation, deciding to emulate the recluse life of her favorite poet, Emily Dickinson. Emma rents a historical manor in Amherst, MA, and tries to channel her inner Emily to find peace and beauty in her life. She creates a to-do list filled with new hobbies like gardening, poetry writing, baking, embroidery, and letter writing. However, she soon discovers that following in Dickinson’s footsteps isn’t as fulfilling as she expected, and it even becomes boring. To complicate matters further, Davis - the grumpy, attractive architect - Grace, the meddling bookstore owner, new friends, and a secret admirer disrupt her plans to forsake love and live a recluse’s life.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, often reading with a smile. I loved Emma's personal growth and journey to self-discovery. Her determination to step out of her comfort zone and change her life was admirable. It takes courage to break free from routine, pursue happiness, and persist despite obstacles and a lack of support. I also appreciated her kindness and how easily she formed new friendships.

Yes, Emma was a bit slow to figure some things out, but I found her relatable and endearing. The book touches on themes like love, self-discovery, dysfunctional family dynamics, and sisterly relationships. Emma initially does things to be loved by others, mistaking it for her own happiness. She eventually realizes that she’s already loved for who she is, not just for what she does for others.

I loved the concept of writing letters instead of texting, and the inclusion of poetry was a nice touch. It brought back fond memories of my own days corresponding with pen pals. Emma’s creative ideas for the bookstore and her attempts at writing poetry were delightful, and the character interactions and dialogs were engaging. While Davis’s mixed signals and conduct were a bit irritating, I loved that he adopted a female dog, giving her a new lease on life.

Overall, I loved this story and would have appreciated an epilogue. It’s part coming-of-age tale, part character study, and part slow-burn romance. The writing is strong, with well-developed characters and thought-provoking moments. I especially enjoyed that the focus was more on Emma’s personal growth than on the romance, though there was enough romance to satisfy the romantic in me. This is the first book I’ve read by Julie Hatcher, but it certainly won’t be the last. If you’re looking for a heartwarming story with a satisfying arc, humor, and a healthy dose of emotional depth and self-reflection, this is the book for you.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.

3.75 - A perfect story of finding yourself and realizing all the blessings around you. Sometimes we have to set boundaries and let go of things.

Leaving your home and family for several weeks, to discover who you are and what you really want out of life is not something everyone does. The main character in this book does exactly that. In her efforts to find herself, she goes to a new city to spend several weeks reflecting on her life. She quickly makes new friends, while learning the art of letter writing at a local bookstore. When she plants a garden, she learns to have compassion on the animals that are intent on eating her flowers. She tries her hand at cooking new things, some fail miserably and others are a hit with her new friends. Giving up on love is on her agenda, however...

This is a feel good story and I loved every minute of it.

This book was really cute. It is a romance book, but it's also so much more!!
What I really enjoyed about this book, was that the romance wasn't the biggest part of the story, it was more subtle.
The main part of the book was Emma finding herself again and being happy again after years and years of only working and slowly getting more and more miserable. It's a story about her reconnecting with her sister and parents and finally deciding to talk to them about her real feelings.
She only had to book a six week stay at an old manor, trying to become more like Emily Dickinson to achieve all those things.
Reading about her days alone, trying to become someone she's not and trying out loads of new hobbies, was really fun to read about. I liked that even though she thought she wanted to be alone, she made new friendships along the way. You just can't hide who you are, and you shouldn't.
It also did make me think about my own life whilst reading.

I'd definitely recommend it to my friends!

The main character Emma is so relatable it's ridiculous! Her new life is just the kind of break a lot of people need in their busy lives. I adored the romance in this book.

Not Quite by the Book is a delightful ode to independent bookstores, Emily Dickinson, and Amherst, MA.

Emma Rini runs her family’s bookstore. As her parents look to retire and her sister is pregnant with her first child, Emma feels very much alone—not just in the family business but as a fifth wheel in the family unit. She has no life outside the bookstore and has given up on finding ‘the one’. As her parents decide to sign the bookstore over to Emma completely, she does something out of the ordinary—she takes a six-week hiatus to stay in a historic home in Amherst, MA, where she is determined to channel her inner Emily Dickinson and reframe her point of view about life…to include giving up on finding love.

Handsome handyman Davis is an unexpected and complicated surprise. He is more than he seems and his presence makes it hard for Emma to stick to the goals she set out for herself with this sabbatical. The longer she spends in Amherst, the more connections she makes in town to where she becomes a familiar figure in the community. She learns she is less like Emily Dickinson than she thought and creates a new set of goals for when she returns to the bookstore and the life she’d left behind.

It is as much a romance as it is a woman finding her place in life and finally liking what she sees of herself and of her future.

I thought at times that the Emily Dickinson theme felt forced and that the romance with Davis unfolded in uneven steps. As uncertain as they may have been with one another at different times in their evolving relationship, so many of their obstacles could have been easily deconstructed with a few simple questions to one another. I also thought that Davis’s wooing of Emma was a sweet touch but wish it had started sooner in their courtship. It came towards the end and I would have enjoyed hearing more through his online quips and his lovely letters. A cast of likable secondary characters rounds out the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

An absolutely lovely book.
This was such a heartwarming book.
Looking forward to reading more by Julie Hatcher.

Emma takes care of everyone- except herself. After taking over the family business because everyone else seemed to just let her do it all, she realized her life was passing her by. Her sister happily married with a baby on the way, her parents sliding into retirement, Emma decides to do something completely for herself, to find herself and change her life with her favorite writer, Emily Dickinson, in mind. She has a list she’s determined to complete, sure it will give her the life she wants.

This is set in a lovely New England town, a cozy manor, autumn, baking, tea, hot cocoa and sweaters. Emma experiments with writing poetry, baking, embroidery and gardening. She didn’t, however, count on the handsome handyman who shows up whenever the old manor leaves her with no heat, no power or no electricity.

This book is very sweet and brought me to tears a few times. To me, it was less about loving someone else and more really about loving yourself.

Note to spicy readers, although this is technically romance there is no spice. I give it a: 🧁/ 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

It’s a quick, easy read that you’ll leave your heart feeling good and make you close it slowly, reluctant to leave the romantic autumn countryside of Massachusetts.

After reading the synopsis, I was excited to see that this book was on Netgalley, and even more excited to find out that it was available as a Read Now option! I ended up prioritizing this book over my monthly TBR because the premise of the book was really speaking to me.

There was a lot that I loved about this book — Emma’s soul-search, the lovely descriptive writing, and the mentions of cozy hobbies such as baking, gardening, journaling, and writing poetry. For all my cottagecore girls out there, this book is for you!

I have to say that while I loved the self journey aspect of this book, I didn’t feel like the romance added much to the story. I didn’t sense a strong connection between Emma and Davis. I was very close to rating this book 5 stars, but their romance left me feeling like I was missing something!

Julie is such a gifted author. She seamlessly floats from cozy mysteries to this new genre. This fascinating story of self discovery kept me glued to the pages. Emma has been running her parents' bookstore and can't remember her last vacation. She's over worked and over looked. When they decide to retire and assume she'll take over the bookstore without even asking her, Emma decides to put herself first for once. She looks to poet Emily Dickinson for inspiration for growth for her life. Watching Emma begin to take care of herself in new ways was so exhilarating. I wanted to cheer out loud for her. She's learning to love herself and that just might bring love to her. This feel good story will will help you put some magic back into your own life. Thanks to the author, Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced copy.

It is a fun and fascinating story about love and self-discovery! This book was so wholesome!! Set in an autumnal town, featuring cosy bookstores, baking, cute fluffy animals and a 19th-century manor.
I love how much Emma's growth was highlighted in this book, it showed her journey to re-discover herself for the majority of the book and I appreciated that the focus wasn't on the romance, but on Emma learning to love and accept herself. The highs and lows of attempting to be more like Emily Dickinson, including gardening, letter writing and learning to cook were both cosy and comical, keeping me intrigued in the story, I was thoroughly excited to see how Emma's journey would progress. I think this book will especially hit home for overachieving, people-pleasing eldest daughters who appreciate a good cliche romantic gesture (e.g. letter writing, flowers).
This book was a 3-star to me because the focus on Emily Dickinson left me a little bit bored and meant that I couldn't fully connect to Emma. Additionally, it felt a lot of the time like we were being told what was happening instead of being shown, especially during particular moments of dialogue. I also wish the side characters had more on-page interactions, and it would've been nice to have learnt more about the people living in the town, instead, it felt like they were just there for something to talk about instead of letting us get to know them. I wish we'd seen Grace's meddling instead of just constantly hearing about it, especially because she often invited Emma to join her and her friends for things but then nothing came of it. Finally, Davis felt quite one-note and he made the romance elements a lot more complicated than they needed to be which led to it feeling a bit dragged out.
Overall, this was a quick, cosy read and I would recommend it.

Emma needs a bit of a break before taking over her parent’s bookstore, and with her love of Emily Dickinson, an extended stay in Amherst is the perfect idea for her.

This story is about found family, finding yourself, with a hint of You’ve Got Mail.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for Not Quite by the Book to come out January 28, 2025.

This is an incredible story of a woman in her early thirties that decides to take a chance and go on a six week adventure. Emma and her relationships are a little complicated because she has placed herself in the role of parent to her sister and mom and dad. Emma does not think of herself as being in this role and realizes during her get away how much resentment she has been building. Her quest to become more like her favorite author Emily Dickinson, turns into her repairing the relationships with her family by realizing what she wants to do.

Emma’s quest to become more like Emily Dickinson ends with Emma probing you can reset your life in your thirties. Emma goes through a lot of soul searching to figure out that she does indeed want to take over the family bookstore. She also ends up giving up on her goal of giving up on love, and instead falling for someone.

This story just made me feel like I was watching a hallmark movie and I loved it!

Emma Rini's life is books. She works tirelessly managing her family's bookshop while her sister approached motherhood and her parents kick off retirement assuming Emma will take the reigns on the store once they retire (without asking). With everything happening, Emma begins to think about what she truly wants and realizes she needs to escape. Her destination? The nineteenth century. Channeling her inner Emily Dickinson, her favorite poet, she uses a "how to be like Emily" checklist to try to learn how to be happily alone.

What she didn't plan on is her new direction to be challenging. Writing haikus, gardening and giving up on love isn't as easy as she had hoped and the pesky, handsome handyman who is remodeling the manor she resides in throws her plans further off track. As the book continues, Emma discovers that her dream escape ended up was not what she actually wanted.

This book is easy-paced with extremely likeable characters. It follows Emma's self-growth from being a people pleaser to finally putting herself first. The reader gets glimpses of why Emma has always put everyone else first and never focused on her own needs. A beautiful lesson is conveyed, when you learn to love yourself--love finds you. I enjoyed the feel-good aspect of this book and thought it was a wonderful demonstration of self discovery and finding self worth.

Something I really appreciated was that a good part of the book was focused on Emma’s journey to re-discover herself. Emma wanted to live her life like Emily Dickinson, which wasn't as glorified as she first thought. If you've read "Book Lovers" by Emily Henry and loved it, this book is for you. I devoured Not Quite By the Book in a 24-hour span. It's a cute story about family and self-discovery with a hint of romance set in a beautiful autumn in Amherst.
Quick summary;
A bookstore owner discovers that life as a recluse isn’t for everyone in this sharp yet sweet novel about how sometimes you need to abandon the quest for love to find your true passion.
Emma Rini is in a rut so deep she could shelve books there. While her sister awaits her first baby, and her parents kick off retirement with vow renewals and travel, Emma stays put among the stacks of the family bookshop.

Till I loved I never lived.

Emily Dickinson

The same can be said for this book. I've never related so much to a character as Emma, from Jane Eyre to her lists... the literary references are spot on, never forced. I felt transported into the pages, seeing and feeling everything. Just when you think you have your "I've got it," moment, you are dipped and turned wondering if you were even on the right path. Hatcher takes you from fluffy (like Violet) to despondent in this rollercoaster of a romance. If you arent engrossed in your own self-reflection after this book, you must not be alive. Dare I say, I think (I hope) that she left the door open for Cecily (Emma's best friend) to find her own love story.

I received an ARC of this novel through NetGalley. I was really looking forward to this book but sadly, it didn’t quite do it for me. I ultimately had to throw in the towel around the 30% mark. I had a hard time connecting with the main character, whose fixation on Dickinson was so overwhelming that it became a bit draining.

Plus, the writing style didn’t help much either. While I wouldn't call the writing bad I felt like there was a constant “telling” instead of “showing,” especially in the dialogue. The conversations between characters often felt awkward and unnatural, almost like the author was more focused on explaining everything rather than letting things unfold naturally.

There were also a few instances where it seemed like there was missing or conflicting information. For example, it is mentioned that the manor house does not have service yet the host tells the character to call them if anything is needed. Maybe there is a landline that comes up in later chapters or the host meant for the character to call while in town but it just felt inconsistent.

Emma, age 30 something & single, finds herself yearning for more. She sets out for a 6 week vacation alone in Amherst, MA to immerse herself in the life of her favorite author Emily Dickinson. It’s an adventure that delves into the dark side of working too much, self-love, and family healing as much as it is about finding an epic romance. This book may be paving the way for a new genre, romantic mysteries, as Emma exchanges letters with a mysterious secret admirer who is revealed at the very end of the book.

Fans of bookish romances will enjoy this book which is reminiscent of the New York Times Bestsellers title Book Lovers.

Emma Rini hits a rut and decides to take a 6 week vacation to find herself. She rents a mansion and channels her inner Emily Dickinson (her favorite poet), but the outside world keeps knocking. There's also the matter of the grumpy (but hot) architect she keeps clashing with...

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I was really intrigued by the cover and the premise of this book, but unfortunately it just fell flat for me. I struggled to connect with the main character and the plot just didn't catch my interest. I ended up DNF'ing the book at about 25%.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc! Emma's family really pissed me off and I felt so bad for her but I'm glad it all worked out in the end. Also, kinda suspected that there would be a "you got mail" kind of situation and I wasn't disappointed.