Once again Kiley Dunbar has brought a delightful addiction to her series, Borrow a Bookshop (I still want to do this!).

Long time friends, Harri and Annie signed up to be a part of the Borrow a Bookshop for their holiday but life just kept pushing it back. Between his jealous girlfriend (now ex) and her hesitance on going, the timing of this trip actually proves to be perfect timing after all! As they both fumble around each other on how they should act while trying to ignore the attraction they do have, a new opportunity comes forth for the Borrowers to check out a Gothic library when the owner dies. More mysteries are solved as they help the local townspeople.

I love how each story in the Borrow a Bookshop intertwines the characters of past and present Borrowers and the townspeople in this delightful story. They can be read as a stand alone (I first read book 4 then went back to read the series from the beginning) but I suggest starting with book 1 if you haven't read it yet. Kiley's writing is superb in describing the town and each character which not all authors can do.

Thank you so much to Canelo Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC and to Kiley Dunbar for another book in one of my new favorite series!

Old friends since their time together at university, there’s always been a bit of an attraction between Harri and Annie – but neither of them have wanted to ruin their special friendship. Harri arrives in Clove Lore and the bookshop – a trip they’ve been looking forward to for such a long time – having recently broken up with his long-time girlfriend, while Annie, working as a school librarian in Texas, has just been suspended over a bit of a kerfuffle over banned books. Harri’s a dab hand at making hangover buns, a staple from their university days – but he can widen his repertoire a bit to vary the cafe’s offerings – and there are always the welcome donations from the book shop’s many friendly volunteers. And Annie’s very much at home among the books – reading has been what’s kept her going through her current troubles.

While they both work on being the best of friends and nothing more – but my goodness, you can feel the attraction between them – Mrs Crocombe, matchmaking notebook in hand, decides to intervene. She rather misses the obvious, and finds a potential partner for each of them – only for the earmarked partners to find they’re more attracted to each other. But as the barriers between them slowly come down and they get closer to telling each other how they feel, there’s plenty to keep them busy. Annie starts a silent reading book club – what a wonderful idea! – and then there’s the ongoing mystery about the elderly man who appears to be homeless but who’s happy to make himself comfortable in a chair among the book stacks. And there’s new stock to source for the shelves – the dismantling of the library at Castle Lore after the death of the lord of the manor, and an invitation to the auction.

The community, of course, plays a major part in the story – their paths cross with those of former borrowers (something I always love), the wonderful drawn villagers young and old, and they get caught up in all the little day-to day dramas. The disappearance of two of the long-term residents gets everyone into a particular flurry – and I particularly enjoyed the way that situation was happily resolved. And through it all, there’s that growing chemistry between our two borrowers, as they try to solve a bit of a mystery – and the distinct signs of a much hoped for happy ending (and I have to say I thought it was absolutely perfect!).

This series has been a total delight – I know the author’s now working on a new series, which is always exciting, but I do so hope she’ll allow us to revisit Clove Lore at some point in the future to catch up with all the people who now feel like friends. This really was such a lovely read – wonderful storytelling, lots of laughs, plenty of emotional moments, a romance that was everything I wanted it to be, and a community I felt entirely part of. And can there be any reader who wouldn’t enjoy spending time in a bookshop? You could read it as a standalone – but you’d enjoy it even more if you read it as part of the series. Very much recommended – I really loved it.

Liked it . Due to health issues cannot not but will write a proper review at a later time
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

such a cute story. I really enjoyed reading it.The couple in it kept me interested. Looking forward to seeing your next book.

What a gem of a book! It is a fantastic read and had me hooked from the very first page. Thank you Kiley for this great read.

While I found this book to be a bit slower than the others in the series, it still had the same elements of charm and a lovely little seaside village, with its close knit community.

Still charming and still enjoyable, I did enjoy this new instalment in the series.

I absolutely smashed through this book. Pretty sure I finished it in almost one sitting! Even though it’s part of a series, it can be read as a standalone. But the world Kiley has created is just so magical, after finishing this ARC, I went and purchased the rest of the series!

It’s a cute, cosy book about a seaside bookshop that two old friends rent, after nearly a decade apart. It explores comfortable relationships, timing and even book banning, all whilst simultaneously being a sweet, poolside read.

Thank you to the Kiley Dunbar, the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC.

I have read and enjoyed others in this series, but unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me. Harri & Annie, the new "borrowers" are good friends from university but haven't seen each other for a long time. They are both booklovers and both are distracted when they arrive. The villagers are mostly present in previous books, but there are so many names mentioned that I found it difficult to remember who they are and to keep track of them. The pace was also slow, with a lot happening in the last couple of chapters.
I wasn't really engaged with the book so it read slowly for me, the plot with the will-they won't they romance angle was too drawn out and the village life part was a little too contrived.
Thanks to Net galley for the ARC

A New Chapter at the Borrow a Bookshop takes us to the charming, small town of Clove Lore in Devon. Annie is a librarian from Texas, and Harri is a barista from Wales. During college, they both added their names to the waiting list to run the Borrow a Bookshop together for two weeks. As luck would have it, their turn has finally come, and they reunite after years of staying in touch through phone tag. Harri has just broken up with his long-term girlfriend, and Annie has been placed on leave from her school. The townspeople are an entertaining cast of characters, and there’s even a mysterious person who shows up out of the blue. Annie and Harri finally get to live out their college dream of running the bookshop together. Will this vacation provide the time they need to heal before returning to their lives in the real world, or will it become a catalyst for something more?

Firstly, thank you so much for letting me read A New Chapter At The Borrow a Bookshop.
In this book we follow two friends from university, who agreed to go on holiday at Borrow a Bookshop. Life got in the way and they had to keep pushing it back. 6 years later, they finally get to go. Where they fall In love with not only the Bookshop and cafe, but the community too.
I absolutely adored all the different characters in this story, with the message of books for mental health, books for everyone, and touching on the topic of books getting banned not only in schools, but certain states of America too.

A New Chapter at the Borrow a Bookshop is the fifth book in Kiley Dunbar’s Borrow a Bookshop series. I was intrigued by the blurb, which hinted at a cozy mystery mixed with romance. Naturally, I expected a stronger mystery element woven into the story, but unfortunately, the book didn’t quite meet that expectation. It made me wonder if I simply struggle to enjoy cozy romance books.

While this book can be read as a standalone, I sometimes found myself questioning certain aspects—especially the concept of the Borrow a Bookshop itself. Harri and Annie, once close friends in college, went their separate ways after graduation. Annie became a librarian in her Texas hometown, while Harri worked as a barista in Wales. They had feelings for each other back then but never acted on them, fearing it would ruin their friendship.

When they get the chance to spend two weeks in Clove Lore managing the Borrow a Bookshop, their old chemistry resurfaces. Both are also trying to escape their real-life struggles, making this a classic friends-to-lovers story in action.

Since I didn’t read the previous books, I struggled a bit with the bookshop’s concept. From what I gathered, part-time workers are given a chance to run the shop for a limited period, but the selection process remained unclear to me. Also, considering the bookshop is located in the southern part of England—far from the central area—it seemed like an oddly inconvenient setup.

I do find the idea of the Borrow a Bookshop unique and appealing, especially for book lovers. However, the effort required to work in such a remote bookshop felt somewhat unrealistic.

As for the story itself, the blurb mentions the mysterious death of Castle Lore’s owner, which led me to expect an engaging mystery subplot. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. The book primarily focuses on Harri and Annie rekindling their relationship after a decade, navigating their emotions, and dealing with personal challenges from their past.

In the end, I hoped for more than just a romance storyline, but I couldn’t find it here. Because of that, I found certain parts a bit dull. Sigh.

So, 2.5 stars from me—rounded up to 3 stars.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Another instalment of the Borrow a Book shop series. This time we are on holiday with Harri and Annie.

This book was a treasure! A delightful friends to more, sweet second chance romance. With the main characters both being book lovers made this the perfect story. It's beautifully written, very entertaining and with so much emotion and charm. The small cozy town made a great setting. This enjoyable book was a joy to read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
I have enjoyed each of the books in this series, set in the lovely village of Clove Lore. The bookshop is the centre of the stories, an interesting idea for all readers. The romantic stories have been entertaining with endearing characters. However, this book didn't hit the mark for me, I did not find it engaging. I did not think the character of Annie was at all credible - a feisty leader at university she ran away from the conflict in her place of work rather than taking a stand. She and Harri had been close friends but romance had never been allowed to blossom, and I found the misunderstandings contrived rather than realistic, with unsurprising twists at the end of the book. I don't feel this book was anywhere near as good as the others in the series.

This was peaceful and soothing read that wasn’t filled with intense drama. It definitely gives you cozy read by the fireplace vibes.

I enjoyed how the story explored the power of books to create memories and bring people together, as I have experienced this in my own personal life. I mean who doesn't love the idea of a secret book club! The evolving dynamic between Harri and Annie was tender and slow-paced, reflecting the themes of patience and growth. Although the story moved at a gentle pace, it never felt slow, and the ending was perfectly satisfying.

While the book had its minor flaws, and took me longer to read as I wasn't wholly engaged all the time. However, it was still a delightful, heartwarming read that left me with a renewed sense of appreciation for the simple pleasures in life.

1⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Hera Books for an advanced copy of A New Chapter At The Borrow A Bookshop.

Annie and Harri have known each other since college and reunite to spend two weeks living in and running a bookshop. Both are recovering from difficult things in life and realize they both may have feelings for one another.

I really wanted to like this book but I just could not get invested in the plot or the characters. It was just not for me.

This is book five in the 'Borrow a Bookshop' series and it tells the story of Harri and Annie who, after waiting for years on the waiting list and for their schedules to align, get their chance at last to take over the shop for two weeks.

Harri and Annie have had lots going on in their lives since they went to university together and despite missing a chance to get together romantically when they were younger, they have maintained their friendship as well as their love of books and coffee which makes taking over a bookshop with a cafe a perfect break for them both to be able to catch up as well as doing what they love.

The locals in Clove Lore always have their opinions on the love lives of the residents and unsuccessfully try and pair Annie and Harri up with others from the town. There are a few twists and turns in the book for those in Clove Lore but there's never a dull moment despite the diminutive size of the place!

I thoroughly enjoyed the fifth installment of his series and look forward to the next!

A little slow moving to start, but a fun story. A bit offensive to conservatives who would otherwise agree with the author about book banning with the generalized idea that all conservatives are behind book banning.

A decade after they said goodbye after graduation, old friends Harri and Annie reunite in the beautiful village of Clove Lore in Devon – what more could these bookworms want than a holiday running the tumbledown bookshop? Unbeknownst to Annie, Harri is arriving with a bruised heart after the end of his long-term relationship, while Annie is running away from painful memories in Texas.

Elsewhere in Clove Lore, the mysterious owner of Castle Lore has died, causing much gossip in the village. When Harri and Annie are sent to investigate the huge Gothic library, they find themselves locked in overnight and soon, are discovering their connection might be more than just good friends.

I loved this sweet story. I love any book about books, and this was no exception. Wonderful character building, engaging writing, and good pacing. I want to go to Clove Lore! 4⭐

I received an advanced complimentary digital copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

3.5 stars

It was fun to visit Clove Lore again and meet some new residents and revisit old ones. This one centered around college best friends Henri and Annie getting reacquainted almost 10 years later. This was a very slow burn so not much on the romance front.

Some of the side stories were fun while others dragged a bit. Thank you to Hera and NetGalley for the ARC.