The Vanishing Bookstore by Helen Phifer was a bit of a departure from my usual reads, but I found it surprisingly enjoyable. The dual timelines—flipping between the Salem witch trials and the present day—added an intriguing layer to the story. While I'm typically drawn to straightforward thrillers, the magical elements and the family's curse provided a fresh twist that kept me engaged. The characters were well-developed, and I appreciated the emotional depth woven into their journeys. Although the fantasy aspects were more pronounced than I usually prefer, the story's heart and the themes of resilience and love resonated with me. If you're open to a thriller with a touch of magic and historical intrigue, this one might be worth exploring.

In 1692, on the outskirts of Salem, a young woman hides a journal under the loose floorboard of a bookstore covered in vines. She hears the dogs barking in the distance as she runs away and the bookstore vanishes behind her. In present day, Dora lives in the UK, running a flower shop when she is called to the US to see her mother, a woman she thought was dead. She leaves her friend to look after her shop while she is gone. When Dora meets her mother, she is ill, but tells Dora that their lives are in danger. That is when Dora's memories begin to come back. She digs into their history and learns about the mysterious bookstore, but no one knows where it is. She is able to pick her way through the thorns and brambles with her childhood friend, and eventually they find the bookstore. Inside she finds the journal, but will that be her undoing or salvation?

Having been to Salem a couple of years ago, I loved the setting. It made sense that the three sisters, Lucine, Seraphina and Lenora lived there and although they sold cures and herbs, the secret that they were witches was not well known. These women have been cursed to live their lives repeatedly while being hunted by the same diabolical man, George Corwin. Dora does not know anything about them being witches, until she visits her mother and memories begin to return. She is the reincarnation of the woman who hid the book, and only she can retrieve it. The story is told through various POVs, so I had to pay attention so I knew whose it was. There are two animals, Hades and Ophelia, who play parts in the story, one a crow, the other a cat. I really liked the parts they played. I did find that the middle of the book dragged a bit, but it really picked up later in the story. There are some suspenseful scenes, but nothing too descriptive. As far as a witch/witch hunting book goes, this was an easy read. It was a story of family, family secrets, memory, witches, history, survival, relationships, and being alive. Of course there is a happy ending for the English family (their last name, not nationality), but the story had a rocky road to get there. I listened to this book narrated by Stephanie Cannon. She has a pleasant voice to listen to, but I found her voice didn't "age well" when she was sharing the POVs of the older witches. I would have preferred a bit more expression as well. It's not often that I prefer reading the book over listening to it when I do a read/listen, but this was definitely one of those times. Overall, this was an enjoyable story, and for someone who doesn't read a lot of fantasy/witch stories, it was a good choice, but I would recommend reading this one.

I really enjoyed this audio book that takes place mostly in Salem, Mass. It is a story of Dora who lives with her aunt in London. She is told they are going on a trip and soon realizes they are in Salem, MA. Here, she discovers other aunts, as well as her dying mother, all of whom are witches. She too, is a witch. She is taken to Salem to find a book that was written long ago, in the 1600's and only she would know where it is. It is needed in order to stop George from killing the family. At first, she has no idea what this is all about, but soon realizes it is her, who needs to save the family. It was a quick listen, but very interesting. If you are interested in witchcraft and Salem, MA, I would highly recommend this!
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookotour Audio for this ARC.

This was a magical tale that kept me engaged with the audiobook version. The characters of Dora, Lenny, and Sephy were likable, funny, and I found myself rooting for them as they raced against time to try to change their fate. Always a sucker for a happy ending, this was indeed satisfying. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC audiobook version.

This was a case of a book that had so much potential, but fell flat for me. I love a good witchy book, and part of it being set in Salem? Even better, The only thing I love more than magic when I read is when a book is about a book/bookstore/library/author. I figured I'd love this!

Unfortunately, it missed the mark in all places. The pacing was strange - I felt like it was slow, and then all of a sudden everything was over. The final battle being over in a few sentences? <spoiler>Dora finding this book that's been missing LIFETIMES so quickly? The explanation of what her life really is was something she just accepted so quickly after being lied to for 30 years? </spoiler> It felt quite far-fetched. The romance lacked any sort of chemistry and honestly, I kept forgetting Ambrose existed. And the title is a bit misleading - the bookstore is such an afterthought, I'm not sure why that's how they chose to position it.

I listened to this on audio and loved the narrators voice, but many words were pronounced incorrectly, and they used a North American accent for British characters -- which was really confusing when people kept referring to Dora as being from England because of her accent.

I was really hoping to love this one!

I got this right at it's pub date and didn't even get a chance to download before it archived. I did get a hands on a copy elsewhere and just wanted to circle back and share that I really enjoyed this. The premise was interesting and found a way to surprise me a few times. Thanks again for the opportunity of the eARC.

From the beginning I was intrigued by this story about a family of witches cursed to live their lives on repeat, unable to clear a curse and the memories that come with it.

Set in Salem, this book had all the cozy witch vibes.

This waa a good audiobook. The narrator was excellent. Overall the plot was interesting. I enjoyed the time twists. However, I would have liked a bit more character development.

I was gifted this book as an audio book from NetGalley and publishers. I wasn’t sure what it was going to be like and at first worried it wasn’t going to be for me. However, it was truly marvellous. I loved the witches and their characters. Enjoyed the switch from uk to America and the drama that unfolded.
This was truly a novel witch story line for me. I loved the time hops and the way the characters remembered their pasts. It was such an entertain g read I couldn’t put it down.
My only issue was the accents. More English accents for the English people would have been better. Once I got over that, it was fine and the narrators did a great job.

# The Vanishing Bookstore by Helen Phifer Review

CW: Violence, suggestive content, any triggers surrounding the Salem Witch Trials.

My Rating: 3

*I was given a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review*

So I’m gonna change up my usual style of review and break this into impressions by section

**First 25%**

Here’s the thing.

This section of the book isn’t awful, or the worst, but it just didn’t feel like it knew what it was doing. It didn’t feel like it knew it’s setting, nor did it feel like it knew it’s audience. All the characters are adults, but the writing is very Middle Grade/YA to me. In addition, the book just comes off as overly simplistic and not complex.

The characters don’t really stick out for me, I just didn’t get a lot from this book to be honest. I didn’t think this book was the worst, but I expected more out of it. I expected the characters to be a little better formed, they weren’t, they just weren’t.

The writing style wasn’t super complex, or pretty, or evocative, or fast paced. I really just didn’t find this book to be terribly remarkable. It wasn’t especially bad, but it wasn’t especially good. It was terribly *meh*.

For the setting, it just felt bland. Nothing about the setting stood out, the plot felt like it was dragging, and the setting dragged with it. There wasn’t anything that felt distinguishable about the setting, which I get isn’t always a focus but I like there being something to hold onto in the world building. I got the impression that the author didn’t know a lot about the states, and it seemed that she could’ve (should’ve) done more research into the place she was setting her novel.

I do think the George and Dora story line had potential, I did think the way I felt about Katie was substantive. I actually cared about her and her well being, and I disliked George almost immediately upon his introduction, which raised my star rating for sure-being able to communicate a character without writing much about him deserves praise. I just wish she’d done that for her protagonists.

And some of it is just cringy, there’s a line that a character “like pink only second to black” and would’ve painted her house black if she could. It just came off cringy and like the author was trying to have this gothic character who was into death and darkness, and it didn’t feel natural.

**25 to 33%**

This is where I felt it began to pick up a bit, the language and writing was still clunky, but the plot got a bit better for sure.

The characters seemed to be a bit more fully realized, I got the impression that Dora was more of a person than she was in the first fourth of the book. I think that’s a disservice, Dora should’ve been fully realized, or at least somewhat realized, from the get-go, but she took way too long to get there. Sephy and Lucine were overly bland too. I get that they’re supposed to have lived for a long time, and were brought up in a puritan household when they were initially born (they’re immortal, I think, or at least close to it). I did mix up Lenny and Lucine

The world building and setting still felt a bit cluttered, it was more realized but it wasn’t completely clear how things worked. I was still confused at that point on what was going on with Ambrose and Isadora. I think maybe there was reincarnation, or some kind of descendant, but it’s not well done, I think there could’ve been a better way for the author to lay out the plot and leave hints. This jsut felt like it was confusingly leading with the twist.

At this point, I surmised George was the man “chasing across lifetimes” and that Dora and Ambrose were a separate couple away from George. But if George was the bad guy, and Lenny knew that, then why did she allow Katie to run the shop and possibly be a victim? Why not close the shop and say “we’re out for the month” or something? That just felt felt reckless with an innocent woman’s life. And I wouldn’t think Lenny would do that as a character we’re supposed to root for.

**34% to 60%**

This is where things finally started to make actual sense.

Thank god.

This is also where Dora actually shows concern for Katie, which no one else has by this point, and it’s unclear why. Like, did they not think George would come for Katie? Dora still only worries about Katie being in the shop, and handling it on her own, but that’s okay because she *doesn’t know anything*. Once she does, she wants to go to London to help Katie, she wants to protect Katie, but her aunts are perfectly willing to allow Katie to possibly die.

So, the explanation seems to be that they’re immortals, and they’re all reborn over and over again, and dies over and over, because of a curse. Which I think honestly should’ve been revealed earlier on in the book rather than a third of the way in, but whatever.

I also did actually start to want to pick up the book at this point. Just to see what happens, the setting is a bit more realized and made the book more readable. But I still found that the book felt like it was written like a YA novel, or maybe even a mid fanfiction. It was just so simplistic that it felt like it was the author’s first novel, which it wasn’t. She didn’t seem to know where her setting was (with how the characters from the US talked, in particular).

**60% to End**

Things did pick up more, but all the problems were still present.

And I really didn’t believe in Ambrose and Dora’s relationship, I mean they had their cute moments, for sure, but it just wasn’t that great or that convincing. Everything just felt as hollow as the rest of it did.

In the end, it just felt like the premise promised wasn’t really delivered on. The reason I picked up the book was not the real and true plot and I felt a bit cheated.

I adored this audiobook, the story was well written and kept me engaged the whole time.
I recommend this audiobook!

Thank you NetGalley for the ALC! ✨

DgvCinnamon sticky buns
1. Warm the milk and add some of the sugar and yeast, cover and set aside until it’s foaming.
2. Add the melted butter, eggs, vanilla, and sugar to a bowl.
3. Add the egg and yeast mixtures to a stand mixer and add in half of the flour until combined. Add the rest of the flour and mix until a dough is formed. Knead for a few minutes until smooth and elastic.
4. Add the dough to a buttered bowl and leave in a warm place until doubled in size.
5. Add the brown sugar, honey and butter to a saucepan and heat until melted.
6. Pour into a baking dish and add the chopped pecans
7. Once risen roll out the dough into a rectangle shape and brush with butter.
8. Mix the cinnamon and sugar together and sprinkle over the dough.
9. Roll the dough into a log then cut into rolls. Place them into the baking dish on top of the caramel, pecan sauce.
10. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden, allow to cool slightly then serve.

PRO TIPS FOR MAKING THIS RECIPE
The zest of an orange in the dough adds a nice depth of flavor.
You can use either dark or light brown sugar for the filling and topping.
If you don’t have pecans walnuts will also work.
Use floss to cut the dough into buns for clean edges.
Make sure to butter both the bowl the dough rises in and the baking dish the buns bake in to stop them sticking.
Make the caramel sauce while the dough rises to save time. It can also be made in advance and placed in the fridge.
After baking for 15 minutes cover them with foil to stop the buns from browning too much.
Allow the buns to cool slightly before serving.
Why not serve them with a dollop of whipped cream for an over the top indulgent treat



Prep Time40minutes minutes Cook Time35minutes minutes Resting time2hours hours Total Time3hours hours 15minutes


Ingredients
Dough:
▢1 cup warm milk 110°F (240mL)720ml/960ml
▢1 1/4 ounce package active dry yeast ( 2 + 1/2 tsp)
▢1/2 cup sugar (100g) 300g/400g
▢6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted plus more for the pan (85g)255g/ 340g
▢1 egg 4 eggs
▢2 yolks 8 yolks
▢1 teaspoon salt 4 teaspoons
▢1 tsp vanilla (5ml) 20ml
▢4 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting counter (480g) 1920g
Topping:
▢3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar (150g)
▢½ cup unsalted butter (113g)
▢¼ cup honey (60ml)
▢½ tsp salt
▢1 1/2 cups 6 ounces coarsely chopped pecans
Filling:
▢1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar (100g)
▢2 tsp ground cinnamon
▢4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted (70g)

Sticky buns are the ultimate treat any time of the year but especially during the holidays as a Christmas brunch or dessert. They’re just like soft and fluffy Cinnamon Rolls but are baked in an incredible, rich, and decadent brown sugar and pecan caramel sauce.
The cinnamon sugar and warm butter caramel fills your home with the most irresistible smell that it’s worth making these just for the smell alone. There is some waiting time involved as the dough rises but other than that these are super easy to whip up! When it’s cold and dark outside there’s no better treat to keep you cozy and lift your spirits.

They over all story was good but at times I caught myself wandering thinking between the timelines. I caught myself being more distracted by the dual timeline and the why’s. I see it as a fair fantasy for a teen but mediocre for adults. The overall plot of the book was good though.

It was a spellbinding, magical tale, with a dual timeline that captures you from the first sentence to the last.


Salem 1692 to present day London, Isadora (Dora) English knows nothing of family, other than her aunt Lenora, upon meeting a stranger in her flower shop Dora is thrust back into Salem a place she doesn’t even know is her home, she meets a mother and another aunt she didn’t even know existed and learns of curse on her family. She must work to recount memories, find the vanishing book store and her mother’s spell book in order to break the curse.

A lovely read one I adapted to the narrator. I also read this book in ebook and preferred this version. The simplicity of the language and story leant itself to be an easy to listen narration. Very Practical Magic-esque there is plenty of imagination, characters to remember in this novel. I just wish I connected with the characters more and there was more bookshop. Other buildings had more of starring role than the one the title was named after.

I loved the premise of this book, and think you’ll like it if you enjoy books about witches. The ending felt rushed / anticlimactic to me and a couple of the scenes seemed odd. I didn’t understand the epilogue, unless it was solely to set it up for a sequel.

I did not enjoy the audio narrator. The primary character was raised in the UK and speaks with an English accent, but the narrator depicted her with an American accent.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication.

While I'm not typically drawn to fantasy, I found a captivating historical fiction book that truly engaged me. It follows a group of witches who have endured countless lifetimes evading a relentless witch hunter. This time, they are determined to end the cycle. Upon returning to Salem, Dora rediscovers her lost memories, powers, and her family.

The narrative weaves dual timelines filled with unexpected twists, artfully balancing heart-wrenching and uplifting moments. The mystery at the core of the story kept me intrigued, making it an enjoyable read for anyone. Although the pacing occasionally slowed, it ultimately picked up again, resulting in a positive experience overall.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free advanced copy of the novel in exchange for my honest review.

Another compulsive read from an author who seems to do no wrong. I absolutely devoured this one… You will want to clear your afternoon to read this one straight through, so riveting are the twists and turns. Recommended

A magical fantasy story spanning dual timelines from 1600s Salem to the present day. Dora agrees to take a trip to Salem in the present day, leaving her flower shop in the hands of her friend and glad to escape the recent unwanted attention of an unsettling man. In Salem, she realises her present has strong links to a long forgotten past. With the help.of her mum and aunt, she unearths her hidden past, secret powers and is tasked with locating a vanishing bookstore that holds the item that will allow them to finally break a curse and live freely. A fast-paced and engaging story with strong characters and amazing locations. #thevanishingbookstore #helenphifer #netgalley

The book was incredible! It's set over 2 timelines and these resilient witches keep coming back to live the same life over and over again.... The only person who can set them free, can't remember where she hid the book they need.

It was awesome. I loved the sisters and Dora were all bad ass women. Dora, in this timeline, has no idea she is a witch or that a powerful witch hunter wants to kill her whole family. It was really well done. I love fantasy books with witches and this one had the kind of curse that actually made sense.

Beautifully written, I was totally insnared by the story and the characters were so well defined, they could easily have been from a book series.

I thought the narration was excellent and I massively enjoyed this book,

4.5 stars