Helen Phifer’s *The Vanishing Bookstore* is a happy blend of historical mystery and contemporary suspense, weaving together themes of fate, family secrets and the enduring power of books. One of the aspects I enjoyed the most of *The Vanishing Bookstore* is its immersive atmosphere. Phifer captures the eerie and mystical essence of Salem, both in its historical setting and modern-day streets. The plot is well-paced, with a compelling mystery that keeps the reader engaged from beginning to end. I wish the book had delved deeper is in the relationship between Dora and her love interest. Their connection is intriguing, but it would have been even more satisfying to explore their history further. A prequel detailing their past lives and the forces that continually draw them together would add some more romance and allow us to buy into their relationship more.

I loved reading about the aunts, they were all so different yet you could feel their love for each other as you listened. I do wish we had learned more about Dora's mother and the relationship they had in the past.

This books was narrated by Stephanie Cannon. Audiobooks are new to me and so I have never heard her narrate before, but her voice was wonderful with this story, adding just the right touch of emotions to make this a believable story.

It’s perfect for those who love stories that blur the line between past and present, mystery and magic, and the known and the unknown. If you enjoy books that transport you to another world, while also creating characters you come to feel for, this is the book for you.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book but I ended up really enjoying the story. If you’re a fan of Halloweentown, this is definitely right up your alley. I especially loved the relationship between the English sisters and how they had built this little family with the familiars. George Corwin was terrifying but not overly dramatic. Overall the writing was fun, fast-paced, and captivating!

When I first saw the title of this book, I thought (and hoped) it would be about a magical bookstore. I was a bit disappointed that it was only mentioned briefly. The “quest” of finding the vanishing bookstore was also short as most of the story was spent around Dora trying to remember her past.

The plot developed well. It explained well how the story began from 1692 and how it is in the present day with the necessary flashbacks. I wished the author had given us more updates on Katie, Dora’s best friend, after the whole drama ended because I was genuinely worried about her after the attack.

I think I would enjoy this book a lot more if the plot wasn’t that predictable. It felt as though it was a typical story with a copy-and-paste plot. A girl finding out her real identity, going on a quest to break the curse (in this case an obsessive witch-hunter), and a predictable ending.

It was a fun, leisure read nonetheless.

This is a cute story, but it has its dark moments. This makes it difficult to define; it has cosy fantasy, fairytale vibes with a side of chick lit, but the sinister themes/events contradict those descriptions. It reads like a YA fantasy rather than adult, and there’s only a touch of historical fiction to it; the majority of the story takes place in the present day.
The audiobook narrator made a valiant attempt at an English accent but didn’t quite pull it off. This was a small distraction and wouldn’t be an issue in other formats.
It was well-paced, and an easy listen, but I struggled to connect with the characters, so the emotions that should have been associated with some of the story’s events passed me by. I lost interest towards the end and it’s safe to say this one wasn’t for me, so 3 stars because there was nothing particularly wrong with it.
If you like witchy stories with a fairytale vibe, you might want to check this out.
With thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audi for the chance to listen to an ARC, The Vanishing Bookstore is out now.

"The Vanishing Bookstore" by Helen Phifer is a mix of historical fiction and fantasy about witches. It starts in Salem, Mass. in 1692, and then moves to modern times England and then back to Salem, Massachusetts again in modern times.

Dora English lives with her Aunt Lenny, in England, and Dora runs a flower shop. Lenny and Dora head to Salem on holiday, but it is really to help Dora find her power as they know the witch hunter has found them again. Aunt Sassy and her Mom, Lucine, live in Salem.

It's a pretty exciting story with witchcraft and a talking crow, among other things. I quite enjoyed it.

The audiobook is very well narrated by Stephanie Cannon.

Characters - 5/5
Writing - 5/5
Plot - 4/5
Pacing - 4/5
Unputdownability - 4/5
Enjoyment - 5/5
Narration - 4/5
Cover - 5/5
Overall - 36/8 = 4 4/8 rounded up to 5 stars

If you like stories about witches, you may want to check this one out! I highly recommend it!

Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture Audio, and Helen Phifer for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

The narrator Stephanie Cannon did a pretty good job. I liked how they told the story.

I had a lot of hope for this one. I love a good nonlinear timeline, and this one goes back and forth between 1692 Salem and present day centering out the same family with point of views from each of the three sisters, primarily from Dora's POV. She's the key to breaking a centuries old family curse as long as she can unlock the memories that she had buried deep in her mind. The memory - where she hid the family grimoire the night they were executed by the witch hunters. Though the storyline was intriguing, I found the way treated Dora's aunts treated her as a helpless child problematic as Dora is supposed to be in her early to mid-thirties, but is talked down to as if she is a ten year old. If there would have been a little more character development, I would have been more invested in this story.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for the the opportunity to listen to this audio.

Grateful to NetGalley for letting me listen to this one for free - couldn’t fully get behind the magical elements of this book but was an enjoyable listen nonetheless, made me go down a Salem witch trials rabbit hole too!

Thank you Net Galley for the Audiobook advance!
This was a magical adventure based on two continents and many timelines. There was no confusion and the narrator allowed you to get immersed into the story and it was a hard story to pause! Great family story with well written depth of most characters and the villain is perfectly evil. The animal characters were great additions to the story and written so that they seemed totally believable. It’s a wonderful story to get lost in!

Loved this book!! I had such a hard time putting this down. Its a story of a family of witches who are cursed to keep coming back and be chased and killed by a witch hunter. They need to break the curse. They try all different scenarios through the years. The book is mostly set in Salem. I loved reading their origin story and then seeing little snippets of some of their lives throughout the years. Very well written. Woukd recommend to anyone who like witchy stories.

I love this book I hope there are more books about the English Sisters and their different lives. I loved the plot twists. The love and support the sisters had for each other. The magic dress. The lore about their different lives.

This magical book is set in both present day aswel as 1692. It is the story of the English sisters who hold a deep secret. Dora the protagonist finds that her whole life is somewhat of a lie. Her mother she thought had died in a tragic accident is infact alive. When she meets her mother and family an uncomfortable truth is revealed. In order to keep her new found family she must now embrace her new identity and save her dying mother and aunts.

It appears to be a cosy whimsical read and although it does have its warm moments it takes a turn and quickly draws you in and isn't what one would expect. It is truly a page turner. I wasn't able to put it down. A great read and I would definitely read a series of this!

I personally really enjoyed this book I thought it had really good depth to it The narrator was really fun and easy to listen to I enjoyed their voice and I felt that they brought a lot of excitement to the story and kept me roped into the book as it was unfolding. As I said I really liked the depth of the story I thought it had a lot of interesting details and it kept me hooked from the very beginning until the very end!

Thank You, NetGalley and the publishers for an opportunity to listen to The Vanishing Bookstore by Helen Phifer.

This was a fantasy fiction which sort of felt like a derivative of Practical Magic but not at that level.

A good one-time listen but that is all.

I wish I had good things to write about this book. I loved the concept. But it was so hard to finish this book. I received an advance copy via NetGalley and listened to an audio version. So let’s start there. Spoilers ahead.

First, Dora, the FMC, was supposedly raised in England, yet the narrator had no British accent for her. She did for other characters. I thought maybe it was because she really was from Salem and maybe the lack of accent would be explained. No. Once she’s in Salem, people comment on her being from England. So, she has an accent?

The FMC is so annoying. She is a witch who has lived many lifetimes but doesn’t remember. Okay, love that concept. But at like 65% in, she still doesn’t “get it” and just complains and has an attitude.

They have to try to fight Corwin who has been killing them through all their lifetimes. And they need this book that was hidden in the first lifetime. Dora and her one true love, who she barely is starting to remember, find it really easily (after talking about needing it for chapters, over and over.). Then, they have this super important book… but stop to have sex in the bookshop. Like why?! So random.

Then, she needs her dress from the 1600’s. So they break into a museum and no one notices them steal it from a mannequin.

It’s super important that she gets her powers and reads this book they found like 5 chapters ago… so let’s stop and get drunk. What?! You’re trying to kill this dude once and for all and it’s time for some Black Magic (a drink). 🙄

She finally gets her powers and remembers once she puts the dress on. So, it’s time to finally open the book and fight Corwin. This whole learning magic and fight, takes like 2 or 3 chapters. That’s it.

So much of this book was them talking and saying the same things over and over. Feeling guilty, talking about the past, saying how glad they are to be back, wishing Dora would remember. Stop talking!

Not to mention, her mother who was dying. The fact that they all get reborn and live but it never explains how Dora’s mom gets pregnant with her in each lifetime because it literally says that Dora’s dad doesn’t get reincarnated in each life. There are so many plot holes, this book is like Swiss cheese!

This high quality audio tells the story of Dora who in the present day is a florist but this is not her only life. Her past lives are complicated , she cant remember then but her family is cursed and without breaking the curse she is destined in each life to die young. She is a witch. I loved the narration and the descriptive nature of the past lives interwoven with the present. It was action packed. The male voices at times sounded too similar but the narration held my attention and was entertaining. . The plot was well executed until the ending which felt very rushed and didn't match the tone of the rest of the book. You were invested in the characters and wanted a happy ending but it was more of a bish based done approach. The ending left me feeling underwhelmed it should have been more of the tale. This however was very entertaiining and the dual timelines and well scripted and narrated characters made this an enjoyable quick read, perfect for fantasy read especially in oct or november. Thank you netgalley, publisher, author and narrator for this 4 star listen.

4 ⭐

Is that ending an indication of an upcoming book #2?!
Who was that girl in the epilogue? Surely it wasn't Dora?!

This has been a very intriguing read.
The narrator was great.
The magical story has an amazing atmosphere.
The only little problem for me was that the second half of the books was too rushed.
After 8 lifetimes to simply solve everything that fast and easily when Dora has just rediscovered her past?! Too easy.
Anyway I really enjoyed it 🖤

// Thank you to Netgalley, Helen Phifer and Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to listen to an ARC of this in exchange of my honest opinion //
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Ⓟⓡⓔ—Ⓡⓔⓥⓘⓔⓦ

So excited about this audiobook.
The ingredients:
- Salem
- dual timeline
- witches
- reincarnation
- hunters
- a vanishing bookstore

I'm sold. 🖤

I think Helen Phifer has shot to the list of my top 5 authors! She can honestly not write a dud book if she tried! I first met her in all of the Maria Miller books, then the first Annie Graham and now a stand alone.

The Vanishing bookstore is so much more than the title suggests. A dual timeline-ish story set between London and Salem and over many centuries. It involves a cursed family who are doomed to recreate their lives and deaths over and over again throughout the years. The title was slightly misleading as the bookshop didn't get a lot of page space and I thought it would centre more in the story.

I loved the characters and thought recurring characters instead of more and more names to remember was clever. I thought the banter was fantastic and the animals characters stole the show. Who wouldn't want sassy witches who could drink you under the table for aunts?

The Narrator was top notch and had beautiful tones to listen to. The individual characters could all be picked out distinctively and the accents were great.

This would be a great read if you have interest in the Salem witch trials or if you love witches, the paranormal or historical fiction. Bonus if you love all of the above! 4.5 stars from me!

My thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and Helen Phifer for putting another excellent ARC in my hands. All opinions are my own.

The witches of Salem are alive in modern day. Loved the premise, thought it was well executed. Good chracters and plotting, though the bookstore didn't make much od an appearance, but enjoyed the book. Stephanie Cannon's narration was very good an easy to listen voice. Thanks to Bookoutre audio and Netgalley for this review ARC.

Good characters and interesting premise. Narrator was OK in the female voice, but didn't love her male and bird voices. Had to back track a few times as I lost the plot when listening and once fell asleep. I haven't had this happen with an audiobook before which is why I'm rating as 3 stars. Would maybe have enjoyed more if I read the book myself. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

There seems to be a lot of Salem witch trial historical fiction/time travel novels coming out the last handful of years, so Phifer's basic plotline isn't exactly unique. The plot is a little unbalanced with about 70% of the novel being a leadup to Dora finding the lost bookstore and the final face-off, so the ending felt a little rushed. I also didn't love how easy it was for the bookstore to be found - especially since a certain character had been looking for it for decades. So that was a bit anticlimactic. The driving force for everything that happens is somewhat ridiculous... but also realistic (you'll understand once you read it, basically male fragility at it's finest).

Despite that, THE VANISHING BOOKSTORE was an enjoyable quick read that I think people who enjoy slightly witchy historical fictions will like.

Stephanie Cannon does a good job with the audiobook narration, though I was slightly confused by Dora's lack of accent if she supposedly grew up in England.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and Bookouture Audio in exchange for an honest review.