The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan: Book Review

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan is the first book in the Scottish Bookshop Series. It was first published in February 2016 by Sphere Publishing under the title The Little Shop of Happily Ever After. I honestly don’t understand why the title was changed, as the original makes more sense. Anyway! In this cozy romance, you are introduced to Nina Redmond when she is facing a major life change.

Synopsis

Nina Redmond is a book lover and a book matchmaker. She prides herself on being able to find the perfect book for everyone. The best thing, she gets to use her skills at her job as a librarian. Or she did until the local government decides to make some cuts and eliminate jobs.

Unsure what to do next, but knowing she still wants to work with books, Nina takes a leap and decides to operate a mobile bookstore. After traveling several hundred miles from her home to look at the perfect vehicle, she finds herself in a small village that makes her feel more at home than any other place ever has.

She becomes friends with a couple of train engineers, with whom she shares stories and poetry. She manages to get through the tough exterior of her landlord and learns he has quite a soft heart. The question, is will she stay in the small Scottish village or move on when change is threatening her again?

Postives

I listened to the audiobook, and there were roughly 10 minutes of the author discussing her love of books and where she enjoys reading. I found myself laughing at a few of her comments because, as a parent, I could totally relate.

This book is easy to read, or listen to, book. It’s cozy. It’s a romance, but not a sexy romance. And the romance isn’t the driving force for the story to move along.

Negatives

I was left confused about the epilogue. I understand the desire to tie up some loose ends, but it made no sense to the story.

As tiny as the village sounds, how could Ainsley and Ben not draw more attention? Especially Ben? He’s, what 10? How did no one notice he was always dirty and not going to school?

My Opinions

I truly enjoyed this book. It was the pick-me-up I needed after a few previous books that were heavy in nature. I would love to visit the Scottish Highlands, and this book makes me want to go even more.

This book has a couple of different tropes, and they are ones that I don’t really mind. The tropes I found in this book are found family and small-town romance. I’m sure there are a few others, but those are the two that stand out the most to me. Also, where the romance is concerned, it is rather PG-13. The sexy scenes aren’t too sexy, there is mention of clothes being ripped off and tossed to the floor, but that’s really it. The next thing you know, they are lying together and sweaty.

I say give this book a go! I haven’t seen a print copy, so I’m not sure if some of the words may be hard to read as there are some mentions of Gaelic words being in the village. In the audiobook, though, the narrator is fantastic at adding personality to each character.

Looking for some more books to read? Check out my other book reviews and my monthly reading wrap-ups.