LockeLamora reviewed Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin
Just OK
2 stars
Expected more out of this one. Pretty predictable all told.
Paperback, 320 pages
English language
Published June 2, 2021 by Harlequin Enterprises, Limited.
Expected more out of this one. Pretty predictable all told.
Going to Goodreads and seeing all the 4- and 5-star reviews for this was an absolutely baffling experience. Did they read the same book I did? Emotionally, narratively and stylistically simplistic, and absolutely hell-bent on melodramatically telling rather than showing what the characters are thinking and feeling. Its treatment of people's relationships, with both other people and the literature it purports to revere, is superficial. Two stars because it's inoffensive and likable enough and has a few charming moments, but there's just no there there.
Going to Goodreads and seeing all the 4- and 5-star reviews for this was an absolutely baffling experience. Did they read the same book I did? Emotionally, narratively and stylistically simplistic, and absolutely hell-bent on melodramatically telling rather than showing what the characters are thinking and feeling. Its treatment of people's relationships, with both other people and the literature it purports to revere, is superficial. Two stars because it's inoffensive and likable enough and has a few charming moments, but there's just no there there.