The Bookshop of Secrets

My Review

This book came up as a possible comp for my agent query letters, most likely because of its historical fiction genre. I enjoyed it. It had some nice moments and flowed well. I honestly found all of the main characters to be enjoyable and easy to like.

At the end of the book, however, it said, "Gripped by The Bookshop of Secrets? Follow our character's story in the next book in the series." This got me thinking. It wasn't a terribly gripping book. I didn't feel a deep desire to keep reading chapter-to-chapter, which is a common formula publishers seem to expect these days. That said, its pace was refreshing. It was just a really nice, easy-to-read novel about a young woman who got trapped in Lisbon, Portugal, during the height of World War II. Lara, the main character, was intelligent, happy, and free-spirited. Unlike a Kristen Hannah novel, there were few, if any, parts where I felt sad or angry at what had happened. 

So, if you're looking for a positive and enjoyable read, you should like this a lot.