Review: The Bookshop of Forgotten Dreams

Author: Emily Blaine

Publisher: 18th June 2021 by HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter

Pages: 352 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: women’s fiction, contemporary, romance, chick lit

My Rating: 3.5 cups

Synopsis:

Sarah and Max should never have met. She’s a shy bookworm who’s barely ever left her little village; he’s a bad boy actor with the world at his feet. But when Max crosses one line too many, he’s faced with community service in Sarah’s bookshop. With an unruly theatre group to run and a gorgeous, tattooed stranger under her roof, Sarah’s about to discover that real life is more complicated than anything she’s ever read in her beloved books.

My Thoughts

‘I’d been afraid, afraid to throw myself into real life, without the possibility of closing the pages of my book if a scene frightened me.’

One picks this style of book up knowing how things will play out. It’s the ‘quick fix’, the light and fluffy between the heavier reads. So imagine my surprise to discover that this book delved a little deeper than others of its genre. I liked the two lead characters and their journey of redemption. Of course, throw in homage to all things bookish and it’s a great little read. 

“Why do you want to save this awful dude so much?” He took my cup of coffee out of my hands and finally answered: “He’s not awful, just lost.”

The Bookshop of Forgotten Dreams is the classic stereotypical bad boy meets good girl, yet … I found there to be this little added dimension that, for me, made all the difference. On this occasion it was the fact that both leads were on a journey of self discovery and I just loved learning about them and their backstory. Then, more importantly, how they sought to move towards their goals together. It was the realisation that they both needed to change in order to grow and with the positive influence on each other, they were able to achieve their individual evolution. Nice. 

‘Sarah had succeeded where most people had failed … or given up. She’d taken the time, talked to me, given me time. She’d hung on, despite my warnings, and that was what attracted me to her: her selflessness.’

Now let's just talk about this massive focus on all things bookish - a delightful escapade for any bibliophile. Sarah’s passion for books is music to our literary souls and her bookshop somewhere I would love to visit and spend time. Being an introvert, Sarah’s life revolves around books and her bookstore as they provide her safe place and an escape. The way she speaks of books is sweet and intoxicating:

‘I thought about books every minute of the day … and I talked about them just as much … books had always been my passion. I read ardently, almost in a sort of uncontrollable binge. I would have done anything to escape my life, and books had quickly allowed me to do it.’

So if you are looking for that in between read then reach for this classic retelling of opposites attract for some light escapism. 

‘… my passion for books had saved me from a reality that was too hard to take. I’d fallen in love with fictional men, dreamed of an ideal family, led investigations with great detectives.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.