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The Battle of the Bookshops by Poppy Alexander #Review

  The Battle of the Bookshops by Poppy Alexander was published by Avon Books on September 25th.  A charming literary-themed novel about a young woman determined to save her great-aunt’s beloved bookshop from extinction by the shiny new competition—which also happens to be run by the handsome son of her family’s rivals. The cute, seaside town of Portneath has been the home of Capelthorne’s Books for nearly a hundred years… The shop, in the heart of a high street that stretches crookedly down the hill from the castle to the sea, may be a tad run-down these days, but to Jules Capelthorne, the wonky, dusty world of literary treasures is full of precious childhood memories. When her great-aunt Florence gets too frail to run it alone, Jules ditches her junior publishing job in London and comes home to make the bookshop’s hundredth birthday a celebration to remember. Jules quickly discovers things are worse than she ever imagined: The bookshop is close to bankruptcy, ...
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What if? by Shari Low #Review

 

I am happy to be taking part in the celebrations for the 20th Anniversary of Shari Low's first published novel, What if?


The book that started it all! A classic retro romcom from #1 bestselling author Shari Low.

1999.

Carly Cooper is 30, single, and after coming close to saying ‘I Do’ to six different men, she’s wondering if she accidentally said ‘goodbye' to Mr Right.

But there is a problem.

Her ex-boyfriends are scattered all over the world and Carly lives in 1999; an era before Facebook, Google, smartphones, 4G and Broadband, when it was impossible to track people down with a few clicks of a mouse.

On a mission to discover if she walked away from her 'happy ever after', Carly quits her job, her flat, her whole life and sets off on a quest to track down all the men she has ever loved.

Her Mr Right is out there, but can she find him?

And what if he’s moved on from the ex-girlfriend who said goodbye? A wonderful classic 20th-anniversary re-release.


 My Thoughts

This is a fast moving romcom with quirky characters and many funny moments. Re-issued to celebrate its 20th anniversary, it was great to read it and to enjoy all its now retro qualities and life in 1999. I see that Shari has revisited the characters and her sequel, What now, is due to be published in early 2021. The premise of the story is that Carly, after a series of broken engagements and doomed relationships, has decided to revisit all her ex's to discover if any one of them is 'the one who got away'. The first part of the novel looks in flashback at all these candidates. The second part covers her visits to them, years later. This structure certainly helps you to make sense of the story.

    Carly's friends and family are a close knit bunch, with a few exceptions. Her decision to leave her job and home to travel takes them by surprise. I enjoyed the banter between them all and their friendships were totally credible. This is a warm and witty story which takes you back to a time before the internet was all encompassing and social media was absent. It has stood the test of time and is well worth a read.

In short: What if?...

About the Author



Shari Low is the #1 bestselling author of over 25 novels, including One Day In Summer and My One Month Marriage and a collection of parenthood memories called Because Mummy Said So. She lives near Glasgow.

You can follow Shari here:  Newsletter

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Book link:  Amazon UK

Thanks to Shari Low, Boldwood Books and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for a copy of the book and a place on the tour. 

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