The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser

 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: The Bookshop of Second Chances
Author: Jackie Fraser
Release Date: 5.4.21
Publisher: Ballantine


Publisher Summary
A woman desperate to turn a new page heads to the Scottish coast and finds herself locked in a battle of wills with an infuriatingly handsome bookseller in this utterly heartwarming debut, perfect for readers of Evvie Drake Starts Over.

Thea Mottram is having a bad month. Her husband of nearly twenty years has just left her for one of her friends, and she is let go from her office job--on Valentine's Day, of all days. Bewildered and completely lost, Thea doesn't know what to do. But when she learns that a distant great uncle in Scotland has passed away, leaving her his home and a hefty antique book collection, she decides to leave Sussex for a few weeks. Escaping to a small coastal town where no one knows her seems to be exactly what she needs.

Almost instantly, Thea becomes enamored with the quaint cottage, comforted by its cozy rooms and shaggy, tulip-covered lawn. The locals in nearby Baldochrie are just as warm, quirky, and inviting. The only person she can't seem to win over is bookshop owner Edward Maltravers, to whom she hopes to sell her uncle's antique novel collection. His gruff attitude--fueled by an infamous, long-standing feud with his brother, a local lord--tests Thea's patience. But bickering with Edward proves oddly refreshing and exciting, leading Thea to develop feelings she hasn't felt in a long time. As she follows a thrilling yet terrifying impulse to stay in Scotland indefinitely, Thea realizes that her new life may quickly become just as complicated as the one she was running from.


My Review

This review will be blunt and brutal. The novel has all the makings of a cozy story and starts off pretty great but oh my gawwwwd the non-stop cringefest of Edward's antics had me constantly annoyed. I finally gave up at 65% and that's saying something. I would have quit earlier if I didn't like the story set up or I would have trudged on through since I'd already made it that far but this book is 448 pages long! Why is it that long?! I give this book 2 stars only because I was so happy that the main character is a woman in her mid to late forties and she has some really sassy dialogue. Also, the books and bookshop are are afterthoughts barely sprinkled into the story. Such a disappointment.