Advanced Reader Copy Review: Second Chances at the Hopeful Hearts Bookshop by Debbie Johnson
ARC provided by Netgalley and this review is my honest opinion. My thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and the Author for the opportunity to review.
Book Review
Hopeful Hearts Bookshop by Debbie Johnson is book 2 in the Bonnie Bay series. This was my first time reading this author and my first time reading a book in this series and I didn’t feel that it was detrimental to my enjoyment not reading book 1. I really liked the story of Rory and Jane who got a second chance at love, family and life thanks to Moira and the good folk at the Hopeful Hearts bookshop. This was really an emotional story set in a vivid and descriptive world full of heart and community.
The world weariness of Jane really resonated as she negotiated her current life as a single mother to her beloved daughter Beth. An impromptu and sudden holiday break brings Jane and Beth to the Edge of the World bookshop in Bonnie Bay, a place of special significance and heartache to Jane. While there, they meet stalwart of the community, Moira. Jane and Moira bond over their love of books and a special postcard connection. This is just the beginning of Jane’s story as she also finds herself face to face with her first love, Rory, someone she never recovered from the loss of losing in her youth. After a stilted start they both realise that although they had been betrayed by those who were close to them, they had not betrayed each other as they both originally thought and they were able to begin a journey back to one and other. There are lots of different themes in this book, from loss to renewal to new beginnings and the story is heartfelt. The path was not straightforward, and Jane and Rory did have to fight for their ending, but they could not have been better placed to find a home and find themselves. I really liked the writing and found it evocative. I could really visualise myself there amongst friends and found family with Moira and company. I would definitely recommend this book.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.3
