How did I not love a book about bookstores? In many ways it was a 3* book for me: the plot was interesting and the scavenger-hunt aspect was fun. But I found halfway-through that I was really *not* liking the narrator and the whole plot with her boyfriend. Why was that even there?! That part of the plot gave me the ick, though I was also like… am I supposed to not like her? Is that whole plot supposed to mirror Billy’s supposed self-absorbedness? 

I think this is also one of the first books where the found-family was not the ending I actually hoped for or wanted.🤷🏼‍♀️

Other books with the save-the-unprofitable-bookstore plot that were much better: “Christmas Bookshop” by Jenny Colgan and “Christmas by the Book” by Anne Marie Ryan though clearly both Christmas books 

Within the first few pages I was engrossed. Before I knew it, I was 30-40 pages in. Sadly, I lost momentum somewhere around there as it became overwhelmingly obvious what direction the story was taking. 

 

Miranda’s uncle disappeared around her twelfth birthday. For years she sought him out until he eventually faded into memory. Years later, she receives word of his death and finds out he’s left his bookshop to her. He also left behind a series of clues for her to follow to find answers about not only his past but her own. 

 

Again, I found the first pages gripping. Until it wasn’t. There are too many clues dropped early on, leaving the mystery pretty much solved with a couple hundred pages to go. Because of this, I would consider it to be more of a work of literary fiction than a mystery. 

It was a lot of fun to follow along on Miranda’s journey as she uncovers parts of her past/family secrets. I was not expecting the outcome of the book, but it was interesting reading the character develop and learn new things about herself. 

Really enjoyable, fast paced read.  A play on the scavenger hunt style mystery with literary clues revealing the next "stop" to find more information about the protagonist's family secrets, with interesting twists.  Along the way, our protagonist defines her values and learns to set boundaries and take control of her life, and finds a community in her inheritance--a failing bookstore.  Ends on a hopeful note after meandering through some emotional, sometimes darker turns.