About the Book

Book: The Printed Letter Bookshop

Author: Katherine Reay

Genre: Women’s fiction, romance

Release Date: May 14, 2019

Amid literature and lattes, three women come together and find that sharing one’s journey with best friends makes life richer.

When attorney Madeline Carter inherits her aunt’s bookstore in a small town north of Chicago, she plans to sell it and add the proceeds to her nonexistent “investment portfolio.” But plans change when Madeline discovers the store isn’t making money and she gets passed over for promotion at her firm. She quits in protest, takes the train north, and decides to work at the store to prep it for sale. Madeline soon finds herself at odds with employees Jessica and Courtney; when she also finds herself attracted to an affianced man, it only confuses the entire situation.

After blowing up her marriage two years earlier, Jessica has found solace working at the bookstore and a kindred spirit within its owner, Maddie Cullen. But when Maddie dies and her niece, Madeline, barges in like a bulldozer, Jessica pushes at the new owner in every way-until she trips over common ground. Soon the women are delving into online dating and fashion makeovers, and Jessica feels the pull to rediscover her art, a love she thought long behind her.

After a night of bad decisions leaves the store in peril, Courtney arrives and tries to save the day. While she, too, found sanctuary in the little bookstore, she knows it’s under-insured, in the red, and will never survive. When she discovers her teenage daughter has played a part in vandalizing the store, Courtney taps into strength she didn’t know existed-or had long forgotten. The quietest of the three, she steps up and finds a way to save her family, the store, and the precious friendships that have grown within it.

The Printed Letter Bookshop is the story of friends who find each other-and themselves-in a place none of them ever expected.

Reviewers note: The character names in this blurb are not what they are in the book. They are Claire and Janet and Maddy.

My thoughts: First off, let me say that I read Dear Mr. Knightly and loved it. I read Lizzie and Jane and hated it. THE PRINTED LETTER BOOKSHOP is my third book by Ms. Reay and (sigh) I was not impressed,

First of all, I agreed to review it because even though it is women's fiction (a genre I can take or leave), the premise sounded interesting. Books. A bookstore. And a maybe romance. Yes! I'm in!

It starts with a death. A somber beginning to a book, always. And then the gardener comes on the scene (my heartrate picked up, i do love romance) but the interaction was just meh and well, she's a lawyer, he's a gardener....and they don't have anything in common. Good thing it isn't a romance, right?

Two of the point of views are in first person, one is in third, which makes it disjointed. The points of view are clearly marked, so you do know whose you are reading. There is no faith message, but the premise of three women finding themselves and moving on had promise. Rather made me wonder why the original owner of the bookstore didn't reach out while she was alive.

I will not be reading any more books by Ms. Reay. She lost me as a reader. However, there are overwhelmingly more 4 and 5 star reviews than 2 or 3 star reviews so most reviewers LOVED it. Or at least liked it really well.

If you love women's fiction, you will want to read THE PRINTED LETTER BOOKSHOP. I am chalking my dislike of it mostly to the genre, and the fact that the story is told, not shown, and that I just didn't remotely care. But you might! Read the glowing reviews, read an excerpt and decide for yourself.

I was given a copy free. All opinions are my own.

Click here to purchase your copy.

About the Author

Katherine Reay is the national bestselling and award-winning author of Dear Mr. Knightley, Lizzy and Jane, The Brontë Plot, A Portrait of Emily Price, The Austen Escape, and The Printed Letter Bookshop. All Katherine’s novels are contemporary stories with a bit of classical flair. Katherine holds a BA and MS from Northwestern University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, and isa wife, mother, former marketer, and avid chocolate consumer. After living all across the country and a few stops in Europe, Katherine now happily resides outside Chicago, IL. You can meet her at www.katherinereay.com; Facebook: KatherineReayBooks; Twitter: @katherine_reay; or Instagram: @katherinereay.

More from Katherine

Don’t you love bookshops?

Every time I walk into a bookstore, it feels like a rainbow cracked open and rained a kaleidoscope of light, life and possibilities before me. I find worlds within the world and a call to adventure.

Each bookshop tells a different story. It tells of its loyal beloved customer base. It reflects the personality of its owner and staff. It carries the aura of the stories it offers to us.

And it was the perfect place to dig into lives, hearts and book loves of Janet, Claire and Madeline. These three women, at different stages in life, meet at the Printed Letter Bookshop, with all the romance and wonder it holds, and learn to work through their challenges together. They become the friends that each didn’t know she was missing.

There is also a fourth woman I loved spending time with in the Printed Letter Bookshop — its original owner, Maddie Carter. Maddie doesn’t step onto the stage even once, but her presence, her love and her guiding hand are apparent from page one as Janet, Claire, and Madeline grow in friendship and in faith.

The Printed Letter Bookshop is a love letter to books, a testament to the beauty of new beginnings and a sweet reminder of the power of friendship. I hope you savor your time with these three women — And, book lovers rejoice, there is a list of all the books they allude to in the back of the book!