The Bookshop by the Bay

The Bookshop by the Bay by Pamela Kelley and this is my review. @pamelamkelley

Jess's world is turned upside down when she finds out her husband has been having an affair with his assistant and the assistant is now pregnant. She can't be at work in the same law office as the pair of them. She needs to get away so her daughter Caitlin decides to go with her to her hometown on Cape Cod. She really needs her mother and her best friend to figure out her next move.

Over food and wine, Jess and her best friend Allison talk about owning a bookstore one day. It's a beautiful dream but Jess has other plans. The bookshop there is up for sale and Jess, being a lawyer, has money to invest. Allison's hours are being cut at the magazine she works for so this could be the solution she has been searching for.

It couldn't be more perfect and Caitlin who is at a loose end, seems adept at running the coffee shop attached to it. Everything seems to be falling into place at last but when Jess's husband finds out she wants a divorce and she bought a bookshop without discussing it with him first, will the happily ever after they thought they were getting, be hitting a major roadblock?

This book literally took my future dreams and weaved a beautiful story of friendship and sisterhood. In finding yourself even when you think you have hit rock bottom. Owning a bookshop with a coffee shop is literally any bookworm's dream (I would serve wine in mine haha) but I felt like the whole book was written for me and I loved every single minute. I loved the location of the book and I really want to go to Cape Cod now. The writing was so whimsical and sweet I felt like I was really there, that I could hear the waves rolling across the sand.

Jess is stronger than she knows and I think when she was finally able to get some distance from her marriage, she really saw that she was holding herself back. Allison is my favorite. She is basically me. I really loved all the characters and how they all accepted and loved the differences between them. I'm a sucker for a cute rom com and this one ticked all the boxes.

5 stars.. I found the book so charming and it would make a great summer read!
Thank you @stmartinspress for my gifted copy
#romance #chicklit #smpinfluencers #thebookshopbythebay #pamelakelley #booksaboutbooks #bookreview #bookblog #bookstababe

To Mothers And Daughters And Best Friends Forever! Yes, the title is a line from near the end of the book. But I thought it summed up the book quite well - this is ultimately a story of girl power, of friends and family and the family you choose. It is a lighter-side Hallmarkie type tale where there is some amount of drama, but most of the tale is women finding their paths at various ages and stages of life. Yes, there is some romance here (though with no sex scenes, for the clean/ sweet crowd), but really the focus really is squarely on the various women at hand. While the men are never *quite* caricatures, there is certainly a fair amount lacking in their characterizations and indeed even ultimate importance to the story, but that is perhaps to be expected with the type of tale crafted here. Foodies - and those aware that Kelley has written at least two fiction tales specifically about a restaurant - will love the descriptions of the meals and drinks here. This is clearly designed, from its storytelling to its cover to even its early June release date, to be designated a "beach read", and it absolutely feels comfortable in that type of space. Very much recommended.