Why DNF?
This is the second book in a row I have stopped reading due to the subject matter. I really tried with this one, but it felt like it was one thing after another.
The premise was amazing, if a bit overwhelming. There are three different POVs it jumps back and forth from with pretty short chapters, so it was hard to remember who was who and what was happening in the beginning. Two of the characters are in the present day and interact with each other but the third is from the early 1900’s which was cool to get the different society expectations and norms alongside those of the society we all know today.
The bookish themes I enjoyed. The fact there are people who go out of their way to hunt down particular books and editions is fun. I have personally always wanted to work in a bookstore or library, so I felt very connected to the characters. The mysteries Opaline was exploring about Emily Bronte’s supposed second manuscript, and the subsequent rabbit hole Martha and Henry dive into concerning Opaline was very interesting. I was anxious to see how the paths in the modern world were going to cross with those of the past.
**There are some spoilers in the following paragraph so be aware if you plan on reading it**
So why did I stop reading?
There was some heavy language throughout the book, that would cause a movie rating to jump up to “R”. The themes that I did not enjoy reading include: cheating (however bad the relationship is, you still shouldn’t cheat, and I do not like the female empowerment that comes with that in this book), domestic abuse (from a husband and family members), forced incarceration in a mental asylum (made me quite angry lol), stillborn scene (this was the last scene I read). The fact the Amazon listing for this book claimed it as “The most charming and uplifting novel for 2025 and the perfect gift for book lovers!” I sure as heck did not feel uplifted lol It had its charming qualities for sure, but the negatives and language caused me lose interest.
I am going to start being even more picky about the books I read, and if I am genuinely not enjoying it, I am going to start taking my own emotions seriously and simply stop reading.
○Genres: Literature, Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Action, Adventure
○Written By: Evie Woods
○Published By: One More Chapter
○Published On: June 22, 2023
○Formats: Paperback, Kindle, Audiobook
○428 Pages (DNFd at 314)
Synopsis
On a quiet street in Dublin, a lost bookshop is waiting to be found…
For too long, Opaline, Martha and Henry have been the side characters in their own lives.
But when a vanishing bookshop casts its spell, these three unsuspecting strangers will discover that their own stories are every bit as extraordinary as the ones found in the pages of their beloved books. And by unlocking the secrets of the shelves, they find themselves transported to a world of wonder… where nothing is as it seems.
(via Amazon)
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