-Synopsis-

Standing amongst the wildflowers that border the abandoned bookshop, Ciara’s heart begins to swell. She never met her mysterious distant relative Martha, but there’s no denying that this place, filled with beautiful old books, is captivating. Trapped in a dead-end job and a tiny apartment in Dublin, this inheritance could change everything for her.

As visitors from Cherrywood village arrive to welcome Ciara, and she learns to love each priceless edition she now owns, it’s Ronan, the handsome lawyer with hazel eyes and husky voice who makes a lasting impression. Can he help her learn more about Martha? Why was Ciara chosen to protect the bookshop’s legacy, and why all the secrecy? The only certainty is the butterflies Ciara feels every time she locks eyes with Ronan. Is it crazy to imagine herself re-opening the bookshop and staying forever?

But nothing prepares Ciara for the letter she finds hidden high on the rickety shelves, for the heart shattering story of an abandoned baby and a devastating family secret. The truth about Martha could mean Ciara loses the bookshop forever.

Ciara is faced with an impossible choice: close the doors of her new home and return to her old life in Dublin, or stay to find out the truth and risk everything for a new life in Cherrywood…

-Review–

Since this is an ARC review I would like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and Susanne O’Leary for allowing me access to the eBook version for my honest thoughts and opinions!

This book mainly follows Ciara’s perspective with moments in between through Ronan’s eyes.

To begin, I saw some high praise for both Susanne’s previous novels as well as this book specifically. While I am not going to use this one review to create my opinion for Susanne’s entire written catalogue, I am more than capable of stating that I was not a big fan of The Secret Bookshop in Ireland. The main aspects that I struggled with include the uninspiring characters, the lackluster and repetitious dialogue, and the disappointing ending to the main mystery plot.

There were some aspects that I did enjoy however. I am a sucker for bookish novels set in destinations I will probably only get the chance to visit within the pages of books. This book being set in various cities and country sides of Ireland, was no exception. I was interested the most in the mysterious village of Cherrywood and its eclectic group of neighbors and ancient dwellings. There were some scenes that allowed for some exploration amongst the characters, but I felt as though I could not fully enjoy the atmosphere due to the issues I mentioned in the previous paragraph.

The dog I also liked very much!

When it came to the characters themselves, I found myself not being too involved in what was going on with them. Ciara and her mother specifically made the book harder to get through. The mother has a very clear idea of the life Ciara should have and on multiple occasions, throws a sort of fit when Ciara shows the desire to go down her own path and make her own decisions. This behavior seemed even more toxic with the fact Ciara is either in her late 20’s or early 30’s.

Ciara being as indecisive as she is, took away a bunch of the ‘magic’ that should have been enjoyable in the book. She was blessed with such a gift from a family member she never even knew existed. I wish the tension when it came to the bookshop would have been applied elsewhere instead of on whether or not she would even keep it. Even when she does finally make up her mind, she allows her mother to commandeer certain aspects of her business. Maybe it is just me but it bothered me how somebody who was so against keeping it from the beginning, now gets most of the glory for making it work?

Changing gears a bit to the dialogue, it felt as though all the characters were reading a script most of the time in the story. Any true emotions felt forced and even a tad ridiculous at times. The dramatics would be over in seemingly a blink of an eye which was a bit whiplashy.
The same topics and conclusions would be repeated multiple times, sometimes within the same chapter as well, particularly concerning the bookshop and all the mystery behind why Ciara was the one to inherit it.

Speaking of that mystery, it fell a bit flat for me as well. Once Ciara first dives into figuring out how she is related to Martha, it was pretty exciting for me to see where this trail led. On multiple occasions, it looked like she may have even been related to others currently living in the village. However, when certain trails run cold it felt as though Ciara just decided to give up all of a sudden, forcing the whole mystery to come a screeching halt. After all she has the bookshop now so why does it matter at this point who her grandfather was?

When it comes to the romance between Ciara and Ronan, it felt pretty forced and odd at times. The initial meeting between the two felt like nothing spectacular or meaningful, besides Ciara stating that Ronan was attractive. Her inner monologue felt too obvious as to where the romance was going to go, if that makes sense. Ciara made some assumptions that led to the typical misunderstanding subplot that I thought was immature for her age. Again, just ask the guy and make up your mind about if that relationship is worth pursuing or not please.

All in all, I am disappointed with how this cozy romance was handled. I am curious to read some of Susanne’s other books since she truly has so much praise so maybe this book just was not for me?

Once again, thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Susanne herself for making this book available for ARC readers like myself.

-About the Author-

Susanne O’Leary is the bestselling author of more than 30 novels, mainly romantic fiction set in Ireland. Her many books set in County Kerry have been hugely popular with readers all over the world. She shares her time between Dublin and Kerry, where she and her husband have a little cottage near the beach. The wild, beautiful landscape, the small villages and the friendly people of that county have inspired her to write her feel-good stories. She’s been inspired to write about people of all ages and walks of life, with lots of romance, and more than a dash of humour.

When she is not writing or reading by the fire, Susanne loves heading for the great outdoors, walking on the beaches or scaling the green hills of her favourite county.