Review of 'The Bookshop by the Loch' by Julie Shackman

Review of 'The Bookshop by the Loch' by Julie Shackman

Release Date: January 31st, 2024

Publisher: One More Chapter

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What the story is about:

The brand new Scottish spring escape from bestselling author, Julie Shackman

Lexie Dunbar is a book lover. And her favourite place in the world is her local bookstore, Book Ends. So when she hears that it’s going to be sold, Lexie decides she needs to do something to help.

Lexie’s plan to save the ailing shop is fully underway until gorgeous-but-grouchy artist Tobias Black arrives on the scene determined to turn the bookstore into an art gallery. Lexie is horrified, the last thing the quaint town of Bracken Way needs is a pretentious artist, even if he does seem to charm everyone but her.

Tensions continue to rise until Tobias discovers a shocking secret that shows they might have more in common than they realise. As sparks fly, can Lexie and Tobias work together, or will opposing ideas get in the way of them finding their very own happy ever after…

REVIEW

The Bookshop By The Loch by Julie Shackman is another delightful heart-warming story filled with Scottish charm, wit and wisdom that deals beautifully with emotional trauma, relationship healing and physical challenges. One of the many things I love about Julie’s books is that they are brimming with humour and try to make the best of bad situations. There’s often fresh starts needed and characters with spunky attitudes who discover talents they never knew they had, brought on by unexpected circumstances. Her books teach that life’s curveballs can be blessings in disguise as they move us in directions we never had considered. This broadens our horizons and shows us we can do more than we thought—as Lexie discovers in The Bookshop By The Loch.

Lexie is an excellent confident book editor in the city of Glasgow but when passed over by her company for a big promotion, she is devastated and not sure what to do next. So, she goes home for a break to figure it all out. Then she discovers her hometown bookshop is shutting down. She has to do something to convince owner Trevor to change his mind. When he listens to her and comes back with a proposal, she begins to feel unsure of herself. This self-doubt has risen after losing the promotion at her old publishing job. Can she get past this unexpected blow and regain her self-confidence? Should she take on this new role as Store manager? A war of indecision begins within her as to whether she can get this shop back on line and turn it into a profitable business. Once she decides, of course, trouble begins in the presence of an artist names Tobias.

Initially The Bookshop By The Loch may seem like a light and humorous romantic tale but as the story progresses, the layers begin to show—like wading out farther into the waves where the ocean floor gradually drops off into the fathomless depths. While dealing on the surface with romantic awakenings and normal life events such as job changes and residence moves, underneath is something more. As we go farther into the story, more serious topics begin to surface: such as dire health issues and traumatic family secrets. These brought copious tears to my eyes as the topics are relatable and Julie has done a fantastic job through excellent dialogue, plot and characterisation. The difficult topic of dementia is explored. Who hasn’t been touched by this disease through family members and friends? Also, problems faced by childless couples, adoption, blended families, children taken away from underage daughters by their parents and so on. Julie covers a lot of ‘family’ topics in this novel.

And then there is the beloved Book Ends bookshop. “The shop smelled of Beeswax and vanilla.” For us booklovers, there is something special about book shops and the scents connected to them. We can relate to characters who also have a passion for the wonderful world of books as Lexie does. Scents conjure up memories and this bookshop holds many happy ones for Lexie.

I love the mention of music in this novel and its importance—which is an ongoing ingredient in Julie’s lovely series. In fact, the creative arts are well represented in The Bookshop By The Loch in Art, Music and Writing. The artwork by Tobias sounds glorious. Julie draws us with her words into such inviting scenes we can visualise everything. Plus the excitement of re-decorating the shop. With such vivid descriptions I felt I was there. And the wonderful new business plan—would make any entrepreneur’s heart beam with delight. Also, I cannot leave out beautiful Celeste with her gorgeous dress in the midst of this glorious setting and how Tobias and Lexie come together to help her achieve her wishes. Her story made my heart melt and the ending is so poetic!

Of course, the enemies to lovers’ theme (Lexie and Tobias) makes it even more charming and provides an additional feel good factor. The old saying ‘you cannot choose who you love’ echoes throughout. Overall, I was thrilled with this novel from start to finish and highly recommend it. There are moments of laughter mixed with sadness, hurt and chaos but love, sweet surprises and forgiveness, too. An uplifting story that offers a lot of heart, depth and genuine joy. 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to One More Chapter and Netgalley for my review copy.