Review | The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan

Review of The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan.

“What do you think happiness is?” she asked him. “A by-product,” he answered immediately, “to being useful.”

– The Christmas Bookshop
Jenny Colgan

Lacking the Christmas Spirit: my review of The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan

Synopsis

When the department store she works in closes for good, Carmen has perilously little cash and few options. She doesn’t want to move in with her perfect sister Sofia, in Sofia’s perfect house with her perfect children and her perfectly ordered Edinburgh life.

Frankly, Sofia doesn’t exactly want Carmen there either. Her sister has always been sarcastic and difficult. But Sofia has yet another baby on the way, a mother desperate to see her daughters get along, and a client who needs a retail assistant for his ailing bookshop, so welcoming Carmen might still have some benefits for everyone.

At Sofia’s behest, Carmen is thrown into the daily workings of old Mr. McCredie’s ancient bookshop on the streets of the old dark city. Can she use her design skills to revamp the store and bring it back to popularity in time to benefit from Christmas shopping traffic? Can she choose between bad boy literary rock star Blair and quiet Quaker student Oke? And will she heal the rift with the most important people of all: her family?

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Review

I was genuinely looking forward to The Christmas Bookshop, especially with the familiar trope of a girl arriving in a village during the festive season to save a local business. Initially, it felt like the perfect setup for a heartwarming Christmas tale. However, as I delved deeper into the story, the holiday spirit I anticipated seemed lacking. The cozy Christmas ambiance that initially drew me in gradually dissipated, leaving me somewhat disconnected from the festive charm I had hoped for.

Despite the predictable plotline, I thought the story might still infuse that special warmth and joy that comes with Christmas tales. Sadly, it didn’t quite hit the mark. The narrative felt formulaic, following a familiar trajectory without injecting the genuine Christmassy elements that make such stories delightful. While it eventually reached a happy ending, the journey towards it lacked the true magic and cheer of the season.

The central premise of rescuing a bookstore amid the holiday season had its potential, but the execution fell short of creating that enchanting Christmas atmosphere. I was expecting more heartwarming moments intertwined with the joyous holiday backdrop, but instead, the story felt more like a routine plotline with minimal holiday spirit.

Despite its promise and familiar story structure, The Christmas Bookshop lacked the authentic essence of a true holiday-themed narrative. While it followed the predictable path of a girl aiming to save a local business during Christmas, it failed to infuse the heartfelt, joyous elements that typically make such tales memorable and heartwarming.

Would I recommend it?

Not particulary, no. Overall, the book didn’t quite leave a lasting impression on me.

Rating

4/10

Details

• Trigger warnings / Alcoholism, child birth, pregnancy, cheating.
• Representation / ?
• Genre / Romance (Christmas)
• Pages / 310
• Publication date / November 16th, 2021
• Publisher / William Morrow Paperbacks
• About the author / Jenny Colgan is the author of numerous bestselling novels, including ‘The Little Shop of Happy Ever After’ and ‘Summer at the Little Beach Street Bakery’, which are also published by Sphere.’ Meet Me at the Cupcake Café’ won the 2012 Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance and was a Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller, as was ‘Welcome to Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop of Dreams’, which won the RNA Romantic Novel of the Year Award 2013.

With love,

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