I want to thank the author and Netgalley for gifting me the ebook. I was excited to read this book and the cover is really cute. But oh wow I just could not get into this book at all. I feel like I am reading a rough draft of a teenagers diary. I have read a lot of first person books but this is just juvenile writing. There is no in depth character development. The main female character is almost 30 and she acts like she is 19. Just not my cup of tea.

The Borrow-a-Bookshop Bookshop Café invites literature lovers to run their very own bookshop … for a fortnight.

Spend your days talking books with customers in your own charming bookshop and serving up delicious cream teas in the cosy café.

Bookworms, what are you waiting for? Your holiday is going to be LIT(erary).

Apply to: The Borrow-a-Bookshop Bookshop Café, Down-a-long, Clove Lore, Devon.

I was drawn to this title being such a book lover myself this sounds like a dream holiday.

Jude has so much love to give, helping her parents with their family bakery as well as looking after her Gran, all while studying and gaining her masters degree at uni.
I really connected with Jude and her love of all things bookish, her boyfriend Mack seemed to shared her love for all these things and I was hopeful that Jude would get the love she deserves.

When this all falls apart, Jude heads down to Clove Lore by herself for the holiday they had planned together. What's more perfect than a holiday in a bookshop to find yourself!

When Elliot arrived I was a little suspicious but this is where my interest really peaked! What or who was he so afraid of?? I was glad when Elliot started to open up to Jude and they very clearly started to fall in love. However when he backed off and closed down I was extremely curious why, just like Jude I had so many things going round in my head!

But do we find out? Does Jude get the happy ending she deserves?

I loved this book and would love this to become a series, following the lives of everyone at Clove Lore and more guests at Borrow-a-Bookshop.

Who wouldn't want to take a vacation where you can stay above a bookstore and run it for two weeks? Add in a quirky town and residents along with a handsome man? This is a delightful read and I hope this is the start of a series.

Judith (Jude) Crawley should be happy, she’s young-could be having the time of her life-instead her grandmother who she’s been taking care of since she was seventeen is moving into a home, her loving parents who have been running her grandfathers bakery since they met are selling their livelihood and apartment, and to make matter me worse-she caught her boyfriend (her philosophy professor) cheating on her with someone else. The only possible good news she has is the Borrow a Bookshop Holiday she requested became available so she made the decision to go alone, do something for her for once. When she arrives, she realizes they made a mistake and double booked it because there’s a young man who also is checking in to the bookshop holiday too, together they learn how to run the bookshop and in the process of doing that, they learn more about themselves.

I loved this book! Characters who were learning about themselves and what made them happy and who they were are my favorite types of characters. I also love when books mention other books! This book made me want to travel and go to a small town and run a bookshop.

I loved Jude’s story. She lived with her hardworking parents who ran the village bakery and was a full time carer for her beloved Gran. She’d managed to study part time for her degree and her love of literature was as strong as ever. She had a wonderful best friend Daniel who she adored and her boyfriend Mack was also a lecturer at her Uni. Jude and Mack had their names down to run a community book/coffee shop in the gorgeous village of Clove Lore in Cornwall and they had just heard it was their turn to run it after waiting over a year. Jude goes on her own after discovering what a rat Mack really was. Her parents were retiring, Gran was living her best life and Jude was looking forward to discovering the real Jude.
I devoured this book and thoroughly loved it.

I've never read anything by Kiley Dunbar before, but when this book popped up on NetGalley the title alone was enough to pique my interest. The idea of having a holiday where you get to have a go at being a bookseller sounds irresistible (and it turns out you can actually do this in some parts of the world!).

I was nervous for the first half of the book that I wouldn't grow to fully like the main character, Jude. She was depicted as a selfless, helpful, romantic dreamer and all of these things went in her favour, inspiring empathy from page 1. However, she seemed very passive as a character, hiding behind family responsibilities that she no longer needed to, wallowing in self-pity and struggling to leave her comfort zone in any way. Thankfully, her confidence grew as the book went on, and by the time she had spent a week in Devon I was really enjoying her newfound strength and determination.

Elliot was just the right mix of suspicious and charming to give the book its necessary suspense. His evident love of animals melted away any reserves I had about him early on, though I will admit to wanting a clearer picture of him painted physically - I struggled to picture a face when reading (not something I often struggle with). The relationship between the two of them felt a little muddled and rushed at times, hence my four star review. At times, the developments in their relationship jolted me out of the literary world I was immersed in and back to reality with a somewhat disappointing thump. Don't get me wrong, they had good chemistry and worked well together, it was just the pace that jarred at times.

The community that has been built around the bookshop is, by far and away, my favourite part of the story. Jowan, the bookshop owner, was a delightful character with a hidden depth that I revelled in discovering. The village and its residents felt cosy and comfortable throughout - it was instantly somewhere I wanted to be able to visit. Aldous was a brilliantly unusual addition to the story, being set in his ways and inspiring sympathy and laughs in equal measure, I think the story would have been much emptier without him.

This book ended up being a more emotional affair than I anticipated but I would still recommend it as a light, fun summer read for any book lover.

A cute story involving books, a bookshop, and a small village by the sea,

Following a relationship disappointment, Jude (Judith) goes to Devon to fulfill her holiday booking of running a bookshop and café for two weeks. She was supposed to go with her ex, but upon arriving, she finds out she's splitting the booking with Elliot, whom she didn't know about.

Jude is a bit naïve about relationships, and she's not used to following her dreams. Leaving on vacation by herself is all new to her. She wants to make the most of running the bookshop and café, and she's not sure she wants to do it with Elliot, but soon they become friends and establish a good system to run both.

The problem is Elliot is keeping secrets and Jude wants to know what's going on.

I really like the setting and the village, and how everyone takes care of each other and the resident dog, and I especially liked to see how Jude and Elliot become a part of the fabric.

Very cute read and will look for more from this author.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

The Borrow a Bookshop Holiday has the most wonderful setting, and it's all booklovers' dream to spend two weeks surrounded by books!

The story itself is lacking and quite dull. Also, so much anticipation of working in the bookshop, and we barely get a glimpse of what it's like to work there.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

Judy, should be feeling ecstatic and on top of the world right now, for she’s just as a mature student graduated. Now, she can go public about her relationship with Mack, a Philosophy professor.

But it doesn’t go the way she’s thinking/daydreaming it will, as she’s just seen Mack kissing another girl. Not only that, they were going to have a holiday – running a tiny bookshop in Clove Lore for two weeks, which now, she can’t get the money back for.

But, Jude still decides to go, to Devon, hoping that in between the pages of a book, she can heal her broken heart.

Only, there’s a problem, whose quite tall and that’s Elliott, he’s also reserved the bookshop for two weeks.

So, they both try to run the bookshop, but Jude is falling in love, not just with the books. But then she finds out why Elliotts in Clove Lore.

Will Jude get a happy ending in this bookshop? Or is there a twist in her bookshop holiday...

Loved it.

I really loved this story and was thoroughly charmed. This was an unexpected treasure, that I decided read on the basis of the blurb. As a book lover, who wouldn’t love the opportunity to run a bookshop for 2 weeks by the sea? The town itself was delightful, the characters were interesting and fabulous. All in all it was a one of those heartwarming stories, that you read on a beach holiday in summer or snuggled in blankets in front of a fire during winter.

Thank you to the Author, Publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this story. I’m voluntarily reviewing and giving my unbiased opinion of a complimentary eARC.

Kiley Dunbar transports you to the Devon coast with this magnificent story. For romantics and book lovers alike, your heart will truly fall in love while reading. Jude begins with a seemingly normal, boring life and transforms it through the story. Elliot is what any reader would want in a bookish boyfriend. This book was truly amazing and had me itching for more.

Clove Lore and its bookshop is just my dream place for holidays; People are so welcoming, the view on the sea, steep cobbled streets, donkeys, foxes AND a love story. I'm all in !

This book is just sooo sweet ! I loved Jude, and completely understood her feeling of being trapped in her own life at the beginning. Elliot is this big strong tatooed guy with such a tender heart ... owww I melt !!

I like that when things go wrong, June doesn't become bitter (she should/could be after Mack). She's just heartbroken. Could I be like her, just move on ? Nop. Could I, like her, fall for someone in less than a week ? Nop either. I guess that's some kind of love at first sight and I know it's a novel, but I wish I could live it too.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an eArc in exchange of an honest review.

I found that this book started quite slow. The first seven chapters seemed to go on forever with parts that I wasn’t particularly interested in. But boy did it pick up. I really enjoyed the characters and the dynamics between each of them - also I LOVED Elliot (who doesn’t love a tall, mysterious and gorgeous man?!). The plot was fun, easy to read, and all round just made me feel really happy.

This book made me desperately want to own a bookstore (more than I did previously at least!). I absolutely loved the setting of this book.

If you love a good, light-hearted and easy contemporary read, this book is definitely for you.

This book is released May 5th 2021, so definitely go and check it out!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

The theme of this book really appealed to me - books and baking. - my idea of bliss.

I found Jude to be extremely annoying - for a 29 year old adult she cried an awful lot, and for this reason I found it difficult to eLmpathise with her.

At times I felt that certain events which were important to the story we’re not given the words that they should have been given, and this made the end seem a bit hurried.

Despite the above, I did enjoy the book and recommend it for light hearted holiday reading.

Omg this book is every booklovers dream!

From the moment I started the book I was hooked.
Everything about the bookshop and Clove Lore is just so well written that it is a joy to read!
This book put a smile on my face and for other booklovers I encourage you to read it ASAP!
I also loved the development Jude had throughout the story! The only thing not making it a 5 star, is that I found it quite hard to understand Elliots character but also hard to picture him.

I will now look into more of Kiley Dunbars books!

This is a good read for fans of stories set in Great Britain or fans of Jenny Colgan. A thirty year old recent college grad, Jude, who had an affair with an unfaithful professor has an opportunity to run a bookshop in Devon for two weeks. The professor was supposed to go with her but under the circumstances he is replaced by a stranger, Elliot, who also applied to run the bookshop. He is handsome and quite mysterious . Jude is from a baking family and is adept at baking to stock the cafe attached to the bookshop. Elliot is good at running the shop and cafe and together they make things work and of course, fall in love. Elliot is harboring a secret from his past which comes back to challenge him during their time at the bookshop. I ;enjoyed the bit of mystery and really enjoyed all the characters inhabiting the bookshop town. This was an entertaining read with a few twists.

It is a heartwarming story with an interesting plot that has a sprinkle of mystery. It is set in a small, beautiful seaside place that is a bit like Clovelly, which is a special place for the author, according to her notes.
It has a lovely crew of characters, including a mutt! Although the heroine Jude is 30, it feels a bit like a coming-of-age story as this is the point in her life where she finds herself and her self-esteem. The other main character Elliot sounds a heathcliffish, mysterious heartthrob. They feel an immediate attraction, and after some misunderstanding there is a happy ending of course.
It is a lighthearted and feel-good read. I can recommend it to everyone who loves a romance with loveable characters, set in a close-knit community.

The Borrow a Bookshop Holiday
by Kiley Dunbar

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I really, really enjoyed this book. I thought it would be a light fun read (and it was!) but it was much more than that too. Emotional, fun, charming and delightful.

Jude Crawley just graduated from university, an accomplishment she’s especially proud of since she had to care for her gran for several years before starting back to school. At her graduation she discovers her “secret” boyfriend, philosophy professor Mack kissing a young freshman, abruptly ending her plans to move their relationship out in the open.

Jude and Mack won an opportunity to run a bookshop in Devon for two weeks, a dream they shared. Jude refuses to go with Mack after his betrayal, and she insists on going alone.

When she arrives at the quirky bookshop, she learns that the owner of the shop replaced Mack with Elliott, a single veterinarian, with a secret. As they learn to run the bookshop together, and immerse themselves in the local community, they find themselves falling for each other.

As I said before, I absolutely loved this book. For me, it’s the perfect read, a quirky heroine, a kindhearted, but secretive hero, and a cast of eccentric supporting characters in an idyllic setting. There is enough mystery with the hero to make me want to turn each page to see what was coming next.

The writing is beautiful, and I was sucked into this story from the very first page.

I highly recommend this book to anyone, and I will be finding the author’s backlist and reading those too.

What an absolutely lovely read this was! The setting was stunning and the descriptive writing brings the seascape to life in vivid colour! In fact I kept thinking this lovely village sounds just like Clovelly , a place I have visited many times and is such an idyllic place. At the end of the book I discovered that it was the inspiration for the author .
This is such a heartwarming and humorous read ,with likeable characters and a few misunderstandings thrown in because true love never runs smoothly. I thoroughly recommend this book if you need a pick me up! I found it very uplifting and immersive. I read it in one sitting, I absolutely loved it! In fact I wanted to be in that little bookshop on my own holiday.

A book lover's dream. Who wouldn't want to run their own book shop? It's all I can think of now. Also it's going to take me a while to get over Elliot. Swooning so much right now. This was such a delight of a read. You couldn't help but fall in love with the residents of Clove Lore. I felt like I related to Jude, with her love of literature, not quite sure where she was going in life and of course her anxiety about numbers. This book will have you smiling long after you read the last page.