The Holiday Bookshop was a lovely read about two friends in a rough spot trying to find their way back to one another, with a few bits of romance and adventure wrapped around it.

Jennifer and Marianne are the best of friends who own a bookshop together in England. There's a saying - never go into business with family or friends - and I think the feelings these two had at the beginning of the story is in part why.

Both Jenny and Marianne are presented with opportunities to go on separate adventures - Jenny to an island in the Maldives to open a bookshop at a high end hotel and Marianne to the US on a road trip with her relatively new boyfriend. These adventures truly sounded magical in so many ways - the Maldives being a dream of many to get to, and many of the locations shared in the US being similar adventures I myself have gone on (LA, Palm Springs, Las Vegas, Joshua Tree NP, Zion NP, etc.).

Through their own adventures, these two best friends were able to break away from their own bookshop and realise just how important the other is to them.

A couple of quotes:
-"Why did life have to keep kicking her like this when all she was trying to do was live it?"
- "And we'd all been so scared about rocking our deep friendships what we'd chosen to sail beside the ones we'd fallen for instead of with them."

-"'I'm just so scared of becoming complacent and stuck, and then people leaving and life passing me by, that I don't think I let people get close - usually.'"

-"In the words of someone verywisd and close to me, there's no point in living life by some kind of imaginary rule book."

As somebody who loves travelling I enjoyed this book. I was lucky enough to go to the Maldives on honeymoon, and reading this story brought all the lovely memories back. Two best friends decide to have some time apart from running their bookshop, one has the opportunity to run a bookstore in a Maldives resort, the other takes a road trip in America. I got lost in the places, and would have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book on a beach somewhere with a cocktail. Thank you for the advanced read Netgalley.

The Holiday Bookshop by Lucy Dillon is an entertaining and joyful read. It is an easy read,with fabulous descriptions of far away places that the two main characters visited or stayed in whilst on their travels.
Highly recommended

Oh my! I actually feel like I’ve been on holiday to the Maldives and I really really want to go back.

A thoroughly enjoyable novel about friendship, with a side dish of romance.

An enjoyable easy read about friendship amongst beautiful places! Lots going on to keep you reading, and nice and easy. Ideal for a beach read!

Oh to be given the chance to run a bookshop in a tropical resort. Even if just for 3 months. Just the right amount of time really.
I liked the resort and the characters who were quite well drawn with motivations explained. Except for the brother who was a shadow really. I thought he needed more work. As it was, I failed to see why he was suitable for a romantic relationship.
For sheer escapism and dreaming of warmth on a cold snowy day, which it was when I read this, the book is excellent.

3.5

I really wanted to enjoy this book, and whilst some parts were enjoyable, some parts were a struggle. Going between DIFFERENT POV got frustrating as it took you out of the feel of the characters. Jenny and Marianne, were at times annoying, and it was hard to like them. The last 20% was really good, so I'm glad I finished

The book follows two friends who open a bookshop together. Several years later, they are in dire need of a break and decide to set off on their own adventures. Personally, I felt that the building of the backstory and characters was too long, there were times I almost DNF'd it but the prospects of their adventures intrigued me so I held on. Once Jenny and Marianne's separate adventures started, the book started picking up the pace a bit. I enjoyed the setting of the Maldives.

One thing I would have liked was that if the author stuck to either 1st POV or 3rd POV rather than writing both as it gets a bit confusing at times. It was a decent book however, nothing really grabbed me while I was reading this story. I don't think this was the book for me,

Great holiday read and one for on the beach while wishing you were in the Maldives or the USA.

Friends and business do not always mix and this book tells how you can always come back to each other but sometimes need a break for each other and real life to do it.

A wonderful light story which has stories set in both the Maldives and the USA. Just what you need in this non existant spring of ours! Sunshine and adventure with romance too. Just what I needed and it filled a nice bookish hole when I was feeling a bit low.

What a fun book, bobbing between the Maldives and California. We are following the lives of best friends Jenn and Marianne who have both come to a crossroads in the lives and friendship, and we live through both their ups and downs, the book made me smile and their was a couple of times I laughed. This was an easy flowing book and you were wanting both of them to have a good time - and make up.

My first book by this author but definitely not my last. I loved every part of this story. I found Jenny to be more likeable than Marianne although they were both fantastically written characters. I could picture Bounty Bay Cove beautifully. Fabulous settings for both characters. I read way past my bedtime to finish this book.

Modern story with good characters. Two friends both decide on an adventure,we follow their ups and downs and eventual reconciliation. A good read.

I read The Holiday Bookshop over a couple of days. It follows Jenny who owns a bookshop in the UK with her best friend Marianne. She’s not one for taking risks but after her best friend takes off on an American road trip, she finds herself heading to the Maldives to turn around the fortunes of a bookshop on a luxury island resort. But it’s not all palm trees and coconuts. Can Jenny turn things around and find her own happy ending?

A fun beach read that will instantly transposed you to an island paradise. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone and the author for the chance to review.

A slow, gentle meandering of a book. It’s a pleasant read and explores the topic of friendship rather than romance.

Loved this book. In reality this plot could have been my dream job.
A light hearted holiday read that I would reccomend. Also helped that I'm going yo a resort like this in the summer.

I really struggled with a lot of things in this book and I think this all stems from the synopsis not actually fitting the actual story. It refers to a bookshop needing revival, essentially you can't revive a shop that was never open, to begin with. 'But when her best friend takes off on an American road trip, Jenny finds herself saying yes to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of her own and accepts the role of a bookseller in the Maldives.' this isn't accurate either as to what happens in the story.

The synopsis also suggests this could be a romance book and it actually isn't. This book is a book about friendship. Friendship trying to fit into a romance sized whole it has no business being in. I love the concept, of two best friends, come business partners, who fall out after forgetting what each other brings to the table. Leading one to take a spontaneous, unplanned road trip to the US with her bf and the other to take a temporary 3-month job in the Maldives, opening a book store.

How their unique experiences brings them to reflect on their friendship. But this book felt really scattered and confused about what it was supposed to be and I think missed it's mark. I almost DNF'd at multiple points but held out.

If the first 80% of the book was like the last 20% of the book in regards to pro's, direction and character interaction this would be a 4 start read. As it stands the first 80% was just off for me, I couldn't connect with either character, they didn't feel real but sort of rom-com cartoon-ish vibes.

Really enjoyed the last 20%, but didn't get on with the first 80% :(

Absolute escapism and a very enjoyable story about friends, self discovery and romance. This was a quick and fun read.

My only criticism is that the story is a bit slow in places but it do very much recommend this book.

I have been enjoying Lisa Dickenson/Isla Gordon/Lucy Dickens books for many years now, so when I saw The Holiday Bookshop, I definitely had to read it (also, it’s set around two bookshops!).

I really loved this book. It’s a great story. I liked both Marianne and Jenny very much. I enjoyed both their character development over the course of the story.

I loved the settings - particularly the island where Jenny stays. It comes across very well, and sounds beautiful (though I suspect it would be too hot for me). I also enjoyed the USA locations, and how much fun Marianne and Drew had.

The plot was a lovely combination of the personal development, and two romances. I thought the various threads were woven together skilfully, and it certainly produced a very enjoyable result!

Overall, this was a thoroughly lovely story, with beautiful islands, bookshops, and romance. What more could you possibly want?

I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my own.

Two friends with totally different characters who run a bookshop on the coast. When their friendship becomes strained they both take a break and the book is then told from two locations. Marianne and her boyfriend taking a road trip in America and Jenny taking a three month posting to the Maldives to set up a bookshop.

The descriptions of both Vegas and the Maldives had me hooked and I feel this would be a brilliant beach read.