*3,5*
Favorite character: Opaline
Three words: mysterious / enjoyable / slow
Favorite quote: In a place called lost, strange things are found.

Women just got the right to vote, but it's still the 1920's and Opaline doesn't get to decide what she wants to do with her life and who she wants to marry. When her brother, who is responsible for the household, wants to marry her off to a stranger, she sees no other option than to flee.Opaline begins to pursue her passion for rare books and becomes a book dealer while traveling around Europe trying not to leave any traces for her brother.
Martha has escaped her abusive husband and starts working as a maid for an old lady in Dublin. She's not at all interested in books or reading until a strange stranger lurks outside her window looking for a vanishing bookshop.
It's Henry, a scholar who came to Dublin searching for a lost manuscript and a bookshop. A woman named Opaline appears to be connected to both, and after Henry and Martha befriend each other, they use her research talents, to find out as much as possible about the mysterious woman.

The Lost Bookshop follows two timelines, Opaline's, starting in the 1920s and Martha's and Henry's today. I enjoyed both and also the individual storylines of the three main characters, especially Opaline's.
For me, magical realism is mostly a hit or miss, and in this book I found the magical aspects kind of unnecessary and confusing. The story was interesting and dramatic enough without it; A young woman with a love for books not wanting to be married off, traveling alone through Europe in the 1920s, hiding from her cruel brother. Another woman escaping a violent marriage, trying reconnect with herself, and a passionate academic searching for something no one believes in. The book is probably for you if you like historical fiction, mixed with a mystery and a bit of romance, not so much if you're looking for great magic.
I really enjoyed most of the book, but oddly enough some parts of the story progressed too slow, while simultaneously too fast for the characters. Many of the subplot problems were just solved too fast to be realistic and yet it didn't advanced the story.
The Lost Bookshop is a story abbout book lovers and the magic and secrets books and their stories hold.

This book was kindly provided to me as a reviewers copy by Netgalley and Harper Collins UK

I loved this book so much. A lot going on and told from three persepctives, two current and one in the past it was well written and has a well controlled plot. A really lovely read.

The Lost Bookshop is a captivating and interesting fantasy that follows the lives of three individuals and their link to a magical bookshop in Dublin. The narrative moves easily between present day Dublin and Paris/Dublin/London of the 1920s. After a slow start, it had me hooked until the end. While it deals with quite difficult subject matters, and the two main female characters suffer at the hands of the controlling men in their lives, there’s fantasy, romance and mysteries galore . A must for any book lovers out there as it references various books throughout the story.

This novel has so many features that I enjoy: a dual timeline, a magical element, a bookshop setting, and a literary mystery. The story is a lot of fun to read but also has a serious underlying theme: the oppression and abuse of women throughout the decades, both in the professional arena and on the domestic front. I loved the two female main characters, Martha and Opaline, with their many contradictions, similarities, and differences. Henry is also an appealing character whose development from the story's beginning to the end is authentic. The charming scoundrel Armand and the abusive Shane provide good foils for the main characters, and the mysterious Madame Bowden lends color to the tale as well. Opaline's incarceration at St Agnes Home is chillingly true to life, and the hunt for the letters and manuscript of Emily Bronte also adds interest to the plot. I enjoyed the ways in which the various strands of the story weave together by the end.

This is a spellbinding, captivating book that takes the reader on a journey of discovery from the perspective of three main characters. I loved the insight into aspects of the Brontes and the concept of the lost bookshop and the impact it had on each life. We are shown how controlling and coercive relationships create long standing issues with trust and self-belief in differing ways for both Opaline and Martha, despite them being almost a century apart. I couldn't put it down!

I was invited to read this novel by One More Chapter (a BIG thank you), and although I would not normally read a fantasy book I settled down and hoped I would enjoy it. I was totally captivated from the start and couldn’t put it down! Beautifully written, with such well developed characters that at times I felt I was them. This was such a clever and original plot, full of mystery, love, sadness, sorrow, and magic. I absolutely loved it. Spellbinding is the word that sums it up best I think!

I received a free copy of, The Lost Bookshop, by Evie Woods, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. In Dublin, Opaline, Martha, and Henry, all come across something special, different, magical. I do not want to give it away, but I loved this book, with all its magic and charm.

This was a lovely read. It's a story about women, growth, and a little magic. It's beautifully written and thoroughly enjoyable.

I loved this charming, warm-hearted book and couldn't put it down. Yes, it contained a lot of cliches, but the characters are so appealing, that this doesn't actually matter. A beguiling and heart-warming book, which I will definitely recommend.

A beautifully written wonderful read a touch of mystery characters that come alive.I sat down to read a few pages could not put it down read from first to last page.#netgalley#harpercollinsuk

The first time I saw the book cover as I was browsing titles on NetGalley, I stopped and kept looking at it. It is one of those book covers. The next thing I noticed, was the title. I found it intriguing. I promptly requested the book and One More Chapter most graciously allowed me to have this advanced copy.

It took me some time to get to the book, but get to it, I did. And, I enjoyed it so very much!

The Lost Bookshop has two timelines for the readers to follow and its pretty easy and simple to keep a track of everything despite the changes in POV among three characters when a couple of them even interact with each other. The changes in POV and the changes in timelines are simply put and are easy to track.

The characters start with being names on paper and grow to be individuals with their strengths and weaknesses. Their hopes and insecurities. The best part? We are not told of these. We are shown these. The character growth kept me intrigued throughout as I wanted to know what happens next to a particular character and what choices would the character go on to make.

The story moved at a moderate pace but at around 70% of the story I was able to guess what will happen next. I was right in my guess but that did not at all take away from the enjoyment of reading this book.

I recommend it to anyone looking to read something with Magic and Heart.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for the copy of The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods. I loved the premise of this book, but it ultimately wasn’t for me. I can see why others loved it though, because it really was a love story for book lovers. The writing was good but it was too long and I never connected with any of the characters. The story dragged in the middle but I liked how everything came together at the end. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 because I loved the premise and some of the scenes were great.

. Two female protagonists beaten into submission by the mores of society in which men hold the power and women must know their place. Two time frames which both feature a magical bookshop which appears and disappears depending on the circumstances. . Both women manipulated and abused by family discover solace in books. The historical practice of incarceration of women in what was commonly known as lunatic asylums: unforgivable events and actions taken in WW2 against individuals suffering post traumatic stress all combine to draw a picture of a male dominated society working against women’s right to live their lives as they would wish. Strong story lines of two terrified women running away from domination, mingle with the need to suspend belief and allow magic with people, places and events to drive the plot line. This, alongside the search to discover a long lost manuscript by a famous author weaves a strange and tantalising adventure that defies genre . A conclusion that cleverly ties up numerous loose ends and in the fashion of all fairy stories through the ages delivers an uplifting ending. Many thanks to Author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Magical realism can be so hit or miss - this book was a "hit".

The story is told with 3 narrators, 1 in the past and 2 in the present. Opaline lives in the 1920s and is being forced into a marriage by her brother, since the family needs money. She runs away to France and then Ireland where she owns an antique/bookshop. Her story was very moving and felt very authentic.

In the present, Martha flees from an abusive husband and starts to work as a housekeeper. She meets Henry who is looking for a hidden bookshop next to the house where she works. I enjoyed Martha's story and how she worked to overcome her limitations and move forward without her husband. Henry's story was the least compelling. It wasn't bad, but I didn't care as much about it when compared to Martha and Opaline.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters were interesting and well developed. The stories were compelling and woven together very well.

The author does a great job of combining some magic/fantasy without making it completely into a fantasy book. The end got a little too "magic"-y for me, but still fit within the world that the author created. I also wasn't exactly clear on the ending for Martha/Henry and it felt a little abrupt.

Overall, I'd recommend this book for anyone who enjoys character development/growth with a touch of magic.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this advance review copy.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Three individuals lives will change due to a book. These individuals will explore different adventures they never new existed. This was a good book.

I was lucky enough to read an advanced reading copy of #TheLostBookshop by Evie Gaughan, which I’ve just finished. What a lovely, heartwarming story. I loved the ideas and the way it was written. A real pleasure and made me sigh with pleasure 🤩 #NetGalley

I'm in two minds about this book. I generally loved the storyline and the characters. The plot was rich and powerful, the characters well developed, and the pacing was perfect. The only thing that kept me from loving this book was that the more unrealistic aspects of the story kept pulling me out of the reading experience. Overall it was an enjoyable reading experience and I would definitely read more by this author in the future.

As a book lover, I enjoy reading fiction with bookshops, libraries and other such places as the main setting, which is partly why I was interested in this.

This was a delightful book. As soon as I started reading, I felt it was going to be the kind of book that I could escape into, that it might take me on a journey with its characters. I liked all of the characters and related to them in different ways. I greatly appreciated all the talk about books and the references to books and authors. For a book lover, I think reading something like this reminds me why I love reading, and makes that love more intense. I would buy a copy of this book and read it again.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

I'm so glad I was invited through Netgalley otherwise I might have completely missed this treasure!

Cleverly written – without me spoiling things, you'll know what I mean when you've read the part about the night everyone met Felicity.

And with very universal themes (I've highlighted quite a lot) about the hierarchy between men and women, living up to expectations (either one's own or those by others) and conformity, and how we all want to make a mark or feel like we matter.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

A beautifully crafted fairy tale for adults! I love this book so much! The author developed a perfect plot to tell this wonderful tale.

I think anyone that loves books and also believes in a touch of magic will adore this story. Things in life are not always just, but we can escape into other worlds in books and hope that one day things will be better.

This was definitely a page turner for me and I was glad I could read for long periods and did not have to stop often. Carve out some hours to sit and read, you will not want to put this book down!

I will be recommending this book at all my friends!

I want to thank HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for giving me the immense pleasure of reading the advance reader copy, with no obligation to write a review. My review is written freely as a hobby, and is totally my own opinion, not influenced by receiving the ARC.