Solid 3 stars.

I couldn't find myself to like Emma at all. While I appreciated her character growth, she was insufferable for the most part. I didn't enjoy the misunderstanding trope and it was a bit irritating to have to bear with that from the beginning of the book (where it was quite obvious).

Otherwise, loved the premise.

A book about books - always going to be a winner in my view. A bookstore owner, Emma, finds herself in a bit of a rut and decides to take herself off on a long overdue holiday. Her aim is to emulate the life of Emily Dickinson whom she admires greatly. This is an easy to read book where Emma grows from being solely a people pleaser to taking her own dreams and desires more seriously into consideration. The theme is about how withdrawing from life, whilst appealing on paper, was not the answer. The lesson was to learn to love yourself and that when you abandon the quest for love, it may in fact come find you.



“For the record, I don’t think living like some eighteen-hundreds recluse is going to solve anything. You should stay here and be you. Everything else will sort itself out.”

This was the first book I have read by Julie Hatcher. I will definitely read more titles by Julie. Her characters were loveable and identified with Emma and her angst. The author takes Emma’s love of books, especially Emily Dickinson’s works, and uses that world as a backdrop for the modern story. Emma’s self discovery journey was realistic in that it was not a romanticized but imperfect in many ways. This was refreshing as life is rarely without imperfection. Emma’s willingness to give up her regular life to “find herself” was inspiring to me as she was brave and stepped out of her comfort zone in so many ways. I gave this book a 4 star rating as I enjoyed it very much which was in large part due to the character development and a plot that could have been so simple and predictable but, had more depth than that.

Thank you Net Galley, Julie Hatcher and Lake union Publishing for the opportunity to preview this novel. The opinions shared are my own.

Not Quite by the Book is expected to be released March 1, 2025.

This book was so cute. There was the romance aspect, which I loved, but there was also the idea of Emma really finding out who she was. This book had very strong “You’ve Got Mail” vibes and I loved every single minute.

A very special thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have loved every book that Julie has written and it seemed like a natural for her to write this book. She is wonderful at making us care about the characters and feel their emotions, I didn’t want the story to end. I want to know what happened next , maybe continue but have Cecily be the main character ….

I look forward to reading all Julie’s future novels and highly recommend to all my book loving friends.

I requested and received an advance reader’s copy from NetGalley and the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own and in no way have been influenced.

An absolutely beautiful story!!! I loved every minute of my trip to amhearst and the beautiful story of life. I could relate to the characters, they felt real, the writing flowed like lava and I totally lost myself each time I picked it up. Beautiful!

Not Quite by the book by Julie Hatcher is a contemporary romance about a woman who sets out to find herself after giving up on finding her own true love.

Emma Rini decides to take some time for herself, after being made to feel like her family takes her for granted and no longer really sees her. She rents a house in the hometown of her favourite poet, Emily Dickinson, and decides to model her life after the famous poet.

This was such an enjoyable story. Not only was it a romance, but it was also a story about reconnecting with yourself, and your passions, and resolving issues with family.

If I have a beef with this book it's that there was a lot of deception going happening on the part of Davis. None of the things he was keeping secret were truly awful, but I feel like he should have come clean much earlier in the book. I'm not sure I would have been as forgiving as Emma about some of the things he was keeping secret.

That said, for the most part this was a lovely, sweet, funny read. I really enjoyed it, and it has made me want to read some Emily Dickinson….in fact I ordered a book of her poetry and am currently waiting for it to arrive.

If you love a good romance, then I think you'll really enjoy this book.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

*poor communication between characters really detracts from my reading
*writing ‘tells’ rather than ‘shows’

Ultimately, I was never able to connect with characters, story, or writing. This was a miss for me.



Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC

Wow talk about slow burn. You don't even actually find out it's him til like 90% in. I mean you can guess it's him. I think they also only kiss once?

I like the coziness of the town. Emma is a personable character that had me rooting for her to find what she was looking for. It did feel, at times, that I was in a literary lecture, which I did not enjoy as much.

This was an easy read and was an interesting story about a woman finding herself and reconciling her relationships with her mother and sister. I personally feel that the story seemed a bit too surface-level and could have gone deeper. I also feel that the romance aspect was a little lackluster. I’m not sure what exactly it is, but it just fell flat to me if I’m being quite honest. It wasn’t terrible (bc if it was, I wouldn’t have finished it), but it also wasn’t my favorite.

Nevertheless, I am immensely grateful to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC.

Interesting premise but something about this book didn't work. I wasn't overly sold on Emma, though I really liked Davis, despite the fact he kept things from Emma. Emma was so obsessed with Emily Dickinson that it became irritating. I also felt she wasn't as honest with her family as she should have been. And the calamities Emma brought upon herself seemed a bit OTT too. I did like the book and writing themes, and the dogs. With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, Not Quite by the Book was Not Quite a good Book.

I love a coming-of-age for women in their thirties. I love the premise of her taking a much-needed vacation and experiencing growth both personally and romantically. The relation to Emily Dickinson, the discussion of her as both a woman to admire but not to emulate, was wonderful and a great exploration of the modern views of classics. The letter-writing classes added some flair, especially in how Emma bonds with others in her class and in her small town. Emma's best friend was a riot too, and I hope she gets her own story with the reality TV show.

Maybe other people find Emma to be an enjoyable character, but there was a lot I couldn't get past. She was repetitive in her problems, incompetent, and self-absorbed. Maybe she was supposed to be an unlikable character that grows on you as she comes of age, but that didn't come across to me.

Side note: in my ARC copy, the author switched back and forth between saying Emma would be on vacation for 30 days and 6 weeks. Yikes. It also read like the author has never been to Massachusetts. She talks about how terrible things are for independent bookstore owners in Mass, but there is a thriving community of indie bookstores that are continuing to grow.

If you can get past these things, then you'll love this book. But it wasn't quite for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Not Quite by the Book is far from a debut in the traditional sense. Author Julie Hatcher writes under several other names in the mystery and romance genres. You may know her as Jacqueline Frost, Julie Chase, or Julie Anne Lindsey. As a long-time reader and fan, I eagerly accepted an ARC of this contemporary book club read from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing. Following are my honest opinions.

Bookshop manager Emma longs for the love she sees between her parents, sister, and brother-in-law. She grew up surrounded by romance books, drawing strength and inspiration from Emily Dickinson's poetry. Emma works hard in all areas, prioritizing her family and work above everything else. It's no wonder she feels taken for granted and needs a fresh start. When the opportunity presents itself to stay in a historic home in Amherst, Emma grabs on with both hands. Convinced she is destined to be alone, she uses her wedding savings to rent the estate for six weeks and retreats to reflect and restart.

I felt for Emma, who wants so badly to be and do everything for those she loves to the point of neglecting herself and her dreams. As she settles in for her retreat, Emma struggles with the solitude and simplicity in which Emily Dickinson lived. As if the cultural shift alone wasn't enough, she also battles the historic property--cold water, a lack of heat, no cell service or WiFi, and spotty success with her goal of "embracing her inner Emily."

I appreciated Emma's determination, even when frustrated by her rigid dedication to a future she feels is set in stone. Her emotional, physical, and mental journey was my favorite part of Not Quite by the Book.

I didn't quite feel the chemistry between Emma and historic architect Davis. Their romance emulates "You've Got Mail," but the characters didn't really click together for me. The story felt a little long in the telling, and there was perhaps one too many plot puzzles to piece together.

Overall, the story is sweet; it is a heart-warming book from a favorite author. No matter which name she is using, Julie always crafts detail-rice scenes with characters who feel like friends.

The book was more than just a romance. It was about Emma finding herself. It was sweet and adorable. Felt very much like a classic romance movie like You've Got Mail.

Thank you for the ARC!

This was a cute read. Who wouldn’t want to live in the shoes of the great Emily Dickinson? The way Amherst was described was great.

The secret identity trope got a tiresome though, mostly because it wasn’t one BUT two (who were the same person) and Emma was just questioning anyone she crossed paths with (that guy at the grocery store, the 18 year old intern at the bookshop) but the obvious person and the obvious person was keeping it their identity secret for no reason for so long. It also just ends too.

I’d still recommend this to lovers of Emily Dickinson

A bookstore owner discovers that life as a recluse isn’t for everyone in this sharp yet sweet novel about how sometimes you need to abandon the quest for love to find your true passion.

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet.Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts, into a prominent family with strong ties to its community. After studying at the Amherst Academy for seven years in her youth, she briefly attended the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary before returning to her family's home in Amherst. Evidence suggests that Dickinson lived much of her life in isolation. Considered an eccentric by locals, she developed a penchant for white clothing and was known for her reluctance to greet guests or, later in life, even to leave her bedroom. Dickinson never married, and most of her friendships were based entirely upon correspondence.

Although Dickinson was a prolific writer, her only publications during her lifetime were one letter and 10 of her nearly 1,800 poems.The poems published then were usually edited significantly to fit conventional poetic rules. Her poems were unique for her era; they contain short lines, typically lack titles, and often use slant rhyme as well as unconventional capitalization and punctuation.Many of her poems deal with themes of death and immortality (two recurring topics in letters to her friends), aesthetics, society, nature, and spirituality.

Dickinson also studied botany from the age of nine and, along with her sister, tended the garden at Homestead. During her lifetime, she assembled a collection of pressed plants in a 66-page leather-bound herbarium. It contained 424 pressed flower specimens that she collected, classified, and labelled using the Linnaean system.The Homestead Garden was well known and admired locally in its time. It has not survived, but efforts to revive it have begun.Dickinson kept no garden notebooks or plant lists, but a clear impression can be formed from letters and recollections.

Additionally, Dickinson used baking to express her fondness for friends, often sending cakes and candies as gifts.

Emily's life and works continue to inspire.

I absolutely loved this book and adored the FMC, Emma. I have read multiple cozies from this author, but this was her first contemporary romance and she did not disappoint. I have always felt that Julie excels at character development. Emma is a character that I think many of us can relate too. She has discovered she's not so happy with her life at the moment. Feeling overwhelmed and under appreciated. She decides on a whim to try and do something about that. Everyone thinks she's being dramatic, but she follows through with her plan and learns to not only love herself along the way, but to stand up for herself and in turn loves finds her. I enjoyed seeing this character grow and learn so much about herself while on this journey. I highly recommend this book!!

Emma needs a break from running her family's small-town bookstore all by herself and so she decides to take a six weeks vacation in an old manor in Amhurst, MA and live like her favorite author Emily Dickinson. When she gets there she keeps running into Davis, whom she feels attracted to but he doesn't seem to be into her and also Emma decided to swear off love.
From reading the blurb I thought this book would be right up my alley but sadly I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. Emma ist kind of annoying and the story drags on a lot. Most of the problems between Emma and Davis just seem unbelievable or inconsequential and all of them could have been solved by a simple conversation. So I'm sorry to say that while the book was well written, this story just wasn't for me.

A tough decision and a love of Emily Dickinson, lead Emma through a journey of self discovery and a realization that what she believed was the dream life but in reality was a life she wasn't truly happy with.
A few bumps along the way and reconciliation with family are other themes throughout this journey.
The love story was almost secondary to the story of self discovery but with unexpected and complicated surprises.

A fast paced read with likeable characters. A nod to the independent bookstores out there.

Overall I would recommend. It was a fun read.

Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.