A compelling premise combing my favourites, magical realism and books about bookstores. Unfortunately the execution is just okay - neither the world building/magical system nor characters are really fully developed, so unfortunately it feel like a missed opportunity.

I wasn't sure when I started reading where this story would go.
We meet Jo, Adelaide and Kye all of whom have their own issues and problems.
Each has a leaflet for the Midnight Bookshop. All three are intrigued but not sure, they are each looking for something better.
They meet the Bookshop owner who gives each of them a book curated for them to help them on their journey of learning.
It is an unusual book about moving on learning and growing.
Maybe more explanation about the magical element would have been good but I guess there are reasons why it was not explained. Possibly to lead the reader to their own conclusions.
Still it was enjoyable.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher.

A book about a magical bookshop in Truro . Three people are at a difficult crossroads on their lives when their paths cross. Adelaide is in an abusive marriage and working at a supermarket, Kye is a carer for his mother and has been coerced into drug dealing by his brother and Jo has dropped out of university without completing her degree . As they meet up at a foodbank, they discover a shared love of books and pick up a flyer for the Midnight bookshop. The friendship between the three develops and they find the strength to overcome their problems.
This book is a delight . The magical/fantasy element is well done and makes for enjoyable reading. The plot is fairly predictable, but with a lot of advice along the way. Descriptions are well done and paint lovely and realistic images of what characters are experiencing. Perhaps some of the solutions a bit too neatly tied up, but that doesn't afefct the enjoyment of the book. A good summer read !

Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC

I liked the premise of the novel, a mystical bookshop in the backwaters of Truro. However, despite the magical lure of books, the slow narrative and relatively uninteresting central characters forced me to stop reading.

Beautiful, heart-warming and charming story. Loved every minute of reading it! At times whimsical and magical with feeling. Was a lovely cozy read. Loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I am in two minds about this book. The ideas in here are really lovely, with a focus on the meaning of books and reading throughout our lives, and how coming back to those things can heal and empower us. It was a lovely concept in focusing on the fundamental good that we can find when we find our people and the things that are important to us.

I loved the concept of the bookstore, and I do wish that such a thing existed (magical realism or not- it would just be charming to have a bookshop open that late!). It felt like an incredibly warm and welcoming place, and the character of Fay was lovely.

I found that the worlds created by the bookshop itself were also charming, and I thought that it was absolutely delightful to be able to stick your nose into a book and come into the book on the other side.

At the same time, the other characters felt lacking to me, and perhaps, in some ways, more stereotypical than not. The things that happened to them felt very much tell and don’t show, and I struggled with the concept that they were having as much trouble in the world as they were.

I think the writing style fed into this- I just couldn’t see past how exposition heavy and moralised some of the action was. This was a cute little cosy read, but not to be looked too far into.

If there’s one thing Amanda James does well, it’s write a good uplifting story and this book is certainly one of them. Her writing isn’t rushed, it takes you on an enjoyable journey. I couldn’t help but root for the three main characters, each with their own problems to overcome. It wrapped you up and filled you with hope and friendship with an added sprinkle of magic. And who wouldn’t want to stumble across a bookshop like this one! I certainly would. This is my fourth book by this author and I’m really excited to read more. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for letting me read and review this book. 4.5 ⭐️

The Midnight Bookshop started with a lot of promise—the cozy setting and premise had me hooked early on. But around the 60% mark, the story began to lose focus. The pacing slowed, the plot meandered, and I struggled to stay engaged. The inclusion of a scene involving Dolly Parton felt especially out of place and didn’t add anything meaningful to the narrative. I really wanted to love this one, but it just didn’t come together for me in the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

3⭐️
No spice/closed door

This wasn’t terrible but felt very drawn out. Everything felt pretty much resolved by the 60% mark and the last 20-30% felt unnecessary. It was kind of cute but also I was kind of bored by that point (and skimmed through the last bit).

The writing style wasn’t bad but definitely had its robotic and cheesy moments. There are some really great introspective themes here and it has a lot of depth which was moving and thought provoking to explore. Especially re: the power of books, reading, and community. I loved seeing these characters come together and help each other out. It definitely got more interesting as it went on.

The characters were cute and underwent some good character development, although I wish more of it was because of their own initiative and not the magic of the bookshop that goes largely unexplained. And the explanations we did get felt slightly unnatural.

If you are a Midnight Library and/or Anxious people lover this might appeal to you!

Three young people in Truro - each with their own problems find a leaflet inviting them to the Midnight Book Shop.

Jo - wealthy parents who like to show off... but fail to give Jo the love and caring attention she wants.... in her mother's mind, Jo is a disappointment - she walked out of Uni in her final term to spite them.

Adelaide - a young wife with a bully gaslighting husband

Tay - a mixed race young lad - he is caught up with the drug world of his older brother often acting as a courier and his ill mother after his father's sudden death.

They finally find the bookshop, hidden in a tiny street.... and meet Fay - who insists books choose the reader not the other way round.... Adelaide chooses a Charles Dickens novel - Oliver Twist, Tay - One flew over the cuckoo's nest, and Jo - The Great Gatsby.

A fantastic read, fantasy and realism at its best.

The Midnight Bookshop was a nice and touching story. It centers around a magical bookshop that appears to those who really need it, like the main characters in this book. The owner of the magical bookshop is Fay, who cares for and helps the individuals who require the services of the bookshop. I personally liked the premise of the story and found it both unique and interesting. My favorite character out of all of them was definitely Kye, whom I found to be relatable and interesting. The other main characters are Jo, who is 21 years old and who yearns for her parents to pay more attention to her and her life, and Adelaide, who is stuck in a miserable marriage with a man who is violent and controlling. I found Jo to be a bit annoying and much preferred the chapters that discussed Kye and Adelaide's stories. All three of these characters become drawn to the magical bookshop as they have reached a point in their lives where they feel hopeless in their situations. I really liked what the bookshop meant to the characters and how much Fay helped them. The bookshop helps each character live a better life and allows them to develop meaningful friendships with each other. I thought this book was heartfelt and touching, and I really enjoyed the author's writing.

60/10o or 3.0 stars

I was really hoping I would love this one. The premise and cover were intriguing, and I was excited about it. Unfortunately, the way the character's are written and how the story was going, it felt a little too self-help to me more than anything else. I didn't really care for any of the main characters that much and Jo was genuinely annoying. I understand what the author was trying to do, but my pet peeve is writing spoiled characters that "just wanted love" so they act like a tolder having a fit and don't seem to see how privledged and annoyin they are being. I can see how that can work for some readers, but it was not working for me. Kye was the most interesting character of the three, but not interesting enough to continue. I am trying hard to give books a chance and DNF less. I couldn't get through this one though and stopped at Chapter 14 which is 36% in.

Edit: typos

This is a lovely read. Sweet friendships, character growth, a little magic, Quick and pleasant read. 4 1/2 stars

"I've promised myself, along with all the other changes I'm going to make, that I won't dumb myself down to fit in with my peers anymore. Won't use restricted vocabulary and will cry in public if I need to." - This was the quote that stood out to me the most from the whole book, and I absolutely had to start the review with it.

Now, as much as I thought that the title is odd because the midnight bookshop is more like a midnight library based on how it works, I still found the idea of people finding the strength to change their own lives with the help of the books that they've read. As someone with aphantasia, I could only smile ruefully when I read about all these characters' visual imagination taking them to wonderful places - is that how reading feels to most of you?

In any case, the book is centered around three people with different backgrounds and life struggles, whom I didn't care much about in the beginning but over the course of the book they grew on me. It was nice to see them finding inspiration for changing their lives from the books they picked - correction, the books that picked THEM, as we learned from Fay. :) I'm glad that the author chose to show some struggles when it came to these changes instead of letting the problems all be solved in straightforward ways. It's just that there were some cases where I would have truly expected struggles of some kind in the latter part of the book and there were...none? Definitely lucky for them but it felt odd to me.

Something that stood out to me is the age diversity of the trio visiting the bookshop. Usually a trio of this type of setting would consist of people roughy the same age, but what he have here is a 19, a 21 year old and I believe someone in her early thirties. This is so unusual and it's actually so refreshing to see.

What I found less captivating was the magic itself. Don't get me wrong, if a bookshop like this popped up, I'd love to enter just as much as any reader of this book. But the way the magic was explained and yet not explained made me think that it could have been either "lower" magic to suit a modern urban tale, or explained better if I was supposed to take the bookshop's magic seriously.

Having said that, The midnight bookshop has its good qualities and I'd definitely recommend it to lovers or literature and bookshops/libraries looking for a cosy read with a sprinkle of magic. (However please note that some of the issues the characters face can be heavy, you might want to make sure you're okay with those before reading.)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

📖 Stunning cover - check ✅
📖 A book about books - check ✅
📖 Set in a magical bookshop - check ✅

I am a sucker for books about books and when it also has a magical bookshop, well I have hit the jackpot!

This is a really lovely story about a magical bookshop that appears to the people that need it the most. The bookshop and its ethereal 'owner' Fay, who gently guides and nurtures her charges, are a wonderful pairing.

Twenty one year old Jo lives a life many would envy, a beautiful home, a generous allowance, a new car, but all she really wants is for her parents to really care about her and give her love. To her mother, all she sees in Jo is disappointment and she constantly lets Jo know how hopeless she is.

Adelaide is trapped in a loveless and sometimes violent marriage. Her husband has stripped all her dignity and self worth and she feels lost and miserable. Unable to do even the simplest things that might bring her a little joy, poor Adelaide is desperate for some good luck to shine on her.

Eighteen year old Kye works for his older brother Leon because he cannot see any other way to support his mum. She's not well and she needs him but he hates being a drug runner and heaping misery on others.

Three people in need of a change...

Then they each see the flyer for The Midnight Bookshop and are drawn to it though they don't know why. What ensues after they find the bookshop and meet the enigmatic Fay will literally change their lives forever.

𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓭𝓸𝓷'𝓽 𝓬𝓱𝓸𝓸𝓼𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴. 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓬𝓱𝓸𝓸𝓼𝓮𝓼 𝔂𝓸𝓾

The wisdom they each learn from their books and the absolute magic that transpires in this wonderful and amazing bookshop is joyous to read. Their books give them courage and purpose and brings about a friendship between the three of them that is forged by their shared experience in The Midnight Bookshop.

This story is an uplifting journey about the magic of books and words and how books come into our lives at the right time. We all have a book that really means something to us. Maybe it helped heal a broken heart, buoyed you through grief or gave you the perspective you needed at the time.

A truly magical read and just look at that cover.

I believe I’m a sentimental person and thought this book had it in spades. Truly heartwarming, thoughtful, mysterious and imaginative.

I wanted to like this book but I found the characters uninteresting and the writing to be boring. The premise of the book sounded very interesting but it did not live up to the pomise.

A story about a magical bookshop that appears at midnight to the people who need it most. Sounds like an absolutely brilliant read and the idea is lovely! So this book centres around three characters that stumble upon the bookshop and each read (or are chosen by) a book that is meant to change their lives for the better.

I really liked the notion that what we can learn from books depends on our age, stage and life experiences and that depending on this you will take different things from it. Re-reading at a different life stage definitely sounds like a thing I should do. Also of course that this means we all experience books differently, which resonates with me and is so apparent within the Bookstagram community.

This is about the magic of books, bookshops and written stories, the power they can hold to really touch us and, possibly, change us. It’s definitely like a love letter to reading and books.

Unfortunately for some reason I didn’t quite connect with the characters and story as much as I thought I would. It may be to do with timing or being busy and not having had the time to read more than a couple of chapters at a time, but I never reached the “can’t put this down/just want to read this” stage. A couple of parts, like the mother daughter relationship of one of the characters felt a bit off for me too.

All that said, it’s a lovely story and there are lots of things to love about it, it might have been a timing and mood issue for me.

This book was adorable.

I really like that we had 3 MC to see the plot move along, and I really found the idea of the bookstore quite whimsical and wholesome. However I expected a little more about the bookstore itself, of that makes sense? We barely scratch the surface of what the bookstore itself/the store can do. By 3/4 of the book the story felt a bit forced, lengthy - and the ending was rushed imo especially since we only hear from one of the protagonist.

Still a cute book and easy to read!

I absolutely loved this book and found myself immersed in the story. All of the characters appeared a little unlikeable at first but on finding and entering the bookshop they let their guard down and let their lives heal. I absolutely loved the bookshop owner and there was she changed her clothes to suit the evening. I also love how we could see each story was able to change the character’s life- very clever. To be honest I’d have loved to settle in to the magical midnight bookshop for a long read. Like a warm hug enveloping you