The Bookshop on Primrose Hill

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, a book about books will always get a favourable review from me, even before I’ve started reading it. I’ve been to Primrose Hill before, and whilst I’m not a great lover of London in general, there are some of the quaintest shops there and I can see how it could feel magical for a lot of people.

The way Sarah describes books and the power they have just hits the nail on the head - everything she says is absolutely perfect. She doesn’t stray into corny territory, she’s very real about how reading can help us during joyful and positive times in our life such as when we’re in love, when we have a family, when we lose people, when we grieve. It all feels very real and I can identify with it so strongly.

I like the use of dual narratives to show the stories of mother (Eloise) and daughter (Valentina). They are separate entities but flow together so well, the past providing clues for the future, and the present exploring the reasoning and the emotions of the past.

This is my first foray into Sarah Jio’s world and it’s a really enjoyable place to be.

This is my first novel by Sarah Jio and I quickly realised what I’d been missing out on . It was always a winner being bookshop based but this one really gripped me. So much so that when I had to break off reading for a short time to complete some domestic tasks I found myself worrying about Elouise and the situation she was currently in. Both narrators are likeable and warm and there is such a mixture of elements: bookshop that needs saving, romance, unraveling the past, a scavenger hunt- all of which held me enthralled. However, at the real heart of this book is a mother, a daughter and sacrifice and everlasting love. Just perfect.

What a wonderful book. This was my first book by Sarah Jio and I loved it. Such an amazing way to tell a story. I loved the two storylines, telling one story from different times and how they all come together. So tragic for Valentina to not know the truth until after both her parents had passed and she couldn’t get to reconnect either mum. However Eloise allowed them to have a reunion of sorts as she still managed to share her life with her daughter through he scavenger hunts and all the wonderful books that connected the two of them. It was beautifully written and I got really invested in it and wanted Val to fall for the right guy this time.

A book centred around a bookshop?! Full of characters who love books?! YES PLEASE!!! And it hasn't disappointed as I found myself swept along with all the feels in this wonderful new book that sees a woman gaining a connection to her late mother, through the world of books and community she had left behind. I Loved it!!

Valentina has been living in America for years, her mother walked out on her and her dad when she was 12, and had no contact with her since, but now she has passed and has left her daughter a property in Primrose Hill, which also contains a bookshop! Her initial thought is to go to England and put the property up for sale and move on with her life. But life has a funny way of throwing a spanner in the works, and a scavenger hunt left behind by her mother adds to the intrigue and Valentina finds herself wanting to know more about this woman who had left them so abruptly all those years ago.

The characters are so easy to connect with, and being set around a bookshop always helps! The scavenger hunt clues are a great little invention and allowed Valentina to really connect with her mother in a different way, allowing her to meet people who had become so special to her in the years before she passed. I was totally in love with the setting and the emotional journey you were taken on. Allowing her mother to share her story through the different characters in the community allowed Valentina to see the story from her mums' point of view and as the reader you also get to hear Eloise's story from her point of view, allowing us to travel back in time to see what she went through in finding love and becoming a mother. A wonderful read!!

This was a very wholesome read. Warm and tugging at the strings of your heart, this book is like the feeling of peace. Also, one of the elements used here are books and needless to say I was totally attracted to it. It is a woman's emotional journey and growth, I loved the concept of dual timelines and perspective. I'd absolutely recommend this book.

I love books about bookstores, books, romance and changes in the past and present. I've come to love Eloise and Valentina, hate Frank and what he did to Eloise and Valentina. The London atmosphere and the bookshop made it complete. What a great book.

Bittersweet and uplifting. The Bookshop on Primrose Hill will steal your heart. Everything about this story give me the shivers! READ THIS!!…

This book is really beautiful. If you love romantic books, and chicklit then this book is definitely for you. I really enjoyed it. I thought that it was really uplifting, with a wonderful storyline. The characters in the book are really wonderful and I just really loved it.