The Bookshop Ladies

Author: Faith Hogan

Who Picked the Book: Rachel

One-sentence summary: A recently widowed American living in Paris decides to hand-deliver something her late husband left to his daughter she didn't know he had and she unlocks a whole new world of friendship and purpose in Ireland.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 8

Our favorite thing about it: This was a fun, uplifting story that was easy to read.

Our least favorite thing about it: Maybe that Kian's deception at the end of the book didn't seem to fit with what we knew of him as a character. 

Main Topics of Discussion: Grief, Friendship, Betrayal, Secrets, Marriage

Our favorite quote: “We either confront it or we forgive, but we learn to live with things, not run away from them or hide behind something that’s shiny enough to cover over the pain momentarily.”

Notes: We all universally enjoyed this book. We loved the story and the ending. We loved most of the characters and their development. The setting (Ireland) was especially great as well as the bookshop itself. We liked Robyn's character arc in particular and how the friendship and mentorship of Joy helped her blossom. We really liked Joy's character and enjoyed reading about her motivations and thoughts.

We did think that Kian's actions at the end of the book were not in line with the kind of character we believed him to be. However, we also discussed the fact that we "knew" him through Robyn's eyes and she thought she was in love with him. Maybe his character was this deceitful and selfish all along and we just didn't see that side of him until the end. Either way, we thought the book heist at the end was a bit rushed and also kind of unnecessary, but we didn't hate it. 

We talked about the idea of Robyn getting over Kian a little earlier in the book so her relationship with Will could have been further explored rather than a rushed kiss at the very end of the book. We also acknowledged how important the non-romantic and female friendships were to Robyn in her transformation. It was ok to not have a romance in the story. 

We'd highly recommend this fun read and wish we could open our own bookshop together!

Memorable Meeting Moments: Rachel took us to eat at Ciccio's Trattoria near her house and we came back to her house for dessert and discussion. Lindsay was able to attend this meeting in person and we celebrated Amberly's birthday month. 

What We Ate: Focaccia with Ricotta and Olive Oil/Balsamic Vinegar, Various pastas, Branzino, Salmon, and a Brownie Sundae bar for dessert.