Book Review – The Bookshop Ladies by Faith Hogan.

I am delighted to be sharing my review of; The Bookshop Ladies by Faith Hogan as part of the blog tour, thank you to Shannon at Aria Fiction and Faith for the invite to this tour!

Bestselling Irish writer, Faith Hogan, has created another gripping saga of friendship, betrayal and secrets in this story of a widow in search of answers to a shocking confession by her dying husband.

Joy Blackwood has no idea why her French art dealer husband has left a valuable painting to a woman called Robyn Tessier in Ballycove, a small town on the west coast of Ireland, but she is determined to find out. She arrives in Ballycove to find that Robyn runs a rather chaotic and unprofitable bookshop. She is shy, suffering from unrequited love for dashing Cathal, and badly in need of advice on how to make the bookshop successful.

As Joy gets drawn into the dramas of everyday life in the town, she finds it more and more difficult to confess why she really came, let alone find the truth about the painting she brought with her. When she does finally summon up the courage, it sets the cat amongst the pigeons in the close-knit, friendly community she has come to love.

Review

Rating 💖💖💖💖💖

It is heartfelt, endearing and has all the comforting feels!!

It has to be an extraordinary book to bring me out of ‘blog tour retirement’ and this was the book to do it! I am a big Faith Hogan fan, I’ve been reading her books for a few years and loved each one, but this one is ultra special it’s heartwarming and tender with a beautiful message of standing tall and finding happiness and joy no matter where life has taken you, with a huge emphasis on the importance of true friendship.

It’s wonderful!

It’s so good to be back in the idyllic Ballycove again, it’s been way too long (I really need to live in Ballycove) I adore this village and its charming characters and beautiful scenery, which is a character in its own right. there is something very magical about Faith Hogan’s writing which never fails to make me smile and feel as though I am actually there!

From the very first page, The Bookshop Ladies packs a real emotional, heart-wrenching punch, my heart broke for Joy, not only losing her beloved husband so suddenly but then learning that he has been keeping a huge secret from her; that he has a daughter and to top all the heartache off he states in his will that one of his most valuable paintings is to be bequeathed to said daughter.

I don’t know how Joy holds it all together, she is a strong woman, loyal to her husband and his memory no matter how much she is hurting by all the revelations, but she does what he wants and sets off to Ballycove in Ireland to deliver the painting.

I am in awe of the woman, I’m not sure that I could have been so put together in her position, she is inspiring and full of compassion for those around her no matter that she is screaming inside and the relationship she builds with Robyn is built of love and passion for art and books and soon a solid friendship is formed between the women.

I have always loved the community spirit in Faith Hogan’s books, everyone coming together for the greater good (in this case the bookshop) and this is no different this one is even more special it’s the bookshop community that brings such passion and joy to the whole story, it’s welcoming to all and once your through the door you never want to leave and that how I felt when reading The Bookshop Ladies.

It’s like a hug in a book!

I loved every aspect of this book, it has the most beautiful and compelling story of friendship, shared love of books, secrets and survival after loss. With the most heart-wrenching complex emotions and relatable highly likable characters all wrapped up with Faith Hogan’s characteristic compassionate and engaging narrative, it’s a real winner!

This is a definite must for any book lover, feel-good, comforting, heartwarming, sadness, laughter, friendship and a constant beautiful feeling of being welcomed!

What’s not to love about that?!

Author Bio

Faith Hogan is a bestselling author of nine novels. Her books have featured as Book Club Favorites, Net Galley Hot Reads and Summer Must Reads. She writes grown up women’s fiction which is unashamedly uplifting, feel good and inspiring.

She gained an Honours Degree in English Literature and Psychology from Dublin City University and a Postgraduate Degree from University College, Galway.

Her latest novel is The Guest House By The Sea – set in the west of Ireland – it has been described as a book to fall in love with.

She also writes crime fiction as Geraldine Hogan. Her Corbally series is out now.

You can find out more about Faith on her website www.faithhogan.com
www.Facebook/FaithHogan.com
@gerhogan