The Midnight Bookshop by Amanda James @0neMoreChapter_ #fantasy #reading #booklove #friendship #bookreview

I am delighted to share my review today for The Midnight Bookshop by Amanda James. I will admit that I do adore this author’s books and this latest one is an absolute dream to read. I mean, for starters, just look at the amazing cover!!!

My huge thanks to the author for inviting me to read and review this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

You don’t choose the book. The book chooses you…Long ago, a bookshop was born – the beating heart of all those who find hope within the pages of a book. With the words penned upon the echo of old forests, new worlds are created.

It’s ready and waiting to welcome all those who know where to find it…

Strangers Jo, Adelaide and Kye are the least likely people to find themselves across the threshold of a bookshop.

But as their midnight book club shows them that a single book can change everything, all three realise that their own stories can be rewritten.

MY REVIEW

The title and the cover for this book are fabulous. For a book lover, it is a title that immediately appeals to me. And what can I say about the cover but…WOW!

The author has taken the love of books that readers have and transformed it into a magical journey for three people who come together randomly at a food bank. From this incongruous first meeting, the author transforms not only her characters’ lives but also manages to capture the magic that many readers have when they disappear into the pages of a book.

Adelaide is a shop worker who is married to Mark, and she is not willing to admit what her life is actually like. Jo is 21 and lives at home with her parents. While she has a generous allowance, she does not feel that she belongs. Kye also lives at home, but his home life is the opposite of Jo; he is caught in a lifestyle that he does not like or agree with.

The arrival of a book shop is interesting and one that I will not go into much detail about, but along with the shop comes Fay. I have to say I did adore her, she is a little quirky, says odd things and has an aura about her that blends with the shop, the books and the magic of reading.

The three start as strangers, but over the course of the story, the author teases out what their lives are all about. From tentative beginnings, they gradually learn to trust with the books that they are paired with. The author brings several ideas about how books and people choose each other, and I love this concept. I just wish I had a library like the one in the story.

There are various reasons why people read, what they experience when they read and how they interact with the story that envelops the reader. The author has taken some of these ideas and used them to great effect in this story, and in doing so, manages to capture how books make me feel. Over the many years of reading, I have disappeared into the pages of books that have taken me to far distant lands and given me the chance to meet different people. Some of the stories you can identify with, and there have been several books that have helped to highlight certain things that have happened and allowed me to see things from a different perspective. This is how the author uses the books with her characters and allows them to hope for change, and in doing so, form a bond.

This is a wonderful read and one that really hits home, capturing the way books can transform lives, bring people together over a shared love and open them up to new ideas and give confidence to try something different. I think what I am trying to get over here is that the author uses the book that each of her three characters read as a friend or a confidante. They each find something they can identify with and, in doing so, admitting that something needs to change. This is done under the guidance of the wonderful Fay.

I absolutely loved this book, the characters, the plot, the cover and everything. This is a fantasy, but one that brings to life why people read and how it connects us. A story of friendship, trust, courage and of course books. It is one I would definitely recommend.

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx