This was a really great read! I had heard such good things about this book when it first came out, that I was really curious to see if it would live up to my expectations. And I'm really glad it not only did that, it managed to surpass them as well! To be honest, by the time I actually got round to borrowing this book from my library, I had mostly forgotten what it was supposed to be about. I only remembered it had something to do with a bookshop, an irascible owner and an abandoned child. And that's basically what it is. At least, for the most part... Because this book is just so much more.

This is one of those books that somehow manages to touch upon everything with such grace, that we don't even realise just how much we're learning from them. So, forget the blurb! Yes, this is a book about a bookstore owner. But it also a book about love and loss. It's about learning to let go of the past, and embracing the future, with all its uncertainties and the fears it brings with it. This is a book about people, friends and families, and how just about anyone can surprise us, if you're only willing to give them the chance to. It's a book about mistakes, and coming back from them. It's about picking up the pieces after a tragedy; about learning to live, really live, again after you thought there was no reason to. In short, it's a book about life, with all its highs and lows, the good and the bad.

The writing in this book was just amazing, it managed to convey everything the characters were feeling in such a way that, in some points, I actually felt it too. And the characters! They were all so incredibly developed, and changed radically throughout the book. I loved to see them grow, to feel their pain and fears together with their happiness. There were a couple of characters that I would have liked to see more of, but still, it all worked quite beautifully just the way it was. Overall, I loved this book, and I really recommend it to everyone!

Originally published on Book For Thought.