The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan

Book Review Jan 01, 2023

My review

4/5 stars

I love a book about a bookshop, and it's Christmas, so I had to give this a go. I've enjoyed a handful of Jenny Colgan books, so I felt I was in safe hands. I was right.

This book was like a warm, cosy hug right before Christmas, giving me all the feels of the season and making it about books to boot. I breezed through this book like it was a gingerbread hot chocolate!

Carmen was an instantly likeable character, with her curveball-heavy life feeling relatable and easy to dive in to. Her aversion to family was handled with sensitivity and mirrored well later in the book with a similar trait showing up in another character. The juxtaposition between her and her sister, Sofia, was my favourite part of the book. While never explicitly said, I enjoyed the implication that both sisters had made both made choices that had pros and cons, both were a little envious of the other, and ultimately discovered that there is no right or wrong when it comes to choices, only a personal preference.

Sofia, as a character in her own right, was equally relatable, but for totally different reasons. As a mum of young children, I instantly connected to the overwhelm and struggle that she was experiencing under the surface, and the pressure to the perfect mum. The author captured modern motherhood perfectly in my opinion.

The secondary characters were, as always for Jenny Colgan, as much as part of the story as Carmen and Sofia, and added variety and meaning to their world. The kids were particularly entertaining to read, with their foibles and simplicity. The bookshop owner was an endearing mix of curmudgeonly and socially awkward; his subplot caught me off guard and packed a surprisingly deep emotional punch.

Also surprising for me, and the reason why I didn't give this book 5 stars, was the lack of emotional punch I felt with the love triangle storyline. Blair was a hilarious bad-boy-style love interest, with a slightly overdone, but still funny, sense of teenage angst to him. Oke, on the other hand, fell a little flat for me. I understand that he was supposed to be the calm and quiet to Blair's ostentation, but he felt a little boring and lacked chemistry with Carmen throughout. I didn't feel invested in that part of the story as much as I normally do with a Jenny Colgan romance.

What impressed me the most about this book was how the author described Edinburgh; everything was so vivid and well-researched. As someone who has visited the city a couple of times in the past, I was able to picture the exact streets that Carmen was walking down, and knew precisely where the author had intended the bookshop to be. It really helped with my experience of reading the book, as I was able to completely immerse myself in the written surroundings.

Book blurb

Carmen has always worked in her local department store. So, when the gorgeous old building closes its doors for good, she is more than a little lost.

When her sister, Sofia, mentions an opportunity in Edinburgh - a cute little bookshop, the spare room in her house - Carmen is reluctant, she was never very good at accepting help. But, short on options, she soon finds herself pulling into the snowy city just a month before Christmas.

What Sofia didn't say is that the shop is on its last legs and that if Carmen can't help turn things around before Christmas, the owner will be forced to sell. Privately, Sofia is sure it will take more than a miracle to save the store, but maybe this Christmas, Carmen might surprise them all....