Book Review: Bookish People {Susan Coll}
I’m such a sucker for books about people who read books. If you recall what FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME is, than this statement should come to you as no surprise.
Knowing this, you can understand why the synopsis of Bookish People grabbed me….especially the last sentence!

Goodreads Synopsis of Bookish People {Susan Coll}:
Independent bookstore owner Sophie Bernstein is burned out on books. Mourning the death of her husband, the loss of her favorite manager, her only child’s lack of aspiration, and the grim state of the world, she fantasizes about going into hiding in the secret back room of her store.
Meanwhile, renowned poet Raymond Chaucer has published a new collection, and rumors that he’s to blame for his wife’s suicide have led to national cancellations of his publicity tour. He intends to set the record straight—with an ultra-fine-point Sharpie—but only one shop still plans to host him: Sophie’s.
Fearful of potential repercussions from angry customers, Sophie asks Clemi—bookstore events coordinator, aspiring novelist, and daughter of a famed literary agent—to cancel Raymond’s appearance. But Clemi suspects Raymond might be her biological father, and she can’t say no to the chance of finding out for sure.
This big-hearted screwball comedy features an intergenerational cast of oblivious authors and over-qualified booksellers—as well as a Russian tortoise named Kurt Vonnegut Jr.—and captures the endearing quirks of some of the best kinds of people: the ones who love good books.
My Review of Bookish People {Susan Coll}:
Ok so my feelings on this one are a bit all over the place. I definitely liked it and dare I even say there were parts that I LOVED but…there were MOST definitely parts that were pretty boring. It was just so wordy. SO. MANY. WORDS. And so much backstory, so many feelings…I just kept waiting for something (anything) to happen.
I didn’t feel like the character development was complete, the various viewpoints from which the story was told were confusing, and it all just felt a bit jumbled together.
HOWEVER…and here is where I’m so conflicted in my thoughts on this one…there were parts of this book that were absolutely ADORABLE. I found myself smiling on more than one occasion while reading! The backbone of this story is that books is what binds all of these people together and I absolutely loved that aspect of the book. A book describing the inner workings of a bookstore and it’s staff? Yes please!

But….just as often as I found myself smiling, I also found myself contemplating not even finishing because I just really didn’t care what happened to any of the characters (except for Sophie and Kurt Vonnegut Jr.).
I will say that I enjoyed this book SIGNIFICANTLY more as I kept reading and by the end, I actually ended up loving it. I just wish I had those feelings the whole time!
Bottom Line:
I pretty much equally loved and disliked this book.
Have you read this book? What did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
Xo,
Jenny
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The 13 best books I read in 2021 can be found HERE
Book Coffee Happy’s 12 most viewed posts of 2021 can be found HERE
