So book number 27 in my Goodreads Reading Challenge is The Little Bookshop of Promises by Debbie Macomber.

‘Somewhere between a car accident and a divorce, Annie Applegate stopped believing in happy endings.

Now, she just wants to disappear. And the tiny town of Promise fits the bill. With its winding streets and melting-pot of residents, it’s the perfect place for Annie to hide away and open the bookshop she always dreamed of owning.

Until her new-found peace and quiet is disturbed by Lucas, a widower who rivals Annie as the most cynical person in town.

With his troubled past and precocious children, Lucas is the last person she should be getting involved with. But when he asks for her help, Annie comes to realise that, maybe, going it alone isn’t the solution after all…‘ (Thanks Amazon!)

Firstly I would like to say that I did not choose this novel because it’s based in a small American town.   In this instance, that was just a by-product! I of course chose this book because it was set in a bookshop – if I can’t have my own bookshop then I shall read about lots of fictional characters who are allowed one!

This novel is not exactly what I expected.  If i’m entirely honest, I may not have picked it up if it hadn’t appeared to be about a bookshop.  That is not to say that I didn’t enjoy it, I just felt like it was missing something.  I even wish I could tell you what it was missing but I can’t.  I liked Annie a lot, and I really felt for Lucas and his beautiful children.  However I didn’t really feel that this novel was about them.  There were so many characters involved in this novel that I initially thought that it was part of a series, and i’d missed the first couple of books.

I really don’t want to be too negative though – this book was sweet, and I did enjoy all the interlinking stories of the residents of Promise.  Give it a try!

Rating: 📖 📖 📖