Book Review: The Little Shop of Happy Ever After by Jenny Colgan

Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons!

  I have been a book lover all my life. Even when I could not read I had a book in my hands as a child. There is a certain satisfaction that comes from picking up a book, settling into the story, and being transported to a different world than what you live in. And when an author sits down and writes a book about a book lover, how can I resist?

  The Little Shop of Happy Ever After is written by Jenny Colgan, and is published by Little, Brown Group under their Sphere imprint. It is a warm and cozy read that left me genuinely happy and loving reading even more. The Little Shop of Happy Ever After introduces us to British librarian Nina Redmond as she is being let go from her job. With her library shutting down she seems to be more preoccupied with getting as many books from the closing rather than finding a new job. A book lover with a romanticized vision of life, she has jammed-packed her home that she shares with friend,  Surinder, with mountains of unread books. And as she tries to save her library's books from being thrown away or worse, she realizes that she has run out of options. No money means no rent.. no rent means no home.. no home means.... she needs a plan fast.

  As her library becomes absorbed into a larger company, Nina realizes that she needs to make a change. If she cannot lend books out as a librarian, she will then sell them to those in her area that would be missing their books. She travels to Scotland to the village of Kirrinfief to look a van that she wishes to buy and turn into a traveling book store. After buying the van she heads back home, only to realize that she may be better off in Scotland after all. Making the move to relocate and redefine herself, Nina falls in love with Kirrinkief and its people. And soon she realizes that all this sleepy village needed was a good book, and the right person to show them that life can change for the better. If you just believe.
  
   The Little Shop of Happy Ever After speaks loud and clear to the book lover. Nina never loses her desire to read and sell books regardless of her love interests or the adversity she comes in contact with. Nina is steadfast in her belief that there is a book out there to change anyone's life. So many times a contemporary novel will have the lead character abandon all of her ideals and dreams for love. Not in this novel. Jenny Colgan does not let her lead toss aside her hopes or dreams. And Nina is presented as a very self-aware woman who knows when to fall in love, and when she needs to make her business work.

  I began reading this book as the American version, entitled The Book Shop on the Corner. With a misleading cover, misleading title (there is no bookshop on the corner. Nina drives a book van for which the book is named), and many of Colgan's original words were rewritten for American audiences, I decided to search out the original version.  I am happy that I did. It took the story to a new level reading its original narrative. I felt the characters were more realized when they spoke their native slang. And I did not lose the story at all. 

  I also want to take a moment to thank narrator Lucy Price -Lewis for bringing this novel to life. When I did not have the physical book in my hands I listened to the audio book. Her narration went along wonderfully with this book. Even when I read the book without the audio version I read with Lucy's voice in my head. She is brilliant.

  The Little Shop of Happy Ever After was a pleasant surprise for me. Jenny Colgan's writing at times was very inspirational. And by the end of the book I wanted to visit Scotland and see all the beautiful sights that she had described. If you want a fun and quick read filled with book lovers, very likeable characters, and adventure this book is for you. I gave The Little Shop of Happy Ever After five out of five stars.


 Have fun reading this week. Let me know in the comments below what you are reading.

 

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  Because there is always time to read,
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