The Red Palace- Book Review

The Red Palace

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Publishing date:- 1st March 2022

Publisher:- Wildfire

Author:- June Hur

No. of pages:- 352 pages

Genre:- Historical Fiction/Thriller/Korean

Quick Review– a fast paced and pager turning thriller that will make you feel like you are on the edge and if you are fan of a good Korean historical drama, this book will be one for you

Rating:- 5 stars

– Blood and gore

-Torture of prisoners

-caste system

From the New York Times bestselling author of A Crane Among Wolves, The Red Palace is an atmospheric historical mystery perfect for fans of Courtney Summers and Kerri Maniscalco – WITH A BONUS EPILOGUE!

To enter the palace means to walk a path stained in blood…

1758, Joseon. Four women are murdered in a single night and palace nurse Hyeon suddenly finds herself thrust into the dark and dangerous world of court politics, when all she wanted to do was keep her head down.

The prime suspect is none other than, Nurse Jeongsu, Hyeon’s closest friend and mentor. Determined to prove her beloved teacher’s innocence, Hyeon launches her own secret investigation which runs her into the path of Eojin, the young police inspector who has been assigned to the case.

As evidence begins to point to the Crown Prince himself as the murderer, will Hyeon and Eojin be able to reconcile their differences and face the truth?

Set in Joseon 1758, Nurse Hyeon is a palace nurse, one of the highest positions offered to nurses at the time. She is the illegitimate daughter of a powerful lord as well. Nurse Hyeon was one night asked to come into what is Crown Prince’s chamber, only to find that the Crown Prince wasn’t in his chambers and Crown Princess asking Nurse Hyeon and the others to not let anyone know that Crown Prince wasn’t there. As Nurse Hyeon was returning back, she finds out that a massacre had occurred at a local hospital, which involved the murders of four women, one of the victims, a palace court lady. Nurse Hyeon’s mentor became the main suspect in the massacre. Determined to prove her mentor’s innocence and rumors circulating that the Crown Prince might be involved in the massacre, Nurse Hyeon along with a ranking inspector Eojin is determined to investigate the case privately and is immediately thrown into the world of corruption and blood politics.

This book felt like I was watching a Korean historical drama while reading it. The book was told in the POV of Nurse Hyeon and from the beginning of the chapter till the end, I was immersed into the book. The book was fast paced, and a page turner and you actually feel like you are living in the 18th century Joseon when reading this book. Most of the characters–the members of the royal family are real although the story itself is fictional. The book though it’s a work of fiction explores more about living a life as an illegitimate child of a high ranking officer in Joseon period and the hardships some of the characters face through making the whole book realistic.

This is the second book I have read from this author and I personally think this book is one of her best–better than Silence of the Bones, the first book I have read from the author. I am looking forward to read more books from this author.

Worth five stars.

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The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop – Book Review

The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop

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Publishing date:- 25th May 2025

Publisher:- Harper Collins

Author:-Takuya Asakura

Translated by Yuka Maeno

No. of pages:- 224 pages

Genre:- Fantasy/Magical Realism

Quick Review- this is a short read, about a hidden bookshop that changes the people’s lives.

Rating:- 4 stars

For fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, What You Are Looking for Is In the Library, and Days at the Morisaki Bookshop comes an enchanting novel that will linger in your heart long after the last page is turned.

As the last petal falls, the final page is turned…

Welcome to The Cherry Blossom Bookshop, a haven for book lovers that only appears during the fleeting cherry blossom season. Nestled amidst the bloom of delicate petals, you’ll find a sanctuary for those burdened by regrets and past sorrows. Here, Sakura, the mysterious young owner, and her wise calico cat, Kobako, patiently await the arrival of souls in need of solace and healing.

Told over four seasons, each visitor to the bookshop holds a book that bridges their past and present, guiding them towards understanding and acceptance. Within the antique charm of the shop and the soothing aroma of freshly brewed coffee, Sakura and Kobako help their guests confront their lingering sadness through the power of stories, enabling them to move forward with renewed hope.

Lately, I have been reading a lot of Japanese and Korean fiction. A Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop is a healing Japanese fiction, that helps people to move on from their loved ones who passed away.

There are four sets of tales told in this book but the main characters in this book are Kobako, the cat and Sakura the owner of this seemingly mysterious bookshop. Kobako will select a book from the shelf that will tell the tales of the person about the loved ones the person lost so Sakura can make the person move on with their life and find the meaning of their life.

The story is written in a beautiful poetic way and the words captures the reader’s heart and most of those tales lingered in my mind, after finishing with the book. This is actually an emotional and tear-jerking story and some of the tales will actually make me cry.

My favorite tale was about the woman who lost her mother and didn’t really understand her mother much. When the woman came across this bookshop only she found out how much sacrifice her mother had made for both her and her younger brother. Sometimes, losing a parent could have a hard effect on the child overall. Most of the tales were good, dealing about the loss of a loved one but this was my favorite one.

Overall, I rated this book as 4 stars, and highly recommend to people who are looking for healing fiction.

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A Remedy for Fate – ARC Book Review

A Remedy for Fate

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Publishing date:- 12th March 2026

Publisher:- Hodder and Stoughton

Author:-M.A. Kuzniar

No. of pages:- 304 pages

Genre:- Fantasy/Historical Fiction

Quick Review- A bit predictable and slow burn but the characters are lovable and favorable, particularly Jasper.

Rating:- 4 stars

‘Steeped in glorious magic and filled with fantastic friendships and eternal love’ SARAH BETH DURST

CAN SHE RECOVER HER HEART?

Prague, 1769. In the Magic Quarter of the jewel-box city of Prague, Thea runs Stiltskin’s Apothecary. There, she brews potions to chase away nightmares and soothe heartache – and strikes bargains to change her customers’ fates. The only fate she cannot change? Her own.

Seven years ago, Thea bargained away her heart and her memories to the apothecary’s owner, the cold, yet enigmatic Jasper, for reasons she cannot remember, and a reward she cannot recall.

Then one day a stranger arrives with an unusual request. One that will upturn Thea’s entire existence – and offer her a precious chance to recover her heart . . .

Prepare to be enchanted by this spellbinding historical fantasy romance from the author of Midnight in Everwood, steeped in magic, found family and love.

Seven years ago, Thear bargained her heart and memories to a man named Jasper who was a mysterious apothecary owner. Since then, Thea has been living in the Magic Quarter in Prague helping people with their problems and changing their fate if necessary. Then comes the hunters who want nothing but destroy the Magic Quarter.

The story is set in Prague in 1700’s so the descriptions of the city in general made me feel like I was in Prague. The writing was great and the story plot is also great although it was predictable. The ending was predictable as well. This is one of those books where all the characters were favorable and lovable–particularly Jasper and the secondary characters like Talibah and Zofka. I like the fact that the crow named Biscuit is also a part of the story. The only thing is, I found Thea slightly whiny and annoying–understand that she wants to get her memories back and want to know who she really is, but then I actually found the main character annoying.

Nonetheless, this author is new to me and someone to look out for. Definitely I would read more books from her in future.

Worth four stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Hodder for the ARC and the invitation to review the book. This review is solely based on my honest opinion only.

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Last Friend Alive – Book Review

Last Friend Alive

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Publishing date:- 4th July 2024

Publisher:- Simon and Schuster

Author:- Caro Carver

No. of pages:- 336 pages

Genre:- Thriller

Quick Review:- Overall it was fast paced packed with twists and turns with somewhat an unexpected ending

Rating:- 4 stars

– Brief mention of animal abuse and child abuse

-Domestic abuse

-disturbing and gory descriptions of murders

-panic attacks, PTSD

IS IT EVER A GOOD IDEA TO GO ON HOLIDAY WITH FRIENDS?

Best friends Darcy, Camilla and Kate have just landed in the Maldives for a luxury holiday. They can’t wait for ten days of scorching sun, crystal-clear waters and white-sand beaches.

But against this idyllic backdrop, long-buried secrets come to light one by one, and the darker side of female friendship floats to the surface.

After all, when you’ve known each other forever, you’re bound to hold a grudge or two – and the best of friends can make the worst of enemies…

Which of them will make it back alive – if any?

Darcy, Camilla and Kate are best friends and to celebrate Darcy’s divorce, the three friends decide to go on an all paid vacation to Maldives where they will be staying in luxurious villas overlooking the beach. Each of these friends has one thing in common–in 2001, Kate became the only surviving victim of a guest house massacre and Camilla’s twin brother Cameron and Darcy’s first love Elijah were also victims of the massacre. The man responsible for the massacre is locked up in prison but died one month later but the three friends couldn’t help but realize that there might be a second person involved in the massacre.

From beginning to the end, it was all packed with unexpected twists and turns. I also liked how the story started off–a graduate student who was late ended up surviving the night when her professor and batchmates were brutally murdered by the creepy old man she saw at the reception desk.

The story is told in the POVs of Camilla, Kate, Darcy and another character introduced as Jade, a fellow British woman who is in Maldives for her honeymoon with somewhat her abusive husband Rob. However, there are other POVs such as Darcy’s ex-husband Jacob and her twelve-year-old son, Charlie, who doesn’t want to be anywhere near his mother. Each of these characters have a different personality–Camilla is bound to get revenge for her twin brother, Kate is the most logic person in the group, Jade being timid and scared, Darcy trying to be friends with everyone.

Like the scenic background of the story as ninety percent of the story is held in Maldives and the ten percent of the story is held in England. The description of sandy beaches and clear blue beaches makes you feel like you are in Maldives.

Of course, the first few chapters are basically about the three women enjoying a seven-day vacation in Maldives, meeting Jade, meeting Antoni. Then comes the murder, then comes the confrontation that the possible second murderer of the massacre might be with them in Maldives. The ending was a dramatic and unexpected ending.

Overall, this book is four stars. The other title for this book is Bad Tourists.

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The Lion Women of Tehran- Book Review

The Lion Women of Tehran

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Publishing date:- 2nd July 2024

Publisher:- Gallery Books

Author:- Marjan Kamali

No. of pages:- 327 pages

Genre:- Historical Fiction/Women’s Fiction

Quick Review:- a strong emotional novel about the friendship between two women set between 1950’s and 1980’s Iran.

Rating:- 5 stars

In 1950s Tehran, seven-year-old Ellie lives in grand comfort until the untimely death of her father, forcing Ellie and her mother to move to a tiny home downtown. Lonely and bearing the brunt of her mother’s endless grievances, Ellie dreams for a friend to alleviate her isolation.

Luckily, on the first day of school, she meets Homa, a kind girl with a brave and irrepressible spirit. Together, the two girls play games, learn to cook in the stone kitchen of Homa’s warm home, wander through the colorful stalls of the Grand Bazaar, and share their ambitions of becoming “lion women.”

But their happiness is disrupted when Ellie and her mother are afforded the opportunity to return to their previous bourgeois life. Now a popular student at the best girls’ high school in Iran, Ellie’s memories of Homa begin to fade. Years later, however, her sudden reappearance in Ellie’s privileged world alters the course of both of their lives.

Together, the two young women come of age and pursue their own goals for meaningful futures. But as the political turmoil in Iran builds to a breaking point, one earth-shattering betrayal will have enormous consequences.

In 1950, Elaheh known as Ellie moves into a neighborhood when her father suddenly dies. Ellie befriends a vivacious girl named Homa and the two girls quickly becomes friends. The story basically talks about their up and downs in their friendship, particularly when Ellie’s mother remarries and moves to a wealthy neighborhood, set during the political upheaval time in Iran.

With the current political situation and the war in Iran, this story tells a lot about the history of Iran in general, from coup d’état in 1953 which overthrew the Prime Minister to the Iranian Revolution in 1979 which overthrew the Shah and setting up of an Islamic Regime with Ayatollah Khomeini to the war between in Iran and Iraq in 1982. I only know very briefly about the Iranian Revolution Ellie and Homa comes from two different backgrounds–Ellie’s family are rich and supportive of the Shah while Homa’s family are communist, with Homa fighting for women’s rights. Homa and Ellie both lead different lifestyles–Ellie moves to the United States with her husband before the Iranian Revolution while Homa with her daughter Bahar experiences the effects of the Iranian Revolution and living in Iran under the new Islamic Regime.

The story is beautifully written and almost poetic. There were some Persian/Farsi words with the translation next to those words. The story is realistic, emotional, relatable and reflective. The story is predominantly told in Ellie’s POV although there are Homa’s POV where she details about her life and friendship with Ellie as well. I like how women’s rights in Iran are the main point in the book.

Overall, this is a provocative, emotional, and an immersive story that inspires about women’s courage, empathy, forgiveness, redemption, healing and acceptance and about friendship. I felt connected to all the characters and I highly recommend this book to anyone who hasn’t read it yet.

Overall five stars.

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The Memory Bookshop- ARC Book Review

The Memory Bookshop

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Publishing date:- 12th March 2026

Publisher:- HarperCollins

Author:- Song Yu Jeong Translated by Shanna Tan

No. of pages:- 198 pages

Genre:- Korean Fiction, Magic Realism, Fantasy

Overall review–a bittersweet and emotional book that will bring you a wave of emotions

Overall rating:- 4 stars

-Depression

-Death of a parent

-Cancer

-Suicide

Perfect for lovers of The Midnight Library and Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, this is an unforgettable novel about the power of books – and a mysterious bookshop that gives you the chance to rewrite your story…

If you could relive the past with the time you have left – what would you choose?

Jiwon’s life has been slowly disintegrating since her mum died. Until one day, caught in a downpour, Jiwon comes across a mysterious bookstore. Uneasy, she turns to leave when a voice calls ‘If you open that door—You can leave, but you can never come back here.’

The Memory Bookshop stores all of one’s memories within an infinite number of books and appears to those who are looking for a reason to live. Its manager, ‘K’, offers visitors the chance to travel back three times, in exchange for part of their futures.

Browsing the shelves, Jiwon must choose whether to revisit three chapters of her life. But will changing the past really rewrite her future? Only The Memory Bookshop has the answers – and it’ll teach Jiwon about what it really means to live…

Ever since her mother had died, Ji Won is riddled with guilt wishing that she had saved her mother. She is overcome with depression and was contemplating on committing suicide, thinking that she has nothing to live for. While walking back , she comes across a unique bookshop and curious, she enters into the bookshop. She was surprised to find that the bookshop is covered entirely with her past memories–books of beloved memories. she shared with her mother. The manager of the bookshop–Manager K makes a deal with Ji Won–she can visit three chapters of her life in exchange for her future. Ji Won agrees, in the hopes of reuniting with her mother and preventing her death and at the same time giving hope and a will to carry on the living.

This is actually a very short book. I wish the author had made the book a little longer. The concept and plot of the book is not that original as I have seen similar tropes in most Asian fiction novels but I did like the story as it gave a cozier feelings. The language used in the book is poetic although the writing wasn’t that great in my opinion only using short sentences. Despite that, one of the things I learned from this book is cherish as much as you can about your loved ones and keep those cherished memories intact.

Overall worth 4 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

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This Book Will Bury Me- Book Review

This Book Will Bury Me

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Published date:- March 25th 2025

Publisher:- Sourcebooks Landmark

Author:- Ashley Winstead

No. of pages:- 480 pages

Genre:- Thriller

Quick review:- This was loosely based on a true story but the story overall wasn’t great.

Rating:-3 stars.

True Crime Fanatic

It’s the most famous crime in modern history. But only she knows the true story.

After the unexpected death of her father, college student Jane Sharp longs for a distraction from her grief. She becomes obsessed with true crime, befriending armchair detectives who teach her how to hunt killers from afar. In this morbid internet underground, Jane finds friendship, purpose, and even glory…

So when news of the shocking deaths of three college girls in Delphine, Idaho takes the world by storm, and sleuths everywhere race to solve the crimes, Jane and her friends are determined to beat them. But the case turns out to be stranger than anyone expected. Details don’t add up, the police are cagey, and there seems to be more media hype and internet theorizing than actual evidence. When Jane and her sleuths take a step closer, they find that every answer only begs more questions. Something’s not adding up, and they begin to suspect their killer may be smarter and more prolific than any they’ve faced before. Placing themselves in the center of the story starts to feel more and more like walking into a trap…

Told one year after the astounding events that concluded the case and left the world reeling, when Jane has finally decided to break her silence about what really happened, she tells the true story of the Delphine Massacres. And what she has to confess will shock even the most seasoned true crime fans…

When Jane’s father dies suddenly, Jane feels as if her life suddenly went down the drain. She drops out of college and soon becomes obsessed with true crime, even joining the true crime forum. Using the name Searcher, she becomes a part of a true crime group that solves the crimes through the internet. The group feels like family to Jane. When the Delphine massacre occurred that shocked the entire nation, Jane and the true crime group starts discussing the case. The case was brutal, but the police were cagey, the witnesses’ statements weren’t clear. Jane and her gang decided to meet each other in Idaho so they will be able to solve the Delphine crime.

This wasn’t as great as Ashley Winstead’s other books in my opinion. I enjoyed her debut novel In My Dreams I hold a Knife and The Last Housewife but her recent two novels didn’t really work for me well. The story started out slow and was partly boring but it got interesting towards the middle. The Delphine Massacre is similar to real life University of Idaho murders that took place in 2022, where four students were brutally murdered in an off-campus house.

I found that there are good and bad parts in the book–the good parts might be, getting together and working like family, some twists and turns in the book and lack of romance (not really a fan if romance overrules the thriller aspect of the book). But the book is too long–I have to skim through the pages, very predictable. And then ending to me was hopeless and unrealistic—feels like the author rushed the ending or the part that it was one of the most unrealistic ending I have read.

Ashley Winstead can really write good thrillers–as I mentioned her first two books were great making me want to read all her books. I feel like this was a waste of her talent in story telling–she could have definitely crafted a beautiful crime thriller with true crime as the background, instead of using a true crime story which apparently is still working its way through the legal system.

Will read her books in future? Probably and I really hope her next release will be better than this.

Overall, this is three stars.

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Such Quiet Girls- Book Review

Such Quiet Girls

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Published date:- April 29th 2025

Publisher:- Dynamite Books

Author:- Noelle W. Ihli

No. of pages:- 352 pages

Genre:- Thriller

Quick review:- A well written novel based on true story about the children and the driver being kidnapped and held for ransom. Gripping and intriguing

Rating:- 4 stars.

– Domestic abuse

-About Alzheimer’s disease

-Child abuse

Ten children, abducted in broad daylight—and buried alive.

Sage and her sister won’t make it home from school today. Neither will the other children on Bus 315. But that’s only the beginning of the nightmare.

New bus driver Jessa blames herself for what happened. She couldn’t protect the kids she was supposed to deliver to daycare, just like she couldn’t protect her own daughter three years ago. But this time, everything will be different. It has to be.

Trapped in a shipping container buried twenty feet underground, Jessa and the children do their best to stay calm. The kidnappers insist that if everyone behaves, they’ll be freed when the ransom is paid. But Sage isn’t sure they’ll last that long. Neither is Jessa. It’s dark and cramped, and with every passing minute it’s getting harder to breathe.

With time—and air—running thin, Jessa and the children must find a way to outsmart their captors, or face an unthinkable fate.

Such Quiet Girls was inspired by actual events.

Although this is a work of fiction, the story is loosely based on the real life events that took place in Chowchilla, California in 1976

Sage and Bonnie as usual takes a school bus to their day care. Sage is the oldest in the bus and she couldn’t wait until she didn’t have to take the bus anymore although her mother had instilled responsibility to look after Bonnie. The bus driver, Jessa is a thirty-something year old woman who recently got released from prison. She is working under a different name and had lied in her CV but Jessa is earning and trying to save money so she could reunite with her daughter Soph. Their normal routine changes when two men abducts the bus, forces the children and Jessa into the shipping container buried twenty feet underground. While the kidnappers are trying to come up with a plan to what to do with the money, Sage and Jessa are finding ways to escape from the container before they all die in the underground.

I like reading Noelle Ihli’s novels and this is the fifth book I have read from her, and the second book that is based on true events (the first book None Left to Tell, which is based on true story). She writes books with emotions and feelings and make you also feel like you are also the part of the story. In Such Quiet Girls, you have POVs of Sage, Jessa, Sheena who is Sage’s mother and who receives the ransom note from the kidnappers), Ted one of the kidnappers. We see Sage is a determined and courageous girl who thinks of herself as Harriet the Spy who will save and solve a crime. We see Jessa who becomes vulnerable as she remembers about the past but then end up saving the children with Sage. The ending was emotional however.

However, even though I liked this book, this book wasn’t as great as her other books. Nonetheless, I liked this book based on the fact that it is based on true story.

Overall 4 stars.

If you want to know more about the true story of Chowchilla Kidnappings, click the link

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Not My Sister – ARC Book Review

Not My Sister

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Publishing date:- 4th March 2026

Publisher:- Bookouture

Author:- Rosie Walker

No. of pages:- 367 pages

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Quick review- Gripping and makes you feel like you are on the edge with an unpredictable ending.

Rating:- 4.5 stars

-siblings

-mental health

– abuse (mostly parental)

-mental health awareness

-sickness relating to allergies

A girl stands on the doorstep, her hands tremble and her eyes glisten with tears. My sister has finally come home after six long years.

I gasp in disbelief when I meet my younger sister’s gaze. I can’t believe I’m looking at Lydia’s sweet face again. We’d been so close as children. Then one day she didn’t come home from school, and she disappeared without a trace.

Having Lydia back at home is the best thing that’s happened in years. Only I can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t right. She doesn’t remember any of the stories I tell about our childhood, she’s even forgotten her long bouts of illness. When I ask about the day she vanished, she says she doesn’t recall what happened.

I want to be close to my sister again more than anything. But when I find a strange message hidden in her room, I begin to suspect the girl who came home isn’t my sister at all. Who is she? And what really happened to Lydia?

I’m convinced I’m living with an impostor. And I will stop at nothing to expose the truth…

An absolutely gripping and addictive psychological thriller that will keep you turning the pages until late into the night. If you love The Housemaid, Gone Girl or The Other Daughter, you’ll adore Not My Sister.

This is a book with a setting of a tense atmosphere that talks about the relationship between mother and daughter and possibly parental favoritism and abuse.

After many years, Lydia, Wendy’s youngest daughter returns back home. Lydia refuses to tell anyone about the ordeal she went through and doesn’t want the police to get involve, citing she wasn’t ready to face the drama. Wendy, who has doted on Lydia more than on her oldest daughter Annabel did not want to lose Lydia again that she would do anything to keep Lydia by her side. Meanwhile, Annabel, refuses to believe that Lydia is back as she noted some strange things about the newcomer. And Annabel knew that whoever this person is, is actually not her sister but someone else entirely. Annabel is determined to expose this out.

The story is written in two POVs–Annabel and Wendy. From the start of the story, you notice that Wendy and Annabel do not really have a good mother daughter relationship with each other. As a reader ( to me) I mostly felt sympathizing with Annabel’s character more than Wendy. I feel Wendy is not really a good parents, showing off favoritism–treating her two daughters in different ways. We are also painted with an image that Annabel can somewhat be a mentally disturbed person and that she almost killed her own sister. However, tension arises as you read through the book, the relationship between Annabel and Wendy deteriorates further and further and Wendy literally would do anything to prevent Lydia from disappearing again. The whole story is fast paced, that will keep the reader at the edge. There are twists and turns but the biggest twist comes at the end of the book. It was actually a completely unexpected twist and didn’t really see that twist coming. It was unputdownable and I actually liked this thriller.

Overall this book is worth 4.5 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

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The Barefoot Bookshop on the Beach – ARC Book Review

The Barefoot Bookshop on the Beach

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Publishing date:- 7th March 2026

Publisher:- Boldwood Books

Author:- Revecca Raisin

No. of pages:- 335 pages

Genre:- Romance/Chick Lit

Quick Review–set in the island of Seychelles, the story is filled with laughter and at the same time enjoyable to read.

Rating:- overall review 4.5 stars

– Bookstagram

-Beach romance

-Grumpy Sunshine romance

-Cyberbullying

A wildly romantic, escapist summer romantic comedy, perfect for fans of Sarah Morgan and Eliza J Scott, guaranteed to make you feel like you’re on vacation already! 🏖️👣☀️💖 We need a bookseller for the Barefoot Bookshop on the Beach… apply here!

When Harper sees an ad for what must surely be the most idyllic job in the world, she’s almost tempted. But she can’t possibly leave her bookshop job in London, or her burgeoning career as a successful Bookstagram influencer… That is, until a casual remark about a debut author lands her in deep trouble.

So she applies. After all, now she’s got nothing to lose. Except maybe her heart, she realises, as she lands on the beautiful island of Ésperé in the Seychelles and finds herself seemingly surrounded by beautiful men. Including the hotel owner, moody but heartbreakingly-handsome Xavier.

But inter-staff relations are strictly forbidden. And Harper has enough on her plate, with a member of staff missing and a wily band of expats to contend with. Plus, she’s determined to make the bookshop and new start the success they deserve to be… Even if – under the blazing sunshine – the romance novel superfan in her can’t help but hope the boss of the hotel might not be quite the grump he seems…

The most romantic story you’ll read this year, with an unforgettable cast of characters that includes a giant tortoise living in a bookshop. Don’t miss it! 📚🐢🇸🇨

Harper Lee is a popular bookstagrammer and a staunch fan of romantic novels. When she accidentally live feed about her opinions about a new debut book, saying that she believed that the book is written by an AI, instantly, Harper becomes one of the most hated person on the internet and she gets fired from her job at Paddington Books. But then by chance, Harper comes across an add about hiring a manager for a bookshop named the Barefoot Bookshop located in Seychelles. Harper, determined to start all over again believes that this is a sign–she applies for the job, gets the job and then flies to Seychelles for her new job. While there, Harper meets lots of cute and handsome fellas, including grumpy Xavier who happens to run the resort in Seychelles. The bookshop is located in the resort. Determined to prove that she can run the bookshop and prevent Xavier from closing the bookshop, Harper instantly starts working but at the same time harboring feelings towards the certain grumpy manager…

I love reading Rebecca Raisin’s books and she is one of my favorite romance novels. Harper is a loyal fan of romance books and as a book reader and a book reviewer you can completely relate to Harper’s feelings and emotions when you realize that this so called book is robotic and might be an AI. You can almost feel as if you are in the beaches of Seychelles, when reading this book. I also like that Harper has a community of loyal friends both back in London and in Seychelles, where she befriends Mariola and three women who names are Lucy. I also like the background story of the sea turtle. The chemistry between Xavier and Harper is great and you almost root for the couple. There are some funny parts in the book.

Overall, this is an enjoyable read and I cannot wait to read Rebecca Raisin’s next novel–worth four stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood books for the ARC. Thank you Boldwood Books for inviting me to review this book. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

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