The Christmas Bookshop
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- Create Date：2021-10-15 00:51:28
- Update Date：2025-09-08
- Status：finish
- Author：Jenny Colgan
- ISBN：0751584258
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Summary
Perfect for the holidays！ A brand-new heartwarming Christmas novel from the beloved New York Times bestselling author of The Bookshop on the Corner and Christmas at the Island Hotel。
When the department store she works in closes for good， Carmen has perilously little cash and few options。 She doesn’t want to move in with her perfect sister Sofia， in Sofia’s perfect house with her perfect children and her perfectly ordered Edinburgh life。
Frankly， Sofia doesn’t exactly want Carmen there either。 Her sister has always been sarcastic and difficult。 But Sofia has yet another baby on the way， a mother desperate to see her daughters get along， and a client who needs a retail assistant for his ailing bookshop， so welcoming Carmen might still have some benefits for everyone。
At Sofia’s behest， Carmen is thrown into the daily workings of old Mr。 McCredie’s ancient bookshop on the streets of the old dark city。 Can she use her design skills to revamp the store and bring it back to popularity in time to benefit from Christmas shopping traffic？ Can she choose between bad boy literary rock star Blair and quiet Quaker student Oke？ And will she heal the rift with the most important people of all: her family？
When the department store she works in closes for good， Carmen has perilously little cash and few options。 She doesn’t want to move in with her perfect sister Sofia， in Sofia’s perfect house with her perfect children and her perfectly ordered Edinburgh life。
Frankly， Sofia doesn’t exactly want Carmen there either。 Her sister has always been sarcastic and difficult。 But Sofia has yet another baby on the way， a mother desperate to see her daughters get along， and a client who needs a retail assistant for his ailing bookshop， so welcoming Carmen might still have some benefits for everyone。
At Sofia’s behest， Carmen is thrown into the daily workings of old Mr。 McCredie’s ancient bookshop on the streets of the old dark city。 Can she use her design skills to revamp the store and bring it back to popularity in time to benefit from Christmas shopping traffic？ Can she choose between bad boy literary rock star Blair and quiet Quaker student Oke？ And will she heal the rift with the most important people of all: her family？
Reviews
Susan Peterson
，
I love Christmas stories， I love books and book stores， I love stories about sisters and families， and I love romance—this was book was perfect for me！ All of the characters were complex， all of them growing and learning and loving。 There were lovely scenes， there were funny scenes， there were scenes that made me tear up。 This is a lovely and endearing book to read for the holidays and any time！
Lynn J。
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I feel so terrible leaving such a low review， but I genuinely loathed this book。 Do not pick this up if you are looking for a magical Christmas book。 Don't pick this up if you're looking for a heartwarming romance。 And certainly don't pick this up if you want excitement， multi-dimensional characters or even just an interesting story。 I was completely bored by this book and not at all invested in any of the 1-note characters， or anything they were doing， really。 Thank you to #Netgalley and #Willi I feel so terrible leaving such a low review， but I genuinely loathed this book。 Do not pick this up if you are looking for a magical Christmas book。 Don't pick this up if you're looking for a heartwarming romance。 And certainly don't pick this up if you want excitement， multi-dimensional characters or even just an interesting story。 I was completely bored by this book and not at all invested in any of the 1-note characters， or anything they were doing， really。 Thank you to #Netgalley and #WilliamMorrow for a complimentary ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Sar Ah Horton
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I’m Dreaming of a…My first question is: where do I find a Spice Girls duvet？！ How did I not know these existed？In other news， The Christmas Bookshop is a coming of age story for our main character Carmen， but I also think it’s a coming of age story for a family。 When one central relationship is in turmoil， it can really divide a family。 The relationships in this book are interesting and at times sad。 I really enjoyed Mr。 McCredie’s character， he was probably my favorite！ His back story was inter I’m Dreaming of a…My first question is: where do I find a Spice Girls duvet？！ How did I not know these existed？In other news， The Christmas Bookshop is a coming of age story for our main character Carmen， but I also think it’s a coming of age story for a family。 When one central relationship is in turmoil， it can really divide a family。 The relationships in this book are interesting and at times sad。 I really enjoyed Mr。 McCredie’s character， he was probably my favorite！ His back story was interesting and I love his nostalgia。 Obviously from my question， I’m also a very nostalgic person （Yay Spice Girls）！ Plus， I love the idea of a Christmas bookshop。 It seems perfect for Edinburg。 And If you’re a fan of the Bookshop series’， you’ll see some familiar characters intertwined， which I always love！ The books are their own stories， but I still recommend starting at The Bookshop on the Corner and then continue through the rest。 。。。more
Amanda
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Jenny Colgan is such a reliable storyteller when it comes to delightful secondary characters and a plot drenched in all things books and reading。 Carmen’s development and growth as a human through this sweet novel was a joy to behold。 A perfect holiday novel for book lovers。
Andrea
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I received a proof copy of The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan through a Goodreads Giveaway。 The story is about two sisters， Sophie and Carmen， who couldn’t be more different。 Set in Edinburgh where Carmen goes to help out a client of Sophie’s。 Carmen transforms the bookshop in time for Christmas。 There is lots drama and romance。 A prefect holiday story。
Jamie
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Jenny Colgan’s The Christmas Bookshop is the story of Carmen who moves to Edinburgh to work and live with her sister’s family。 While there， Carmen works in a bookshop that is in great need of help。 From the bookshop to the characters， The Christmas Bookshop shows that first appearances aren’t always correct。 A lovely and well-written story that shows the magic of the Christmas season。
Lisa of Hopewell
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I learned of this book here https://cindysbookcorner。blogspot。com。。。 I learned of this book here https://cindysbookcorner。blogspot。com。。。 。。。more
Avril Mcauley
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This book was very close to my heart as it was set in my home city of Edinburgh。It tells the story of Carmen and the rocky relationship she has with her sister Sophia。。 when a client of sophias needs help to save his bookshop and losing everything she suggests Carmen helps him to turn his business around。Carmen soon falls in love with the rundown bookshop as she brings it back to life， making friends with the other shop owners in Victoria Street。 Blair is a writer who asks to use the shop for pu This book was very close to my heart as it was set in my home city of Edinburgh。It tells the story of Carmen and the rocky relationship she has with her sister Sophia。。 when a client of sophias needs help to save his bookshop and losing everything she suggests Carmen helps him to turn his business around。Carmen soon falls in love with the rundown bookshop as she brings it back to life， making friends with the other shop owners in Victoria Street。 Blair is a writer who asks to use the shop for publicity。 Blair is very self centred and thinks everyone loves him。 Then Oke walks in to the shop and Carmens life changes。 Living in the centre of Sophias family she learns the value of being in a family and forming bonds with her nieces and nephew。 Even although Skylar （the live in nanny） tries to spoil everything she does。A beautiful book full of Christmas magic， made me fall in love with Edinburgh’s Christmas all over again。Thank you Little， Brown Book Group UK and Netgalley for an early copy of this book 。。。more
Peggy
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The Christmas Bookshop is a delightful story。 Carmen did not go to college， is not married ， lives at home and is working at a department store that is closing。 She has very few options in her small town and her Mother suggested that she move in with her sister， Sofia who is a successful attorney， has a successful husband， has 3 children and is expecting a fourth。 Neither sister wants this but Carmen agrees to move in with her sister and work at a Bookshop where Sofia has arranged for her to wor The Christmas Bookshop is a delightful story。 Carmen did not go to college， is not married ， lives at home and is working at a department store that is closing。 She has very few options in her small town and her Mother suggested that she move in with her sister， Sofia who is a successful attorney， has a successful husband， has 3 children and is expecting a fourth。 Neither sister wants this but Carmen agrees to move in with her sister and work at a Bookshop where Sofia has arranged for her to work。 When Carmen arrives， she finds a failing old bookstore。 While Carmen uses her skills to turn the bookstore around， she meets two gentleman that may hold her interest。 I received this book from Goodreads in exchange for a review。 。。。more
Jess
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Hallmark Christmas movie in book form… what’s not to love？！ Thanks to NetGalley and The publisher for the arc！
Heather
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This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by William Morrow and Custom House and #NetGalley for my honest opinion。 The third in a series， it was just like the others。 Enjoyable， lovely and an entertaining holiday read。
Susie Stangland
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Jenny Colgan has combined my two favorite things into one very enjoyable read！ Holiday season and bookshops！ Two sisters， Carmen and Sofia work out bumps in their relationship in a setting as charming as one found in the Christmas movie， The Holiday。 Of course my favorite “character” is the bookshop itself。 Highly recommend adding this to your list of books to give and even better？ Combine this book with a gift card to the recepient’s favorite bookshop！Merry Christmas！
Lisa Hart
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I won this ARC in a Goodreads giveaway， and I’m so glad I did！ A perfect holiday read， if a bit predictable but I’m a sucker for a happy ending。 It read like a Hallmark Christmas movie， which is another guilty pleasure。 4 stars because it was a little long and I really was hoping for a more satisfying way for things to wrap up with Skylar （trying not to give anything away） but an overall cute holiday read。 Thanks Goodreads！
Katie MB
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Thank you， NetGalley and William Morrow， for the ARC of this endearing novel。 Jenny Colgan delivers a heartwarming tale that would make for the most perfect Hallmark Christmas movie。 Set in picturesque Edinburgh， our fierce protagonist Carmen is down on her luck。 She’s lost her job， her flat，， and her hope。 With the love of her family and the support of the cast of the most lovable， quirky characters， we see Carmen transform her life。 The bookshop in the novel is enchanting， as is the snow， the Thank you， NetGalley and William Morrow， for the ARC of this endearing novel。 Jenny Colgan delivers a heartwarming tale that would make for the most perfect Hallmark Christmas movie。 Set in picturesque Edinburgh， our fierce protagonist Carmen is down on her luck。 She’s lost her job， her flat，， and her hope。 With the love of her family and the support of the cast of the most lovable， quirky characters， we see Carmen transform her life。 The bookshop in the novel is enchanting， as is the snow， the children， and Mr。 McCredie。 It’s so easy to fall in love with The Christmas Bookshop; I am hoping for a sequel！ 。。。more
Lois
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I received a proof copy of this book from a Goodreads Giveaway。Jenny Colgan always gives me a happy smile during and after reading her books， as she is a master at her craft。 This tale was sweet， sad， happy and heartwarming - and I found myself laughing at finding traits of myself and my family so aptly described in Jenny’s characters。 Give yourself a Christmas treat and read The Christmas Bookshop as soon as you are able。 You too will enjoy spending time with these folks during the holiday seas I received a proof copy of this book from a Goodreads Giveaway。Jenny Colgan always gives me a happy smile during and after reading her books， as she is a master at her craft。 This tale was sweet， sad， happy and heartwarming - and I found myself laughing at finding traits of myself and my family so aptly described in Jenny’s characters。 Give yourself a Christmas treat and read The Christmas Bookshop as soon as you are able。 You too will enjoy spending time with these folks during the holiday season， or during any season。 。。。more
Lisa
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When I discovered that Jenny Colgan added another bookshop book to the series， I could not wait to read it。 I loved the first two installments， and this one did not disappoint。 This is the story of Carmen who has spent most of her life in the shadow of her very successful older sister， Sofia。 The department store where Carmen has worked most of her adult life has recently closed， she is back at home with her parents and has no job。 Enter Sofia who is a very successful lawyer in Edinburgh with a When I discovered that Jenny Colgan added another bookshop book to the series， I could not wait to read it。 I loved the first two installments， and this one did not disappoint。 This is the story of Carmen who has spent most of her life in the shadow of her very successful older sister， Sofia。 The department store where Carmen has worked most of her adult life has recently closed， she is back at home with her parents and has no job。 Enter Sofia who is a very successful lawyer in Edinburgh with a client that is about to lose his family inheritance unless he has a successful season at his book shop。 So Carmen is off to Edinburgh to stay with her very pregnant sister， two nieces， one nephew and a very snarky nanny in order to help young Mr。 McCredie save the family fortune。 She arrives to find that she will be staying in the basement with the nanny， her sister is far more successful （and pregnant） than she anticipated， her nieces’ relationship is almost identical to the one she has with her sister， Mr。 McCredie is not young at all and his shop is a mess。 Despite all of this， Carmen is charmed by Edinburgh， Sophia’s beautiful house snd even the children。 Per usual， there are visits from characters of past books （perfectly placed）。 I read this book in two days， and was charmed by the setting and the characters。 If you are a fan of Jenny Colgan’s books， you will not be disappointed， if you have not yet read them， what are you waiting for？？？ 。。。more
Travelmaven
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Well this was just what I needed！ I won this on GoodReads （thank you！）。 It arrived this week and I read it in two nights。 Fun and interesting and characters I cared about and just right。 Thank you， Jenny Colgan， for yet another great story！
Janilyn Kocher
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Two sisters couldn’t be more different。 Sophie， an accomplished wife， mother， and career woman and Carmen who just lost her low paying job。 Carmen is sent to Sophie’s to，help，out a client in his bookshop。 It was fun to read the developing relationship between the sisters and for them each to realize value and worth in the other。 The children added comic relief。 The bookshop is inviting and books during the holiday season are especially magical。 Visit Edinburgh in Colgan’s latest and see what hap Two sisters couldn’t be more different。 Sophie， an accomplished wife， mother， and career woman and Carmen who just lost her low paying job。 Carmen is sent to Sophie’s to，help，out a client in his bookshop。 It was fun to read the developing relationship between the sisters and for them each to realize value and worth in the other。 The children added comic relief。 The bookshop is inviting and books during the holiday season are especially magical。 Visit Edinburgh in Colgan’s latest and see what happens to the sisters。 I love the festive cover。 Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the early copy。 。。。more
Juliana | heyjulianahey
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Thank you Goodreads and William Morrow Paperbacks for the giveaway ARC。 The Christmas Bookshop will be published October 26， 2021。What I enjoyed: -The Edinburgh setting。 Jenny Colgan made the city and the Christmas season come alive。-The bookshop owner and his backstory。-The children。 What I didn’t like: -I didn’t buy the romance。 I get that it wasn’t the focus of the story， but I wish it wasn’t so lackluster。 -As someone who was born and raised in Brazil， I was puzzled by the author’s choice to Thank you Goodreads and William Morrow Paperbacks for the giveaway ARC。 The Christmas Bookshop will be published October 26， 2021。What I enjoyed: -The Edinburgh setting。 Jenny Colgan made the city and the Christmas season come alive。-The bookshop owner and his backstory。-The children。 What I didn’t like: -I didn’t buy the romance。 I get that it wasn’t the focus of the story， but I wish it wasn’t so lackluster。 -As someone who was born and raised in Brazil， I was puzzled by the author’s choice to have a Brazilian character who is a Quaker， seeing as there are less than 150 Quakers in a country of almost 215 million。 But okay， I guess。 -The writing is a little disjointed and repetitive。 There is a lot of going on tangents in the middle of sentences， grammar and punctuation errors， use of gendered pronouns for gender neutral words***， incorrect spelling of a city in Brazil where a Brazilian character is from， overuse of terms such as blah blah blah and higgledy-piggledy （to the point that it gets annoying and I have to mention it here）。I want to point out I read an uncorrected proof， and I’m hoping the copy editors will give this the attention it deserves before the release of the book next month。***I spotted this more than once and it really bugged me！ For example， “[…] a place where any sane human would want to spend her time or her money。”—instead of their time and their money。 Ugh。 Overall， this one was just okay。 But still worth picking it up if you’re looking for a cozy holiday read。 。。。more
Wendy W。
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Four and a half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭒The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan is everything you want in a Christmas book and more！ It’s a charming and heartwarming story of love， family， relationships， and redemption。 I knew a holiday story set in a historic bookshop would be good， and I was not disappointed。 Carmen is forced to move in with her perfect sister Sofia， and her perfect family after she lost her job in a department store’s haberdashery department。 With no job prospects in her dying town， she gr Four and a half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭒The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan is everything you want in a Christmas book and more！ It’s a charming and heartwarming story of love， family， relationships， and redemption。 I knew a holiday story set in a historic bookshop would be good， and I was not disappointed。 Carmen is forced to move in with her perfect sister Sofia， and her perfect family after she lost her job in a department store’s haberdashery department。 With no job prospects in her dying town， she grudgingly moves to Edinburg to live with her sister and her perfect family。 Sofia， an attorney， finds Carmen a job in her clients， a dilapidated and unprofitable bookstore owned and managed by Mr。 McCredie in the old historical shopping district in downtown Edinburgh。 Carmen quickly realizes that Mr。 McCredie is not a good businessman， and enjoys reading much more than running his bookshop。 She uses her retail experience to instill some much-needed warmth， and Christmas spirit into the bookshop as she grows to love the store and old Mr。 McCredie。 She meets an exciting， famous， and rich self-help author who befriends her， even if he is a bit self-involved。 And she finds the quiet， but lovely， university lecturer， Oke， a friendly face with a genuine personality， a warm and pleasant friend。 A Christmas Bookshop has a lot of heart and is the perfect holiday book。 These characters are so well developed with flaws and traits that make them real to the reader。 The author’s descriptions of Edinburgh and the historic district in winter are so realistic I felt like I was walking to the old historic bookshop along with Carmen。 The story flowed so well that I never felt it drag or move too fast。 I enjoyed the relationship Carmen developed with Mr。 McCredie， Sofie， and especially Sofie’s three （soon to be four） children。 And I loved the way Carmen and Sofie worked through their old grievances and learned to love each other’s strengths and weaknesses。 I highly recommend The Christmas Bookshop to anyone who loves a deep and emotional holiday story。 I received a complimentary copy of this book。 The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。 。。。more
Trista
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I received this as a Goodreads Giveaway。 I've seen other reviewers saying that this very much has a Hallmark movie vibe and I 100 percent agree with that assessment。 It's sweet and feel good and Carmen is someone you want to root for。 It's genuinely a perfect read to put you in a holiday mood。 I received this as a Goodreads Giveaway。 I've seen other reviewers saying that this very much has a Hallmark movie vibe and I 100 percent agree with that assessment。 It's sweet and feel good and Carmen is someone you want to root for。 It's genuinely a perfect read to put you in a holiday mood。 。。。more
Heather
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I really did not care for any of the characters when I first started this novel， but by a quarter of the way in I found myself annoyed when I had to put it down。 Love the changes each character went through， bettering themselves， their relationships with each other， and sharing that joyous change with those around them。 Ms。 Colgan is an amazing author。 Super excited to share this read with family :D
Kim
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It is a good book。 The sibling story is a good story。 I would recommend this book。 I want to read other books by this author。
Rachel Stansel
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Carmen is forced to move in with her sister and kids。 A rough relationship makes for a tense start but as she works to help a local bookstore turn things around by Christmas， she begins to get yo know them。 There is also some romance and a mystery tossed in。 Overall an enjoyable story。 Full disclosure ' I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review Carmen is forced to move in with her sister and kids。 A rough relationship makes for a tense start but as she works to help a local bookstore turn things around by Christmas， she begins to get yo know them。 There is also some romance and a mystery tossed in。 Overall an enjoyable story。 Full disclosure ' I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review 。。。more
wellreadtraveler
，
Everyone knows I’m Jenny Colgan’s #1 fan。 The second I finished the last page of The Bookshop on the Corner she had herself a reader forever！ I just know going into her books I’m going to finish feeling happy。 Books about books are my favorite so when I spotted The Christmas Bookshop I was so excited。 A Christmas book…。about books…。。by my favorite author…。。don’t mind if I do！ The Christmas Bookshop comes out October 26th so go pre-order your copy now。Carmen is feeling extra bahumbug this holiday Everyone knows I’m Jenny Colgan’s #1 fan。 The second I finished the last page of The Bookshop on the Corner she had herself a reader forever！ I just know going into her books I’m going to finish feeling happy。 Books about books are my favorite so when I spotted The Christmas Bookshop I was so excited。 A Christmas book…。about books…。。by my favorite author…。。don’t mind if I do！ The Christmas Bookshop comes out October 26th so go pre-order your copy now。Carmen is feeling extra bahumbug this holiday season。 She’s lost her retail job and has to spend the holiday with her perfect sister， with her perfect husband， and perfect 2。5 children。 The last thing she wants to do is stay with her sister and take her hand me out job she’s probably begged a friend to give to her loser sister。 But， Carmen needs a job and maybe she can play nice just for the holidays。 Carmen is pleasantly surprised to learn she will be working for Mr。 McCredie at his bookshop trying to help him turn the shop around before he loses it for good。 The bookshop is located in the historical quarter of Edinburg and Carmen is loving all the shops with the beautiful displays。 The street is so inviting and all decked out for the holidays， except the bookshop。 Inside Carmen finds a labyrinth of book stacks， dust， all in no particular order， and at the end sweet little Mr。 McCredie。 Where would one even begin to sort through this mess？ As the days go by Carmen learns about the situation with the bank and the rent of the bookshop going up and she realizes she may not have a job after the holidays。 With the help of an old coworker ideas to start to flow how to clean， organize， and give the bookshop just the curb appeal it needs to get customers in the door。 When the opportunity to have a big name author presents itself Carmen knows this will be a good start。 Blair is a self-help guru and so charming and handsome every woman will be dying to get in the shop to meet him。 Truthfully Carmen is initially smitten as well， but she also has a soft spot for a sweet customer named Oke。Carmen decorates the bookshop and puts a beautiful vintage train set in the window for display。 She started weekly readings for the children and has really built a name for herself。 All the local shops are so happy to see her making positive changes and things with her sister are improving。 She’s really loving getting to know her niece and nephew and spending her time making friends of her own， especially Oke and Blair。 The two men are so different and Carmen likes them for different reasons。 Blair is so handsome and rich and worldly while Oke is sweet and down to earth and loves trees more than people。 What she’s really come to love is Mr。McCredie and the bookshop。 This experience has changed so many things in Carmen’s life and really taught her what’s important in life。 。。。more
Angela Lawman
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Reading one of Jenny’s books is like falling into a great big hug。 I love all of her stories and characters and adore how her worlds collide， with people from different books popping up unexpectedly but in a very welcome way。Carmen is a bit of a disaster zone and nothing like her married， mother of three and pregnant with another， lawyer by trade， older sister Sofia。 But when Sofia finds out that a client is about to lose everything， she realises that Carmen could be the answer to his prayers…。a Reading one of Jenny’s books is like falling into a great big hug。 I love all of her stories and characters and adore how her worlds collide， with people from different books popping up unexpectedly but in a very welcome way。Carmen is a bit of a disaster zone and nothing like her married， mother of three and pregnant with another， lawyer by trade， older sister Sofia。 But when Sofia finds out that a client is about to lose everything， she realises that Carmen could be the answer to his prayers…。and find a way to sort out her own life at the same time。Loved this book， thank you Jenny and NetGalley！ 。。。more
Sheila
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I received an advance copy of， The Christmas Bookshop， by Jenny Colgan。 I thought this book was just ok。 I really did not like the character of Carmen。 Sophie was only a little better 。
Katie Dei
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I have read many books by Jenny Colgan， of her I believe it is 42 books I have read 19 including this one。 This was the first book of Colgan’s where I didn’t fall immediately in love with the characters。 They were ones I had to warm up to， but once I did so they were， as always， lovely。 Colgan is great at writing flawed and stronger than they believe themselves to be characters， but in The Christmas Bookshop， the characters are very distinct。 Our main two characters， a pair of sisters who do not I have read many books by Jenny Colgan， of her I believe it is 42 books I have read 19 including this one。 This was the first book of Colgan’s where I didn’t fall immediately in love with the characters。 They were ones I had to warm up to， but once I did so they were， as always， lovely。 Colgan is great at writing flawed and stronger than they believe themselves to be characters， but in The Christmas Bookshop， the characters are very distinct。 Our main two characters， a pair of sisters who do not have the highest opinions of each other， are both stubborn with a lack of soft edges。 Jumping between the third person POV of them both， it was hard to build camaraderie for one or both。 As the story deepens and we get to see their complexity and can see the traits that the sisters don’t see in each other。 Aside from the sisters， we get some lovely side characters and three of them happen to be the best kids around。 Not in attitude， but definitely in serving up great dialogue and ideas。 Which brings us to plot。It’s Jenny Colgan， so of course there is romance， but The Christmas Bookshop is mostly a family Christmas story and one that leaves you excited for the coming Christmas season and makes you a little less annoyed at the impending family obligations。 Growing up with 4 siblings， Colgan’s novel hit home and resonated with me on how siblings can grow to take each other for granted and/or misunderstand one another and how that can affect the relationship。 It was nice to see a story that feels Christmassy， romancey， but still gives you those familial themes that can feel quite fake during the seasonal cheer。 Colgan brings reel and raw family dynamics wrapped up in her distinct writing style I adore。Comparing this to her other novels， it reads similarity to The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris， not in themes， but in the way she wrote it and the complexity of the characters。 If you enjoyed that novel of hers， you would especially enjoy this one。 If you have never picked up a Jenny Colgan novel and are looking to and want a Christmas story， I would recommend picking up Welcome to Rosie Hopkins’ Sweet Shop of Dreams （sometimes just titled Sweet Shop of Dreams） and reading that followed by Christmas at Rosie Hopkins’ Sweet Shop。 If you never picked up a Jenny Colgan novel but want to and you don’t care about the Christmas aspect， I would encourage to pick up her novel The Bookshop on the Corner or The Little Beach Street Bakery （if you are looking for a series）。*I received a complimentary copy of this book。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。 * 。。。more
Carla
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I love Jenny Colgan and this book did not disappoint！ Such a sweet story， peppered with humor and love。 I’m feeling Christmas-y in September！
Lynne Spreen
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When Carmen finds herself unemployed， living with her parents， and no job prospects， she is forced to move to the big city and live with her super-successful lawyer sister， Sophia， and her perfect children and new-agey， self-centered nanny。 In Edinburgh， Carmen goes to work for Sophia’s client， a sad old man with a bookshop that must not fail。 In spite of the chip on her shoulder toward the posh town， its wealthy residents， the students who attend university， and just about everyone else， she be When Carmen finds herself unemployed， living with her parents， and no job prospects， she is forced to move to the big city and live with her super-successful lawyer sister， Sophia， and her perfect children and new-agey， self-centered nanny。 In Edinburgh， Carmen goes to work for Sophia’s client， a sad old man with a bookshop that must not fail。 In spite of the chip on her shoulder toward the posh town， its wealthy residents， the students who attend university， and just about everyone else， she begins to mature and become a part of the charming community。 She develops a greater appreciation for her sister， bonds with the kids， spars with the nanny， and reacts to the romantic interest from two men。 Carmen is funny， blunt， smart， and hard-working。 She's an admirable main character。 This is a coming-of-age story。 The setting of Edinburgh is magical， described with all the richness you’d expect from a Colgan novel。 There’s a good subplot with the bookstore owner’s family origins。 The romantic lead is an unusual but rich choice。 The only negative is that Colgan head-hops between characters more than ever， which can be a tiny bit confusing， although it doesn’t detract from the story。 Thanks to Netgalley for this advance read！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Christmas Bookshop
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Christmas Bookshop&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft