My Rating: 4 stars
What an enjoyable read! When I first read the summary and found out this story is about a bibliophile and takes place in a bookshop, I was immediately interested in reading it. I love "books about books" and with this one taking place in a bookshop, I anticipated that there would likely be plenty of references to various literary works. For me, as a book lover, part of the fun in reading these types of books is being able to recognize the literary references sprinkled throughout the story – of course, this one had plenty of references to books, but what set this apart from other "books about books" for me was the unique way in which some of these references were incorporated into the story: the main character Loveday Cardew, who works at the Lost for Words Bookshop, has some of her favorite quotes from books she has read tattooed on various parts of her body. It was interesting to see which quotes Loveday chose and the significance those words had for her.
Loveday is a wonderfully drawn character – flawed and broken after having endured unspeakable tragedy as a child, she was a loner who didn't like interacting with people and instead, found comfort in the world she created for herself through books and a love of reading cultivated since childhood. She is quirky, sarcastic, unapologetic, and has a negative outlook on life due to what she endured many years ago, yet it was precisely these traits that made her such a realistic and endearing character. Having the entire narrative told from Loveday's first person point of view worked really well with this book, as we got the chance to dive deep into her mindset and personality firsthand, which for me, also made it easier to connect with this character on an emotional level.
The other character I adored in this book was Archie, the owner of the bookshop who was eccentric and charming and larger-than-life in many ways, yet genuinely cared for Loveday and as a mentor as well as father figure, always had her best interests at heart. I loved the special bond that Archie and Loveday shared – their interactions and the way they bantered back and forth with each other always managed to put a smile on my face (which of course should come as no surprise that I cried real tears over the ending). The other supporting characters in the story (Nathan, Melodie, Rob, etc.) were also well-drawn – this is definitely a cast of characters that I won't soon forget.
The character of Loveday reminded me of Eleanor in Gail Honeyman's Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine while the bookshop setting, Archie, as well as the events that occur around the bookshop remind me of Gabrielle Zevin's The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. Both books were ones I read last year and absolutely adored! For me, this book was a worthwhile read that went deeper than I expected in terms of exploring important issues such as domestic violence, mental illness, love, resilience, social convention, childhood trauma, etc. yet managed to remain lighthearted and even uplifting. This is a well-written story, one that can be simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking (and will likely make you shed a few tears or two), but definitely highly recommended!
Received ARC from Thomas Dunne Books / St. Martin's Press via NetGalley.
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