The best word to describe this mid-2017 release is cute. It follows two main characters, Rachel Sweetie and Henry Jones as they reconnect after years apart. The only problem? Rachel used to be in love with Henry, and now she’s hiding an even bigger secret from him.
The second I realized this story is centered around a bookstore, I was hooked. It’s practically a character in its own right, something I adore in a novel. Howling Books is a used bookstore that will make you wish you could head to Australia to visit. The best part? There’s a lending library where none of the books are for sale. It exists solely for people to write notes in the margins of their favorite books.
As a book lover, Howling Books and its quirks seemed like a dream come true. As a bookseller for an indie bookstore, it was more of a nightmare. No wonder a large part of the novel centers around its financial issues and a search for a solution. All the same, it’s a cute idea for the book and has plenty of plot relevance as the characters all write notes to each other and to anyone else who happens to pick up these novels.
While I loved the concept and devoured the book all in one night, the writing didn’t always hold up. A lot of the prose was beautiful and I found myself highlighting a lot on my Nook to come back to later, but at times it seemed as though the book was struggling to keep up with itself. It tried to do so much in a short amount of time and I am not sure it succeeded. I think had the book been longer or had some of the subplots been cut out it would have been excellent.
That said, I did love this book as I was reading it. It was cute and fluffy and was perfect for a rainy weekend night when I didn’t much feel like leaving my apartment. If you’re looking for something that will put a smile on your face, consider Cath Crowley’s Words in Deep Blue.