The British Booksellers by Kristy Cambron - OPTIONAL

The British Booksellers by Kristy Cambron, 384 pages. Thomas Nelson (Harper), 2024. $18.

Language: PG (7 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13

BUYING ADVISORY: ADULTS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Charlotte and Amos loved each other and dreamed of opening a bookshop as co-owners someday, despite the fact that they had wildly different social standings. Decades later, Charlotte and Amos have rival bookshops across the street from one another, and Charlotte’s daughter, Eden, is being sued by a random American who has come in the midst of war to serve her the papers.

At first, the constantly changing settings, time periods, and points of view were off putting, but I came to enjoy the stories being told. By watching the story unfold through time, Charlotte and Amos’s story becomes more powerful—and some antagonists turn out to be more of heroes than I wanted to give them credit for. I love that a story that starts to look like a tragedy can still end happily given enough time.

Most of the characters are English; Jacob is American. The mature content rating is for alcohol use and innuendo. The violence rating is for blood, death, bomb use, gun use, and descriptions of war.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen