The Bookshop by the Beach

by J.C. Williams

Libby Tebbit had absolutely had her fill of big-city life.

So, when presented with the opportunity to take over her gran’s shop, The Bookshop by the Beach, she’d have been crazy to turn it down, right?

Idyllic notions of lazy days by the ocean shore, shooing away the surplus eligible bachelors circling around her like squawking gulls, filled her head. These things were certain to await her, she felt confident, in this next glorious chapter of her life - this wonderful seaside adventure on the Isle of Man.

Only her business acumen was about as useless as her choice in men. Still, nothing ventured nothing gained. And, besides, what’s the worst that could happen?

Well, quite a lot as she’d soon discover. In a relatively short amount of time, a business that’d operated fairly successfully for 40 years was on its knees - and, sadly, Libby’s dance card was also emptier than her bank account.

She wasn’t ready to let go of her dream so easily. Not just yet. All she needed, then, was a plan to turn around the ailing fortunes of The Bookshop by the Beach, and fast!

The feel-good romantic-comedy listen for the summer. If you enjoy Sophie Kinsella or JoJo Moyes, then you'll adore this book.

Genres: Audiobook, Chick Lit, Romance, Contemporary, Humor

9 pages, Audible Audio

Published February 2, 2021

About the author

J C Williams is an author from the Isle of Man.

He's delighted to advise his hilarious new book, the Crafternoon Sewcial Club is now available on Amazon.

His books are for those who don’t take life too seriously and are funny, poignant and ultimately uplifting.

He writes books both for the little ankle-biters and also the older audience. They're written with delightful humour and will leave you with a huge smile on your face.

He presently has seventeen titles and all are available on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle with some now also available in Audio format.

He'd love to hear from you!

Email - authorjcwilliams@gmail.com

You can follow him on Facebook at @jcwilliamsauthor

You can also subscribe to his newsletter by visiting his website www.authorjcwilliams.com

Reviews

[Passi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book as my last book for my October reading challenge and it was hell. Libby is an idiot and gullible.

This was very trash and corny. Fat phobia and sexual harassment is taken too lightly for me. We should have been beat James ass.

[Kerry Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good book
I listened to it on audible and enjoyed the narrator.
Funny, lighthearted and an all over feel good book
Highly recommend this one for all Jenny Colgan and Milly Johnson fans
Kerry Kennedy Author

[Cara Lord · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cozy but terrible really

[Rachael Boswell · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF - what drivel and don't care what happens with the characters.

[Kathryn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is why you should never trust a free book.
I'm not saying it was desperate, but I did have to check the author was actually a real person and not AI ...

3.5/10 - SO HAMMY

[Sax · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️

[Lauren Sparrow · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars - I'm still not entirely sure what the main story is as there seemed to be so much unnecessary narration/dialogue. Sometimes it felt like Libby, the main character, would talk herself through every action that was doing, or thinking about doing and for me, it took the focus away from the actual storyline. In Chapter 16, there was a whole conversation between Libby & Eric and I honestly lost count of how many times Libby said 'Eric'! It was like every time she responded to him, she had to say his name multiple times!
I don't think this was a bad book, but it was just ok.
Very wordy with not much actually happening in my opinion but overall, a cute little contemporary romance.

[Scarlett Trotman · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Bookshop by the Beach was a bit of a miss for me, and I gave it 2.5 stars. I really wanted to love it... the setting had so much potential, but I found the main character quite unlikeable, which made it hard to stay invested in the story.

There was also far too much focus on calorie counting, which quickly became repetitive and distracting from what could have been a cosy, heartwarming read.

Overall, a light story with promise, but forgettable.

[Megan De Marco · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was fine, but dragged on a bit because it focused on too many things that didn't matter. Also, the writing or editing could do with some work...

"Why would I care about anything having to do with Luke at this point?” asked a confused Libby, not understanding why she should care about anything having to do with Luke at this point."

[Charlotte · Rating 1 out of 5]

A real disappointment. It’s a weird mix of old fashioned sayings and vocabulary with a modern setting and the odd swear word as an attempt to stay current. The first book I’ve struggled to finish for a long long time. Massive anticlimax and a storyline that seemed jumbled and destined for a long journey around the houses before ending in nothing.

[Ritu Bhathal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this on Audiobook, and it was an easy listen. I found myself smiling to myself several times and had a few laugh-out-loud moments, too!
Libby runs a bookshop by the beach, aptly called the same, and it is a family business, run by her grandparents before her on the Isle of Man.
It's a beautiful place, but unfortunately is not raking in the dosh, so she is at risk of losing it.
The things this girl goes through to keep her shop, I tell you! Well, I won't tell you because you need to read it yourself!
There are crossed wires, hilarious moments excellently captured (Bonk Shop on the Beach, anyone?), romances that falter at the first hurdle, and some not-very-nice people (person) out there, but with her best friend, Freya, and some other great characters, Libby finds her way through her problems.
Another fantastic addition is the journals she finds belonging to her grandfather, which she reads in parallel with the happenings at the shop, giving her more gumption to continue her fight.
Great fun!

[Joana Faria · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read enough miserable books, so I treated myself to something completely ridiculous. This was cozy, gloriously stupid, cringe-inducing, utterly crap. 😂 I’m sure I’m 3% dumber now. But honestly? I had fun.

It reminded me of reading Bridget Jones decades ago. It has the same kind of vibe. 2 stars just for the fun of it. Zero stars for literary achievement.

[Emma Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5*
a freebie on audible. ok to listen to, nothing rememberable about it but was easy to listen to in the background.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Libby took over the running of her grandmother's bookshop by the beach, its a enjoyable read especially her granddad's diary story but I did find some parts unbelievable but does not put me off reading more from the author.

[Lyndsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and easy read

I giggled a lot at this book, and found myself even surprised at one point! I do think there was a mite of rushing in terms of certain relationships but I did thoroughly enjoy the read.

[Hilary Cockshaw · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audiobook - the plot was secondary to the 300 ways to say 'said'. Expostulated, grimaced, exclaimed, stated, explained, laughed, the list goes on and it was all I could hear in the end... it was so annoying, I explained!

[Keith Weller · Rating 5 out of 5]

As normal a very funny book had me laughing all the way

[Lucy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Almost a DNF but persevered, honestly wish I hadn’t.
Rushed tidying of the end, plot holes, unlikeable protagonist etc

[the slow reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was written terribly. I saw another review saying that it felt like it was written by AI and I agree. Very uninteresting and all the characters were silly and cliché.

[Christine Lussier · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok total filler type book

[Elle David · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m 1000% sure this is written by AI.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m not convinced this writer likes or knows many women. Lots of fat phobia in general and internalised-misogyny from the FMC. I’m going to finish it because I paid for it but I don’t have high hopes… It quickly became apparent this was a FMC written by a man. She’s nothing more than twenty misogynistic cliches in a trench coat, and so’s her best friend.

Edit 1:
• The further through I get, the more I dislike it.
• The author really REALLY doesn’t like women.
• The obsession with calories/fat/dieting is constant + exhausting
• The characters are deeply unlikeable other than the grandparents

Edit 2:
• I really don’t like that full-on crimes are just ignored and there’s no justice whatsoever
• Violent, financial and cyber abuse of women are treated as throwaway plot points, with no reckoning for the perpetrators
• Women are treated at ditsy and stupid

There are plenty more things to criticise but I’ve spend more than enough mental energy on this book.

It’s only 2 stars (rather than one) because I enjoyed the diary entries written from the point of view of the grandad.

[Wide Eyes, Big Ears! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isle of Man bookshop owner Libby Tebbit is an attractive klutz who wishes she had a man in her life and a business that didn’t skate so close to bankruptcy. She’s attracted to a hunky Luke, but he seems to be taking his time asking her out and her pretence that she shares his running hobby is looking like being a painful mistake. Libby finds her grandfather’s journal and she enjoys reading about how her grandparents got together and set up the bookshop. But soon the business is under attack from malicious websites and she starts losing money fast. Who would hate her enough to try and destroy her family’s legacy?

I always enjoy JC Williams’ books—they’re fun and playful with a big heart and this was no exception. Libby and her best friend, Freya, are the stars of the story: young empowered women who, nevertheless, have their faults. The Isle of Man is showcased as a convivial small town, with locals supporting each other in a very caring way. The sabotage plotline was absorbing but I couldn’t help but wonder why the police weren’t more involved, this was serious libel as well as theft. 🎧 Melissa Thom did a great job on the audio, capturing the humour and emotion well.

[Bea Ferreira · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 ⭐️

I was so skeptical with some of the reviews I’ve seen online about it being a childish and boring book but I completely disagree.
There was a great deal of suspense on the ‘enemies to lovers’ part (iykyk), there was plenty of interesting characters, some to be loved and some to be H A T E D, it’s a HEA story (and not only for the main character) and the parallel diary reading keeps throwing us back in time to when things were so different yet some were wonderful.
Multiple love stories, a nail biting deadline and a feel good ending.
NO SPICE | LIGHT CURSE | HEA

[Elaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

The cover and title attracted me to this free Audible book. The actual story- not my cup of tea at all! The characters were unlikeable and extremely annoying, and the story was just bleh. Listening to it was a chore! I finished it just because that’s what I do. I’m sure others out there will possibly enjoy it, it just wasn’t for me. A very disappointing experience.

[Lorraine Mullan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Overly descriptive would be kind, absolutely everything came with an explanation, the main character comes across in a very very childish way, yet owns a bookstore, drinks in the pub etc. I persevered until half way through chapter 2 and whilst normally I would leave a book and come back to it when it's this early on, it was genuinely a relief to DNF this!

[Julie · Rating 1 out of 5]

☑️ Easy to read.
☑️I have enjoyed previous books by this author.

❎Frivolous storyline.
❎Maybe I was too young an audience.
❎Dialogue felt forced.
❎Not sure if some of the trendy and hip words used are more to do with the local dialect... or am I just getting old?! 😂

[Emma Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cosy, summery read. A good concept. I didn't expect the story to change from light heartedness to detective/aggressive shop owners. For me, the FMC was super naive. I did feel like skipping pages at times during the middle of the book. But the ending made the book 3 stars rather than 2.

[RedReads · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have nothing positive to say.
Was this written by AI, or by someone not writing in their first language and without any lived experience of the location and culture they're setting the story within..?
Awful writing of a thoroughly stupid set of characters and a no plot 'story'.
Just, no.

[Sarah Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gentle read

A really nice read. A dream come true story. Some great characters whom you’d love to be mates with. Enjoyed it.