The Bookstore Diaries

by Susan Mallery

This summer, the town’s juiciest secrets are revealed in New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery’s joyful and sparkling new novel
Jax has a slight issue with control—as in, she needs it. Always. Too bad she has power only over the Painted Lady Bookstore, the Victorian mansion turned bookshop she inherited. No one else listens to a word she says. Her ex gets engaged for questionable reasons. Her beloved sister, Ryleigh, wants to move away to find a husband. And the handsome contractor Jax has chosen to convince Ryleigh to stay is only interested in Jax. 
Still, she’s living the bookworm dream—until an unhappy accident erases the names from the bookshop lockboxes where the town keeps their diaries. Which means the only way to find a diary’s owner is…to read it. 
As secrets spill and scandals surface, life at the Painted Lady Bookstore gets a lot more colorful and chaotic. But for a woman who’s always had to take charge, Jax will see that losing control—especially with the right wrong guy—can set you free.
 

Genres: Fiction

544 pages, Paperback

Expected publication March 3, 2026

About the author

#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming and humorous novels about the relationships that define women's lives—family, friendship, romance. She's best known for putting nuanced characters into emotionally complex, real-life situations with twists that surprise readers to laughter. Because Susan is passionate about animal welfare, pets play a big role in her books. Beloved by millions of readers worldwide, her books have been translated into 28 languages.

Critics have dubbed Mallery "the new queen of romantic fiction." (Walmart) Booklist says, "Romance novels don't get much better than Mallery's expert blend of emotional nuance, humor, and superb storytelling," and RT Book Reviews puts her "in a class by herself!" It's no wonder that her books have spent more than 200 weeks on the USA Today bestsellers list.

Although Susan majored in Accounting, she never worked as an accountant because she was published straight out of college with two books the same month. Sixteen prolific years and seventy-four books later, she hit the New York Times bestsellers list for the first time with Accidentally Yours in 2008. She made many appearances in the Top 10 before (finally) hitting #1 in 2015 with Thrill Me, the twentieth book in her most popular series, the Fool's Gold romances, and the fourth of five books released that year.

Susan lives in Washington state with her husband, two ragdoll cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur. Her heart for animals has led Susan to become an active supporter of the Seattle Humane Society. Visit Susan online at www.SusanMallery.com.

Reviews

[Bookworman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you, NetGalley and Harlequin for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A nice story about family relationships and love. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. My favorite character was Ronan, the African Gray parrot. He was funny and charming.

I had trouble connecting and caring about the main characters. It was clear from the first chapters what was going to ultimately happen. but it took a frustratingly long time for either sister to get a clue. I also didn't understand why there wasn't more interaction between the sisters and their mom and stepdad.

Anyway, it was good enough to read to the end and had enough positives to make it enjoyable.

[Lea Columbus · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to thank Net Galley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. I have read most, if not all of Susan Mallery's books. I have always enjoyed them, however, to me, this one was a little flat. It was overstuffed with plot and a bit disjointed. There were also a few plot lines that were left up in the air.Also, the title is misleading. The diaries only play a small part in the story. Jax and Ryleigh are sisters. Their mother wanted children and was unmarried 30 some years ago and use a sperm donor. Later , thier mother reconnected with a high school boyfiend and married. The sisters stepfather's parents had a bookstore and an African Grey Parrot, named Ramon. Jax has taken over the bookstore and the parrot. Jax was married to Harris , had 2 children and divorced a year ago. Their parenting plan is to let the kids in the house full time and the parents move in and out weekly. This works until Harris has a girlfriend that he wants to have regular sex with, so he proposes so she can stay in the houses with him and the kids every other week. He admits to Jax that he really isn't ready to remarry,but Shawna, his fiancee, is none the wiser. Shawna is a teacher at the same school as Ryleigh. Ryleigh thought her boyfriend was going to propose, but he didn't.Ryleigh is also friends with Alex, a recent widower, with a son. Jax hasn't dated since her divorce, and says she doesn't want to, but wants her sister to date Marcus, the contractor who is remodeling the bookstore. Part of the remodel means taking down a wall where diaries are hidden. People write in diaries and then hide them in the wall, and they stay hidden. Anyway, the diaries are really a small part of this. The focus is on Jax, Harris, Shawna, Ryleigh, Alex, Marcus and yes Ramon. Actually, the bird gets the best lines in the book. I do not like birds and really , this whole subplot was , to me, odd. However, it is a personal thing, I am sure. My real problem is that there were no real surprises in the outcome, it ended pretty much as I thought it would from the beginning. It had some good scenes, and some interesting characters, but way too much going on and not enough depth.

[Kim Benouski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoy novels that take place in bookstores as well as odd little characters. That's what attracted me to this book.

The plot started slowly, and some of the lines are a bit cheesy, but Ramon the parrot is amazing and steals the spotlight and makes the whole story worth it. He is such a unique and fun character. I do wish the bookstore itself had more involvement. The diaries were interesting, but not developed enough, and the bookstore itself needs a little bit more description showing more of the community rather than just telling us about it.

The two sisters and their stories worked somewhat well, but at times it was over done with a lot of tropes such as the sexy widow with their adorable child and the handsome contractor who is recently single.

I really enjoyed the second half of the book once I got into it, and I hope that in the next several months before publication, there will be a little bit more work on fine-tuning the book to make it great.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Susan Mallery. I have been reading her books for a long time now. This one was really good. It was funny, heartwarming, and romantic. I'm not really a fan of birds, but I really enjoyed the one in this book. He was funny and it felt like he was a human. I look forward to reading the next book that Susan Mallery writes. I'm grateful that netgalley and the publishers let me read this in exchange for an honest review.

[Chris O'neill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books and therefore love books about bookstores and this novel fit the bill for me. I enjoyed the main characters and how they grew and changed throughout the book. Also would definitely visit this store because seems really intriguing. I wish there was a little more about the diaries stored in the bookstore but otherwise it was a fun read .

[Barbara Lack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book by Susan Mallery. There is a lot of humor in this book. The pets really make the story. I adored Ramon. He is such a funny parrot. I loved all his different mannerisms. I nearly cried when Jax couldn’t find him. The characters were so relatable with their foibles. Jax is very controlling, but it’s done with love. This was a very endearing book.

[Tracy Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. I enjoy Susan Mallery writing style and for the most part I enjoy most of her books. This book started off slow for me and it didn't pick up until I was halfway done. The main character, Jax, was very independent but also very clingy to her sister. Ryleigh. Also, the deal with the ex husband I found to weird. He is an ex for an reason.

[S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Susan Mallery delivers another classic romance novel with The Bookstore Diaries. It features sweet characters but the story felt a bit shallow and predictable.

ARC from NetGalley