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Chapters: Sometimes you have to go back before you can move forward

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Eve Davies had it all worked out.

A high-flying London barrister with the career, the flat, and the handsome boyfriend - Eve’s life is a masterpiece of control. Then, in the space of a single catastrophic day, all of it comes crashing she loses the biggest case of her career, discovers her boyfriend’s betrayal, and learns that the father she hasn’t spoken to in years is missing, presumed dead at sea.

With nowhere left to hide, Eve is forced back to the sleepy seaside town she swore she’d left behind for good. And there’s a catch to the inheritance waiting for to receive what her heart most wants, her mother’s precious things, she must spend one full year running her family’s bookshop.

One year. In a town full of eccentric locals, meddling matriarchs and an infuriatingly patient German lodger who sees right through her.

Eve is counting down the days until she can leave.

The trouble is, Littletown has other plans.

Warm, witty, and impossible to put down, CHAPTERS is a story about grief and grace, second chances and found family - and the quiet magic of a place that refuses to let you keep running.

A joyful, tender, gloriously funny novel about starting over, perfect for fans of Jenny Colgan, Marian Keyes, Beth O’Leary and Jojo Moyes.

431 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 16, 2026

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About the author

Rebecca Russell

3 books10 followers
I have been writing scripts and poetry for many years. I am an award winning published poet and playwright and my work is regularly performed all over the world by professional and amateur groups.

Chapters is my first novel and is based on one of my scripts. I had the framework in place and the action and dialogue but I was missing a lot of extra words! It was a revelation and a joy to bring it to life for a book.

I write warm and witty combinations of words, often with a darker theme running through and I love to make readers and audiences laugh and cry.

Born in Birmingham and now living in Devon via Hertfordshire. I live with my husband, our third child who is just about to fly the nest and a dog who thinks he is a human and a cat who thinks he is a dog.

Isn't life wonderful?

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5 stars
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18 (23%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
Profile Image for Natalie "Curling up with a Coffee and a Kindle" Laird.
1,587 reviews101 followers
September 22, 2026
A really lovely read.
A book that is over 400 pages can sometimes feel too long and filled with unnecessary material. This is definitely not the case with this book. I was hooked from the start and couldn't put it down. It read as if it were a hundred pages shorter.
Anyone with a love of books and second chances will adore this one!
15 reviews
August 1, 2026
Wonderfully engaging book meant to last my summer holiday, but I couldn’t put it down! This genuine and heartwarming story of a woman navigating crossroads between past and future really touched me. Avoiding easy answers or quick fixes, it was a privilege to accompany Eve on her authentic and hard won journey to happiness. Highly impressive debut novel from a very talented and experienced writer. Can’t wait for the next one
5 reviews
August 31, 2026
Loved this book! The beautiful cover drew me in to start with but I loved the characters (everyone needs a Mary in their life) and the humour that underpinned a lovely story. Any book set around a bookshop with a bit of Christmas thrown in is always going to be a winner for me and this didn’t disappoint.
Profile Image for Lucy Snow.
24 reviews1 follower
July 17, 2026
Could not put this book down. Loved the relationships between Eve and the rest of the characters. Audibly gasped at one of the plot twists towards the end. There are no cliche story lines and no “mid-book-lull”. Would highly recommend this for a feel good read and look forward to reading more of Rebecca’s work
1 review
September 1, 2026
I bought this book for sister because I loved it . She loved it too. A feel good read, with very believable characters. Would thoroughly recommend. Looking forward to the next book .
1 review
August 7, 2026
The author says she wrote this based on one of her screenplays and this explains the quality of the dialogue in this book. Well-observed, natural and with superb comic timing.
The story follows barrister Eve as she goes through the worst day of her life and, with her world falling apart at the seams, goes back home to a sleepy Devonshire seaside town to hide from the world and lick her wounds.
Her estranged father is missing at sea and he has left her all his worldly goods. The only things Eve wants from her childhood home though are her dead mother’s belongings. However, her father’s will states that she can’t have anything until she has run the family bookshop ‘Chapters’ for a year. And that is the premise of this unputdownable book. As Eve comes to grip with her new situation, we meet a wonderful and eccentric cast of locals who, together with the bookshop itself - it is in fact one of the main characters - strive to change Eve’s mind about selling up and going back to London, her cheating partner and stressful career. This book has it all. Like Marian Keyes and Joni Moyes, Rebecca Russell also deals with a serious subject at the centre of the story and does so with sensitivity and empathy. But the humour is sharp and witty and made me laugh out loud at times. I want to meet Mary and Lukas and Winston and Lara and I want to move to Littletown - the fictional setting for the story. But most of all, I want to know what happens to them all and I’m praying that the author is writing the sequel as I type!!!
Profile Image for Vanessa Wild.
682 reviews21 followers
September 3, 2026
After her boyfriend’s betrayal, losing a big case and learning that her estranged father is missing presumed dead, highflying London barrister Eve escapes to her childhood home in Littletown in Devon and her family’s bookshop to lick her wounds. However, under the terms of her father’s will, to receive her inheritance she has to run Chapters Bookshop for a year, a place which holds so many memories for Eve. Will she be able to turn over a new leaf and start a new ‘chapter’ herself?

I thought this was a lovely story. It’s a tale of picking up the pieces, brushing yourself down and starting again. It’s also about grief, forgiveness, the importance of friendship and, of course, books! I loved the characters and their interactions, a good eclectic crew, all of whom are well drawn. Stories set in bookshops or libraries are like bees to a honeypot for me. Books have always been my happy place and have got me through some difficult times. The children’s reading corner in ‘Chapters’ sounds wonderful. There were nods to The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett which was one of my favourite books as a child. Always a good sign for me. I loved the way the story was written and put together. There are some great observations of human behaviour. An excellent and engaging debut which I can highly recommend.
22 reviews
August 11, 2026
Fantastic unputdownable book , I thought this would a light read for my holiday but once I started I really engaged with the characters . Rebecca says the book started as a script idea for a screenplay and it shows in the superb dialogue between the characters. I won't go in to the whole story as no one needs plot spoilers , suffice to say the twists and turns kept the story going and unpredictable.

Eve, a London Barrister with high expectations of herself and a determination not to live the life she thinks her parents had set out for her, returns to her childhood home after her father goes missing, presumed dead. Her longterm boyfriend Julian, a smarmy controlling lawyer who turns on the charm when it suits, is not impressed. In the sleepy Devon seaside town, running the family bookshop she doesn't want, Eve discovers a community who help her reflect on her current life and confront her past . As someone tells her no one sees events the same as someone else we all have our own versions of the past.
This is a book that you will laugh out loud at, weep at and reflect on the themes. One to be recommended to all book groups .I loved it and will look out for more of Rebecca's writing .

Profile Image for Karen Cuddy.
98 reviews5 followers
September 20, 2026
Chapters by Rebecca Russell

Eve is a successful barrister, but after losing a case she was convinced she should have won, she heads home to her partner Julian of eight years, only to find him with another woman. Devastated, Eve decides it’s time for a change and heads back to her family home.

Her parents are both gone — her mum died when she was 21 and her dad was lost at sea and presumed dead. But her dad has left her a bit of a Hobson’s choice in his will. She must return to the family cottage and take over running the bookshop that has been in the family for generations. If she can do it for a year, she’ll finally get access to her beloved mum’s belongings.

Along the way she meets Lukas, a stranger who gradually becomes much more important than she ever expected. She also finds herself becoming part of the little community around the bookshop, with Mary, Lara, Winston and Dave the dog becoming such lovely characters.

This was a fantastic debut novel and one I genuinely read in one sitting. It’s a heartwarming story about love, loss, betrayal and, ultimately, acceptance. I loved the setting of the bookshop and watching Eve find herself again after everything she’d been through.

A really lovely, feel-good read.
Profile Image for B. Fleetwood.
Author 5 books24 followers
August 17, 2026
An easy read with some great dialogue and comic moments.
Things I loved:
- The setting of the book shop in LittleTown - with wonderful literary references - and the eclectic cast of staff and customers.
- Lukas- what a gentle lovable character with some brilliant lines.
- Julian - utterly dislikable and nicely portrayed
Things I was not so sure about:
- Sarah’s character and backstory. The premise that a highly successful barrister would blank her father for thirteen years following her mother’s death and run from challenge didn’t sit right for me. Her indecisiveness also appeared at odds with many of her actions. Maybe it’s just the way I read it but I didn’t feel she was as fleshed out as much as she could have been? She did however have some great comic sayings
- I was sorry the romance with Lukas didn’t ever really fire up as I had looked forward to this
- The denouement left me a little dissapointed.
That said, this debut novel is an heartwarming holiday read.
Profile Image for Fizz McBay.
18 reviews3 followers
September 23, 2026
High flying city girl breaks up with her high flying arrogant boyfriend and is forced to return to the seaside village she grew up in to look after the family business… Has it been done before? Yes! Is it predictable? Also yes! Do I love it and search for this style of hallmark movie at Christmas? Absolutely!

It’s a trope as old as time but it makes it no less cosy and comforting to read. The seaside village setting was described so well enabling the reader to picture the beautiful scenery. Being set in autumn/winter it was the perfect read for this time of year.

The characters have been written so well and I felt a real bond with them all, loving and hating where needed. Eve, the protagonist, whilst likeable, was incredibly frustrating at times and I wanted to shake her, but that just added to my investment in the story.

Overall a really enjoyable read and I would definitely read more by this author.
Profile Image for Sue Turner.
87 reviews4 followers
August 10, 2026
Eve inherites a bookshop called Chapters and her childhood home in a little west country village. Her father has gone missing presumed dead, she hasn't spoken to him for years and blamed him when her mum died. There is a clause in the will that stipulates she must run the shop for a year in order to inherit, but Eve is a barrister and her life is in London a long way from the shop and she doesn't want to give up her hard earned life. Then she finds out her boyfriend has been cheating on her so decision made she leaves London. This ia a story about grief, control and many decisions that Eve needs to make. What will Eve do and is she strong enough to cope? Loved this book and highly recommend it, I laughed out loud in places too. Can't wait for the authors next book.
1 review
July 30, 2026
A lovely book. You care about Eve, the central character (and sometimes shout at her in your head!) and the quirky but believable supportimg characters.
A real page-turner, keeping you engrossed through all the twists and turns of a plot that is clear and believable. Lovely writing, with evocative descriptions of place and emotion. Rebecca Russel has a great ear for dialogue and is at times laugh-out-loud funny.
The humour is a great foil for the difficult topics dealt with: love (familial, romantic and of friends), loss, forgiveness and moving on.
Fun but serious, I highly recommend this book.
23 reviews3 followers
August 12, 2026
I absolutely loved this book. From the preamble, I thought it was going to be one of those predictable stories where the heartbroken girl goes home, doesn't really want to be there, but everything turns out just fine. And yes, it ticked a lot of those cliché boxes. But two things really made it stand out.

First, there were a few unexpected plot twists that I genuinely didn't see coming. Second, and most importantly, the characters. More than once I actually laughed out loud at some of the lines, and I found myself completely invested in all of them.

This book is superb, I read it in about 5 days. I really look forward to more from this author.
1 review
August 22, 2026
Loved the characters, which are clearly drawn, each with a distinct and individual voice in the dialogue. The author’s experience as a writer of plays and screenplays shines through, and for me, it’s always the sign of a good book when I miss the characters after I’ve finished reading the final chapter.
The plot and narrative kept me reading, wanting to know how things evolved and resolved, and I found the descriptions of locations, events and people evocative, as if I were seeing them through Eve’s eyes.
As others have already said, this is a great holiday read, and I look forward to Rebecca’s next novel.
Profile Image for Cal.
340 reviews
September 19, 2026
Chapters is a lovely book that’s a gentle feel good read that I thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end. I loved the characters, with Eve, the main protagonist, being my favourite one.

Warm, funny and moving Chapters is a book that is impossible to put down. It’s a story about love, life, grief and second chances. Eve counts down the days until she can leave, but this small town and the people living there have other ideas…

Beautifully written by Rebecca Russell, Chapters is a heartwarming read that really does leave you with a warm glow in your heart as you turn the final page.

A charming 4 star read.
14 reviews
July 24, 2026
I really enjoyed this first novel by Rebecca Russell; it was funny, uplifting and heart-warming. The writing is humorous, highly entertaining and at times beautifully descriptive. I really wanted to find out what would happen to the main character Eve and what choices she would make - whether she would go back to the dastardly Julian or get together with the mysterious German Lukas - and whether she would stay in small town Devon to run the bookshop or return to the bright lights of London. All in all totally absorbing and a fun and enjoyable read!
14 reviews1 follower
August 11, 2026
Loved, loved, loved this book and i honestly thought it might not be for me or that it would be a bit similar to other books. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Despite the often similar life falls apart so head home/ somewhere else scenario, there were unexpected twists and secrets that keep you hooked. What I really enjoyed as much the storyline was the style of writing. The development of the characters, the description of places, the poetic narrative in parts, the emotions, all incredibly well done. I hope to read more from this author. I received this book to read as an honest review.
301 reviews4 followers
August 21, 2026
I really enjoyed this book and loved that it was a debut novel. I will definitely be looking out for more books by Rebecca Russell.

Eve was a barrister in London and lived with her partner Julian until he tore her world apart. At the same time Eve was contacted by her father’s solicitor.

Eve goes back to her home town and to her childhood home and the family business of Chapters the bookshop. I loved all of the characters and how they interacted with Eve.

A fab read and one I would definitely recommend.
Profile Image for Kate Russell.
2 reviews5 followers
August 31, 2026
Rebecca Russell has a real gift for placing you inside a scene. The bookshop opening had me picking up phantom smells: old paper, beeswax, the wood burner, cake going round on the good plate. Half a page in and I was there, on Fore Street, in October, with the sausage dog nobody had the heart to move.

The dialogue is fantastic too. Every character has a distinct voice from the moment they walk on and I found myself caring about them (or not caring for them at all!) very quickly.

All wrapped up with a twist I didn't see coming, which always delights me.

Great read, thank you.
Profile Image for Joni Janice Mielke.
478 reviews10 followers
September 2, 2026
I'm not a very big fan of most novels that include elements of romance, but I very much this book. This is so much more than your typical boy meets girl romance novel. All of life is contained here, in all its complexity. Love and pain and hurt and friendship and difficult relationships rub shoulders uncomfortably. Characters make decisions that will have readers rooting wildly for or against them. I was riveted. The unreliable narrator is a lovely way of revealing truth while the character follows another path entirely. Loved this. Would highly recommend.
1 review
July 23, 2026
I really enjoyed Rebecca’s first book. The story is relatively straightforward with a start a middle and an end but plenty of surprises along the way. The sort of book you can pick up and lose yourself in for a few hours or put down and pick up a few days later without losing track of the plot. I found the descriptions of people and places particularly evocative. And I was disappointed to get to the “end” as I was so invested in the characters. Luckily the epilogue picked up the loose ends.
732 reviews24 followers
September 14, 2026
The front cover of this book first caught my eye. What an enchanting picture full of intrigue. . I would love to have her in my life. This is the sort of book I love that you can get lost in and don’t want to put it down , I finished it in a weekend .
I like how Eve interacts with all the characters in her little bookshop . I can’t wait to read more by this author . Would definitely recommend this book .
207 reviews1 follower
August 16, 2026
For a first novel....

This was such a great read. I loved the whole concept, characters, journey and although you knew where it would end up it didn't detract at all. This was in measures funny, heart warming, heart wrenching and thoughtful. I loved it and look forward to reading more from this author.
142 reviews4 followers
August 17, 2026
Very easy to read book. A little bit repetitive and you know exactly what is going to happen you just don’t know how or when. Got a bit fed up at the halfway point but then it picked up again. Very likeable characters and you want a good ending for them all. A good beach read or a wet day sat by the fire.
Profile Image for Lin.
206 reviews36 followers
August 17, 2026
This was a gentle, satisfying story. In some ways predictable, but that adds to its charm - a good holiday read.
Sure, there were some aspects that didn't quite work for me - the raffle for instance - but I loved the bookshop and the characters within it (although it took me a while to get used to the fact that Winston was the human and Dave the dog!).
Definitely worth the read.
Profile Image for Claire.
43 reviews
September 23, 2026
What a heartwarming read! This wasn’t my usual genre but I really enjoyed this book. The characters were likeable except Julian who I had an instant dislike to! I really felt for Eve at certain points in the book, her character was very well written. It was a really good debut novel and I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.
1 review
July 27, 2026
A thoroughly good, can't put it down, first novel from Rebecca Russell.
A story about the closeness between love and loathing, and a story of love overcoming hatred and grief.
The characters are are memorable, with much humour in the storytelling, as well as the serious content of the plot.
Profile Image for Flint.
328 reviews
September 12, 2026
An impressive debut. Thank you.

I loved the sense of place and community, Lucas’ steadfastness and Eve.

But I detested Julian… and surely Eve, despite her vulnerability, would not have allowed Julian to trifle, control and manipulate her?
1 review
September 12, 2026
5 stars! This book had me gripped from the start. I carried it round in my bag and read it anytime I could. A romance novel with twists and turns throughout, all based in a cosy bookshop! I’m looking forward to the Author’s next book. Would definitely recommend
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews