The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

This is the discussion thread for the Fall 2025 Group Read, The Lost Bookshop in the category Fiction: Cozy Fantasy. Please post your comments here. This thread is not restricted to those choosing this book for task 20.10, feel free to join in the discussion. Warning- spoilers ahead!

The requirement for task 20.10: You must participate in the book's discussion thread below with at least one post about the contents of the book or your reaction to the book after you have read the book.

The Lost Bookshop checks quite a few boxes for me: British setting (and audiobook narrator), multiple historic timelines, strong female characters, and a bit of magic. I flew through it in less than 2 days!
(view spoiler)[However, it really fell short of my hopes and expectations:
- The writing style relied on telling, rather than showing - lots of explicit detailing of internal reasoning, inner feelings, and context to help move the plot along.
- I found the shifts in point of view jarring, especially Henry's. I think keeping the narrators limited to Martha and Opaline would have been a better choice.
- I felt that several "twists" were heavy-handed and trying to do too much to link all the stories together.
- And, finally, it got tiresome that the MCs seemed to just fall for whatever man bumped into them! (hide spoiler)]
This reminded me of The Cottingley Secret, which I read for the Summer Challenge. If you enjoyed The Lost Bookshop, give it a go!

I enjoyed the book overall, but there were a few points that really bugged me. (view spoiler)[
1. Opaline seems to fall in love (or at least lust) at the drop of a hat. I get that the first guy and the last guy were necessary to the plot, but the guy in the middle - what was up with that? Completely out of left field and for no reason whatsoever.
2. Martha x Henry - boy do I hate it when all the conflicts between a couple could be easily solved with a just a modicum of communication.
3. I kept forgetting the Martha timeline was the present. It didn't read modern, even with the cellphones. Also, why does someone who doesn't read want to study literature?
4. Mme Bowden was a weirdly inconsistent character. I'm ok with the magicky bits, but the inconsistencies (in action and personality) really get on my nerves. And what was that bit about dressing up and having those "friends" over? And then not interacting with them? Why???
5. HOW DID THE BODY GET IN THE RIVER???

(hide spoiler)]
Anyway, enjoyed it while I was reading it but after it was over all I had left were questions.

Rockynook

Overall - I think I expected to like this book more than I did.
(view spoiler)[ Honestly, the last few chapters were my favorite part of the book - I did actually like the way that the story lines were connected and explained, even if I could see some of it coming. The middle majority of the book was not as captivating for me as I wanted it to be. The conflict between Martha and Henry was a little tiring (I also was very confused by the swimming hole chapter...). I agree with Fly - Martha's chapters felt just as historical as Opaline's, outside of the cell phones. And excellent question: how did the body move?! (hide spoiler)]

It took me longer to get through than usual - and it was a good read, I just think I was expecting more from it!

This felt more like historical fiction (the Opaline sections) and romance (Henry and Martha) than fantasy. I did like Opaline's story, but I might have enjoyed the book more if I hadn't kept wondering how it fit "cozy fantasy".

It left me with questions - some have already been mentioned. Additional questions: (view spoiler)[What is the significance of the tree growing in Martha's bedroom? (Eventually there was a tunnel to the bookstore, but why a tree?) Once Martha and Henry found the bookstore, did it become apparent to the general public, or was there something special about the boy who came in at the beginning of the book? Was Madame Bowdoin supposed to be related to Opaline? (hide spoiler)].

I agree with the prior comments that Martha's sections didn't seem like current-day.

I find it really frustrating when a story’s conflicts arise mainly from poor communication and misunderstandings, which is exactly what happens in this book. While the story had its own charm and a magical atmosphere, too many things in the plot were left unresolved for my taste. I do enjoy a touch of magic, but here it felt overused and not very well explained. The book had promise, but in the end, I felt it wasn’t written in the best possible way.

I agree with Fly and all the others who complained that the magical realism for a certain character had a lot of inconsistencies with no real resolution. I could see the big reveal a mile away -- as could everyone else I am sure -- but I did enjoy the ride.

Kristina Marie

The book is okay. Not really cozy and a bit all over the place. Like Kelly, I also could have done without Henry’s point of view. There was way more sadness that I expected overall, and I struggled with the chapters at the mental institution. I did enjoy Martha’s life in Dublin and would recommend this book to others who enjoy magical realism more than I do.

Amy B

While reading this, I wasn't sure whether I liked it or not. The Martha/Henry thing showed some promise and then kind of fell apart. It had the kinds of misunderstandings that were so basic that they seemed willful, which was tiresome after awhile. The Opaline storyline was more interesting and depressing in that it was a thing that families would often "park" a troublesome or inconvenient female relative in an asylum.
I ended up the book disliking Henry, baffled by Martha and admiring Opaline, but it didn't pull the book together enough for me to like it.