Author: Natalie Jenner
Started: May 16, 2022
Finished: May 21, 2022
Thank you to Natalie Jenner, St. Martin's Press, and Netgalley for the chance to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Bloomsbury Girls was published on May 17, 2022.
Bloomsbury Books is a bookstore in central London managed by Mr. Dutton, an older gentleman who believes the best way to run the business is through a long list of rules that are not to be argued with. In his employ, are two women, Grace Perkins and Vivien Lowry. Their recent hire, Evie Stone, has taken the position with one goal: to find a book that she undersold at auction while helping The Jane Austen Club back home.
The day-to-day functions of the business are suddenly put in jeopardy when Mr. Dutton collapses and is put on leave. When the employees are put in charge of the store, many changes take place. There is a bevy of well-known authors who make appearances and the store turns an actual profit for the first time in a long time. When Evie is fired for following the rules after an important customer complains that she wouldn't help him, it sets off a storm in the women of the shop and no one is prepared for what happens next.
I loved this book and found the characters endearing. I enjoyed the characters from Jenner's first novel, The Jane Austen Club. The characters were well-developed and interacted perfectly. Each went through their own traumas and learned how to rely on the others for help. I enjoy it so much when an author is capable of creating characters I could see myself being friends with. I cannot wait to see what Natalie Jenner comes out with next.