pagesfromhome's reviews
440 reviews

What an incredibly fitting end to the Lovelight series! While Nova and Charlie aren’t my absolute favorite, I did really love reading and feeling their love unfold. Borison does an incredible job with both character and dialogue that just makes her characters feel so real and I love that this book focused on found family as much as it did romance.

Already counting down to my next reread!

There are some books that you just know aren’t for you and this is one of those for me. I found the narrative style stilted and couldn’t find myself rooting for any of the characters even almost 50 pages in and normally I’m on board by then. Just not for me!

Absolutely on my brain power and not on the book! I actually really enjoyed the small bit I got through, it was dense, but still felt accessible which is hard to do in a nonfiction that deals with so much science. But I’m just not in the brain space for nonfiction at the moment so DNFing for now and planning to come back to this one.

Wow wow wow wow wow. I finished this book in about 24 hours and that's very rare for me, but I found that as soon as I picked it up I just wanted to keep reading.

Sybil Van Antwerp may not be the most likable character throughout this book, but I loved her nonetheless. She is spirted, intelligent, guarded, but also clearly hurt and doing her best to maintain whatever she can of herself as she ages. The letter format was perfection and I genuinely believe the story could not have been told as well without it.

I loved the choice of the epistolary format because it not only made the story propulsive and easy-to-read, it also was used to define so much of Sybil's character. You understand so much about her so quickly through the letters and Evans does an incredible job of that ever evasive writing rule where every line should contribute to your understanding of the character or a forward movement of the plot - she just nails it.

I don't even want to share too much in this review because I loved going into the book knowing very little and just letting it take me through Sybil's journey, but I would highly recommend to anyone who is also a fan of A Man Called Ove or Olive Kitteridge. 

Thank you to Crown Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC!

I didn't get far into this book so I don't want to imply that there wouldn't be anything helpful in it, but I did find the way that the suggestions were presented to be odd and I wasn't super comfortable with how the author spoke about her daughter. In the small amount I read, there was a clear gender barrier of mothers teaching daughters, but no examination about how that affects the idea of parenting. I'm sure there's bits that are incredibly helpful and I have no doubt that this would be a helpful book for many, but I just couldn't bring myself to continue picking it up.

Wow, this book really dropped into my lap right at the time that I needed it. Beyond that, it was a perfect start to my 2025 reading year.

Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop is a book that feels like a cup of tea. It warms you. In the author's note, Bo-Reum wrote that she wanted her book to feel like, "A space to snuggle comfortably for the day," and she did exactly that.

The book follows Yeongju and the cast of characters that surround her life in the bookshop that she has built. It's simple slice-of-life stories, nothing majorly dramatic or overwhelming, but every moment feels worth being on the page. I wanted to follow each character, even beyond the page, but Bo-Reum does a fantastic job of showing just enough to make us fall in love and also let the characters live their lives as they will.

I'd recommend this if you're going through a chance in your life (or are questioning if you should) or if you just need a moment of comfort in a hard time. This would be a great pick for fans of character-driven novels and stories that you can feel comfortable picking up and putting down/taking your time reading.

I will note that, as with lots of translations, the dialogue can feel stilted at points, but it's not enough to frustrate and the narrative doesn't hold that same discomfort, but worth noting if you are new to translated works.

Just not in the mood to go into the new year with an unfinished book!

This book is incredible, my brain is just not in the space where it can ingest it properly right now. Looking forward to getting back to it when I’m feeling better!