The Second Story Bookshop

Title: The Second Story Bookshop

Author: Denise Hunter

Narrator: Kim Churchill 

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Genre: Romance, Fiction

Source: Net Galley

My Review:

I enjoyed The Second Story Bookshop. It is a second-chance romance between Shelby and Gray. They both have dealt with trauma, and in Shelby's case, she is still holding a lot of resentment.

When Shelby's grandmother leaves her bookstore to Shelby and Gray, they are forced to work together, at least temporarily. I liked both characters, and I was rooting for their happily ever after.

Gray is not welcome in town because of something his father did. He wasn't liked in high school, and the town has a long memory and no forgiveness. I felt for him and didn't like the way he was treated. It's never fair to be bullied, no matter what your parent has done. 

There is a minor love triangle, especially in the past portions with the flashbacks, but things are handled differently in the present. I wasn't sure with the first one happening that I would enjoy the story, but thankfully, Shelby learned from her mistakes, and it was a good story. Kim Churchill did a great job bringing the characters to life.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and Net Galley for the opportunity to listen to this book. I am not required to provide a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

★★★★/5

Synopsis (Goodreads):  

She inherits the bookshop of her dreams . . . But she has to run it with the ex she vowed never to speak with again.

Shelby Thatcher adores working in the charming small-town bookshop her grandmother opened years ago. Since high school she's helped Gram turn the shop into a community hub for book lovers in the lakeside town of Granville, NC. When her beloved grandma passes away, Shelby inherits the bookstore. But to her shock, Gram leaves half ownership to Gray Briggs, the man who broke Shelby's heart years ago.

Granville residents have been vilifying Gray as long as he can remember. After graduating high school he couldn't skip town fast enough, even though it meant leaving the girl he'd fallen deeply in love with and alienating her family once and for all. Now he's back, the beneficiary of his elderly friend's will. Facing the town's animosity is difficult, but seeing Shelby again is sheer torture. No one could ever stir his heart the way she did.

As the adversaries are forced to work together, Gram's beyond-the-grave scheme is working--Shelby's old feelings for Gray begin to resurface. But the problems that destroyed their relationship before still remain, and a new one surfaces--one that threatens Gram's beloved bookshop. Is their love doomed to fail again, or will they find a way to make it work this time around?