The Bookstore by Deborah Meyler is a Book that was a roller coaster of enjoyment for me. When I first started reading it, I was excited at the prospect of a book that detailed the life of a book shop employee however; I quickly discovered that the story was more about the romance between two soon-to-be parents. In the story, the main character, Esme, finds out she is pregnant with the child of her short-term boyfriend, Mitchell. When he breaks up with her before she can break the news to him, Esme finds herself all alone, pregnant, and in need of extra income. Insert the quirky the bookstore. This is where Esme makes new friends in her coworkers and strange customers. I will admit, though, from the synopsis on the back, I thought that there would be far more emphasis on the quirky customers as opposed to mentioning them every now and then. As Esme starts work at the store, she eventually rekindles her romance with Mitchell after he learns of the baby. Unfortunately, Mitchell is a grade-A ass-hat and we are subjected to listen to his snide comments to Esme throughout the novel while also hearing about how much Esme supposedly loves him for, what seems like, no real reason. Mitchell’s character made me thoroughly angry because he was such a purely evil character but Esme and, it seems, even the author doesn’t recognize this. This is something that annoyed me throughout the entire novel because Esme was romanticizing this character who was just so absolutely terrible. But, it wasn’t in a Heathcliff sort of way, instead it was more like the author also thought this was a loveable man. If the lesson had been something along the lines of having this terrible man who Esme realizes is terrible, then it would have made me more content. While the character of Mitchell does have his very distinct personal issues, I am a firm believer that those should not give him an excuse to be a dick.

However, this book did resonate in me on a personal level for a love of books. The people that Esme works with have such a clear passion for books that I could picture myself quite easily having a conversation with them. Even Esme’s passion for learning was something I could relate to. In that regard, I think that Esme is a great female character because she is trying her best to achieve her goals and despite all of her setbacks, is generally succeeding.

This book is not something I would recommend to a lonely house wife looking to spice up her days. Instead, I would say this book is for young women who have an attraction to bad habits (i.e. bad men) while maintaining a life to be proud of.