I am delighted to share my review today of The Story Shop by Christie Barlow, this is the 3rd book in the Puffin Island series and it is another wonderful book.
My huge thanks to One More Chapter for allowing me a copy to read and review via NetGalley.
When travel writer Jack Hartwell arrives on Puffin Island amidst a terrible storm, he stumbles into The Story Shop, the island’s quaint bookshop.
Seeking refuge, he finds himself immersed in Amelia Brown’s enchanting world of books, puffins, and an eccentric group of book club regulars. So when the enigmatic Amelia challenges Jack to read a mysterious novel The Temptation Bucket List – and to complete its challenges with her – he can’t resist.
But with Jack’s time on Puffin Island ticking away, the stakes rise. The final item on the list? To share a secret that no one else knows…
MY REVIEW
Once again, I return to Puffin Island and visit The Story Shop, this is the 3rd book in the series. Just like the Love Heart Lane series, the book could be read as a standalone, but it’s not something I would suggest because the previous books are amazing!
Amelia runs the bookshop and, along with her love of books, she also has a love of the Puffins, whether it is a scrunchie in her hair or on a jumper, there is usually a puffin embellishing her outfit somewhere.
Jack Hartwell arrives on the island and soon finds himself outside, then inside the bookshop. He keeps his identity to himself, as he has been asked to write an article about the island. All sounds innocent enough, but lurking in the background is something to turn any mood sour!
There are some characters that are already stalwarts of the series, they may not be related to Amelia, but they have known her for years. The group are supportive and they soon push Amelia out of her comfort zone. To be honest, while she did need a push, it was more of a nudge as she was already leaning in a certain direction anyway. But looming overhead is a court case, secrets, and distance.
Jack definitely wasn’t looking for anything, but he arrived on the island and soon made friends. However, he lives in London. He doesn’t know how the future will pan out, especially if people find out the real reason he is on the island.
Oh, secrets, secrets and more secrets. It seems the main players in this story all have something to hide. I will say that the mystery of working out the reasons behind each one was well played out, I did have an inkling, but not till further into the book and then I wasn’t exactly right!
The author has a wonderful way of exploring the nature of her characters and also throwing the odd curveball to throw the reader off the scent. This book has several misdirections, and this adds to the charm and also to the different emotions of the story. At times, the book deals with some tragic events, and at others, there is a massive cheer of giggling and screaming with joy.
I absolutely adored this book and if you have read any of the others in this series, then you are going to adore this one. It has drama, mystery, friendship and romance, with surprises and some wonderful scenes. I would definitely recommend this book.
Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx




