The Bookshop Below

This was my first book my Georgia Summers and even though I struggled a bit in the beginning, because I was confused about the whole world and magic system, in the end I thoroughly enjoyed myself and was on the edge of my seat to see how it all turned out. I really liked the characters and the somewhat dark and gritty atmosphere contrasted with the warm, welcoming interior of the bookshops. I loved the writing and the many little quirks and details added to make it more wholesome, as well as the dynamics of friendship and love and their portrayal. This is the kind of lovestory that makes my heart sing, with real characters and complicated feelings and honest conversations, no explicit spice necessary in this case. One thing that stayed kind of vague until the end was how the magic worked and what factors were relevant for its existence and remaining. It's not a huge minus but something that could have been a little clearer in my opinion. The whole idea and magiy system would have lent itself well to a more intricate and complex story, with deeper backgrounds and lore, which was only there on a surface level, but I also appreciated having a standalone for once, which was more focused o the characters. Regarding the ending - I'm usually not the biggest fand of open endings, but in this case it kind of fit and left me with a hopeful yet bittersweet feeling. Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the e-arc!