Review by Booklist Review
Inspired by their love of books and their long-running book club, four friends band together to open the first Black-owned bookstore in Delaware. Celeste seems to have it all--a lucrative job, a supportive husband--but unresolved trauma from a recent carjacking threatens to destroy her perfect life. Leslie's teenage daughter has a life-threatening condition, and genetic testing reveals an unexpected family secret. Toni is a popular influencer who has carefully hidden her past from everyone, including her fiancé, and Yasmeen feels like an outsider because she lives from paycheck to paycheck until a sudden windfall changes everything. Each woman brings a unique set of skills to the business, but when personal issues create a roadblock, they must rely on their friendship to resolve the situation. Lindo-Rice (A Beauty in the Beast, 2024) realistically captures the women's thought processes as they work through their issues. The ending is satisfying but not pat, and the characters' motivations are clear throughout the book. Readers who enjoy stories about women overcoming life obstacles will be drawn in.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Prolific novelist Lindo-Rice's (Twenty-Eight Dates) latest is told through the eyes of four thirtysomething women facing life changes. Although one of them is white, they all met at a historically Black college. They stayed best friends in Delaware for more than a decade, meeting every month for their book club. The story is romantic and a bit steamy and starts as the women make plans to open a bookshop together. Immediately their lives start to fall apart, through illness, marriage and relationship troubles, money worries, scams, and more. Each woman tells her story in turn, revealing the secrets she keeps from even her best friends. However, the women's friendship is vital to their disintegrating lives, so they must learn to trust each other with their innermost secrets and fears. When all seems lost, their friendship and their nascent bookshop become anchors to cling to. Throughout the novel, the women recommend real books, giving readers the experience of their book club. VERDICT An inspiring read about the power of women's friendships and how learning to trust those one loves best can be risky but ultimately rewarding.--Jan Marry
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