177. The Christmas Bookshop

The Christmas Bookshop. Jenny Colgan. 2021. 336 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: "But it's August!" said Carmen into the phone, putting down her book. "August! It's almost sunny outside! I have sandals on! Ice-cream vans patrol the land! I put sunblock on last week and almost needed it! How can I possibly get my head round what you're asking me?"

Premise/plot: Carmen, our protagonist, is whiny and wearisome. She has recently lost her job at a department store. She shudders at the idea of living with her mom (again). She dreads the idea of living with her (older) sister too. For whatever reason, Carmen hates Sofia. Because she is married? Because she has kids? Because Carmen hates just about everybody? Sofia isn't thrilled that Carmen is coming to stay--at their mother's request--either. [And after having met Carmen, I can understand why.] Sofia knows a client who owns a bookshop that is failing. It needs to show profits by the end of the year--Christmas time--if it's to stand even a small chance. Carmen doesn't really want this job. But she doesn't like the alternative either. If she's around the house, then she might--shudder--have to watch her two nieces and a nephew. She only has a small amount of time to turn this messy, chaotic bookshop into a profitable bookshop. Having no experience in this particular area...you might think it would take some effort. [But, nope. Easy as one, two, three.] 

Since running a new-to-you bookshop in a new-to-you city doesn't take all that much energy and effort, we've got a love triangle too. Blair is a "celebrity" author who visits the bookshop. Oke is a customer who really loves trees. 

My thoughts: This book was so incredibly DULL. The characters were anything but complex, interesting, likeable. The relationships were blah. Carmen was just such an unlikable protagonist. I don't know so much if she changes a little here and there by the end of the novel, or if all the other characters have just adapted to her and made a place for her in their lives.

 

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