Shauna RobinsonRecensioni

An enjoyable story. Not very memorable. I'm not sure how the relationship will ever work out. The two people don't seem to have much in common. I liked seeing Maggie blossom and her passion develop. Good narrator.

Not five stars because the seeing wasn't well established as San Francisco and yet portrayed as an important component, and apparently MC and her bf are black but that barely came up even when I would have expected it to matter in the story. There were some details that didn't seem consistent, like MC mentioning she had no idea what to do with Black hair, but later bf casually smooths it back into place. I have no idea what her hair looks like. 

Four stars because I thought about the book when I wasn't reading it, and the relationship between Nora and Beth reminded me a lot of my own similar relationship with a friend I started work with (and we have now since left). Their friendship was well built. There were lines and moments that made me laugh and smile. This book felt honest and accurate, as someone who went through some of this recently, and it makes sense that the author framed it on her own life as well. That authenticity shows on the story.

Got a free arc from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Checked out of library completely for the title and i read nothing about it so I expected this to be a romance/chick lit book but it turned out to be a much darker story about a young women struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts and how she’s trying to hold it together through a lot of job related woes and a budding romance with an author who seems great but represents a conflict of interest with her publishing job and career ambitions.

I found this book incredibly easy to get into and once I started I had it read in no time. It is cute, funny and entertaining.

I loved the idea of an underground book club but found many things unrealistic and a stretch to the imagination. A non book reader who falls into the job of running a bookshop and then suddenly develops a big love of reading. A businessman so obsessed with his ancestor that he won't allow modern books to be sold in his bookshop to the extent that he is in danger of going bankrupt.
The local people who don't order their books online (or maybe they are all boycotting the zon) and resort to buying them secretly from a person who has one box of books? But hey, the story was really cute so I just went with it.
Malcolm and Maggie have a sweet friendship/romance and I enjoyed their game where they each have to read a book of the other's choosing and then go out for dinner to chat about it. However, their romance was a bit bland and not central to the story.

I loved the quirky characters in this strange little town and the friendships they created as they bonded over their secret book club. It was very entertaining to watch the book club thrive whilst trying to stay hidden from the bookshop's owner.
Everything gets resolved in the end in a sweet and uplifting way.

* I received a copy of this item to review on Edelweiss *

The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks was a delightful read. I had assumed that the focus of it was going to be romance, but was overjoyed that there was not only a good romance, but so much more to the story. The characters were so immediately lovable, and the setting of a small bookish town was lovely. I really enjoyed the idea of setting up secret book meetings and selling contraband books and having meetings about it. It made me want to attend events like the ones in the books.

It's moving a little slow for me, the side characters who are supposed to be set up as quirky have yet to show any personality, and even the MCs are pretty flat.

Stopped at page 98.

The basic premises in the story didn't appeal to me. Sorry.

Happy Publication Day! ( November 1, 2022)



3.5 rounded up!

As the story begins, we meet our protagonist, twenty-eight-year-old Maggie Banks as she reaches the small town of Bell River at the invitation of her best friend Rochelle, who is about to go on maternity leave and needs someone to take over her duties at Cobblestone Books, the bookshop partially owned by Rochelle’s family. Maggie, who has been unable to settle down in a career of her liking after graduating college and has been out of work and living with her parents in California, welcomes the change and the opportunity albeit a temporary one. Though not much of a reader herself, she is sure that with Rochelle’s guidance she should have no problems in managing a small town bookshop.

Unbeknownst to Maggie, River Bell is a town with a literary legacy and is thus also a tourist destination for those who are drawn to the literary legend of the late Edward Bell (after whom the town has been named), whose family partly owns most of the commercial establishments in the area and thus has a say in how local businesses are run. Cobblestone Books is no exception, selling books that were read and loved by Edward Bell in his lifetime (he passed in 1968), mostly classics. Anyone who enters the shop with a more contemporary reading list is promptly directed t the nearest Barnes and Noble store. Needless to say, Maggie finds herself at odds with the head of the Bell Society, Ralph Bell and his employee Malcolm who also aren’t quite impressed with Maggie. As tensions grow, Ralph decides to remove the Edward Bell books from the store, plunging sales and diminishing footfall into a downward spiral, prompting Maggie to resort to a more creative solution to save her friend’s family bookshop even if it means breaking the rules and starting an underground book club, inviting contemporary authors, hosting book readings with a twist and secretly selling books that would ordinarily never be allowed within the premises of Cobblestone Books. All this while hiding it from Ralph and keeping it a secret from Rochelle so as not to add to her financial woes and making sure Malcolm, who wasn’t quite as stuck up as she had initially assumed, doesn’t find out. She finds allies in the friendly people in the local community and even her grouchy neighbor Vernon doesn’t stand in the way. But how long can she keep it a secret? Can she save the bookshop and introduce change in the way things have normally been done? What does this mean for Maggie? Has she finally found her calling?

Stories such as these are rarely unpredictable, so it's all in the journey and this was a fun one with actually a few surprises along the way. I am partial to stories revolving around books, bookstores and libraries and this one did not disappoint! I enjoyed following Maggie as she gradually falls in love with reading, even trying a few of the Classics (not that there is anything wrong in not enjoying them). At a point, I thought that the author was categorizing readers into airtight silos – those who enjoy the Classics and those who enjoy contemporary fiction in different genres. But as the story progresses, and we see Maggie and Malcolm open up to new reading experiences and breaking away from preconceived notions about certain books and genres, the author shows how people can enjoy books that don’t necessarily fall within one’s comfort zone and even if they choose not to, readers should not be judged for reading whatever appeals to them. As a lifelong reader who loves trying different kinds of books, enjoying some and others not so much, this resonated with me. Quirky characters, small-town dynamics, loads of humor and a sweet romance make for an engaging read. Overall, The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks by Shauna Robinson is an entertaining, light-hearted read that I enjoyed.

Many thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks is due to be released on November 1, 2022.

In an attempt to help her friend, Maggie becomes a temporary employee at Cobblestone Books. Maybe this was the wrong move, because failures seem to have a snowball effect causing a decline in sales. The declining revenue can be contributed to co- owner, Ralph. Desperate to increase earnings, Maggie starts an exclusive book club that reimagines old classics in different genres. At these meetings, Maggie has an opportunity to sell modern books and increase the underground sales of these books through the shop. However, she must keep this secret from Ralph’s right hand man and her romantic interest.

The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks tells the relatable story about finding joy in reading. The charismatic characters have realistic growth and problem solving skills. The most unrealistic aspect of this book is how much revenue a small town makes because of tourist interested in Edward Bell, a dead author. Otherwise this contemporary low- key romance makes for a pleasant quick read.

I went into this book blind and I was expecting a lighthearted Romcom mingled with the love of books.
This book was realistic and deep, not light and fluffy like so many other romance books you come to know and expect.
The struggle of a woman who is an editor assistant with a dying publisher has to make hard choices in her life in order to survive.
Yes, there was a male counterpart; however, Nora realized she needed to find who she was first and love herself before getting truly involved with someone else.

This is such wise advice as the only person who can make you happy is yourself and not the love of another. Maybe the divorce rates wouldn’t be so high in this country if more people romanticized about themselves instead of others.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the gifted copy

Maggie is unsure what to do with her life, so when her best friend, Rochelle, asks Maggie to help in her Bell River Cobblestone Books store. When Maggie arrives, she is stunned by the town's cult-like atmosphere around Edward Bell, an author famous for his novel "The First Dollar". She finds the bookstore is limited to books published before Edward Bell's time. As Maggie realizes, the bookstore can't survive this way. So, Maggie attempts to inject some fun and life into the bookstore and the other town businesses held by the Bell Society, but all must be done in secret.
What follows is Maggie uncovering town secrets and finding herself in the process.
Cute story.

This was a great book! It is a typical romance. Girl moves to small town, girl fits in well, girl causes problems and everyone hates her, girl fixes everything and it all works out. However, it was still entertaining and I listened to it in just a few days. Kept me entertained and enjoyed the story. Absolutely loved the narrator of the audiobook as well.

Must Love Books suffers from being marketed as a romantic comedy. Despite the pink cover, it isn’t. The romance is a subplot, but the main plot is about a woman in a job with increasing responsibilities in a workplace shrinking in terms of workers. Add to that a pay cut and things get desperate to survive. It’s not an overly happy book but the ending offers an element of hope. I found it lacked hooks to keep me reading, particularly when things got heavy.

The story is about Nora, a long-suffering editorial assistant for a publisher of business books. The company is undergoing a restructure and many people are leaving, willingly and unwillingly. Nora’s job has taken on the responsibilities of the books that are now editorless and managers on the other side of the country seem to think that she’s their assistant too. The last straw is a pay cut. Nora has no way of making ends meet unless she takes on a second job. So she pretends she’s left her day job to take on a freelance editor role for a rival publisher. It’s hard work with many late nights, bringing back her depression. She does make a friend in Andrew Santos, the last star author at her day job with it becoming something more. But Nora is caught when she is told she will get a promotion at her day job if she gets him to sign up his book; something she’s been planning to take to her second job as the prize to ensure she gets a full-time job.

The story is quite slow and lacks sparkle and subplots. It’s very realistic, but it doesn’t always make for interesting reading. (Not helped by the flawed marketing). Nora is a nice person I’m sure, but she doesn’t really make an interesting character. For all her worry about money, she seems to eat out a lot, buy drinks and the odd book. If her finances were so short that she couldn’t afford her rent, surely she wouldn’t be eating out so often? She is quite lost in terms of career and for the most part, doesn’t really do too much about it except taking on the second job (which she works on while at her first job’s workplace…pretty silly). She’s lost but she’s not really a likeable character. Andrew, her star author and friend/boyfriend, isn’t really detailed all that much. He’s meant to be nice, and the reader sees glimpses of that, but he’s not fleshed out beyond being a vehicle for Nora to use for her career/sounding board. Similar with Nora’s friends and colleagues – they are a sounding board for Nora and offer advice but we don’t really see much of them beyond that. It makes it difficult to keep reading when the main character isn’t someone you want to cheer for.

I found it difficult to motivate myself to pick up this book and read. The main plot of Nora’s lack of job satisfaction is repeated over and over. It’s nice to have multiple examples, but I think it would have improved the flow if Nora had been caught out a little earlier to allow for better resolution of her problems at the end of the novel. While the ending is very realistic, it’s not particularly satisfying with neither her job or relationship offering anything but a promising of a definite maybe. (An epilogue may have helped). The writing is solid and a faster paced story may have worked better for me.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com½

2.75 stars. This was just okay. It took so long to get mildly interesting that I almost DNF'd it. I didn't really love the plot, and I didn't care about the characters. The side romance was just meh--I didn't really feel their chemistry. There were some cute scenes and things that made me smile, and I enjoyed the ending.

Who didn’t subsist on career confusion in their early thirties? Narrator Nora has been a few years too long at her business book publisher. Most of her work family has moved on, and she has no interest in the product; she’s renting a bedroom in an unaffordable Manhattan apartment; and hopelessness is already in the picture when she’s notified that there’s going to be - oh noes - A PAY CUT! Nora’s creative solution is to swallow it and take a second job, a freelance gig with a bigger publisher. At a conference, she meets Andrew, a successful writer from her imprint, who has to decide if he’s going to stay with her company or try for a bigger advance and royalties elsewhere. And who has an “elsewhere” but possibly ethically challenged Nora? This is a very true-to-life tale of having too many choices without any assurance that any of them make sense. With believable multi-racial characters, and unique situations, it's much better than the average rom-com.

I loved this book! It checked all the boxes – a book about books, a bookstore, a small town, charming characters, a little romance, and a feel-good ending.

I highly recommend this entertaining page-turner.

Can’t wait to read Shauna Robinson’s earlier book, "Must Love Books."

Without a job or money, Maggie Banks agrees to help her best friend in her bookshop, even if she strongly dislikes reading. When she arrives at Bell River, she discovers a town haunted by the memory of a famous author. Everything is dedicated to him, including the bookstore. No bestsellers in there, but only classics. To keep the shop afloat, Maggie imagines a secret book club, where authors reinvent classical titles with an unexpected twist and forbidden books are sold.

Under the cover of a fun romantic comedy, Shauna Robinson explores the place of women authors in society, especially black women. This novel really has several layers of reading, which I found really interesting. As she tries to save the bookstore of her friend, Maggie discovers how certain genres are underrated and how books can bring a community together.

With The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks, Shauna Robinson wrote a declaration of love to book and literacy. This novel is a pure moment of pleasure for book lovers. I really enjoyed every part of it : It is a great story, with delectable characters.

Unemployed and living at home, twenty eight year old Maggie Banks isn’t sure what she’s looking for but she knows she hasn’t found it yet. When her heavily pregnant best friend, Rochelle, suggests Maggie comes to Bell River to help out at her bookstore for a few months, Maggie leaps at the opportunity for a change of scenery.

Though she hasn’t read a book in years Maggie is confident she can handle managing Cobblestones Books, but she isn’t prepared for the strict rules the store operates under. Like most businesses in Bell River, the shop plays a role in promoting the literary legacy of the late Edward Bell, which draws a steady stream of tourists to the town. The store hosts Bell’s writing desk, where he wrote his most celebrated novel, features his oeuvre, and is only permitted to stock classics written before the authors death in the late 1960’s. Adherence to the guidelines of the Bell Society, run by Bell’s descendant, Ralph, who has financial interest in several of the towns businesses including the bookstore, are rigorously enforced and it doesn’t take long for Maggie to run afoul of them.

Maggie is a likeable character, she’s a people person, warm and friendly but also a little impulsive and even reckless. I love her subversive solutions to the store’s financial issues, which include launching a clandestine book club with its own unique twist, but it’s a risky move. Maggie means well but she has nothing to lose, whereas her co-conspirators, and Rochelle, who knows nothing of Maggie’s machinations, do.

Malcolm, Ralph Bell’s assistant, is pretty clear he won’t risk his job for Maggie, even though he is clearly attracted to her. Their romance is a case of opposites attract, and I liked the way Robinson developed their relationship, though I think Maggie does take advantage.

There’s some exploration in the story about the value of classic literature vs genre fiction, an age old debate. I also liked the small thread of mystery involving the authorship of Edward Bell’s famous book. There are some glaring holes in the plot overall though which some might find hard to overlook, but the conclusion is quite satisfying.

A light and engaging read, The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks has elements that will appeal to book lovers, and readers who appreciate a happy ending.

I’m not sure how I feel about this book. It was listed in a PopSugar list of 54 romance books of 2022 when you want an escape. I would not classify this book as a romance nor a book for escaping. The topics are heavy and as someone who struggles with anxiety and depression this book brought up all those feelings I struggle with daily.

Must Love Books is about a young woman who loves books, mostly fiction, has worked at a small non-fiction publishing company for years without getting a promotion or raise. Due to 'restructuring' two of her managers move on; one retiring and the other to another small publishing house. Soon after, Nora's best friend, Beth leaves for another job as well.

Nora is now expected to take on the work of 3 people, and before long, headquarters reduces the company's salaries by 15%! That leaves Nora with too little to cover rent, food, and other expenses. She tries applying for another job but doesn't get it. Knowing the company is taking advantage of her, not giving her the respect or salary she deserves for all her work, she is angry, resentful and lost.

Meeting Andrew, a young, enthusiastic and very optimistic writer who is preparing his 2nd book for her company, she is attracted and intrigued by him. But her job to motivate him to sign the contract acts as a wedge in their personal lives.

When an executive from the company's New York office relocates to Nora's office, endlessly badgering her for administrative assistance because he hasn't hired a new assistant yet, she's had enough.

Fearful of just quitting and losing her salary, she takes on a part-time job at another publishing house. Juggling 2 jobs, not getting enough sleep, and feeling guilty about lying to everyone, unhappy at work Nora becomes depressed.

Must Love Books is a smart, enjoyable book. You'll need to borrow or buy it to read how Nora manages her life.I found the description of this job, of Nora's circumstances, the endless amount of work she's given without a raise or recognition to be reflective of a few of the jobs I've held. Very like the corporate world in general in ANY field.

The folks on top want more money for themselves, and have the power to simply take from lower level employees. Seems they believe these employees don't the guts to resist or leave. Regardless, even if these employees do leave for greener pastures, executives will just fill positions requiring hard work and long hours with naive 'bodies' to keep themselves on top with money pouring in to them, and NOT trickling down. .

Definitely looking forward to reading more from Robinson.

Wow, what a wonderful debut by Shauna Robinson! With a cover design like that and the words book in the title I was immediately drawn to this book and had to read it. I love reading books about books, especially when the main character works at a publishing house. I've always thought of going in to publishing as being my dream job, though for Nora Hughes what started off as a job to be excited about quickly turns in to a less than ideal situtaion, being over worked and underpaid she's understandably distressed and depressed.

Depressed as she was, she goes through the motions as she's starting to crack under the pressure of the situation. Enter a love interest at just the right point in the story and I was hooked. Who doesn't love a dose of love, especially when all else seems hopeless

Overall, I found this is a tad slow in the beginning but it does get much better, soon I was as wrapped up in Noras life as I had hoped to be when I picked up the book.. With wonderful prose and hope woven into the pages, I can definitely say this is a novel well worth reading! Any bookworm or anyone needing a feel good story that is realistic but hopeful will fall in love with Must Love Books.

Thank you to netgalley, publishers, and Shauna Robinson for providing a digital arc for me to enjoy in exchange for my honest opinion. I am grateful I picked up this story and can happily say I definitely rec0mmend it!

Thanks to Sourcebooks for the ARC of Must Love Books.
This is a story of Nora who is an editorial assistant for a publisher of business books. She is very unhappy in her job. She always wanted to be involved with books, preferably fiction, and this is not what she envisioned. Enter Andrew Santos, a successful debut author. Nora and Andrew become friends, and his attention confuses her as she struggles to get him to sign with her publisher for book 2, or to go to a different publisher. Nora makes some poor choices while she tries to figure out her life.
This book had a slow start for me, but once Andrew and Nora interacted more, it picked up. I liked the ambiguous ending, as it allowed for some imagination of the future.

Nora is struggling to succeed in the world of publishing. She just can’t seem to get the job she dreams of. When her company down sizes, she decides to take matters in her own hands. She moonlights for a competing publishing company. Throw in a handsome author with a decision to make into the pot…and Nora has a world of trouble.

This story drags in places. I had such high hopes for this book. I wanted more book references and basically more interaction between Nora and Andrew. Both are good characters and have a connection, even if I wanted to pinch Nora’s head off most of the time. The story is mostly about Nora’s job and her inability to make ends meet. But, have no fear…it all comes together in the end. It definitely ended on a great note!

Need a wonderful, feel good novel with a happy ending! THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

*E-book ARC received from the publisher through Edelweiss Plus - thank you!*

Nora Hughes has been working as an editorial assistant at Parsons, a business publisher, for six years where she's become more and more disillusioned and frustrated with her job and life. Seeing little way out after layoffs and a pay cut, she starts a second freelance job with another publisher, works it on the first job's time, and simultaneously starts a friendship with Parsons' author Andrew. If she can just get him to sign with them for his new book, she's been promised a promotion. But Andrew shows signs of wanting something other than a contract, and Nora isn't sure how long she can keep the deception up.

This debut from author Shauna Robinson, who definitely knows the publishing world, shows a lot of promise. The issue was me - I'm older and farther along in my career than Nora, and I found her really frustrating. She's depressed, and her unhappiness in her job and life in general made her really hard to read about so closely. With every decision she made, whether it be the shady job choices or manipulating Andrew and feeling guilty about it, I wanted to be able to insert myself and tell her, "Stop!" Nora's miserable for about 80% of the book, and the final 20% wasn't quite enough to make up for it. Were I 10-15 years younger, I may have related more.

Review to come, eventually if not sooner. Read in 2023.