Title: The Little Book Cafe (Amy’s Story – Book 3)
Author: Georgia Hill
Genre: Fiction/ Romance
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 3/5

Favourite Quote: ‘Find out what it is that is really making you unhappy, sort that and the rest will follow.’

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.*

Jilted at the alter on the day of her wedding, Amy found comfort and distraction managing The Little Book Cafe along the bay, a job she adored more than anything. With her self-esteem and confidence hanging by a thread with the help of her mother, Amy accepted her single status and comfort eating lifestyle as best as she could. Reading was her passion, so starting a monthly book group seemed like the perfect addition to her bookshop, a great way to remain social with her book loving friends. Patrick being one of them, a handsome Irish bestselling writer who appeared as one of the first to arrive at the opening meeting a few months ago and has remained ever since. Keen to write in a more comfortable environment, Patrick found himself spending more time in The Little Book Cafe with Amy for company, much to her delight. She found herself falling for him quickly, but his mysterious evasiveness makes her curious. They spend some much time together, but she quickly realised she knew nothing about him, and he was going to let nothing slip. Who was her intriguing friend and where did he come from?

‘Amy was curious. Patrick took great care to reveal very little about himself. She didn’t even know where he lived in Berecombe and had assumed, as he always offered to walk her home, it was somewhere on the way out from the old town where she had her flat. She’d even googled him. It had made her feel a little dirty and she’d found out nothing more than she already knew. She waited for him to expand his answer but, inevitably, he didn’t.’ 

A lovely easy read full of friendship, romance and passionate aspirations.
I really liked Amy’s character, as if being left at the alter wasn’t enough to shatter your confidence and self-esteem as well as her father leaving her family for another, but with a mother like hers always belittling her by her life choices, her body image and the way she dresses, it’s amazing how she has the ability to function some days. The bookshop is her passion which comes through the pages clearly, it’s her life and she puts every part of her into it from the book groups, book signings, children’s story reading, right down to the detailed halloween decorations inside and out. It’s a wonderful aspect that truly brings light to the story.

‘Amy proudly surveyed her book group. They had gathered, as usual, on the mezzanine level of the bookshop and were sitting against the huge double-height windows. It was dark outside and rain spattered intermittently against the glass. The sumptuous sunsets of August and September had long gone; autumn was rushing into winter with unnecessary hate. It was cosy up here though.’

Patrick was a lovely enigma, a writer who has reached the bestsellers list but chooses to spend his time helping Amy in the bookshop. We come to realise he’s hit a block and is hunting for inspiration, he’s distracted and can’t put his pen to paper, so to speak. He’s careful about giving too much of himself away, clearly running from a haunting past and ended up in Berecombe. Getting close to Amy seems to be a problem, so when they share an almost kiss, he disappears without a word. It’s clear he’s hiding something, but can he really stay away?

The characters were great, each one being a lovely aspect to Amy’s life from Millie’s cafe next door as a perfect excuse for cake and tasty treats, Tash and Emma’s good-willed nature, even Biddy, a pensioner with a determined enthusiastic personality brought a quirky aspect to the book with her desire to publish an erotica novel. The author did a great job at setting the scene in just the right way to make you feel a part of it.
Overall it was a lovely read as a single book on it’s own, but I felt I was missing a few connections with the characters that I may have gotten from reading the first two instalments (Tash’s Story & Emma’s Story). Particularly at the beginning where I felt I was expected to know a bit more than I did about the characters.

Goodreads Review:
Amy, the manager of The Little Book Café, is a hopeless romantic who had her heart broken, but quietly refuses to give up on love.
With her friends Tash and Emma, not to mention their shared love of books and delicious cake from the café next door, Amy might just find the courage to fall for a real life romance this time…
Amy’s Story is the final instalment of The Little Book Cafe series so wrap up warm this Autumn and treasure this wonderful book.