Blog Tour & Review | The Borrow A Bookshop Holiday by Kiley Dunbar

I was sent  a copy of the book for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

Today is my stop on the publication day push for The Borrow A Bookshop Holiday by Kiley Dunbar – please do check out the other stops on the tour. Thanks go to Rachel’s Random Resources and the author for allowing me to be a part of this tour.

About The Book

The Fully Booked Bookshop Café invites literature lovers to run their very own bookshop … for a fortnight. 
Spend your days talking books with customers in your own charming bookshop and serving up delicious cream teas in the cosy café. Bookworms, what are you waiting for? Your holiday is going to be LIT(erary).

Apply to: The Fully Booked Bookshop, Down-a-long, Clove Lore, Devon. Jude Crawley should be on top of the world. She’s just graduated as a mature student, so can finally go public about her relationship with Philosophy professor, Mack.

Until she sees Mack kissing another girl, and her dreams crumble. And worse, their dream holiday – running a tiny bookshop in the harbour village of Clove Lore for two weeks – is non-refundable.
Throwing caution to the winds, Jude heads down to Devon, eager to immerse herself in literature and heal her broken heart.

But there’s one problem – six foot tall, brooding (but gorgeous) Elliot, who’s also reserved the bookshop holiday for two weeks…

As Jude and Elliot put their differences aside to run the bookshop, it seems that Jude might be falling in love with more than just words. Until she discovers what Elliot is running from – and why he’s hiding out in Clove Lore. Can Jude find her own happy ending in a tiny, tumbledown bookshop? Or is she about to find out that her bookish holiday might have an unexpected twist in the tale…

My Review

As a book lover, the idea of running a bookshop for two weeks sounds like an absolutely dream to me. The lead up to Jude’s jaunt down to Devon is filled with drama as she realises her (secret) boyfriend Mack isn’t a good guy. Her best friend Daniel helps to cheer her up and with things changing at home – no boyfriend, the Nan she cares for moving into assisted living and her parents selling up -, a trip to the bookshop sounds like the perfect break.

However her blissful time there is soon rocked as Elliot arrives, also there to help run the bookshop. She isn’t happy to have to share her once in a lifetime experience with him but will they grow to get along?

I really liked Jude as the book went along although I felt she was a bit of a wet blanket to begin with. It was obvious Mack was a user and she also never did anything because of caring for her nan even though her nan was more than happy for her to go do stuff. She missed out on so much fun stuff with Daniel because of this! She definitely came into her own as the book went on and it was nice to see her become more confident in herself and her friendships and relationships.

I loved Daniel and would have been happy to see the two of them get back together, even if they think that the spark isn’t there anymore. Their friendship is amazing and he is so good to her. However the introduction of Elliot is also very welcome and he is very dark and mysterious which leaves you wanting to know much, much more about him. Jowan and Aldous are also brilliant characters and Jowan’s story is heartbreaking.

I loved the ending and would love to find out what happens after – I feel these characters have so much more to say and do! Overall, a fantastic read.

About The Author

Kiley Dunbar writes heart-warming, escapist, romantic fiction set in beautiful places.

Kiley also works as a senior lecturer, teaching creative writing at the Manchester Writing School. One Winter’s Night is shortlisted for the RNA Romantic Comedy Novel Award 2021.

Find her on her website, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

Buy the book on Amazon {affiliate link}, Kobo or Apple.