The Bookshop Below by Georgia Summers

Tracy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: November 18, 2025

As a disgraced former bookseller with a questionable past, Cassandra should have made for a compelling protagonist. When Cassandra returns to the magical bookshop she grew up in after its owner’s murder, she quickly finds herself overwhelmed by rival booksellers circling like sharks. I loved her backstory—the hints of crime, her former reputation as a book thief, and the emotional complexity tied to her mentor’s death. But honestly, the narrative never let me get close enough to her, and I found myself wishing for more time in the past, in those fleeting flashbacks that were so much more captivating than the present-day plot.

Lowell, the rival bookseller and Cassandra’s romantic interest, had the potential to shine and I did enjoy their banter at times, but the chemistry was awkward and felt forced. Other characters, like Byron, Aloysius, and a handful of others grabbed my attention but, much to my disappointment, were left underdeveloped. I kept thinking that if I could have just spent more time with them—especially Aloysius, who was fascinating in his own right—I might have cared more about their fates.

I was drawn to this book by the blurb where the premise of trying to run a magical bookshop sounded amazing, but unfortunately, it didn’t really work for me. That is primarily because I didn’t really care for the author’s unique writing style. I felt like the story dragged for me, as if I was slogging through scenes, desperately wanting something exciting, magical or mysterious to happen, but the story rarely delivered. The magic system was the biggest letdown, I never felt like the rules of this world made sense, and even after reaching the halfway mark, I was still confused about how anything actually worked. The idea that reading magical books could grant abilities is clever, but the lack of explanation left me frustrated. I wanted to be immersed in a vivid, magical world, but instead, everything felt muddled and underdeveloped. Overall, The Bookshop Below is a novel with so much potential—there’s an undercurrent of magic, the lure of a mysterious past, and the promise of quirky, memorable characters. Unfortunately, it just didn’t come together for me. The slow pacing and underdeveloped world-building made it difficult to stay engaged, and the magic system—the heart of any fantasy—never truly made sense, leaving me feeling detached from the stakes of the story. If you’re a seasoned fantasy reader, you might be able to fill in the gaps and enjoy the adventure more than I did. For those, like me, who gravitate toward magical realism, there are some enjoyable moments in this book, and I wouldn’t discourage you from giving it a try. But for me, the story that never quite lived up to its magical promise.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *