Item: The Lost and Found Bookshop
Rating: 4.00
Author: kimbacaffeinate

by Susan Wiggs

"The great Susan Wiggs writes with grace, insight and wisdom about the things that matter."-Adriana Trigiani bestselling author of The Shoemaker's Wife

In this thought-provoking, wise and emotionally rich novel, New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs explores the meaning of happiness, trust, and faith in oneself as she asks the question, "If you had to start over, what would you do and who would you be?"

There is a book for everything . . .

Somewhere in the vast Library of the Universe, as Natalie thought of it, there was a book that embodied exactly the things she was worrying about.

In the wake of a shocking tragedy, Natalie Harper inherits her mother's charming but financially strapped bookshop in San Francisco. She also becomes caretaker for her ailing grandfather Andrew, her only living relative-not counting her scoundrel father.

But the gruff, deeply kind Andrew has begun displaying signs of decline. Natalie thinks it's best to move him to an assisted living facility to ensure the care he needs. To pay for it, she plans to close the bookstore and sell the derelict but valuable building on historic Perdita Street, which is in need of constant fixing. There's only one problem-Grandpa Andrew owns the building and refuses to sell. Natalie adores her grandfather; she'll do whatever it takes to make his final years happy. Besides, she loves the store and its books provide welcome solace for her overwhelming grief.

After she moves into the small studio apartment above the shop, Natalie carries out her grandfather's request and hires contractor Peach Gallagher to do the necessary and ongoing repairs. His young daughter, Dorothy, also becomes a regular at the store, and she and Natalie begin reading together while Peach works.

To Natalie's surprise, her sorrow begins to dissipate as her life becomes an unexpected journey of new connections, discoveries and revelations, from unearthing artifacts hidden in the bookshop's walls, to discovering the truth about her family, her future, and her own heart.

Natalie Harper grew up above her mother’s bookstore. As an only child without a father figure in an affluent neighborhood, Natalie grew up determined to have security and traded passion for it as an adult. She has excelled in her career but finds no joy. She isn’t sure about her romantic relationship and is shaken to learn her coworker’s opinions of her.

Before Natalie can alter her path, a terrible tragedy leaves her in charge of her mother’s financially struggling bookshop and her ailing grandfather.

Books, all the books. I loved stepping inside the bookshop and learning about Natalie’s life. While I have often romanticized growing up in a bookstore, Wiggs made the struggles of realities of being raised by a single parent and business owner clear.

It is often said that you don’t know what you have until you lose it. I think Wiggs eloquently expressed the importance of appreciating our blessings.

A wave of nostalgia and her grandfather’s wishes soon have Natalie living above the bookshop and trying to revive it. The story that unfolds was delightful from romance to discovery and everything in-between.

Wiggs shares a story of loss, love and second chances. The bookstore and the historical discoveries found there were delightful. I loved the details, but as it is in life, it’s the people who call the bookstore home and those who come through the front door that made the world go round.

I love Grandy, Natalie’s grandfather, who had both wisdom and grace. While he suffers from dementia, it is in his moments of clarity that we learn of the past and what truly matters.

Secondary characters from Peach to the bookshop gals offered insight, romantic interest and allowed for Natalie to grow and find perhaps the true meaning of happiness. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

The Lost and Found Bookshop

by Susan Wiggs

Reviewed by kimbacaffeinate on May 24, 2020

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