In a Nutshell Reviews - The Short Reads Edition

---

The Bookstore Wedding by Alice Hoffman
Published by Amazon Original Story on August 1, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fiction

Goodreads

In this star-crossed short story from New York Times bestselling author Alice Hoffman, timing is everything as two sisters learn to let love follow its own path.

Isabel, the long-lost Gibson sister, is finally back home on Brinkley’s Island, Maine. With Sophie and Violet, her sister and her niece, she’s got the family bookstore—and with Johnny Lenox, she’s got something even more special.

But even as life settles, not everything is falling into place. Isabel and Johnny have set the date three times, baked three wedding cakes, invited the whole island to three parties, only to have each attempt at matrimony fall apart at the last minute. Disasters seem to be conspiring against their happy ending, and Isabel is starting to wonder if their love is meant to be.

When family history comes back to haunt the Gibson sisters, Isabel knows that if she wants to make it down the aisle with Johnny, first she and Sophie will have to face the pain of their past and their present, and decide what it means for their future.

When I finished reading The Bookstore Sisters, I wished it had been a full length story. I wanted more of the Gibson sisters and was so happy to get an opportunity to return to their world.

As expected, this story involves a wedding, or more like all the disasters that were keeping Isabel's wedding from happening. After delays and rescheduling, the worst of the disasters hit the family in the lead up to the latest wedding. Bringing back scary and painful memories from their past, this event served as a reminder to value today and prompted some to open their hearts.

It also showcased the wonderful people of Brinkley as they all rallied to support the Gibson sisters. I especially loved the way everyone picked out books to provide comfort to Isabel and Sophie on this journey. There were so many lovely choices and the explanations of how they could ease some pain were quite touching.

Hoffman showed the beauty in the pain and highlighted the power of love. This touching tale warmed my heart, and I really hope we get to revisit the Gibson sisters again.

*ARC PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER

---

What Does It Feel Like by Sophie Kinsella
Published by The Dial Press on October 8, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fiction

Goodreads

From #1 bestselling author Sophie Kinsella, an unforgettable story—by turns heartbreaking and life-affirming—of a renowned novelist facing a devastating diagnosis and learning to live and love anew.

“What Does It Feel Like? is fiction, but it is my most autobiographical work to date. Eve’s story is my story.”—Sophie Kinsella

Eve is a successful novelist who wakes up one day in a hospital bed with no memory of how she got there. Her husband, never far from her side, explains that she has had an operation to remove the large, malignant tumor growing in her brain.

As Eve learns to walk, talk, and write again—and as she wrestles with her diagnosis, and how and when to explain it to her beloved children—she begins to recall what’s most important to her: long walks with her husband’s hand clasped firmly around her own, family game nights, and always buying that dress when she sees it.

Recounted in brief anecdotes, each one is an attempt to answer the type of impossible questions recognizable to anyone navigating the labyrinth of grief. This short, extraordinary novel is a celebration of life, shot through with warmth and humor—it will both break your heart and put it back together again.

“Why did I write such a personal book? I have always processed my life through writing. Hiding behind my fictional characters, I have always turned my own life into a narrative. It is my version of therapy, maybe. Writing is my happy place, and writing this book, although tough going at times, was immensely satisfying and therapeutic for me.”—Sophie Kinsella

What does it feel like? It felt raw and honest and beautiful, too. It felt hard and sad but was laced with hope. That's what Sophie Kinsella's latest book felt like for me.

I won't lie, I cried A LOT. After I finished this book, I told my friend about it. Later, she saw my shiny eyes and asked me if I was thinking about it. Yes! I was! Because I was really moved by this book and am grateful Kinsella saw fit to share it with us.

As someone with a loved one waging their own battle against cancer, I appreciated the peek in her head. There's a lot that we see but don't understand, and I feel as though I gained some understanding after reading this book. Of course I will never fully comprehend how it feels, but this does shed some light on the physical and emotional battles.

Obviously, this is a very different type of book for Kinsella, but I must say, I enjoyed the format. It was told in different ways as a series of vignettes, and it worked so well to create this space where I didn't have to see it all to understand what it felt like.

Though this story (obviously) leans on the sad side, Kinsella was able to infuse it with quite a bit of lightness and warmth, and by the end, I was filled with hope and wished for Eve to get her happy ending.

Favorite short book/story?
Let us know in the comments!