REVIEW: Bookshop by the Sea by Denise Hunter

Bookshop by the Sea by Denise Hunter finds Sophie settling in Piper’s Cove to start the bookshop her and her mother had discussed years earlier before her death. After taking over for her mother and basically raising her twin brother, Seth, and their younger sister, Jenna, after their father deserted them, it’s finally her time to their bookshop dream come true. Jenna is about to get married, which finds Sophie reunited with her first and only love, Aiden Maddox. Years earlier Aiden had hightailed it out of town to accept a partnership at an adventure tour business, expecting to Sophie to leave her sick mother and her own dreams behind. When she refused, he left and never looked back.

Sophie is determined to make it through the wedding, but when a hurricane leaves Aiden stranded in Piper’s Cover with nowhere to stay, he ends up staying with Sophie. When she finds herself injured with only a short time to get her bookshop open in time for a book signing, Aiden sticks around longer than anticipated to help her. But with Sophie’s siblings still dependent on her, and a prestigious award and his business waiting for Aiden back home, will they be able to find a second chance at love?

I started off liking Sophie, but I soon found myself frustrated with her. Her siblings depended on her way too much, and she didn’t put up any boundaries with them. For example, in the middle of a hurricane, she takes a dangerous drive to a nearby hotel that still had Wi-Fi so she could proofread something for her brother. I also found myself annoyed with her siblings. Her brother is the same age as her; he should have been able to take care of his own issues. Jenna, despite now being married, is still overly dependent on Sophie, when she should have relying on her new husband. Both siblings also come across as very selfish, with little to no thought about Sophie’s feelings and needs. She could have used some help getting her shop finished, but instead all she had was Aiden, until other members of the town stepped in to help. They get a little better towards the end, but at that point it was a little too late to redeem them in my eyes. Part of it was Sophie’s fault for not conveying her needs to them, but they also could have stepped up at any time and volunteered to help.

Both Sophie and Aiden seem to have a fear of people leaving them. While Sophie’s fear is displayed by the lack of boundaries she has with her siblings, Aiden’s is displayed by running away when he thinks things are starting to get difficult. Despite this, I really liked them as a couple. It was clear they still cared about one another, even though years had passed since they last saw one another.

Bookshop by the Sea is a charming small town, second chance romance that will have readers rooting for the couple to find their happily ever after. While I found myself frustrated with Sophie’s siblings, and Sophie herself at times, I still enjoyed this book enough that I would recommend giving it a read.

If you put yourself in Sophie’s position, how would you handle her boundary issues with her siblings?

Book Info:

Publication: April 13, 2021 | Thomas Nelson |

After her mother became bedridden and her father bailed on the family, Sophie found herself serving as a second mother to her twin brother, Seth, and younger sister, Jenna. Sophie supported her siblings through their college years, putting aside her own dream of opening a bookshop in Piper’s Cove—the quaint North Carolina beach town they frequented as children.

Now it’s finally time for Sophie to follow her own pursuits. Seth has a new job, and Jenna is set to marry her college beau in Piper’s Cove. But the destination wedding reunites Sophie with best man Aiden Maddox, her high school sweetheart who left her without a backward glance.

When an advancing hurricane strands Aiden in Piper’s Cove after the wedding, he finds the hotels booked to capacity and has to ask Sophie to put him up until the storm passes. As the two ride out the weather, old feelings rise to the surface. The delay also leaves Sophie with mere days to get her bookshop up and running. Can she trust Aiden to stick around? And will he find the courage to risk his heart?