We were lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of Bookishly Ever After by Mia Page through Netgalley. We have some strong thoughts about this book that we wanted to share in our review.
Bookishly Ever After is a general fiction (adult), non-fiction, romance book about Lexi Austen, a British bookstore owner in Washington, DC. She inherited the store from her grandmother who ran the store with limited competition for 30 years.
However, in 2020, implied during the COVID-19 pandemic, the only ‘rival’ to Lexi’s store, a second-hand book shop called Second Reading, is sold off to a man named Sam Dickens, who, according to Lexi, values money over books.
Inserting Sarcasm
When Sam buys Second Reading, he renames it Great Expectations. Yeah, talk about original. *insert eye roll emoji here* He has also changed the store’s format to sell new books rather than secondhand. Not to mention, Lexi’s love life isn’t exactly great. She has been on dozens of dates, and nothing has panned out.
When Lexi’s best friend (and roommate) Erin gets engaged, she begins to scheme. Lexi does this against her better judgement to woo Sam, using the methods of Jane Austen. What makes this book interesting is the constant references to the publishing industry. Moreover, there are mentions that longtime book lovers will know. These include the likes of Netgalley and books like Seven Days in June and Beach Read.
Like all schemes, Lexi’s scheme backfires and she ends up wooing Sam, with her Austen-esque plans falling flat when she realises she cannot play the piano. Sam is asked to teach her as she cannot afford to pay for lessons.
Another aspect of the book that is more serious is that Lexi and her staff need to pick up their game. When one of the employees asks for a raise, Lexi wants to give it to her, but there isn’t enough money. Not to mention, many of their customers are forced to go over to Sam’s shop.
There are multiple sex scenes and some nudity that start to escalate when they get naked. But it just cuts to afterwards. There is a small scene not long after this, too, but if we had to rate the scenes it’s a 1 and a half chillis. Also, you’re not thrown into the scene suddenly. You know it’s coming as there are innuendos in the lead-up.
Bookishly Ever After Needs A Few Improvements
The concept of Bookishly Ever After is great, but there is room for improvement, especially since it is Mia Page’s first novel. The grammar and spelling errors can be overlooked as it is an advanced reader’s copy. We will definitely be picking up her next book, which we hope is a sequel.
PS: if you’re looking for more romance authors, check out our list of the Top 5 romance authors on Amazon Australia.
