Good morning, friends!
NOTE: I inadvertently posted this yesterday over the Author Spotlight. Reposting here for those of you who expect to see the reviews on Wednesday.
This week's novella was published in 2025, just a year ago this month. With that, I would think that the information in the back matter would be correct. Such is not the case. The back matter lists a website that no longer exists. If there are any authorrs reading this, as a reviewer I can not stress enough to have your information updated. Please, don't tell us to check out your website only to find the page no longer exists. Very frustrating for readers and reviewers and can prompt us not to look for more of your books. I'm putting together a workshop on this subject so if you'd like to have me speak at your group or conference, please feel free to contact me - AngelaDrake @ webname . com
Now on to today's review.
BLURB:
When Claire Monroe returns to the coastal town of Willow Bay to settle her late aunt’s affairs, she expects a quick visit - not a reckoning with her past. But as she enters Seaside Books on Maple Lane, she rediscovers more than memories between the worn pages and salt-tinged air. The shop is filled with stories of love, loss, and belonging - and somewhere among them, Claire finds herself again.
Jake, the man she once loved and left behind, has never truly moved on. Their reunion stirs old emotions, unresolved questions, and a spark that refuses to die. Maddy, her best friend from long ago, is still there too - waiting for closure, forgiveness, and the friend she lost when Claire went away.
As Claire restores the bookstore and mends the relationships that once defined her, she learns that healing is messy, love is complicated, and sometimes second chances come softly - through forgiveness, courage, and the quiet act of staying.
Amara Wisen has a knack for setting a scene. I could almost feel that salty mist welcoming me home. That feeling of finding something you thought you'd lost in a place you thought you'd left behind forever.
I love stories about book stores. The weathered kind full of history and voices from years past. The only thing missing in this book store was a cat. The letters Claire found from her Aunt Jane, full of the style of wisdom she'd shared with Claire when she was growing up. The letters added to the sense of coming back where Claire belonged, to a place she never really left in her heart.
The nuances she shares about Jake were soft; not at all up in the reader's face. We got glimpses of him through passages of time, like putting puzzle piecs in place until we saw Jake for the man Claire needed... and he needed her.
I was surprised by a quick twist that brought emotions to a head and truly were the pivotal moment for the 'will they, won't they' scenario, the resolution we look for in a romance.
There were a couple of points where I felt we were more in a narrative or ominsent point of view but overall, The Book Shop On Maple Lane is well written. If I were including the author's misstep in providing promotional information, I'd be posting a lower rating. But, because it's all about the story, I'm giving the book...
All my best!
~ Angela
