The Borrow a Bookshop Holiday (Borrow a Bookshop 1), by Kiley Dunbar

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Over the summer, I participated in a challenge where I had to read or listen to a book set in England. I was in Christmas in July mode, so I wanted it to be set around the holidays. My search resulted in a book that I fell in love with. It isn't the usual cozy mystery I enjoy, but it had strong cozy vibes. I'd describe it as women's fiction with a bit of romance. That book was Christmas at the Borrow a Bookshop (Borrow a Bookshop 2), by Kiley Dunbar. I typically don't read or listen to series out of order, but I had read reviews that stated it could be enjoyed as a standalone, so I gave it a try. After finishing that book, I knew I wanted to read or listen to the entire series. So I recently circled back to the first one, The Borrow a Bookshop Holiday. I enjoyed the narration so much for Christmas at the Borrow a Bookshop, that I chose to listen to this first one. Both are narrated by Helen Duff.

In The Borrow a Bookshop Holiday, we are introduced to Jude Crawley. She is a thirty-something graduate who can finally go public with her relationship with Professor Mack.  She also no longer needs to care for her grandmother because her health has greatly improved. Sadly, though, Jude sees Mack kissing another girl and this is the breaking point of their relationship.

Months prior to their breakup, they had put in a request to get on the waiting list for the Borrow a Bookshop in England. (The series is based on a real bookshop like this in Scotland.) They were looking forward to this getaway where guests run the bookshop for two weeks. After the breakup, they are notified that it's finally their turn. The Bookshop Holiday is non-refundable, so Jude decides to go there on her own.

Except, she's not there alone. It turns out, another guest, Elliot, has also reserved the bookshop. Their first encounter is tense and Elliot is hiding something about himself, but they must learn to put their differences aside in order to successfully run the bookshop together. They may just fall in love in the process while also growing as individuals.

I debated whether to give this book three or four stars. I settled on four because I really did enjoy it. I think it was good that I listened to the audiobook because the beautiful narration kept me engaged.

Unfortunately, this book didn't resonate as deeply with me as Christmas at the Borrow a Bookshop did, though. If this had been my first experience with the series, I might not be so eager to read the rest of the books. However, since I know book 2 is so much better, I will read or listen on.

The romance in this first installment felt forced and rushed to me. I kept wondering why Jude was so into Elliot. She didn't know too much about him before their romance got serious. He knew a lot more about her than she did about him, so the relationship wasn't balanced. There were also a couple of moments that were very predictable. 

Elliot has secrets, which also really bothered me. He didn't have to reveal anything to Jude, especially just having met her, but if they're going to be in a serious relationship, Jude deserved to know sooner. Eventually Eliott did come clean, but it was close to the end of the book and it was rushed.  It felt like a data dump when he did explain everything to Jude. What happened after this felt out of place from the rest of the book.

Something else that bothered me about this book, which was also the case in Christmas at the Borrow a Bookshop, was the sprinkling of mild swear words. They felt out of place for these characters. It was almost like the author was trying to be edgy just to catch our attention. None of those swear words were necessary. I would have enjoyed the book more without them.

Despite all the negatives, I do love the premise of the series and I think the rest of the books have promise. I'll definitely listen to the audiobooks because I love the narrator's voice so much. If you're looking for women's fiction with some romance that feels cozy, I recommend The Borrow a Bookshop Holiday, by Kiley Dunbar. If you're not too into it, give the series a chance because I'm confident you will enjoy the second one more. It has much more emotional depth. Some plot points do carry over into each following book, so while the main stories are standalones, I recommend starting from the beginning with this first installment.