Guest Review: The Story Shop by Christie Barlow

When travel writer Jack Hartwell arrives on Puffin Island amidst a terrible storm, he stumbles into The Story Shop, the island's quaint bookshop.

Seeking refuge, he finds himself immersed in Amelia Brown's enchanting world of books, puffins, and an eccentric group of book club regulars. So when the enigmatic Amelia challenges Jack to read a mysterious novel The Temptation Bucket List – and to complete its challenges with her – he can’t resist.

But with Jack’s time on Puffin Island ticking away, the stakes rise. The final item on the list? To share a secret that no one else knows…

This is the third book in the Puffin Island series from this author. Puffin Island is connected to the main part of Britain by a tidal causeway and is home to a large colony of puffins as well as a small, close community of humans. The stories in these books give an insight into the lives of the island’s inhabitants and newcomers who decide to settle there. So far, each story has been complete in itself.

The central character in this story is Amelia Brown, who runs and also lives above the Island’s bookshop. On a particularly stormy day, the door of the shop flies open to admit Jack Hartwell, a successful writer of travel books, and one of Amelia’s favourite authors. Jack is hoping to remain incognito while he writes an article about Puffin Island, but becomes drawn to the bookshop and Amelia as he gets to know her. It turns out that he is not the only one hiding a secret. Amelia has also been keeping something big from her friends and the rest of the community. As she and Jack share the challenges contained in a new mysterious novel, it looks as though their secrets may at last be revealed.

How nice it was to return to Puffin Island and get to know another of its residents. Amelia was a lovely character and a great friend, full of fun and determination to succeed. I also liked Jack, who showed great strength of character in a difficult situation. There was one most unlikable character in the story who made the perfect villain. Amelia was lucky to have such a wonderful group of friends; it was marvellous to watch how they interacted and watched out for each other. Among the other activities at the bookshop was a most unusual book group whose meetings were hilarious. I can wholeheartedly recommend this book, whether it is read on its own or part of this compelling series.

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