4.5 stars

A.J Fikry is a bit of a grumpy-boots. He's a widower with a bookstore that he refuses to stock with YA literature and not many friends. A series of events ends up with Fikry having to get a bit of a kick up the bum and sorting his life out and also discovering a baby in no way related to him being left in his bookstore. Fikry's life changes for the better and the reader is brought along for the ride.

I did really enjoy this book but I'm not sure i loved it as much as everyone else which is why I gave it 4.5 stars as opposed to 5 stars. This book grew on me, at first I wasn't sure and by the time I was 50% through, i was really loving it. I thought everything about this book was subtle, the way the storyline was told, the narrative, the romance, the catastrophes. There was no crash, bang, wallop scenarios, it was very much 'slowly, slowly' like something unfurling itself.

I really enjoyed all the references to other books and Fikry's book snobbishness. It's definitely a book for book lovers, even if to identify with Fikry and Maya's love for books, the various book clubs, etc.