I've been saving this book as the ultimate comfort read for a LONG time. It was given to me by my Auntie a few years ago with a little inscription saying the book made her think of me (honestly one of the loveliest things anyone can do?!), and I've been waiting for a good time to read it since then. Earlier this year I had an intense bout of the flu and this was a perfect sick bed read.
The book follows the story of Nina, a self-proclaimed bookworm and librarian who's soon to be out of a job. As a result of government cuts, her library's being axed, and Nina is forced to face an uncertain future. After saving a whole load of the books from the bin, Nina considers her life-long dream: to open a little book shop.
Nina sets off to Scotland to buy a van that's perfect for selling her books out of. But she has two problems: 1.) she's fallen head over heels for Scotland, and 2.) her home city of Birmingham won't let her sell books from the van there. Nina's forced to make the toughest decision of her life, and moves to Scotland to follow her dreams. But life in the highlands isn't too friendly for a single thirty-something who finds herself an outsider.
I absolutely blitzed through this - it was such a relaxing, easy to get through read. I've since tried to get my hands on all of Jenny Colgan's books because sometimes when life is tough we really need a read that isn't filled with massive peaks and troughs of tension. Having said that, it still was a page turner and there were some twists in the tale, but it read more like Enid Blyton for adults than some kind of nail-biting thriller.
For a chick flick, the book doesn't focus entirely on romance either, which I love. Nina's friendships are a massive part of the book, overshadowing the romance, which I feel is more true of real life.
I'm giving this four stars - there were a few moments that didn't quite grip me, but I've already bought another of Colgan's books to read when I'm feeling down so it definitely wasn't all bad!
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