Not Quite by the Book
Disclaimer - This is Not a Romance Genre Book
By Julie Hatcher
Lake Union Publishing - Mar 2025
Women's Fiction
When Emma Rini learned that her parents were going to retire and give her their bookstore, Emma should have been honored and excited. Instead, she felt tired and overwhelmed. Years earlier, she had helped raise her younger sister when their mother had fought cancer. Now, she worked at her parents' bookstore, focused on improving sales, and basically had no other life. Her sister was married and expecting her first baby, but Emma’s life was the store.
That was about to change. She gave her parents notice that she was taking a six week vacation. She was going to turn back the clock, at least figuratively, and stay in a historic manor in the town Emily Dickinson had called home. She would live life from an easier time. Read. Garden. Bake. Take walks. There wouldn't even be any wi-fi or cell service, at least until she walked towards the street.
Except, living life in the past wasn’t as easy as one might think. The manor needed a lot of work, sometimes it was too cold, and she couldn't get the fire to start. Thankfully the owner's nephew, Davis Sommers, could help with that, but he didn't want her there. He needed her to leave so he could remodel the manor to bring attention to the historic building.
But as far as Emma was concerned, that could wait. She was learning more about herself, finding peace, fixing relationships, and apparently creating a lovely salad bar for her resident bunny.
Not Quite By the Book was an entertaining story of a woman learning some truths about herself and others. Not only did I enjoy watching her experiences at the manor and her attempts to live her best Emily Dickinson life, but also her growing realization that maybe that lifestyle wasn't the one she needed to live. There is a romance, but it is secondary and honestly I was a bit annoyed with Davis' behavior
Kathy Andrico - KathysReviewCorner.com
FTC Disclaimer: I did receive a copy for review. However, this website only posts "good" reviews. If I cannot post a positive review, I notify whoever has provided me with the book/ARC/ebook.