This book is a hard one to review in that it made me so happy, but I can’t objectively say that it was a good book. This book is such a love letter to stories and book lovers, and it really made me appreciate the magic of books all over again. This entire book is like drinking a warm cup of tea on a rainy night and made me want to move to Scotland ASAP. The atmosphere of this book is incomparable and it is amazing how Jenny Colgan can make you actually feel the cool Scotland rain and smell the fields while you are reading. Although I loved the atmosphere and writing style of this book, the story itself was a bit underwhelming and middle of the road. That being said, if you are looking for a warm and fuzzy summer read, this may the one for you to pick up. 

     The premise of this book is adorable! A woman who loses her library job decides to start selling books out of a van in Scotland. The pacing is a little slow, and it feels like we focus on some unnecessary scenes sometimes, but the main points of the story are pretty solid. I will say that I am also a sucker for books that make multiple mentions to other books/movies/tv shows, and this book has an abundance of references. 

     Nina is a sweet and interesting protagonist to follow. It was extremely heartwarming to see her come out of her shell so much and learn to stand up for herself, and even her landlord grew on me in a rough around the edges kind of way. Other than them though, I found a lot of other characters to be a little redundant and unnecessary; it seemed like they were just in the book for the sake of having more characters. I honestly do not understand the point of the train conductor or any of the scenes involving him, it was just pointless drama to act as a red herring. 

     I have now been staring at this review for over an hour, and I cannot think of anything else to say. That may be the perfect way to sum up this book, nothing super interesting that I feel the need to talk about but nothing horrible to complain about either. This is a purely middle of the road book that I would recommend for a lazy, rainy day when you have nothing to do but read a book. 3/5 stars to The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan.