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Evie Woods

About This Author
Reviewed

Updated

Read Time

8 min read

Our age bandAdult
Reader rating
4.4 · 166,328 Amazon ratings, as of Nov 2026
reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score
$9.49 on AmazonAudiobook

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Front cover of The Lost Bookshop

Our review

The Lost Bookshop

The Lost Bookshop Review: Atmosphere Praised, Ending and Romance Divide (Evie Woods)

by Evie Woods

Evie Woods's The Lost Bookshop follows Opaline, Martha and Henry through a vanishing Dublin bookshop, across the 1920s and the present. One blogger found it immersive; others found the present-day strand weaker, the romance tiresome and the ending unclear.

$9.49 on Amazon
Image from the Amazon listing for The Lost Bookshop: The most charming by Evie WoodsWoman wearing green blouse with floral embroidery, posed against neutral background.Image from the Amazon listing for The Lost Bookshop: The most charming by Evie WoodsTap to enlarge
Our age band: Adultdomestic violence · physical and emotional abuse

LuvemBooks Verdict

Best for

Readers who want a dreamy, bookish blend of 1920s Paris and present-day Dublin, accept magic that goes unexplained, and are comfortable with a storyline that includes domestic abuse.

Worth it if

Worth reading if you can enjoy atmosphere and hope over tight plotting, and can live with an ending that leaves questions open.

Skip if

Skip it if you want a tightly plotted historical novel, or if the romance and an unresolved ending would irritate you, since the book reviewer at Laurie is Reading found the ending confusing, and the reviewer at Carpe Librum found the romances tiresome and the magic never adequately explained.

Where reviewers agree and split

Readers rate it 4.4 on Amazon. The reviews we read that discuss it in depth split on some points:

  • Positive

    Jen Med's Book Reviews · Book blog: engaging story with magical elements and compelling character arcs

  • Mixed

    Laurie Is Reading · Book blog: intriguing themes and good writing undermined by confusing ending and weak present-day narrative

  • Positive

    Swirl and Thread · Book blog: A joyful, immersive tale celebrating self-discovery with warmth and magical wonder

  • Mixed

    Carpe Librum · Book blog: strong historical setting and bookish atmosphere marred by tiresome romance and unresolved threads

  • Mixed

    Lair of Reviews · Book blog: good three-part narrative undermined by unexplained magical realism elements

  • Mixed · 3/5 stars

    Heidi Dischler · Book blog: average story with beautiful writing but confusing plot execution and underdeveloped characters

    Overall verdicts are our summary of each review we read, from its headline, rating and conclusion.

    Overall the book works for most of the readers we found: one reviewer was the warmest, while the reviewers at Laurie is Reading and Carpe Librum liked the setting and themes but found the romance and the unresolved magic frustrating. These are individual blogs rather than established critics, and the pull is mostly bookish warmth tempered by loose ends.

    Sources: Swirl and Thread, Laurie is Reading, Carpe Librum
    4.4from 166,328 Amazon ratings, as of Nov 2026— reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score

    Preview the book

    Front cover of The Lost Bookshop
    Image from the Amazon listing for The Lost Bookshop: The most charming by Evie Woods
    Woman wearing green blouse with floral embroidery, posed against neutral background.
    Image from the Amazon listing for The Lost Bookshop: The most charming by Evie Woods
    Image from the Amazon listing for The Lost Bookshop: The most charming by Evie Woods

    Ask LuvemBooks

    Was this helpful?

    The Lost Bookshop sends three people through a vanishing Dublin bookshop, with one strand in 1920s Paris and one in the present day. It is a dreamy, escapist, book-loving read for those who accept magic left unexplained; reviewers who wanted the fantasy resolved, or who tired of the romances, were less satisfied.
    Is it worth reading?
    It delivers atmosphere more than tight plotting. A reviewer found it immersive and called it "a joy to read", while other reviewers found the ending unclear. The magic is largely left unexplained, so patience with open questions decides how it lands.
    Similar books
    For another warm, magic-tinged story from the same author, try The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris. The Midnight Library offers a comparable blend of fantasy and second chances. The Book of Lost Friends also pairs a historical thread with a present-day one, though its tone is heavier. Station Eleven and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo are broader choices for readers who liked the layered, multi-voice storytelling.
    Who should read this?
    It suits readers who like books about books and prefer fantasy that stays dreamy rather than explained. It also suits those who want a hopeful arc of women reclaiming their lives in settings like 1920s Paris and Dublin. It is a weaker fit for readers who find the subject matter challenging.
    What age is it for?
    It is written for adults. The reviewer at Laurie is Reading wouldn't recommend it for teen readers, citing graphic scenes of violence and other triggering topics. Wikipedia's summary also lists alcoholism and societal misogyny among the issues it tackles.
    About Evie Woods
    Evie Gaughan, who now writes under the pen-name Evie Woods, is an Irish novelist best known for The Lost Bookshop.
    Is it about more than the bookshop?
    Yes. The reviewer at Laurie is Reading described oppression, pressure and self-reclamation in the narratives, and the Jen Meds Book Reviews reviewer saw clear parallels between Opaline's and Martha's struggles, noting that attitudes toward strong women hadn't changed across the decades. The reviewer at Laurie is Reading went further, saying it excels at addressing important themes rather than being an intriguing story.
    Which timeline do reviewers prefer?
    Laurie Is Reading wished to skip Martha and Henry's story for hers. One reviewer found the book immersive overall, while another reviewer grew more eager for the magical storyline as the book went on.
    Summarize this book

    Summarize this book

    Opaline, Martha and Henry are drawn to a bookshop that keeps disappearing on a quiet Dublin street. In 1921, Opaline flees an arranged marriage in London and finds work at Shakespeare and Company in Paris, where she crosses paths with James Joyce and Ernest Hemingway. In the present day, Martha escapes an abusive past to work for the elderly Madame Bowden, and Henry, a scholar, hunts for a possible unpublished second novel by Emily Brontë. The three first-person narrations converge toward a final reveal.

    Follow up

    Are the two timelines told separately?
    Is the Emily Brontë search the main plot?

    Synthesized from verified book data & published reviews · How we review

    Ask LuvemBooks

    What would you like to know about The Lost Bookshop?

    Answers come from our editorial notes on this book. If we haven't covered something, we'll say so.

    Readers often ask

    Our Review

    We review the evidence: published critics, reader verdicts and BookTube reviews, gathered and weighed with AI assistance and edited by LuvemBooks, rather than one reader's first-hand take.

    The most consistent praise for Evie Woods's 2023 novel is for its escapist, book-loving atmosphere, which Swirl and Thread called "a joy to read". It rewards readers who want magic and bookish warmth, and it frustrates those who want its fantasy explained.

    What happens in The Lost Bookshop?

    The publisher's synopsis introduces three people who have "been the side characters in their own lives": Opaline, Martha and Henry. A vanishing bookshop on a quiet Dublin street draws them together, and the publisher promises a "world of wonder... Where nothing is as it seems."
    Per Wikipedia's account, the novel is told in first-person narration across two main threads, one beginning in the 1920s and one in contemporary times, with the three narrators' stories converging toward a final reveal. In 1921, Opaline flees London and an arranged marriage arranged by her mother and brother, and finds work at the Paris bookshop Shakespeare and Company, where she meets figures such as James Joyce and Ernest Hemingway.
    In the present day, Martha escapes an abusive past and takes a live-in housekeeping job in Dublin with an elderly woman, Madame Bowden. Henry, an English scholar funded to search for a possible unpublished second novel by Emily Brontë, hunts for a lost bookshop next door to her house and meets Martha there.
    The book blends bibliophilia, magical realism, historical fiction and romance, with romance threaded through all three narrators' stories.

    What did the bloggers find to praise in The Lost Bookshop?

    Swirl and Thread was the warmest: the book is "a joy to read, a seductive tale that sparks the imagination," and an immersive story of self-discovery and strength that combines life's hardships with warmth and magic. The blogger credits Woods with creating escapist worlds where anything can happen.
    The blogger behind Carpe Librum, who reads the book as historical fiction meets magical realism, enjoyed its bookish atmosphere and its stream of literary references and quotations. That blogger longed to browse both Shakespeare and Company and the title's mysterious shelves.
    The blogger behind Jen Meds Book Reviews, reading from a publisher-supplied copy, grew more eager for the magical present-day strand the further the book went, and suggested it suits readers who like "that bit of myth and magic." The same blogger saw clear parallels between Opaline's and Martha's struggles, noting that attitudes toward strong women hadn't changed across the decades.
    No review we found weighs the prose style or the book's structure in detail.

    Where do reviewers of The Lost Bookshop disagree?

    The sharpest dissent comes from Laurie Is Reading, whose words expressed that the book "excels in addressing important themes, rather than being an intriguing story." This reviewer found Martha's and Henry's story lacking depth, wished to skip it for Opaline's, and said the romance would have been better left out.
    The ending left that reviewer confused about what actually happened.
    The blogger at Carpe Librum raised a related complaint: the romances in all three narratives wore thin, and it was hard to accept Opaline and Martha being ready for romance so soon after what they had been through. That reviewer also found the magical realism, largely centred on Martha, creative but never adequately explained, with loose threads left over, including the true identity of Mrs Bowden.
    On Henry, the Jen Meds blogger found him harder to like than the women, an over-focused academic, and admitted relief when he dropped out of Martha's life for a while. Reviewers therefore split on the present-day strand: one reviewer found immersion, while Carpe Librum found it the weaker half.

    Is The Lost Bookshop suitable for teens? A content note

    Laurie is Reading wrote that the blogger wouldn't recommend the book for teen readers, citing graphic scenes of violence and other triggering topics, mainly domestic violence and physical and emotional abuse. Wikipedia's summary lists alcoholism, domestic violence and societal misogyny among the real-world issues it tackles.

    Is The Lost Bookshop worth reading? Our take

    Weighing these reviews, the tension they keep circling is atmosphere against explanation. The book offers a bookish spell, with strong 1920s Paris and Dublin settings and a hopeful arc of women reclaiming their lives, but the bloggers who wanted its mysteries resolved, or who had less patience for romance, came away less satisfied.
    That points the book toward readers who like their fantasy dreamy and unexplained, who enjoy books about books, and who can accept an ending that leaves questions open. It points away from readers who want a tightly plotted historical novel, who dislike magical realism, or who find domestic abuse a difficult subject.
    BookBrowse's reader recommendations place it beside Stephanie Butland's The Lost for Words Bookshop for book lovers who want comfort with some heartache. The publisher's own comparison titles are The Keeper of Stories and The Lost Apothecary, which suggests the same appeal of warm, magic-tinged storytelling.

    How did The Lost Bookshop do commercially?

    Wikipedia reports that the novel was shortlisted for page-turner of the year in the 2024 British Book Awards, topped The Wall Street Journal's weekly list, made the Sunday Times top 10 and became a bestseller at Amazon UK and US. On 23 May 2024, the publisher One More Chapter said it had sold over one million copies.
    Woods is the pseudonym of Evie Gaughan, who had earlier self-published under her real name.

    Sources & Further Reading

    The key facts and claims in this review are grounded in the retrieved, verified sources listed below.

    1. 1
      Evie Woods — author profile

      Evie Woods, LuvemBooks

    2. 2
      The Lost Bookshop - Wikipedia

      en.wikipedia.org

    3. 3
      The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods – Jen Med's Book Reviews

      jenmedsbookreviews.com

    4. 4
      Book Review: The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods – Laurie Is Reading

      laurieisreading.com

    5. 5
      The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods | Review

      swirlandthread.com

    6. 6
      Review: The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods | Carpe Librum

      carpelibrum.net

    7. 7
      Book Review: ‘The Lost Bookshop’ by Evie Woods – Lair of Reviews

      lairofreviews.com

    8. 8
      Book Review: The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods - Heidi Dischler

      heididischler.com

    9. 9
      Summary and Reviews of The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods

      bookbrowse.com

    Age & Reading Level

    Our age band

    Adult

    Our age band groups books for browsing; it isn't an age a review gave.

    Browse all adult books

    Content to know about

    domestic violence
    physical and emotional abuse
    graphic violence
    alcoholism
    societal misogyny

    Best for: Written for adults. The blogger behind Laurie is Reading wouldn't recommend it for teen readers because of graphic violence and abuse.

    Skip if you want a tightly plotted historical novel, dislike magical realism left unexplained, or find domestic abuse a difficult subject.

    Evie Woods on The Lost Bookshop

    Author Evie Woods joins The Gloss Book Club to discuss the inspiration, magical realism, and plot details behind The Lost Bookshop.

    Uploaded by The Gloss Book Club, 2024 · Watch on YouTube ·

    More from this interview on Evie Woods' page →

    Madam Bowden as the bookshop's embodiment

    Woods intended Madam Bowden to be the living embodiment of the bookshop itself. She purposefully left her identity ambiguous, viewing her as a guardian angel or Mary Poppins figure who vanishes once she is no longer needed.

    The real Brontë letter in The Lost Bookshop

    Woods notes that the publisher's letter referenced in the novel really exists in the Brontë Museum. She personally subscribes to the theory that Emily Brontë wrote a second novel that was subsequently lost or burned.

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    More by Evie Woods

    In our catalogue

    The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris

    Evie Woods

    Same author's European setting and atmospheric mystery — for readers who loved Woods's blend of charm, secrets, and strong female reinvention.

    Like The Lost Bookshop, this novel is set in a European city steeped in history and centres on a woman rebuilding her life through an unexpected, almost magical discovery. Woods brings the same warmth and light-touched mystery, swapping Dublin and Paris's literary world for a bakery with its own hidden past. Readers drawn to the domestic-yet-enchanted tone of the bookshop will feel immediately at home here.

    If you liked The Lost Bookshop

    In our catalogue

    The Midnight Library

    Matt Haig

    A library at the centre of a second-chances story — same book-as-sanctuary energy, same theme of a woman reclaiming her own life.

    In our catalogue

    The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

    Taylor Jenkins Reid

    Dual-timeline structure, a woman narrating her own reinvention across decades, and a manuscript-style mystery that drives the plot forward.

    In our catalogue

    The Book of Lost Friends

    Lisa Wingate

    Dual-timeline structure, lost documents as the connective tissue, and women across eras whose resilience drives both narrative strands.

    In our catalogue

    Station Eleven

    Emily St. John Mandel

    Multi-strand narrative across time, a lost cultural artefact at the centre, and a meditation on what literature preserves when everything else disappears.

    In our catalogue

    Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

    Gail Honeyman

    Contemporary Dublin-adjacent literary fiction with a female protagonist escaping a hidden violent past — same tonal balance of dark subject matter and wry warmth.

    On Amazon

    The Shadow of the Wind

    Carlos Ruiz Zafón

    A boy in post-war Barcelona inherits a rare novel and hunts for its vanished author; a bookish historical mystery with real atmosphere.

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