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Book Summary and Reviews of The Bookstore Diaries by Susan Mallery

The Bookstore Diaries by Susan Mallery

The Bookstore Diaries

by Susan Mallery

  • Readers' Rating (2):
  • Published:
  • Mar 2026, 336 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

This summer, the town's juiciest secrets are revealed in New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery's joyful and sparkling new novel.

Jax has a slight issue with control—as in, she needs it. Always. Too bad she has power only over the Painted Lady Bookstore, the Victorian mansion turned bookshop she inherited. No one else listens to a word she says. Her ex gets engaged for questionable reasons. Her beloved sister, Ryleigh, wants to move away to find a husband. And the handsome contractor Jax has chosen to convince Ryleigh to stay is only interested in Jax. Still, she's living the bookworm dream—until an unhappy accident erases the names from the bookshop lockboxes where the town keeps their diaries. Which means the only way to find a diary's owner is…to read it.

As secrets spill and scandals surface, life at the Painted Lady Bookstore gets a lot more colorful and chaotic. But for a woman who's always had to take charge, Jax will see that losing control—especially with the right wrong guy—can set you free.

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Reviews

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This information about The Bookstore Diaries was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

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Elizabeth

A light, uplifting read with wonderful characters
The Painted Lady Bookstore houses more than books. It has wonderful characters and a main character you can't help but love.

The owner, Jax, loves her books, loves her African Gray Parrot Ramon, and loves control.

She seems to be losing control when it comes to co-parenting with her ex-husband and also with a wall that holds diaries from the residents of the town.

Her wall must be torn down so the bookstore doesn't collapse, but that also means the diaries will need to be claimed.

But...when one of the construction workers cleaned the bricks, the diaries are now not able be to identified by the owner’s name.

The only way to find out who the diaries belong to would be to read them.

How could Jax tell everyone she needed to read them to get them to the right person especially if she found secrets that may just get revealed.

THE BOOKSTORE DIARIES is a lovely read with lovely characters with some struggling with love in their lives.

Do the love problems and a few other problems get resolved?

If you need a light, uplifting read with wonderful characters, this book fits the bill. 5/5

Thank you to? the publisher for a copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

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Author Information

Susan Mallery

Susan Mallery is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of novels about the relationships that shape women's lives―family, friendship, romance. Library Journal says, "Mallery is the master of blending emotionally believable characters in realistic situations," and readers seem to agree―40 million copies of her books have sold worldwide. Her warm, humorous stories make the world a happier place to live. She's passionate about animal welfare, which shows in the many quirky animal characters she has created.Susan grew up in California and now lives in Seattle with her husband and adorable poodle. Visit her at SusanMallery.com.

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