Free-spirited Maggie is still figuring out her life, so when her best friend from college, Rochelle, asks her to temporarily work at her small-town, independent bookstore, she jumps at the chance. With no personal interest in books and a lot of strict rules to follow, she has a shaky start. She soon meets her colleague, Malcolm, whose job it is to report on her progress to the powers that be. As the weeks go by, Maggie starts to put down roots and begins a journey--reading and enjoying books for the first time ever. This leads her to flout the rules by starting a secret book group that celebrates all genres and uplifts banned books. But Maggie's clandestine literary club endangers the bookstore's existence, her friendship with Rochelle, and her burgeoning love affair with Malcolm. She'll need to find a way to save the shop and her relationships if she wants to stay in the town that now feels like home. VERDICT This richly-plotted romance from Robinson (Must Love Books) is full of charming characters and will appeal to fans of Jenny Colgan, Abbi Waxman, and Katarina Bivald.--Migdalia Jimenez

In her second novel (after Must Love Books, 2022), Robinson introduces the reader to the endearing but aimless Maggie Banks. Maggie accepts the temporary job of running Cobblestone Books while her friend, Rochelle, takes maternity leave. Until now, Maggie has been drifting; dead-end jobs, little motivation, unclear goals. Yet almost as soon as she arrives in the hamlet of Bell River, she finds herself with a clear mission: to save the bookshop. The town of Bell River has been designed to uphold the legacy of famed writer Edward Bell. As a result, the bookstore is limited to selling work that was only available in Bell's time--which ended in 1968. Bell's grandson, Ralph, holds Bell's legacy over all the local shops like a weapon; no talking about possible scandals and no deviating from the narrative! When Maggie decides to rebel by offering modern fiction to local patrons, she does it on the down-low. Will her budding romance with Ralph's right-hand man, her new friendships, and the town's economy survive her meddling? Charming, uplifting, and funny.