Bookshop by the Sea

A sweet, bookish romance of second chances

By: Denise Hunter

Narrated by: Jessica Holtan

Sophie Lawson should be enjoying her sister's wedding day. But nothing could have prepared her to see the best man again. "Denise nails second-chance romance in Bookshop by the Sea." (USA TODAY bestselling author, Jenny Hale). Perfect for fans of Debbie Macomber.

After her mother became bedridden and her father bailed on the family, Sophie found herself serving as a second mother to her twin brother, Seth, and younger sister, Jenna. Sophie supported her siblings through their college years, putting aside her own dream of opening a bookshop in Piper's Cove--the quaint North Carolina beach town they frequented as children.

Now it's finally time for Sophie to follow her own pursuits. Seth has a new job, and Jenna is set to marry her college beau in Piper's Cove. But the destination wedding reunites Sophie with best man Aiden Maddox, her high school sweetheart who left her without a backward glance.

When an advancing hurricane strands Aiden in Piper's Cove after the wedding, he finds the hotels booked to capacity and has to ask Sophie to put him up until the storm passes. As the two ride out the weather, old feelings rise to the surface. The delay also leaves Sophie with mere days to get her bookshop up and running. Can she trust Aiden to stick around? And will he find the courage to risk his heart?

Perfect for fans of clean, heartfelt romance, this tender second-chance love story brings together faith, forgiveness, and the slow rebuilding of trust. With a heroine you'll root for and a seaside setting you'll want to move to, Denise Hunter's beloved storytelling reminds us that sometimes the best chapters come after the storm. Bookshop by the Sea is the kind of cozy and swoony romance you'll want to savor to the last page.

"Denise Hunter has never failed to pen a novel that whispers messages of hope and brings a smile to my face. Bookshop by the Sea is no different! With a warmhearted community, a small beachside town, a second-chance romance worth rooting for, and cozy bookshop vibes, this is a story you'll want to snuggle into like a warm blanket." --Melissa Ferguson, author of The Dating Charade

Critic reviews

Bookshop by the Sea is the quintessential beach read about two imperfect people learning to communicate and forgive.

Hunter (Summer by the Tides) reunites a bookstore owner with her high school sweetheart in this chaste, angst-filled romance . . . Hunter's story highlights the complexity of adult relationships through flawed but down-to-earth characters. Sophie and Aiden's intense romantic tension keeps the pages flying.

Sweet and clean!

Sweet story, read well, written well, and clean romance! Can’t wait tot read more by this author!

Nice Plot—-Horrible narration

The storyline of this book was ok with decent character development. The narration on the other hand was terrible. The narrator was monotone and often made the writing sound contrite. I hope the other books have a different narrator.

Grocery list

Like reading a list with occasional highlights. To get through the narrator’s rush, it helps to set the speed a notch slower. Unfortunately, that doesn’t eliminate her uninvolved tone.

Great summer beach read

Nice, simple love story. Quick listen. I wasn't too sure if I liked the narrator at first but she was ok, not one of my favorites but definitely not the worst either. I had to listen at regular speed, if I sped it up at all I couldn't stand her voice, sounded way too monotone.

sweet story

overall I loved the book. the narrator was awful. very monotone. I had a hard time with her voice.