The Once Upon a Time Bookshop Stories #2
By: Alice Hoffman
Narrator: Jennifer Jill Araya
ASIN: B0D6SKR1TC
Publisher: Audible Originals
Publication Date: 08/01/2024
Format: Audio
My Rating: 4 Stars
In this star-crossed short story from New York Times bestselling author Alice Hoffman, timing is everything as two sisters learn to let love follow its own path.
Isabel, the long-lost Gibson sister, is finally back home on Brinkley’s Island, Maine. With Sophie and Violet, her sister and her niece, she’s got the family bookstore—and with Johnny Lenox, she’s got something even more special.
But even as life settles, not everything is falling into place. Isabel and Johnny have set the date three times, baked three wedding cakes, invited the whole island to three parties, only to have each attempt at matrimony fall apart at the last minute. Disasters seem to be conspiring against their happy ending, and Isabel is starting to wonder if their love is meant to be.
When family history comes back to haunt the Gibson sisters, Isabel knows that if she wants to make it down the aisle with Johnny, first she and Sophie will have to face the pain of their past and their present, and decide what it means for their future.
From the Publisher
I first visited the Once Upon a Time Bookshop in Alice Hoffman’s bestselling short story “The Bookstore Sisters,” and I never wanted to leave. It feels like a personal gift to be granted more time with the Gibson family.
In this richly layered short story, Isabel Gibson and Johnny Lenox are planning their wedding at long last, after years of separation and misunderstanding. But faced with natural disasters and family crises, they’ve canceled three times already. As an out-of-season hurricane sends their reception tent soaring away over the marsh, Isabel wonders if she isn’t destined for happiness after all.
In looking for a sign from the universe, Isabel risks overlooking her own power to change her fate. Sometimes, if the stars don’t align, you have to find a different way to see them—and that’s where love, in all its varied forms, comes in. Isabel’s sister, Sophie, and Sophie’s daughter, Violet, have just as much a role to play as Johnny in making the course of true love run a little smoother.
As for Isabel and Johnny, read on to find out if the fourth time’s the charm. And you’ll soon be able to visit the bookstore again—the next story is already on its way.
—Kjersti Egerdahl, Editor
About the Author
Alice Hoffman is the New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including the Practical Magic series, The Dovekeepers, and The Invisible Hour. Her works have been translated into more than twenty languages, nominated for multiple awards, and adapted for the screen. She lives in Boston.
