Cait is a bookshop owner and book nerd whose social life revolves around her mobile bookselling service hand-picking titles for elderly clients, particularly the grandmotherly June. After a tough decade for retail, Book Fiend is the last bookshop in the CBD, and the last independent retailer on a street given over to high-end labels. Profits are small, but clients are loyal. When James breezes into Book Fiend, Cait realises life might hold more than her shop and her cat, but while the new romance distracts her, luxury chain stores are circling Book Fiend’s prime location, and a more personal tragedy is looming.
PRAISE FOR THE BOOK
‘An entertaining, heartwarming story that captures our love of books and bookshops.’ Liz Byrski
‘There is a little bit of something for everyone in The Last Bookshop, from romance to pathos … it is a delight.’ The AU Review
‘… a gently optimistic novel that celebrates both the joys of reading and the ways it can bring people together.’ The Weekend West
‘Tissues may be required, but this novel will undoubtedly leave your heart warmed and inspired.’ Booklover Book Reviews
‘Emma Young’s debut novel is for anyone who has ever worked in customer service and thought “these stories should be in a book”.’ Perth Now
‘There is much more to the novel than a plea, however justified, for physical bookshops; there is a charming and heartfelt story of love, growth, loss, betrayal and the kind of keen world-observation that you get only from someone whose life of wide reading has deepened their understanding of the layered complexities of the human condition.’ The Sydney Morning Herald
‘… a heart-warming read about the connections people make through the books they read and the power of local communities to save the places that matter most.’ The Nerd Daily
‘The Last Bookshop is the debut novel of bookseller-turned-author Emma Young, who has used her years of experience to craft a heartwarming story of love, family and, of course, how important bookshops are to us.’ Good Reading
‘Emma Young’s knowledge of literature wafts through this story of love, loss and loneliness like a warm breeze, reminding us that stories can help heal.’ Australian Women’s Weekly
‘This is a beautifully written heartwarming book with wonderful three-dimensional characters …’ Beauty and Lace
‘The Last Bookshop is a gem of a book, and indeed a book for all book lovers.’ Jason, 5 Stars, Better Reading
‘… sweet and wholesome entertainment for those who, like Cait, simply love creative printed matter.’ Weekend Australian
‘A most captivating and congenial read from a debut author.’ Arts Hub
Awards
Fogarty Literary Award (Shortlisted 2019)