Book Review: The Secret, Book, & Scone Society by Ellery Adams

 

Goodreads Summary: From New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams comes the first in an intriguing new series set within a quirky small-town club where the key to happiness, friendship—or solving a murder—can all be found within the pages of the right book . . .

Miracle Springs, North Carolina, is a place of healing. Strangers flock here hoping the natural hot springs, five-star cuisine, and renowned spa can cure their ills. If none of that works, they often find their way to Miracle Books, where, over a fresh-baked “comfort” scone from the Gingerbread House bakery, they exchange their stories with owner Nora Pennington in return for a carefully chosen book. That’s Nora’s special talent—prescribing the perfect novel to ease a person’s deepest pain and lighten their heaviest burden.
 
When a visiting businessman reaches out to Nora for guidance, she knows exactly which novels will help. But before he can keep their appointment at Miracle Books, he’s found dead on the train tracks.
 
Stunned, Nora forms the Secret, Book, and Scone Society, a group of damaged souls yearning to gain trust and earn redemption by helping others. To join the society, members must divulge their darkest secret—the terrible truth that brought each of them to Miracle Springs in the first place.

Determined to uncover the truth behind the businessman’s demise, the women meet in Nora’s cramped and cozy bookstore to share stories and trade support. And as they untangle a web of corruption, they also discover their own courage, purpose, and a sisterhood that will carry them through every challenge—proving it’s never too late to turn the page and start over . . .

Goodreads Rating: 3.76 stars with over 10,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Contemporary

Goodreads Challenge: 45/60

2020 Reading Challenge: #25 Read a book with the word 'Book' in the title ( see the full challenge here )

Book Review:

This year is winding down fast. I never really expected to actually hit 60 books, but pretty excited about getting to 45. I'm hoping I can squeeze at least two more books in before December ends. I talked to a friend about the books I read this year, and I realized most of the books I read feel like they were a really long time ago.

The Secret, Book, & Scone Society by Ellery Adams fit really well for #25, which was one I was struggling to find. The story follows Nora after she escapes some unknown tragedy and starts over in Miracle Springs, North Carolina. She opens up Miracle Books and conducts what she refers to as "Bibliotherapy." After a series of murders in the normally quiet town, Nora helps solve a mystery, makes a few friends, and finally gets the courage to tell her story.

I wouldn't say that I was instantly drawn into Nora as a character. She was really reserved by design because of her secret, and it came out in pieces. It wasn't really fully explained until the very end. She wasn't unlikeable; just by design felt like something was missing. I really liked how her shop was described, and the fact that she lived in a Tiny house was awesome. I'm a huge fan of the tiny house movement, and I'd love to own a book store. The idea of bibliotherapy was really cool, especially given that she went through it herself. 

Due to the murder of one of her Bibliotherapy clients, Nora starts becoming friends with a group of local ladies who want to help solve the murder. Like Nora, they all have a deep dark secret that they reveal to the group as a way to show that they trust their new friends. Of Nora's friends, I probably like June or Hester the best, but they all have their quirks. I thought it was interesting that Hester had a similar skill as Nora's Bibliotherapy, but with the use of baked goods. 

I didn't really feel like the mystery was all that surprising. It didn't really give any alternate options of who the culprits could be. There's a large group of people involved in some capacity, so the only unknown is who did what and why. There was a little surprise regarding some help they had to make it work, but other than that, I felt like the who was always known. 

To me, the mystery wasn't really the main plot of the story. It was there and moved the characters along, but it wasn't really what it was about. It seemed like it was more about the growth Nora, Hester, June, and Estella went through and how they could grow, let their guards down, and develop friendships. 

Because Nora owned a bookshop, there was a lot of book references in the story. I'm a little torn on whether or not I liked it. Some of the references were cool to see, but it got to be a little unnecessary after a while. It felt like they were just included anywhere possible. Obviously, I'm a self-proclaimed bookworm, but it just feels unnatural to reference a book in basically every conversation. It started to feel forced.

I enjoyed the book and got through it pretty quickly. It was a nice read, but I wasn't in love with it. The way that Nora's secret was drug out made it hard to relate to her. I may pick up the next book in the series at another time, but I don't really feel like I need to rush right into it.