Review: Short story: "The Bookstore Keepers" by Alice Hoffman

The Bookstore Keepers by Alice Hoffman
Published February 2025 via Amazon Original Stories

In this third short story in the series, Isabel and Johnny have settled into their life together—but life keeps throwing curveballs, and Isabel and Johnny aren't quite done with theirs yet.

This series has been an interesting introduction to Hoffman's style of writing. I haven't read her full-length works, so of course I can't say whether or not this is representative, but from these short stories I'd call her style reflective but slightly removed. I get the sense that she'd go for something fairly...home-focused but sweeping?...in her longer works.

This is again a fairly quiet story. It feels in some ways as though the series is wrapping up, but it also proves to be the start of new adventures for multiple characters, so perhaps this is just the beginning.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.