The Wildest Dreams Bookshop

By Gracie Page

Reviewed by Alison McCaffrey

Anna is the girl who had her whole life planned – from a summer internship after high school to what she would do after graduating college. But when everything that could go wrong, does, Anna finds herself on a train from London to Cornwall. Certain she’s failed her exams, internship cancelled at the last minute, dumped by her boyfriend before he galivants around Europe for the summer, she’s heading to a sleepy beach town to work at her eccentric aunt Josie’s bookshop, Wildest Dreams, instead of a fancy London law firm.

Anna tries to keep her distance from the town and everyone in it, until her aunt ends up in hospital and recovery for most of the summer. She needs more than a little help to keep Wildest Dreams afloat. Co-worker Raye and local bad boy Jacob are happy to lend a hand, but when Anna discovers the bookshop needs far more help than anyone realised, they’ll need to put their heads together and get the whole town behind their incredible, creative, and slightly crazy plan to save the shop and Josie’s dreams.

The Wildest Dreams Bookshop is the debut novel for British author Gracie Page. A teenage rom-com for anyone looking for a little more com than rom. The bookshop is more Russian literature den than new release section. Anna’s new friend is more head in the clouds than hand sell a book. But is Anna still more law firm in London than bookseller in Fox Bay?

A nice, cosy summer read for anyone who enjoys a touch of romance, a flurry of activity, seeing what’s coming before the characters but still getting it wrong, and the satisfaction of a job well done by the end of the book. The Wildest Dreams Bookshop will be a great book to tuck in a beach bag or keep by the pool lounger.

HarperCollinsGB 2025