The In-Between Bookstore

A fantastic book about belonging. For any queer folks who wish they could go back and hug their younger selves, this is a must read.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for providing me with a copy of this book! I voluntarily leave this review!

When the company Darby works for shuts down, he’s left wondering what to do next. Despite finding a great group of friends he still feels as if he doesn’t belong in New York. Darby decides to take a break from the city and go back home to the small town of Oak Falls to help his mother move. The same town he left because of their attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community. And Darby will find more than just the town he left behind, but his high school best friend as well.

The In Between Bookstore has a wealth of representation and a beautiful portrayal of transgender identity. From the path to discovering your true identity, to finding a group of friends who are supportive. Darby’s mother is also a hoot. She is proud of Darby no matter what and will be there for him. And the way Edward Underhill portrayed the tension between Darby and his ex-best friend Michael was so well done.

There is a hint of magic in this novel, as Darby discovers the old bookstore, In Between Books, where he used to work. Strangely enough, he sees a younger version of himself behind the counter and soon realizes he’s travelled back in time. But to what purpose? Caught up in the moment we so often can’t see certain signs from those we care about. However, when you have the ability to gain an outside view, quite a bit can be revealed. One single miscommunication can cause a snowball effect.

The characters in this novel are a joy to read. They will inspire a range of emotions and become familiar friends by the end of the story. The In Between Bookstore is for those who enjoy stories about self discovery and friendship with a hint of magic and romance.

As I was reading Edward Underhill's first adult novel, I started noticing that the plot was moving rather slowly for a romance. Eventually I realized that The In-Between Bookstore is a not actually a romance. It uses small-town, second-chance romance tropes, but they're primarily employed in the service of the MC's personal journey. Darby Madden left his small Illinois hometown for New York City as soon as he graduated from high school. Eighteen years later, New York is home. It's where he came out as trans and found a friendship group of other queers. But he's newly unemployed and at loose ends, so when his Mom tells him she is moving from their childhood home to a condo, he drives 13 hours to Oak Falls so he can help her. He'll stay long enough to make sure she's settled, while he brainstorms a new place to live and new job opportunities back in the Big Apple. He almost immediately runs into Michael Weaver, his childhood BFF who inexplicably ghosted Darby right before their senior year. It's not surprising that Michael still lives in Oak Falls and teaches high school. But Darby is shocked to learn that Michael holds him responsible for for the demise of their friendship. Darby's favorite place in Oak Falls was always In Between Books, where he worked and hung out with Michael. But it's more than nostalgia when he steps inside the shop and realizes that the familiar-looking salesclerk is himself - the 17 year old version of himself back in 2009 - when Darby was deep in the closet and Michael was still his bestie. Darby wonders if he's been given an opportunity to rewrite history. If he can get enough information out of “Young Darby” to figure out where it went wrong with Michael, perhaps he can change the future and preserve their friendship. I'll try to avoid spoilers but I will say that almost none of the assumptions I made about the plot were accurate. Yes, Michael turns out to be gay and yes, Darby realizes that even a small Midwestern town can have a close-knit queer community. But if you're feeling Sweet Home Alabama crossed with 13 Going on 30 vibes, you need to stop watching so many rom-coms. The choices Darby makes about his future feel very true to the character. Looking back at my 2023 review of Underhill's debut YA novel, [b:Always the Almost 60784592 Always the Almost Edward Underhill https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1652393694l/60784592.SY75.jpg 92834586], I noted that the trans MC was fully developed, but the Love Interest was bland. So maybe Edward Underhill's heart really lies in exploring trans journeys, which may or may not include the romance novel version of HEA. ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for review.

It was about a 3.5/5 for me. I loved the idea of the book. As someone who grew up gay in a small town, it was healing for me. Overall it was hard to understand how Darby didn't remember what happened between him and his best friend in school. I think many people would remember that type of thing, even when you try to tell a friend major information. I did see that Darby went to Oak Falls with no choice but eventually, he tried to heal past trauma. It is a solid book that I did love and it was eerily healing for me. I think most LGBT kids growing up in small-town America have the same feelings about trying to make space for themselves in a town like that.

The ending though was quite sad. I felt like the first 75% flew by and then the last 20 pages were heartbreak after heartbreak. I more felt bad for Mr. Grumpy and Michael than any other character.