A cozy bookshop, two romances, and a family learning how to find its way home again.
What I especially enjoyed was the way Rosie and Emma each had a story of their own. Their lives and romances intertwine without either storyline getting lost, creating a heartfelt story about family, forgiveness, second chances, and finding the courage to move forward.
📖 Book Details
Title: The Rainy Day Bookshop
Author: RaeAnne Thayne
Publication Date: June 2, 2026
Publisher: MIRA Books
Pages: 384
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction, Family Fiction
Setting: Small-Town Oregon Coast
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Perfect For: Readers who love family-centered fiction, bookshop settings, second chances, multigenerational stories, and heartfelt romance
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Review Disclosure: I received an advance copy of The Rainy Day Bookshop through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Book Description
Life is full of plot twists...
Sandwiched between caring for her mother and rebuilding the relationship with her estranged daughter, Emma, Rosie's life is already full. With Emma and her three-year-old daughter, Olive, back home, Rosie finally has another chance to repair their relationship—and some much-needed help with the family's Rainy Day Bookshop.
Romance certainly isn't part of Rosie's plan, especially not with Andrew Morgan, a reclusive writer and widowed father raising two young children. But as the two spend more time together, an unexpected connection begins to grow.
Emma has secrets of her own. After years of carrying guilt over the past, she's determined to protect her mother from a truth that could change everything. But some secrets simply won't stay buried, leaving Rosie and Emma to decide whether the past will divide them again—or finally help them heal.
My Review
The Rainy Day Bookshop felt like classic RaeAnne Thayne to me—warm, comforting, emotional, and centered around people who are trying to put the pieces of their lives back together. There is plenty happening in this story, but it never felt overly complicated or repetitive. Instead, it moved along nicely and kept me invested in both Rosie and Emma.
One of my favorite things about this book was having two distinct storylines. Rosie is navigating the complicated relationship with her adult daughter while also discovering that she might still have room in her life for love. Emma, meanwhile, is returning home with little Olive and trying to rebuild not only her relationship with her mother, but also her own sense of where she belongs.
I thought that balance worked particularly well. This isn't simply Rosie's romance with Andrew or Emma's developing relationship with Bryce. The heart of the story is really the relationship between Rosie and Emma and everything that has been left unsaid between them.
Rosie desperately wants her daughter and granddaughter home again, but she's almost afraid to hope for too much. She knows how fragile their repaired relationship is and doesn't want to do anything that might push Emma away. That gave Rosie's character an emotional vulnerability I really enjoyed.
Emma's story carries a little more weight. She has spent years living with the aftermath of the accident that killed her father and with guilt she hasn't been able to completely put down. She's worked hard to build a life for herself and Olive, yet coming home forces her to face feelings and secrets she has avoided for years.
And then there are the romances.
Rosie and Andrew were a fun pairing. He's a successful but somewhat reclusive author, a widower, and a father who has his own share of emotional baggage. Their relationship develops alongside the larger family story instead of taking it over, which I appreciated.
Emma and Bryce bring a different energy to the book. There's history between them, along with the possibility that coming home might give Emma something she wasn't expecting—a genuine second chance at building a life in the place she once needed to escape.
I also loved the multigenerational aspect of the story. Rosie, Emma, Sylvia, and little Olive each represent a different season of life, and those relationships give the book much of its warmth. Olive, in particular, brings some wonderfully sweet moments to a story that deals with grief, guilt, family secrets, and forgiveness.
I did notice a few editing and continuity errors while reading. Since I read an ARC through NetGalley, I'm hopeful those were corrected in the final published edition, and they didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the story.
Ultimately, this was a very enjoyable read. It had enough family drama and secrets to keep me interested without becoming overly heavy, and I liked that neither storyline felt as though it was simply filling space while I waited to return to the other.
RaeAnne Thayne does what she does so well here: she takes people who have been hurt by life, surrounds them with family and community, and slowly gives them a reason to believe that something good can still be waiting around the corner.
Why You'll Love It
- 📚 A charming family-owned bookshop at the center of the story
- 💕 Two romances featuring women at different stages of life
- 👩👧 A meaningful mother-daughter reconciliation
- 🏡 Small-town Oregon coastal atmosphere
- 🌿 Themes of healing, forgiveness, grief, and second chances
- 👵👩👧👶 A wonderful multigenerational family dynamic
- 💗 Romance that complements rather than overwhelms the family story
- 📖 RaeAnne Thayne's familiar warm, comforting storytelling
Character Spotlights
🌧️ Rosie Lucas
A mother, grandmother, widow, businesswoman, and woman who has spent years taking care of
everyone around her. Rosie's greatest wish is having Emma and Olive back in her life for good,
but she's afraid of pushing too hard and losing them again. I enjoyed seeing her realize that
wanting something for herself—including another chance at love—isn't selfish.
📚 Emma Lucas
Emma may be Rosie's daughter, but she has a journey entirely her own. She's a single mother
who has worked hard to rebuild her life while carrying guilt and secrets from the past.
Returning home means confronting things she would rather leave buried, but it also gives her
the chance to see herself—and her family—differently.
✍️ Andrew Morgan
A reclusive author, widower, and single father who initially seems like the last person Rosie
needs in her already complicated life. There's more vulnerability beneath Andrew's reserved
exterior than Rosie expects, and I liked watching the two gradually become people the other
could lean on.
🔨 Bryce Kendall
Bryce brings history, patience, and another kind of second chance to Emma's storyline. His
connection with Emma helps remind her that coming home doesn't necessarily mean moving
backward. Sometimes it means finally being ready for what was there all along.
☀️ Olive
Emma's three-year-old daughter adds lightness and heart to the entire story. Her relationship
with Rosie is especially sweet, and she becomes a natural bridge between generations of a
family that desperately needs to find its way back together.
My Favorite Moment
Rather than one big romantic scene, my favorite part of this book was watching Rosie, Emma, and Olive slowly begin to feel like a family again. There is so much history between Rosie and Emma that their relationship can't be repaired with one conversation. I liked that healing happens through smaller moments—time together, conversations, the bookshop, and gradually learning to trust each other again.
Those quieter family moments are what stayed with me most.
My Favorite Quote
“...surrounded by books, laughter and an abundance of love.”
— The Rainy Day Bookshop, RaeAnne Thayne
This one stayed with me because it really sums up the entire book. After everything these characters have carried—the grief, mistakes, secrets, distance, and fear—this is ultimately a story about finding your way back to the people you love and creating a future together.
My Final Thoughts
The Rainy Day Bookshop is a warm, heartfelt story about mothers and daughters, family secrets, grief, forgiveness, and getting another chance at both love and family.
I particularly enjoyed having Rosie's and Emma's stories unfolding together. Both women have emotional baggage to work through, both have relationships that need healing, and both discover that moving forward doesn't necessarily mean leaving the past behind. Sometimes it means finally facing it.
Add in two sweet romances, an adorable granddaughter, a coastal small-town setting, and a bookshop, and this had so many of the elements I enjoy in RaeAnne Thayne's books.
If you enjoy women's fiction with romance woven through it, complicated but loving family relationships, and stories about second chances, this is an easy one to recommend.
★★★★☆ — 4 Stars
💕 If You Love RaeAnne Thayne...
RaeAnne Thayne has been part of my reading life for years. If you love her mix of small-town charm, family, healing, and second chances, here are a few more places to continue reading.
📖 The Lost Book of First Loves — A family-centered story about sisters, secrets, identity, and unexpected connections.
📖 Willowleaf Lane — Return to Hope's Crossing for a heartfelt second-chance romance about forgiveness, reinvention, and coming home.
📚 Find More RaeAnne Thayne on Forever Book Lover — Browse more reviews, recommendations, and reading lists featuring her books.
Do you enjoy romances with two generations finding love at the same time—or are you here for the cozy bookshop setting?
Looking for more heartfelt romance, bookish escapes, and cozy reading recommendations? Explore more reviews right here on Forever Book Lover.
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