Storybook Ending

A Novel

De: Moira Macdonald

Narrado por: Kelli Tager

A charming story about friendship, community, and the magic that happens in bookstores—when an anonymous note left in a book finds the wrong recipient.

April, a smart and lonely tech worker, worries work from home has gotten out of hand: She’s left an anonymous note in a book for Westley, the clerk at her Seattle neighborhood bookstore who has a gentle smile and looks great in flannel. But thanks to fate, Laura—a busy single mom who had given up on love—buys the book, finds the note, and thinks Westley has left it for her. A handsome man who loves books seems like just the plot twist she has been looking for.

Meanwhile, Westley—not the most perceptive—is too distracted by the movie filming at the store and the ambition it’s unlocked in him to notice either of the two women. But as April and Laura’s anonymous correspondence continues back and forth, their mundane routines are challenged, sparking a glimmer of hope. Is a happy ending in the cards for them?

A heartwarming web of mistaken identities and serendipitous encounters, Storybook Ending is a playful tribute to friendship, love stories of all kinds, and to the objects—from a forgotten slip of paper to someone’s heart—left between the pages of books we loved.

©2025 Moira Macdonald (P)2025 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Moira Macdonald’s debut novel Storybook Ending is a joyous gift . . . Partway through the first page . . . I started crying. Not with sorrow—the novel starts with the most intriguing two sentences, then takes us directly into the luminous, cinematic mind of one of the main characters, April. It was joy, pride and a strange, wonderful recognition."—The Seattle Times

“Storybook Ending is so radiant, so big-hearted, reading it feels like receiving an unexpected gift, one that you’ve waited a lifetime for. It’s a love letter to the secret, unspoken longings nestled within the pages of ordinary lives. In a world filled with love stories and tangled triangles, this one stands out—reaching a resolution as unique as it is profoundly satisfying. I absolutely loved this book.”—Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of The Many Daughters of Afong Moy

“An absolutely charming love letter to bookstores and the magic that happens inside there.”—Annabel Monaghan, bestselling author of Summer Romance

Great Seattle read

Loved the bookish Seattle theme, which seemed too light at first, but developed into great characters and a perfect not-rom-com ending.

Clever plot

Though it's my habit to bypass "rom-coms" in favor of grittier fare (i.e., Nordic noir), I've always admired Moira Macdonald's witty and spot-on book, movie, and "Dinner at a Movie" reviews in the Seattle Times. That admiration led me to this book, which has a very clever plot and laugh-out-loud awareness of the often quirky Seattle culture. It's a fun and sometimes touching read. The narration is less successful. I don't know if it's the audio production or the narrator herself, but the narrator's voice is so breathy in the early chapters that it detracts from the story.

Predictable

I really wanted to like this book but it was so slow and predictable. The author saved moving the plot forward until the last two chapters.