The Bookstore Keepers Audiobook By Alice Hoffman cover art

The Bookstore Keepers

The Once Upon a Time Bookshop Stories

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The Bookstore Keepers

By: Alice Hoffman
Narrated by: Jennifer Jill Araya
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About this listen

From New York Times bestselling author Alice Hoffman comes a deeply moving short story about the love of family and the power of dreams.

The Gibson sisters weren’t expecting to speak to each other ever again after Isabel ran off to New York and left Sophie alone. But here they are, years later, running the family bookstore together on Brinkley’s Island, Maine. Isabel also thought she’d left Johnny Lenox behind, but whether or not she knew it, Johnny was always going to be there for her.

Five years into their happily ever after, Isabel and Johnny are making the most of their second chance at love. Then one night, Johnny awakens from an extraordinary dream…and their world is irrevocably altered. Isabel does her best to give Johnny space as he struggles to accept the new chapter life has opened for them. But Johnny can’t do it alone—no one can. As the whole family is soon to discover, seasons change, but love never does.

©2025 by Alice Hoffman. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.
Anthologies & Short Stories Family Life Genre Fiction Short Stories Small Town & Rural Dream

Critic reviews

“Series narrator Jennifer Jill Araya continues her top-notch narration of a heartfelt story of family, love, and independence.… Hoffman's insightful prose sounds like poetry, and Araya delivers full-bodied flesh-and-blood characterizations. Because the family backstory would make character motivations clearer, listeners are encouraged to hear the other two excellent short stories in the series.”AudioFile Magazine

What listeners say about The Bookstore Keepers

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The Bookstore Keepers

For a short story it was a beautiful love of life for a family to learn

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I’m hungry for more!

Alice Hoffman is brilliant. How she managed to fit so much into a short story amazes me. I can’t wait for the next installment. Can. Not.

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just a short story

another story on a series. the sisters are keepers of this bookstore together and always will be.

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Still soo cute

I wish these books were longer. They are soo good. Wholesome, cute. So excited that the next one is coming out next month.

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Sorrow and Joy

The way this story depicted the grieving process, and the pain and joy of love and loss, was so moving and authentic! Highly recommend.

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Great little Story

Loving these little short stories! Perfect for a quick listen! Easy to follow and to stay one track

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When you need a good cry

These three books have been some of the most emotional I have read. They are this way, at least for me, because many of the feelings of love and loss are expressed in a deeply woven theme throughout. I have experienced most of these emotions very similarly in my own life. The way the three books shadow life, my own life, has changed me. “I think I might love too much….but maybe it’s just enough.”

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Not a Short Story, but a Summary of One

I liked the first book in this series, but I didn't love it. I disliked the second book in this series, but I didn't hate it. I hated this book. Why? I said it in the title; this wasn't a story, but a summary of one. I generally enjoy Alice Hoffman's work. But if this had been my first exposure to her, it would have been my last.

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Awful

Trite, boring, and ultimate depressing for no good reason. The dog scene was unnecessary and unrealistic in terms of emotion.

I liked the first installment in this trio of short stories but hated the second. Decided to give the third a try and am regretting it.

Also, the narrator sounds robotic to my ear.

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