13 Of The Best Books Like The Lost Bookshop By Evie Woods

---

“In a place called lost, strange things are found.”

---

If you fell in love with Evie Woods’ The Lost Bookshop – its touch of magical realism, heartwarming storytelling, and the charm of a bookshop filled with secrets – you’re not alone. This enchanting novel captured readers with its blend of mystery, self-discovery, and the enduring power of stories. Today at What We Reading, we’re curating the best books like The Lost Bookshop – stories that share the same sense of wonder, hope, and hidden magic. Whether you’re searching for books similar to The Lost Bookshop, uplifting novels about bookshops and second chances, or modern tales with a dash of enchantment, these reads will transport you all over again. Perfect for fans of Evie Woods, The Keeper of Lost Things, and The Little Wartime Library, each book offers something truly special. 

---

The Lost Bookshop Summary

On a quiet street in Dublin, a lost bookshop is waiting to be found… For too long, Opaline, Martha, and Henry have been the side characters in their own lives. But, when a vanishing bookshop casts its spell, these three unsuspecting strangers will discover that their own stories are every bit as extraordinary as the ones found in the pages of their beloved books. And, by unlocking the secrets of the shelves, they find themselves transported to a world of wonder… where nothing is as it seems. 

The Keeper Of Lost Things – Ruth Hogan

First up on our collection of books like The Lost Bookshop is Ruth Hogan’s The Keeper of Lost Things, another charming, clever, and quietly moving story about possibilities, discoveries, and the connections that bind us. Forty years ago, Anthony Peardew lost his beloved fiancée, Therese. Since then, he has found comfort in rescuing lost objects and writing stories about them. Now, as his life enters its twilight, he entrusts his life mission of reuniting these objects to their owners to his unsuspecting assistant, Laura. 

Reeling from her own hardships, Laura’s life begins to change as she moves into Anthony’s mansion. Long ago, Eunice found a trinket on a London pavement and kept it through the years. As the Keeper of Lost Objects, Laura holds the key to Anthony and Eunice’s redemption. But can she unlock the past and make the connections that will lay their spirits to rest? 

The Little Wartime Library – Kate Thompson

London, 1944: Clara Button is no ordinary librarian. While war ravages the city above her, Clara has risked everything she holds dear to turn the Bethnal Green tube station into the country’s sole underground library. Down here, a secret community thrives within the thousands of bunk beds, a nursery, a cafe, and a theatre – offering shelter, solace, and escape from the bombs that fall across the city. 

Along with her glamorous best friend and assistant Ruby Monroe, Clara ensures the library is the beating heart of life underground. But, as the war drags on, the women’s determination to stay strong in the face of adversity is pushed to the limits, when it may come at the price of keeping those closest to them alive. 

The Bookish Life Of Nina Hill – Abbi Waxman

The only child of a single mother, Nina has about everything she needs from life. If she sometimes suspects there might be more to life than just reading, she simply shrugs it off and picks up a new book. When the father Nina never knew existed suddenly dies, leaving behind innumerable brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews, Nina is horrified. They live close by. They’re all (mostly) excited to meet her. To make matters worse, her trivia nemesis, the cute, funny Tom, is also interested in getting to know her. 

It’s time for Nina to come out of her comfortable shell, even if she isn’t convinced real life could ever live up to fiction. It’s going to take a brand new family, a persistent suitor, and the combined effects of ice cream and trivia to make her turn her own fresh page. 

The Midnight Library – Matt Haig

Between life and death, there is a library. When Nora Seed finds herself in the Midnight Library, she has a chance to make things right. Up until now, her life has been full of misery and regret. She feels like she has let everyone down. But things are about to change. 

The books in the Midnight Library allow Nora to live as if she had done things differently. With the help of an old friend, she can now undo every one of her regrets as she attempts to work out her perfect life. But things aren’t always what she imagined they’d be, and soon her choices place the library and herself in grave danger. Similar to The Lost Bookshop, Nora must wrestle with the question of what the best way to live is before time runs out. 

---

Check Out The Best Books Like The Midnight Library 

---

The Lost Apothecary – Sarah Penner

One cold February evening in 1791, at the back of a dingy London alley in a hidden apothecary shop, Nella awaits her newest customer. Once a respected healer, Nella now uses her knowledge for a darker purpose – selling well-disguised poisons to desperate women who kill to be free of the men in their lives. But when her new patron turns out to be a precocious twelve-year-old named Eliza Fanning, an unexpected friendship sets in motion a string of events that jeopardise Nella’s world and threaten to expose the many women whose names are in her register. 

In present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, reeling from the discovery of her husband’s infidelity. When she finds an old apothecary vial near the Thames, she can’t resist investigating. As she deepens her search, Caroline’s life collides with Nella’s and Eliza’s in a stunning twist of fate – and not everyone will survive.

---

Check Out The Best Books Like The Lost Apothecary 

---

The Paris Library – Janet Skeslien Charles

Paris, 1939: Young and ambitious Odile Souchet seems to have it all. But when the Nazis march into Paris, Odile stands to lose everything she holds dear, including her beloved American Library. Together with her fellow librarians, Odile joins the Resistance with the best weapons she has: books. Yet when the war does end, instead of freedom, Odile is rocked by the bitter sting of an unspeakable betrayal. 

Montana, 1983: Lily is a lonely teenager looking for adventure in small-town Montana. Her solitary, elderly neighbour piques her interest. As Lily uncovers more about her neighbour’s mysterious past, she finds that they share the same love for language, the same longings, and the same intense jealousy. One of the best books like The Lost Bookshop, based on a true story, The Paris Library, shows that extraordinary heroism can sometimes be found in the quietest places. 

The Storied Life Of A.J. Fikry – Gabrielle Zevin

A.J. Fikry’s life isn’t exactly what he expected it would be. His wife has died, his bookstore is flatlining, and now his prized collection of Poe poems has been stolen. Slowly but surely, he is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island. Even the books in his store have stopped holding pleasure for him. These days, A.J. can only see them as a sign of a world that is changing too rapidly. 

And then a mysterious package arrives at his door. It’s small in size but large in weight. It’s that unexpected arrival that gives A.J. the opportunity to make his life over, the ability to see things anew. As surprising as it is moving, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry is an unforgettable novel similar to The Lost Bookshop about transformation and second chances, an irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love. 

The Wishing Game – Meg Shaffer

Lucy Hart knows better than anyone what it’s like to grow up without parents who loved her. In a childhood marked by neglect and loneliness, Lucy found solace in her books, especially the Clock Island series by Jack Masterson. Now twenty-six, she is able to share her love of reading with bright, young students like seven-year-old Christopher Lamb, whose parents have tragically died. Lucy would give anything to adopt Christopher, but even the idea of becoming a family seems like an impossible dream without proper funds and stability. 

Just when Lucy is about to give up, Jack Masterson announces that he’s written a new book. Better still, he’s holding a contest at his home on the real Clock Island. For Lucy, the chance of winning the most sought-after book in the world means the world to both her and Christopher. But first she must contend with ruthless book collections, wily opponents, and the distractingly handsome illustrator of the Clock Island books, Hugo Reese. 

---

Check Out These Comforting Books For Tough Times

---

The Library Of Lost And Found – Phaedra Patrick

Librarian Martha Storm has always found it easier to connect with books than people – though not for a lack of trying. She keeps careful lists of how to help others in her superhero-themed notebook. And yet, sometimes it feels as though she is invisible. All of that changes when a book of fairy tales arrives on her doorstep. Inside, Martha finds a dedication written to her by her best friend – her grandmother, Zelda – who died under mysterious circumstances a year earlier. 

When Martha discovers a clue within the book that her grandmother may still be alive, she becomes determined to discover the truth. As she delves deeper into Zelda’s past, she unwittingly reveals a family secret that will change things forever. Full of charm and vivid characters like The Lost Bookshop, The Library of Lost and Found is a heartwarming, poignant tale of one woman taking control of her destiny and writing her own happy ending. 

The Bookshop On The Corner – Jenny Colgan

Nina is a literary matchmaker. Pairing a reader with that perfect book is her passion. Determined to make a new life for herself, she moves to a sleepy village. There, Nina buys a van and transforms it into a bookmobile – a mobile bookshop she drives from neighbourhood to neighbourhood, changing one life after another with the power of storytelling. 

From helping her grumpy landlord deliver a lamb to sharing picnics with a charming train conductor who serenades her with poetry, Nina discovers plenty of adventure, magic, and soul in a place that’s beginning to feel more and more like home. A place where she, too, might be able to find a slice of her own happily ever after. 

The Reading List – Sarah Nisha Adams

Widower Mukesh lives a quiet life in Ealing. He shops every Wednesday, goes to Temple, and worries about his granddaughter, Priya, who hides in her room while he watches nature documentaries. Aleisha is a bright but anxious teenager working at the local library. There, she finds a crumbled note with a list of novels she’s never heard of before. Intrigued, she decides to read every book on the list. As each story gives up its magic, the book whisks Aleisha from the painful realities of life at home. 

When Mukesh arrives at the library, desperate to forge a connection with his bookworm granddaughter, Aleisha passes on the reading list, hoping that it will become a lifeline for him too. Slowly, the shared books create a connection between two lonely souls, as fiction helps them escape their grief and everyday troubles to find joy again. 

The Keeper Of Hidden Books – Madeline Martin

All her life, Zofia has found comfort in two things during times of hardship: books and her best friend, Janina. But no one could have imagined the horrors of the Nazi occupation in Warsaw. As the bombs rain down, Zofia finds that now books are also in need of saving. With the death count rising and the persecution worsening, Zofia springs into action to save her friend and salvage whatever books she can from the wreckage. 

But the closer Warsaw comes to liberation, the more dangerous life becomes. In one of the best historical fiction books like The Lost Bookshop, as the destruction rages around them, Zofia must fight to preserve her culture and community using the only weapon they have left – literature.

Once Upon A Wardrobe – Patti Callahan Henry

1950: Margaret (Megs) Devonshire is a seventeen-year-old student of mathematics and physics at Oxford University. When her beloved eight-year-old brother asks Megs if Narnia is real, logical Megs tells him that it’s just a story for children and absolutely not real. Homebound due to his illness, George presses her to ask the author a question: “Where did Narnia come from?” Despite her fear about approaching the famous author, who is a professor at her school, Megs soon finds herself taking tea with C.S. Lewis and his own brother, Warnie, begging them for answers. 

Rather than directly telling her where Narnia came from, Lewis encourages Megs to form her own conclusions as he slowly tells her the little-known stories from his own life that led to his inspiration. As she takes these stories home to George, the little boy travels farther in his imagination than he ever could have in real life. 

---

Check Out These Books To Make You Fall In Love With Reading

---