Mystery | Through a Seattle Looking Glass

There is a place where only mysteries are sold. From the beginning with Agatha Christie to modern day standouts such as The Cuckoo’s Calling, you can find anything and everything you’re looking for.

Welcome to Seattle’s Mystery Bookshop!

Just up the hill from the opening of Pioneer Square, SMB has an impressive space that is wall to wall of everything that is mystery books!

Enter along the ?, and begin your browsing! This fantastic bookshop has sections of everything from by author to YA and even the silly formulaic mysteries organized by topic, such as cooking, or cats.

The staff are warm, welcoming, host local mystery writer events all the time and if they by chance don’t have what you want, they will order anything you wish! It doesn’t have to be a mystery. For a local bookshop that only sells one genre type, it’s a small but fantastic key aspect that ensures their happy customers keep coming back for more. I wish I lived closer so I could make this my local!

Whether you live in Seattle or happen to pass by for a visit, please pay this lovely shop a few minutes of your attention! It’s totally worth it even if you don’t normally read mysteries. Branch out! Try something new! And please help support fantastic local bookshores like Seattle Mystery Bookshop!

As a homeschooled student, seventeen-year-old Ever’s love life hasn’t had the most impressive track record. She’s been in love with her neighbour Frankie since she was nine, but for the past two years they’ve been stuck in the friend zone where it will remain forever. Killed in a car accident, Frankie’s ghost lingers around the home with Ever and her family.

He’s a permanent fixture in her heart until Toby, the hot new neighbour moves into Frankie’s old house. He’s a real, breathing and very attractive guy who’s totally into Ever. It’s kind of hard to start dating with a dead kind of ex-boyfriend hovering throughout the house. As Ever spends more time with Toby, Frankie continues to warn her, but there’s more to Toby than just his passion and good looks. He’s hiding something and Ever soon is risking more than her heart as jealousy and tragedy tear through her life.

I had a tough time getting into Ever. I thought the concept of Frankie was awesome but there wasn’t enough of his character in the beginning. I didn’t enjoy how Toby immediately hits on Ever when she introduces herself the day he moves in. I felt it was just a bit too strong. I wasn’t impressed with the story and it was painfully slow. It also reminded/felt very Twilight-esque, which isn’t a good thing. I knew this was a first in a serious so I held on hoping it would pick up.

It took getting past the first 100 pages for the story to hit 0 to 60. Suddenly I found myself so engrossed in the book I couldn’t put it down. Remember, this is YA and I think Russo has hit the nail on the head for her audience; she gives them what they want. Sometimes YA can have the potential to be an adult crossover, but this is not one of those books. It’s got drama; a ridiculous love triangle and an interesting take on what keeps ghosts around. There’s a personal link for me within this story and that’s also one of the reasons I kept reading. If you’re looking for a quick, not too complicated romance, Ever will help kill some hours and give plenty of emotions for discussion. As the first in the series, I can’t wait to read what happens next.

Ever is available now!

Get it as an ebook for those in the UK

This book was provided as an ARC from Curiosity Quills Press for an honest review. Many thanks to the wonderful publisher and Net Galley!