Virtual Blog Tour & Review: Haunting Jasmine by Anjali Banerjee

First line: I didn’t see this turn of events coming, or going. 

From the back cover: Divorcee Jasmine Mistry is intent on restarting her life when she gets the chance to do just that. A call from the past brings her home to Shelter Island, a green dot in the middle of Puget Sound, to run her beloved aunt’s bookstore. The familiarity is heartening – the rocky beaches, pewter skies, country boutiques, and above all, Auntie’s Bookstore, nestled in a quaint Queen Anne Victorian, and believed, not incidentally, to be haunted.

With that knowledge, Jasmine embarks on a mystical journey, urged along by her quirky family, guided by the highly emotional spirits of long-dead authors, and moved to heal her broken heart when she unexpectedly falls in love with an enigmatic young stranger. He knows about blurring the lines between reality and illusion. He opens new doors between truth and fantasy. In redefining the meaning of everlasting love, he urges Jasmine to reinvent herself in a place she calls home. All she has to do is close her eyes and say yes.

My thoughts: This is the first book I’ve read by Anjali Banerjee and I really enjoyed it. The story is quite interesting – Jasmine returns home to help out a favorite aunt with her bookstore, a bookstore that is haunted by some of the spirits of long-deceased authors. I wasn’t sure I was going to like this book after reading the initial blurb from the publisher – I’m not really a fan of ghosts – but being that the main setting was in a bookstore, I was intrigued. And I wasn’t disappointed. It was magical and entertaining. I absolutely loved the premise: what if dead authors could come to life in a bookstore and try to get people to read their books? What an interesting way to remind us that even though an author might not be around, their books still live on. I truly believe that a really good bookseller knows what book fits a person, and this story reinforces that – Aunt Ruma and Jasmine are able to push the right books into the hands of their customers. Filled with humor,  a little romance, second chance love, and little factoids about the Indian/Hindu culture, this book is a fun, easy read that reminds us: Sometimes you have to take a risk and grab life with both hands, even if only for a day!

About the author: Anjali Banerjee was born in India, and raised in Canada and California and received degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. She has written five young adult novels and two adult novels.  Banerjee lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and beloved cats.  

For more information about Banerjee and her work, visit her website. 

I received a complimentary copy of Haunting Jasmine by Anjali Banerjee from Erin at Penguin Group USA as part of the tour.