April Dunne leads a mostly solitary life from her third-floor apartment in Seattle. She works from home for a real estate company. Otherwise, she likes to read. She likes to frequent a local independent bookstore called Read the Room. The staff member who sorts through used books seems as if he's a nice guy. He's attractive. But April is shy. She decides to approach him by donating some used books and by placing a note for him inside of one. Because he surely pages through every book that he receives, doesn't he? And then she waits.

What follows is a delightful tale that alternates chapters among the third-person viewpoints of three characters: April; Westley, the used book sorter; and Laura, who is another bookstore customer. April's note sets in motion a series of events that are humorous and are mostly unexpected and unpredictable.

In the meantime, a film producer has made arrangements to shoot scenes for a movie in the bookstore at night. Owner Julia almost immediately begins to regret her decision to approve this venture after the crew starts moving books and shelves and damaging the wood floors. The confusion and commotion affect both customers and staff members alike -- especially when one of booksellers is chosen to appear on screen. Yikes!

We get to know the other folks in our main characters' lives, too. Their friends, their relatives. Eventually each one of the other booksellers gets a small chapter of first-person narrative, so that they can express their views of the situation. What fun!

My only concern here is with the look of this paperback. The animated cover drawing shows the inside of a bookstore, complete with a customer and a staff member. It's bright and colorful enough, and it sure gets one's attention. But it's a little too cartoonish for me. I think the story inside deserves a better hook than this quick portrayal. Some potential readers may assume that the book is self-published and may not be worthy of their time. Wrong, on both counts!

Storybook Ending is an enjoyable read with a satisfying ending. It has interesting characters and is set around activities in an independent bookstore. What more do we need?