Evie Woods
Evie Woods has published 4 books. The recommended reading order starts with The Story Collector (2018).
Evie Woods is an Irish author who writes historical fiction and fantasy novels laced with magical realism, working from an attic on the west coast of Ireland where she hides away from the Atlantic gales. She also writes under her real name, Evie Gaughan. Her books walk the line between the ordinary and the fantastical, revealing the real-life magic woven into everyday life.
Woods made her debut under this pen name in 2014 with The Mysterious Bakery On Rue De Paris, but it was The Lost Bookshop that brought her work to readers around the world. The novel has sold over a million copies, been translated into more than thirty languages, and was shortlisted for the 2024 British Book Awards. Influenced by folklore and the healing power of storytelling, she has carved out a distinctive style that blends mystery, romance, and the universal human experience.
Her novels, including The Story Collector and her latest, The Violin Maker's Secret, invite readers to embrace the unseen forces that shape our lives. Woods charms readers globally with warm, uplifting narratives that feel like whispered secrets.
Shelf & Shadows
Order of Standalone Novels
- Tagshistorical-fictionromancemysteryliterary-fictionfantasyDescriptionA woman named Sarah Harper arrives in a remote Irish village carrying more than just luggage—she's fleeing a life that no longer fits, searching for something she can't quite name. What she finds instead is a cottage with a peculiar history and a local legend about a woman who collected stories the way others collect shells or stamps, preserving the village's memories in ways both magical and unsettling. Evie Woods weaves a narrative that moves between past and present with the fluid grace of oral tradition itself, anchoring her tale in the lush, rain-soaked landscape of rural Ireland where folklore still breathes in the hedgerows. The story collector of the title isn't just a character but a concept—the idea that our stories shape us, that memory is a living thing, and that sometimes the tales we inherit matter more than the ones we choose to tell. This is a novel about grief and reinvention, about the weight of secrets and the strange comfort of belonging to a place that knows your name. Woods understands that the best escape isn't from our problems but into a deeper understanding of who we've been and who we might become, and she offers that journey with prose that feels both contemporary and timeless. Readers drawn to atmospheric women's fiction with a whisper of the mystical—think Adriana Trigiani meets Alice Hoffman—will find themselves utterly at home in these pages, reluctant to leave even as the final chapter closes.Publication date2018
- Tagsromancemysteryhistorical-fictionliterary-fictionfantasyDescriptionThere's a bookshop in Dublin that shouldn't exist. It vanishes. It reappears. It pulls you in when you need it most. Opaline, Martha, and Henry have been living half-lives, stuck in the margins of their own stories. Then the lost bookshop finds them. What starts as a chance encounter becomes something stranger—shelves that hold more than books, pages that blur the line between reading and living. This isn't a shop that sells stories. It's a shop that rewrites them. Woods weaves three timelines together with a deft hand, letting each character's longing breathe on the page. The magic here is quiet, rooted not in spectacle but in transformation. It's about what happens when you stop being a bystander in your own life. The prose has a gentle urgency, the kind that makes you want to slow down and savor every turn. This is for anyone who's ever believed that books can save you—or at least show you the way forward. It's whimsical without being precious, tender without tipping into sentimentality. A love letter to readers, yes, but also a reminder that the best stories are the ones we dare to live ourselves.Publication date2023
- Tagsromancehistorical-fictionfantasyDescriptionThere's a kind of magic that happens when flour meets butter meets the weight of secrets carried across generations, and this novel understands that alchemy perfectly. In a tucked-away corner of Paris, a bakery appears that shouldn't exist—or perhaps has always existed, depending on who's asking—and the pastries it produces seem to know things about the people who eat them, things even they've forgotten about themselves. Evie Woods weaves a story that tastes of nostalgia and possibility in equal measure, following characters who find themselves drawn to this peculiar establishment when their lives have reached a crossroads they didn't know they were standing at. The prose moves with the unhurried grace of kneading dough, building layers of mystery and warmth as we discover what the bakery offers isn't just sustenance but a chance to reckon with the past and reimagine what comes next. This is a book for anyone who believes that the right meal at the right moment can change everything, that places hold memory in their walls, and that sometimes the most extraordinary transformations begin with the simple act of stepping through an unfamiliar door and saying yes to whatever's being offered on the other side.Publication dateMarch 27, 2025Amazon rating4.4/5Print length353LanguageEnglishPublisherOne More Chapter
- Tags---DescriptionSome secrets are carved into wood, waiting for the right hands to uncover them. In this atmospheric tale, a violin maker's hidden past becomes the key to unlocking mysteries that span generations, weaving together craftsmanship, music, and the kind of truths that change everything. Evie Woods crafts a story where every detail matters—the grain of the wood, the tension of the strings, the silence between notes. When the past and present collide through the discovery of an extraordinary instrument, someone must decide whether to protect a legacy or expose it. The violin itself becomes a character, holding within its curves and varnish the weight of choices made long ago. This is a novel for anyone who believes that objects carry memory, that art can be dangerous, and that some stories demand to be heard no matter the cost. Woods writes with a reverence for both the tangible and the intangible, creating a narrative that resonates like a perfectly tuned chord.Publication date2026
Frequently Asked Questions about Evie Woods
Evie Woods writes standalone novels. The books can be read in any order, but if you prefer to read them chronologically by publication date, the order is The Story Collector, published in 2018, followed by The Lost Bookshop, which came out in 2023. Her upcoming novels include The Mysterious Bakery On Rue De Paris, scheduled for 2025, and The Violin Maker’s Secret, planned for 2026. Reading them in the order they were released allows readers to follow the progression of her work as it became available, though each story is designed to be enjoyed independently of the others.
A good place to start with Evie Woods is with The Lost Bookshop, published in 2023. This novel offers a compelling entry point into her storytelling. Alternatively, readers might begin with The Story Collector, her first published work from 2018. Both books are standalone novels, meaning they do not require knowledge of other titles to be understood and enjoyed. They represent different points in her writing career, and either can provide a solid introduction to her style and thematic concerns. Choosing the more recent book may offer a sense of her current direction.
No, you do not have to read Evie Woods's books in order. All of her novels are standalones. This means that each book tells a complete story that is independent of the others. You can pick up any title and begin reading without needing to know the plot or characters from previous books. While they were published in a specific sequence, starting with her earliest work or her latest release will not affect your understanding or enjoyment of the individual stories. Each novel presents a self-contained narrative.
Evie Woods writes standalone novels. This means that each book she has published offers a complete and independent story. There are no ongoing series or connected narratives that require readers to follow a specific sequence. You can select any of her titles and enjoy the story within that single book. Her published works include The Story Collector, The Lost Bookshop, and upcoming titles like The Mysterious Bakery On Rue De Paris and The Violin Maker’s Secret. Each is a distinct narrative.
Evie Woods has written two books that have been published: The Story Collector (2018) and The Lost Bookshop (2023). Additionally, she has upcoming novels scheduled for release. These include The Mysterious Bakery On Rue De Paris, planned for 2025, and The Violin Maker’s Secret, expected in 2026. Therefore, she has two published novels and two books forthcoming. The total number of books she has written or is scheduled to release is four.
The first book Evie Woods wrote and published was The Story Collector. It was released in 2018. This novel marked her debut in publishing. Following this, she released The Lost Bookshop in 2023. She also has two more books scheduled for future publication: The Mysterious Bakery On Rue De Paris in 2025 and The Violin Maker’s Secret in 2026. The Story Collector serves as the starting point for readers interested in tracing the beginning of her literary output.
Evie Woods's most recent book that has been published is The Lost Bookshop, released in 2023. This novel follows her debut, The Story Collector, which was published in 2018. She has upcoming books scheduled, including The Mysterious Bakery On Rue De Paris for 2025 and The Violin Maker’s Secret for 2026. Therefore, The Lost Bookshop is the latest complete story available for readers. It offers a recent example of her writing style and narrative approach.
Evie Woods writes fiction that often centers on themes of books, libraries, and hidden histories. Her novels can be described as contemporary fiction with elements of magical realism and a focus on atmospheric settings. Titles like The Lost Bookshop and The Story Collector suggest a blend of character-driven narratives with intriguing premises. While specific genre labels can be limiting, her work appeals to readers who enjoy stories with a touch of wonder and a deep connection to the world of literature and the past.
Yaa Gyasi
Coming soon
We verified the reading order for Evie Woods's books by cross-referencing official publication dates, ISBN databases, and publisher catalogs.
Last verified: April 2026
Shelf & Shadows. (…). “Evie Woods Books in Order.” Retrieved …, from https://www.shelfandshadows.com/authors/evie-woods