Like her earlier book, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper, where the talisman is the found bracelet, this story features stories, with the "found" book of stories leading the main character back to a beloved grandmother while explaining a tricky (and hidden) family situation. Martha's love of libraries, her grandmother's love of stories and sharing them, and the fairy tale-like stories wound through the book makes a lovely, comforting read. The overbearing (and let's admit it, abusive) father is a bit overdone, but if you want a long and pleasant read about a middle-aged woman who moves on in her life, give this a go.

Martha has a hard time saying no. She lives her life saying yes to anyone who asks her to do something, in saying yes she has left no room for herself in her days. A mystery book with a dedication to her written in it changes everything. Family secrets are revealed and Martha has to decide if she is ready to stop saying yes to others, and start living her own life.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

The premise of this book is what first drew me to this unknown author. A librarian who finds a mysterious book of fairy tales that could hold a secret to what happened to her grandmother? Count me in! This book was one that I enjoyed tremendously but never would have expected it. I am glad I did.

Another fabulous story from the marvellous mind of Phaedra Patrick. When volunteer librarian Martha Storm receives a mysterious book for Valentine's Day she begins to question long established truths from her past. This idyllic story weaves a narrative as soft and sweet as stands of cotton candy. Fans of Elinor Lipman will enjoy this book that makes you believe that it's never too late for second chances, and that letting go of the past is the only way to embrace the future.

Martha Storm leads a lonely existence tending to everyone else's needs but ignoring her own needs and wishes. After giving up the love of her life to care for her aging parents, she has devoted her days to working at a library, apparently as a volunteer, and solving others' problems. Thanks to serendipity, she is given a book inscribed by her beloved grandmother, but mysteriously the inscription is dated after her grandmother died and the stories contained are ones that she and her grandmother made up. While undertaking to find the origins of this book Martha develops new relationships at the same time that family secrets are disclosed. Although perhaps predictable, the resolution of this book is satisfying and the characters enjoyable.

Another charming character study from Phaedra Patrick. I was rooting for Martha from the start and it was great to see her grow from someone who does everything for everyone to someone who found her own voice and happiness.

The book was ok, it wasn’t what I expected. However it wasn’t bad either. The plot was ok and kind of predictable. Overall it was ok.

I had mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, i found it charming. It felt as if i was reading about a quirky town from a TV show, like Stars Hollow on the Gilmore Girls. The characters were charming, and I really wanted things to turn out well for them all. And on that level the book was successful for me.

However, this was also a source of disappointment to me. You see, this book felt lightweight in a way that I didn’t enjoy. Once the main character began to work her way out of her self-imposed misery, and begin to interact with the people around her—I knew that all would work out well in the end—and it did.
Although I can appreciate this in 1 hour bites—like an episode of a TV show—this is not really what I look for in books. I usually appreciate more nuance, and often something with a darker tone.

So—for me—this book only rated three stars. But, I think this is the type of book that many readers would really love—if the synopsis appeals, give it a try!

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy.

I received this ARC from the publisher and netgalley for my honest review.

This book reminded me of "Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine" in that we have an awkward character and we learn her reason of why she is the way she is and we witness her butterfly coming out story. Although I enjoyed the story both past and present, Patrick's writing style drove me a little crazy sometimes. Some of her descriptions were a little repetitive (stripy hair, aloe tissues, Suki's bump). This may have been intention as a story telling device possibly..

Overall a nice story.

I received this book "The Library of Lost and Found" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. This was a fun easy enjoyable read. Full of secrets and heartache. Loved the characters.

This book was enchanting and heartbreaking at the same time. It is a story about life, loss, secrets, discovery, and forgiveness, and I enjoyed every minute of Martha's adventure, even as my heart broke for her.

At times I was infuriated while I was reading, by the way that Martha allowed people to treat her. (I LOVED Suki and her encouragement and support of Martha.) I had a very hard time reconciling the meek, cowed woman Martha with the spunky, creative girl Martha, which was, I think, a testament to the author and her ability to accurately portray how people can be changed by their environment.

There are a couple of different mysteries in this book, that are connected to one another. One is solved very early on, but its part in the second mystery isn't revealed until later in the book. It was definitely interesting how all of the events throughout two generations tied together, and how something that happens at the present can have effects years into the future.

I enjoyed watching Martha remember who she was and reclaim herself as a person, and was very satisfied with the ending of the book.

An adult coming-of-age novel. Martha has been doing for others for years and has lost herself in the midst of it all. (Clearly an Enneagram 2) She learns to say no to others and stand up for herself as she learns who she is and what happened to her family. Loved this sweet book about family, books, and libraries.

I was allowed an advanced reader copy via NetGalley in exchange for a review. All thoughts are my own.

Phaedra Patrick's latest novel, The Library of Lost and Found is a home run! Patrick takes the best of a cozy mystery, romance, family drama and fairy tale and wraps it all up in one sweet, wonderful story. Patrick's books are all such unique treasures and this one is no different. It's the type of novel that stays with you long after the last page. Fans of Phaedra Patrick will devour this one.

I'm not sure how to review this book without giving too much away. I will say, I found myself drawn to keep reading. Pheadra Patrick wrote a deep novel disguised as a cozy read. At first you fall into the spell of her easy writing then realize just how much is really going on. In the lives of both sisters, their past memories of their grandmother and parents. Why one is the favorite and the other feels left out. Family secrets that were never meant to be spoken. I found myself thinking about the characters, their lives and how I couldn't wait to get back to the book and see how it all comes together. Phaedra does a wonderful job at juggling the lives of these characters and I will be awaiting further novels from her .

This was a pleasant story of a volunteer librarian worn down from caring for her aging parents, who after their deaths has continued her "doing for others" as the full focus of her life. When a bookseller sends her a book too damaged for him to sell that is inscribed to her from her beloved grandmother, her world begins to open up. The tales included are some she wrote herself, with others by her mother and grandmother, and most alarming, the inscription is 3 years AFTER she was told her nana had died. And so she sets off on a quest of self-discovery. It was a lovely premise well-realized but for some reason did not hold my interest throughout. The characters were somewhat bland and flat, secondary characters just sketched in. Being a librarian made some of the library bits hard to watch - do they really let people routinely eat and drink in British libraries? Yikes! It was enjoyable watching Martha pull herself together, but then making it ALL about "me" was not so satisfying. Just didn't quite work for me.

I liked the premise of the book but I found it hard to identify or like the characters, they felt one-dimensional.

*I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I'm in love with Phaedra Patrick. Completely, utterly in love. This was my introduction to Ms Patrick, and halfway through I ran out and purchased two of her previous novels.

This is the story of Martha, a quiet woman who works part time at the library, lives alone and devotes her time to helping others. It's how she defines herself, and she's done it most of her adult life. The appearance of a strange book changes the course of her life, and Martha becomes far less inclined to put the needs of others before her own.

This is a lovely, gentle story for book lovers everywhere. I adored it, and it's going on my "favorites" shelf. Do yourself a favor and don't pass this one up.

Martha Storm is a part-time librarian that can't say "no" to people when they ask her to do something for them. As a result her house is jammed with unfinished tasks, even though she keeps a meticulous notebook of her projects to be done. Along with this are stacks of boxes of her deceased parents' belongings. Martha can't seem to get a handle on her life until one day a mysterious man leaves a package at the door of the library addressed to Martha. When she opens the package and discovers a books without a cover that has a dedication to her, she is confused as the dedication is from her beloved grandmother, Zelda who she was told died. She is confused because the date on the book is three years after her "death". The rest of the book deals with Martha's search for answers. The author introduces some other interesting characters that help Martha along the path of her search for the truth. I thought the author's writing was very good, and her descriptions of the characters and their surroundings such that I could easily picture them in my mind. If you like murder and mayhem, this is not the book for you, but if you like a heartwarming story, I highly recommend this book.

Lovely book about a woman who has devoted herself to others only to find that she is lonely and unappreciated. A mysterious book helps her find her way back to herself and she begins to grow into the person she was meant to be. A wonderful read for everyone who believes in the power of books to make a difference in our lives.

The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick is a sweet, quirky, heartwarming story for those who love good fiction that leaves you feeling happy. This author’s other novels, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper and Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone are must-reads if you haven’t read them already. Get them into your hands as soon as you can, they won’t disappoint.

In this novel, Martha Storm works part-time at the library. She loves her job but wishes for a better position though something holds her back from trying to move up. Martha is always doing things for other people, she cannot say no and puts everyone else’s needs ahead of her own.

Her friends and co-workers often take advantage of her but she never speaks up for herself, wanting to make others happy. She often thinks of her grandma Zelda who was a bright light in her life as a young girl but has died years ago. Martha spent the past few years taken care of her sick and aging parents and now that they have died, she leads a rather quiet and boring life.

When a mysterious book is dropped off at the library with an inscription from Zelda to Martha, she is thrown into a search for the origins of the book which is a collection of stories from Zelda when Martha was a young girl.

The date in the book is recent, does that mean Zelda is alive? And if she is, why was Martha told she had died? Suddenly Martha has a new purpose and with this call to adventure, Martha cannot go back to doing things for everyone else and living life as she had before.

I loved the transformation of Martha! The author does such a great job of creating likable but flawed characters. You are really rooting for Martha to make changes and stop being a doormat.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Librarian Martha Storm has always found it easier to connect with books than people–though not for lack of trying. She keeps careful lists of how to help others in her superhero-themed notebook. And yet, sometimes it feels like she’s 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 years 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 her life forever.Filled with Phaedra Patrick’s signature charm and vivid characters, The Library of Lost and Found is a heartwarming and poignant tale of how one woman must take control of her destiny to write her own happy ending.

Due out in March, 2019. LOVED THIS ONE!