A great read from Phaedra Patrick, as regimented librarian Martha discovers a book that changes her whole life.

Librarian Martha has been taking advantage of her entire life by family and friends. The only person who truly understood her was her grandmother but she died when she was young. Now in middle age, a found self published book reminds her of her grandmother and leads Martha to uncover family secrets.

I enjoyed this heartwarming story. If you like quirky characters like Eleanor Oliphant and Nina Hill you will enjoy this Martha's story as well.

4 stars.

I was interested in the premise of this book about a library and a book about long lost stories. The book itself was pleasant to read but I could not get engaged with the character and the plot seemed to meander without really going very far. I like learning more about Martha growing up though I could never get myself to like Zelda - the characters' behavior to situations were erratic like they weren't sure how they were supposed to react and changed their minds constantly. The fables were an interesting touch but seemed a little on-the-nose and I was not captured by them as stories. An easy enough read but reminded me that I am not quite a fan of this style of writing.

Hmmm. It’s marketed as an adult book but the premise feels very middle grade. I’m also tired of books where bookish people don’t like other people or have an aversion to them. It’s a tired trope. Where are my extroverted book nerds at?

A middle-aged, single woman finds her long-lost grandmother and in the process uncovers family secrets. Women's fiction isn't my favorite genre, so it's hard to give a fair assessment of the book. While I liked some of the quirky characters and their unique voices, other elements seemed predictable and overwrought. Recommended only for those who like the genre.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick.

Martha has spent her entire life taking care of people. Having never married or having children, she finds joy in being there for others and helping her friends. But, after time Martha starts to ask herself if she hasn't left herself behind in the meantime.

While she slowly tried to untangle herself from the needs of everyone else, she begins to find remnants of her beloved grandmother who died under mysterious circumstances. This launches Martha into a different world of investigation and discovery.

I like this book okay. It dragged on a bit and honestly, I would have loved more book references, especially if it's going to have Library in the title. I did really love the characters and the overall idea of the book, it was just executed a bit slowly.

Note: I received this book from the author/publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good read and moved very quickly but I wish there had been just a little more depth. Martha finds herself in a deep hole of taking care of everyone else in her life, but not herself. And that is so relatable! It's so hard to say "no" and the story deals with how standing up for yourself can really take your life to new places. I liked the library/book lover world the story is set in and there were lots of sweet moments but some of the relationships in the book were just so silly and unnecessary, in my opinion. I'm not a fan of side characters being terrible to the main character and being instantly forgiven, it just seems so unrealistic and weak. I liked the story and the message behind the plot but it was just missing that last little bit to make it a great story.

I honestly feel bad, because I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't get into it. The overall plot was interesting enough: girl reconnects with a grandmother she though was dead through a library book. It should have been right up my alley, but I just found that I couldn't connect with the main character, so it took me a really really long time to get through this one (I'm one of those people who if I start a book, I have to finish it). If you happened to already own this book, I wouldn't suggest not reading it, but I also wouldn't suggest that you to go out of your way to find a copy to read.

Really fun read, and would be great for a women’s book club. Wonderful choice for readers who are looking for a light romance.

I cannot say enough good things about The Library of Lost and Found! Martha Storm is a librarian who cannot seem to say no to anyone. She gave up the love of her life to take care of her ailing parents, she cannot seem to get a full time librarian job because her boss always overlooks her, and she and her sister communicate, but barely. One day, Martha receives a package in the mail. It turns out to be a book that has a dedication to her and it contains stories she wrote when she was younger and stories her grandmother Zelda used to tell her. She goes on a mission to find out the truth of what happened to her grandmother, and along the way she learns how to start putting herself first and telling other people NO. I loved this book so much. Watching Martha learn to grow and change and take charge of her life made my heart soar, and watching her deal with the past and learn to move forward was simply wonderful! I have recommended this book numerous times already and will continue to do so!!

I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This has been sitting on my TBR list for a while now. I picked it originally because the title and cover are interesting and intriguing. Having read it now, I'm not sure I'd make the same choice if I could go back and do it over.

Family dramas like this one are hit-or-miss with me. My lack of enthusiasm towards this story is mostly personal so bear that in mind when reading my review! I didn't find the characters relatable and some of them were downright unpleasant. Zelda was the most interesting by far, but I still had issues with her, too. There was a vagueness to the whole thing that bothered me like an itch I can't scratch. The emotional payoff lacked a punch because it was fairly predictable. It was all kind of flat.

I also found the setting of the story problematic. It seems broadly British but there would be moments of Americanisms that stuck out like a big neon sign. It couldn't seem to make up its mind as to what it wanted to be.

I wouldn't recommend this book.

This is a magical, sweet story. I found myself growing attached to the characters, and I had to find out what happened!

Loved Arthur; had a big crush on Benedict; now, with The Library of Lost and Found, I have two new characters to add to the list: Martha Storm and her zany grandmother, Zelda. Fun read about a young librarian who thinks her grandmother is dead but finds out through a lost book that she's still very much alive. Keep writing, Phaedra!

Overall this book was a fun read, it had mystery, a little romance, and some good family drama. I liked that you got a quick background in the beginning on what Martha was like; a very big people pleaser, doing this for others only and not anything for herself. You learn more about this as the story goes on and you find out more about her family and her life. Then you get the mystery when she receives a book that is signed by her “dead” grandma! So right then you are hooked with thinking what the heck happened?! I won’t go into too much detail or it will spoil the surprise.

I thought the main character was well written. You really got the feel for why she was the way she was and you got to follow along on her journey of how she grew from this experience with getting the book and how it changed her. The supporting characters were pretty well done. You didn’t have a lot of background on all, but on some you did like Zelda you got to see her story as well throughout the book.

The plot was pretty well written, it flowed nicely, I think I wanted a little more suspense or something just a little bit more, maybe even a little more to the romance aspect of the book. I thought overall though it was a fun read and it kept me entertained and wanting to find out more.

It took me awhile to connect to our protagonist Mary. I did, however, find the little town she lived in charming. Much of this story was predictable but it was still a quick easy read. I enjoyed the stories in the book and it was nice reading a contemporary fiction book where the main character was a little older.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

So Martha is a helper at the library and known for doing favors for everyone. She receives a book inscribed to her from her nana three years after her supposed death. Martha goes on a hunt to trace the book to its source. I enjoyed the literary references and the mystery. A couple of twists are added.

Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley

Martha Storm could be described as a doormat. She never says no. She cared for her ill parents for 15 years before their deaths. She does favors for everyone; laundry, feeding fish, repairing items, even offering to fix a paper mache dragon when she doesn't know how to do paper mache. Her life and home are filled with stuff and obligations to others. She has no friends, no life to speak of. She is a volunteer at the library, I thought she worked there at one point, and she wants the job opening up but is worried she won't get it. Then one day a stranger gives her a book, and this book changes her life. Martha recognizes the stories in the book, they are her stories from her youth, and she goes on a quest to find out how the stories ended up in a book. How could her grandmother have published a book of her stories when she died when Martha was still young? What she finds out changes her past, her present and her future.

This is the first book by Phaedra Patrick that I've read and I'm definitely going to read more by this author. Who doesn't love a book about books and libraries and used book stores? This was a beautifully written story, which is very character driven. Martha was a character who grabbed me from the moment she was introduced. She was a harried woman who was nervous and a people pleaser, yet I wanted her to be my friend. She was caring, generous and a bit quirky. She doesn't know where she belongs and doesn't have any friends, just acquaintances, at least that is the way she feels. She had been dealt a bad hand in life and now that her parents had died, she lived in the house she grew up in, filled with their stuff as well as the stuff all her neighbours had dumped on her. Her sister, Lillian, is a cold, judgmental woman, her polar opposite. I enjoyed meeting all the characters at the library and those she meets along the way in her journey to find out more about "the book". As Martha searches for answers, we learn about her past and about secrets that her family has kept hidden for years.

This story is about self-discovery, family relationships, new beginnings, the damage secrets can do to people and the importance of stories and books. It is a slow moving story, that opens up like a flower, slowly revealing one secret, one discovery at a time as the reader learns how it affects both Martha and Lillian. I enjoyed this story a lot and recommend it to anyone who enjoys a well-written, beautifully described story of self-discovery, new beginnings, and the power of words in one's life.

The Library of Lost and Found is a charming story with colorful characters that leap from the page. Martha Storm's life is filled with helping others, whether it is through her job at the library or completing her long "to-do" list of other people's projects. But her world gets turned on its axis, when she discovers a book of fairy tales inscribed to her by her grandmother, but the date is after her grandmother's date of death. Martha delves into the search for more information and it takes her on a journey like no other.
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There are several unique and intriguing characters in the book and I really enjoyed the way the story evolved. I certainly routed for Martha throughout the novel and enjoyed each page. A solid four star read for me!

I received this book from Park Row through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this one, but at halfway through, I'm giving up. Martha is a doormat personified and even her acts of "rebellion" are so timid and sad that I just couldn't get invested. Maybe I'll give it another shot at some point, but as of right now I'm DNFing this one due to an overall lack of interest.

This title wasn't quite what I expected. I never made the connection with the title and the book and thereby my assumptions were misleading. However, I enjoyed the story. It was uplifting to see a character like Martha finally stand up on her own and come into herself as an independent and worthy person. I adored Zelda and wish I could have met her! It was a great weekend read!