The Library of Lost Things introduces us to Darcy Wells, a 17 year old girl who's been hiding the fact that her mother is a hoarder. With a new building superintendent, the secret that Darcy has worked so hard to hide is threatening to be exposed. In a few weeks from when the author introduces the reader to Darcy, she will be 18, no longer at worry for CPS to take her away but fueled by the prospect that her home might be taken away from her and her mother.

I didn't find there was as much focus on Darcy and her mom's relationship. I kinda thought that it could have been more involved? Yes, we knew that there was a shopping addiction and that her mother had other shortcomings but that was kinda it. (Maybe the lack of her mother's appearance was to show that she was somewhat absent?! Update: I think it was totally intentional!)

Other than that, I felt like everything that Darcy was going through was relatable. Having a fear of being out in front of an audience on a stage: normal. Being on that stage and having to have your first kiss at the same time: terribly mortifying and yet a totally relatable feeling. Having strong feelings for someone who you know can only be your friend and nothing else: also a normal thing.

The book didn't pick up until the last few chapters. Until then, it was rather uneventful, sad to say. I liked it more toward the end. I wish that it had held the same momentum in the beginning.

I really enjoyed this book. Having some personal experience with hoarders (extended family members) I think the situation was handled realistically but also respectfully. I liked that we saw the impact hoarding has on people close to the person suffering from this condition. The reason for the hoarding was explained which I think was helpful. A great YA title.

The Library of Lost Things is a phenomenal story of family, friendship, first love, and finding yourself. There are so many layers to this story that young readers will definitely find something to love. Laura Taylor Namey has written an incredibly engaging and moving story. Highly recommended.

Darcy is about to turn 18, spends her free time working at a book store, and has a terrible secret: her mom is a hoarder. Darcy can't invite people over or have a party because she can't let anyone see the inside of her apartment. Aside from her best friend, Marisol, she lives a pretty lonely existence. She's just desperate to make it to 18 so she doesn't have to be afraid of CPS taking her away from her mom. But then she meets Asher Fleet, a boy who used to fly until a terrible car accident changed his life to one of migraines and pain medicine. He's trying his hardest to be "normal" but he's hiding things, too, just like Darcy: he has mood swings and attention issues, and his previous dream of going to Annapolis is over. They're both lost, but together they find a connection that helps them face the future in brave new ways. But what will happen if Darcy tries to bring Asher into her home? And how patient can Asher be, with his health a daily reminder of how short life is? Can they risk their hearts, knowing how much is at stake?

I'm a little conflicted about this book. The characters are well written and likable, with real struggles and believable issues. I enjoyed learning about their pasts and how they shaped the people they are today. I especially loved Marisol, with her big family and even bigger heart. The problem I occasionally had was that the writing, while always lyrical and flowing, occasionally just got a bit TOO flowery and I found it distracting. Darcy hides in fairy tale worlds and books are her safe space, and I do think the author wrote her that way to allow her to play with her own love of literature and words. I appreciated it to a point, but at times I felt that it got in the way of the story.

However, that minor quibble aside, I enjoyed reading this debut!

3.5 stars

**Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Teen for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!**

This book was charming. I enjoyed reading about Darcy, a bibliophile, on her quest for self-discovery and self-acceptance. Darcy loves to escape into the world of her books. Most likely, it is due to the fact that she likes the fairy tale instead of the reality in which she lives. Darcy's mom is a hoarder which impacts both of them in tremendous ways. Darcy is also navigating first love, feelings over an absent father, and other family drama. I adored the literary references throughout the story. I also was excited to see the topic of hoarding addressed in this novel. I haven't read another book that covers the topic, and I thought the reader was able to get a good sense of what it might be like reading Darcy's experiences.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing the book to me to read in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this novel!

I found this to be a beautifully written book. Darcy Wells is a teenage girl whose life is ruled by her mother's hoarding. She only trusts one person in her life to help her, and that is her best friend, Marisol. However, as her senior year progresses, changes are coming. Her life is shaken up by changes in the apartment complex where she lives, unexpected secrets coming to light as well. And then there's Asher Fleet, the handsome, mysterious new friend with a past.

The prose is lovely, and pulled me in immediately. I felt as if I knew the characters of the book, and they tugged at me. I felt the growth of the characters, the strong friendships. I didn't want to put it down.

Darcy read, for comfort, to get her out of socializing, to fill her time. She reads and rereads books and can often quote passages. She has one true friend. and finds another in the form of Asher. there is something about him that makes her trust him and opens up to him about her life, including her mother's hoarding,. Asher helps her realize that she can live her own life, and not hide behinds books.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Review will be posted closer to publication date.

I couldn't put this one down! I loved Darcy and how bookcentric she was! I liked how she grew throughout & figured out how to be herself and now hide behind her books.
Her relationship with her mom and the hoarding was tough, but I was so glad they were able to take their time and understand and forgive for mistakes. I liked how fiercely Darcy loved her mom and how she brought her grandma in to help her too.
I loved how her relationship with Asher developed and how understsnding he was. I liked how they looked past each other's flaws to see the real person underneath.
The relationship with her best friebd Marisol is so genuine and real and I loved that. I liked the charm necklaces and how they traded to keep a part of each other with the other when they were apart. I liked how Darcy saw things within Marisol's family that she knew she wanted to feel with her mom.
The curveball with her dad is handled well by Darcy and how she is just going to take it slow there, is great.
I really liked seeing the inside to a hoarding life and how it affects the family.
A great read!

This was such a light and easy contemporary! I truly adored every single second of it.

The Library of Lost Things focuses on Darcy, a bibliophile who prefers to stay hidden on the sidelines instead of being in the spotlight. Darcy is hiding a secret, however: her mom is a compulsive shopper and has an addiction to hoarding her purchases. Darcy finds her safe haven in her bedroom, the one place where her mom's hoarding hasn't touched and she can find solace in her books.

However, along comes Asher, a boy who makes her realize she may have had enough of being invisible.

This is the PERFECT contemporary read, and I highly recommend it. I saw a lot of myself in Darcy, and I feel as though other readers will too.

This was a light, easy love story that also presented some deeper issues without feeling too heavy-handed. It reminded me of Cath Crowley's "Words in Deep Blue" with the bookstore backdrop and the different emotional struggles that Darcy is experiencing. I think younger readers of YA romance will especially enjoy this one. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the advanced copy!

Occasionally I like to read some teen fiction just to see what is going on in their lives nowadays. Well it seems like teenage angst is still alive and well; parents are less important than BFFs, the social scene reigns supreme, romance is always longed for, part time jobs are often a necessity and sometimes social media is used as an efficient communication tool (it is supposed to be). In her book, The Library of Lost Things, Laura Taylor Namely does not disappoint on any of these fronts. In fact she throws in a nerdy bibliophile, Darcy, who spends much of her life hiding the fact that her mother is a hoarder from the rest of the world.

This novel is nicely written, it follows the traditional story arc, and deals realistically with the everyday life of today's teenager. The teenage characters are well developed while the adults are just left on the sidelines – showing us that Namely has a good grasp of the psychie of adolescents everywhere!

This book would be especially appealing to teenage girls and is a nice inoffensive read.

I really wanted to love this book and it ended up being a disappointment. The story was boring and the writing was so contrived that I could not even finish the book.

Very disappointed.