I decided to DNF this book fairly early on. The writing was so confusing to me that I had no idea what was going on, what timeframe was happening (it switched frequently), or anything. I immediately felt like I had missed several chapters and some important information, but no, it just jumped right in.

The premise of the story had everything to delight me, but, honestly, I was completely discouraged from reading the content. Then I saw so many reviews that I really saw that the book...

Thank you so much to net galley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book! I was so excited to read this, as it sounded right up my alley! I am so glad I gave it a chance because I found a new favorite author!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately not a romance, more women's fiction, which is fine. But this was not a page-turner or an emotionally resonant read. I'd skip this one.

I really wanted to like this book but honestly I just wasn't vibing with the book. I think this book has a lot of elements that I enjoy, especially the book/library aspect but honestly I was just a little bit bored and found myself forcing myself to read this book just to finish it.
I loved the message of the power of books and reading and how it can bring together a community but apart from that everything else about this book was just incredibly boring to me.

This is the kind of "chick lit" that gives others of the genre its stereotyped reputation. It's also incredibly frustrating to find yet another book centred around a woman discovering she really wants a baby. Wanting children is not the natural state of all women. Sorry. I just can't find anything to like about this book.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The Lending Library was just OK for me. I liked the premise, but just thought the execution was OK.

Unfortunately, this book just didn't work for me. I had difficulty connecting to any of the characters or getting invested in their relationships. Dodie just came across very selfish to me and even though she calls herself out on her selfish behavior I don't feel she really makes changes or grows as a character. Also, her relationship with Shep fell flat for me. I feel that we weren't shown enough of their interactions to really become invested.

Hmm, this book just wasn’t for me. It’s not bad per se, but it’s one where I find the characters don’t behave in a logical way which is endlessly frustrating to me.

Dodie, an art teacher, opens a lending library in her home when her local library is closed for much-needed repairs. Dodie is in her early 30s and also desperately craves motherhood. After a sudden loss, Dodie's life becomes much more complicated.

Everything surrounding Terabithia left a bad taste in my mouth, and that is why this book is one star. There's a lot of white savior stuff going on and it made me so uncomfortable. I don't know if that's a reflection of the author's beliefs, but it bothers me how entitled Dodie became as the story progressed.

If the story had just been about Dodie's library and how it impacted the town, I would have enjoyed it much more. The writing was fine, and I wasn't bothered by the way the author wrote the passage of time as other reviewers have pointed out. I just felt like Dodie saw Terabithia as a status symbol and not an actual person.

A woman who teaches art classes at school decides to open a lending library in her home when the town library is closed for repairs. She also is at a point in her life when she wants a baby.

Wow. DNF’d this one at like 5%. The main character was beyond annoying and the writing was quite lackluster. Not for me.

I thought this was a sweet book with some interesting characters and ideas. Loved the lending library she ran out of her home! Libraries always bring together communities and are so important for us. I kind of wish the focus was more on the lending library and those coming to visit it. The plot got a bit all over the place but overall was an interesting read

3.75 stars!

Okay I really loved the premise of this novel and I loved all the references to books and the descriptions of food was to die for! I had a few issues with the themes/storyline being a bit too choppy and I felt there was a bit more than necessary in this book. It could have been a lot shorter and focussed on the library and her role as a teacher a bit more. The storyline of the baby and the romance felt a bit forced and didn't flow well to introduce all of these as new events.

Overall, I think this was a good debut and I hope to read future books from this author because I can see a lot of potential with some good guidance from editors.

A library? At home in the sunniest place? Yes please. I loved the idea of the book, the whole encounter and how Dodie wanted to navigate through life. The first part was amazing, but the plot for me and some of the characters felt short, and a bit monotonous.

DNF at 30%.
Sadly, this book did not spark my interest. The concept of it looked really really good, but while reading it I just didn't feel the story. It might be because the pacing is rather slow and I had trouble getting into the book this way. I'm sure this book is amazing to other people, but it just wasn't for me.

DNFed at 37%.

I couldn't do much more than that. It feels like a disservice to the book. It had an amazing summary - creating a library! small town! character near my own age (SHOCK)! - that it ticked so many boxes for me to want to read. I loved that it was available to read because I usually find book like these in my library ages past the publication date. It usually takes me a bit to read them too, which is why this review is coming so late, but, I wish I could have liked it.

Dodie was okay, at first, but I question the motivations. The focus on the sexy wrists and only a couple of paragraphs to some details that seem more important vs things that are not. The chapters being months apart but there was little to no connection from one chapter to the next. I felt like I was losing the central idea of the plot but there was no want to try and figure out what was happening in the end. I might try to go back and finish the book but it's not likely.

<i>Thank you for Netgalley for having this back in Read Now moons ago.</i>

A heartwarming debut novel of love, loss, friendship and a way to find yourself when faced with life’s hardest decisions.

Dixie loves reading and wants to find a way to get her city of Chatsworth to read - hence her dream of The Lending Library being born when the library in her city closes its door.

But when a tragedy brings her at a crossroads of choosing between adopting her best friend’s son or her dream of her library; what would she choose.

The Lending Library is a sweet, heartwarming novel about choices, in love and friendship - and also gives some wonderful book recommendations that I definitely added to my TBR!

This is a debut book for this author. I was attracted to the title, because I love to read and I love going to the library. I really enjoyed the main character, Dodie. This was a nice contemporary read. Dodie has been trying to find a place for herself away from the big city where she used to live, and she's slowly making that dream into a reality. I'm definitely looking forward to more books by this author.