This is a debut novel by the author. As a avid reader I always enjoy books about libraries and book promotion especially in communities without proper libraries. I liked that aspect of the book as it was my favorite. From the title and synopsis I was expecting more of a book based story. However the remainder of the book was a frantic plea for international adoption. I have no interest in that subject so this book was hard to finish for me. If someone is interested in adoption and adopting internationally then this would be of more interest to them.

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley. My review opinion is my own.

This is a promising debut from a talented author. It wasn't what I was expecting but I look forward to reading more books by this author. I found this particular book a little depressing. I'm having trouble connecting to depressing books during the pandemic, so I won't be leaving a review of this book anywhere else (it's certainly not the author's fault we're in a pademic!).

I loved the premise of this book, but was disappointed in the storyline execution. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As a current MLIS student, I understand the main character's love of books and wish to create a lending library when the local library goes under construction. I cheered for Dodie and all of the characters throughout the entire book. It was somewhat predictable (no spoilers here!), but it's such a heartwarming story, you can't go wrong.

“The Lending Library” is a book that purports itself to be about, well, a lending library. In reality, it’s an advertisement for international adoption and white charity. The lending library, though titular and the backdrop for the developing story, takes a backseat to the various threads of international adoption. The white saviourism and the use of black children and Africa to develop white feelings and plot lines was so uncomfortable and wrong that it completely destroyed the novel for me. [SPOILERS]
Do, one of three sisters and a failed artist has moved to Chatsworth, where she opens a lending library in her home. One of her sisters, Coco, is doing relief work in various countries in Africa and keeps sending postcards describing how unsanitary it is and how much they are ‘teaching’ to the Africans. One of Do’s artist friends has adopted an “orphaned” child from Ethiopia. Do likes referring to his “ ‘fro”. Later on Coco and her husband decide to adopt a child from Africa as well. The process goes quickly because they know people. The parents backtrack and the adoption falls through. Do’s artist friend dies and the adopted child “is up for grabs”. (I obviously don’t feel that way, but that’s what the reading experience felt like). Do is unsure whether she should adopt him or not, changing her mind frequently. In the end she has the genius idea that her sister can adopt him, because her adoption fell through. Oh and in the end the love interest shows how truly in love he is by saying that they can start the adoption process for international adoption.
There’s also a lending library and books. But mostly there’s white supremacy.

This book started really strong but it faltered around the midpoint. I think one of the things that spoiled it for me was the presence of child characters. I often find children characters in adult fiction to be written quite simply they aren't particularly well developed or complex. Whilst this was a bit of a low point for me personally I can understand how finding your family is a relatable plot for a lot of people. I really struggled with the character of Dodie I found her to be quite a challenging character to like.

This book definitely is for some people I am just not one of those people

The Lending Library was a quick, mostly lighthearted read, but it was a bit underwhelming. I didn't love any of the characters (except Terabithia, because he was ADORABLE), and much of the plot was pretty predictable for me, except for one twist that kind of threw me for a loop. Dot bothered me sometimes; if she was my friend I would probably lose my temper with her constantly. I did love that she was Jewish; I always get so excited when that happens!

There is a flaw in this book that I think might only be a flaw for me: too many children. While for me, this turned me away from the book, I think for other readers this could be a high point! Well-written book with a charming main character.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read and review.

This was such a sweet book to read. I loved most of the characters throughout, and how they changed and developed as the story progressed. This is a great book for anyone who loves libraries, books, and a really good story.

I thought this book would be light and fluffy with cute themes of cooking and books. While there are heavy references of literature and recipes to make you envious and hungry, the thematic elements of these characters’ lives goes deeper into the surface than I could ever have hoped. If this book was only the light romantic comedy I had expected, then I would have been happy. Yet, the author was able to create complex people who dealt with equally complex issues that took its initial rom-com impression into whole new level of literature.

The Lending Library by Aliza Fogelson is obviously a book written by and for someone who loves books and wants to share the joy of them with others. This book is all inclusive - libraries, family, romance, and children.

What will you do if your town's only library closes down for renovation? Dodie - an avid book reader thinks of converting her sunroom into a lending library. Her ideas turn into reality sooner than she anticipated. The Chatsworth natives help her by donating books and also by being regular consumers to her lending library.

Dodie's life was happy yet not perfect. She had a hard breakup and a sour experience as a painter - the lending library and the simple life at Chatsworth gave her stability. The first half of the book was pretty great but when the family drama was introduced - all the dilemmas, neurotic breakdowns, and crazy rush of emotions it became a bit weird for me but I still enjoyed the book.

Dodie has a thing for babies and she recently learnt that she might have a gynecological problem after the age of thirty-five and when her best friend, Sullivan, died leaving behind a cute child she thought of adopting him - but she had a hurdle in her way she was neither rich not did her boyfriend, Shep, was ready. She had to go through a lot of heartaches, planning and had to pull herself together because if the lending library. I really felt sorry for Dodie at times and sometimes angry because of her cutting-off-the-world nature.

This one was a bit beyond average read for me though I loved the concept of the lending library and the childish blabbering of Teribithia. I didn't like the family drama that much but I now that was much needed to develop the characters. Overall I loved the tone of the book and the love for books within the book.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me will a free copy in exchange for an honest review. Happy Reading Fellas!

The Lending Library by Aliza Fogelson is the story about a woman named Dodie Fairisle, set in a town called Chatsworth who has a dream of giving her city a reason to read. She builds a small Lending Library when the town's only library shuts down.

But she finds herself at crossroads when she has a chance to adopt her bestfriend's son, what will she choose? The dream of motherhood or the dream of building a great library in her town. If only books could tell her the secret to living a beautiful and happy life.

This book is about finding oneself, love, friendship, a book lover, and much more. This book is going to give you so many more book recommendations inside, you will fall in love with the character of Dodie. She reminded me of older version Rory Gilmore (Gilmore Girls), yes! You heard it right.

The story is smooth in the start, the character of Dodie evolves just as the story progresses. It's a heartwarming story of she finding herself and her love. It's about hope that both the sisters are figuring out about adoption. Overall, it was a good book until the baby drama was taking all the limelight from the main character.
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Thank You to the Publisher and NetGalley for this e-copy in exchange of a honest review.

Charming and heartfelt. A nice addition to collections where lighter women's fiction is popular. Good for fans of Jenny Colgan and Emily Henry.

I was very excited about the premise for this book. It seemed ideal for a book lover.
Due to renovations, Dodie’s local library had to close. So she opens a community library in her sunroom. We then follow Dodie through approximately two years as she faces love, grief and infertility issues.
I loved the part about getting the library opened and sharing books with friends and children. However, I didn’t feel engaged with most of the characters and some of the themes never fully developed for me. They seemed a little disjointed.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

I found this to be a charming story. I love books about bookstores and libraries! Dodie and Shep are the couple you keep rooting for to make their relationship work. There are some big topics involved here, desertion, and adoption. I love the bond between the 3 sisters as well.

A thoroughly enjoyable read. I dont know if it is the book lover in me, or the good telling of the story, but I found this to be a real page turned.

I started this book with high hopes that it would be like the Bookish life of Nina Hill, unfortunately I couldn't get into the characters and the story wasn't really for me. I love books about books, but this one fell flat for me. Thank you netgalley for giving me a chance to read this for my honest review.

Thank you Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC of The Lending Library by Aliza Fogelson!

The Lending Library premise is made for book lovers! Dodie, an art teacher and book lover, realizes the town is in a bind when the library must close. Taking matters into her own hands, Dodie begins a lending library from her own sunroom, supplying the town with books and storytime. I absolutely loved this aspect of the book, especially as an aspiring librarian passionate about the community building aspects of libraries.

In addition to the lending library, we get a glimpse into about two years of Dodie's life as she comes to terms with building a life, staying connected to family, and finding romance. At times during this part of the story, I felt like I was reading three separate stories that just happened to share a main character. The plot felt disjointed and characters weren't completely fleshed out, leaving their reactions to various events somewhat lacking. I also felt that while the large cast of characters helped build community during the library portions, they were hard to keep track of in other portions of the story and seemed to come and go randomly.

I went into reading The Lending Library thinking that it might be total fluff, and that is completely inaccurate. There were difficult and complex topics brought up such as adoption, infertility, and grief. Unfortunately, I think that these important discussions were somewhat hampered by the disconnectedness of the storylines. While I wish that these topics could have been a little more complete, I do applaud the author for introducing this depth.

The novel is written from the point of view of Dodie Fairisle over a span of approximately two years. She is an artist, a teacher, a lover of baked goods and a hopeless bibliophile. So, when the library in her home town of Chatsworth closed she decided to open up her own lending library to service the people in the town and it becomes more than a library but a place of community. From reading the blurb I thought I would have loved this book and I loved how it started. However, as it progressed there were many different story lines that never came together cohesively and were never fully developed. The emphasis became Dodie's obsession with having a child even at the expense of her new found romance and the library. The storyline of the library and what it meant to the community was lost. I didn't fully engage in the novel. Themes in this novel included those of abandonment, infertility, adoption and their impact on relationships.

The interweaving of a variety book titles and foods throughout the novel was a nice touch especially the recipe for Hummingbird Cake at the end.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.