Having a little lending library in the back of your house (in a beautiful building with a sunroom and gable windows) seems like many a booklover's dream. Although the main character seems to lack much of a spine, her random spouting of culinary details is quite amusing and the warmth in the story just about keeps you interested. Light and frothy lit.

I love books and when I come across a book that has a character who is into books I'm reading it. So I had to get this off Netgalley and true to the blurb, Dodie loves books and her role as a teacher as well.
So when the local library is shut down for renovations and she gets the chance to start a small community library in her house, she does and it becomes a solace for people, friendships are forged and the number of books mentioned herein, went into my to-read list.

The story starts out great and as a booklover I was home, up until Shep! The good looking fella that catches Dodie's attention and suddenly she is obsessed with getting pregnant and having a kid and at that point, I was done. Dodie was sweet and all and I appreciate the author bringing to light her ambitions and wishes for life, and for a moment I had to take a step back and check myself for judging her harshly for wanting a little extra.

One thing is certain this is a book lover's go to book, the first half of it, after that...anyone who is swooning for romance is free to have a kick out of it and maybe swoon a little.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

I really wanted to like this book and just felt like it wasn't anywhere near as focused on the literary bookish part of the story as I had expected or hoped. There were some things I really loved about this book; the setting, the sense of community throughout the novel, the strong and empowering female friendships and the literary aspects of it.

The first few chapters which were driven by the library and Dodie's love of books and her career as a teacher were great, I loved them. Then there was a massive twist which was completely unexpected but definitely pulled on the heartstrings but led to the middle becoming a bit feverish, being driven by this desperate need to have a baby which really began to annoy me.

The protagonist, Dodie, seems to be intended as coming across as selfless, empathic and caring but really (particularly in the middle) she came across as self-absorbed, arrogant, slightly ignorant and incredibly selfish to the point that she couldn't/wouldn't be there for her family and friends in their times of need, and then she questions their loyalty and how much they care for her in her thought process after she realises how rubbish she's been as a person. This really bugged me. I understand the concept the book was looking at how desperation can make people irrational (especially when it comes to the desire for children), but Dodie got to a point where she let her desire for a child consume her life to such an extreme level that she neglected her family and friends, new relationship and her responsibilities both professionally and personally. Having said this, towards the end she becomes a bit more likeable again and you do still root for her, but I equally found myself rolling my eyes at her after she developed as a character in the way that she did in the preceding chapters. The other characters are predominantly really likeable and I would quite like the concept of a book around some of them (like Coco and Mark, Maddie or Geraldine and Kendra).

Overall, as a debut novel, it was good, but there were just aspects of the story and some of the writing that left a bitter taste in my mouth. I would recommend this book if you want an easy read and you don't get too annoyed by characters if they're a little unlikeable.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this eARC of The Lending Library!

What I enjoyed: I enjoyed the way that Dodie described her love for books and for the library. It felt like someone took a trip into my mind and wrote down my thoughts. I also feel very at peace surrounded by books and I'm not sure what I would do if my local library shut down! We also get to meet a number of Dodie's friends and her sisters. Those female friendships were the saving grace of this book––I love to see strong female friendships in books!

What I did not enjoy: The romance. I felt like we never got to know Shep, and what we do see, I didn't like. His charactered seemed so distant. We get to see Dodie fall in love, but I had a hard time understanding why she fell for him––was it just based on his looks? It also seemed like Dodie fell for him so quickly just because she was looking to get pregnant (another piece of the story I found to be a bit ridiculous). Women have more value than just being a mother!

The writing itself was pleasant, but the pieces of the storyline that I didn't enjoy were difficult to ignore and left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth by the end.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the arc in exchange for a review.

This book was ok for me. I went into with a light mind and wasn't expecting much and I'm glad I did. I think if I went in with higher expectations it would probably have been a train wreck for me. But given that I thought it would be just a fluff filler book for me, I def enjoyed the book and as a book lover related to it very much. Don't go in expecting anything and you may be pleasantly surprised.

A lot of my reads lately have been quite heavy so I decided to give the Lending Library a go.

When the local library closes for refurbishment, Dodie decides to set up her own Lending Library in her sunroom. The plot of this book does move away from the library and centres around fertility, adoption and romance.

I've seen a lot of negative reviews on Goodreads but I really enjoyed this book! I thought it was an easy read and a bit lighter than what I've been reading recently.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union publishing for my copy.

Gorgeous book! I loved the characters and the plot line. It isn't my normal choice of genre but was surprised at how much I enjoyed it!

I wanted to like this book. But every detail I did get, I just did not get why. Why is this book set in 2008? How does this art teacher afford a house and art supplies and books for her hobby lending library and then be so not used to budgeting she's shocked when she runs up her credit card? How is the sunroom at the back of her house small but able to fit sixteen bookshelves? There is a lot of telling, instead of showing, which gets old to read. I was hoping for a fluffy, comfortable tropey filled romance. But this was more white savior-complex, narcissist than romance. I m a librarian, my job is not all writing personalized bookmarks for each person, it is a hard skill I have developed but I'm supposed to believe she naturally has a knack for teaching, painting, librarianship, baking, and childcare? But she panics when a recently adopted baby doesn't go easy peasy at bedtime? How was she an au pair and yet knows absolutely nothing about separation anxiety? That was my quip. The whole thing was not believable and I was not motivated to suspend disbelief because of my love of the characters or plot, I didn't love either. The author told me the character was "woke" and she would be the best mom ever but I never saw any real proof, no showing what kept being told. What thirty two year old acts and speaks and thinks like this protagonist? I felt nothing when a break up happened, when her best friend died suddenly. Her feelings didn't stir any feelings in me. I truly wanted to like this book but it did not capture me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this eARC in exchange for a honest review

I thought this was a great story! The story of Do and her fear of not being able to have children and the obsession she has with making it a reality without realising how it is impacting not only her and her family and friends but also the community. The heartbreak that she experienced as a child and how that impacted her future relationships as well as fueling her obsession with wanting to have a child felt real.
I loved the idea of the library and how it brings the community together and lets people feel safe while also being connected to others.
Overall the story was a great read and I felt that the author did a fantastic job to bring the characters to life

From the description given, I really thought I was going to like this book, I wanted to like this book- but they can't all be winners.

My main issue with this book was that I just could not connect with the main character what-so-ever, and it got to the point where I was just so disconnected from her that the things she was doing and saying genuinely annoyed me. (Granted, I am young and in a long-term relationship and nowhere near the 'having kids' stage of my life yet, so I'm probably just not the intended audience).

The main character Dodie wants to have kids asap. She wants a baby so badly, that she lets her longing for one literally consume her full life, letting pretty much everything else she's got going on fall away into the shadows and crumble into nothing-ness. At various points in this book she comes across as arrogant, selfish, and self-centred.

I also had a slight issue with the structure and pacing of the book. Each chapter contains a month worth of happenings in Dodie's life, which often means there's a lot of things crammed into the chapter that is unconnected to the paragraph that came before it. This was abit jarring to me and I personally just prefer each chapter to be one self contained thing that adds to the bigger picture.

I feel really awful saying this, but I truly feel like I can only give this book a rating of 1/5 stars. I feel really bad because it’s the authors first novel and I want to be supportive, and I really truly thought I would enjoy it, but I just have to be honest.

The Lending Library is the debut novel by author Aliza Fogelson. I decided to give it a read because it’s about books and libraries, both things I love. Books are a great escape and while reading this I felt as if I was part of Dodie Fairisle’s life. I think I would consider this books genre to be chick lit. Dodie is a little different in my opinion, but very likable. She moves from the city where she studied art, to a small town to be close to her friend and takes a job at the school as the art teacher. During the closing and remodeling of the towns library, Dodie decides to open a lending library in her sunroom of her own home. The book centers around other subjects such as romance and fertility and adoption so it has many topics going on to hold your interest. There were sad parts to the story but it only made it feel more lifelike and real. Overall, I thought it was really good for a writers first novel and I’d like to read what she writes next. I think this is a book many people would enjoy and I would recommend it to all readers of women’s fiction and romance. I’d like to thank NetGalley for the arc that I got off of Read Now to read and review. After long thought, I have decided to give this book a 4 star rating.

Great premise. I love libraries. I love borrowing (and buying!) books. I even like lending books! This book started out pretty strong. I thought, "Awesome! An upbeat go-getter sort of main character. This will be nice!"

I could tell a bit early in that I just wasn't going to like her. I think the turning point into dislike was the moment when she couldn't understand her one friend's stance on remaining child-free.

I wanted to love it, and I'll probably try anything she does next, but this one is not for me.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book.

I'm very sorry to say that this novel was definitely NOT good. I just hated Dodie. How self centered can she be?
Usually I adore books about libraries and bookshops, but this was bad.

A novel written by my soul sister – a bibliophile and eclectic reader. So many new authors and books for me to check out – and for my husband too. From classics to books with recipes in – and I love the idea of a reading group with recipes to try out from the book.
My fantasy bookshop would be run alongside a café and deli. Every week we would choose a recipe from a book – cookery or not just as her reading group did – and showcase it in the café, then sell the ingredients and book in the deli, ready packaged in the correct amounts. The recipes might be exotic or just simple like an apple pie with interesting spicing, it doesn’t matter – everything would support the other elements of the store.
A book group would sample he recipe and discuss the boo – and the knitting group would attempt to knit a representation perhaps? But that needs really experienced knitters. There is an artist who does make amazing knitted foods items.

And there are lots of knitting patterns to make food too.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book – it followed the romance trope but it was the library and descriptions of books and the book-marks that sold it for me. By the way, what did happen to her library when the real one opened?

Dodie Fairisle is a book-loving art teacher who is relatively new in sweet, small New England town. When her local library closes for renovations, she decides to open up a lending library of her own in the back sunroom of her cozy home. Through the lending library, Dodie makes many friendships and comes to feel rooted in Chatsworth.

The story veers and turns and ultimately becomes centered on Dodie's obsession with having or adopting a baby. When there seems to be an opportunity to adopt, Dodie becomes impulsive and preoccupied, neglecting the friends and new boyfriend she has come to cherish dearly.

There's a lot of potential in the premise of this story. If you're a book lover, you might appreciate the literature references sprinkled throughout. The food descriptions are also enticing and the hummingbird cake recipe is a nice touch. However, the poorly developed plot and amateurish writing just didn't do it.

There seemed to be a number of plot points that were irrelevant other than to rationalize the next piece of action (like the construction site accident and school librarian Kendra's strangely timed vacation right after school starts in fall). The main character, Dodie, seems to have been intended as selfless, empathetic, and lovable, but I found her incredibly self-absorbed, immature, a bit entitled with a victim complex. On top of all of that, there are a few glaring writing/editing mistakes (in one example, a male character says "I'm the mother of her baby" instead of "father").

I really wanted to love this book, as any book & library lover may hope. The backbone of the story is good and it has a nice conclusion. And perhaps a stronger plot and fully developed, likable characters would have made this a great read.

Thank you NetGalley for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for my free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion

The Lending Library is a story focused on Dodie, a woman is always single, loves books and baking and is completely crazy with baby mania! When she discovers that her local library is being closed down, she decides to turn her home into a lending library.
The premise of this book appealed to me, and it should've taken the right turn, however, it really went down a winding road that had nothing to do with the main story line. The story became more about a romance and babies than it did the library. The main character, Dodie, was very immature, which caused me to immediately dislike her and lose interest in anything that happened to her.
Instead of being a fun, quick, read, this turned into a book that I had to force myself to finish, similar to not looking away when you see a car wreck. You have to look and see what the wreckage looks like. The story and characters were shallow and you can skip this story and find a good one!

With thanks to Netgalley, the publishers, the author and Amazon, for the arc, which I have enjoyed reading.
This is about a woman who starts a lending library in her own home when the local library has to close because of asbestos found in the building. It will be two years before the work is completed and the libra4y in Chatsworth can reopen. The book is about what happens to the people in Chatsworth during that period. It is an easy read that just meanders along.
Recommended.

I admit — I did not finish this book. I wanted to like it. Who of us wouldn't want to read a book about libraries? Below are the reasons I didn't finish it:
1 - The writing was immature in my opinion. I felt like I was reading a children's or a very young adult book.
2 - The plot was too simplistic. It had no substance.
3 - I couldn't identify with even one of the characters. They were, to me, younger than their stage of life would seem.

I think this author had a good idea, but it did not come to fruition for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

I'm sorry to say that I was disappointed with this book. As a librarian I generally like books about books and libraries, but I found this one to be dull and simplistic. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

I was really excited to read this book, a book about a library what could be better? But there was so much more than just a library going on.

I struggled with a star rating with this book as there was a lot of things I really liked, like how Dodie tries to match books to people, and the personalised bookmarks she adds. However there was also a lot of the storyline I struggled with, one of the main being the seemingly lack of conversation between her and Shep on their past relationships and future plans, yet they spent months together and got engaged! There was also a few times I felt I’d missed something as I felt like I’d been thrown into the middle of a scene I had to prior knowledge of, it was just taken as a given that I knew the background of certain characters or past happenings. There was minimal explanation, yet somethings are greatly explained, like the trip to the art supply store.

I’m pleased I persevered and finished it, there was a lot to like when reading this book, it was just a little different to my usual read.