Genre: Literary/Women’s Fiction
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Pub. Date: Feb. 11, 2021

For someone who loves to read in the wee hours of the morning, how could I not want to read a book with the title, “Midnight Library?” The novel did not disappoint. It reminded me of the film, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The book is marketed as literary/women’s fiction. This reviewer did not think it was either. It is more of a fantasy and feel-good read. The fact that this is a heartwarming tale is interesting because the novel begins with a young woman who has just overdosed on purpose. She wakes up to find herself not in heaven or hell but an immensely large magical library. Did I mention that she is an avid reader and spent most of her childhood in a library? Yes, there is a connection. It turns out that this library is the place people go when they find themselves dangling between life and death and not entirely sure about which way to go. I get that a religious person would take issue with this concept. However, if you believe in quantum physics and that we live in multiple universes at the same time you will be thrilled to know that there are other believers out there. There is even mention of Schrödinger’s cat. It is okay if you never heard of the cat it will be explained to you.

In this library, our protagonist finds, from the kindly librarian, and her very own “book of regrets.” We all have them. Now here comes the fantasy. She jumps into each life where she could make a different choice than she did before and that would lead her to a happier existence. In one life, she is a rock star in another she is an Olympic Swimmer. In another, she is a happily married wife and mother. Still, she doesn’t care to live any of these better lives because it becomes clear that she doesn’t know what she wants. At first reading her alternate lives was fun. Who hasn’t wished they could jump into another life? But, after a while, it becomes tedious to read one after another. I would have been happier with fewer lives. The author manages to keep the story fun because when entering a new life she knows nothing of this life. But, everyone knows her. Often she must look for herself online, read her social media accounts, to know who she exactly is in this particular life, which creates humorous dialogue. And, then she wings it from there.

The author seems to be saying that the universe is full of infinite possibilities, but the story here remains tightly focused on the life of a single woman and all her might-have-been lives. Once you finish the book, or probably before, the moral of the story becomes obvious, spoiler, “Oh, Auntie Em – there's no place like home!” The only real issue for me was thinking about people who lost someone to suicide. How painful it could be reading this fantasy wishing that their loved one could have also time-traveled to come back to life. All in all, it is clear that Haig pushes her readers to ponder his or her own book of regrets, and what we can do to keep from making the same mistakes again.

Really helpful book Kit! I absolutely loved the Midnight Library and diving deeper with this kit is a dream.

When I read The Midnight Library last year, I knew it would lend itself to great discussions with other readers and this book club kit definitely proves that right. This kits includes discussion questions focused on the novel’s impact on the reader and how they would feel in the protagonist’s position. I do wish there’d been more questions specifically about the book and the author’s choices, but these questions would definitely lead to a thoughtful book club discussions. The author interview included is also really impactful in understanding his intention and motivation for witting the story.

This is definitely a great tool for any book club!

This was a very well-organized and thoughtful book club kit to a lovely novel. The questions posed in the kit were thought-provoking and helped me look at the novel with a fresh perspective. I particularly enjoyed the interview with the author, Matt Haig. Haig describing his personal journey and what led him to write "The Midnight Library," adds richness to the novel.

I am new to the concept of online Bookclub and buddy reads! I have participated in some on Instagram and was also intrigued by questions posted by the host!! I did love this book a lot so when I came across this Bookclub kit, I could not resist to see what it contained. I was super happy to read the thought provoking questions and look forward to discuss it with my friends. I also loved the conversation with the author portion where you get more behind the scene insight of his reasoning in writing this book!

Thank you #netgalley for this Bookclub Kit!

I regret seeing this book club kit a little late. WE read this book together and had a wonderful time discussing it and really understanding so many parts of the book. If we have had this kit sooner, we would have had an even more interesting conversation. This is a MUST if you love discussing books later. But it did make me ponder over again over the book when i read each question. The Q&A was a bonus that i loved reading too. Overall ama amazing package for a book that i loved so dearly.

Midnight Library: Book Club Kit 4/5

This Book Club Kit contains great, thought-provoking questions, and highlights themes and plot points that readers may have missed on their first pass through the Midnight Library. My appreciation for Matt Haig’s writing and symbolism has grown after considering the questions in this Kit.

My only criticism is the Kindle version is a little tough to read (for example, the layout is off and the text of the questions is light green). But, these are manageable issues!

This is a great book club kit and also helped me understand the book a lot better. There are a lot of insightful questions and made me love the book even more!!

n/a see note to publisher I could not read this book as the font appeared to be white on a white background and was illegible.

The Midnight Library was a great read in itself and this book club kit helped make it a more wholesome experience. There are so many great conversation points regarding this book that are thought-provoking.
I used this book club kit in my book club discussion about the book and it helped lead the conversation beautifully. A great thought-provoking guide that goes along perfectly with a brilliantly written book.
You have to read this guide after reading The Midnight Library -whether you are reading alone or in a book club, this is a must!

This book club kit provides thought-provoking discussion questions for one of the most popular books of the year. I think the length is appropriate for a normal-length book club meeting, and there is also a short interview with the author for those who want a behind-the-scenes take on The Midnight Library.

My only issue was that in my Kindle app, the formatting of this kit was a bit off (photos sliced in half, etc) but I am reviewing a preview and I am sure this was adjusted for the final version!

I was so excited to see a Book Club Kit for such a popular title. I was a little disappointed with the length of this kit: only 8 discussion questions and 9 author responded questions. THAT BEING SAID, the fact that a book club kit is even available is incredible. Like most readers, I truly enjoyed The Midnight Library and the discussion points presented here helped further my conversations in recent chats about the book.

Things I would have loved to see included:
- More discussion questions, especially directed towards some of the negative feedback this book is receiving.
- Recommended books, either in the same genre or the books that inspired this particular one.

Overall, great layout for a book club kit. Very clean, well presented! Thank you for allowing me to review!

At first I didn't realize this was a book club kit--I saw the cover and requested too quickly! I realize now that it is just discussion questions for going along with the book. I love this idea of providing thought-provoking questions to get people talking about The Midnight Library. I definitely think this would be useful to a book club, buddy read, or anyone who just wants to think a little deeper about what they have read.

Even though I haven't used the kit, I love the flow of it. Not only will it assist with the bookclub discussion, but it will help me put together content for my review. One of my goals is to read for entertainment and absorbing the story, which this kit will be a test of my knowledge. I can't wait to get into it.

Learning about the author is always great. It makes the experience more personal.

I will say the view of this kit is better in the Netgalley app vs kindle.

The midnight library is thought provoking memoir fantasy, an odd combination for sure. The joy of this book in the reading is to compare ones detours in life of love, career choice, education, etc. with those of the main characters. I’ll direct my book clubs discussion to life choices more than the literary qualities of the book.

I've only read one other book club kit, but this one seemed a bit shorter?

Nevertheless it was a very interesting resource for book clubs and a good way to start exploring the themes within The Midnight Library. There are some insightful questions as well in the interview with Matt Haig.

On an aesthetic point I loved how the backgrounds matched the book cover! It was very bright and colourful.

I think would be a valuable addition for any book clubs discussing The Midnight Library!

This book club kit is a great addition to the the Midnight Library. This is a great tool for discussing the themes of the book with other readers. The questions are comprehensive and thoughtful. Such a great kit!

I am part of a wonderful book club, Our Wine Club with a Book Problem, who chose to read The Midnight Library by Matt Haig for our February book. We had a great discussion about the book and the characters, especially focusing on the way it stimulates thought about Nora's journey. I was scrolling through NetGalley looking at all of the spectacular titles and found this Book Club Kit: The Midnight Library also by Matt Haig and found myself benefitting from it to further explore my own thoughts about Nora's journey, and more importantly asking myself the questions proposed in the kit. For me, this is the perfect personal Book Club Kit as I'm not certain I would necessarily want to answer these questions out loud in a group setting and really enjoyed thinking about them over a few days on my own. Thank you to Matt Haig for creating an incredibly pivotal book, The Midnight Library, and a Book Club Kit, too. I appreciate the opportunity to read this book and thank NetGalley and Penguin Random House Library Resources.

This book is on my TBR pile and I love the idea of reading with this extra resource in mind. It is a welcome addition that I think will increase my enjoyment of this book. I like the added bonus of the interview with Matt Haig. I don't currently belong to a reading group , but think this is a useful addition to provide in the back of books to stimulate discussion.

It just wasn't for me.
I am sure other people may like it.
I hope you give a chance. :)
I was approved of this book through netgalley.
even though this book is already out.