Such a wonderful book! I wish I could write a review that would do it justice. I absolutely fell in love with this story. Each of the characters is wonderfully complex and eminently engaging. Maggie and Tom are unlikely friends but the relationship between them made my heart expand. The setting is also adorable and quaint. Already battling for top place on my "favourites of 2021" list, it was a real wrench to finish this book. I feel a massive book hangover approaching. I want to return to this world!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

The Library is a sweet and uplifting story of intergenerational friendship – two lonesome people who meet and connect at a local public library.

Any book about books, bookstores or libraries always catches my interest, and this one was a fun and light read that gave me all the good feelings and pulled at my heartstrings.

It’s honestly just a very wholesome, bookish book! If you’re obsessed with bookstores and library you will love this. Written from 2 different perspectives and completely different characters, it doesn’t get boring. Highly recommend!

What a lovely lovely read. I loved this story about Tom and Maggie. An unusual friendship between a teenage boy and a 72 year old women which was founded on their interest in books. This book utterly captured me and I loved their friendship. I would highly recommend this book.

This was the first I’d heard of Bella Osborne and her book The Library sounded very intriguing to me. First of all, I love books, so anything that’s about books or a library sounds like it would pique my interest. But this book was so much more! It’s about a blossoming friendship between two people that you wouldn’t normally think would be friends. Young Tom is a shy and quiet 16 year old teenager who lost his mother when he was 8 and lives with his alcoholic father. Maggie is a 72 year old woman who lives alone out in the country and owns a small farm where she raises sheep and chickens. The library is where they meet and is basically responsible for how their lives interconnect and change. I really enjoyed reading this because it was fun seeing how these two from two totally different generations learned from each other and bonded like family. I thought it was a great story and it’s one I would recommend to others. I’d like to thank Aria & Aries for accepting my request and NetGalley for the arc to read and review. I really enjoyed this story and am giving it a 4 star rating!

This is such a lovely heartwarming tale.
Tom is sixteen and just about to take his GCSE'S. He lives with his dad who is an alcoholic. His mother died when Tom was eight.
Maggie is a seventy two year old who lives by herself on a farm.
They come together when trying to save their local library.
There were some funny moments in this but also some sad ones too. How each one copes with their own circumstances.
Maggie takes Tom under her wing and I thought their relationship worked very well even though Tom could be a stroppy teen at times.
I loved how they both worked with each other especially on the farm.Tom was really caring and looked out for Maggie.
This is a different avenue for Bella and it was definitely as good as her others
Thanks to Netgalley and Aria for the ARC in return for an honest review

Ahhhh, this book made my heart sing! Such a delightful, heartwarming read! Tom and Maggie's friendship was loveable and uplifting. Highly recommended!

Review in 10-ish words: Wholesome, easy read. Would recommend.

Synopsis:
Maggie and Tom make an odd pair in Compton Mallow- Tom is about to sit his GCSE’s and Maggie is in her seventies and lives alone.
The local library brings them together, sparking their unlikely friendship and also reminding each of them that some things are worth fighting for.

My thoughts:
I wasn’t really sure what to expect with this book- but the idea of a friendship between a 16 year old boy and a lady in her seventies was enough to pull me in!
This book was so sweet! It left me with a smile and I really enjoyed the story and how it developed. The author is able to paint such a beautiful image in terms of the village but also Maggie’s home. It would make a great movie, in my opinion.
I did at times find Tom’s dialogue/narration a little cringey (such as the use of the word ‘defo’). I don’t know if I am just outdated but I can’t remember speaking like that to my self as a teenager. I loved how witty Maggie was, and it was also refreshing to have an older character be a main feature of the story rather than a side arc.
I also loved hearing Tom speak about books I enjoyed and continue to enjoy as someone in their twenties. What a cool teenager!
It would actually be a great read for early to late YA readers, but a book I also enjoyed as an adult.


(Review also available on Storygraph and Readerly)

This book is so amazing! As a bookworm, books about books/bookworms/bookstores/libraries are one of the best book background/settings ever, and this book definitely delivers the oh-so-cute-friendship-with-books-settings! I devoured this book in about an hour and I just can't put it down! This book is perfect for those who love books about books/bookish related, and for those who enjoy books about friendships!

A heartwarming story set in the United Kingdom about the friendship between Tom (a teenage boy) and Maggie (an elderly woman). I loved how their friendship grew. Both were likable characters with flaws.

I absolutely love an inter-generational tale so as soon as I read the synopsis and saw that it was about an unlikely friendship between a teenage boy and an elderly lady I knew I needed to read it. What a beautiful and uplifting story.

The references to popular fiction was fun and I loved that Tom's first foray into reading was the romance genre and that he loved it. Maggie was such a brilliant character, I love how she took charge of situations and looked out for Tom when it seemed like no one else was.

I really liked how real the story felt too, in most stories like this the hero's save the day with their unending enthusiasm for the project but in this tale although they were all keen to save the library their own lives got in the way at times, which for me is much closer to reality. There are also a few tough issue tackled within the pages such as alcoholism and parent/baby loss, which although I thought were handled well, would be triggering for some.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Library was such a heartfelt book filled with an unexpected friendship, family hardships, and a struggling village library. It was fast and easy to get through as well.

The story and plot were well written and developed even though it was a bit slow paced. There were also some sensitive topics discussed in this book, which included alcoholism, adoption, and grief, that were well handled and written.

The friendship between the main characters, Maggie and Tom was absolutely beautiful. Both characters had their own personal struggles and were able to find comfort, stability and support within each other. Their shared love of books and animals was amazing as well.

The saving of the village library and everybody coming together was very interesting. But it wasn’t as big of a storyline as I thought it was going to be. I will say that there were also certain plot points that were a bit underdeveloped and got resolved pretty quickly at the end. I just would have liked more development on certain characters recovery and reconciliation.

Overall, just an enjoyable read with a wholesome and sweet friendship between two lonely individuals.

Thought I had alredy posted this review, but...
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I loved this book! There are so many things happening , so many lessons to learn for young and old.

First, as a former teacher, this book is a great recommendation to any teen suffering the angst of simply being a teen. Tom, the main character, is a solitary young man with a rather sad family life. He is the son of a widowed father who has slowly slid into alcoholism and really sees nothing beyond factory work and drinking. Young Tom lives for his XBox and the online games with others until his dad desroys the XBox in a drunken rage.

As an escape, Tom finds himself at the local library where he lies and says he is getting romance novels for his mother. Leaving the library, he helps Maggie, a book club member, when she is mugged. This develops into a wonderful relationship in which Tom discovers what life is like with someone who cares about you as Maggie slowly and gently teaches him so many important life lessons. Through Maggie, he sees what might have been instead of the life he has with his father.

Without telling too much, there are wonderful reasons to read this book:
1) It is set in England so there are differences in the education system, the villages, the transportation, the foods, and more. For an American teen (or pre-teen), there could be lots of questions and hopefully an attempt to learn more.
2) For a lonely, socially awkward teen, this book shows how life can get better. We see Tom slowly becoming more confident, even though it does remain quite the struggle. We watch as he learns to stand up for himself in so many ways.
3) Kids having parental problems might see themselves in this book. More than likely, they will find themselves cheering for Tom while realizing, "I can be like him."
4) Young readers might also realize that it is perfectly fine to read all kinds of books. The things Tom learns from reading the romances he pretends to check out for his mother are life altering. He reads how people react through these stories and sees how these books are quite realistic.
5) The value of friendships between senior citizens and younger people is shown. Tom grows so close to Maggie and cherishes the many things she teaches him. He learns how to relax but also how to physically defned himself. He learns things without realizing he has learned them...like the benefits of healthy eating and the emotional value of animals.
6) Tom wants to further his education, something his father does not understand. However, Tom perseveres and studies hard to take exams. (This is something American kids will not understand as the education system differs in the attempting to go on to college.) Readers see Tom's struggle as he has to work very hard to even have a chance to pass exams.
7) Through the book, readers see the value in standing up for what you believe through different incidences. It can be hard, but the rewards are great.
8) Maybe the greatest lesson coming from The Library would be the act of forgiveness and how difficult it can be but once you struggle through the hurt and anger, forgiveness feels so good.

I am sure there is more that can be said. Obviously, there is something about this book that just struck a chord with me. I would love to discuss it with younger readers.I actually have family living in the area of England where this took place and I was excited to text and tell them where the characters went.

When this book is published, look for it and share it with pre-teens up. I would want it to be that age as they would be the ones who are probably feeling the emotions felt by Tom.

This is a book I received as an ARC from #NetGalley and #AriaFiction.

What a refreshing change this book is! I went into this book not really knowing what it would be about. I think I just presumed it would be the normal romance novel that I usually read. I could not have been more wrong! This is about 2 people that find each other at the right time, however, this book is about a 72 year old woman that meets a 15 year old boy in a library and they change each others lives for the better.
Tom Harris is living with his alcoholic father after losing his mum a few years ago. Both Tom and his dad are struggling to come to come to terms with this loss. After an argument with his father, he joins the library. Another reason for his interest in the library, is that he goes to see a girl from school called Farrah, who he has a crush on. He becomes interested in the romance books and this gives him a way to talk to her. However, his visits to the library is where he meets Maggie and a wonderful friendship develops. I just loved Maggie, she is just amazing so many elements to her character and there are a few surprises along the way. She helps Tom to see that there is a better life out there for him and that he can do anything if he puts his mind to things. His father is putting pressure on Tom to get a job in the dog food factory he works at and Tom is desperate to avoid this fate. Maggie shows him that he does not need to accept this from his father and that there is a world of opportunity out there for him.
The library is threatened with closure and they all pull together to save it, they realise that this is a community space and without it, none of them would have met.
Please give this book a read, its heart-warming and I am left wondering what Tom achieves in his life afterwards. Thank you to Bella Osborne, Aria & Aries and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book as an eARC

The Library is a charming contemporary fiction novel about the friendship between a lonely teenager and a stoic old lady. It’s not my usual reading fare, but I do like the occasional heartwarmer in between all the thrillers, and this one hit all the right notes.

Tom Harris lives with his widowed alcoholic father, and goes red whenever his gorgeous classmate Farah looks at him. One boring Saturday day he finds himself in the library, and discovers a passion for reading. Maggie lives alone on her farm with her sheep, and sees in young Tom the son she lost years before. When the council propose closing their local library, Maggie and Tom will rally together their small English village to help save it.

I wonder if there’s a term for comedy-dramas that are about finding friendship, rather than romantic love - chum-com?
While entirely predictable, this had just the right amount of sad bits and happy bits, endearing bonding moments and pointless fall-outs, cute animals and a challenge to meet that you know will have a happy ending. Tom’s initial oblivious self-centredness felt very realistic - he’s a nice boy and I enjoyed the coming of age aspects here as he learns that it’s not all about him. Maggie was a great character, spiky and tough, and the descriptions of her cooking had my mouth watering. 4.5 rounded up because who doesn’t love a book about bookworms!

Thanks to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for the ARC. The Library is published on September 2nd.

this had a promising start, but unfortunaltely the intriguing premise wasn't enough to keep it interesting. it was just a little bland to me. the characters didn't seem well developed, just didn't really end up enjoying it.

This was a fun, heartwarming, and enjoyable read for me. The story was well-developed and interesting. I love the detailed description of a simple life on the farm. The characters are adorable and relatable. The plot mainly depicts the struggles faced by a teenager who lost his mom and is currently living with an alcoholic dad. . One would never really know that a chance encounter at an old village library could change someone's life.

The story follows Thomas Harris, a sixteen-year-old high school student, who is happy being invisible. Since his mom died, Tom was left to his own devices with no social interactions except with a few gamers he met online. Maggie, on the other hand, is a seventy-two-year-old widow who lives alone in the outskirts keeping herself busy with her farm, animals, and the library.

I love the funny banters between Tom and Maggie and the friendship that they developed. I love how books had changed Tom's mundane life. I was delighted that the library opened the opportunity for Tom to interact with other people. The revelation of Maggie's past was a turning point in the story and how the characters dealt with the issue of alcoholism was inspiring. I love how Maggie had changed Tom's life by giving wise advice about life and support at times that Tom needs it.

This was my first read from the author and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I look forward to reading more of the author's works. I'm thankful to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review an eARC of this book. All expressed thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love books about books so much! This is a perfect, cute read for a book club. I would read this again!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book took me surprise, in the best way. I loved it. The characters were well developed and the plot held my interest throughout the whole book.

Thank you for the EArc Aria&Aries and NetGalley. Wowwwww talk about a heart wrencher! If you love found family you will LOVE this book. Your heart aches for Tom and Maggie as they navigate life. Their relationship was so beautiful and my heart was just rooting for Tom the whole dang time. Loved this one so so much! Get it, you’ll love it!