4.5/5 Stars for sure!!

I didn’t really know what I was in for when I requested the arc for this book. I just know it was an interesting concept and was down for it. But actually reading it was such an amazing experience.

You are introduced to our author, Freddie, as she sits in a reading room in the Boston Public Library and the three most important people to her… well.. after a scream is heard outside the hall. Later these newly aquatinted friends find out the scream was because a woman was murdered just down the hall from where they all had just met.

What I did not expect from this is the almost “meta” or even 4th wall-ish breaking side to the story. See, this story about Freddie is actually the work of fiction in the form of a manuscript. That manuscript is being sent to this fan/fellow author, Leo, and we get this subplot along with Freddie’s story through emails from Leo. These emails continue to get increasingly concerning in a way that leaves you wanting more.

I found myself being pulled just to find out what happened to these friends and what Leo thinks about the story and how it’s going! The only critique I can think of right now is the climax of Freddie’s story sort of plateaued for me compared to our separate story through Leo’s emails. Though, I did not find myself disappointed with either.

This is a hard book to simply explain, but if the plot even sounds remotely like something you’d like I encourage you to try it!!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Sulari Gentill for the chance to read this story early!!

Thanks to NetGalley for this eArc!

This was a super fun mystery novel that almost immediately departed from where I thought it was going to go, judging from the description. The embedded narrative may confuse some readers in the beginning (like it did for me), but in the end it added compelling layers to the story overall, including a pretty disconcerting this-could-too-realistically-happen one.

A writer is procrastinating in the library when she hears a scream. This spurs an intense relationship between them and the three other people at the writer's table. Everything sort of spins out from there. Characters are flawed and make some real dumb decisions, but for the most part I liked it because sometimes we and the people we love and admire DO do dumb stuff sometimes. How we feel about a person can make us overlook a lot of red flags.

One thing that caught my attention in perhaps not the most positive way was the repeated negative comments about one character's tattoos and how another character assumed so many strange and deeply outdated things about this character because of them. It did jar me out of the story for a second every time it came up.


You might like this if you like...

Boston
Australians
Embedded narratives
Friendly doormen

4.75 stars

WHAT A RIDE. I honestly am not certain how to describe this book without giving major plot points away, but I will try my best.

The Woman in the Library has two stories going on - a mystery surrounding a scream in the Boston Public Library and how it brings a group of four people together, and at the end of each chapter, we get an email from the writer of the story's beta reader giving her advice on the setting of Boston and the use of American characters (the writer is Australian). The first couple chapters I thought to myself, this might get a little tedious and then it does the exact opposite and become riveting.
I'm going to recommend this to every mystery reader I know. Top Notch.

Four people are sitting near each other in the Reading Room of the Boston Public Library when a scream rings out. As they try to figure out what happened, they start to bond with each other. However, a woman has died, and they are curious about who did it, and whether it could be one of them.

I really enjoyed this mystery! Within the chapters of the book, there is a subplot about the author of the book getting feedback from an online friend who also perhaps is more nefarious than he first appears, just like the characters in the book. It's very meta, and I loved it! I didn't find the killer to be a wild surprise, but I enjoyed all the buildup to it and the suspense. Definitely recommend!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Woman in the Library is a different sort of whodunit set in Boston. The intrigue starts with a scream inside the Boston Public Library, (BPL), a murder and several potential suspects.

Freddie,, a young aspiring writer here from Australia is the recipient of a writing grant. She develops an unexpected relationship with two young men and one young woman who are all sharing a reading table at the BPL ON the day of the murder.

This scream bonds the four of them and send them into an impulsive quest for reasons, answers and the identity of the person or persons behind the murder of the title sake.

But as we know folks aren’t always who they appear or pretend to be, so trust no one!

There are enough twists and turns to keep readers flipping pages. The story is menacing as a story within a story with an unexpected outcome.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen for this on the edge ARC

I'm between a 4 and a 4.5 star, so per my ARC review policy, I'm going to defer to the higher rating and go with a 4.5... I was so entertained by this! I thought this would be a locked room mystery, but it was more a "reverse" locked room mystery where all our suspects were together at the time of the killing so... who did and how? This one is also a book within a book which I am a sucker for, and I was as invested in the framing device as I was the main story. I do think there are some clunky sections that were rather bumpy, but overall, this was a super entertaining whodunnit with a nice splash of romance thrown in as a cherry on top, as well as some thought provoking themes around how formerly incarcerated people are treated

CW: racism and child abuse

A writer writing their book based on a writer writing their book in the Boston Public Library meeting three other people when a tragedy ensnares their lives and then submitting segments of said story to their editor is this twisted, deeply rooted in itself novel! Confused yet??

This is an incredibly original and intelligent story with a lot of dimension and depth to it. You have to really pay attention to the detail to stay with and enjoy it. The characters are all very different and add to the depth of the story. It's basically a story within a story within a story - an inception of stories!

3.5 In this whodunnit, Freddie, Cain, Marigold and Whit when they hear a woman scream in the Boston Public Library. Despite being strangers a friendship is struck between them. Unbeknownst these new friends one of them is the killer. Thank you so much to NetGalley for this advanced copy!

This is the first book that I've read by Sulari Gentill and it will be the first of many. This book had a twisting plot and interesting characters. The main story was framed by a (fictional) correspondence between the main character, an Australian writer, and an avid fan in Boston, MA. It places the story in the present time when the covid pandemic is taking place as well as racial tensions as a result of police violence.

This book was a story within a story that turned out to be within another story. I honestly don't know how Sulari Gentill kept everything straight, but she did and it made for an intriguing read. Being from the Boston area and a patron of the BPL made the book even more personal--some of the places could be recognized--my only regret was that somehow the library wasn't worked into the plot more, but nevertheless I found the Boston story exciting and it wasn't until about 1/2 way through that I realized that there was a Leo story. But at the end, all the stories were resolved, maybe not in the way one would think or hope, but yet I felt satisfied at the end.

Four strangers are seated at a table in the Boston Public Library when they hear a woman scream. After a search, the body of a young woman is found, but who could have killed her? Was it one of the four at the table or someone else? The story follows mystery writer Freddie Kincaid, one of the four at the table, as she writes a mystery using the events of the day. But nothing as it seems in this frightening, tense novel.

• Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for providing this Advance Reading Copy. Expected publication date is June 7, 2022.

One quiet day in the Boston Public Library the usual tranquility is disturbed by the sound of a terrifying scream. Harriet, Marigold, Whit, and Caine quickly become friends by being in the same place at the same time. Though one of them may be a murderer. Then there is a subplot about a frustrated writer who is corresponding with the book’s author sharing feedback on plot and characters. It is nothing short of brilliant how Gentill works the Covid pandemic into the novel without really mentioning it. The same goes for reference to race that seems to appear everywhere in today’s society. And, the ending; what a twist! I will definitely be reading more of this author’s work in the future.

This book blew me away! I was unable to but it down. Perfect, dazzlingly, very well written. The details the author described throughout the book was so amazing. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

Ooo I knew this was going to be a creepy one and I was correct! Excellent storyline and the plot was definitely a suspenseful one. Great writing and I am really impressed with this storyline.

"The woman in the library" is a fairly short book but I still feel like I have a lot to talk about when reviewing it.

This novel is quite original in the sense that we get two stories at the same time. The "book" timeline and the "real life" e-mails. It might have been done before, but I'm not aware of that so for me it felt very new and exciting. I didn't expect that before reading the book and it made me immerse myself in the story a lot faster, I think. The fast pace also helped with that.
At the end of the book, there is a small questionnaire written by the author and one of the questions she asks is about how having those two stories affects the reading experience. Especially since one is made to feel like a real-life occurrence while the other is more fiction, even though both are obviously fiction. For me, I don't think it changed the way I read the book. I am always aware that what I read is fiction, so this didn't make me feel like one story was more real than the other. But I can see people feeling that way, so definitely a very interesting question.

I found that the amount of information that we got for both stories was pretty good. I did find myself wanting to know more about the e-mails and what was going on with that, but it made sense to just add small pieces of the plot in between the rest. So it won't outshine the other mystery.
My only complaint would be the way things ended. Not because of the endings themselves, since I found them to be quite well done, but they did feel a bit rushed. Especially the fiction one. I feel like the "real life" conclusion made a lot of sense. It was easy to imagine that really happening so I preferred the structure and resolution of that one.

Also worth mentioning that throughout the story, and with the use of the e-mails. the author posed several questions that had to do a lot with the times that we live in and how those should be reflected in literature. Those are very long conversations but I'll try to give my opinion briefly.
When it comes to the pandemic, I struggle to decide whether I want it to be a part of the books that I read or not. And I feel many would be in the same camp. If it's done like it was in this book, I don't mind it. Small mentions here and there and just acknowledging it is not something that prevents me from staying in the fictional world I chose to read about to "escape reality".
When it comes to race, I think that's such a great topic that the author brought to the table. For me, I don't care about the races of the characters unless them being a specific race plays a part in the story. I am a writer myself and try not to describe my characters too much because I feel like it avoids people being ignorant and saying they can't relate to a character for being black or gay, which would be two ways of "being different" to many (ignorant) people. But at the same time, it's important to make sure we have all types of people (sexes, races, sexual orientations) represented in books. Maybe I don't care too much about the race of a character because I'm white. And some black authors might feel the same way but others won't. I don't think there is necessarily a right or wrong here. But I loved that the author sort of called out the people who would refuse to read a book because the main character is black or even because the author is black or a woman. A very important conversation to open through just a couple of lines in a book. I appreciate it.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. We get two mysteries for the price of one and it's just a quick fun read with some interesting commentary. Highly recommended.

First of all, that cover art is delightful and drew me in initially. While I enjoyed the subplot and "story within a story" concept that tracks throughout the entire book, it led me to not care as much for the narrative of the "woman in the library" murder. In all honesty, I read through those sections quickly in order to find out what was going on with Leo, who is shrouded in mystery. Perhaps it's because I'm an introvert, but I found the idea of the four characters in the main plot becoming fast friends from a chance meeting in a public library unlikely. It was also frustrating to see the main character constantly making bad decisions given the information that is discovered bit by bit. Although I had high hopes for this title, the subplot steals the show and the conclusion is somewhat lackluster compared with the buildup.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC.

A story in a story this has "Inception" vibes but in the best possible way because at the end you actually understand what happened. LOL

Intelligently written and perfectly paced, this story gripped me page one and I zoomed through it even as I knew that meant it would end. I couldn't stop myself from crashing forward to the next page!

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy. It is my pleasure to write an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Sulari Gentill for the advanced copy of The Woman in the Library in exchange for my honest review.

I went into this one relatively blind after seeing Poisoned Pen promote it on Instagram, and to my delight I was approved for it the very next day! This book gripped me from page one, though I must admit I was super confused about what was going on until probably 15% in.

Additionally, I commend Gentill for pulling off such a unique format for writing this book, it was done very well and completely enhanced my enjoyment of the story. I don't want to get into specifics because I think it's a fun Inception-esque detail.

Also, the book opens in Boston Public Library... a true reader's delight!

Gentill now has a new superfan in me.

Yes, this was somewhat of a story within a story. The author of the story in the novel is an Aussie living in Australia. She is a well known and well read author there and in the US, as well. For some unfathomable (to me) reason, she is corresponding with a wannabe author in Boston who can’t seem to achieve more than rejection letters for his current novel. Inexplicably, she is sending him chapters of her new work to critique. She wanted to set her current novel in Boston, but apparently knows nothing about Boston so she sends each new chapter to him asking for his advice.

OK. I suppose that’s the overlying “story.” The story within that story involves a murder at the Boston Public Library and the 4 patrons, unknown to each other, who just happen to form a friendship because of their shared experience: sitting at the same table in the public reading room while hearing the scream, presumably of the victim.

Then follows the requisite “getting to know you” activities which, of course, involves jealousy from one of the two women. These are all adults and yet they’re depicted as little more than young teens in their characterization.

Perhaps this was meant to be a YA book and I didn’t realize that. The writing style features simple sentence construction and elementary vocabulary. I hope this will be a winner for the author, but not a winner for me, sadly. At 44%, I closed the book.

Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher, Sourcebooks, for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited around the hype of this book, but I feel like it was a bit miss-marketed to me. I had the understanding that the book was set almost entirely in the library and our core cast couldn't leave the table due to the investigation. The book was going to unfold as we learn about each of the cast's backstory and all their secrets. That happened in the first couple chapters, and from there was an entirely different story. Only two of our core cast really had any secrets, and there was a slightly bizarre subplot of letters reacting to the chapter you just read. I say bizarre because while it was interesting at about half way through you could ignore the letters entirely and it would not change the book at all. Especially because we don't know anything about the fictional author Hannah who is writing the manuscript you are reading. If anything I just found myself getting annoyed with Leo our letter writer because it was like being in class with someone who just keeps doubling down on their opinion and you feel like they had to have read an entirely different book than yourself to get those conclusions. Also was he anti or pro mask?? I'm so confused. Also book Leo at the end of the novel appearing at the hospital was that suppose to be as ominous as if felt? I was convinced it was him the whole time, but was he just following Freddie? What was with all the desserts he sent her? I kept expecting something to be poisoned. Did I miss something?