I was looking forward to reading this novel. The title and the description intrigued me. It started off very well but as the story went on it just didn't seem like it was a believable story. Maybe I didn't understand clues that were possibly in the book or how the neighbor writer Leo could be writing the letters to the author and also a part of the story. and The characters were not very deep as well, the story line wasn't developed well. I think it could have been a great mystery novel if it were thought out better and written better.

The ornate reading room at the Boston Public Library is quiet, until the tranquility is shattered by a woman's terrified scream. Security guards take charge immediately, instructing everyone inside to stay put until the threat is identified and contained. While they wait for the all-clear, four strangers, who'd happened to sit at the same table, pass the time in conversation and friendships are struck. Each has his or her own reasons for being in the reading room that morning—it just happens that one is a murderer. This is such a uniquely written mystery. I have never read anything quite like it but the best way to describe it would be to say this is a story within a story. Once I started this I could not put it down. I was blown away by the end. I am now a huge fan of this writer and you will be too. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

This book's blurb leads you to believe it's the story of four people who meet at the library due to a scream. In one way it is that story, but in another it is so much more. A story within a story, this book is difficult to explain. The four people in the library in a way are the center of this story. They simply aren't all of it. The other part is the correspondence between the author of the library story, and a feedback reader. I found the concept quite fascinating, but in a way wish more would have been done.

About halfway through, the main character Freddie really started to frustrate me. Her decisions screamed of stupidity, and as someone who has won a writing fellowship we know she isn't unintelligent. Also, the ending was a bit of a let down. It wraps up quickly, and left me wanting more - more details and more closure.

Ultimately it was an interesting idea, and the construction of the story was something I haven't seen before, and would like to read again.

What a unique and entertaining book!! I won't lie I was a little thrown at first with the format of how this story was being told but once I figured out what was going on I couldn't put this book down. I could not read it fast enough. I had to see how Hannah would finish her story & what would happen to Freddie, Marigold, Cain, & Whit. Don't even get me started on the whole Leo side to this book!

There were definitely some twists in this book that I didn't see coming but for me that is always the sign of a good mystery/thriller. If the reader can figure out the twists or big reveal to early it takes away much of the fun getting there. This was my first book by this author but I definitely look forward to checking out more of their work. A big thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for getting this fun book into my hands.

For the most part, I REALLY loved this book. I couldn't wait to keep reading it, and I really felt like I was there with Freddie and the crew.

Gentill did a wonderful job of taking an existing format and tweaking it to make something new and interesting that doesn't become too off-the-wall unreadable. I enjoyed the layout and back and forth a lot, but I also feel like it contributed to a few of the issues I do have with this book.

It started off with a bang, but fell a bit flat towards the middle and end. When the group first became friends, I was expecting more a la Tana French with the relationship building and suspicion, but Freddie did not really suspect any of her friends. She seemed a bit too naive, and I wish the book had delved more into the mystery instead of focusing on her relationship with Cain. The end felt like it wrapped up too quickly, literally using the "so much happened at once" trope, then a seemingly (somewhat) happen ending.

I also take issue with Leo's racism - was this a plot device for readers to examine their own feelings about race, or to add to Leo's unlikeable character? Why did fictional Leo show up in the end of the book? Did he also send her the box of nice groceries AND the cupcakes, and why?

Overall, a solid, enjoyable story to immerse yourself in.

I went into this with trepidation. I read one of Sulari Gentill's Rowland Sinclair series books for a book club, and I was not impressed. Maybe it had to do with starting in the middle of the series, but I wasn't interested in Rowland at all, the mystery wasn't fulfilling. HOWEVER this standalone novel The Woman In the Library was fantastic 4.5 stars deservedly rounded-up ! The writing was witty, the characters were enjoyable, the red herrings led me down the paths they were supposed to without feeling forced. I had a hard time putting this one down. It is a little confusing at first, because there's a story within a story within a story (it's truly story-ception), but the author does a great job of keeping everything in order and believable. Having the emails with Leo separate from the main story of Freddie, and using aliases for Freddie's writing was really helpful - it's clear that the author had a target and knew how to get there properly. There were many twists and turns, the devolution of characters was abrupt yet natural. A page-turner til the very end!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a really interesting choice of narrative. There is the mystery book that involves four friends that hear a scream in the library. Then there is a subplot that takes place through a series of letter to the author of the book. I don’t think I’ve ever read something like that! I definitely got engrossed in the library mystery. I had lots of questions about the subplot! But overall it as an enjoyable book!

The Woman in the Library has two interwoven stories, one set in Boston and its iconic public library and one that takes place through correspondence between the author of said story and her most zealous fan. Both narratives operate at an engaging pace, and Gentill does a masterful job of slowly building the tension in both story lines. In the end, the most intriguing mystery may not even lie with who is responsible for the death of the titular woman, but in the relationship between author and reader - a truly personal connection.

This was pretty unique; the author uses an interesting framing method for this and I thought it worked fairly well. There was confusion at the beginning, but as I kept reading it started to make more sense. The mystery was fun, but a bit rushed on the character development; you’re left wondering how they could all possibly become so close, so quickly.

Excellent mystery involving 4 young people who hear a scream in the library.
Freddie, is an Australian writer on fellowship to Boston. She gets involved in the finding the person who murdered the woman later found in the library.
At the end of each chapter is a letter the reader assumes is her editor . As the story goes along the reader learns something quite different. The letter writer corrects The Australian words for American words which adds culture to the book.
The ending will surprise some who don’t follow closely.
Recommend

Sadly this book was not what I was expecting, I didn't end up finishing the book as I just couldn't get into it and didn't really connect with any character. I know others who have read it and truly loved it but it was not for me

A pretty engaging mystery that kept me turning the pages. I really liked the framing device, but I wish there had been more of it. I think that story was actually more interesting than the main plot, but we only get little snippets of it. Overall, though, a satisfying read.

A scream in the Boston Public Library sets off this tale. Four people sharing a table at the time of the scream (and murder) develop a bond after the event. One of the tablemates is a young Australian author in the states on a writing grant. She and the others try to figure out what happened. The characters are quirky and the atmosphere is great. There is a story within the story with a "penpal" that made me quite anxious. This book kept me on the edge of my seat. Enjoy

This book's format was a surprise to me, but I think that made the story so much better. Based on the description, I thought it would be just another murder mystery. But the story is framed as a draft of a murder novel, being critiqued by another author chapter by chapter. This really elevated the story to another level. The only thing I didn't like was that reading Leo's comments made my English major brain enter "peer review mode," so I found myself being very critical of the writing too. Ironically, I was reading an ARC so I don't know if some of the things that bugged me were intentional typos or awkward wording (since the chapters are supposed to be drafts after all) or if they will be corrected before the final printing.

I didn't understand several of the characters and their motivations (especially how they became friends so quickly and were so trusting of each other), but that made them all the more interesting. The ending felt unfinished which made me dissatisfied, but at the same time I can't stop thinking about where these characters might end up. Definitely recommend for fans of mysteries/thrillers!

Thank you to Netgalley, Sourcebooks, Poisoned Pen Press, and Sulari Gentill for an ebook ARC in exchange for an honest review

As a retired librarian, I was immediately drawn to this book by its title. With a daughter living in Boston, learning the library in question was the renowned Boston Public Library, made it even more appealing to me. The city of Boston as the setting plays an important part in the story, but, as it turns out, this book is a murder mystery which only tangentially involves the library.
That is not to say I felt betrayed by this shift in focus. The story begins with four strangers, seated together at a table in the BPL, who hear a scream in an adjacent room and immediately begin sharing ideas on the cause of the scream. When it is determined there has been a murder and they all want to investigate further, these four individuals become a cohesive group and from then on, their lives intertwine in many ways.
The story is told in the first person by a successful young Australian writer, in Boston as a result of winning a prestigious fellowship. Rather than present the story as a straightforward narrative, the plot is interrupted periodically by letters from another writer, evidently not as successful as his colleague, who happens to be in Boston and offers to do research on the city and American customs. It took me a while to wrap my head around the fact that Freddie the Australian author in the story was located in Boston and Hannah the Australian author receiving the letters was in Australia. How much of Freddie’s story was actually Hannah’s is a question with which I am still wrestling.
From the first letter to Hannah there was an “ick” factor to Lou the would-be researcher. I’m not sure if that was intentional or the result of some gaps in the research of the actual author. A number of his criticisms about American culture, especially his observations on North Carolina, just didn’t jibe with my experience although he offered them with complete certainty. As the story develops, our opinion of Lou begins to crystallize and he becomes part of the plot.
The mystery of who killed Carolyn and why propels the story but since we never met her while she was alive and the author does little to flesh out her character, my interest was purely academic. I never was motivated by a need for justice for the victim.
One major negative in this book was the way the actual author uses the critiques of Lou to heap praise upon her writing. As the primary rule of every good book is “show, don’t tell,” I found myself annoyed by the unctuous compliments given in this story within a story. This may have been the author’s intention all along, but it kept me from fully embracing the book.
By the time the author is finished with us, we have tried on each of the characters for the role of murderer. The story moves at a lively pace and I don’t feel I wasted my time, but I do think if the players in this mystery had been written with more subtlety, the book would have been more than just a formulaic mystery.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing this book for an honest review.

Whew, this one was a wild ride, and I'm not sure I fully enjoyed it??

To start, this book is kind of like an inception of sorts. We're reading a novel about a writer who's writing her own book while the leading novelist gets feedback from a colleague via email—confused yet? It's okay; it won't take long for the premise to become apparent. And I have to admit that I actually loved the plot within a plot aspect.

The downsides for me were that I really didn't feel any connection to any of the characters. I don't think anyone was particularly well developed, and I found myself not invested in any of them. Another issue was the lack of a plausible conclusion. I feel there were many unanswered questions and subplots that I was expecting would get delved into more and were not.

Overall, the writing style was different, and I loved it. The plot, also awesome. Points taken for lack of character substance and disappointing ending. I also hope the myriad of grammatical and spelling errors will be fixed before publication.

I loved this book so much I can't stop talking about it. I love the fresh and creative plot. I couldn't put it down. I grew attached to Freddie, Marigold, and handsome Cain. Interesting that I wasn't drawn to Whit. Perhaps the fabulous author wrote it that way. At the end, I found myself let down. Not because of the ending, but because I will miss those characters and lively plot so much. My prediction is that this will be the blockbuster of the Summer.

A fantastic whodunnit with a story in a story. 4 writers meet in a library and start talking when they hear a scream. The body is missing. They meet for coffee and discuss the case. One of the characters Freddie decides to write a book about the incident using her new friends as characters. Which is the killer?

An entertaining read I would recommend to any mystery book club.

THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY has a good mystery at its core– four strangers are present when a blood curdling scream disrupts everything in the grand Reading Room of the Boston Public Library. However, the novel has too many layers. It’s a novel about a woman writing a book about a woman writing a book. The characters who heard the scream, Freddie, Cain, Marigold, and Whit are all interesting, but the correspondence between Hannah ( the author of the book in which Freddie is also an author) and Leo, an overbearing fan, that comes at the end of each chapter, is very distracting and really took me out of the main story. There are also two characters named Leo– the aforementioned fan and his “namesake” in the book on which he is providing (annoying) commentary. It’s all a bit much. Yes, it leads to something, but it’s all unnecessary. If the author had stayed focused on the central mystery, I wouldn’t have had to keep recalibrating in my mind.

4.5/5- Thank you to netgalley for the Advanced readers Copy! I was interested in reading this book as both a Bostonian and a librarian. Describing this book to others sounds like a fever dream. This is a story that is being written as the book goes on. Hannah is writing the story and each chapter is a chapter of the manuscript (freddie the main character seems like a self insert for Hannah). At the end of each chapter there is a letter from Leo, a beta reader from Boston who loves Hannah's previous work. As the book goes on both stories start to unravel. It is fascinating to read.
I devoured this book in about two days. Anyone who like books that are formatted in a different way and that contain a mystery inside another mystery will like this book. There were so many twists and turns and every time I thought I had caught on to where it was going it zagged a different way. I can't say much more about why I loved it without spoiling the book. So you'll have to trust me when I say I loved it and you need to read it.
So if I loved it so much why wasn't it five stars. There is a few smallest reasons. First, the ending felt very abrupt and I am still a little confused on the details. I feel like there should have been an epilogue or something for the manuscript story and maybe a letter from Hannah to Leo. The ending just felt incomplete to a certain extent. The other reason and hopefully this is corrected before publication is that there are some Boston details that are incorrect and I am still unsure if that was intention or not. The two that stuck out was the area of Boston is Allston not Alston, and the 57 and 86 busses do not go to or from Harvard and Copley square. These are minor or non-issues for non-Bostonians but something from Boston will definitely notice.
Overall, this issues I had with the text are so minor to how fun and thrilling the book is! I definitely recommend it to thriller lovers and all readers alike with it comes out in May.