I really liked the sound of this one, and with the cover design I thought it had Agatha Christie vibes. I must admit to start with I got a bit confused between the different narratives but once I got into it I really enjoyed it.

This was a DNF for me. I lasted about 1/3 of the way through waiting for the characters to grab me and the mystery to take shape. It never did. I also did not care for the story-within a story structure. I can tell from other reviews that it may have resolved if I’d been able to finish, but after a month of picking it up and putting it down, I gave up.

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

Boston ~ Library ~ Death ~ Friendship ~ Mystery ~ Dual storylines ~ Whodunnit ~ Libraries ~ Authors ~ Donuts ~ Story within a story ~ Well-written characters ~ Romance ~ Thriller ~ Obsession ~ Stalkers ~ Leo who?? ~ Highly recommended

I was gifted this advance copy by NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Thank you Netgalley,Poisoned Pen Press and Sulari Gentill for free e-ARC in return of my honest review.

It all starts with the scream in the library. Four strangers are sitting around the table in the library, they are working independently on their own projects when they hear a woman scream. They start discussing the incident and they become friends. From now on the events are unfolding - some rapidly, some take more time. The narrative is interrupted by emails from a fan of the author who presumably write about these four strangers. The fan gives some advice and update in current world events (like pandemic). These interruptions are quite an interesting development as it gives a different perspective on the narration itself and how the story is unraveling.

I did enjoy characters more that the plot. I think female characters are written extraordinarily- both women came to life from pages. The male characters, on the other hand, didn’t impress me that much, they were only tolerable. As for plot - it wasn’t very thrilling, at parts I lost interest at all.

I wish I enjoyed it more.

I really wanted to like this book. I thought the premise was amazing. Unfortunately, it fell short for me. I found the story too confusing and the reading was very choppy because of that.

The Woman in the Library is very much an intellectual, classical who done it mystery. I liked the twist of the author writing to the fan, and the characters finding an unlikely friendship through unlikely scenarios. At times, it seemed a little slow burn and dry, but overall strong literary mystery.

Inception but in writer/book style. A story within a story within a story. At first I thought the letter POV chapters were annoying and out of place, but in the end they tie the story together. I liked the characters and felt there was good development throughout plus a good mystery that kept you guessing. Overall a good story!

Great thrilling summer read! I loved the layered mystery and had to pay close attention, as there was a story within the story. Do not want to say to much as it may give the story away. Thoroughly enjoyed!

This is my first read by this author and I will definitely be seeking out more from her.

I want to thank NetGalley, Sulari Gentill and Poisoned Pen Press for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill.

Freddie is an Australian working in Boston as a writer, using whatever characters and plot points at her disposal. But one day while in the library, there is a terrible scream that instantly bonds Freddie to the young academics around her, Whit, Cain, and Marigold. It doesn't take long until they learn that the scream came from a woman who was found murdered, and now they are all being questioned. Not just questioned though, attacked. Could one of them have something to do with it, and are the others in danger?

I loved this book for it's really fun way of breaking the fourth wall, something you'll see when you read it. I loved the outside letters and relationship happening around the story, so interesting and super creepy! My only complaint that that I feel like the outer story didn't quite match up with the core story like it had the potential too. Just my personal opinion.

First off, Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are my own.

DNF at 50%. Im not sure if my mood just wasn't right or if it was the story itself. I was feel unconnected to the characters and uninterested in the story. I do however plan to pick this one back up in the future to see if its just simply that my mood was off when I started it.

The Woman in the Library is a smart, subtle thriller. A great summer read! I really appreciated the unique format of this book - an author is writing a manuscript, as well as corresponding with another author about her work... the mysteries are layered and perfectly put together. The nuances of the relationships between the characters in the manuscript plus the authors (Hannah and Leo) are so great. You really have to be paying attention with this one!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced ebook copy. All opinions are my own.

A clever murder mystery inside a story. Four people are in the Boston library when a woman screams. The woman in the library. But as with all good murder mysteries things are not as they seem. A gentle murder mystery with a little kick in the tale.

This starts with four strangers while in the Reading Room of the Boston Public Library, hear a woman's scream. The group of four develop a friendship and find themselves trying to solve the mystery. Within the story is another story of the author of the manuscript corresponding with Leo, a fan, who isn't what he seems. The story and premise were definitely interesting.

A promising description, that lacked in execution and elaboration. The concept of story within a story was interesting at first, but I found myself barely attentive while reading. 3 stars cos the audiobook helped me finish reading this! I guess I wasn’t in the mood for this murder mystery.

Thank you Sourcebooks via Netgalley for the reader’s copy.

A story is hidden inside another story about a writer’s building another thriller story: are you confused with the story line reminding us of smart thriller book version of Inception screenplay! But not everything is as clear cut as it might appear.

Each chapter of Hannah’s book, is followed by the latest correspondence from Leo, who becomes more and more invested in her novel, as Freddie’s story progresses. There are TWO mysteries-one for each author, and BOTH were equally as engaging!

I loved the idea of this clever mystery within a mystery. The way the fictional reality in the story played alongside the fictional in a unique format. The different plots/ two stories playing out chapter by chapter.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. This was an interesting set up. An author is writing a story to catch a killer, from Australia and her suspect is in Boston! I would have liked to have more of the "reality" story, but this was such a compelling read! Short review because I don't want to give too much away!

Four unsuspecting strangers find themselves working at the same shared table in the Boston Public Library when an ear-shattering scream that sets off a string of murders. Worst of all, this foursome finds themselves in the dead center of the investigation. Will their newfound friendship be the exact key to them solving this mystery? The clock is ticking!

This story gives me a lot of the same energy as A Good Girl's Guide to Murder: a classic who-done-it murder mystery with fun characters, sans gore. It's a fun and quick read, so if you're looking for depth or twists and turns, maybe look elsewhere. There is a rather confusing element to the story. The protagonist is in the library writing a book about four strangers, which parallels the main story here, so it's hard to decipher what is real and what is part of her fictional world. Then, she sends her edits to her publisher/editor, and the story incorporates this feedback? It's all done to create an air of confusion as to what is attributed to the story you're reading versus the story being written, which distracted me. Just something to bear in mind before you begin!

What a way to write a novel!
As we move through each chapter of this murderous plot, we also get a reviewer who is providing some increasingly dark and dreary feedback to the author.
It was so cool getting to read this whodunit and then being drawn back out and into "reality" as our reviewer both criticizes our author but also shows a sort of strange fascination and stalker status for them.

The actual content pertaining to the "Woman in the Library" sees four strangers linked together by an unfortunate event (see murder mentioned above) as they navigate a new friendship/relationship. Each with secrets of their own, we find out how each of them came to be in the library at that moment in time. But who is telling the truth and who is hiding their connection to the deceased and why?

Special thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the advance copy.

📚 THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY by Sulari Gentil 📚

🍷 Drink pairing: A classic glass of chardonnay! Honestly needed a glass of wine while reading this to calm my nerves 😂
Thank you to NetGalley and SourceBooks for the gifted ARC in exchange for my honest review!

🌟 Review: Murder in a library and authors are solving the case? Say no more. This book was a wild ride! It took me a little to get into it, but once I did I binged it in one sitting. There were SO many twists and turns and I loved the concept of how we were reading a novel that was in the works and being actively written. The characters were well developed and I honestly was suspicious of everyone for the majority of the entire book. At the end, I saw the twist coming but was still happy with how it played out and how the characters respectively found out “whodunnit”! Overall - highly recommend to any mystery/book lovers!

I loved this book so much! I was waiting for it for months lol this is my first netgalley review so i don’t want to give too much away. The Woman In the Library summed up in one word: mystery. It keeps you GUESSING!! It demands your full attention from the start, and even after you finish it. To me, that’s the perfect mystery book when it requires a lot of after thoughts. Thank you so much for giving me this copy! I loved the book and recommend it