Sulari Gentill's The Woman in the Library, reels you in from the very first chapter. As the tension builds and the story escalates the reader is prone for the next riveting twist and turn.

A story, within a story, within a story, The Woman in the Library is an exciting ride.
With an original plot premise, Gentill's story is well written and executed.

I did think that there might be more FBI interaction and that we might have had a scene where the villain interacts in person with our author  Hannah.

Overall enjoyed this book and I rate it a solid 3.5 stars.

Some of this might be more rant than review and there’s a chance it’s a bit jumbled since I wrote as I went along. I would change it all but.... the book itself is a bit of a jumbled mess so no reason to bother...

First thoughts... the whole letters/notes from Leo at the end of every chapter is rather irritating. I feel like it would be way more interesting not to know that this is a story within a story or at the very least have these inputs come sparingly. It’s all so very distracting.

I wanted to read this because it seemed like it would be interesting 4 people meet at the library and are present when a scream is heard that later turns out to have been a murder. After a few chapters though the critique of every chapter is established making this somewhat of a story within a story. It becomes tedious very fast. In the beginning it seemed like it was going to be 4 strangers deciding it’s their business to solve the murder of a woman they don’t know that had nothing to do with them. Thankfully that was really what happened they only got involved when weird things started happening around them.


I’m willing to admit at some point the Leo letters become slightly less annoying and on occasion he does have good points. From the start though I had the feeling that something about it all seemed off.

The main story doesn’t really start to get interesting until about 25% in, up until that part I was considering giving up on the whole thing. Admittedly I did skip over a bunch of the letters because of their general tediousness. Though even when I read/listen to it every time it gets to those parts I cringe. Seems rather unnecessary to have this whole pandemic narrative added in. It’s not part of the actual story it’s only mentioned in the letters from Leo.


I have the ebook and audiobook versions of this book and I thought it would be something to listen to until I inevitably switched to reading because I combination read rather often. In this case though the narrator did a great job it was hard to get through this from the start with this whole set up. The only way to keep going with the story for me was to skip over the letters at the end of the chapters they are so tedious when I really wanted to like the book.


I’ve written this review while reading instead of after like I typically do. Mostly so I didn’t forget what I was complaining about. So I did manage to get to the end spent all of today on this book and though I thought I didn’t like it I actually did. Not the whole book within a book thing that was tedious till the end and highly unnecessary the book worked just fine as it was. Seems like just like Leo advised all the pandemic mentions were added in just to exist in the story. Reading a book literally being critiqued chapter by chapter as you read it is just not a good idea. Without that it was a good story. Did I guess who the killer was earlier on? Yes... do I think that Freddie’s Leo was likely as much a stalker as the Leo with his exhausting opinions? Yes... was everybody in this book way too trusting for no reason? Yes!!! Are people from Australia not as suspicious of people? Because I really don’t know... I wanted to shake Freddie constantly.

So this book was a lot a book about an author being critiqued on the book as it was going and the story in the book being about a writer who was writing her own story featuring her new friends she met in the library while possibly having been close to a murder. It’s all too much but I didn’t hate the actual story though it did just kind of come to an abrupt end.

The only question I have at the end of this is: Did Whit’s mother know who attacked her?

The Woman at the Library by Sulari Gentill is an interesting book. It took me a while to get into the story.
Four people at the library are linked after hearing a scream. It turns out the woman was found murdered.
The main character is in Boston on a fellowship to author a book. There is another story threaded throughout which really confused me, a writer in Australia is emailing back and forth with a man named Leo.
The main story about the 4 new friends with the murder at the library was very good and I enjoyed it. The second storyline for me took away from the main story. The writing was particularly good, and the main story kept me reading. I do recommend the book.

I really really really liked he way this one started. I feel like I say that about Gentill's work often. Equally often, I seem to find myself struggling a bit with the wind ups she offers... That was the case here also.

After an absolutely stellar start and a really fabulous construct, things started to slowly lose their grip a little bit but managed to stay tight enough for the vast majority of the book that I really thought this was going to be the one to break the chain for me with her work. Unfortunately I found the wrap up here to feel like it was written on a different pace - and with a different set of expectations - than the preceding 70/so% of the book, and that bright it to a solid 3 stars for me.

She is a talented writer and she has a vivid imagination and magnificent ideas. But it seems as though she tries to wrap things up by throwing lots of drama in when it comes to the big reveals, to the detriment of the overall story. Sometimes less really is more. It makes things feel unnecessarily convoluted and requires more suspensions of disbelief then the story can handle, and the result is an uneven story.

It's not an enjoyment-killing level of uneven. I did still quite enjoy this one on the whole, and I will definitely keep reading her books (this was the best of them so far to my mind). I do hope she will consider paring down the layers a bit in her endings though, to pace them more evenly with her magnificent setups, in which case she will hit every book out of the park...

Why does this book remind me of Friends but with a murder thrown in the mix?

Four strangers hear a suspicious scream in the Boston Public Library and are immediately bonded by the experience. From then on, this group of individuals become fast friends and together unravel the mystery of the Woman in the library.

Set in the grim and prim city of Boston, The Woman in the Library is a contemporary murder mystery. The book manages to keep the antique feeling of classic novels like Murder on the Orient Express while introducing modern elements.

The main characters in this novel are the friend group everyone secretly wants to have. Gentill creates an effortless comradery between the characters that draws you into their circle and has you rooting for them. The playful banter carries this book and is what keeps you reading during lulls in the plot. For me this novel’s biggest strength was the characters. They felt so, so real and I wanted them as my own friends. The dialogue between them was perfection and came off very authentic. The dynamic Gentill created is what really reminded me of the TV show Friends. It was lighthearted and fun but also addressed real life problems and struggles people face.

One can’t review this book without addressing the letters that are exchanged back and forth between a mysterious author and her fan as a side plot. I liked the idea of this, Leo’s voice was strong and evoked emotions from me. However, I don’t know how much it added to the story itself. I had hoped it would have connected to the main story more but nonetheless it was an interesting part of this book.

Admittedly, I guessed the big reveal early in the book but that didn’t deter me from continuing to read it. I didn’t find the murder mystery aspect of this book super gripping, but I don’t think that was the point of the story. It felt more about the process of a group people being brought together by a murder and I really enjoyed that. Although I wouldn’t have minded a little more action.

Overall, a fun read that approaches murder mystery in a new way. I would recommend this to both mystery and nonmystery lovers! In fact, if you’re looking to broaden your reading horizons and want to try a mystery – this would be a good starting point.

Interesting stories. We start with a letter to the author of our mystery story, Hannah. Leo writes to Hannah after each chapter to help her novel be more American, as Hannah is Australian. Leo has some helpful tips, but he really wants to meet Hannah and have his manuscript published. Around the halfway point we learn a little more about Leo. Now we have the mystery of Leo and the mystery in the library. How will both stories resolve?

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I love books, so a book that took place in a library and was a book within a book? I thought sure I'd love it. Sadly, that wasn't the case. First, there were a number of typos, but I'm guessing those will be addressed before the book is published. However, there were other basic issues that I'm surprised weren't addressed in an early edit, such as plot holes and inconsistencies. Due to the overall format, I struggled to stay engaged or connect with any of the characters.


Trigger warnings: murder, violence, blood, mention of child abuse, mention of sexual assault, stalking

This simply just didn't work for me. Despite initially liking the story, I found my interest dwindling and my rating slowly getting lower as more and more issues started to appear with the plot and characters. The closer I got to the end, the more I started to skim because I was over the story.

Let's get into the details.

 

WRITING:

Originally, what drew me to his book was the way the author presented the story. In fact, it was the only thing I found interesting as I found the story itself was rather plain and boring. I enjoyed the communication from Leo to Hannah through a series of letters critiquing her book as it broke the fourth wall a bit.

However, as I went on, the format lost its charm and only added to the confusing mess that was this book. I spent a lot of time during this book being very confused, which was both my fault and the books. My brain just kept going back and forth on whether or not this was a book about a book, which ended up pulling me out of the story.


PLOT:

This is a multi-layered story where the author chose to focus on the second layer instead of the first. The 'real' story, which is nothing but a series of letters from Leo to Hannah, the author of the story you are actually reading. What we are consuming is a book in the works by a character we do not get to meet, which is a bit of an odd choice.

Like the nature of this story, I had layers upon layers of issues with the plot to the point where I don't even know where to begin. It was predictable in an 'in your face' kind of way, and it simply just wasn't a very captivating mystery thriller. As I said earlier, I didn't mind the story at first, but once the charm of the format wore off, I was left with a clunky and hollow story.

Let's start with its predictability. The author very blatantly steers the story in one direction, which creates an issue because - either the person to who all the suspicion is pointed either did or didn't do it. Now, this is an issue because, from the start, the author left the reader with only two options and, after a while, you lose interest in what the outcome is going to actually be. It also just felt very forced because of how blatant the blame was pushed.

For the vast majority of the book, while there was a sprinkle of intense moments, the mystery was rather passive. A lot of time was spent with the characters when they weren't doing much. There was also space wasted where the author focused on things that didn't add anything to the story. As such, even for a book on the shorter side, it felt really dragged out.

One detail that I caught that I thought was funny, if anyone is curious, is that there is an actual Oh My Cod! restaurant in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia. I have actually been there before, and the food was wonderful too.


CHARACTERS:

I did not care about one single character in this book, not only because they just weren't interesting to follow, but also because they didn't feel like actual people most of the time. Freddie was unlikable, Cain was just there only to serve the mystery, and Whit and Marigold were shells of a character. Freddie was the one that bothered me the most though since I found her actions to be contradictory.

Another issue I had with the characters was that there was a lot of off-page interaction that occurred, which stilted the character relationships and dynamics. Freddie and Cain, as well as Whit and Marigold, while strangers, in the beginning, grow closer as the story progresses. The problem here, as I have said, is that we don't actually get to see them get to know each other. One second they are strangers, the next they are spending all their time together. There was just a lot of disconnect.


CONCLUDING THOUGHTS:

This sounded like this was going to be a good book, and I am sure people will enjoy it, but it didn't work out for me in the end.

The format for this book kind of reminded me of Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Anthology games.

Thank you, NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press, for giving me the opportunity to review this in advance.

Whoa! What a ride. It was very fast-paced. The writing style kept me hooked and I didn't find myself losing any interest. I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters and how real the story felt. The author did a great job painting the setting, so it was easy for me to visualize the scene played out before me. I recommend giving this one a chance!

Four strangers are sitting in the Reading Room of the Boston Public Library when they hear a woman scream. This is the beginning of this twisted tale of how the 4 people related to each other in the aftermath, but it really is a story within this book written by a woman who lives in Australia. Also, interspersed are the letters from a male fan from Boston. What a story!

Leave it to Sulari Gentill to come up with twists and turns one never expects. Her prowess as an author continues to shine in The Woman in the Library.

The initial concept of the story was intriguing – four strangers happen to share a table in a library when a scream rings out. The drama of the event ties the four together and they quickly develop a friendship… except one is a murder. That is certainly tantalizing.

The addition of outside forces, however, gave the story a spin that was unexpected. To be honest, initially, it turned me against the book. I had been looking forward to immersing myself in the mystery of which of the four truly was the killer. On that front, Gentill does not disappoint. The outside forces do not dissuade her from the telling of that particular story.

The overlain story was an interesting add-in, but I would have liked it to be a bit more developed. How was the initial connection made? What was going on in Hannah’s life with regards to Leo? It seemed this could have been a bit more developed. That said, Gentill included enough information to wrap up that mystery as well, at least to a point.

In all, I loved the story and, as always, look forward to her next work. I would (and already have) recommended the book to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC!

3.5 Stars!

I'm a little disappointed because this was one of my most anticipated books of the year and it was overall somewhat a let down. The Woman in the Library follows Winifred Kincaid as she meets three other strangers at the Boston Public Library after hearing a chilling scream. This book has many of the tropes that I like: a locked room mystery, a book within a book, and a mystery writer being the person who is solving the mystery. However, I felt that this novel lacked a lot of the things I enjoy about mystery books. It felt as if all the clues just fell into the MC's lap, and I found the side story contained in the letters pointless and confusing.

Although this wasn't what I expected, I do think there is an audience out there for this book, especially if you are new to mysteries. I enjoyed how quick-paced this story was and the commentary on the writing process, but overall not the most thrilling mystery I've ever picked up.

When you are in a library, the last thing you would expect to hear is a woman scream. But that's exactly what happened in Boston Public Library. Four strangers who were unable to leave after the commotion quickly become friends - bonded over the frightening experience. Each one of them had a valid reason to be there. Or did they?

There were a lot of moments when I thought for sure "who done it" but then proved wrong. Very likeable characters. I was a little confused a few times but overall, I really liked the storyline. I found myself anxious to find out who was the killer of The Woman in the Library.

What a fun creative book! "The Woman in the Library" is a story within a story within a story...author Hannah is writing a book about Freddie who is writing a book based upon people she met in the library, where they happened to be when a murder occurred! Phew! I know it sounds complicated, but Sulari Gentill's writing makes it all clear. The way Ms. Gentill ties everything together, while keeping a reader invested and on the edge of his or her seat, is pure genius. I was so engrossed in this book that I read it in one sitting; I just couldn't put it down! Though I guessed the identity of the killer in Hannah's story pretty early on, there were plenty of surprises to keep me interested and entertained. This is the kind of book that makes a reader want to call in sick from work so he or she can read it from start to finish on one sitting.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the privilege of reading an advanced digital copy of this wildly entertaining book in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars. I love it when I read a book where the author does such a good job with making you think you know what is happening and then BAM, total shocker with the ending where you never saw it coming. This book was EXACTLY THAT. There was never a doubt in my mind what was going on. Even as the story unfolded, I became more and more convinced I was right. And then the end came and threw me for a loop. It was such a great read and such a great book. This is my first for this author and I can not wait to read more! I am hooked!
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you NetGalley for the Arc of The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill. This book is a cleverly written mystery within a mystery. Four strangers are in the Boston Public Library Reading Room when a scream shatters the silence. As security checks the building, the four strike up a conversation and the start of a friendship. The only problem is that one of them is a murderer.

Wow! This book was a 2-in-1 experience. There are actually 2 stories happening simultaneously and they keep you turning the pages until the end. The first and main story is of four strangers meeting in the Boston Library when they hear a woman scream. The four build a friendship as they try to figure out who killed the screaming woman. The other story is that of an author that is getting feedback and detail help on her chapters from Leo in the US while she is writing from Australia. There are many things and people that are not what they seem, Can you figure it out?

The Woman in the Library is a stunner! What makes this novel so unique and satisfying is that you have a "story within a story" along with a small dose of epistolary to add to its depth.

In the opening chapter, the first plot line is set up. We meet Leo Johnson, a professional reader (I want that job) and Hannah Tigone, a mystery writer who lives in Australia. She is unable to make it to the states due to COVID restrictions. This is where the epistolary piece comes into play. At the end of each chapter that Hannah writes, Leo provides feedback on the language of America, and Boston specifically, as well as settings and potential areas he feels that the plot needs some assistance. They have a cordial, and friendly relationship, that moves from professional to friendly. I looked forward to hearing from Leo at the end of each chapter.

Our second plot line begins where Hannah introduces us to the characters in her novel; Australian author Winifred "Freddie" Kincade living in Boston on a Merit Scholarship. While spending time in the Boston Public Library (BPL) writing her novel, she engages with the three folks at her table; Marigold, Whit and Cain. As they are engaging in pleasantries, the library is brought to its knees when a blood curdling SCREAM shatters the solitude of the library.

And that is where our mystery begins...

Freddie, Marigold, Whit, and Cain are thrown together, becoming fast friends, as they try to navigate the murky waters of the scream in the library.

What worked: Amazingly written characters, who had depth and interesting backstories, and most importantly where believable and likable. The novel moved at a quick pace, which kept me engaged, trying to guess what was going to happened next. Of course the setting, Boston makes for another interesting character and the weather adds to the dimension of what is happening in the story.

I would have given this book five stars, however I was SO confused at the beginning with the two plot lines; they were too similar. I had a hard time keeping them separate in my mind. It just wasn't clear enough for me. BUT! the story was so unique and riveting that it JUST DIDN'T MATTER. I would suggest that when you read this novel, pay attention at the beginning.

For someone who is not a mystery/thriller fan to begin with, I truly enjoyed this novel!

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Full disclosure: I toggled back and forth between print and audio on this book.

DNF at 35%. I grabbed this book when it was "read now" and I was really excited for it, but I was highly disappointed. It was stereotypical, unbelievable, unrelatable, confusing and somewhat boring. I, unlike many others, did not enjoy the story within a story. It was weird and didn't flow well. I didn't connect with any of the characters and there was no clear break in narration from Hannah to Hannah's manuscript. The email sections were weird and I felt like they were out of place. It just didn't flow well. I found it extremely far-fetched that the four people at the library would become such fast friends that they're sleeping over at each other's houses like kids? It just wasn't realistic. There were also a lot of stereotypes and I didn't like that.

All in all, I just wasn't a fan. I didn't even care enough to tough it out and find out who the "killer" was.

I will not be reviewing on Goodreads or any other platform as I didn't finish the book.

The title grabbed me but this was a disappointment. The story within the story was not appealing. New author for me, just not the right fit.