Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Library by Bella Osborne.

Tom is a teen boy with an alcoholic father who can be mean when he drinks. Desperate for an escape, and a connection to his mother, Tom seeks refuge in the local library. There he finds romance novels that his mother would have loved, as well as Maggie, an elderly library worker who is intrigued by this odd young man reading romance novels.

From there begins a tentative friendship between the two. Maggie finds joy in Tom's company and willingness to help around the farm, and Tom loves Maggie's softness and delicious food. But not all is well in either's world, and their adversities can either make or break their fragile friendship.

Oh this was as sweet as candy, in a good way! I, of course, loved all of the literary references and the quirky/cozy library setting. I also surprised myself at how much I loved this friendship. The author did such a good job making it genuine, not overly saccharine or manipulative. I totally bought it, and felt it. This was a heartwarming read, perfect for the holiday.

101% the story of the ‘awkward teenager’ and ‘quirky old lady’, but at the same time so much more.
I read this on the train home and luckily the train was quite because when I say I cried, I mean it. As in, tears streaming down my face. And then, the next second, I was laughing.

A couple things I liked:
- Easy to read
- I loved the storylines of saving the library
- I really enjoyed the character development in both Tom and Maddie. There was more character development in Tom but that makes sense, seeing that he is the teenager in the story and Maddie is older.
- The epilogue was really good, nice little twist.
- It was really clear when perspective switched between characters.

What did I like less:
- Bit predictable at times. Even though there some plot twists that I didn’t expect, in the end I knew that everything would be alright.
- Chapters were a little short. I understand that this is because of the switching perspective, but still they were really really short.
- Tom and Maddie are both written from different points of view. Tom is first person, Maddie is third person. I found this a bit confusing at times.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review..

I'm honestly not into "chick-lit," which this book could be classified, but I absolutely loved it. It's the story of Tom, the son of an alcoholic father, and his friendship with an elderly woman named Maggie. The two find one another due to their love of books and their relationship changes both their lives. My first by this author but I'll soon be looking for more!

A nice cozy read featuring an inter-generational friendship. Features a library, natch, which brings them together.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The characters are interesting, flawed, and draw you right in. Osborne successfully navigates not only the very different perspectives, but also the very different voices of a 16-year-old boy and a 72-year-old woman. The plot is perfectly paced and both entertaining and heartwarming. I highly recommend it.

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.

As a librarian, this book hit me in the heart. I loved how the library was the connection between the two main characters and how it helped them both. The characters were great and I really felt for them with their struggles. I was satisfied with the ending, but felt it was a little depressing that the library wasn't completely "saved" and recognized as important in the eyes of the public officials.

'The Library' by Bella Osborne focuses on the lives of Tom, a young boy completing his GCSE's, and Maggie an elderly small holding owner. Both are lonely and struggling with losses in their lives, but find support from each other and a sense of purpose from visiting their local library.

Told from alternating perspectives, 'The Library,' is a very enjoyable read. The characters have depth, and whilst there is often a great deal of humour, it deals with some serious subjects. At times, I did find myself questioning some of the farming practices mentioned, and a little irritated by some of the characters refusal to communicate their feelings to one another, but these were small niggles (and in the case of the poor communication probably more truthful to real life). Both Tom and Maggie were equally rounded, and neither were perfect. However, I particularly liked the way Maggie's strength and resilience was placed squarely alongside her vulnerability by Osborne.

This is a lovely heartwarming story - my favourite sort! Tom is 16 and lives with his dad and is struggling with living without his mum. Maggie is in her 60's and lives a quiet life doing the same things each week and the highlight of the week is going to the Library for book club. Tom and Maggie form a lovely friendship and develop a lovely unexpected friendship. Such a lovely book makes you feel happy again !

A charming, light-hearted novel about a teenage boy, a library, and the relationship he develops with one of the library’s older patrons.

I loved this novel. It was so sweet and real. Tom, unfortunately, has a very sad upbringing – losing his mother and having a father struggling with alcohol. Then he meets Maggie, a 70-year-old, former flower child who runs a farm and is thrilled to hang out with him.

This story is touching and addresses many difficulties in relationships and life. Tom’s written well as a teenager and Maggie is a spitfire (like my grandma). I love both of the characters and related to their relationship, as well as their connection to the library.

Thank you Netgalley and Aria & Aries for this ARC. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and would like to do it as a book club book after its release (thanks for the questions at the end). I will also enjoy reading other novels by Bella Osborne.

Bella Osborne is become one of my favourite authors. I really enjoyed this book. Thanks for the opportunity to read & review this book.

A book for book lovers. The people who know the power of the library and the community it can build.

The initially unlikely relationship between Tom and Maggie is heartwarming and delightful, and seeing them both grow as people was so well done.

High marks for this cozy book, with a touch of drama and personal issues that are all worked through and resolved by the end.

4.5 stars.

Thank you to Aria Fiction and NetGalley for the complimentary electronic copy of this book for review.

This book was so incredibly cute! I didn’t expect to like it, especially after reading the first couple of chapters. However, the characters were SO likable and adorable. The premise of the story wasn’t exceptionally unique, a small town library needed saving, but the relationships between the characters as well as their development were top notch.

Loved this book! Set in a small English village with a cast of society's misfits (aka real people) this book revolves around friendships among the most unlikely people, the power of love and kindness and what a small community can accomplish when led by a small group of committed people!

This book has all the feels and leaves you warm feelings every time it crosses your mind!! Bella has a new fan!

Tom, a high school student with a difficult home life, meets Maggie, an elderly woman who spends her free time at the local library. They develop a beautiful friendship and support each other through life!

Such a fun read that gives you warm and fuzzies while also touching on heavier, more serious topics. These topics get the treatment that they deserve but the emotions of this read are so tangible! Bella Osborne has such a way with words.

Many thanks to Bella Osborne, Aria & Aries, and NetGalley for this ARC!

This book was so very beautiful!!
It really pulled at my heart strings and had so much emotion coming off the pages.

This is such a heartwarming story of an unlikely friendship between a teenager, Tom and a pensioner, Maggie. It also weaves in a love for books and a small-town library. Tom and Maggie met at the town library and strike up a friendship and find the companionship they didn't know they needed. While they face the issues in their lives, they also fight for the library when there is a threat to its survival. I loved it, it was one of those books which fill you with joy and keep you feeling warm inside. I'm glad I go to read its ARC. Thank You.

There's been a surplus on books about libraries lately, and I've been loving it! This one is about a library in a small town in the UK. With the possibility of it closing down, a teenage boy and a 72 year old hippie join forces to help save it.

The bookcover really interested me, but the description intrigued me more. I normally read YA-Fantasy, but I start to read more and more romance/literature books and this was a great example. Since the book was about a library and ofcourse about books, I was very curious.

Turned out it was exactly the book I needed and wanted to read before the Christmas holidays. It started very easygoing and relaxed. The story got me immediately and I think it was because of the writingstyle that it interested me so much. Bella Osborne has a nice way of telling a story and even though it was pretty comfy to read, there was a lot going on and the changes of perspectives between Tom and Maggie make it quite more interesting.

While reading this book you'd probably have to use quite a few tissues. I found the first half of the story the most emotional. Somehow their loneliness spoke to me and made me sympathize, like all the time. While the story continued and Tom and Maggie start to spend more time together, it also got more interesting because I got the feeling Maggie was hiding something from her past. And when that secret was revealed, it didn't come as a big surprise for me, but it really moved me nonetheless.

The role of the library is quite big in the beginning, but kind of loses it's focus throughout the story, which I thought was a shame. But the story started to focuss on other interesting things, which made up for that part too. Like the things Tom lears from Maggie and the inspiration he gets from her and she from him as well.

Reading about their friendship felt like something entirely new and unexpected but very real at the same time. I really enjoyed reading this!

Thank you NetGalley for a chance to read this Ebook. I loved it!! What a heartwarming story about two unlikely people that meet and become friends helping each other heal from their past and present issues. Maggie, a young, older person is everyones dream grandma, but she has a secret and Tom, a sweet, good hearted teen that is living a nightmare, team up together to help save the local library and each other. Told alternately by Tom and Maggie. I highly recommend this book and will strongly suggest it to my book group.