If you’re an eclectic reader like me, you’ll know that there are times when you need a break from the heavier stuff. When your weary brain demands something light and wholesome that you can simply relax and enjoy. The Library fits this bill perfectly, delivering a big-hearted story about serendipity and the often underestimated symbiosis between age and youth.

Tom is 16 and full of teenage angst. Since his mum died, he’s lived alone with his still-grieving father, who has buried himself in the bottle. Tom’s world is small and troubled; the one chink of light the candle he holds for a girl at school. But she’s popular and unlikely to look at him twice.

Maggie is 72 and farms an isolated smallholding. A former hippie, she’s eccentric, fiercely independent, and a devoted practitioner of yoga. But her faculties are slowly failing, and her tough exterior hides a deep inner sadness she’s kept hidden for 50 years.

When Tom and Maggie’ paths cross in the local library, they strike up a tentative friendship. Maggie is there for her weekly book club. Tom is surreptitiously scoping out the romance section for some tips on girls. When the library comes under threat of closure, the two join forces to help spearhead the campaign to keep it open.

I do love an intergenerational story about friendship, and this one was a delight, beautifully demonstrating how age is no barrier when it comes to affinity and fate. Tom and Maggie find each other at exactly the right time, filling a space — a need — in each other’s lives, and both end up being all the richer for it.

It says a lot for author Bella Osborne that she manages to suffuse this tale with a rich vein of humor, which prevents it from becoming overly intense or mawkish. She gets the balance just right, and I finished it with a lovely, warm fizz of satisfaction.

I just wanted a book that would make me smile and The Library was it. Of course, as a massive bookworm, the setting of the book is what drew me in initially. However, it was the charming story, warming characters, and strong sense of community that kept me there.

Tom and Maggie are a somewhat unlikely pair, but they gel so well, showing that there are no age bounds to friendship. Besides their love of books and desire to save the library, they also save each other from the lode they are currently living. This element of The Library does bring a deeper, sadder vibe to the story, but combined work everything else, the reader gets a heartwarming read.

The author did a great job of relaying the different feelings of the characters to the reader. We can all, more or less, relate when characters are feeling happy, but not so much when they are going through a hard patch and we haven’t experienced the same. Yet I felt so empathetic towards Maggie and Tom.

The Library by Bella Osborne was an amazing heartwarming story. This was my first book by Bella Osborne and it won’t be my last. The Library is about a sixteen year old young man Tom and a seventy two year old woman Maggie who meet in a library and establish a friendship. Maggie works in a local library and was saved from a robbery by Tom. Their friendship is established and they confide in each other. I really enjoyed reading about Toms and Maggie’s charming and caring friendship. I loved the story and especially the ending. Happy endings always make me cry. It was written beautifully and I cannot wait to buy a physical copy for my collection. Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an amazing story.

This is a sweet story about unexpected friendships and finding your true worth. Both Tom and Maggie are dealing with grief and are drawn to each other. Saving the library is the reason they become friends but it is only mentioned every so often, not the main focus of the story. Definitely a feel-good story that’s perfect when you need a pick-me-up.

There is a special place in my heart for an intergenerational team up but when you mix in saving a library it was always going to be a winner for me. No one will be surprised to hear I read this almost fully in one day.

This was a truly relaxing read, though combatted some important issues at the same time. The dynamic between the two leads, Tom and Maggie, was an extremely cathartic to me and I loved their characterisation as a whole. I too related to their love of books as escapism from reality. As the pair opened up more to eachother I found my heart swelling.

Even through the twists and turns of family life this stayed strong. It was heartwarming without being sickly sweet, cosy without becoming lukewarm and realistic without becoming painful. The very real issue of library closures which I am sure we have all faced the threats of was distilled perfectly into this book.

Overall I loved this book and would absolutely check out more of Bella Osborne’s work.

Five stars.

have been a fan of Bella’s work for a while. Although I haven’t read every single book that she has written, I hope to have her other books read within the next couple of months. I read the synopsis for ‘The Library’ and it certainly grabbed my attention and drew me in. So without further ado I grabbed a cup of tea, grabbed my copy of the book and settled down for what proved to be a fascinating afternoon of reading. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Library’ but more about that in a bit.
I adored the characters of Tom and Maggie and I warmed to them from the start. In fact they began to feel like friends of mine and I found myself feeling all protective of them. Tom is a teenager, who feels that he is invisible and that nobody notices him. In other words, he feels like he doesn’t fit in anywhere. I got the impression that Tom is rather lonely and he has few real friends. Tom has his games console but soon that is taken away and he has to find another source of entertainment. Maggie is a pensioner, who in her own way feels rather lonely and vulnerable due to her age. The main social interaction that Maggie has, is her weekly trip to the library to attend the library book club. Tom and Maggie meet at the local library and the rest as they say is history. The stories of Tom and Maggie really tugged at my heart strings and some of their emotions and feelings mirror how I feel about myself, which sent a shiver down my spine. Soon Tom and Maggie have to join forces to try to save the library that they have both grown so fond of. What happens? Well for the answer to that question and so much more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
Oh my word, I was drawn into this book by the synopsis alone and the story within the covers of the book sealed the deal as it were. Once I picked the book up, that was it. I knew from then on that I wouldn’t be doing anything else other than reading for the rest of the afternoon. I simply couldn’t put this book down. The book wasn’t exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I became so wrapped up in the story that I lost all track of time and just how quickly I was getting through the story. The pages turned increasingly quickly as I worked my way through the book. All too quickly I reached the end of ‘The Library’ and I had to say farewell to Tom and Maggie. I found ‘The Library’ to be the true definition of an unputdownable page turner of a read, which held my attention throughout and kept me guessing.
‘The Library’ is superbly written but then that is true of Bella’s books in general. ‘The Library’ is slightly different to the sorts of books that Bella writes but for me, it was just as enjoyable. Bella has one of those easy going writing styles that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. In fact reading one of Bella’s books feels more like a chat between friends rather than reading an actual book. I hope that makes sense. For me, the book is a bit of a slow burn but that suits the story that Bella is telling and allows the reader to get to know Tom and Maggie. I love the very vivid and realistic way in which Bella describes her characters. She describes them so well that they seem just as real as you and I. She makes them come alive as it were. ‘The Library’ was a bit of an emotional read for me as I became so wrapped up in Tom’s and Maggie’s lives and how they felt mirrored how I felt. I love the way in which Bella makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story themselves and at the heart of the action.
In short, I adored reading ‘The Library’ and I would definitely recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Bella’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

A friendship between Tom a young teenqge boy struggling with home life and a Maggie, a woman in her seventies with a zest for living life.

Both brought together through their love of books and wanting to save the local library. In turn - they also help to save each other.

Heart warming, feel good book seeing their friendship blossom despite the age gap.

This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
Before I could finish reading this book it got archived and there's no way I can review a book I didn't finish reading.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily.
This is the second book I have read by this author, and I enjoyed this even more than the other book. Whilst the happy ending may not have been a truly realistic outcome for all of the threads of the plot it is definitely a 'feelgood' book. There are lots of comical moments, things which make the reader think "how typical, and true" and a mixture of events which provoke thoughts of how grateful we are for the good things in life which come our way. The characters (human and animal) are lovely, and following their story was so enjoyable.
Grab your copy today and enjoy it with a lovely cuppa and sweet treat!

DNF - Did not finish. I did not connect with the writing style or plot and will not be finishing this title. Thank you, NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy!

I finally got round to reading this book, and it did not disappoint! A heartwarming story about the intergenerational friendship between two lovable characters, I am certain that book-lovers everywhere will enjoy this book! As a librarian myself, it certainly captured my heart!

This book made my heart so darn happy! I love intergenerational friendships and this one was stellar! Uplit is one of my favorite genres and this was perfectly executed. The friendships, the library, the family strife- I just loved it all! The characters are so charming and I adored each one. The friendship that blossoms was so sweet and I just wanted to squeeze them! I read this with a smile on my face and a full heart. I can't wait to read more from this author! 4.5 stars.

Tom and Maggie meet in the library and strike up an unusual friendship after Maggie getting mugged and Tom coming to her rescue (and getting a black eye in the process).

The way this book is written makes it so easy for you to recognise which characters point of view you are reading from. The author definitely knew her characters well and it shows.

This was bar far one of the best books I have read this year.

Tom and Maggie’s friendship proves that age is just a number.

If you love books, libraries, and all the things that fit in between, you will love this story. This is a story of 2 readers, 16 year old teenager called Tom and a 70year old pensioner called Maggie. They meet at the local library, Maggie is part of the Reading Group and Tom, who is new to reading, is looking for some peace from his torrid home life with his alcoholic father; his mother having passed away. Their are highs and lows through their friendship, but it allows for friendships and learning that you can do anything with a friend,

thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a joy to read! This book is such a lovely story, especially if you are an advocate for libraries and a book lover.

This is a tale of 2 readers, one new to reading, a 16 year old teenager called Tom and a 70year old pensioner called Maggie.. They meet at the local library, Maggie is part of the Reading Group and Tom is looking for some peace from his torrid home life with his alcoholic father; his mother having passed away.

Both are lonely souls and a great friendship forms between them; Tom helping Maggie out at her small farm and being looked after with home cooked meals and sharing their love of books.

It's funny, sad, thought provoking and a thoroughly charming read. I couldn't put it down and found myself looking at Bella Osborne's other books as soon as I'd finished.

A must for book lovers!

This was a heartwarming story without being all treacly Hallmark heartwarming.

Bella Osborne tells a story about two people, Tom Harris, a very shy adolescent, and Maggie Mann, a lonely seventy-year old. They meet at the small local library in their town.

Tom and his dad live a quiet and increasingly conflict-ridden life together. His dad Paul is steadily drinking his life away, unable to process his grief over his several years dead wife,. Though Tom is also still grieving, he decides he wants to change some things in his life: bring his grades up so he can go to university, and be able to talk to girls, specifically one girl he is attracted to, Farah, without falling over or saying something stupid.

Maggie owns a small farm, breeds sheep and sells their fleece, and struggles to fill her empty days with things to do.

She decides to get to know Tom better after he unsuccessfully tries to prevent someone mugging her. They get to know one another well, with each helping the other and becoming good friends. And despite a few secrets between them that almost destroy their friendship, they manage to work hard on a campaign to prevent their Council from permanently closing their library, help Tom bring his grades up, and give Tom an education in a number of real-life things like cooking, caring for animals, and learning to set goals and see them through.

I read most of this book in one day. I loved the two main characters, and loved how each of them having faith in the other opened up their lives and changed things for their library, too. Plus, I loved how by reading romances, Tom gained a love for reading, which led him to so many other genres, too. See, libraries are the best!

Thank you to Netgalley and to Aria & Aries for this ARC in exchange for my review.

The Library by Bella Osborne

This was a very emotional and heart-warming story about an older woman and a teenager and how they bonded together to save the town library. Wonderful characters. Well-written novel. I recommend this book.

A most enjoyable book to read with great characters and story line. This in a must read book. 5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this e ARC

"Libraries are more than just a storage place for books, they are treasure troves filled with creativity and knowledge. And that knowledge can be empowering.” - R.L. Hemlock

This was the perfect book to end my reading slump!

Two people - Tom is a lonely teenager. Maggie is in her 70s and lonely as well. What brings them together? A library!

I love how Tom and Maggie formed a friendship. They were both what the other needed. I also loved how the library was a catalyst for change in both of their lives. How two lonely people, who on the surface, had nothing in common except for coming to the library for solace and belonging. When the librarian learns the library was in threat of closing, both pick up the torch and vow to help save it. In the process, they just might save themselves as well!

This was such a charming book that also dealt with difficult subjects. I have been reading some less than amazing books lately and this one was just a pleasure from cover to cover. It does address some heavy subjects such as alcoholism, loss, loneliness, and relationships to name a few.

I enjoyed the writing and story. I appreciated how the author dealt with the difficult subjects and how the two main characters found each other and the bond they shared.

Thank you to Aria & Aries, Aria and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Read this if...you liked “A Man Called Ove” or “The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett.”

Tom is a typical teenage boy who stays holed up in his room playing video games until a fight with his father leads to a visit to the local library. Here he discovers a love of reading, which connects him to his dead mother. It’s at the library where Tom meets a lot of new people, including Maggie. She is an active, older woman who regularly attends a book club at the library and maintains a small farm outside of town. These two loners from very different generations develop a friendship that helps each one deal with their life’s problems. When the local library is slated to be closed, Tom and Maggie work together to save it.

This book immediately reminded me of the books “A Man Called Ove” and “The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett.” I was drawn to both Tom and Maggie’s characters as they were incredibly lovable. Their relationship was sweet and I enjoyed the humor that the author snuck in where she could. Overall, this was a wonderful story about friendship amidst a library in peril, so of course bibliophiles will enjoy it for that aspect alone. I just wish it had been a little shorter. At almost 400 pages, I felt like I was reading this forever and not making much progress. Maybe I just didn’t read this at the right time, I’m not sure. That is my only complaint though, so if you don’t mind slower-paced fiction, you might want to check this one out.

A big thanks to Netgalley, the author, and Aria & Aries Publishing for a gifted ebook in exchange for my honest review.

My rating: 3.5 rounded up to 4