The Littlest Library by Poppy Alexander

I loved this quirky quick read about one of my favorite places - libraries! Jess's world is turned upside-down when her beloved grandma passes away and leaves her with an extensive book collection... and then she loses her job as a librarian. Jess rallies and moves herself to a small English village and decides to use her grandmother's books to create a library out of an old English phone book. She simultaneously brings the community together and finds love with the handsome and grumpy neighbor. The story is heartwarming, adorable, brave, and a total pleasure.

The Littlest Library is a sweet story about community, friendship and the power of books and reading. I loved the idea of a little library in an abandoned phone box. I enjoyed reading the love story but I wish it was more central to the book. There seemed to be almost too many subplots woven into the story, I wish there were a few less. The pace of this book was also way too slow for me so it was hard to get through. The ending felt rushed and just resolved without enough happening. Overall it was a really nice read but it was pretty predictable.

The Littlest Library, by Poppy Alexander, follows Jess Metcalf, whose predictable life is turned upside-down when her grandmother dies and she loses her librarian job. She decides to take the plunge and move to a rundown cottage in the countryside, using her grandmother's old books to start a little lending library in an old phone box on her new property. As she begins to get to know her neighbors and see the effects that her books have on village life, Jess must begin to look to her own future and consider what she wants for herself.

I absolutely adored this book. It's so cozy—it feels like being wrapped in a warm blanket while drinking a steaming cup of tea. It's a love letter to books, but it's also the cottagecore romance that we all need and has such an eclectic cast of characters that you can't help but fall in love with the life of the town of Middlemass.

Jess is such a relatable protagonist. She's at a crossroads in her life, and, even as she integrates herself into this new community, is grappling with the fact that there aren't any job opportunities in the village, and she cannot survive on her savings forever. Caught between practicality and wanting to hold onto the happiness that she has found in Middlemass, Jess's struggles feel real and relevant. I also just always love reading about characters who love books; her passion for reading is infused in every element of her character, and I just know that all sorts of bookworms will love her.

The romance is also cute, but doesn't overwhelm the rest of the book; far from being the focus of the book, it simply enhances the rest of the plot, which I appreciated. Aidan (the love interest), and his daughter were some of my favorite characters in the book, and I absolutely loved how Jess grows closer to them over the course of the story.

The rest of the characters are amazing as well, though discussing all of them would take far too much space for this review. They're eclectic and distinct and there wasn't a single one of the subplots that I wasn't invested in. Far from being simply a story about Jess, the book rather expands to encompass its wide cast of characters.

The plot is fairly slow-paced, but it didn't pain me in the way that it normally would.. Due to the coziness and atmosphere of the book, the languid nature of the story simply felt like an extension of the overall mood. It's a peaceful and comforting reading experience, and I wouldn't want it to be any faster-paced than it is.

I can't recommend this book enough for anybody who loves books about books. This story of a tiny phone box library will absolutely capture your heart. I'm giving it 4.5/5 stars.

This wasn't hugely groundbreaking, earth shattering or omg amazing. Pretty passable, there are significantly better things to read right now

This was cute! I wouldn’t necessarily call it a romance because the romance part of the plot is very secondary (not a bad thing), but a very sweet story nonetheless.

This is very much a story about starting over and finding community in a new place, which is something I really enjoyed. I loved seeing how the little phone box library effected the community. However, sometimes the way that the author was trying to tie events back to the library was a bit of a stretch.

Overall, I recommend!

received anE-ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

This was fun, lighthearted, and crazy fluffy. It's mostly about Jess finding a way to survive without the woman who raised her, and it's really pretty melancholy, but primarily it's genuine and sweet. Also it's wild British which has been positively lovely; I've missed it there, and this allowed me to take a little book vacation. There was just so much cozy-ness! Constantly! I'm more than a little tempted to move to a tiny little town somewhere (preferably in the UK lol) and buy a tiny house, and just exist for the rest of my life. *sigh*

The only things I object to in this story are the recurring comments about libraries dying out. As a librarian I know that is absolutely untrue! They may be different than they were in the early days, but they're still here, and they're thriving! Yes, there's a perennial struggle for funding and important people tend to underestimate the library (which can be dangerous for it), but they're in no way dying out. Maybe this is more of a problem in the UK and I'm not aware of it? That would be a shame, because my back-up career plan was to library over there instead of over here 🙃 Overall enjoyed this book, very sweet!

‘The Littlest Library’ by Poppy Alexander was a truly heartwarming read full of community, friendship, grief, love, a sweet romance, beautiful and quaint settings, and books. It had me on an emotional roller coaster, but it was also so cozy, and I adored every moment. Definitely recommend!

I loved the setting, The writing. The Plot. I loved it all. I read this one so fast could not put it down. Highly recommend

Thank you to the publishers Avon / HarperCollins for giving me the opportunity to review THE LITTLEST LIBRARY by Poppy Alexander.

Loved the premise of the littlest library in England so much that I bought copies for myself and for Christmas gifts.

This is a heartwarming literary-themed novel about a woman who turns an ordinary red phone box into the littlest library in England and brings together a struggling village.

Despite setbacks, Jess manages to find some hope and goes out to do something meaningful, in other words, making lemonade out of lemons.

If you're needing a sweet story, set in an English village with a library at it's heart, this one's for you. I think this one could be a perfect palate cleanser, or just a cozy book to curl up with. While some pieces didn't feel the most realistic, I could forgive those bits for how much warmth and loveliness came through this story. I had the heartwarming vibes that you get from watching the Great British Baking Show from this one.

I was really looking forward to this book because I did in fact judge a book by the cover and this looked adorable. It was a cute story marred by slow pacing and characters that needed some more development to be more engaging.

DNF - this has all the makings of a delightful book but I think I'm not the target audience. Jess loses her grandmother and her job and moves to a small town. It seemed like she unbelievably went from being a self proclaimed romance adverse introvert to a completely different person, making friends, becoming active in her community and seeking romance with a neighbor. I made it about half way through and then thought this was better suited to a younger (less jaded) reader. I'm sure it will appeal to that demographic.

In this book, Jess Metcalf, takes an empty red phone box and some of her grandmother's books and manages to bring a whole town together. She also finds love along the way.

The Littlest Library is a heartwarming story about community, found-family, books, and love. It is an incredibly sweet story about new beginnings and leaving yourself open to new possibilities. There are realistics stakes, clever banter, and moments of pure unbridled joy. It is light, fun read that should accompany you on vacation.

DNF. I got bored fairly quickly but I believe it’s because of my personal tastes and nothing to do with the author

The best way to describe this book was delightful. I just really enjoyed all the characters and the concept of the little library. It was an easy read that was predictable but sweet.

A charming read for a crisp fall day, you will love Poppy Alexander's latest book. #partner @avonbooks

Jess loses her library job and her grandmother who raised her around the same time. She decides she needs a change. She buys a little cottage in a new town that also comes with an old telephone booth.

Soon, she is making friends with her neighbors and turning her phone booth into a cute community library! I loved watching Jess learn to manage her grief and create a network of people around her. It was such a lovely one-sitting read.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review which has not altered my opinion of this book. I would like to thank NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the eARC.

This book is one of the cutest things ever. We follow Jess Metcalf who has found herself stuck in life following the death of her beloved grandmother and the closing of the library where she worked. By chance, she stumbles upon a small home with a red phone box in the front yard and falls in love with the property. When she buys it on a whim, she decides she will stick around to get her mind back in order before moving on a finding a new job. What she doesn't expect to do is fall in love with the town as well as many of the occupants within it.

This book was so cozy and such a hallmark style of book, it had me smiling basically throughout. I found it quite refreshing to have a protagonist like Jess because she is an unmarried person in her early thirties who loves nothing more than sharing good food and books with people. I found that relating to her was really simple and I highly enjoyed her story. The characters were were thought out and fun, I loved that they did normal people things like gossip, have age old fights that no one seems to remember, ride bicycles, have miscommunications that they realize can be solved, have toddlers who are fussy and it all felt like real life rather than just a book.

I cannot recommend this book enough for lovers of books, romance (no smut, it's not needed here), and cute moments that lead to finding oneself in an ever changing and sometimes heartbreaking world. I give this a 5 out of 5 and it is officially one of my new favorite books!

I love books about books. I love books about libraries. I love books about librarians. I love books about bookish people. The Littlest Library had so many of things I love when reading that I felt connected the whole time. Jess’s story isn’t one to miss!

3.25⭐

Featuring ~ single 3rd person POV, starting over, grief, library, books, community, small town, slow burn

This was a sad, turned nice, story following Jess as she helps bring a little library to a town that needs a pick me up. While I see the potential for this to be heartwarming, it was more heartlukewarming for me. I did enjoy the descriptiveness throughout, but it was slow moving. The cover is cute and the plot interesting. Little Libraries are very popular these days and I even have one in my neighborhood. I definitely see the potential for many of my friends to like this one.