Now I held off from starting this book and I don’t have a reason besides being a mood reader. With June 14th being the release date I figured I should jump on it. The second I picked it up though I didn’t put it down. I normally don’t do the whole Instant connection, but it didn’t bother me too much. I still loved there relationship. It’s not as angsty as I like but that didn’t matter to me as I was devouring this book. the description didn’t make me think I was going to get angsty so it wasn’t like I got my hopes up. Both characters were extremely likable and I love the librarian type of girl in books because I could see myself in their spot. Also if I had to pick any career field would go with a librarian art would definitely be up there because in my mind they have similar aesthetics. Anyways Paige and James were great even if eight weeks is such a short time to fall for some. But in that eight weeks there wasn’t no extreme conflict like most the books I read and that did seem more realistic. I really enjoyed the writing as well.

Scotsman in the Stacks by Alana Oxford was so cute! The writing style was relaxing, the characters were loveable and I loved how it took place in Michigan- referencing places I've been to. I also really like that the author kept the story "clean"- it proves that you don't need a story full of sex, lust, or even cursing to make it an enjoyable read. I have already told numerous people they need to read this book!

There wasn't anything particularly wrong with this book but I found it boring. There was alot of telling the reader and not letting imagination take the reader on a journey.

I found the characters one dimensional and I had no interest in reading about them.

This was a miss for me. Better off looking for something else.

I received an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5/5 Stars

It took me longer than it should’ve to get through this book, but not for a lack of trying. It did not hold my focus until about 55% through the book, but once i reached that point i finished the rest of the book in one sitting.

Paige is a relatable character who loves books which is always nice to read about. Her best friends Kayla and Eric were my favorite characters and kept my attention through the first half of this book. James didn’t seem real, but there was something refreshing about him. It was nice to read about these characters in the manners that they were written.

This book is not plot driven at all, so don’t go into it expecting to read for the plot. It felt like a veeeery slow build up to the entertaining bits, but it was a cute, light read overall.

“Scotsman in the Stacks” is a low steam, no angst, sweet romance with an American librarian and an artistic Scotsman.

Paige is a librarian in Michigan when she meets James when he comes in for a library card. James is in the States temporarily for work. The two have a meet-cute and strike up a friendship. Paige is looking for her forever and with James being in town only for a little bit, she’s hesitant to start anything with him.

This book was cute but overall I had trouble connecting with it. There wasn’t a whole lot of chemistry between the two characters. A solid friendship for sure but I wasn’t feeling any romance between them. The book is told in the third POV which is not my favorite and to me always keeps a disconnection between the characters and the story.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

As a librarian, of course I jumped on the opportunity to read a romance centered around libraries. The premise of this book has all the makings of a fun rom-com featuring my favorite tropes.

This was a light, cute read that I devoured pretty quickly. However, I agree with other reviewers that this book was a little boring and lackluster. There was very little chemistry between James and Paige, and I just kept hoping there was more. The writing likely contributed to these issues, as it was at times a little clunky to read with awkward phrasings and such. I have also been reading a ton of spicy books recommended on BookTok, so that probably contributed to my lack of interest as well. This book is like the opposite of spice. Sugar, perhaps? Sweet and pleasant with little substance.

I give this book a 3/5 overall. The premise was fun, and I definitely recommend as a fun summer beach read.

The first thing that grabbed my attention was that the setting was Michigan. I am a Michigander myself and this was a pleasant surprise. This book was such a spectacular read. It felt so homey and cozy. I didn't have to leave my comfort zone at all because everything was just so smooth sailing.

This is the type of book I would curl up in a warm blanket during the winter and read just to get some good vibes. Alana Oxford outdid herself.

Review in 10-ish words: Cute storyline that fell a little flat.

Synopsis: Paige is a librarian whose main goal in life is to settle down, get married and have kids. After her long term relationship ends she struggles with whether or not to jump on the chance to get with an adorable man from Scotland because he is only here for the summer. She also wants a promotion.

My thoughts:
I was drawn in by the library setting and the Scottish MC. This is unfortunately where my interest ended.
Paige is hard to like. I just didn't vibe with her in terms of personality. James is adorable on paper but in reality he was a little boring.
I found myself skimming paragraphs towards the end of this book and I didn't have any tension or suspense for how it would end.
I did love learning more about Michigan and some of the sights and experiences to be had there!


Thank you to Netgalley for providing a complementary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

This was a cute read. I didn't become attached to the characters and wasn't very invested. It was a quick, easy read.

Scotsman in the Stacks is a romantic, fun, sweet and adorable book. it is easy to read and relaxing.

I have always been interested in books related to Scotland plus when we add the world of books, a dream.. This is roughly how I imagine my life just to have all this happen in Scotland.

In the book we follow the sweet, cheerful and quirky librarian Paige Marie and one good-looking, artistic Scotman James. I usually don't like to write what happens in the book in the reviews because it can be read in the synopsis, so I immediately jump to writing impressions.

I liked the book very much, everything was so sweet and fairytale-like. I cried and laughed as I read and somehow forgot about all the problems throughout the book, I just relived the adventures and lives of following Paige and James and that’s it. They both radiated positive energy, as did their surroundings. Although I would love to read about them in Scotland as well and get to know James ’family more, as well as Paige’s. That's what I missed, as well as the realization of Paige's dreams and also I like that the author put an accent to convey all that, but in some moments it was not easy to read a Scottish accent .

So if you want to feel more lonely than you are I recommend you this book .;)

I liked the characters. James and Paige character's had a good appeal. However, I found the plot to be dull. I expected more from what I read in the blurb. Overall I enjoyed the character's dynamic but did was disappointed with the plot.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I’m a sucker for romances involving libraries or librarians, so Scotsman in the Stacks caught my eye…even though I’m one of those rare people who isn’t particularly drawn to Scotsmen. And generally I got what I expected: a sweet, fun romance that kept me entertained.
Paige as a character is pretty relatable. I can empathize with feeling at a crossroads in life at thirty, both professionally and personally. And while there was less librarian stuff than I’d have liked, but it’s still cool to see someone in the field representing the issues with library work, even in a small way. And while I related to her personal issues a bit less (a line about her “biological clock ticking” rubbed me the wrong way for some reason, even if, for women who want kids, it’s perfectly valid), I could also understand the feeling of having invested a lot of time into a relationship and developing certain expectations, and then your partner still isn’t sure, trying to put you off.
The romance with James is quite cute, and they have some nice moments together. And the conflict is a legitimate one, at least in theory: is what started pretty casually going to go the distance, once he has to leave?
But I didn’t feel invested in them as a couple. And that’s partly because I felt James’ perspective was missing here, so his main thing was being Scottish and having commitments in Scotland. What really makes him a good fit for Paige, aside from those cute moments? I can’t tell you, he’s as undefinable as when he first stepped on the page. If he had the opportunity to show more depth, I might have cared a bit more.
This book is fine, and while I wasn’t super wowed, it’s still a sweet read and I can see the appeal, especially for those who are more into Scottish heroes, and also want a light, low angst read.

A huge shout-out to NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of Scotsman in the Stacks, written by Alana Oxford!

Let me first start off by saying that this was a 4-star read for me! I really enjoyed it, despite the fact that it was slightly cheesy at times, and I was only slightly off-set by the fact that Paige kept trying to deny herself happiness and keep James in the friend-zone. However, I really appreciated that there were no major sex scenes in this novel, as that can be somewhat of a turn-off for me at times.

The novel starts off telling the story of Paige and Dylan, who have been together for roughly 6 and 1/2 years. Paige is getting impatient and has been expecting a proposal - then finally decides to be somewhat unorthodox and try to initiate it by asking him herself. Before she can get the question out, he proposes the idea of moving in together to see if they're compatible - and Paige decides she doesn't want to waste anymore time on him when she has a bigger life picture in mind.

She works as a librarian and meets James who comes to her hometown of Michigan to Scotland to pursue his love of art. They bond over many things (a book discussion group, double dates with her friends Kayla and Eric. and a 4th of July weekend trip of nostalgia for Paige that introduces James to the wonderful places Michigan has to offer. She also is working towards a promotion and is in the process of losing her lease on her apartment due to her rent being increased. Things also become further complicated when James' uncle David falls ill with a heart attack and he has to return to Scotland to be with his family.

This was a cute book. It was kind of slow at first but it picked up speed the further you read. Paige is a part time librarian and she recently got out of a long term relationship of which she had hopes of settling down. Now she is only looking for serious relationship not a summer fling. James is an artist in the U.S. for 8 weeks in the summer with college art program. Definitely not what Paige is looking for and yet she is drawn to his Scottish accent when they meet in the library.

The premise was great, the execution, not so much.

Paige was a sad sack and I had a hard time liking her because she constantly felt bad for herself. James felt one dimensional and their chemistry didn't pique my interest. The author also chose to focus on odd things - for example, she noted every single thing people were wearing. I found myself skimming a lot of this book.

I'm a public librarian, and while the author got some things exactly right, the fact that Paige can live anywhere on a part-time librarians salary is absurd. I am a full time children's librarian in an extremely well-paying library and I can't afford to pay rent alone.

Not my cup of tea. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Librarian Paige is six months out from a breakup with her long-term boyfriend when James, a handsome, sweet Scot in town on a summer art fellowship, walks up to her desk to ask a question. He’s leaving in eight weeks, and she’s not looking for a fling. But being Just Friends with James proves harder than expected, and Paige has to decide if a whirlwind romance with the guy of her dreams is worth the pain she’s sure to feel when he leaves Michigan behind.

On the most basic level, Paige is living the dream – my dream, specifically. To just have a swoony Scotsman walk into her day-to-day life and sweep her off her feet? Sounds perfect to me. But there’s an undercurrent to the book of both Paige and James having to decide exactly what they want in life and learn how to fight for what makes them happy instead of trying to please everyone else. James, especially, is feeling this pressure from his family back in Glasgow, who don’t understand his desire to live a life outside of the family boat tour company.

This is a light, fun read, so low-angst that it feels ridiculous to even mention angst in this review. Except that I wanted some angst! Paige is adamant that she is only interested in dating that can lead to a long-term commitment and she disregards that so easily for James, without much an internal struggle that would have made her decision to trust him so quickly feel worth it. And James has a LOT going on with his family that is barely addressed. For characters who insist their connection is so intense so quickly, I would have loved to see them discuss some of this, to have some heavier conversations rather than just agreeing on everything and being smiley and in love.

But that’s not what this book is. Scotsman in the Stacks is sweet and light and hopeful, instalove between two people you can’t help but root for. If you want a little angst, look elsewhere, but this book is exactly as advertised, and you won’t find that angst here. But I still think the narration could have at least visited Scotland…

Paige wants two things: to land a full time librarian job and find the man of her dreams. On the cusp of thirty, she finds herself suddenly single and working part-time in a Michigan library. A handsome patron with a delicious accent appears at the reference desk, inadvertently sparking an idea that might help her land the promotion she so desperately needs. But that's not the only thing he sparks.

James is in town from Glasgow, Scotland, on a summer artist residency. Luckily, the trip got him away from the pressure he feels to take over his uncle's river tour business. He only wanted to clear his head and make his art in peace, but he wasn't counting on finding an attractive librarian to fill his days.

With only eight weeks before James goes home to Scotland, Paige knows she should protect her heart. After all, she already wasted years with her commitmentphobe ex. But the more she gets to know James, the less she can stick to her plan to just be friends. Is she just wasting her time again, or can they bridge the ocean between them to find a happily ever after of their own?

*Sigh* This book had a lot of potential to be a cute and engaging story. I found the storyline to lag. Way too much time spent on sharing information unnecessary for the plot development. The couple lacked chemistry and personality. The story was also light on the conflict and tension. Overall, a boring story that I struggled to finish. *I received an ARC of this book and this is my voluntary and honest review.

Meet 29 year old Paige, part time librarian, full time hopeless romantic. Recently out of a six year relationship, she is desperate to find her one and only. While on shift at her library one day, she sees a group of people come in that she has never seen before, including a tall, auburn haired, gorgeous man in the center of them all. Little did Paige know, when this man comes to her for help with getting a library card, her entire life will change.

Meet James, a Scottish expat visiting America for an art internship. When he walked in to the library one day with his fellow art students, he didn’t know that when he asked the attractive librarian for help, his life too would change.

They have eight weeks. Eight weeks together. Will this eight weeks lead to a lifetime together? Or will this eight weeks leave them brokenhearted?

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I absolutely devoured this book within hours of downloading it. It was so super sweet! I absolutely loved Paige, a fellow book lover. I think that was part of what made her so relatable. She was so incredibly simple and sweet and all she wants in life is to be a librarian and to fall in love. I think one of the things I loved so much about this book is the simplicity of it. There were moments of pure joy and there were points of complete heartbreak and it was just so simple and lovely.

If you need a fresh, palate cleanser this summer, check out Scotsman in the Stacks when it hits the shelves on June 14.

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✨Thank you to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this before it is published!✨

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Thank you to 8N publishing for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so cute! It follows Paige, a librarian fresh out of a long term relationship and seeking commitment. Enter James, the hot Scotsman wanting a library card. There is an instant attraction, but Paige wants something permanent, and James has a return date to Scotland.

I loved James. He reminded me of Jamie from Outlander. He was so sweet and I loved how he encouraged Paige. Even though this was a closed door romance, there was a surprising amount of steam - which I am all in favor of!

I really enjoyed Paige’s character arc. She went from timid to a confident young woman. James sorted through his own problems as well. I loved the side characters. I felt they were all well developed.

I recommend this book to everyone wanting an adventure. Please look for this book when it publishes June 14.