This is the second book I’ve read by this author and I liked this one much more than the other one. It’s the story of a group of lonely people that accidentally start a book group and becomes a family. I recommend this book. Thanks NetGalley for the advanced copy. #NetGalley #TheLonelyHeartsBookClub

THE LONELY HEARTS BOOK CLUB – Lucy Gilmore
Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN: 978-1-7282-5621-4
March 28, 2023
Contemporary Fiction

Coeur d’Alene, Idaho – Present Day

Librarian Sloane Parker enjoys her job at the community library, even if her boss is rigid and bossy. One day, an elderly man named Arthur McLachlan comes into the library just as Sloane is putting books back in their right spot on the shelves. She’s trying to be friendly while he’s rude and obnoxious toward her. Even with the animosity between them, there is a sense that it’s all a game as he comes in every day to do battle with her. But when he doesn’t show up for several days, Sloane goes against her boss’s wishes and heads to Arthur’s house, where she discovers that he is ill and currently without a nurse to care for him.

Arthur doesn’t want Sloane there, though he needs someone. He apparently has no close family members except for a nosy neighbor, Maisey, so no one can take care of him. While he tells both women to go away, they snoop around and discover he has a vast book collection. Clearly he reads, so a book club of sorts is formed. Sloane got fired from her job after her supervisor found out she’d visited Arthur after being told not to. Now she can be with Arthur all day, while Maisey has a work-at-home job. Sloane soon brings in her former coworker, Mateo, to join them. They are then joined by Arthur’s grandson, Greg, who has had a tumultuous relationship with his grandfather. As the five people get to know each other, they form a bond. Will they learn more about Arthur’s past and why he seems bitter toward life?

THE LONELY HEARTS BOOK CLUB brings together a motley crew and they each realize a change in themselves by the end of this tale. Sloane is engaged to a man who basically controls her life. Her choices aren’t considered, and she has pretty much gone along with him. She still misses the sister she lost when she was young. Her life isn’t making her happy until she started the book club because these people became her friends. For most of the book, Arthur acts like he doesn’t want them there, but he needs the help. How does having people that care for him change him?

Maisey is divorced and has a teenage daughter who only visits her every two weeks on weekends. Maisey wishes it was more, but her daughter feels like her mom is overbearing and her daughter wants to do what she wishes. After her daughter announces that her father has gotten a job in Los Angeles and she will be moving with them, Maisey is devastated. However, the unspoken therapy the book club provides helps her see what she was doing wrong with her daughter—and her life.

Mateo likes his job at the library but doesn’t enjoy it. He is who Sloane turns to when she needs medical attention for Arthur. How will Mateo’s life change? Finally, there is Greg. He cares for his grandfather but the old man basically caused his daughter, Greg’s mother, to walk away after her mother died. Can the two men repair their relationship?

As readers can see while reading THE LONELY HEARTS BOOK CLUB, there is plenty of emotion and feelings to be found. As each character goes through their journey, they change as they realize the mistakes they have made in their lives. For Sloane, will that include breaking off her engagement? Her fiancé is ready to start a new life in Boston and expects her to go with him. How will she decide? A refreshing and intriguing read don’t miss THE LONELY HEARTS BOOK CLUB.

Patti Fischer

full of lovable and carefully crafted characters, the lonely hearts book club is a great read for a cozy day. i was surprised by the rotating POV, but found that i enjoyed it immensely. the story ended too quickly for me, and i would have been much happier with a few more chapters before having to say goodbye.

“𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦 — 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 — 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘮, 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳.”

𝗔 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗺𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹-𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗯 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 (𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀) 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆.

Through their loneliness this group of people find each other and become the best of friends. Something none of them would expect to happen.

Sloane is a young librarian who loves all things books & reading and is living a life without her best friend.

Arthur is a retired professor who loves reading but comes off rude.

Mateo works with Sloane but doesn’t allow himself to go after what he truly wants.

Maisey is a mother who’s struggling with the fact that her teenager doesn’t need her anymore.

Greg, Arthur’s grandson, has recently lost his mom and is trying to fulfill her last wish.

First let me just say that I absolutely ADORED each & every character in this book. I haven’t read many books where I love literally every character. Lucy did that!

The writing, the characters, the book club, the growth, all of it is amazing. The title of this book is VERY fitting and gives you an idea about what kind of story you’re getting into.

I’d honestly say this is in my top 5 books of 2023! It’s being released March 28 so make sure to grab yourself a copy! It's well worth the read!

𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧...

Oh this book feels like a hug; heartwarming, smile making, goosebump raising, and mildly tear inducing. It was such a lovely surprise. Sloane, Arthur, Greg, Maisey, and Mateo have a very special place in my heart now.

Disclaimer: There is little to no romantic love here, and I didn’t miss it for a second (which is SHOCKING for me). The platonic relationships, the witty banter, and relatability made this such a beautiful read.

The Lonely Hearts Book Club follows Sloane, a young librarian, and Arthur, an old curmudgeon, who forge the unlikeliest of friendships on his daily visits to the library. As terse and as adversarial a foe as Arthur is, Sloane notices his absence one day, and anxiously seeks him out to ensure he’s okay. She finds him all but bedridden, alone, and struggling to hide how happy he is to see her. After taking charge as his caretaker, and wanting to bring more cheer into Arthur's gloomy life, Sloane creates an impromptu book club. Slowly the “nosy” neighbour, Maisey, the mysterious man, Greg, and the coworker, Mate, join their misfit impromptu book club (because books have a way of bringing even the loneliest of souls together).

“Do you want to read it together?” I asked, trying not to sound as nervous as I felt. I imagined this was what people proposing marriage had to deal with. “As a…book club?”

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for an advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review. The Lonely Hearts Book Club comes out on March 28th.

The Lonely Heart Bookclub is a nice uplit read. At the story's heart are a lonely curmudgeon and the librarian who tries to fix him. A small supporting cast of lonely hearts joins in as the book progresses.

I enjoyed the characters - each brought something to the story, and their developing friendships were heartwarming - just what I want from this genre. There are also several literary references which, as a book lover, I enjoyed (Remains of the Day and Joy Luck Club are two of the books the story pulls from).

The perspective changes with each chapter as the book moves through each club member. The voices lacked robust distinguishing features, so I sometimes lost track of who was "speaking."

I'd recommend this book to readers wanting a light, uplifting novel - especially if you love book-themed books.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me an electronic ARC in exchange for a review.

Sloane works at a library and one day she comes across a grumpy patron, Arthur. They develop a sort of friendship, and she becomes concerned one day when he doesn't show up like normal. She finds out that he is bedridden, and becomes determined to help him. One of the ways she does this is by starting a book club.

It took a long time for me to get to the book club part. I also got really invested in Sloane's story and then it shifted to another narrator right after I feel like you get hooked in.

As a public librarian this book was right up my alley and I couldn't have enjoyed it more!!

A young librarian befriends a curmudgeonly older man in this feel-good book about a group of strangers who come together over a shared love of books. Each of the diverse cast of characters has something going on in their lives that they're struggling with and I really enjoyed how the book alternates POVs between them providing first person insights as the story progresses.

Recommended for fans of books like All the lonely people by Mike Gayle, The last chance library by Freya Sampson or The reading list by Sara Nisha Adams and great on audio narrated by Angie Kane. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for early digital copies in exchange for my honest review!

Sloane, a young librarian, meets Arthur, a crotchety patron with a love of books. Despite his attempts at deterring her, she finds herself curious. Increasingly so when he does not show up at his usual time, and Sloane finds him in need of her help, whether he will admit it or not. A unlikely group of characters forms a bond over Arthur's recovery, sharing together their love of books in the Lonely Hearts Book Club.

This one was sweet. I really found Sloane and Arthur's relationship endearing and enjoyed their witty banter. Each chapter was from a new character perspective which I quite enjoyed as it provided a new insight into the story as well as from a different point of view. This allowed a theme of the book to shine through that everyone really is so different, and you don't know what's going on in someone's life until you get to know them.

I also loved the tribute to one of my all time favorite reads, The Art of Racing in the Rain, and other classically beautiful stories. This is truly a testament to book lovers everywhere and how we connect with one another over a shared love of fictional stories. I felt like the author was speaking to all of us through the pages, just as Arthur was speaking to his family.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Books with titles about books/bookclubs/bookshops/library’s will always grab my attention so it was a no-brainer to request this on @netgalley when I saw it!

This one is a slow burn, one of those books that the more I think back on it, the more I like it.

It cycles through the POV of each member of the bookclub so you get a great understanding of them and their back story. In this way we also got to see the other characters from a different perspective.

The use of the bookclub and the specific books they read to support the plot was really great.

It all comes together in the end, the keys themes of friendship, family and a love of literature shining through ❤️.

✨Thank you to @netgalley and @sourcebooks for an ARC of this book✨

I liked this. It felt like a cozy, warm blanket.
It was sweet, lovely, kind and warm hearted. I enjoyed how this felt easy to read and I was invested.

When you want something that doesn't take too much to stay invested in, is sweet and lovely - pick this up.

The Lonely Hearts Book Club is a love story without the romance. It is about finding yourself, navigating life and found family. This was a nice, comforting read. I liked how the book led us through different characters points of view so we could experience their feelings.

While I enjoyed the book, I did find that parts of it dragged on, and I wish there was more resolution at the end than what we are left with. What will happen with Sloane and Greg and will she have some resolution with her job?

All in all a solid read, and I will read more of Lucy Gilmore's books in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a heartwarming story about some lonely people who end up together in a book club. A book about books. Sloan works at a library and a curmudgeon named Arthur comes in everyday. Most of the other employees hide when he comes in but Sloan likes to spar with him. One day he doesn't come in. She wants to find out what happened to him against her boss's advice. She then finds out a neighbor has been watching his house and a strange man keeps driving by the house as well. They try to help Arthur by starting a book club because his house is full of books. More characters are added and we have a group of misfits becoming friends and trying to help each other through life. It was a very sweet story. The book is told through each of their perspectives which was a little hard to get used to but that is okay.

-"You could spend a lifetime trying to break through to them, but it wouldn't make any difference. You don't matter. You never have, and you never will."

-One should never underestimate the staying power of a woman who had literally nowhere else to be.

-...but one of the things I always told my clients was that we could only choose which path to take to our destination. What happened along the way was entirely up to chance.

-No matter which angle I saw him from, he always looked so...lonely. Like he's never had a friend a day in his life.

-"You could be amazing at anything you put your whole heart into. I just wish the thing you were willing to put your heart into was me."

-But the only thing I'd been able to glean from the book was mothers were one hell of a gift in this world, and we all just f***ing wasted them.

-I'd have been caught dead before I'd buy a movie poster tie-in of any piece of literature.

-Some days, I needed to be near her. Most days, I couldn't bear the pain.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the chance to read The lonely hearts book club by Lucy Gilmore. This was a cute and quirky read about a librarian who befriends a curmudgeon who comes into the library where she works. When he stops coming in, she becomes concerned and tracks him down at his home and discovers he is almost bedridden. Wanting to cheer him up, she creates an impromptu book club that include other quirky people from the town. This is a multi POV book, and I did find that a bit confusing. However, the high point for me was that my favourite children's book Anne of Green Gables is featured and the ending was wonderful. 31/2 stars.

This is a sweet love story to books and everyone who loves to read. Sloane is a quiet and shy assistant in a small town library who begins sparring with Arthur McLachlan, the cankerous old man who visits the library every day. Arthur has managed to alienate everyone in his life, and even the librarians hide from his biting insults. When Arthur doesn't show up for several days, Sloane oversteps her library privileges to find out where he lives. Ill, bedridden and alone, Arthur is secretly relieved to see Sloane. Arthur's neighbor Maisy brings the color into Sloan and Arthur's life, that they didn't even know they were missing. Sloane and Maisy form an informal book club partly for themselves, and partly as a ruse. Soon a small group of people become friends who need each other more than they realize.
This was a heartwarming story. I felt like I was wrapped in a blanket surrounded by the books in Arthur's living room. Gilmore introduced such quirky but loveable characters all dealing with those troubles we've all experienced at some point...grief, heartbreak, love, doubt, loneliness. Anyone who loves books will love this sweet cozy read.

Like many readers, I'm a sucker for a book about books, and fortunately, this one was lovely and sweet. The book starts with the perspective of a lonely librarian, Sloane, engaged to a man she doesn't love, and the cantankerous old man, Arthur, who shows up at the library to verbally spar with her. Just as we're presented with all of Sloane's problems, the perspective switches. At first I felt a little resentful; I had to put up with doormat Sloane and wanted to see her get her act together and grow a backbone. However, Gilmore deftly introduces each of our lonely misfits and their various issues, and as we spend time with each of them, they are all slowly coming together in a satisfying found family situation (another of my favorite themes). We get to know Maisey, Arthur's next-door neighbor who is a single mom desperate to connect with her teenage daughter; Mateo, Sloane's library co-worker who is struggling with career and mother issues; Greg, Arthur's estranged grandson; and Arthur himself. As the various characters help each other through hard times and begin an informal book club, we learn their backstories and motivations. This novel was sweet without being saccharine, and tackles some heavy themes of loss and finding oneself with a light hand. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for a digital review copy.

Sloane is a librarian who becomes concerned when the regular grumpy patron, Arthur doesn't show up one morning. She goes to his house to do a welfare check,
there she meets one of Arthur’s neighbours Maisey and they realise that Arthur has no nurse because of his less than warm personality! Maisey convinces him to hire Sloane as his private nurse. As he doesn’t want a nurse he instead hires her to catalog his books. This group of strangers become the first three members of the book club…

Set in a world of books - absolutely the best place to be -The Lonely Hearts Book Club is a beautiful easy read, with such wonderful characters, it’s a really heartwarming story that will tug on your heart strings. It’s a bit like being wrapped in a nice warm blanket 📚🥰
Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the opportunity to read and review this uplifting read
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The Lonely Hearts Book Club follows Sloane Parker, a librarian who is happy yet also somewhat unhappy about her life. It all comes to a head when she ends up talking to a patron named Arthur McLachlan. While most of their conversations start with insults from him, the two end up striking up an unlikely friendship.

Once her friend ends up not coming back to the library and Sloane loses out on a promotion, the two end up becoming a lot closer and eventually, starting a book club. From there, they’re joined by Maisey one of Arthur’s neighbors, Mateo, Sloane’s former co-worker, Greg who is Arthur’s grandson and eventually, a special guest but I won’t spoil the connection for that.

While there was no romance within the pages of this story, The Lonely Hearts Book Club came alive via the friendships of the characters. Arthur was dealing with a lot and frankly incredibly angry at life, but everyone around him never blamed him for anything. They had their moments, but in the end, the book club was a family.

With a family though, there were plenty of disagreements, hurtful insults hurled at each other, and also lots of love. I especially enjoyed seeing the books they picked to read and how towards the end of the story, there was a grand gesture. I know it’s usually reserved for romance books, but The Lonely Hearts Book Club did it so well.

Aside from the lack of romance, there wasn’t much I didn’t enjoy about the story. I will say that the only thing I didn’t love was how Sloane’s fiance was portrayed. He was set to be the villain from the beginning and it made sense yet I didn’t want to see Sloane have to deal with his dumb face.

All in all, there were so many references to books and authors. It was such a beautiful bookish story yet it did focus on some heavier topics. If you’re sensitive to grief, the loss of a family member, strained parental relationships, or don’t like rude characters, then I’d steer clear of this one unless you’re in a better place.

If you’re up for it though, The Lonely Hearts Book Club is a great one to pick up this spring especially if you’re a book lover.

The Lonely Hearts Book Club by Lucy Gilmore is a heart warming read, perfect for fans of The Reading List. Based on the unlikely friendship between meek librarian Sloane Parker and curmudgeonly library patron Arthur McLachlan , the book is a real feel good story that will cheer up even the greyest day. While Sloane and Arthur are at the heart of the story, it would not be much of a book club with only two members, so we are gradually introduced to the wonderful cast of characters who will become a real support network for each other and become true friends. These include Arthur's estranged grandson , Sloane's co worker with a second life as a performer and Arthur's neighbour Maisey , as well as a mystery figure from Arthur's past. As parts of the story are told from several of these perspectives we get a full picture of the character's lives as seen from the outside, not just the stories they as narrators are telling the readers about themselves, and this made for interesting reading.
A sweet feel good story that I know many readers will enjoy.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

When I read this was a book about books and happening in a library, I was in. But I did not expect to love this book as much as I did! I loved all and each of the characters, the heartwarming and all the emotions around them. Sloane, Maisey, Arthur, Greg, Matteo are all fantastic characters, I felt like I wanted to be part of their Book Club! If you like books that leave you with a heart full of joy, make sure you pick this one up, its release date is April 4th, 2023.
Thanks NetGally for sharing this amazing ARC with me.