Member Reviews

The concept was fantastic and engaging. I had no idea what I was in for when I started this one but the ending was very well done and realistic, if that makes any sense.

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I loved this book! It's well-written, enjoyable, and a great read. The author did a great job of writing in a way that captures the readers attention, and makes you not want to put it down until you're finished! I would highly recommend it!

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I will not be providing feedback on this book for I had not the opportunity to read it before it got archived! However, I am still interested in reading this book and I’m hoping to review it in the future on my social media platforms!

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This is a lovely book overall, and it has some good but it also has some bad. I really liked the premise, it felt really relatable. Who wouldn't want to write the love of their life into existence? But I think the story fell short a little bit. Alice was a little hard to like until almost the very end of the story.

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As a dedicated reader and writer, this magical realism type of book was just up my ally. To top it off, I got to read multiple love stories unfold.

While at times I did struggle to like the characters (Alice), that didn't stop me from enjoying the book!

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While sometimes an unlikeable main character adds some spice to a book, the MC was way too negative and added a sour tone to the book. Thanks netgalley & the publisher for the ARC!

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The Love Scribe was such an absolutely magical read. From the writing, to the plot and characters, the endless quotes I copied down, and the literal magic of the story, it was one of those reads where you have to consciously try to read slower because as much as you want to devour more, you also want to take tiny sips to savor it forever and ever.⁣

Alice finds out she has amazing and special gift when she pens a whimsical tale to cheer up her best friend reeling from a breakup. She discovers that when she writes a story for a particular person, that person finds love immediately after reading it. ⁣

She soon becomes highly sought after as a kind of “matchmaker”, bringing joy to so many people … but when a curious and mysterious woman asks her to write her a story, Alice is suddenly forced to delve into her own past. And her own story of love.⁣ And she’s not thrilled about it.

Because sometimes, love stories - end.⁣

“Stories don’t belong to the reader once they’re complete - they belong to the readers.”⁣

Love comes in so many forms, and sometimes it doesn’t last forever… but the lessons learned, the memories, and the stories can live on forever.⁣

I’ve been forcing everyone I know to read this unique and delightful book!

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Where do I even start with this amazing magical realism book? When Alice's best friend has yet another horrible breakup, Alice wants to make her feel better by writing her a letter, the way she used to when they were young. Instead, she finds herself writing a story and as if by magic, Gabby meets the man of her dreams.

Soon, Alice is writing stories for everyone as her gift pours from her. When she is sent a letter that brings her to a mysterious mansion, she meets Madeline who wants to have a special story written for her. Alice is forced to deal with her own past in order to move forward. This is one of the contemporary fiction books for book clubs we have read and absolutely loved. It is perfect for Fiction Books about Writers and a perfect book for summer reads 2023.

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I really enjoy a story about books, bookstores or authors and this one fit the bill. It is also very different from anything I have read before. Alice's best friend Gabby is devastated after a breakup. To cheer her up, Gabby writes her a story about meeting someone new. Once Gabby reads the story, she meets someone similar to the events in the story and she tells friends about Alice's magical talent. Alice begins to write stories for friends and family and they all find love. Through word of mouth, Alice stumbles upon a new calling—to be a love scribe. She begins to advertise and charge for her stories. When a reclusive woman, Madeline Alger, commissions a story, Alice is stumped. She doesn't know much about Madeline and she is unwilling to share. Alice snoops around and finds out that Madeline is also a Love Scribe, but her books are changing colour. Alice and Madeline begin an odyssey to find out what happened to the couples in Madeline's books that have changed colour. While this is all happening, Alice, who had no intention to find love, meets and falls for the book binder who binds her stories. Will Alice find her own happily ever after? What will happen to the couples that both Madeline and Alice have helped meet?

This was a very interesting story and very different from what I was expecting. I enjoyed both storylines, and was rooting for Alice to find her own love story. The magic was inferred as the stories Alice writes come true, or cause the reader/recipient to find love. As Alice begins to doubt her stories, I wanted Madeline to just go away and leave her alone. I was so drawn into the stories and would have liked more time to be spent on the ones that Alice wrote, perhaps some vignettes. As they investigated to find out what had happened to Madeline's couples, there was some mystery, twists and turns in the lives of the recipients of the stories. As the description says, The Love Scribe explores love, fate and the power of stories when we choose to believe in them. I enjoyed this book and will watch for more by Amy Meyerson.

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Loved the magical realism of this but my goodness is the MC negative. She legit hates anything to do with love. I loved the idea of writing stories that magically come true. But it fell a bit flat for me.

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This is really a 2.5, and may hit better for people who read romance more regularly than I do - but this just didn't do it for me, which I found sad, because I really liked the idea and wanted to love it! But it moved soooo slowly at the beginning and just dragged in so many places with unnecessary description that I kept feeling my eyes glaze over. Something about the style also didn't work. (Or, as the author would write, did not work... I can't think of a single not-dialog time a contraction was used and that drove me off the wall.)

I loved the magical realism and the love scribe idea, and exploring how there are many different kinds and paths to love, including loving oneself - I especially enjoyed Alice and her best friend and their dynamic throughout the story. But Madeline and her plot line were so long and I felt contributed little.

I liked it wasn't a love story, but many love stories - but something just felt flat. I think readers who like a little mystery, and aren't looking for an intense, swooning love story will enjoy this one more.

Thank you to netgalley for the eArc.

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I went into this booking thinking it would be a sweet romantic love story. While there was a love story involved, actually many love stories, it was also magical and thought provoking.

Overall I enjoyed this book, the magical realism of the story really made the setting enjoyable. It felt like we were reading many different stories all at once. I loved that we got just a little snippet from each couple who had made a match after reading their personalized story. However, I was not prepared for the somber turn this book took. After reaching a certain point in the book I began really analyzing the story. I felt at the end I still had open questions that I kept thinking more about.

The only downfall of this book for me was that I had a difficult time feeling engaged in the story at times. I attribute this to not liking the main character and not really feeling any connection to her.

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The Love Scribe was an interesting magical realism story about Alice and the stories she writes to help her friends--and then clients--find love.

The story was well written, and if you have that certain "willful suspension of disbelief," you'll have no problem believing the story itself.

I had a really tough time connecting with Alice, and that was the crux of the problem for me.

Recommended if you're a huge fan of magical realism and difficult protagonists.

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The synopsis of this book sucked me in. I was so excited to read it. But then Alice came along. And could she have been any worse? I don't think so. She hates love, seems to dislike anyone around her, and wasn't open to anyone else's thoughts or ideas.

It was really difficult to cheer for a MC who was sooooo negative. I enjoyed the rest of the book, I loved the world building and the descriptions. The author is very talented and I would definitely read her again.

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Recommend for readers who like Sarah Addison Allen and a little "magic" in their stories.
Alice works serving at banquets for a caterer, she isn't a writer. Her friend Gabby needs cheering up, so Alice writes her a short story about hope. After Gabby reads it, she falls in love. Everyone she shares the story with also falls in love. Alice starts a new profession as a Love Scribe. She is commissioned by Madeline who is a recluse and lives in a magic house with a locked library. As Alice gets to know Madeline, she looks back on growing up and how her parents and the death of her father have impacted her current life. It's a lovely story about what love is and how it can be many different things to different people.

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Beautifully woven tale about love, magic, and waning relationships. I loved the magical realism and the slight twist of this book. I was truly spellbound.

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I am a fan of magical realism, but there were parts of this book I just didn’t really quite get my head around, particularly the Madeline character. Alice gets inspirations to write stories that bring people to their true loves. After succeeding with her best friend Gabby, Alice becomes known as the Love Scribe, with a wait list of people wanting her services. The idea of the story is appealing, but there were times that I wasn’t sure I would finish. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

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Where do I even start with this amazing magical realism book? When Alice’s best friend has yet another horrible breakup, Alice wants to make her feel better by writing her a letter, the way she used to when they were young. Instead, she finds herself writing a story and as if by magic, Gabby meets the man of her dreams.

Soon, Alice is writing stories for everyone as her gift pours from her. When she is sent a letter that brings her to a mysterious mansion, she meets Madeline who wants to have a special story written for her. Alice is forced to deal with her own past in order to move forward. This is one of the books for book clubs we have read and absolutely loved.

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I loved the story idea but I could just not get into this book. I loved the idea and she had some magical words and thoughts in the book. Alice is truly blessed to be able to write love stories for people but she also finds a love story waiting for her.

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A sweet magical realism novel about a disillusioned woman who learns that her stories have the power to help others find love. It's a unique idea, and I like that the novel explores different types of love, not all good. It's not the same cookie cutter find your soulmate story over and over again.

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