I got this book from @netgalley it is an advanced reader copy. It came out yesterday!

This book is for a book lover. It quotes dozens of books. It was pure magic. I love that it doesn’t fit into one genre. There’s romance in it and mystery in it, but it’s not a romance or mystery. There are multiple timelines and almost everyone’s point of view.

Chloe is a librarian in a small town. She finds an old book that has love notes written in the margins. It becomes her mission to figure out who these people are and their story. All the while Chloe is raising her siblings and sorting through her mess of a life.


#netgalley #netgalleyreader #netgalleyreviewer #netgalleyarc #netgalleyreads #lucygilmore #lucygilmoreauthor

I had the opportunity to both read and listen to this novel. I enjoyed both experiences. The variety of narrators added to the depth of the story and characters. The story reminded me of A Man Called Ove but with a literary twist. The quotes from the classics woven throughout added to the depth of the story. The character development and dual time line really engaged and invested me as a reader/listener. I look forward to reading The Lonely Hearts Book Club and others by Lucy Gilmore.

Thank you Net Galley, Lucy Gilmore and Sourcebooks for the opportunity to preview this novel that is now available. The opinions shared are my own.

Chloe Sampson is a 25 year old Librarian that is struggling to raise her three younger siblings after their mother abandons them. Chloe is put in charge of getting rid of all the old damage books from the library’s basement. Chloe comes across a bootlegged book from Mexico that is worth lots of money. This is the beginning of a journey that will take you through a 3 part POV, and bounce between present and past time lines.

Jasper is your typical grumpy, reclusive old man neighbor. Chloe finds it hard to believe that her neighbor would want to buy this kind of book. Upon inspection Chloe finds inscriptions throughout the book from long lost lovers.

Slowly Chloe discovers that there is more books floating around town with similar inscriptions now she is on the hunt to find out what happened between the grumpy reclusive neighbor and his long lost love.


This book is so cozy and has a variety of relatable characters, personalities, sayings and I throughly enjoyed this book. This is my first novel by this author. I was intrigued and wanted to read it based off its beautiful cover and title. 4/5 ⭐️thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this magical mystery.

What an utterly charming book! It’s sweet and beautiful and full of lovely quotes from some of the greatest stories written. If you like books about lost love and found family, this is definitely one to pick up.

I did detest the mom, though I’m sure that is completely the point but I was hoping for more ‘letting her have it’ moments for leaving the children like she did. By either Chloe or Jasper, I would have been satisfied with either!

And while I hoped that Catherine and Jasper would get back together, I did appreciate the way it ended and still felt like a happily ever after was had by everyone involved. Loved this one!

What a great book! It was a romance, with mystery and back story and a happy and kinda sad ending, all wrapped up in one. Chloe and Jasper are cut from the same cloth, and it was heart-wrenching and sweet to see their stories unfolding simultaneously, 60 years apart. Interspersed are snippets from all genres of classic literature. This is a book written for book lovers.

I absolutely LOVED this book and audiobook! Such a heartwarming, touching, and emotional story and I devoured it!

"You don't get to decide how other people feel. The things you do matter...They don't get to walk away and then come back like it doesn't mean anything. We're...real live human beings. Not just some side characters who disappear the second they decide to turn the page."

"I take comfort from knowing that I can always pick up a book, a new one, if I want...someplace unique; an old one, if I find myself in need of a friend."

The Library Of Borrowed Hearts by, emotional eliciting, will read anything she writes, author Lucy Gilmore, ripped my heart to shreds and then slowly stitched it back together but there are scars.

Chloe, a young librarian, is struggling with life. Forced to leave college when her mother abandoned her 3 younger siblings, barely surviving financially, her solace is in books. But when she finds a rare, once banned copy of Tropic of Cancer, her life changes in unexpected ways.

She plans to sell it; then she discovers scribbled love messages in its margins, and realizes the romance continues in other classic books. Imagine her surprise when her cantankerous elderly neighbor, who refuses to return the frisbees that land in his yard, offers her a blank check for the book.

I was absorbed into the writer's world with every word I read and listening to talented voice actors Leanne Woodward, Aven Shore, Joe Jameson and Bob Ball be these complicated, often heartbreaking characters was emotional.

From the 1960s love affair of two star crossed lovers told through over 30 books from Rebecca to Wuthering Heights, to the present day love of found family, your heart will be curious, frustrated, oh so angry, and then it will weep, heal and love its borrowed time with this has my heart forever story.

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook from Dreamscape Media and SourcevBooks/Casablanca via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book! It was cute, heartfelt and cozy. I wanted to be apart of Chloe’s family! I loved the book quotes and references to so many classics. I also adored the love story that unfolded in the past. I didn’t like how it ended though. I wanted a happy ever after! I have a review posted for this book on Instagram that I have linked below.

Gosh, this was an utterly wholesome book! Told in multiple past & present POVs, this spans through decades witnessing 2 lovestories along the way! While mutilate POVs can be tricky, this book certainly wasn't. Infact it provided so much depth to it.

I loved Chloe so much. Her relationship with her siblings, her banter with Zach and her new-found bond with Jasper. Gah! Zach was an absolute flirt & I was totally here for it. This story explored so many emotions that felt real and raw; it like a warm, sunny day with a breath of fresh air.

Read it to experience a heartwarming & heartfelt tale!

Thank you Netgalley & Publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

If you enjoy a sweet closed-door romance, a duel timeline, a curmudgeon character, and a book about books, The Library of Borrowed Hearts might be for you. Librarian assistant, Chloe Sampson, is a young person with an old soul. After her mother left home unexpectedly, Chloe quit college and returned home to take care of her younger siblings. While sorting old books in the library basement she comes across an old copy of The Tropic of Cancer and notices there is handwriting in the margins, which leads Chloe on a scavenger hunt to unravel a 60 year old "tragic" love story.

Chloe's curmudgeon neighbor, Jasper Holmes, comes face-to-face with Chloe over an altercation involving a frisbee. When he hears Chloe say she has an "vandalized" old copy of The Tropic of Cancer, Jasper offers her a black check to buy it. Why does Jasper want this book so badly? How is he connected to the book? The love story unfolds and the ending will leave the reader mildly satisfied; however, there are many little story lines that get in the way of the story. This book wasn't a page-turner for me. The story is told from many different perspectives, so the reader has to keep up even though the plot moves slowly. Overall, the book was a mediocre read for me.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for this ARC.

The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore has a beautiful cover and an even more beautiful story. This is my first book by Lucy Gilmore and I absolutely loved it. The author has managed to create such interesting and developed characters. While all the characters are lovable in this book except for maybe Chole’s mother, it is Jasper and the Sampson siblings that stole my heart.

The dual timeline alternating between Chloe’s timeline in the present and Jasper’s timeline in the 1960s helped weave the story well. While the love story between Jasper and Catherine was beautiful. It was the bond between Jasper and Chole that I loved. I especially liked how the ending was not picture-perfect but more realistic.

This heartwarming book has it all- whirlwind romance, love notes, unexpected friendship and found family.

This is a book that tugs at your heartstrings and is a perfect read for those who love romance, found family and books about books.

Thank you Netgalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca and Lucy Gilmore for giving me a chance to read this ARC!

RATING: ★★★★★

The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore

𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒
Chloe comes across a book while clearing out the basement of the Colville Public Library. The book itself looks to be in not so great shape but library protocols aside she decides to keep it. Turns out this book is more than it seems when it reveals itself to be one of the banned books, 𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫. This bootleg copy of the novel might be worth a lot of money if it wasn’t for the margin notes from two individuals corresponding with each other. Chloe, who is the custodian for her younger siblings, is desperate for an extra amount of money after their mom walked out on them. As she takes the book home and has to deal with her grouchy neighbour, Jasper, who to her shock, asks to buy the book whatever the price. Chloe quickly realizes that her neighbour might be one of the two using books to correspond and she desperately wants to know what happened to the person who goes by C.

𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒
The story being built around multiple POVs and dual timelines creates wonderful layers to the novels unfolding. One timeline being in the present and one being in 1960, you follow several individuals and the outcomes of their choices. I found myself shocked, mad, thrilled, heartbroken and happy at different stages and sometimes all at once. The way 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 was written kept me engaged from start to finish! The endearing, sometimes frustrating characters, bring you into their messy worlds very quickly with their complicated dynamics. There is a lot of literary classic references that I haven’t read in this novel, ie. Hemingway, but I didn’t find it to affect my experience with the plot.

✵𝖬𝖺𝗇𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗄𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝖲𝗈𝗎𝗋𝖼𝖾𝖻𝗈𝗈𝗄𝗌 𝖢𝖺𝗌𝖺𝖻𝗅𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖺, 𝖫𝗎𝖼𝗒 𝖦𝗂𝗅𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖾＆ 𝖭𝖾𝗍𝖦𝖺𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗒 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗀𝗂𝖿𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖠𝖽𝗏𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾𝖽 𝖱𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋’𝗌 𝖢𝗈𝗉𝗒 𝗂𝗇 𝖾𝗑𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗆𝗒 𝗁𝗈𝗇𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗋𝖾𝗏𝗂𝖾𝗐.✵

The Library of Borrowed Hearts tells the story of Chloe Sampson, a struggling librarian who takes on the responsibility of being a parent to her siblings after being abandoned by their mother. One day, while working at the library, she discovers an old book with notes scribbled in the margins that seem to be written by two lovers. Her curiosity is piqued when her strange neighbour offers to buy the book at a price that Chloe deems “fair” and “reasonable”. 
 
She later discovers that there are other books in the library filled with the lovers’ conversations. She makes it her mission to find out what happened to them and why her neighbour is willing to pay such a high price for a book that wouldn’t normally sell for so much considering its old state.  
 
I enjoyed this one so much. It is told in multiple POVs and duo timelines. The characters felt so real. I initially felt like the multiple POV was going to become distracting, but every person’s POV was integral to the plot. Nothing was confusing. I followed every person’s story with so much glee and was pleased with the way it all came together.  
 
I also love how it wasn’t so much of a typical happy ending but instead a depiction of life at its finest. I love it. It was Jasper’s story as much as it was Chloe’s, in my opinion, and I’m so happy they got their semblance of a happy ending. More like an awakening. I love it for them and I love this book lol. 
 
There are quite several unconventional choices by the writer, but they all worked for me. I received an ARC from @sourcebookscasa via Netgalley, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did!🤭 
 
A little spoilers (stop reading lol) 
Catherine didn't deserve Jasper 
Ravenna is insufferable. I kind of understand her choices but yeah…

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Dreamscape Media for both the digital and audiobook advanced copies via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"The thing I've always loved about most books is how they make it possible to live a thousand different lives."

I put this book down right around Chapter 5 and almost didn't go back to it. I was right in the middle of a book slump and just wasn't ready to start a new book yet. But I am so glad I went back and finished it because this ended up being my favorite book that I've read all month.

I enjoyed the multiple-character POVs and the alternating timeline from present day and back to the 1960s. The different character POVs offered a more well-rounded view in to the story. I think without all of the perspectives chosen, the story would not have felt as complete as it was. I was elated when Noodle got his own POV. I loved that his perspective was added. Having this element made the side characters feel like they had more depth.

This story has so many layers to it. From Chloe taking care of her 3 younger siblings after her mom walked out on them, to the literary love story written between the pages of a bootleg banned book by two people and uncovering their love story and what happened to the people who wrote the notes, especially after Chloe's cranky old neighbor writes her a blank check for the book. The literary scavenger hunt was so fun to figure out as you continue reading. This was such a beautiful and wholesome story.

The Library of Borrowed Hearts is a long title and honestly, it makes sense as this book spans a long time and follows a lot of characters. First up is the Sampson family which consists of Chloe and her younger siblings she's taking care of. Then we have the family's next-door neighbor, Jasper who is a grumpy old man with an unlikely past.

While the book does focus on other characters, the story is mostly about Jasper and the Sampson family. Chloe is trying to keep everything together in her life but she can't help but get sucked into a mysterious love story told between the margins of books. Meanwhile, we're following Jasper as he's recounting his life and we learn about how the love story connects back to him.

As with most Lucy Gilmore books, things are connected in more ways than you initially think. While I don't want to give away too much about the rest of the plot, the book is broken up into parts with each sections being told from a different character's POV. While it might seem like a lot, Lucy Gilmore weaves everything so seamlessly.

On the whole, though, The Library of Borrowed Hearts is truly a love letter to books and the love we have for our favorite stories. Heck, we even see a reference to The Lonely Hearts Book Club which was such a fun Easter Egg. There are also nods to popular classics such as Wuthering Heights, Psycho, The Haunting of Hill House, and much more. If you're a reader of any kind, you'll be tickled by a lot of these mentions.

Honestly, there isn't much I'd change about this story although I do think some plotlines worked out a little too well. Then again, that's sometimes how books manage to capture us and I can happily say The Library of Borrowed Hearts had me hooked.

“People just didn’t hoard books like they used to.” I feel SEEN. Speak for yourself, sir. 🤪

“‘Plants are alive, and books aren’t,’ Jasper said. This was only partially the truth. In many ways, books were more alive than most of the people he knew. They were living, breathing entities that changed each time you picked them up.”

This was the sweetest story with a huge emphasis on all things book. The importance of them. Their necessity. How often they are an integral part of someone’s story. It’s like a love letter to books and book lovers.

With four narrators, one for each of the main characters, the audiobook was fantastic and really came to life in my ears. You can feel the emotion and angst of the characters through the narration. And there is A LOT of emotion in this one. Overall I just loved this sweet story of book lovers and found family!

Thank you to Netgalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca, Dreamscape Media, and the author for the ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This wonderfully addictive read is certainly women’s fiction with a dash of romance. So while The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore is not a strictly speaking romance, it is romance in how If first discovered this writer having read the Forever Home Series. In Chloe Sampson’s story the reader is given an exceptional tale with dual timelines, which both being equally interesting. It is her story, her family’s story, and her grumpy neighbor’s story past and present with a few other important characters rounding it out.

I only meant to start this story, getting a feel for the characters and plot, but read for hours instead. I found myself surprised, heartbroken and joyful at different times as the plot unfolded. The book description only gives a teaser of what this story, mystery and family drama encompass. One of the best books I have read and I read a lot. Purchase the book, plan an uninterrupted day, and enjoy.

What a beautiful romance story with great storyline and great characters. Really liked the writing style and the cover is beautiful will definitely read more from this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca and Dreamscape Media for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the.latest book by Lucy Gilmore, and perfectly narrated by the cast of Leanne Woodward, Aven Shore, Joe Jameson, and Bob Ball. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Chloe Sampson had to abandon her dreams to take care of her siblings when their mom abandoned them. Now she's working at the library instead of being an actual librarian since she didn't complete her degree. She's at her wit's end trying to do it all - work, take care of her three siblings, figure out how to make her money stretch. In the library basement, she finds an old book destined to be trashed that she recognizes has some value and takes it home with her. Then she discovers that there appears to be correspondence written in the margins between young lovers, and she figures out that one of the parties might be her grumpy next-door neighbor. She begins to investigate.

I love books about books; add in a strong family and I'm sold. You will find yourself rooting for so many characters in this book. I started reading it, but switched over to the audiobook and the cast of narrators was excellent. Told in many POV, they all did a great job portraying these many characters. The story goes back in time as we learn about the love story between the couple writing in the book. While I wish Chloe could have obtained the book in a bit more legal circumstances (maybe at a library book sale?) and writing in library books makes for a great story but let's hope people aren't really doing that!, it's fiction so we'll overlook all that! There are so many messages here wrapped up in a great story - family loyalty and obligation, different kinds of love and connections, and remembering that everyone has a story.

The Library of Borrowed Hearts is a story so full of heart and emotion! You'll meet Chloe Sampson, a young librarian juggling the care of her three younger siblings, financial struggles, and a job that doesn’t quite fulfill her dreams. But fate intervenes when she stumbles upon a rare edition of a book from the 1960s at a local flea market. However, this book holds more than just literary value - surprisingly handwritten romantic notes are found on the inside. Chloe begins to play book detective and sets off on a mystery and the discovery of a "found family."

What Chloe can't expect, is that the key to this mystery lies next door: her cranky neighbor, Jasper Holmes. Jasper, initially the stereotypical curmudgeon, surprises Chloe by offering a substantial sum for the book. It becomes clear that he was one of the lovers who exchanged messages in the margins. Together, they set out to find other books that hold similar secrets. As they delve into the past, Chloe discovers that Jasper’s heart is more complex than she ever imagined.

“The Library of Borrowed Hearts” weaves together two timelines—the present day and 1960—creating a heartwarming tale of love, friendship, and found family. Lucy Gilmore masterfully portrays characters with depth, including Chloe’s quirky siblings and the enigmatic Jasper. The absence of neatly tied-up endings adds authenticity to the story, leaving readers with a sense of optimism.
If you adore believe that love stories can blossom in the most unexpected places, this novel is a must-read. Lucy Gilmore’s writing effortlessly transports you to a world where books connect lonely souls across generations.

Thank you SourceBooks for the ebook arc of The Library of Borrowed Hearts. This is not my first Lucy Gilmore novel. I thoroughly enjoyed The Lonely Hearts Book Club when it released in 2023. I'll always look forward to more from Lucy!
This book releases on 4/30/24 and if you enjoy books about books, you'll want to pick this one up!