I wanted to love this book based on the premise alone, but it just fell a little flat for me. I loved the references to classic literature! It felt a little long and I would have loved for more development between Zach and Chloe.

This book hooked me right from the beginning. But somewhere around the middle the magic kind of fizzled and by the end I was irrationally annoyed with multiple characters actions and choices. I really can’t say much more without spoilers but I will say - you can be a strong woman without intentionally hurting people and never giving a real apology.

I did however enjoy several characters. Jasper was my favourite followed by Noodle (although I wish he had a different name) and then Chloe.

I would give this author another try, I just really wanted more out of this particular story!

I thought I loved The Lonely Hearts Book Club, but The Library of Borrowed Hearts has nothing on it!
Lucy Gilmore does such a great job writing an old curmudgeon of a man that you can't help but love, flaws and all! Jasper was such a character, he had the best banter and his heart of gold still seemed to shine through his hard exterior, no matter how hard he tried to hide the shine.

The Library of Borrowed Hearts is a dual-timeline romance with multiple POVs, but it seems the main characters are the stressed older sister/guardian who gave up her dreams to care for her siblings after her mother abandoned her three younger siblings and the old, nightmare of a neighbor who has a habit of stealing the balls and frisbees that fall in his yard. We are thrust into a mystery romance documented in the margins of old library books. We meet a young, sensitive, backward Jasper falling for the new rebellious librarian, Catherine, as well as present day grumpy Jasper. We also meet Chloe Sampson, the not-yet-librarian, who is taking care of her three siblings who prove to be a handful. We are introduced to Zach, who saves "Noodle" Sampson after a nasty fall as well as a cast of other characters throughout the novel.

Cozy down in your reading spot, because you will not want to close this book until you've reached the end!

I loved this book and have not been shy about telling people that it's coming and that they should read it! Gilmore has written a story full of heart in so many ways. I loved Chloe and Jasper and Zach and Noodle and the story within a story told through notes in old books. I also loved how Gilmore didn't actually wrap everything up in a neat bow and had real endings for both Chloe and her family and Jasper and Catherine. And my final bit of love goes to the shoutout that Arthur from the Lonely Hearts Bookclub gets! If you can't already tell, I highly recommend this title. A big thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the access in exchange for my honest opinion. Can't wait to see what Lucy Gilmore does next.

At first, I found the plot interesting because I love it when the main character is a librarian. But in fact, it turned out to be quite boring. Even a touching love story written in the margins of library books did not save the situation. I'm one of those people, and librarians, who hate it when someone writes something in books. It's vandalism!!! That's probably why I didn't like the book.

The Library of Borrowed Hearts is great for fans of A Man Called Ove or anyone who dreams of meeting the love of their life with quotes from books. The main character was wonderfully developed and felt extremely authentic. Her story of raising her siblings after their mom basically walked out, felt very authentic and made her such a sympathetic character. The romance was lightly sprinkled, which I appreciate especially as not everyone wants a super heavy romance. This was such as lovely, light romp of fun that I highly enjoyed!!

Thanks for Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

I really enjoyed this cute yet complex story that spanned generations. Filled with literary references book-lovers will love, it's both heartbreaking and feel-good at the same time in such a perfect balance. Lucy Gilmore has a fantastic ability to create characters that are flawed while keeping them relatable and likeable.

This is my second Lucy Gilmore book. I enjoyed it.

The story was alittle slow but the storyline kept me reading. And I"m glad on that. I needed a break from my thrillers and this book was perfect for that. It was a cute little story.

4.5 🌟

Grumpy characters are my favorite!

I loved this dual time-line story, and that the past story is told through notes written in classical books. The grumpy next door neighbor makes this book! I think I've officially fallen in love with Lucy Gilmore's writing!

Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

Wow this was such a sad yet beautiful story. This is the second book I read by Lucy Gilmore and I absolutely loved it!
I love that the main character, Chloe, works in a library and that the story revolves around books. She works really hard to raise her three younger siblings. The struggles she goes through are so sad yet she makes sure that her siblings never feel the weight of it all.
The story is told in different POVs and it does go from present time to past which I really enjoyed. The love story from the past is so sad but what the author does so beautifully is she adds some light humor during the present time. I found myself laughing on one chapter and almost crying on the next one. As the story progresses a surprise I didn't see coming occurred which made me feel so happy and I had to keep reading to the end at that point to find out how the story ends!
I absolutely recommend this book as it is such a beautiful story.
Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca. All opinions are my own.

First of all, I need to thank the author, the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me read this in advance.

Wow what a moving story! The more I kept reading and discovering things, the more I was loving it.
So many great characters. Chloe is such a fierce young woman with the world on her shoulders but making the best she can. Catherine, both young and old, is a force of nature. Jasper evolved so much through the story, seeing his young self made me care more about his older self, even before he actually started to change. Zach was a cinnamon roll kind of character and I loved all his interactions with the kids and Chloe of course.
The way Chloe and Zach followed Catherine and Jasper's love story through the books was so interesting, it was a great plot. And the back and forth chapters in between the past and the present was so good, what happened in the past explained what they found in the present in the books. Also I love multiple POVs and, in here, a different POV would appear when I wasn't expecting it.
Chapter 22 completely broke me. Left me teary eyed and sad for them.
All the other characters had something special and different from each other. The kids, Pepper, Lonnie... I saw coming that twist with Zach but I enjoyed it the same.
The ending was bittersweet but left so many open doors and I which I could see how it unfolded in a sequel.

This was an all-around fun book to read. I enjoyed the fresh storyline and was unable to predict what came next! I think anyone who loves suspense and a quick read will enjoy this book!

A cute little romance! As an obsessive reader, i thought the plot revolving around notes left in books was incredibly charming. The author did a fantastic job with her references, i cried more than once at a few particularly special moments. Unfortunately i lost the love a bit at the end, when they just
couldnt resist tying up a few ends *too* neatly and the book went from sweet to saccharine.

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Every once in a while, i get an advanced copy of a book that blows me away. This one checked so many boxes for me. The parallel stories of growing love-both the past mystery and the current dating experience of the main character after- were told well and came together in such a great way. I’m a lover of books and loved the quotes and way the lovers wrote to each other in books. The family dynamic was great. The friendships were everything you want read. The big sister stepping in to care for her siblings when the mother abandoned ship was heartwarming as well as heartbreaking. All the characters were likable, and I was rooting for everyone to get a happy ending. Along with that, I do feel the ending was not unrealistic or fanciful, and I appreciated that. I truly could not put this one down and found myself falling in love with this unique family and was so happy I got to be a part of their journey, if you love a feel-good yet imperfect love story, snag this one! FYI adult romance that was fairly mild but still had adult language in it

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A young woman who is raising her siblings while working in a library stumbles across a book that has old notes written in the margins by a pair of star crossed lovers. She seeks to find them and unravel the mystery behind the messages while simultaneously raising her rambunctious brood, dealing with a cantankerous neighbor, and navigating issues with finances.

I can’t put my finger on why I didn’t love this book, just that it didn’t really give me anything to connect to? I didn’t feel anything for the characters!

I also feel like there was a lot of prerequisite reading that needed to happen in order for you to fully understand all the references and I am not a fan of the classics so it went over my head at a lot of places.

There’s really nothing like a heart warming book with characters that you truly grow to love. I absolutely love books about books and libraries so the combination of the two was perfect.

The character development and adorable romance was fun to read. The atmosphere was so cozy and whimsical that I just kept finding myself wanting to ignore my responsibilities and escape back into the book.

The ending felt abrupt and rushed, but that’s my only complaint.

Thank you to Net Galley for my ARC!

3 conflicted stars

I really wanted to love this one, “Lonely Hearts Book Club” by this author was a strong 4-star read for me. I can’t quite put my finger on one thing that brought this one down, but I didn’t like it as much.

Chloe Sampson is a young librarian who is raising her siblings alone and struggling to pay the bills. I really liked her character and rooted for her to find her way and happiness. She comes across a rare book and is debating whether she can sell it to pay some household expenses. Her grumpy neighbor offers to buy it for a handsome price!

The book has lots of handwritten notes in it (something I would never do!), and the pages seem to be filled with young lovers writing messages to each other. There’s a mystery about who this pair is, and the hunt begins to find more books with notes.

I liked the grumpy neighbor who becomes more likable as the book goes on and even becomes a lifesaver for Chloe and her family.
Another character, Catherine, I struggled to like. She made choices in her life that I couldn’t resonate with and left me wanting more from her.

This one has many messy relationships and consequences for characters that walk away from situations (and whole lives). And I find it hard to believe a librarian would write in a library book. I did like the sibling connections and the book references. I know others have really liked it, so it might work better for you!

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an early arc in exchange for an honest review. How freakin' cuteeee was this book!! I needed something light hearted and easy to read.....this was it. Dual timelines with romance novels are my favorite. I loved the premise of the story and the magical efforts that was brought in. My only complaint of this book was the ending seemed abrupt. It was sort of a let down. Overall, would definitely recommend this cute story.

I really enjoyed this book! It was sweet and very well written. I love books about books and dual timelines! Definitely recommend. :)

Thank you NetGalley and Lucy Gilmore!