Oh, boy did I love this book! The story unfolded in a way that was unpredictable and the characters were so easy to get to know and I just didn't want it to end. The novel takes place in the same town and tells of a love story in 1960 and it unfolds to a young librarian in current day via love notes written in the margins of books. She makes it her mission to find out what happened between the two lovers. My words don't do it justice but the fact that I read this in 2 days shows how much I liked it.

I wanted to give this 5 stars for the sheer readability and the delightful fluff that this. Buuuuut…
Everyone felt like such a caricature of a personality in this book: completely over the top. I won’t go into too much detail, but two examples are Theo and Trixie, who felt like 8 and 9 year olds instead of teenagers. Not unpleasant, but unbelievable. Yeah, I know - this is a work of fiction, but it’s should still be somewhat believable.
Also, a couple of loose ends that bothered me: given his hardscrabble early life, where did Jasper come into so much money? And why was Ravenna’s “Until the” left with no explanation when it was given so much focus in the moment?
All of that said, this was a quick, fun read. I’m not sure why some people are saying Catherine was so awful, and that the ending was too sudden, because both made sense to me.
I did enjoy this book immensely, and it definitely gets a recommendation from me. I just wish I could have given it five stars.

I love a book about books. Throw in a curmudgeon and a little bit of mystery, and I'm hooked. This story was very heartwarming and is a testament to the power of "found" family. I will be looking to read more books from this author.

Thank you netgalley for this ARC.

I loved this book! Captivating and heart breaking, full of lively characters and a great storyline. I honestly could not put it down.

I loved the found family, multiple pov, and it’s a book about books!! I loved each of the characters separate stories. I really enjoyed this one!

Enjoyed this book once I got into it. Found t a bit slow at
Some parts . However will be looking for more
Of the Aurora
Books

Following The Lonely Hearts Book Club is the wonderfully charming The Library of Borrowed Hearts. Authors who obviously love books, writing stories about books and the people who love them always always appeal to me, and once I saw the synopsis for this, I knew I wanted to read it.

Women’s fiction with a dual timeline, “found family”, multiple POV, literary references, a touch of romance, and excellent characters (except for Catherine). I enjoyed this one a lot and look forward to reading what the Ms Gilmore writes next 🙂



Thank you Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the DRC

This is my second time reading Lucy Gilmore's work, and I really enjoyed it. I'm a librarian, so I was immediately drawn in just by "library" being in the title. LOL. I also enjoy stories with dual timelines, and this one bounced back and forth between 1960 and present day. The characters - Zach, Catherine, Jasper, and Chloe - each have their own unique stories, and it was fun diving into all of them. I would happily recommend this book to everyone, and I look forward to Gilmore's next book.

Libraries, books and a host of wonderful characters - I just knew I’d enjoy this book and I certainly did.
With a dual timeline of 1960 and the present, we follow Jasper, Catherine, Chloe and Zach as their stories unfold over their love of books.
A secret love affair, and a young girl left alone to look after her 3 siblings - 2 wonderful storylines that had me smiling and crying too.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Library of Borrowed Hearts
by Lucy Gilmore
Pub Date: April 30, 2024
Casablanca
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
A.J. Fikry meets The Bookish Life of Nina Hill in this charming, hilarious, and moving novel about the way books bring lonely souls together.
I love books about books and libarians!
The premise of this book grabbed me so quickly I needed to know more about it. The characters in this were lovely and charming. The setting was whimsical and cozy and I found myself constantly being lost in the magic that was this story

Where the book lost me a bit was the abrupt ending, it didn’t feel as developed and after such a wonderful story it was a bit of a let down.
I will continue to look for books by this author, this one just didn't hit the mark for me.
4 stars

The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore is a dual timeline story about some residents of a small town. In the present day, Chloe, a young woman who is a librarian and also the caretaker for her three younger siblings, comes across an old banned book (The Tropic of Cancer) and plans to sell it to help pay the bills, however she notices that there is correspondence between two individuals written in the margins. Quickly becoming invested in solving the mystery of who the writers are and what happened to them, Chloe starts her quest of trying to find more books that might give her the answers. The other timeline takes us to the 1960's and follows the two mysterious margin writers as their story unfolds.

I gravitate towards books about books/librarians/etc. and so when I saw this pop up on NetGalley I knew I had to request it. I am so glad I was approved because I LOVED this book. It was delightfully heartwarming. I felt so invested in the characters’ journeys and wanted to learn more about them. I fell in love with all of the characters. They were all well-developed and interesting. I loved the curmudgeonly neighbor Jasper, Chloe's dedication to support her unfold and the book progresses. My only complaint is I wish it was longer because I was not ready to finish the story. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for granting me an eBook ARC in return for my honest review. This book is expected to be published on April 30, 2024.

3.5 stars

'The Library of Borrowed Hearts' was a charming and heartwarming read. I loved all of the characters in the book, especially the parallels between Jasper Holmes and Chloe Sampson. The other characters, such as Chloe's siblings, Zach and Catherine were a great addition, and I loved how they developed throughout the book.

However, the book's ending and the twists were a bit predictable. But this isn't to say that the book wasn't enjoyable; it was. The ending needed more work and more impact to finish the story.

I will be keeping an eye out for Lucy Gilmore's future work!

What a sweet story! I loved these characters and the many literature references. This will appeal to any lover of cozy settings and books about books.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for this eARC!

This was the cosy read that I needed right now! A book about books - as a book lover, what is there not to love?

Thank you to the publisher/NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this one

This is my second book by Lucy Gilmore, and once again, it felt like a big warm hug. I loved that all of the main characters developed over the novel, and the secrets/surprises that came out made the plot very enjoyable and not as predictable. Chloe, Jasper, Zach, Chloe's siblings...honestly all of them were likeable and realistic. There were some alternating timelines that made the story unfold well.

The only thing I did not like as much about this is that I felt the ending needed a bit more. Overall though, this does not detract from the overall enjoyment factor of the book.

3.5 stars
The premise of this book grabbed me so quickly I needed to know more about it. The characters in this were lovely and charming. The setting was whimsical and cozy and I found myself constantly being lost in the magic that was this story

Where the book lost me a bit was the abrupt ending, it didn’t feel as developed and after such a wonderful story it was a bit of a let down.

I will be keeping my eyes out for anything else by this author though to see how her writing style progresses

So excited for this follow up from the author of The Lonely Hearts Book Club.

This book reminds you that books are a magical thing to keep people connected!

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

This was a quick and easy read! A cute,heartwarming story that gives you all the feels! I definitely recommend! Especially if you are in between the reads or in a slump this book is a perfect cure to get out of one!

A book about books?? Yes please! I found this to be a wonderful cozy read. It was sweet and cute and even a little giggle inducing.

"The storied like if A.J. Fikry" is one of my favorites so when I saw this compared to that I was worried it wouldn't live up but I was pleasantly surprised.

I loved the dual POV, book references and the grumpy neighbor.

A heart-warming cozy read. My first book from this author.
This book first caught my attention because of course... books. I adore a book about books and this one did not disappoint. I really enjoyed all of the book references. I liked all of the characters except maybe Catherine, who turned out not as I expected. This story is told from multiple POV and two different timelines. The author does a wonderful job of seamlessly weaving them all together. This was a delightful read and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys books, small towns, found family, mystery and a dash of romance.
Thank you Net Galley for this digital ARC.