It was a little slow to start, and took me a while to get really into the book. I think the premise of the story is unique, and overall I really enjoyed it. Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc!

This is one of my favorite fantasy books of this year. It is a lot of fun to read and has a nice epic good v. evil thing going on. Parts were very heartwarming. The pacing is good and I didn't want to put the book down. I liked the time traveling elements and I loved finding out about the origin of the Books. I look forward to more by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for an advance copy of this book for review.

This had a very interesting concept and I really wanted to like it. But it didn’t grab me like I had hoped it would. The pacing just felt off.

I’ve seen mixed reviews but Goodreads gives it 4 stars and so many people have loved it but there are a few that either DNF’d or were just completely turned off- so this book apparently isn’t for everyone. Did I enjoy it? Yes, mostly.

The beginning was interesting and flowly- I did audio so I felt it was easy to get into but the middle fell flat and long and I found myself getting a little bored. (This is where I have seen people dnf.) If you can swing past that it does pick up- there’s quite the adventure towards the end.

The villain is pretty terrible- so there’s some trigger warnings in the sense of- if you’re sensitive to unique ways of murder- this isn’t for you. She’s pretty terrible- and then the ending with the time travel bit and the why is the villain so villian-y just was like, “huh.” Confusing at times? Anti-climatic? Yes?

All in all- unique story-good vs. evil- time travel adventure similar to books like Sea of Tranquility and 10,000 Doors of January.

Thank you @NetGalley for this arc in exchange for a review!

"Each day, in every place she went, she was bumping up against other lives, a million other people at the center of their own stories, and Cassie loved to touch them all."

Cassie lives a peaceful life in NYC - working at a bookstore, sharing an apartment with her best friend, Izzy, and quietly grieving the grandfather who raised her. When one of her favorite regular elderly customer dies in the bookstore, she finds a small, unassuming book next to him that is inexplicably inscribed to Cassie. Once she quickly figures out that the book has the ability to carry her effortlessly to any doorway, in any city and any time, Cassie and Izzy are thrown into an underground world of an untold number of magical books, the people who search for and collect them, and the danger found in both.

After a slow start of somewhat convoluted exposition and the rapid introduction of seemingly endless characters, the story took off about halfway through and rollicked along to the end. I love a time slip tale that leaves me still questioning impossibilities, and this one was a delight to read. Cassie is a somewhat reluctant participant in this new world she inhabits, but as the secrets of the books reveal themselves, she finds her involvement is more than accidental. The good versus evil is very black-and-white in this book, highlighting that some people are drawn to power for all of the evil it can do, while others are determined to protect it.

This is such an incredible read! I loved the atmospheric vibe so much, that I bought 2 physical copies of this book! I absolutely love stories that teleport me into different worlds and this one was just that. Thank you so much for this ARC!

Fantasy is so hard to do well, especially when you have several narratives that combine like in this book. Cassie was by far my favorite, but from there, the other storylines I didn't necessarily care about. And even with Cassie, I felt like she just jumped straight to belief in the power she held in her hands, versus taking more time to deliberate/disbelieve. The writing itself wasn't bad; I just personally prefer a bit more interiority to my characters. A classic good versus evil trope (plus a magical set of books--but then again, all books are magic.

Thank you to Net Galley and William Morrow for this advanced copy!

This one surprised me. It had strong essences of “The Invisible Life of Addie Larue” and “Midnight Library .” Fantasy is not my preferred genre but the good vs. evil and appreciation and preservation of books kept me interested .

This novel is AMAZING. I can't believe this is a debut. This is my favorite book of the year by far. It's unique, magical, tragic, and heartwarming all at once. The concept of the books is so different than anything I've ever read before, and I loved it. The characters are well-written; the growth of Cassie and Drummond was beautiful--especially because they did it on their own. The plot moves at the perfect pace, moving to a fever pitch at the end. I don't know what else to say other than READ IT!

I'm not sure what I was expecting going into this to be honest, but I was not disappointed! I feel like books that center around time travel have to be PERFECT. I'm always so impressed with author's who can execute a time travel book like this because I feel like there are so many threads to keep track of. This book was immediately interesting to me right off the bat. A young girl is gifted a seemingly normal book that ends up opening a world of possibility. It's been a few months since I finished this, and I am still thinking about it, the premise was so interesting and exciting. I don't want to say a whole lot because this book was honestly a thrill to read, but I definitely recommend it to those who like a time travel / treasure hunting-esque type novel.

I had to DNF this book due to the odd way at which the author wrote everyone who was not a white male dude. The weird sexualization of the fmc, the wording of the racism of the black and Japanese characters… it all was unnecessary and didn’t need to be written.

I found the idea of this book engaging, and I struggled at first to pinpoint exactly where it didn't work for me. I think it was tonal. There was a meanness to some of it that really didn't mesh with the almost precious wonder of other elements. Many of the books this is being comped to spend a lot of time and care dealing with the nuances of cruelty and prejudice, so for anyone who loved, say 10,000 Doors of January and sees this as maybe similar I would warn them off. That said, the Midnight Library and the Night Circus (although probably more accurately the Starless Sea might be able to set aside the character and tonal issues and be more than happy with the wonder of the world. I personally found that, without that wonder, I had too many critiques at a character level and wanted so much more depth for all the thorny moral issues that came up to really enjoy the book for its merits as a romantic adventure.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this. I DNF'd this book very early on when the FMC begins to fat-shame herself for just eating regular food and wanting it. There are also a few other cases where there are characters making fun of others, calling them things that are very close to slurs. There's too much racism and fatphobia in this for me to finish.

This book was like a love story.Mystery all rolled into one. Casey andrews was the one who worked in a bookstore and she liked this old man. She had a roommate named izzy and they got a long really well. Things start to ge. I had a lot of twist and turns. And you've really had to pay attention with these characters we're going through. There was a lot of twist and turns in this book. This book kept you on your toes. Because you had to figure out things and who were attached to what books were going on? Casey went back to see her grandfather one last time.. Casey also went back in time to see her grandfather.t really weird when Mr. Webb died. Coz he gave casey the book called the count of monte cristo. This book was the book of doors.And her roommate Said this was not a really good idea. Casey traveled a lot after Grandfather died out of oregon. It was a small town and Had no family. She liked to read with her grandfather as he worked in his workshed. So when she got this book later on life she ripped out a page and they were off to Venice Italy. Izy was really afraid of this because she knew things were gonna get really bad. People start hunting them down because she had this book. They wanted the box library. And called d u a n n o n fox lived in scotland where this book's room located. Each book had a different thing to it. And they were representing people's emotions. There was an evil lady from georgia who's desperate to get these books and she would kill people to get them. Things were really strange in this book, but it was interesting.How they would go back and forth in time Casey went back in time to see her grandfather in oregon at the diner where she use Used to eat all the time. Her friend also found love in this book as well and you'll find out how this happened. You have to keep on your toes all the time. Because everything was related to in the future in the past and it was all through these different books. And it was quite well written because it kept you on your toes.

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown is about Cassie Andrews, a bookseller who is give a very unique book from one of her favorite customers. This book allows her to go through any door to any place that she can imagine. But it's not the only magical book, and soon she realizes how people are willing to do anything to get their hands on these special books. This book was very unique, and the story was very fun and imaginative. I definitely recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

{3.5 stars}

Thanks to William Morrow for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions above are my own.

I so wanted to love this one more than I did. A quest to collect magical books sounds amazing. I loved the way Cassie came upon her first magical book and how it drew her into a world she hadn't known about before. But I struggled to connect to Cassie as a person. The plot moved really well and I feel like for the most part we got most questions answered but the ending still left me wanting.

Read this one if you liked The Midnight Library or The Bookeaters.

This book about magical books was such a heart warming read .
Cassie who works at a bookstore receives an unexpected gift, a book that changes her life and the lives of others in a good way. The book takes her through doors to places she’s been. She realizes this is a powerful book and could be dangerous in the wrong hands.
She meets Drummond,the librarian who has his own magical books and he is on a mission to get all of the magical books and keep them safe! There is a women who wants the books and has her own agenda and it isn’t pretty.
I enjoyed the magic but I really liked how the very different characters came together to help each other.
There are some gory parts when others are being tortured that I didn’t care for,but it is part of the story !
Overall ,I really enjoyed it and gave it 4 stars. I look forward to more books by this author.
Thanks to Net Galley for this Advanced copy!

'The Book of Doors' by Gareth Brown is an immersive, tantilizing read - perfect for magic and book lovers.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This book is just magical. I love anything that involves time travel and adds a little bit of fantasy. The Book of Doors has the power to transport Cassie anywhere in the world she has the power to visualize. But this power also comes with a little bit of danger.

Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read and reviews this title. I struggled at times with this one and am so glad I stuck it out. It was a slow burn with a great payoff.

Cassie Andrews is living her life in New York with her roommate, Izzy, working in a bookstore and hanging out when a regular customer changes her life. She is given a mysterious book, The Book of Doors, that grants its owner the power to travel anywhere through any door. Cassie and Izzy soon learn that there are people who would anything, even kill, to possess such a tome.

There is much drama and intrigue as they try to survive while they unravel the mysteries of the book. The characters they meet along the way are diverse and curious. I wanted to know their stories. The ultimate resolution of the book is wonderfully thought provoking and a nice ball of wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff.

As I mentioned earlier, it moves slowly at times, and I wanted it to progress faster. I almost DNF/decided to take break, and I'm glad I stuck with it. In the interest of open and honest reviews, I was reading this during an emotionally difficult period that included the loss of multiple loved ones, and that may have impacted my experience