The Love Scribe started as an interesting read but very quickly became a slog. With repetitive phrasing and pacing issues, I struggled to stick with the book to the end.

While the concept was good, it felt laboured. I didn't feel like we needed to spend so much time going through every different book's story, nor did we need to have the colours of the books explained to us. As a reader, I don't need to have everything explicitly explained to me. I find that takes away from the magic.

I found the character of Alice difficult to like and I didn't buy her love interest at all. Which is problematic when the book is touted as a romance.

Only just a 3 star read.

The Love Scribe was not at all what I expected, however it’s a fascinating book. Despite the fact that “at thirty two ... Alice simply did not have the constitution for love,“ she certainly had bucketloads of empathy for her fellow human beings. Her drive to give them a story that would lead them to find their own love was admirable and the variety of stories was amazing. I loved Madeline too. While she doesn’t appear until the story is well under way, her role in the story was just as important. The bond between her and Alice, their passionate discussions about Alice’s stories and the way that Madeline helped Alice heal from past loss was moving. my only negative is that this story is very much a narrative and as such, the pace is slow at times. Despite this, I thought this was a charming and unique story.

The Love Scribe is quite a difficult book to categorise as its premise is most original. Overall with a flavouring of magical realism, the reader must allow themselves to be swept away with the various stories that Alice writes for her clients throughout the book. I found these stories to be interesting with the various lessons gently presented. The theme of love and relationships is put under the spotlight with a view to what it can look like and how that varies from person to person.

The book does have some pacing issues and I am not quite convinced on Alice’s personal love interest. I did however, love Madeline as a magical counterbalance. I thought this would be a lighthearted, fun book so I was pleasantly surprised with the depth offered. This is a book that I would recommend to anyone who loves to read about love and how it plays out in all its forms and relationships.

The Love Scribe was a pleasantly surprising read for me. FMC Alice is hit with a special gift very suddenly one day. She has a vision and must write it down and give it to the person destined to receive it and they will find instant love! But, not all love stories are ever lasting. This is something Alice and her recipients find out along the way.
This novel was wonderfully magical and explored all forms of love which at times was very emotional.
Alice was a great FMC, and the story of mysterious Madeline kept me guessing and intrigued throughout.
Will Alice, The Love Scribe, find love for herself along the way?

A beautiful story of love. Finding love, loosing love, passionate love, dangerous love and other types of love in between.

Alice does not want love or a relationship, these things are not for her. However, she feels strangely compelled to write a story for her friend Gabby who is struggling after a break up. When finally hearing back from her friend two weeks later, Gabby claims the story magically made her find love and the same occurred for the next few people who read her story.

Word gets out and soon Alice is being paid thousands of dollars a book as a love scribe.
One day Alice is asked by Madeline who asks her to write her a story, yet Alice can’t manage to write this story. As Alice tries to get to know Madeline, in order to get the words to flow, she starts to uncover more than she expected.

This was a beautiful book, I loved the idea of a a book magically making someone discover who they are and open up to love. There was also a great, darker twist to the story that wasn’t expected but gave it so much more depth.

I did feel it could be slightly shorter but enjoyed it all the same.

The Love Scribe
Amy Meyerson
2023
4.5 Stars



Thank you NetGalley and Publisher Park Row for my copy of The Love Scribe by Amy Meyerson. I have not received any rewards or compensation for this review and therefore all views and opinions are of my own, the reviewer.

In summary: A writer discovers their is magical powers in the stories that she writes for others.

Gabby is going through break up woe. Her best friend Alice decides to write a short story giving Gabby a happy ever after. It is discovered that Alice’s words have come true, like a prophecy spell.
This story has a lot of promise. An interesting idea that Alice can cast spells of prophecy just by writing a story for that person. I admit to expecting the main character turning out like Harry Potter in the sense that I was expecting more of the magic side. I wanted her to have more people like her so that she could explore the magic more. How and where did she get the magic from? Is it a family trait? Was she cursed or blessed with the storytelling magic? I didn’t feel like those questions were answered.
I agree with other reviews the part of Madeline is somewhat misplaced. I think the story could benefit from Madeline appearing earlier in the storyline to answer some of the questions I had previously about Alice’s origins.
I liked inclusion of the coloured books and what they mean. I felt that it was interesting, again it could have been a better plot device used in the beginning of the book.
I gave the book 4.5 stars overall the book did manage to hold my interest the whole way through, the writing was well crafted and I did enjoy the story.

I loved reading this book. It was full of magical stories, books and a secret magical library. A romance about love stories, grief and hope.
Alice discovers she can write stories that help people find their true love. Alice is not able to find love for herself but takes a lot of pleasure in helping others find love.
One day Madeline Alger leaves a note for Alice to visit her. Madeline’s house is very unusual and magical things happen there. I especially loved Madeline’s locked library and the mechanism of opening the door. It was so fascinating.
There is lots of magic in this story. Alice needs to listen to her friends and Madeline so she can get over her grief and find her own love story.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a chance to read this magical romance.

I was so excited to read this book, and the premise was promising, but unfortunately, the delivery was lacklustre.

There were elements that were not believable. For example, clients handing over wads of cash in exchange for a book they aren't even sure will be delivered.

The cliche makeover chapter makes an appearance, where the best friend takes charge of reinventing the heroine in order for her to fit the role of a writer.

The client's reactions to the stories they received were repetitive and predictable.

The pacing was slow, and I found it hard to stay engaged.

And the Madeline plot was disappointing.

A novel that gave me hope for my own love life! The Love Scribe was not what I expected and gave me more then I was looking for. The characters worked well throughout the entirety of the book, with the plot giving you hints of everything going on and finishing with answers that you were asking. There was love, lust, passion, envy and everything in between. I laughed and I cried along with the characters. I felt the love in the room everytime I read this book. I felt like at times I was there.