Thank you William Morrow & Netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review

I was really drawn in by the concept—there’s so much potential in a story about banned books and small-town resistance. But sadly, it just didn’t quite work for me. The characters felt a bit exaggerated, and the pacing made it hard to stay engaged. I truly wanted to connect with it, but in the end, it just wasn’t the right fit at the right time.

I had no idea how much I would love this book! This is my first book by Kirsten Miller and I will definitely be checking her back catalog and following her. This was such a smart and well written book. Each chapter had me thinking of a quote or piece of advice that I wanted to write down. This book is so culturally relevant to the world we are currently living in. I highly highly recommend checking out this book and learning all about Lula Dean's library. You will feel like you are a part of the small town and will root for the characters. I just can't say enough good things about this book. It was a breath of fresh air in times of uncertainty and brought laughter and reflection.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Kirsten Miller is an automatic buy for me from now on. After reading (and loving) her other novel, The Change, I was so eager to read this one. The characters are unforgettable and the story is perfect. Wholeheartedly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this copy in exchange for my honest review!

Oh dear. I lost track of books on my NetGalley shelf during a period I was laid up last summer. But I recently paid to listen to Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books on a friend's recommendation and here is my very late feedback on the audio version.

My political and social outlook fully aligns with Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books, so I found the ways a southern town, Troy Georgia, dealt with a number of contemporary issues fun. It did for sure remind me there are at least some politically and socially progressive people in most communities. It also show people can question their assumptions and change. The premise is hilarious and how it plays out works well to set the tone and plot of the story.

Lula Dean flaunts her religious and political views and she becomes the voice in her small down for challenging books shelved in the schools and community library. When Beverly Underwood, school board president, asks Lula whether she read any of these books, it was clear she did not. That is completely believable and has been established lots of times in stories on banning books. However, Lula wants to prove she reads wholesome books, so she buys a bunch at a thrift store, represents them as her own collection and puts them in a little free library in front of her home. A local young woman, home from college at the time, decides to replace Lula's books with 26 books at least temporarily removed from the libraries' shelves, putting the covers of the "wholesome" books on books like The Catcher in the Rye, Beloved, Are You There God? It's me, Margaret" and so on. As people read the "wrong books" we learn about their individual stories and how the books affect their points of view or validate them. Some pick up the mistakes sooner than others. There are many great characters in the novel.

A number of the characters, including Lula, are so stereotypical it could become unbelievable, However, this is definitely a satire and I often get sidetracked by this aspect of satire. I get why it is loved and I loved it too. January LaVoy's narration, as usual, is exceptional in the audio version of this novel. Enjoy!

I thought this was delightful and timely. The only negative I can say about it was there were eleventy billion characters who were sometimes difficult to keep straight. I ended up writing down a character list to refer back to when I couldn’t remember who someone was.

I think any negative reviews about this book probably don’t understand that as over the top as this book may seem, these characters are materializing before our very eyes across the US with book challenges and bans by people very much like in Troy, GA.

I recommend this for anyone worried about book challenges and bans. 4.25

I loved this book. As a southern girl, I am fond of southern stories, and as a teacher I enjoy anything that points out a lot of different books that are valuable reads. Plus I come from an area that is currently fighting over book banning, so I had an emotional connection to that as well. Yes, there are a lot of characters but I felt they added a tremendous message about the different people who benefit from a wide range of reading materials. Of course we like a good villain, and Lula Dean was definitely the villain here, among several others. Were the bad guys drawn with a broad brush? Yes they were, but that made it much more fun to enjoy their downfall. The fun twist of having totally different books inside each book jacket was an unexpected plot device, and it worked well. For me, it was a great, fast, and extremely satisfying read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Clever framing device that had potential to go so many places. Sadly, it took me to three star territory.

Lula Dean is the town's Karen. She has a little free library with "appropriate" books. Someone plays a game of switch the dust jackets in Lula's LFL, and it's now full of "banned" books hiding behind "appropriate" covers.

For the first chunk of the book, we see various townsfolk unsuspectingly grab banned books from the LFL, and witness how those books change their lives. It was cute. It was funny. I was loving it. Then, the macro plot enters. At which point, the story shifts from interludes at the LFL, to a lot of town history and local politics. I didn't find the story of the town as entertaining as the stories of the LFL, and my interest declined. The book was also a bit of a one trick pony with the humor. Things that were funny in the beginning, started to feel overdone (and annoying) by the end.

Overall, it still had a lot going for it - good premise, well drawn characters, a lot to say. If anything, I'd say the book's main downfall is being too much of a good thing.

Kirsten Miller brilliantly tackles the absurdity of book bans in this pitch-perfect satire. I laughed, I teared up a little, and I fell in love with several of her characters. Lula Dean, a meddlesome, absolutely infuriating lifelong resident of the little town of Troy, Georgia, is determined to rid her town’s library of “inappropriate” books, only to have her library secretly stocked with banned books by a clever rebel. As these books are slowly discovered by different members of the community, the ripples of this small act of rebellion begin to alter the townspeople's lives forever.

This book is a love letter to the power of literature, community, and resistance, wrapped in humor and delivered with a sharp wit. It’s a must-read for book lovers everywhere. Five stars all the way!

Given the cover and description, I was expecting something a little fluffier than Lula delivered. There certainly was humor, but as the consequences of the switched books became more weighty, my appreciation for the story grew. I think every community has a "Lula Dean" and seeing her ultimately foiled was extremely satisfying.

Just LOVE Kristen Miller and her insanely impressive storytelling. While this book hit far too close to home and current political landscape, I absolutely devoured it. After The Change, I did not think she could write a book that topped that story. While this story doesn’t top it, it certainly comes close. The characters are so relatable (in ways you like and don’t like) and the story is so real, but sprinkled in with her hysterical humor. Absolutely recommend picking this book up and loving it as much as I did.

Thanks to net galley for thenARC. Don’t let the dates fool you. This was a really well written book. This is a satire novel about a Southern woman who takes on controversial books. But it doesn’t end there. There are so many characters and they all become intertwined because of the “banned books”. The authors note sealed the deal for me. How important it is to take up the fight against book banning because for some people - it’s their only access to real information. And if we aren’t providing it, how will anyone know the truth. Book banning is in effect to withhold real knowledge and then have power over people. It’s so scary. Read this book. It’s cute and has real meaning.

This book is the perfect combination of serious treatment of a present day subject and comedy. Working in a school library and a public library, banned books are something that we librarians have to think about every day. This book definitely was about book banning--at the start, during the story and the end, however it didn't club the reader over the head constantly--there were humorous plot lines that kept the book light and pleasant. This story was about the characters in a small town, everyone knew a little about everyone else, but during the course of the book grew to know each one sooooooooo much better, either through dealing with them on a personal level or through DNA. I thought it was a funny read with a serious message.

This book is as outlandish as it is necessary. The quaint southern town makes a perfect backdrop for such an absurd plot, with each person bringing their own prejudice and fear to the table. Each banned book sets another story in motion and all the players pull together in the end for a satisfying ending that would easily suit a Hallmark movie. It's campy, and over the top, but lovely and perfect and timely.

Timely and more relevant than ever, this is the book I can not stop thinking about. Books bring so much good into the world: freedom, escape, and maybe even more importantly, understanding and perspective of others. Without them, I do not want to think where we would be. Books are fundamental to our growth as a society. And I can think of better things to ban than books…

Thank you @kirstenmillerauthor and @williammorrowbooks for bringing this book into my life. If I must chose 1 book for everyone to read this year, it is 𝗟𝘂𝗹𝗮 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗻'𝘀 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀.

LOVE the message and following this town. It is a bit heavy at times (but it should be) and there are a LOT of characters so it should be something read fast.

I read the first 70% then switch to the audio which was excellent. Millers style of writing is very captivating and enjoyable but it is not a relaxing escapism type book, more of a culturally important type read.

3.5 stars. A fun, timely read. While the book deals with serious topics like racism and Nazis, the tone remains light and comical. My biggest complaint is there were a bunch of characters, almost too many for me to keep straight at times. But if you want a cute story about a small Southern town dealing with progressive vs conservative beliefs, you’ll enjoy this one. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC, and to NetGalley!

The message/intent: 5 stars
The execution: 1 star

I think the biggest problem with this book is that there were too many characters. Rather than following one or two characters, we are introduced to an entire town. Each chapter is essentially someone different and then we have to remember who is who... and honestly, most of the characters blend into each other. They are either the ones that are all for banning books or the ones that are completely against it. There are political themes that run through this and whether you agree or not, it is certainly not a hidden agenda.

The message is clear: books can help people. They have a purpose and people can find themselves in books. Banning them is not the answer.

But by making light of some situations and going over the top isn't the way to do it. Nor is it to introduce so many characters, we have no connection to any of them. The chapters often ended with a cliff hanger of sorts, just to be picked up again elsewhere with different people letting you know what happened. I get what the author was trying to do, but it didn't work well for me.

I would like to thank HarperCollins for sending me an Advanced Readers Copy of this book. I did try to complete it, and it’s not that it’s a bad book, I just couldn’t stay interested in it. I loved the overall theme and idea behind the book, and the writing could be really funny at times, but it just wasn’t for me. (I did not rate this book publicly since I did not finish it. However, I did leave a review)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the topic couldn’t be more important than right now! It was a simple story yet has A LOT to unpack-would be great for book clubs.

I am so very disappointed here. I read The Change by this author 2 years go and absolutely LOVED it! So I jumped at the change to read this. And I’ve been trying to do just that for over six months. I tried reading. Listening. And I just can’t get through it.

I cannot stand being preached to and that’s how this book feels to me. I will always say…tell me your story and let ME come to my own conclusions. That’s the beauty of reading, is it not? I don’t need to be told how bad something is. I should be able to come or that conclusion all on my own through the writing.

Thank you anyway to Netgalley, William Morrow Books, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.