I really enjoyed this book - I finished it in a day! It dealt with a current topic (book banning and the "reasons" behind it) in a clever way, showing the challenges, interactions and history of a small town by having its residents unexpectedly find and read banned books.

When I read the blurb for this book I was all in. A small southern town turned upside down because of a tiny library was right up my alley. As I kept reading I felt that there were borderline too many characters. For the first half of the book it read more like short stories. Some of the topics discussed made it feel a bit dated too, but sadly books are still being banned in 2024. In the author’s note it says that someone else gave her the idea for this book so maybe that’s why it felt a bit forced to me. I enjoyed the author’s previous book and plan to still read her future books.

Thank you William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC!

I was a huge fan of The Change and was SO excited to get this ARC approval! Lula Dean’s was such an excellent book. This story is extremely timely considering the last few years and the push for social change in our country.

This book had unforgettable characters, multiple POVs with a connecting story arc, and a really amazing story threaded throughout. I highly recommend this one!

Thank you again for the ARC!

This book had way too many characters to keep up with. Although it was a funny satire with lots of humorous parts, the plot was just blah for me. I tend to not usually like politics in my books, and this had a lot. It really highlighted how divided our country is and left me depressed.

✂️ P L O T L I N E
Beverly and Lula have been rivals for years on end. They both live in the small town of Troy Georgia where they have found themselves running against each other in the race for mayor. Lula Dean is on a mission to get rid of every “inappropriate” book and has opened her own little free library full of books that she’s sure will feed the town people’s minds with a healthy dose of truth. Little does Lula know that someone has replaced all of her books with the banned books from the library. Once people start to get their hands on these books everything starts to change in this little town of theirs.

💭 ⓂⓎ ⓉⒽⓄⓊⒼⒽⓉⓈ
I absolutely loved the book “The Change” by Kirsten Miller so I knew I had to pick this one up! Both these books have very different storylines and are so unique in their own way, but they both have amazing strong female leads and discuss important topics. I know books that include politics can always be hit or miss for many people, but I really feel like this is such an important book to read especially with all of the controversy that currently surrounds book banning. The story is written in A way that explored both sides of the coin and parts of it are hard to read because it shows how divided our nation really is. I felt that parts of the story were a little repetitive and there are a lot of characters to keep track of. But overall the book was a really enjoyable and reflective read. It leaves you feeling hopeful and gives you lots of laughs in between the emotional parts. This book will make for an excellent book club pick!

📚 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
📖Books about books
😝Humor and satire
💭Thought provoking
🥺Powerful and emotional
💡Self discovery
🌎Exploration of Social issues
🔀Intertwined characters
📍Small southern town vibes

📚𝕄𝕐 ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾📚
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

💕Q U O T E: “𝒲𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓂𝒶𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓈 𝒾𝓈 𝓃𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝓁𝑒𝓉𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓅𝑒𝑜𝓅𝓁𝑒 𝓉𝑒𝓁𝓁 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝓀. 𝒟𝑜𝓃'𝓉 𝓁𝑒𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂 𝒸𝑜𝓃𝓋𝒾𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓎 𝒾𝓈 𝓇𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒶𝓃𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓌𝒶𝓎 𝓌𝓇𝑜𝓃𝑔. 𝒢𝒶𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝒶𝓈 𝓂𝓊𝒸𝒽 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌𝓁𝑒𝒹𝑔𝑒 𝒶𝓈 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒸𝒶𝓃, 𝒷𝑒𝒸𝒶𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝒾𝓃𝒻𝑜𝓇𝓂𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝒾𝓈 𝓅𝑜𝓌𝑒𝓇. 𝒜𝓃𝒹 𝒸𝒽𝑜𝑜𝓈𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒽𝑜𝓌 𝓉𝑜 𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝒾𝓉 𝒾𝓈 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝑒𝒹𝑜𝓂.”

🙏 Thank you NetGalley, William Morrow Books, and Kirsten Miller for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. 💕

I really enjoyed Kirsten Miller’s novel “The Change” and so I was excited to be given an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher.

I loved the characters, setting, and the message of the transformative power of books. It was charming and funny and I loved it. The only complaint I have is that it got a little preachy at certain points to drive home messages of acceptance, feminism, antiracism, and anti-censorship. In my opinion it was over the top since those of us who will read and enjoy the book don’t need to be convinced. That said, I highly recommend this quirky book.

Things are heating up in Troy Georgia, where Lulu Dean is on a crusade to ban every book that she deems inappropriate, but hasn’t actually read, and to replace these books Lulu starts her own little library. But when a local trouble maker takes the dust jackets off Lulu’s books and puts them on classic, gay romances, Judy Blume, Black history, and others like this and puts the altered books back into Lulu’s little library, that is where the fun starts.
Oh my gosh where to start. I think we have all spent time if not lived in a town similar to Troy, and Lulu would probably be called a Karen, but when people come together and stand up to those people they have no choice but to back down. Taking away everyone’s right to read a book is not for one or even a group of people to enforce. If you don’t like them don’t read them. But the way this story plays out is just awesome and there were parts, ahem the Judge Ladies birthday, that had me laughing out loud when I was alone in the room. But the best is the power the citizens find in those books left in the little library. This is a great, funny book it is one you do not want to miss.

When I started this book, I expected a cute little southern cheerleaders twenty-years-later story where they were still fighting the old high school disagreements. How wrong could I have been! There is a bit of the former cheerleaders story, as some of them are now the civic leaders and community members.

In the small southern town of Troy, Georgia, Lula Dean was not a cheerleader - not because she didn't want to be but because she was not chosen by the squad. Now she is the local busybody, gossip, and malcontent. As a way to succeed in her community she focuses on those nasty books filling up the shelves of the libraries in town and she sets about, with her Concerned Citizens committee, to remove those books. She also creates a little free library on her lawn. One night, a prankster (daughter of former cheerleader and the present-day school board president) removes the dust jackets from the "wholesome" books (purchased at the neighboring town's thrift shop), replacing those books with banned books covered with wholesome dust jackets. As people start to use the little library, they are in for an education. Minds are starting to wake up and it soon makes a difference in that community. Other books start to appear on the shelves. People can now read about the Holocaust, Nazis, African-Americans, civil rights, rights of individuals, gays, the list goes on.

Each chapter is a book title and we hear from members of the community. The mayor resigns in the midst of a scandal and Lula Dean and school board president, Beverly Underwood, are now both running for mayor. Who will win and which direction will this town decide to go?

The book is funny, serious, thought-provoking, raunchy. You may be laughing one minute at the absurdity of it, and downright serious the next, given what is at stake. If you agree that "those who seek to ban books are never on the right side of history" this book is for you.

3.75 stars, rounding to 4 :) I really enjoyed this book. I don’t know how Kristen Miller managed to cover so many heavy topics without weighing down the overall cadence of the story (I don’t know if that made any sense - it’s hard to describe) It was like the overall subject of book banning was the web. Then, other subjects ( racism, misogyny, antisemitism ) all got caught up in the book banning web ……and all the storylines connected everything together. *I am certain I am making this more complicated than it needs to be.
Basically, it’s a great book. I liked the way it put real feelings into a story that made me understand the points of view of people outside my bubble. I think that is extremely important for a white middle class suburban female like myself. Thank you to NetGalley for the early release of this book.

A timely story on the power of books and family and what happens when you try to take all of that way. Follow along as this small George town comes to grips with racism, scandals, homophobia and political drama. This is a powerful and timely look at book banning and how the right story can save a life.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books.

This is a timely and topical book about racism and bigotry in a small Southern town when a local rabble rouser stirs up trouble by banning classic books from the library because it will cause the children to become 'degenerates."

The author shares the POVs of several members of the community, some angry and hateful, others angry and afraid of what might happen if civil war erupts in their town. And the teenagers, well, let's just say they're more open minded than everyone else.

Are there corny parts in the narrative?

Sure, especially the ending when all the riffraff's secrets are exposed and run out of town, people learn their lesson, and everyone, but the good guys, get their just desserts.

I agree sometimes the people pointing fingers and causing a ruckus tend to be the ones who have the biggest, baddest skeletons in their closet, and the hypocrisy never ceases to make me laugh and shake my head in dismay at the same time.

The point of the narrative is how vital a library is in a community, any community in any part of the world.

Books open our eyes, hearts and minds to new ways of thinking, learning, and becoming a better person, take us to amazing places but also sheds light on the horrors of life and humanity.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for the ARC.

Kristen Miller is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Like The Change, Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books is born from the world we are currently living in and some of the more challenging elements within it. In the small southern town of Troy, Georgia, one woman decides to start removing books from the libraries that she believes to be offensive. As others join her, she digs in deeper and decides she will provide a little borrowing library outside of her home with books she finds "appropriate." When someone decides to swap the dust jackets of those books with titles on Lula's banned books list, no one could have foreseen the impact those stories would have on the community.

With humor, charm, and intelligence, Miller brings the reader into familiar situations where differing attitudes butt heads. The characters in Lula Dean's Little Library all feel like people we grew up with, live near (or with), and in some cases are related to. The story takes the opinions and attitudes out of the comments section of Facebook or Twitter and brings them to life within a small town community. Perhaps my only criticism is that the inspirations and changes that happen in the book do so very quickly and, as much as I wish it were true, usually take longer in reality. At the same time, the novel is a love letter to those banned books and the power of literature in general to inform, inspire, motivate, educate, and open up worlds that readers may never have experienced otherwise. There's also that little bit of true magic where the perfect book finds the right person - and that is absolutely the best.

Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books is a fabulous read- an ode to opening minds through reading. I loved Kirsten Miller’s previous book The Change, so I had high expectations going into this one, and it most definitely didn’t disappoint. It’s humorous, it’s incisive, it’s filled with social issues (yes including book banning). Also, it’s filled with books- and people who love them, people who try to ban them, and people who learn from them. If you love reading, there’s a very good chance you’ll love reading this.

Thank you Kirsten Miller, William Morrow, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved Kirsten Miller’s The Change – so I was super excited to get an advance copy of Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books. I was ready for the snark that I loved in The Change.

Unfortunately, this one fell a bit short. It was funny but just a bit. There were so many characters to keep track of. The characters of Troy, Georgia were very stereotypical and one dimensional. I felt like it dragged on in the middle and then ended abruptly. I think it would make a great NetFlix or Hulu film.

This quote stuck with me and made by genealogical heart skip a beat:

“You get to choose whose footsteps you’ll follow. Find a set that went in the right direction. Somewhere out there, you have an ancestor who made the world better. Whoever they are, decide to take after them. “

this was super fun and very timely! as an avid little free library user I loved the idea of the swapped books, my only complaint was there were too many characters.

What a topic to choose, but Miller did so well making you enjoy this book. This book is giving all the emotions of a book ban and sends you through the proccess of someone making big change in your life.

There's just no way you're not going to love this book! You've got quirky Southern characters, issues galore, humor, and a wonderful setting. And the good guys win. I started reading this thinking it would be light reading. I'd say it is... but it also addresses some excellent issues and character flaws. And, of course it is quite timely. You need this book in your life!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It's heartwarming, humorous and hell-raising!

In a small Southern town a battle heats up over library books, and Lula Dean is leading the righteous charge! What she doesn't realize is that the books she bought from Goodwill and claimed as her favorites, placing them in her Little Free Library have all been replaced. With the books she took out of the libraries.

One by one, as the books are read, the lives of town folk are changed. A great unraveling of secrets begins, and the town's racist white forefather will be one of the victims.

Both funny and poignant, Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books is a sweet summer read.

What happens when book banning comes to a small southern town? When the woman behind the book banning starts her own free library, filled with the wholesome books she thinks the town should read, one young woman makes some swaps that will affect the lives of everyone in town. This is part love-letter to books and part cautionary tale of where our society is headed.

A small southern town starts banning books "to protect the children" and sets up a lending library full of (supposedly) Wholesome and Appropriate Books (like Our Confederate Heroes (wtaf), The Southern Belle's Guide to Etiquette, etc). When these books are secretly swapped out for banned books (like Beloved, The Diary of Anne Frank, etc) hidden inside the dust jackets and people start reading them, there is a ripple effect through the entire town.

Banning books is stupid, and I love how Miller played with the idea of how the right book ending up in the right hands at the exact moment it's needed can change and save lives. It's like librarian porn.

Overall, this was a fun read. I loved Miller's somewhat lighthearted take on serious topics, and I wish things *could* work out this way, but also thought things were maybe a little too tidy by the end? But also still loved it?

Was this book a liberal fantasy? YES.
Will it make people who think banning books is a great idea angry? YES.
Does that make me happy? YES.
Does it make me hopeful that maybe someone who thinks banning books is a great idea will read this and have a change of heart? I WOULD LOVE TO SAY YES.