Loved all of the characters and the premise. Felt like maybe there were too many people and certain characters could be eliminated without affecting the story.

Lula Dean is the head of the Concerned Parents Committee in Troy, GA, a group responsible for the removal of boxes of books from the town's public library that the committee has deemed inappropriate. Lula then sets up a little free library in front of her house filled with the kinds of books she think are appropriate for the town to read. But the daughter of her bitter, lifetime rival decides to get back at Lula and removes the dust jackets of the books Lula has chosen and puts them instead on the books Lula and her committee banned and puts them back in the little library. These banned books then end up in the hands of Troy's citizens and in acts of fate, the right banned book finds its way to those who most need it.

First off, this is not a book for every reader and there will be readers who take offense to the political themes around some the characters and the titles mentioned. That being said, I'm not sure many of the people who would be offended would pick up a title mentioning banned books anyway. That being said, this was a campy, satirical story about how books that some would deem controversial can be beneficial to readers. I am always a fan of reading books that open minds and challenge beliefs so I mostly enjoyed this story, even if it was too much camp and too predictable at times for me.

Overall: 4/5

This was a great satire that reminded me why satire is such a vital part of our cultural history and how it propels people to think and engage with themselves and others. As with all satire, the lessons are offered in a rarified way that some may see as simplistic, idealistic, and with a very this or that humor...but for me that is part of the genre that makes satire so effective and memorable. Seeing a book that speaks to how you just can't stop or contain ideas that also showcases the interconnectedness of title, work, and cover art creates a multilayered and wonderful jigsaw puzzle of a community that seeks to find its way to understand what it means to live as individuaks and as a community.

Simply put, this book is a love letter to reading as much as it is an empathetic look into how reading and the free exchange of ideas, even by accident, can help people feel less alone.

CONTENT WARNING: book bans, prejudice, antisemitism, infidelity, xenophobia, suicide, brief mention of sexual assault, homophobia, white supremacy

I really loved Kirsten Miller’s other book, so naturally, I was thrilled to get approved for this one. Much like her previous work, this one felt very timely and relevant to what has been occurring in American society for the past few years. Miller’s satire takes on the topic of book bans with her trademark humor and heartwarming cast of characters.

Miller’s writing style is absolutely wonderful. There is an overarching story being told about a feud between Beverly Underwood and Lula Dean, but the majority of the story is told through an interconnected series of vignettes. I might be biased because I just finished watching the series, but I got Palm Royale vibes while reading this book.

Each of the characters is so well-crafted, despite having a large cast of characters. The main story revolves around the conflict between Beverly Underwood and Lula Dean. With Beverly on the school board and Lula Dean making it her mission to remove all the books she sees as “inappropriate” from public libraries, these two women with strong personalities are bound to clash. Lula Dean proceeds to build herself a little library hutch outside her house and stock it with wholesome books to replace the “pornographic” books she wants taken out of the libraries. But none of them know that Beverly’s daughter Lindsay has snuck out overnight and replaced these wholesome books with banned books, hiding them under the wholesome dust covers.

But the real story lies in this vignettes—the books are ironic opposites of the dust covers that they’re hiding under, and when each person takes a book out of Lula Dean’s lending library, we are given a front row seat into how these books change their lives. We first learn about what may have led them to the book they chose, whether this is a recommendation from a friend or just an interest in the subject matter, and then the little ways that reading a book they might not have normally chosen creates big changes in their behaviors and life.

If you take a peek at the content warnings, this story discusses some heavy topics. Book bans by nature try to censor out the elements our society wants to deny taking accountability for, to avoid having a reckoning with, and to continue to pretend are no longer a problem. So is it any surprise that book bans tend to focus overwhelmingly on books written by and about people of color, indigenous people, people who are immigrants/migrants/refugees, ethnic and/or religious minorities, and the LGBTQI2S+ community?

Overall, this was another fantastic read from Kirsten Miller, who has just earned a spot on my auto-buy list! The story was fun and felt lighthearted for the most part, yet there is space held for exploration of how the different ideas held affect all the people within the town. These ideas have the power to alter a dynamic within a town, whether for good or ill, and we get to see both sides of this over the course of the book. Ultimately, it wound up being a powerful story, and I love how everything worked out. I will enthusiastically recommend this one to all fans of reading and anyone who is against book bans, especially when they’re initiated by people like Lula Dean, who admits that she hadn’t read a single one of the books she felt were “inappropriate and pornographic.” So don’t be like Lula Dean, and give this book a read!

"𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨?"

That's the question Kirsten Miller asks in the author's note of 𝗟𝗨𝗟𝗔 𝗗𝗘𝗔𝗡'𝗦 𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗟𝗘 𝗟𝗜𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗥𝗬 𝗢𝗙 𝗕𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗗 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞𝗦. Her wonderful novel explores this via a small Georgia town grappling with a book ban that turns into so much more.

“𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘶𝘹𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴.”

Miller uses a large cast of characters and a healthy dose of humor to deal with heavy topics like censorship, anti-Semitism, rape, misogyny, racism and more. It's a difficult line to walk but she does it beautifully. Through various subplots that cleverly converge, the reader sees the story from many different points of view, and I appreciated how multi-dimensional the characters are - even the ones you know are wrong aren't stereotypes.

"𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 - 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦? 𝘉𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮: 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝘉𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦."

It's unfortunate just how timely this book is - the anti-Semitism in particular feels almost ripped from the headlines - but it gives me hope that books and good people can help turn things in the world around. Now let's hope this one doesn't get banned...

Thanks to William Morrow for the copy to review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Did not finish this book. It's a little bit too cutesy for a serious topic. I kept wondering if the author was directing her focus towards pre-teens through young adults.

What a delightful way to show the power of books. And that all books have value, even if the lesson we learn from reading them is to not do something. One of the things that we value about America is the freedom to read whatever we choose and no one should try to limit what someone else reads just because they don't agree with it. This book lays that out very clearly.

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC of this quirky, unique novel that captivated me all the way through. The creative premise held through until the end, and I loved how the books were intertwined in the story, which vacillated between charming and humorous, and deep and relatable. 4/5 stars.

This is such a perfect summer book! It's a lighthearted read, but with serious edge. It's set in a small town in Georgia and the story starts with local busybody, Lula Dean, proposing a book ban in the town's schools after finding an objectionable title at the library. She chairs a committee to remove "questionable" books and puts a Little Free Library outside of her home to share the positive, godly books that made her who she is. Unbeknownst to her, banned books are placed the dustjackets. Each chapter focuses on a different resident and how the banned book they read changes the trajectory of their lives or thinking. It was a little hard to keep all the characters straight since there were so many, but I loved seeing the power of books. The characters were a bit over the top at times, but I found the novel very enjoyable.

Thank you, William Morrow, and NetGalley for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Loved this one! Great and fun read. Highly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for my ARC.

I work at a Library, and this was such a great book for these weird times concerning banned books, etc... I tend to avoid books that have a specific agenda or political cause, but this book wasn't like that. It's a satire and had me laughing a lot! It was a solid four-star read for me, and I enjoyed it immensely.

I appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was like several stories within a story with life lessons taken from the content of banned books and good versus evil in which of course the evil people want to ban the books and the good people want others to be able to read whatever the fuck they want and it all plays out in a small town full of all sorts of people and yes. Yes. If a book is created for an audience, I am the audience for this book. Free advanced copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

While I agree that books can change attitudes and lives, the characters were just too “us against them” for me. Most of us fall somewhere more moderate in our politics and ideologies.

ARC Review: Publish Date 6/18/2024
Thank you Net Galley for letting me read more books!

This book hit on so many levels for me.

First, I’ve noticed a few reviews that had an issue with the over-reaching, left leaning, political “us vs. them” nature of this book and I frustratingly disagree. Yes, politics are involved in this story about…BANNING BOOKS. Because, again frustratingly, banning books is something we are dealing with in 2024. But more than anything, this book is about the power of empathy and information.

It may feel like an us vs. them dynamic, but that is the reality of our modern society. The politically charged, incendiary hate that spews from every right-wing conservative pundit and person is so far removed from historical politics that it feels wrong to even call it politics anymore. What we have been witnessing is a return to hate, a return to isolating “other” and “different” in favor of “how we grew up”, a return to oppression, to fear-mongering, to white Christian fundamentalism. A tragic shift to ATTACK mentality rather than compromise. Now it is an “US VS THEM” world.

Lula paints those that refuse change and acceptance as the butt of the joke, yes. I understand that would make a few folks uncomfortable. But, what Lula does well is demonstrate how access to information (in the form of banned books) can spark change in a set way of thinking that shifts perspective enough to allow empathy to grow. Not everyone is filled with hate and violence. Some folks know what they know from years of being told that is how it is. And that is ok. But change, growth, and understanding, can alter how you view people and the world if open to it. How many of us readers have had a book greatly change your perspective or view? How many of us have had a book alter our souls? The power of books cannot be understated. Stories matter.

Lula over-simplifies how easy it would be to inspire change, evolution, and growth through multiple points of view and experiences in a small Georgia town. (view spoiler)But did I love reading it? YES. It is how simple and straightforward I wish it could be. People are people are people. Live and let live. Everyone deserves a safe and true space to exist and feel like they belong.

4.75 stars.

Beverly Underwood and her arch enemy, Lula Dean, live in the
tiny town of Troy, Georgia, where they were born and raised. Now
Beverly is on the school board, and Lula has become a local
celebrity by embarking on mission to rid the public libraries of all
inappropriate books—none of which she’s actually read. To
replace the “pornographic” books she’s challenged at the local
public library, Lula starts her own lending library in front of her
home: a cute wooden hutch with glass doors and neat rows of the
worthy literature that she’s sure the town’s readers need.
But Beverly’s adult daughter Lindsay takes some undercover
action and decides to swap out all those bland comforting books
— switching dust covers with the banned books that ended up
languishing in her mom’s basement (saved from the bonfire). And
as the surreptitious banned books are borrowed and new ones
are added by people who realize the clever deception,

This novel is set in a small town in Georgia. Lula Dean, a bit of a local busy body, starts a book banning campaign, and seizes all kinds of books from the school library, and sets up a Little Library in front of her house to share books she approves of. But someone swaps out the books she has chosen for the banned books, hiding them in the dust covers of the books Lula put out. Then almost every chapter is told from the perspective of a different character, as we see how reading the banned books causes a lot of change in the town.

I loved Kirsten Miller’s previous book, The Change, so I was excited to read this one too. It definitely has a different feel to it - no magic realism and no mystery - but what it has in common is its portrait of small town life.

This book takes on a lot of big topics - not just book banning and censorship, but also racism, sexism, homophobia, rape, grappling with the legacy of slavery and the confederacy, and much more. And yet, it’s somehow also a light and fun book. With its portrait of the good and bad of Southern small town life and the people who live there, it gave me a bit of a Fannie Flagg vibe. It definitely is political (so I’m sure there will be some who are offended by it), but it also was charming and even emotional.

This took me a while to get into, but once I was in, it was a very fast read! I really liked how everything tied together. Although I am 100% in agreement with all the stances this book took, it did feel eeever so slightly preachy sometimes.

Not as excellent for me as the author's last book, but still a really good read!

This book. Wow. Honestly I was a huge fan of “the change” but I may have enjoyed this one even more! The wonderful cast of characters, the huge important topics handled so gracefully, I just truly loved every single second of this one and will be buying a copy!!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the eARC.

Calling all true book lovers - this is for you. Every single person should have access to ALL books. No exceptions. Oh how I loved this.

This one is special. All true book lover will appreciate the message here - EVERY book should be available to all. There is a small town chock full of characters that you will both hate and love - but almost all of them learn something in the end. Sometimes it was a bit hard to keep track of all of the characters, which was my only, very minor complaint.
4.5⭐️