*3.5 stars*

Sweet second chance…

A book about books? Libraries? Love? The mouse was on fire as I clicked this title so quickly lol. Savannah’s story was all about making decisions and finding yourself. And love and more of life along the way… Spending the summer with her aunt meant family and suddenly a new purpose. Rebuild a library, a garden, with not only her aunt but (it seemed) like everyone in town. And neighbor Evan was right in the mix…

With her aunt’s book suggestions pushing the pair into new directions, the unexpected turns never ended. It wasn’t just one thing or two but a host of happenings and situations which moved the story along with sweetness, grace and a whole lot of soul-searching…

A gentle read that soothed as well as entertained…

A cute story involving my favorite things, books and plants! A woman who is down on her luck, taking refuge with an aunt who provides a free library in a rose garden. As the main characters and others help each other and get involved with each other, good things happen. It really is a sweet story.

So, I love book and I love libraries! So to be able to review a book that has both? I had to jump at the chance. I’m usually not a second chance lovers kind of girly. But this book had me hooked. It reminded me of a cute Hallmark movie set in the small town of Bloom. Interested in reading more from this author.

I really enjoyed this delightful, sweet romance that's perfect to read in the Spring or Summer. I appreciated that our main character struggled with some health issues. I loved the backyard garden setting complete with a little free library shed. If you like watching Hallmark romance movies, this will be a hit for you. There was a little bit of depth with some of the characters, but the tone overall is pretty light. It's not quite a five star because I wanted a bit more chemistry between the love interests. But overall it was a sweet enjoyable read.

In this poignant narrative by Annie Rains, readers are transported to a world where hope and healing intertwine. Savannah Collins, a recently unemployed woman, finds her life upended when her fiancé abruptly ends their engagement, citing Savannah’s recent Lupus diagnosis as the reason. The emotional toll of this unexpected turn of events is palpable, as Savannah grapples with the prospect of a shortened lifespan and questions her ability to fully invest herself in her passions, particularly her love for gardening and botany. Having transformed her passion into a successful social media influencer, Savannah is deeply disheartened by her diagnosis, which takes precedence over her efforts to manage her flare-ups.

Savannah’s Aunt Eleanor operates the Finders Keepers Library, which operates on a “take a book, give a book” premise, attracting avid book enthusiasts. The library’s location in Eleanor’s garden provides a serene setting for many patrons to find solace. However, Eleanor recently experienced a fall and a severe summer storm caused significant damage to the library and a portion of the garden. Not only concerned with her aunt’s welfare, as well as the urgent need for repairs, Savannah intervenes to assist. With a summer wedding scheduled to take place in the garden in a few weeks, immediate attention is required to address the damage.

During the ongoing repairs, Eleanor’s acute perception soon assists Savannah in recognizing her connection to Evan Sanders, an individual from her past who is assisting with the repairs. Several years prior, Evan had developed romantic feelings for Savannah but remained discreet about his intentions. Consequently, they now have an opportunity to rekindle their connection, and Eleanor assumes the role of guiding them. Her actions involve selecting suitable books for both Savannah and Evan that facilitate introspection and reveal their true emotions. Ultimately, they are presented with a chance to pursue love.

This is an exceptionally well-crafted narrative. The ingenious choice of opening each chapter with a distinct quote from a book, particularly those that I had personally read, significantly enhanced the reading experience. This literary device allowed me to draw meaningful parallels between the story and my own prior reading experiences, making it even more relatable and enjoyable. The author’s skillful use of quotes is a testament to their exceptional storytelling abilities.

Many thanks to Forever and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion

I think it's safe to say that I love anything Annie Rains writes! She is the master of small town romances. This was such a sweet and heartwarming second chance love story. The characters were so well developed. I'm excited to read the next book in this series!

This was a delight to read! A fresh and fun romance, filled with good thoughts and reasons to smile. This second chance, small town romance soothes the heart and makes you want to surround yourself with books and roses! While it was sweet, it wasn’t sappy. The challenges were real, but the community effort to repair the library and prepare for the wedding to was heartwarming. I will be looking for this author again - we all need feel good books!

This is a good book. The two main characters are Savannah and Evan. They have known each other all their lives. Savannah came and stayed with her aunt and uncle every summer. Savannah comes to visit her aunt. Evan lives next door. They start spending time together. They go on dates. They each have issues but together they work them out and fall in love.

This heart-warming second chance love story about hope and healing from USA Today bestselling author Annie Rains is perfect for fans of Raeanne Thayne and Jenny Hale!

For a gardener blessed with a green thumb, Savannah Collins’s life sure seems like it’s all thorns, zero roses. She has no job, no relationship, and no place to live. With nothing but a car full of plants and her new rescue kitten, Savannah heads to Bloom, North Carolina, to spend the summer with her beloved Aunt Eleanor, a retired librarian.

Her aunt shares her love of literature with the Finders Keepers Library, located in her beautiful garden, where anyone can stop by to pick a book or leave a book. When a sudden summer storm destroys the library and many of the roses, it will take a village to get everything ready for the garden wedding that is planned there in just three weeks.

As the entire town joins in to make the necessary repairs, Savannah bonds with their neighbor Evan Sanders over the books that Eleanor has handpicked for each of them, helping them both find healing and self-discovery. Savannah only intends to stay through the summer, but when an unexpected job offer, a sudden health crisis, and a wayward pre-teen push her future in new directions, she has to wonder whether this is the place that she is meant to be—and the family she’s meant to be with.

I really enjoyed the story of Savannah, Aunt Eleanor, and Evan. I love a good second chance romance and this definitely delivered. Will recommend to others.

I really enjoyed this book! Annie Rains is definitely a book lover who writes for book lovers. It’s full of found family love, the love of literature, and great representation of characters with chronic illness (lupus) and disabilities. Highly recommend!! A warm and happy book for fall.

Annie Rains’ books are always a delight - and this one is no different! Her characters have depth, heart, and layers that make you feel connected to them and want to find out more about what happens to them.

This is a great story, especially for any of fans of Susan Wiggs, Susan Mallery, Brenda Novak, Jenny Hale, Debbie Macomber, or Miranda Liasson.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC in exchange for my opinion.

Savannah's fiancee just dumped her after her medical diagnosis of Lupus. She's on her way to stay with her parents until she finds a job. She decides to stop at her Aunt Eleanor's in Bloom, North Carolina. She used to spend summers at Aunt Eleanor's while growing up. Eleanor loves to read and has a shed filled with books called the Finders Keepers Library. Eleanor loves to quote from books.
Eleanor's neighbor Evan is mad at Savannah for not coming to check on Eleanor when she was hurt last fall. Savannah had no idea that happened. A storm comes and almost destroys the library and her garden. A wedding is supposed to happen in her backyard in a few weeks.
Savannah decides to stay for the summer and help fix up the backyard. She reconnects with her old friends and Evan and his daughter, June.
This book is like a warm hug. I felt so happy while reading it. We have a chronic illness rep, second chance Romance and friendship. I really enjoyed this book!

This is a cute clean romance that featured a family and friends that come together when times need that. The quotes at the chapter headings were a nice surprise. I also loved the quotes sprinkled throughout the book. I well certainly be putting more books by this author on my TBR.

“The Finders Keepers Library” by Annie Rains is a sweet cozy romance novel with only a few kissing scenes. Annie hit it right on point with her sweet story. I enjoyed falling in love with all the characters bouncing back forth between three main characters viewpoint. I do hope to see a second book in storyline with Molly and Hollis. 😉

Thank you NetGalley, Forever Publishing, and Annie Rains for an eARV copy of The Finders Keepers Library.

4.5 stars ⭐️ A book about books? Count me in! This book was so heartwarming and I loved the vibes. I loved loved loved the characters. Such a sweet book full of books quotes, lots of love, healing and finding yourself. I got this book as an ARC months ago from NetGalley and just got around to reading it. Highly recommend checking out this lovely book!

For a gardener blessed with a green thumb, Savannah Collins’s life sure seems like it’s all thorns, zero roses. She has no job, no relationship, and no place to live. With nothing but a car full of plants and her new rescue kitten, Savannah heads to Bloom, North Carolina, to spend the summer with her beloved Aunt Eleanor, a retired librarian.
Her aunt shares her love of literature with the Finders Keepers Library, located in her beautiful garden, where anyone can stop by to pick a book or leave a book. When a sudden summer storm destroys the library and many of the roses, it will take a village to get everything ready for the garden wedding that is planned there in just three weeks. With plans to leave shortly, Savannah isn't planning on getting involved with the community or the sexy neighbor but when it comes time to make a decision it looks like home is where the heart is.

This is a wonderful book of second chances. There is so much healing and forgiving needed. The wisdom of books is spread in this book like seeds. I believe everyone should read this one. Couldn't put it down!

Annie Rains is one of my favorite authors. I've never given her books under four stars (and I'd read fifteen of them before this!), so it's very depressing to rate this one so low for me. I don't know what it was but nearly zero elements of this story connected with me.

I usually like bookish stories and the concept of a shed-sized Little Free Library was cute in general, but the characters made a ton of book references and quotes that unfortunately felt shoehorned in. The three POVs included the main female and male characters but also the aunt, who was the biggest book-quoter of all. I just didn't think it was necessary to have her POV. 

There are a lot of tougher topics around illness, death, custody issues... it felt kind of heavy at times while not packing an emotional punch at all. The characters had repetitive, cheesy conversations that annoyed me instead of made me feel for them. I really hope my main issues were not being in the mood for a romance of this type at this moment and the characters, because I'd really like to continue the series. This just didn't feel like an Annie Rains book to me!

I ended up speed-reading the second half because this has been on my currently-reading shelf for the whole month and took me 19 days to read, which is really unheard of for her books. I never wanted to pick this up and read it; I started and finished five other books in the time it took me to complete this. 

I know this is small potatoes, but normally there aren't any church/religious elements in her books but there was a random push for characters to go to church in the final part of the book that just didn't resonate with me. It felt like when a Hallmark movie suddenly has people praying around the dinner table or talking about God. Again, this is fully a personal thing for me and something I avoid completely in the books I pick up.

Overall, this was definitely a miss. I'll read the next book in the series in hopes that it feels more like her other two series that I've loved!

This is a great, cozy, small-town romance. Savannah heads to her aunt's house. Evan lives next to her aunt and they had a great chemistry as teenagers, and that chemistry is still there. I read this book in a day. Highly recommend!

This author is new to me. I loved the small town of Bloom, where the story takes place. It was a great plot with wonderful characters that made me wish I was there in person! I can't wait to read more books by this author! This is a must read!!