“She always had admired readers who ventured outside of their natural genres. Those were often the people who had the greatest empathy, the most understanding of others around them, and the broadest appreciation for the world.”

Is this another WWII historical fiction? Yes, but please don’t let that stop you from picking it up. It really is so much more than that! The war is just a backdrop for what is essentially a love letter to books and readers. I felt all the emotions while reading this and have had a hard time writing a review because my words cannot do justice to how much I loved this book!

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like:
Books about books
1930’s England
Alice in Wonderland
Anne of Green Gables
Emma
A mother’s fierce love
Neighbors coming together

Thank you Thoughts From a Page podcast and Hanover Square Press for a digital copy through NetGalley.

A definite must read for every book lover! A story of love and war and people who love books!

A mother's love - a daughter that won't give up and some amazing people who help each other through life at its hardest.

The author provides an unique perspective of England during war.
It pulls at your heart strings following the love of a mom and daughter.

Another enjoyable read by Madeline Martin. The literary references always are a delight.
The child evacuation element literally did break my heart and cause me to stop reading for a stint. Then I would pick it up and it would break my heart again.
The Last Bookshop in London remains my favorite by the author, but I will definitely continue to read her works.
I learned a few things I previously did not know concerning the historical time period, as well. Which was a plus.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to preview this book.

I enjoyed this well-researched book, especially learning about married women in the 1930’s and 40’s having to give up their jobs. The author, surprisingly, is American, not English, so her familiarity with England during WWII is truly remarkable!

I received this book from the publisher via net galley in exchange for an honest review. Three stars.

The Booklover’s Library by Madeline Martin was a beautiful and sad book. The story follows the life of Emma Taylor who grew up without a mother and was raised by her father. When she was 17, something tragic occurred that changed the trajectory of her life.
Now years later, she is a widow with an 8 year old daughter to care for and she has another set of worries due to a war that has started. She has to decide if she should follow the recommendations of sending her daughter away to safety or keep her daughter with her.
The story had many sad elements to it however I loved that during some very hard times, Emma was able to lean in on her community for support. She also relied on her job at The Booklover’s Library which was a great distraction from the reality surrounding her.
I really loved this story so much and I can’t wait to read more books by this author. Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hanover Square Press for this arc! A beautiful story that moved me to tears several times! Really enjoyed this and am looking forward to checking out more of her work!

This is my second book by Madeline Martin and I enjoyed this one as much as the first. She uses bookshops and libraries as beautiful vehicles to write about everyday people coping with personal trauma and the horror of war. This is a trope I love, and some of my favorite books follow this reading trope. While hers are historical fiction and I feel some need to love that genre as well to love her books, I find it a great formula and the characters are usually well-developed and have bits that resonate with the reader. In this story, we follow Emma from her late teens, when she watched her father die as their home and bookshop burned down, to her late-twenties, when she gets a job at the bookstore inside Boots and grapples with sending her daughter to the country at the start of the Blitz. I found this type of library fascinating too and had no idea about them, which I find is another part I enjoy in her books is the details we learn about history as well as the great stories. I knew about Operation Pied Piper, but following a mother as she dealt with the heartache and guilt of sending her daughter away multiple times made the difficulties of single parents during that time hit home. I really enjoyed the book and shed a few tears.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ebook to preview.

I love a great story about books and that is what The Booklover's Library gives the reader in plenty. Madeline Martin also enhances this with just enough love, and danger to make your heart swoon.

An absolutely intriguing book set during World War II. As someone that loves learning about history, especially this particular war, this book caught my attention.

I love how the author was able to make this historical fiction so accurate to what happened. From the children’s evacuation to the air raids to the marriage bar during those times. It made me look everything up and dive into reading about it.

The fictional storyline itself was good and kept me hooked. I just wish there was better fluidity of the timeline and of what was going on.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book very much. The story wasn't bad, although I'm not a huge historical fiction reader. My main issue was with the writing style.
This book follows a widowed single mother in WW2 England looking for a job to provide for her and her daughter. She ultimately has to make the choice to evacuate her daughter and stay behind to continue to earn money for her family.
That premise is simple, but heartwarming. The wiring just took away from how heartwarming it could be. My biggest pet peeve in writing is when the author resorts to telling over showing in almost every scene. This story felt like a summary of a book because every scene lacked a lot of dialogue and movement. For me, that doesn't really work in a novel. Especially one that's supposed to make you feel something really deep.
That being said, I can see why this book might work for someone other than myself.

This is a tenderly written story with insight into the life of women, especially widows with children in the 30’s and 40’s, and how hard it was on both the mothers and the children when they were evacuated to the countryside for safety. The book provides observations of the horrors of war for everyone involved but also the comradery and dedication of the English. I was not aware of the idea of subscription libraries in England and their popularity. The author does provide additional information for clarification at the end of the book on both subscription libraries and the Mass Observation initiative which is always appreciated.
4.5 Stars

“She always had admired readers who ventured outside of their natural genres. Those were often the people who had the greatest empathy, the most understanding of others around them, and the broadest appreciation for the world.”

I’ve only read one other book by Martin and thoroughly enjoyed that one as well. This one was an even better fit for me. I was emotionally invested in the characters lives from chapter one and the way the story is written made it feel like I was right there in the midst of everything alongside them. Before this book I had never heard of a Lending Library and spent a good deal of time researching the ins and out after I finished reading it. I hope to someday visit the one that still exists in Nottingham, England!

“How was a parent to be honest with their child while still safeguarding that precious innocence?”

This was the first book that made me really feel the ache of what it must have been like for the parents who sent their children to be relocated during the war. Maybe because the girl in the story is my daughter’s age, it hit harder than ever.

“Truly, there was nothing better than the companionable silence that fell between readers in a quiet room, each entirely lost in their own worlds.”

As you can see, this story was filled with so many quotes that resonated with me. This is an advanced copy so they may be different in the finished version, but i really hope they all stay exactly as they are.

This is a fantastic historical fiction with an enlightening Authors Note at the end that everyone should read. Highly recommend for my historical fiction loving friends!

Widow Emma has struggled for make a life for her and her daughter. There are restrictions on her obtaining a career due to being a widow and having a child and now war is breaking out. Fear and tensions are high and she is left to face some of the hardest decisions in her life. Taking a chance on inquiring about a position at a bookshop, she manages to get a position however her background needs to remain a secret. Emma has never been more grateful to felt more at home than in a bookshop. She was raised in her father's bookshop until that had a tragic end due to a fire years ago. Emma couldn't be happier but when notice that children should be sent to the country side to remain safe, she is distraught. How could she send her child to some stranger? Yet the government is saying that is the safest place for them. Following the masses, Emma sends Olivia with the other children to the country side. With horror stories of what some children have endured at these place, Emma fears everyday if she has made the right decision meanwhile trying to keep her job as well as herself safe from the never ending bombings wondering if and when this war will ever end. This was an interesting read and I did learn something else I did not know about WWII. Thank you to the author and Netgalley for the complementary ebook. This review is of my own opinion and accord.

A heartwarming story about a mother and daughter in wartime England and the power of the books that bring them together.

I have read from this author previously so when I saw she had a new book coming out I had to request it. We follow Emma, who has grown up with books because her father owned a bookstore. Unfortunately her father’s bookstore burned down and he died in the fire. Emma moves on with her life and marries and has a child named Olivia, sadly tragedy strikes again and Emma’s husband dies. Now Emma is forced to take on life as a widow and find a source of income. She goes back to her roots working in a library helping people select books. We follow Emma and Olivia while they deal with WW2 and the struggles of that time period.

I really enjoyed this book, it was a very sweet story and is a must if you enjoy reading about book lovers and bookstores. It shows the power of books and how they can bring so much joy and comfort into someone’s life. Emma is a strong female character who will do anything for her daughter and Olivia was so sweet and loved her mother very much. I recommend this book if you like historical stories about books and mother daughter relationships.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for an advanced copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great historical fiction story to get lost in for a day. The book follows Emma from childhood through raising her own daughter and their love of books. As a child, Emma’s father ran a bookstore. One day it caught on fire and Emma narrowly escaped. Her dad perished due to the fire. After his death, Emma quickly married and had a daughter named Olivia. Soon after the birth, her husband was killed in an auto accident. Emma lost her love of reading due to the fire and deaths. One day as the money ran out, Emma was at a café and noticed that a Booklovers Library had an opening. Technically a widow with a child could not have employment. The lady that ran the lending library overlooked this and hired Emma. Emma regains her love of reading by recommending books to the patrons. It also made her feel connected to her father. Multiple times for safety due to the bombings in England, Olivia was sent to board with others away from the activity. The story follows the war efforts of the people living in the tenant building and Emma’s work at the lending library. Emma falls in love again and marries. I really enjoyed this story that meshed the love of reading and the love of family. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced e-copy.

Thank you Hanover Square Press, HTP, and The Hive for my #gifted copy of The Booklover’s Library! #hanoversquarepress #HTPHive #htpbooks #HiveInfluencer #TheBookloversLibrary #MadelineMartin

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟐𝟕, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

𝟓★

Madeline Martin writes the BEST historical fiction novels and I love the amount of research and heart she puts into each one of her novels. The Booklover's Library was such a beautiful book, perfect for anyone who loves books and how they can bring people together.

I really enjoyed the mother/daughter relationship in this book and how Emma had to rely on others in such a difficult time, in order to make the best decision for her daughter. I also loved the central theme of friendship and leaning on others during difficult times. This was so central to the book and I loved how it was such an important part of the book.

The whole idea of the lending library was so interesting to me and I loved how much research Martin did to incorporate them into this story. I also really appreciate how she included information on the marriage bar between Emma and Margaret, because that was not something I was really aware of until I read this book.

Overall, this book was just beautifully written and I love how it all wrapped up so beautifully at the end. Madeline Martin is one of my favorite historical fiction authors and I can always count on her to teach me something I didn’t know, and I really appreciate that about her and her research!

"𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚠𝚗𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗’𝚝 𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛. 𝙸’𝚖 𝚜𝚘 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍."
"𝙾𝚑 𝚢𝚎𝚜." 𝙼𝚛𝚜. 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚜𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚑 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚑𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚎𝚍, 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚏 𝚖𝚘𝚌𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚋𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚕 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚛𝚞𝚗𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚍𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚞𝚎. “𝙷𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚏 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚗’𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚜 𝚢𝚎𝚝.”

Posted on Goodreads on August 23, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around August 27, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on August 27, 2024
**-will post on designated date

This is a book that felt familiar, yet had a few unique aspects to it. The story is told from the mother’s viewpoint and that’s not something you see as often. It is set during WWII, in England. The story follows Emma, a widow who has experienced a lot of loss in her life, and then has to send her young daughter Olivia away to the country, multiple times, for her own protection. This had to have been heart-wrenching.

Highlights |
•Books are a solace
•Lending libraries
•Mother’s love
•Marriage Bar

One of the most interesting things I learned from this book was that women weren’t allowed to work if they were married or widowed. The marriage bar was a practice in the United Kingdom that prevented married women from working in many industries from the Victorian era to the 1970s. I also enjoyed learning more about lending libraries that offered paid subscriptions. And they still exist!

The book includes some tense moments, a love story, and lovely literary references that are so appealing to book lovers.
I enjoyed being a part of the author chat, and learning even more interesting things about the writing process.

3.75/5 stars

My thanks to Cindy Burnett, Thoughts From a Page, and Hanover Square Press, for the advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

WWII changed so many aspects of society, including women working. At a time when a married woman or a widow with children couldn't work, Emma Taylor, a widow with a daughter Olivia, must work to provide. The tragedies in Emma's life have shaped her into a strong, determined mother. Applying to work at the Booklover's Library in Nottingham England, she confesses to the manageress that she has a daughter and is given a chance to prove herself. Then, the war comes knocking on England's doorsteps. As many parents did, Emma sends Olivia away to the countryside for safety.

Strong characters, tragedies, resolutions. So much action and emotion packed into this wonderful historical fiction.

The Booklover's Library by Madeline Martin releases Sept. 10th. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

"The Booklover's Library" by Madeline Martin tells the story of a young widow, Emma, and her daughter, Olivia, living in Nottingham, England during WWII. Ms. Martin refreshingly writes about this well-documented time period by focusing on a few individuals, how they lived and worked and survived the trauma of war. Readers are introduced to subscription libraries located in Boots, a pharmacy, where patrons paid to borrow books (find out about red spine books and subscription levels) and where Emma is able to secure a job despite the prohibitions against a married woman working outside of the home. As a mother, I sympathized with Emma's struggles to provide for her child while also agonizing over the impossible decision whether or not to evacuate Olivia to the countryside for her safety. The books in the subscription library provide comfort and an escape for Emma, her colleagues and the patrons trying to survive the war. Emma and other women also volunteer with the WVS where they supported and aided their fellow countrymen. I strongly recommend this book for lovers of historical fiction and strong female characters. Thanks to Cindy Burnett with Thoughts from a Page and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel.