Emma Taylor has three strikes against her. Her mother died shortly after her birth, her father's bookshop and their home burned to the ground leaving her an orphan at 17. Then an happy marriage ended in tragedy when her husband was killed in an accident leaving her with an infant daughter.
When money runs short Emma is faced with restrictions against married women and mothers working. Her luck turns when she applies for a position at a lending library. The manager is willing to overlook Emma's status and hires her. In the job her love of books and reading is rekindled, she meets Margaret who becomes a friend and customers who come to depend on her book recommendations.
Still, life isn't easy. Her daughter, Olivia, is now seven and must stay alone after school and during school breaks. This becomes increasingly problematic when England is drawn into WW2. Emma is faced with the decision to send Olivia out of the city when bombing begins.
This dilemma is the crux of the story and it's strongest plot point. The story is predictable except for that but there are enough tense moments to save it from being saccharine. Thanks to Netgalley and Hanover Square Press for the ARC.

I loved this book so much! I found myself engaged with the story and characters from page one and kept turning the pages to find out what would happen next. Emma grew up above the family book store she ran with her father, until the fire that took everything from her. After she grew up, got married, and had a child, her life was still not free from tragedy. Once she was widowed, she had to find a way to support herself and her daughter, Olivia. The Booklover's Library was willing to give a widow a job as a librarian. When WW2 broke out, Emma had to make the heartbreaking choice of keeping her daughter with her in Nottingham during the German bombings or sending her to the countryside. The library provided Emma with a place to help others, make friends, and try to solve the mystery of misplaced books while dealing with the loneliness without her daughter in the city.
I've read many WW2 books including ones about the Blitz and when families had to send their children away, but this story added a new perspective on the tale. I never knew about the subscription libraries. The story provided a creative setting to develop interesting characters from the workers at the library to the tenants at Emma's boardinghouse. For example, the landlady, Mrs. Pickering, blossomed in the character from a lonely widow to a strong and loyal friend. Emma also grew as a person and healed from her tragedies as the story progressed.
If you are looking for a story with wonderful characters who find ways to overcome adversity and a little romance amongst the rubble of war, I highly recommend this book!

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#TheBookloversLibrary #NetGalley
Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing and Net Galley for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Rating: 3 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I grabbed this book when I saw it on NetGalley... I really enjoyed The Last Bookshop in London by this author, and I needed a good historical fiction to get me from one book to another.

This book, unfortunately, didn't work well for me. The book opens with our main character trying to decide if she's going to send her daughter (the only family she has) to the countryside to wait out the war. It was HEARTBREAKING. But over and over again, it felt like we were being told how she felt, rather than being shown.

I guess I wanted more from the writing style than I got. It just didn't transport me like I was hoping.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Sept. 10, 2024
Emma Taylor is a widow, raising her young daughter in Nottingham, England right before the start of World War Two. With so many regulations in place that prevent married and widowed women from holding a job, Emma is getting desperate, until a random encounter with an understanding manager gives her the oppourtunity of a lifetime- working at the Booklover’s Library. Daily, Emma is surrounded by books and the people who love them but just as she has found a place where she fits in, World War Two hits England hard and she is forced to send her beloved daughter, Olivia, away to the country to flee the violence. Now, all that Emma has is her love of books and the community of booklovers who are looking to escape the terrible violence around them. But is literature and the love of books enough to overcome the separation from her daughter, and the horrifying war raging around her?
Madeline Martin is a book lover and, if her new novel, “The Booklover’s Library” wasn’t enough of a clue, how about her previous novels, such as “The Last Bookshop in London” or “The Librarian Spy”? I am always willing to read novels about books, booklovers, libraries or anything and everything literary, and Martin has delivered this in spades!
“Library” is told from Emma’s perspective, as she struggles with the loss of her husband, the daily threat to her life as the war wages on and the nearly unsurmountable grief of sending her daughter away. Now, as a modern-day reader, I cannot relate to any of these situations (thank goodness) but the most important, and relatable, aspect of Emma is her love of books as a means to escape the chaos around her. Any reader will definitely find a kindred spirit in this facet of Emma’s personality.
Martin’s “Library” is historical fiction, obviously based on real-life events, but also tells the harrowing tale of war and the humanity that surrounds us in times of sorrow and strife. Motherhood, community, new romance and societal ideals on women are also strong themes, which means that “Library” will have a little something for everyone!
New to me, Martin has introduced me to an entirely new series of books about books, so I have some catching up to do. But I won’t make that mistake again and will be sure to jump in line when Martin delivers something new!

Give this one a 2/5. The idea of this book was so cute. I loved the mother-daughter duo and how much the mother was willing to fight to keep her girl safe. The writing however just fell super flat for me. I had a hard time reading/it just felt choppy to me. I know many said this book was great and it could be great for you too, but I physically struggled to read it. It wasn’t for me, but the story idea was beautiful.

Based in England during World War II, this story is of a widowed mom struggling to raise her daughter during a time of uncertainty. In need of a job, Emma takes a chance on a library, but will they hire a woman who is not single and untethered? Then the war starts, and Emma must make a tough decision - send her daughter to the country where she will be safe or keep her at home. This story shows that we all need someone to lean on when the going gets tough. I highly recommend this quick and enjoyable read.

A really lovely historical fiction. Taking place as Britain joins WWII, Emma and daughter Olivia find themselves forced apart by evacuations. And Emma finds a new lease on life with a job at a lending library. Really beautiful and I leaned a bit as well. It's so hard to believe that in my lifetime (just) a ban existed that prevented married or widowed women from working existed.

Terrific and different WWII story laced with love of all kinds and lots of tears, both of sorrow and of joy.. Emma and Olivia are both delightful but even the minor characters (or some who become not so minor) are well-drawn and easy to love, for the most part. Even Tubby the dog and Nameless the bunny are priceless. The stress of war and bombs going off affect everyone differently; some rise to the occasion and others do not. I had never heard of Boots' BookLenders' Library but am delighted there was some joy in the midst of war for many. The terrible unjust way women were treated, especially widows, during this time period was eye-opening. We have come a long way, but still have more distance to cover. I heartily recommend this book. Although I received an ARC, my opinions are my own.

Every time I say I am done with all the WWII historical fiction books, I get sucked into another one. The Booklover's Library was a fascinating look at how English society viewed working women in the 1930s-40s. I had no idea that many jobs were off-limits to married and widowed women, especially women with children.
Emma, a widow with a young daughter, is barely surviving. She's been rejected for every job she's applied for because she's a widow with a child. Society seems to think her "job" is to be home with her daughter, but that doesn't put food on the table. After a chance eavesdropping conversation, the manageress of the Booklover's Library, a high-end subscription lending library, takes a chance to hire Emma. She is thrilled but now has to navigate working and childcare. Through the help of her kind landlady, Emma is beginning to thrive.
WWII begins, and Emma must make hard decisions about whether to send her daughter to the countryside with other Nottingham children for safety. Throughout the book, Emma is plagued by all the decisions "good" mothers make and how she can possibly know the right thing to do.
I enjoyed this novel and was fully engaged. I learned a lot about English society at that time; it was clear the book was well-researched and well-written.

I tend to be drawn to books that have to do with war, at least with surviving it and #TheBookLover'sLibrary is no different.

The war is on and Emma has lost the bookshop that her beloved father ran and lost her father himself. Now she finds herself widdowed with a child and no job to help and payments to be made. Widdows are not allowed to work but in order to care for her child she will have to break the rules with a little bit of help from several unlikely people.

Finding herself the unlikely job at Boots Lover's Library a highclass place Emma now has a job that cares for her child. But the Blitz is happening and she fears for the safety of her daughter and all those around her. Books begin to be misshelved and the library sends in detectives to find out who is not only stealing books but putting them in the wrong places.

This is the story of a mother that will moves mountains and sacrifice all she has to keep her daughter safe.

I want to thank #Netgalley for the chance to read #TheBooklover'sLibrary by #MadelineMartin in return for a fair and honest review.

This book is a historical drama set during WWII and centering on a mother, Emma, and daughter, Olivia. Emma has had some tough years, losing her father in a library/house fire, along with all the books she cherished as a child. Then falling unexpectedly into single motherhood has made her determined and resourceful at all cost, she is strong and dedicated to care for her young daughter no matter the cost. But when the brink of war threatens, they must learn to be apart and trust those around them to help them through the emotions. This story brings depth to characters in a time where they have to lean on each other to survive in so many ways. It takes hold of your heartstrings and brings you to war right along with them. I really enjoyed and came to love these characters. I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Madeline Miller's newest offering THE BOOKLOVER'S LIBRARY is set in a world facing the ever-present threat of sudden death from Hitler's bombers. As a precaution, London relocates its children away from the city to the hoped-for safety of temporary foster homes in the countryside. To help soften the pain of separation, Emma Taylor uses her natural skills as a bookseller to start a lending library that helps restore some semblance of social cohesion to the worried, sorrowing parents. There are heroes and villains, love and kindness, and, always, the wondrous hope for better days. Be sure not to miss Martin's delightful uplifting and life-affirming story about a time in recent history that risks being forgotten.

The Booklover's Library was wonderfully written and set in the WWII time period. The discomforts and hardships the main character faced were very aptly described. This book is a must read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

WWII historical fiction is one of my favorite genres which means that finding a new aspect of the time period is sometimes difficult. This book starts with heart break and just keeps on going. It focuses on the happenings in England as they enter the war, specifically sending children away to keep them safe. It also discusses the controversial practice of not allowing married or widowed women to work. I devoured this book and really enjoyed a new take on this time period.

The Booklover's Library is everything that I look for in a historical fiction novel: characters facing the odds and retaining their humanity in a world that has gone crazy, beautiful, descriptive writing, and a well-crafted story. I cannot recommend this one enough!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to be apart of this ARC, I loved every word! The characters were lovable, and personable. It really honed in on the emotional devastation that was this time period. Being a mother myself it hit home in more ways than one. I loved learning about the Boots lending library and I had no idea about the marriage bar in England that lasted until the 70’s! I will definitely be looking j to more books by Madeline Martin. This is in the top 5 historical fictions I’ve ever read.

A gripping page-turner from the first pages, I loved this book! I enjoyed Madeline Martin's book, "The Last Bookshop of London" and loved seeing the little nod in this book to that. As a fellow book lover, and as a mom, I really enjoyed the perspective of Emma during this time period. I learned a lot about women's roles and policies that were a disservice to them. I've read books about children's perspectives of being sent off to the country during war (or the families receiving them), but never the parents who sent them off. It had to have been a hard decision and transition for everyone. As a birth mom having chosen adoption in hopes of protecting and better my child's life, while it isn't the same situation, my heart ached along with Emma as she said goodbye and as she waited for the next visit. Entrusting strangers with your child's care is no easy task.

The second-chance love story is a sweet side story and ending, but the main focus is Emma's challenges and growth as a mom through WWII. Great, insightful read with lots of emotions. Highly recommend!

I enjoyed this book! It had a feel-good ending, touched on some historical events I did not know about, & kept me engaged throughout the story. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy WWII historical fiction novels!

Let me start by saying that I’m a big fan of Madeline Martin. I’ve read several of her historical fiction books and truly enjoyed them. My heartstrings were pulled in the first part of this book and brought tears to my eyes. I again felt quite emotional in the last 10%. It is a tender story about a young girl widowed mother, Emma, struggling to financially survive in the world where mothers are not often able to work. On top of this, a world war is evolving and she must keep her beloved daughter alive at all costs. Emma was brought up loving books. She suffers several tragedies but never loses that love of reading. She finds work in a book lending library and makes some friends along the way.
Compared to other historical fiction books I’ve read in this time period, I felt , descriptions of events were at times too “gently” worded. I wish things were more raw in certain situations to connect with the characters emotions and what they endured.
I also felt the relationship between Emma and a young man she meets, Charles, blossomed more “behind the scenes” and it felt like, as a reader, I didn’t get to fully see the relationship fully evolve.
All in all, I enjoyed the story about the book lender’s library, a real thing. I just wish I got to know the characters even more and that the initial and last emotions I felt ran throughout the book.
Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

A beautiful story about a mother and daughter during WWII. It captures the community, fears, triumphs, and heartaches during that period of time. I loved the characters. A great read for historical fiction readers!

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC.