Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for the opportunity to read The Booklover's Library by Madeline Martin. Lovely and heartwarming - i loved it.

The Booklover’s Library is a heartwarming and inspiring read. It serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of community and the enduring power of books. Martin’s storytelling is both poignant and uplifting, leaving a lasting impression on the reader.

Assessment: Overall, The Booklover’s Library is a beautifully crafted novel that will appeal to fans of historical fiction and book lovers alike. Its well-developed characters, engaging plot, and evocative writing make it a standout read. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a compelling and heartwarming story.

A fabulous wartime novel about family, loss and love. Tea and books in the middle of the nazi invasion of Europe. A sweet family comes together when they need each other the most and build unity in a time of fear. Very well written and is at the top of my reread list!

The Booklover's Library was a delightful story of a widow and her daughter in England. I absolutely loved learning about lending libraries & the marriage bar that existed. A clean read, this wonderful tale will make you want to keep reading. It isn't a high stress, fast paced story. But a enjoyable tale that allows you to daydream about what is going on.

The Booklover’s Library is a heartwarming story about a mother’s struggle to care for her daughter and the bond that is formed with neighbors, friends and a lending bookstore the brings a community together in time of need.

Widowed Emma Taylor is struggling mother with a young daughter that is in desperate need of a job, but it is pre-WWII where widows with children are not allowed to work. Desperate times sometimes calls for desperate measures, Emma is able sways Miss Bainbridge to take a chance on her and lands a job at the Boots’ Booklover’s Library. This means being away from their flat for longer hours leaving her Olivia home alone, which adds to Emma stress and worry for her daughter's safety..

As war looms over all of England, in order to ensure Olivia stays safe Emma sends her to the countryside to live. With no child at home Emma seeks comfort and friendship from her co-workers, and neighbors. Her job at Boots has given her a new sense of confidence and purpose as she establishes a connection with some of the eccentric patrons through book recommendation. However, working at Boots forces her to revisit memories of a terrible event that not only destroyed the family bookstore but took her father’s life. As the war rages on and intensifies, Emma battles emotionally to reunite with her daughter. It is here Emma learns how important and dependable her circle of friends are when times seem darkest.

This is my second novel by Madeline Martin, she writes another uplifting story that demonstrates how the love of reading and how their power can bring people together to share stories and help us through good and difficult times.

Thank you, Madeline Martin, Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Widow and single mother Emma Taylor defies expectations, and rules, to provide for her young daughter. She finds refuge working in a library in a Boots shop where they agree to keep her secret. As the war intensifies, Emma must make hard choices for her and her daughter, to keep them both safe. This is a sweet book of hope and friendship in a city that often isn't featured in WWII novels.

Very sad to say this wasn't good. It started out much stronger, but soon became fluffy & repetitive. The Booklover's Library follows Emma. She is a widowed mother in WWII Nottingham, England. I did like the perspective of a widow during this time. I didn't realize it was so difficult for a widow to make it in the world. There were societal prejudices that prevented these women from getting a job, as only single women were considered appropriate for most positions.
That was something I hadn't really known about. But of course our main character finds a special place willing to make exceptions.
This book does show a lot about everyday life for the British during the war & there are a few interesting facts throughout which I appreciated. Like, they were told to put down all pets in order to save on food, & paper was also rationed which led to books printed during this time having very thin paper & cramped typing.
What I didn't like was the entire book felt so repetitive & not a lot of exciting things happen, & when they do they are very quickly & conveniently resolved. Felt cheesy & predictable.
I enjoyed The Last Bookshop in London & was excited to read this, but l'm definitely disappointed.

A brilliant 5 star read that touched my heart. This is an historical fiction novel that takes us into the life of a mother who was forced to be separated from her daughter. As a single mother trying to just survive, she begins to work at the library where she meets others in the same position as she is in. This book was well researched and I do always enjoy learning something from each book I read. Such beautiful writing and I was left inspired. Thanks you so much to Netgalley, and the publisher for the arc. Thank you to Madeline for your books!

The Booklover’s Library is the heartwarming story of a single mother surviving war on the English home front.

WWII is creating hardships for those on the home front. Emma is a young widow and desperately needs a job to support herself and her young daughter. She convinces the manager at Boots’ Booklover’s Library to take a chance on her. It’s complicated and risky because Emma needs to work around the reality that she’s a widow with a child and the laws that prohibit a widow with a child from working. She will also face the prospect of sending her child to live in the country with strangers as bombing continues.

I can’t imagine a law prohibiting a single mother from working! Emma is in a difficult situation and is desperate to provide for herself and her daughter when she applies for a job and hides her situation. The secrecy required makes it difficult for her to secure the support she needs to pull this off.

I always love heartwarming themes of women supporting women and a supportive community. So many WWII home front stories explore these themes. Women on the home front find ways to survive and thrive during the war years.

If you lived in England during WWII, would you have sent your child/children to live with strangers in the country? I image a parent would do anything to keep her children safe, but it would be extremely difficult! Some Middle Grade books I’ve read, explore this situation from children’s perspectives: The War That Saved My Life, The War I finally Won, and A Place to Hang the Moon.

I’m recommending The Booklover’s Library for fans of books about books, women supporting women, and WWII home front stories. If you enjoy well-written stories that feature strong women and poignant themes, you will want to add this to your TBR.

Thanks #NetGalley @HarlequinBooks @Hanover_Square @HTP_Books for a complimentary e ARC of #The BookloversLIbrary upon my request. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was a delightful histotical fiction novel, that I would pretty much recommend to anyone who likes books (so essentially any NetGalley user!)
Madeline Martin has published another book which I am certain will be another best seller. This book has a little bit of everything and just makes the reader feel warm and cozy.

Many thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

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I do like a good Historical fiction book and this one is no exception. I learned things I had no idea about including the marriage ban. How divorced or widowed women must have struggled! Emma's experience is a good example of how difficult times bring people together whether in your neighborhood or workplace or with distant family.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for my gifted e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Madeline Martin is one of my favorite historical fiction authors! I simply love the wholesome and feeling books that this author writes.

I enjoyed this book, but it wasn't my favorite from the author. I found the book to be hard to "get into," as it moves very slowly initially and then suddenly very quickly, almost too quickly when the romance comes into play.

The author's depiction of the children fleeing London for the country and saying goodbye to distressed parents broke my heart and brought me to tears. I appreciated the depth of feeling that the author put into writing these scenes and making them feel very real.

I loved Emma and Olivia and wanted a happy ending for them so badly--such sweet characters!

I would still recommend this book, despite it not being my personal favorite from the author. :)

If I could rate this book more than 5 stars, I would totally rate this at 10 stars! I am a historical fiction kinda girl and this book checked every box for me.

I could do what a lot of other's do when leaving a review and copy the synopsis of the book into this review, but I won't. I just want to provide me feedback without all the 'unnecessary fluff'. Bottom line is this: if you are a historical fiction lover, big into character development, and into the accuracy of the time period, then you really need to read this book.

This book caught and held my chapter within the first two pages. I immediately fell in love with the characters and when the book was over, I was sad because I wanted more. I don't know what's so different about the way this author writes, but I am here for it. Her writing style was a breath of fresh air!

I am on my way to Amazon right now to buy a physical copy of this book - that's how good it was.

This was an interesting historical story. The war separated a mother and daughter. I loved Emma's devotion to her daughter, her love of books, and memories of her father. She was so great with the patrons of the lending library, connecting with them, and sharing companionship through this terrible time. It seemed to stretch a bit, showing all the research that had been done. My heart did hurt for all the children who had been pulled from their families. I enjoyed the touch of romance and that Olivia finally made it home.

I received an ARC through Netgalley, and this is my unsolicited review.

I found Emma to be a character who has a little too much tragedy and focuses on it quite a bit. She has a daughter who needs her mother, and yet she never seems to forget her late family’s bookstore. It takes way to long for her to accept the pain and move on. That said, Emma is a nice person, if sad, and I like how she eventually starts cultivating friends. I also like the relationships she builds.

The lending library is awesome. I like the Subscriber A and Subscriber B. I think I would be a Subscriber A. But I also like that the author mentions classic and well known novels but doesn’t spoil them. The way Emma goes about helping everyone find their “story” is exactly why I wanted to be a librarian, too.

There is a romance but it's more of a subplot. It doesn’t take front and center. This is a novel about surviving. Surviving loss, pain, financial issues, and war.

Overall, I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars.

Another great historical fiction story from Madeline Martin! It's an emotional story of hope and fear and ingenuity and working together in the worst of situations and I loved the ending. Very enjoyable to read.

I loved this book! Something about bookstore books and historical fiction. I will be buying a hard copy!!

It's England, and war will soon be declared. Widow and single mother Emma worries about the safety of her young daughter Emma. When Hitler starts bombing Nottingham, she sends her away, but that isn't the solution, even when she goes to her paternal grandparents. The story's central theme is about the love between a mother and daughter. However, it isn't the only one. There is the booklover's library where Emma manages to get a job even though laws in England prevent married women and widows with children from gaining employment. There is the wonderful landlady Mrs. Pickering, Mr. Fisk, Emma's romantic interest, and more.

Incredible. 5/5 stars.
It’s been awhile since a book had me crying, not just teary-eyed, but full on crying. This is a beautiful story and one everyone should read. Go get this book!

I loved the history so much that I’m inclined to request books about lending libraries.

Thank you Hanover Square Press for the ARC opportunity!

The story in this book grabbed me from the beginning. I've been reading Madeline Martin's books since she began writing and have always recognized her talent for character development, conversation, historical correctness, and plot. Her story effortly whisks you back in time in just a few short pages.