A captivating read during WWII set in Nottingham. Madeline Martin wrote a beautiful story about a single mother, Emma and her daughter Olivia’s hardship and the road to happiness in ‘The Booklover’s Library’. I really enjoyed reading the Author’s notes at the end regarding her research and personal touches she added this storyline.

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Madeline Martin for an eARC copy of ‘The Bookerlover’s Library’.

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, all opinions are my own.

I loved this WWII historical fiction centered around the Boots' Booklover's Library. Our main character Emma, is a single mother barely making ends meet. The law says that married women can't work, and widows have very limited employment opportunities to provide for their children. Having worked at her father's bookstore until his death, Emma is well versed in books, so when she sees and opening at her local Boots' she applies out of desperation. The manageress is a kind woman and agrees to take a chance. The job brings some stability as well as a support group as the rationing of food begins as the war picks up.

This takes place before and during the German bombing of London and the surrounding areas of England, leaving Emma to make the tough decision to keep her daughter at home with her or send her away to the countryside where she will be safe. This brings its own set of problems as either way she decides has its issues.

This was such a wonderful look into a different aspect of the WWII. We normally see books about the war machine itself or those who participated directly as nurses, spies, or soldiers, but this is about a woman doing her best to survive as a civilian while the war wages on in another country and then at her doorstep. As she and the rest of England try to help the best they can by volunteering, rationing, and donating what they can spare, they also try to go about their day and find solace in books as many of us do today. Her job as a clerk in the lending library was to provide the best service to her patrons in a terrible time and give them a few moments of peace and a great book to escape in for a while.

I really loved the character development we get from Emma and the other characters. The relationship between her and her daughter Olivia was genuine and realistic. This explores not only what was happening historically during WWII, but also has a nice little romance, talks reverently about books, discusses relationships and so much more. This was such a wonderful read and I learned so much from it. I always love learning from historical fiction and I appreciated the time and research the author put into the details. I highly recommend this if you enjoy historical fiction especially set during the WWII time period.

There are so many different pieces of this book that will keep you interested and invested in the Booklover's Library. A widow's ability to earn a living and provide for herself and her children were very limited during this era. Emma's experience in her father's bookshop and her dedication in taking care of her daughter will convince the owner of a library to hire her. As WWI starts, Emma must send her daughter from London to the country for her won safety. These two story lines offer a new look at how the hardships of war impacted the civilians. The workings of the library will surprise many. Libraries were not always free to everyone, but had a subscription fee and were very limited.

Madeline Martin has done an excellent job of painting the stories with realistic characters and descriptions of the era. As she tells Emma's stories, it was very easy to be drawn into the pages.

A heartwarming beautifully written story set in wartime England. After her daughter being evacuated to the countryside, a widow,Emma works in Boot's Booklover's Library. She makes unlikely friendships and tries to solve the mystery of books disappearing and being misplaced. Wonderful, complex characters and an unpredictable story make this a real page turner and a must read!

One thing that I love about historical fiction is discovering something I didn’t know. I have read dozens of books that take place in WWII England. I have read about the Blitz, the Pied Piper Project, the goings on at Bletchley and the WVS, but until I read this book I had absolutely no idea that Boots (the famous ‘chemists’ had a lending library located in their stores. Many times located on the second floor away from regular business, the lending library was available via subscription only. The ladies that worked in the lending library were single without children. Emma is a widow with a young daughter. With England yet again on the verge of war, she is in desperate need of a job. Widows and married women are prohibited by law to work outside the home. As luck would have it, being honest during her interview at Boot’s’ Booklovers’ Library lands her a chance to prove herself as a bookseller. The book follows the story of Emma and her daughter, Olivia as they navigate Emma’s new job, air raids and evacuation to the countryside. There are several colorful characters, and some really good side stories. I enjoyed the book very much. Thank you @netgalley for the ARC of this book.

I loved The Booklover's Library by Madeline Martin! The main character of the book is Emma - and the book starts with her reading the novel "Emma". I don't like to tell about the storylines in books as I believe it's more enjoyable to read the book than to read a book report. So my REVIEW of this book is to simply give some of my thoughts on The Booklover's Library. While Emma was the main character the novel also tells the stories of people that Emma comes to know and how their relationships start and change in the first few years of WWII. It is filled with drama, romance, and moments of terror and tragedy that Emma and others experience. It is a wonderful example of true friendship, community, grit, and how those not on the battlefields of war still had their duty to fulfill for their country. From this book I learned that there really were Booklover's Libraries in England in the first half of the 20th century. I also learned that women at that time in England were not allowed to work outside the home if they were married - or even if they were widowed but had children. How the women in The Booklover's Library address the issue of married women - or even widows with children -is something you'll find out if you read the book. I strongly recommend The Booklover's Library by Madeline Martin to anyone interested in books that take place during WWII with women as main characters. I received an advanced readers' copy of this book but all opinions are strictly my own.

Emma and her daughter, Olivia, are struggling. Emma’s husband has died and she cannot make ends meet. She finally gets a job at the Boots’ Booklover’s Library. Then the war comes and everything changes once again.

Emma truly breaks my heart in the beginning. She is sad, she is struggling and she just wants to do what is right. When she gets the job, things start to look up. Then the war comes. This creates so many issues for Olivia and Emma.

I loved how this story played out. Oh and the wonderful book references! Not only is this tale traumatic in so many ways, but it is also joyous! You must read this to find out.

I have read several books by this author and all of them are super good! So, add all of them to your list!

Need a wonderful historical fiction tale with great book references…THIS IS IT!

Grab your copy today.

Madeline Martin has another hit with this book! This book has everything I love... historical fiction, especially set in WWII, a mother & daughter storyline, a sweet romance and of course the bookstore lending library in England.
All the emotions came through the pages. Tears were especially shed and my heart broke for Emma when she had to send her daughter to the country for her safety. I also loved how this community and group of library workers came together to support each other.
I highly recommend this book!

Nicely written book about a women and her daughter right before and during WW2. This story shows what happens between a mother and daughter. Between friends and fellow employees. Between tenants living in the same apartment building. How they end up sticking together during some of the hardest times. This book shows a lot of things but is very easy to follow.

Emma was raising her daughter Olivia as a single mother since the death of her husband. Back in this time women were not allowed to work if they were married or if widowed with a child. Despite that Emma needed a job to make ends meet. She still had bills to pay and without an income what would they do. How would they survive?

With war looming ever more closely to where they lived it was advised to send children to the country to live. To keep them safe. Emma didn't want to be separated from her daughter but did want Olivia to be safe. So she sent Olivia to keep her safe. That was a tough thing to have to do. Living back then and doing this was very scary I'm sure. I wonder sometimes how they thought it would be safer. Could the homes in the country not be bombed also? Or was there some agreement between countries?? I doubt that but do often wonder when reading.

This story takes you through how Emma managed to get a job at a Lending Library and keep her daughter safe and make lifelong friends. Getting to know her deceased husband's parents again and possibly allowing Olivia a chance to know them. This story is mainly set in a library. A library where you paid to check out books. Emma had been part of the book world her whole life. Before losing her father they had owned a bookstore. She loved reading and wanted Olivia to have the love of reading.

This is a very nice book. Well researched and do not skip reading the Author's Notes. A lot of great info there.

Thank you #NetGalley, #MadelineMartin, #HarlequinTradePublishing, for this ARC.

Four stars.

First of all, thank you to Netgalley and Madeline Martin for allowing me the honor of ARC reading this novel.

I absolutely love historical fiction, especially the sub-genre of WWII. This is my first book by this author and I am very impressed. The book was a little slow to start for me but quickly became one that I couldn’t put down. I absolutely love the writing style, the depth of the story, and the mystery in the library. As a fellow single mother, I could clearly see and feel the struggles and anxiety of raising a child alone and having to work to provide for them. The stress of the unknown, the war, sending her child away and going days and weeks without word, the difficulty in going to visit her, was very well done. I don’t like reviews that go into a complete analysis of the book and talk about everything that happens because I like reading books without knowing much about them, so I’ll leave it with this:

This historical fiction about WWII England has quickly become one of my favorites, and I’ve been reading this subgenre for many years. I will absolutely be looking for more from this author. Thank you so much for such an enjoyable read.

Madeline Martin brings us to England for her latest look at bibliophiles facing war with The Booklover’s Library. A story about the love, growth and the joy of second chances, this novel is sure to delight the author’s many fans.

Our story begins with a fire. Emma is reading upstairs when her father’s bookshop, located directly below their flat, is engulfed in flames. Both Emma and her dad escape the building, but he dies of smoke inhalation immediately afterward. A short time later, seventeen-year-old Emma marries a man from the solicitor’s office who handled her father’s affairs. Fast forward a decade, and she is a widow in Nottingham, England, in desperate need of a job. The little money left behind by both her father and her late husband has been stretched to the breaking point, and if she doesn’t find a source of income soon, she and her daughter Olivia will be forced to live on the streets. Or worse, be forced to live with her in-laws on their farm.

There are legal restrictions prohibiting widows with children from most employment opportunities, but she happens to be passing Boots’ Booklover’s Library when a young woman gives notice. Emma quickly approaches the proprietress, Miss Bainbridge, to ask for the position. The two agree to give it a trial run.

Emma’s life blossoms unexpectedly with this simple change. Not only do her financial problems lessen, but when her landlady, Mrs. Pickering, notices eight-year-old Olivia fending for herself, she invites the girl into her home. This results in the two adult women forging a strong friendship, a friendship which they will definitely need as Britain plunges into the dark days of war. When Olivia is sent to the countryside as an evacuee, it is the companionship of Mrs. Pickering, her co-worker Margaret, and handsome library patron Charles that helps Emma cope with her loneliness and have hope for the future.

Current World War Two-set women’s fiction novels seem to follow a pattern. Step one is to remind everyone that this is a period where women first joined the workforce in a significant way and to explore how pivotal that was for many of these ladies. Step two is to remind everyone that it takes a village. A lot of times, the heroines are isolated by circumstances, but getting a job subsequently means developing new, meaningful relationships. This book hits both those major notes, showing us how Emma’s life improves all around because of her placement at Boots.

These books also give authors an opportunity to showcase their research skills. In this volume, Ms. Martin emphasizes how the laws governing the work of married women and widows were unjust and forced desperate ladies into difficult situations. Emma is fortunate that, as people discover her circumstances, they are more sympathetic than judgmental, but it is clear how precarious her position is. It’s nice to be reminded every once in a while that the freedoms we take as a given these days were not always available, and just how valuable they actually are.

The author also does a decent job of capturing the horror of the bombings, the pulling together of the British people as they faced a grim war, and the problematic choices families faced as they worried about how best to deal with caring for children in a time of terror.

That latter gave me some pause since Olivia struggles with being in the country, and Emma struggles with having her gone. The story details the challenging situation some children found themselves in after leaving and how staying with family might have spared them from abuse. Perhaps I mistook the text, but the message I received was that Emma was a better mother for (after giving being apart a try) keeping her daughter with her. I can’t speak to what the right decision would have been for all families in clearly difficult circumstances, but the narrative in no way convinced me that being with Emma was good for Olivia. When Emma first goes to work, she doesn’t lay out a plan for Olivia’s care, not even telling the girl where to go for help or listing what to do in a crisis. If it hadn’t been for Mrs. Pickering’s timely intervention, that eight-year-old would have been entirely on her own. Throughout the tale, Emma is utterly passive in the management of Olivia, simply waiting for others to intervene. The magic of storytelling ensures it always happens, but I couldn’t help but feel that she should have been a bit more proactive.

My other quibble with the story is that the romance between Charles and Emma isn’t very well developed. Part of the problem is undoubtedly that the story is a hybrid – women’s/historical fiction with a bit of romance thrown in. While I understand that the emphasis is on Emma’s journey, since the love story is part of the plot, I would have preferred it to be a bit stronger and more detailed. Emma is defined as a book lover and mother; Charles is a book lover, feminist, heroic, and caring. Emma is often called kind by her coworkers and the patrons at the library, and Charles is considered handsome and sweet. So they are both nice, but that doesn’t really explain what it was about Emma that her made him want to ask her out. Nor does it tell me what about him made her want to see him in spite of having a fairly busy and full life. I simply didn’t get what drew them to each other, nor why Emma’s first marriage hadn’t been a happy one. It’s intimated that she was grieving and only comes out of it when she goes to work, but that explanation isn’t really explored and fell short for me.

If you like the standard home front WWII stories that populate women’s fiction, I think you will thoroughly enjoy The Booklover’s Library despite its minor flaws. It contains the typical uplifting message of survival, camaraderie, and feminine independence that are the hallmarks of the genre and that give the kind of emotional boost we could all use during these stressful times.

Madeline Martin is my absolute favorite historical fiction author. I can not get enough of her books. The attention she pays to research and the Details of the time periods that she writes is well shown. I absolutely love that all of her books have the word library in them or they are based around a library. I can not recommend her books enough. If you are a historical fiction person then run out and get this boook. If you don’t like historical fiction run out and get this book and get ready to love historical fiction.

This was truly a wonderful book. It is historical fiction that takes place in England during WWII. Emma is a widowed mother and lost her father when she was a teenager to a fire in their family’s bookshop. This story sees them through the war as she has to decide what to do to keep her daughter safe and introduces the relationships she forms with neighbors, co-workers and new friends she has met through her work at the Booklover’s Library. I enjoyed the transformation of many of the character’s as they encouraged and supported one another and each found healing where it was needed. I would definitely recommend this book!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Hanover Square Press, and the author for an ARC of this book which I had the pleasure of reading. All opinions are my own. Publication date: September 10, 2024

The Booklovers’s Library by Madeline Martin
Historical fiction.
In the early 1930’s, married or widowed women were not allowed to work outside the house. Emma Taylor needs a job and though she will have to leave her daughter alone, she gets a job as Miss Taylor at Books’ Booklover’s Library with a little help from a kindhearted manager. Emma learns how the memberships work and who gets the priority books and how patrons may say they want a classic when in reality is looking for something else. Emma’s landlady also helps out watching Olivia until the war efforts demand she be evacuated to the countryside. As the war continues Olivia is later sent to stay with her grandparents on her father’s side who are cold and rule followers but air raids in the city prevent her from being able to come home. Intrigue at the library, volunteering and neighborhood regulars create friendships that help the time pass during the rationing, and bombings. It’s a difficult time for the world.

Sad and heartbreaking times but lives and love continue regardless of the war. It is actually heartwarming with made family while Olivia adds many poignant moments. Hopeful.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.

The Booklover's Library by Madeline Martin is a cozy Women's Fiction story about a mother and daughter. I say Cozy in the sense that it's a quiet story told during a loud, horrific time in history. This atmosphere of the library I felt representation protection and a place of refuge. Very well written and will be kept close to the heart.
3.5🌟

Another interesting story about women and their children during the London blitz. This story was about how Emma dealt with having to send her daughter off to the country for safety and how Emma relied upon her new friends at the lending library and the flat she lived at to help her cope with Olivia’s being gone. Plus, mysterious things are happening at the Booklover’s Library. Books are being misplaced and missing. Who cold be doing such a thing? Very well written.

A heartwarming WWII historical fiction novel that beautifully captures the power of books and community during challenging times. Set in Nottingham, England, the story follows widow Emma Taylor and her daughter Olivia as they navigate the hardships of wartime.

Emma finds solace and purpose working at Boots’ Booklover’s Library, where she forms unlikely friendships and helps patrons find comfort in literature.

Martin’s writing is rich with historical detail and emotional depth, making the characters’ struggles and triumphs feel incredibly real. The novel highlights the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring impact of books in providing hope and connection. Sonetging all book lovers can agree on!

It’s a touching and uplifting read that will resonate with book lovers and history enthusiasts alike.

Book: The Booklover’s Library
Author: Madeline Martin
Release Date: September 10, 2024
Publisher: Hanover Square Press
Print Length: 432 Pages
Overall Rating: 5/5 Stars
Blog Rating: 5/5 Saltire Flag

This book is centered on a mother and daughter in Nottingham, England at the beginning of World War II and how books bring their relationships very close. All due to the power of written words. The heroine is Emma Taylor who is a widow and sadly has to make sure her daughter remains safe during such a horrific and dangerous time in history. Emma’s drunkard husband had previously died in an accident which makes her a single parent just like her father was to her. . On top of that she is suffering financially as her widows pension is definitely not enough for Emma and her daughter to survive.

Emma makes the difficult decision to send her daughter Olivia away to the English Countryside even though the separation is heart wrenching and breaking her heart! She luckily got a job at Boots, Booklovers Library. The one thing that eases her pain is all the friendships she makes at the bookstore, this includes her fellow employees like herself at the bookstore, local people and neighbors too. It shows how human connections are definite saviors in Emma's life!

This book also delivers the stigma and prejudice against those who are single mothers in this time period. This makes it very difficult for Emma to support herself where she had been trying to get a job for two years with no luck. She and Olivia had been basically living in poverty. Soon Emma discovers books are in the wrong shelves and some are just vanishing! She definitely doesn’t want to lose her job over this! Emma is committed to discovering why this is happening and on her watch. Furthermore she is determined to discover who is the culprit in this bookshelf mayhem!

England has declared war against Hitler and the Nazi regime. However with the blitz, bombings and air raids there is so much in jeopardy with danger and death surrounding the area. Emma will do anything to keep her child and wants her daughter safely back when the time is right. Yet it is books that are her safety net! As it had been part of her life since she was a child with her bookowner father. This is a horrible time for women where men are dying in the war at the cold, cruel, bloodied hands of Nazi soldiers and women have to be separated from their children just to keep them safe. Read and discover Emma and Olivia’s fate!

Again, Martin pens a brilliant novel that readers will absolutely love! A book that made me very emotional which is very rare. I have been reading Madeline Martin books since her book debut back in 2015. No matter if it is a historical Scottish romance, historical regency or a historical fiction novel she always tells a powerful gripping story that is an absolute masterpiece! Any book lover will definitely fall in love with this magnificent story! It is absolutely brilliant!

I have loved and read every single book Ms. Martin has written. An awe-inspiring storyteller that is absolutely phenomenal! Definitely a story not to be missed! A book I highly recommend!

Disclaimer: I received an advance reader’s copy for free from Hanover Square Press. I voluntarily agreed to do an honest, fair review and blog through netgalley. All thoughts, ideas and words are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. These opinions are completely my own

A beautiful ode to books and the community that surrounds them. A was not sure if I would like this novel, but after reading the first chapter I was hooked. I also learned a lot about laws that made woman's lives almost unlivable, which led me to 1 am researching to learn more.

The Booklover's Library by Madeline Martin is a WW II historical fiction. I did not enjoy the writing style and for as long as this book is, there is very little character development it is much more caricature , stereotypes, and one dimensional. The angst all the time over Olivia felt like the boy who cried wolf, honestly. Even the romance, which was promising really lacked the banter that it was absolutely crying out for. I gave this 2.5 stars. Thank you to Net Galley #netgalley and the publisher for my advance reader copy.