A.J. Fikry meets The Bookish Life of Nina Hill in this charming, hilarious, and moving novel about the way books bring lonely souls together.
Librarian Chloe Sampson has been struggling: to take care of her three younger siblings, to find herself, to make ends meet. She's just about at the end of her rope when she stumbles across a rare edition of a book from the 1960s at the local flea market. Deciding it's a sign of her luck turning, she takes it home with her―only to be shocked when her cranky hermit of a neighbor swoops in and offers to buy it for an exorbitant price. Intrigued, Chloe takes a closer look at the book only to find notes scribbled in the margins between two young lovers back when the book was new…one of whom is almost definitely Jasper Holmes, the curmudgeon next door.
And when she begins following the clues left behind, she discovers this isn't the only old book in town filled with their romantic marginalia. This kickstarts a literary scavenger hunt that Chloe is determined to see through to the end. What happened to the two tragic lovers who corresponded in the margins of so many different library books? And what does it have to do with the old, sad man next door―who only now has begun to open his home to Chloe and her siblings? In a romantic tale that spans the decades, Chloe discovers that there's much more to her neighbor than meets the eye. And in allowing herself to accept the unexpected friendship he offers, she learns that some love stories begin in the unlikeliest of places.
Librarian Chloe Sampson has been struggling: to take care of her three younger siblings, to find herself, to make ends meet. She's just about at the end of her rope when she stumbles across a rare edition of a book from the 1960s at the local flea market. Deciding it's a sign of her luck turning, she takes it home with her―only to be shocked when her cranky hermit of a neighbor swoops in and offers to buy it for an exorbitant price. Intrigued, Chloe takes a closer look at the book only to find notes scribbled in the margins between two young lovers back when the book was new…one of whom is almost definitely Jasper Holmes, the curmudgeon next door.
And when she begins following the clues left behind, she discovers this isn't the only old book in town filled with their romantic marginalia. This kickstarts a literary scavenger hunt that Chloe is determined to see through to the end. What happened to the two tragic lovers who corresponded in the margins of so many different library books? And what does it have to do with the old, sad man next door―who only now has begun to open his home to Chloe and her siblings? In a romantic tale that spans the decades, Chloe discovers that there's much more to her neighbor than meets the eye. And in allowing herself to accept the unexpected friendship he offers, she learns that some love stories begin in the unlikeliest of places.
Title: The Library of Borrowed Hearts
Author: Lucy Gilmore
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Expected Publication Date: April 30., 2024
Review:
Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for providing me with an egalley of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Chloe Sampson is struggling to keep her family going. Caring for her three young siblings as their guardian has been tough since her mom stepped out of their lives. Her librarian job helps her to just make ends meat. When she finds a rare copy of a book in the library, riddled with notes in the margins from two lovers, she's surprised to have it suddenly linked to her curmudgeon of a neighbor, Jasper. As she investigates his past, she finds this book is not the only one the lovers communicated through and slowly unravels their tumultuous and short love affair. Determined to see the scavenger hunt through, she builds a relationship with Jasper, as well as a local man named Zach who is determined to help her.
This is my first Lucy Gilmore book. I saw a ton of great reviews for her Lonely Hearts Book Club, which I now have to read! I really enjoyed her writing. It flowed easily and had great pacing. She easily built her characters and made me invested in them. And books written about books are always going to be on my radar. So it was not surprise for me to want to pick this one up and see what it was all about.
Chloe's character is tough but also somewhat broken. Having to care for your three young siblings when you are barely an adult yourself is difficult. And she's determined to ensure they are cared for even if it means she gives up everything she has always wanted to do. Her love of books is what really got me. It's what helped me connect with her and care about her. It's also what helps her connect more with Jasper, which I love. If I were to start my life over again, I would absolutely go for a degree as a librarian or do something in the publishing world.
Speaking of Jasper, he's definitely my favorite character in this book and has the ARC that progresses the most. He goes from a recluse who wants nothing to do with anyone, to figuring out there's more to life than stewing in your own thoughts. He's also a book lover, which helped me connect with him. I loved his love story, even if it was a little more sad than I would have liked.
My least favorite character was Catherine. I found her to be super selfish and it really bothered me. I wanted her to be so much more. But I also knew there wasn't a HEA coming for her and Jasper (you see this throughout the story so it's not a spoiler for their story ARC).
I do wish there was more about Zach. I loved him, and how he wanted to connect with Chloe, but I was also mad at him for how he went about it (no spoilers here, you'll have to read to find out why). Mostly I adored his connection with Noodle. And the fact that he took Chloe, siblings and all, even when many would run from a young girl who comes strapped with kids.
The story is told from five points of view, which I would normally be annoyed about but worked really well for this story. It wasn't hard to keep the points of view separate while reading as the chapters were titled. The author also chose to bounce between the present and the past to tell the love story of Catherine and Jasper and how it progresses and ultimately how it ends. There was no point in the book where this story bored me. I truly wanted to find out what happened between the lovers, and wanted Chloe to also get her HEA.
The idea of found family is very much at the forefront of this story and I really love that. Family is great but some don't always have one that is super supportive. So to be able to find the community Chloe did at the end, people who want to help her and watch her succeed, was heart warming.
If you are looking for a romance read, this one isn't it. It has romantic elements for sure because it does ultimately focus on the love affair between Catherine and Jasper. But it is not a romance as much as it is chick lit or contemporary fiction.
The story does just kind of end. I was hoping for an epilogue, something, anything to show me what happens down the line. Chloe is given a great opportunity, but does she take it? What happens with Zach? Does her mother ever come back? How do the children fair? What happens with Jasper? I just needed something to tie up all the loose ends and it wasn't there. This is why I didn't give it 5 stars.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would definitely read more from this author in the future.
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Lucy Gilmore is a celebrated novelist in a wide range of genres, including literary fiction, contemporary romance, and cozy mystery. She began her reading (and writing) career as an English literature major and ended as a book lover without all those pesky academic papers attached.
She lives in Spokane, WA with her family.
She lives in Spokane, WA with her family.
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