I read the The Midnight Library by Matt Haig about a year ago and remember just loving it!! It was one of those rare books that leaves a lasting impression on you and fills you with hope!!

This companion to the book is a wonderful resource I just happened upon. And I’m so glad I did! I enjoyed reading the question and answer session with the author, gaining more insight into his thought process while writing the book. And the discussion questions really helped me gain more insight into my own regrets and what my library might be like. Anyone who has enjoyed The Midnight Library will truly want to spend a little time reading this!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House
Library for sharing this kit with me!

[TW : suicide, depression, alcoholism, animal death,self-harm]

Midnight Library marks my reading challenge in 2023.

and I'd say it starts with a bang!

I cried and gasped in disbelief, questioning my existence and the universe around me while following the journey of Nora Seed and her quest to find the true meaning of life and happiness. What Nora experienced pretty much reflected what I used to feel, which is why her depression and loneliness kind of hit close to my Hello Kitty heart. Matt Haig better take responsibility for tears and tissues I spent bawling my eyes out.

But before I jump to Nora, first I want to appreciate Matt Haig's talented and beautiful writing (him describing Midnight Library and the meaning of it is superb!) Not even after I put the book down; every sentence, especially the quotes and words of reflection, he includes on every page is addicting. The theme of regrets, depression, and loneliness is strong on this one, kind of giving me a flashback to my teenage years of depression. I like how Matt doesn't give Nora the solution right away after she has lived a few of her lives; she remains clueless and surfs through each life hoping to find the meaning of happiness.

At some point, I could relate to Matt's and his view of life through Nora's eyes; we, as human beings, whether we dare to accept it or not, all have our own Book of Regrets. There are times in our lives when we wish we could go back in time or change the course of events to achieve a different outcome so our regrets don't pile up and become dust in the corner. There are some of us who dare to face our regrets and seek solutions to make our lives happier than they were before, but there are others who choose not to.

Anyway, let's move on to Nora, our main girl; at the beginning, I do feel pity for her. Getting everything bad thrown at your face while having low self-esteem, depression, and feeling worthless doesn't really support the idea of "I love my life". Also, having deep-infested regrets about everything kind of triggered Nora's decision to commit suicide.

Now, I feel a bit conflicted with Nora. On one hand, I pity her for having a life full of regrets; gloomy clouds have settled above her head; she's literally dispirited of moving forward with her life and has decided to stay stuck in one place. On the other side, I feel disturbed by her passiveness and her 'here to not be a follower but deep inside insecure enough to lead my own life' behavior. Her actions in the past (leaving Labyrinths, leaving Dan, leaving swimming, and writing lyrics) haunted her in the present, and she thought no one was big-hearted enough to stay with her. That's really selfish and stupid, if you take a second and think about it.

But I'm glad Nora discovered the meaning of true happiness and was given the opportunity to improve herself and look at life from a new perspective.

All in all, Midnight Library is a nice book to read and to cry on, with an ample amount of quotes and perspectives on life that will touch you and your inner heart. Although there are some pretty triggering words or actions, especially for people with mental illness (depression, self-harm, etc.), I think this book is still enjoyable to discuss with yourself or with a friend.

Let me close my review with quotes by Nora (which makes me bawl my eyes out non-stop) :

The impossible, I suppose, happens via living.
Will my life be miraculously free from pain, despair, grief, heartbreak, hardship, loneliness,
depression? No.
But do I want to live?
Yes. Yes.
A thousand times, yes

I loved reading this one. I just love this kind of books.
4 stars read for me. I love this author snd her writing style.
Thanks to netgally for this arc.

As this was just interview with an author and questions to go over at the book club about the book, I can't really say if it was good or bad.

This is a story of a young depressed girl whom has just taken her life. She enters a library before heaven and has been given the choice to live again. And choose any life she would like to live. The whole book is this young girl in all the different scenarios of her life and how Greg could have panned outs Story of many lives with a moral at the end.

I just felt the book dragged on. I don’t know what the hype about this book was all about. Easy boring read in my opinion. But yes, the moral of the story is… you choose the life you want to live.

This is a good book club kit for Haig’s book. It begins with 8 discussions that will let the readers in the book club dig deeper in the book. It also includes an interview with the author. The questions and his answers will allow the readers to have insight into his thinking as he was writing but will also allow them to personally connect to the novel by considering their own experiences and answers to some of the questions.

This companion to The Midnight Library by Matt Haig is a great resource. I enjoyed diving deeper into the text and applying its lessons to my own life. My favorite question asked me to ponder what my library would look like. It would most certainly be cared for by Deborah MacInnis, Edgartown children's librarian!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my egalley!

This was additional material one would use alongside the book The Midnight Librarian. I have not read the book before, but just looking at the discussion questions, one gets the idea and a lot of questions had to deal with looking at your own life like the character did and analyzing decisions made and regrets had. I enjoyed the section that was "In Conversation with Matt Haig". I love learning about back story, what happened in his life that he added to this work and his reasoning behind the context and characters in the book.
This has definitely made me interested in finding the book, The Midnight Librarian, and giving it a try.

I'm really glad that I came across this book club resource. The original book for the Midnight Library is amazing and this kit will be the perfect resource for those wanting some extra guidance as they discuss the storyline within a book club. Visually its very appealing and the information is short and concise. I highly recommend!

really really cute.
The Midnight Library book club kit includes the discussion questions about the book and an interesting “conversation with Matt Haig”. it was so interesting, really love it

I haven’t used this in a book club setting yet but I love having the questions and guides for when/if I’m ever able to. It really helps make reading and a love of a more communal thing when it’s otherwise very solitary. I want more to include things like this as an appendix or come with a companion guide.

“Between life and death there is a library.”

The Midnight Library book club kit includes the discussion questions about the book and an interesting “conversation with Matt Haig”.
I found this last part very interesting as it allows you to understand where the idea of the book comes from.
Plus the graphic is beautiful.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This Book Club Kit was great! I particularly enjoyed the conversation with Matt Haig, because I think it's great for the reader to learn more about the author behind the book since it might give you another perspective on the book itself.

One thing that I think could be improved, is for there to be one or two more personal questions, where the reader can reflect on their own life, in comparison to the book. I think this could help the reader relate more to the main character, and it shifts the focus from simply the novel to a broader spectrum.

This is a book club kit which I didn’t realize when I agreed to read it so I’m giving a neutral rating. Other than that, the kit was quite helpful to be honest.

I won’t share my review anywhere rather than the NetGalley's official site since it’s a book club kit.

Amazing resource for book clubs and groups , really enjoy how well thru is done this guide, totally worth it , love this

This is a book club thing which I didn’t realize when I clicked it so I’m giving a neutral rating.

I won’t share my review anywhere either since it’s a book club kit.

I really enjoyed this Book Club kit.
I read the book a few months ago and when I was done, I was definitely asking myself some of the questions that were in this kit! The questions are varied and very reflective. It was also nice to read more about Matt Haig’s thought process for the book. I would have loved a few more questions, though!

Thank you to Net Galley and Penguin Random House Library for making an E-ARC available for this kit!

Note that this review is for the Book Club Kit not the full book. That having been said, after reading this kit, I immediately requested the book from my library. It looks quite intriguing.

This guide is helpful for any reader including those who are not in book clubs. There is information about the book and author, an interview and many good questions to ponder.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Library Resources for this title. All opinions are my own.

The discussion questions were excellent and insightful. They helped us to dive deeper into the novel. I loved the interview with Matt Haig. Getting to see where he came up with the idea for this great story and how he related to his own story and characters

Thought provoking, heart breaking but beautiful and a reminder to never give up hope!
Not what I was expecting but a whirlwind all the same.