I loved this story. As a fellow library worker, Sloane’s character struck home for me, and so did the personalities of her eclectic book club. Each character is well rounded and unique, although I’d like to dive deeper into Greg’s point of view. I wish we got to know Nigel a bit more also.
Overall a wonderful read that makes me appreciate the diverse types of people we meet in life and the stories and experiences they carry with them.

Really enjoyed the pace and character shifts in this book. While a bit predictable, it felt cozy to observe the character development from both their own and other characters' points of view.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Now did I hate this book? Absolutely not! Is it a book I’ll ever read again? Eh most likely not. This book was heartwarming in moments I must admit but it just didn’t capture my attention. Unfortunately it took me a really long time to get through the book as I just found it difficult switching between POVs and felt it dragged in sections.

The Lonely Hearts Book Club by Lucy Gilmore Book Review

What a sweet book about friendship.

Sloane is a young librarian that meets Arthur, a grumpy old library patron. They strike up conversations each day and there is something about him that draws her to him. One day when Arthur doesn’t come to the library, Sloane looks up his home address and does a welfare check on him setting off a chain of events that leads them to both a place where they finally feel at home and loved.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Treat yourself to THE LONELY HEARTS BOOK CLUB by Lucy Gilmore which received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Sloane Parker is a new librarian in a rural, small town in Idaho. Of course, she establishes relationships with her patrons, particularly with Arthur McLachlan, an irascible old man who shows his affection for Sloane through biting commentary. She misses him, though, when he fails to show up at the library and eventually builds a book club around him – with his caring neighbor, Maisie, he is grandson, Greg, and her own co-worker, Mateo. These likeable characters refer to novels like Anne of Green Gables and The Art of Racing in the Rain, gradually sharing personal information and truly bonding. At times these "misfits" see each other more clearly than they see themselves. Growth – both personal and as a community – is a key element of the story, plus there’s a bit of mystery in Arthur’s past and a hint of romance throughout. THE LONELY HEARTS BOOK CLUB could be a light, feel good read for book clubs; a reading group guide is included.

An enjoyable book about quirky, lonely people who come together and form a book club as an excuse to help a grumpy old man. I listened to this and although the narrator was quite talented to accommodate so many different points of view, I do wish I had read it instead. Some of the character voices were great, but a few just didn't work for me.

I was engaged in the story from the beginning, but after a few different POVs I felt things dragged a bit. I enjoyed the way all the characters came together and the theme of found family was touching and humous at times. I'm glad we got Arthur's POV at the end, as much was made clearer on why he was such a grump. I did think the ending was a bit abrupt. When the audio credits came on I was surprised thinking there would be something else to end the book on. Overall an enjoyable read with some unique characters.

A book about a book club. That’s all I needed to hear. Learning about all the different characters and their stories and how books and libraries make a difference in their lives. Loved it and especially with the big references to Anne of Green Gables!

Sloan was living a nice and quiet life with her fiancé and was working as a librarian. She ends up having an interesting sparring type relationship with the town’s rude and curmudgeon Arthur every time he comes into the library. When he doesn’t show she starts to get worried and gets wrapped up in the lives of his neighbors and they end up forming a book club. This tale of found family was heartwarming and I couldn’t put it down.

I received an advanced reader copy of The Lonely Hearts Book Club in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this opportunity.

A book about books, and libraries, and a book club full of people who seem so different but, at heart, really are lonely and have more in common than one might believe at first - what is there not to love?

I guess it’s not a good sign that it took me a week to get through such a relatively short book. True, I had a very busy week, but that doesn’t stop me from reading if a book really captures my interest, you know? And I guess The Lonely Hearts Book Club just didn’t.

The story is told from almost every of the book club members‘ perspectives which helps a lot with understanding each character, the reason behind their loneliness and what being a part of this unlikely group of friends means to them. However, I felt like their narrator voices all sounded fairly similar, maybe with the exception of Maisey. Of course, Sloane‘s and Arthur‘s behaviour towards others differed a lot, but the overall narration sounded very much alike. I would have wanted for there to be more differences, because after all there‘s decades between those characters and that should reflect on their internal monologues in my opinion.

I also struggled with being invested in these characters and their futures. Maisey was, again, probably the one I cared about the most. I was happy about the ending, and particularly about the lack of an alternative romance plot for Sloane, but at the end of the day I wished I could have related better to all of the characters.

To sum it up, this one just wasn’t for me, but I would nevertheless recommend it to anyone who likes chick lit and is looking for a book about books and reading!

3/5 stars.

Reading The Lonely Hearts Book Club made me feel like I might be Sloane; my cold, black heart melted with each new section. Every time a new character became the POV, I was sure they couldn’t be better than the last, but the stories built on top of each other to create a truly wonderful book.

There is something so unassuming about this narrative that completely draws you in. This group of strangers and the book club come together so slowly, without any big or bold movements, that by the time you realise how close they’ve become, you already want them to stay together forever. I could not possibly rank one character over another and came to appreciate each perspective despite not wanting to leave the last one behind.

I may be totally biased thanks to my longstanding love of Anne of Green Gables and how much focus it pulled in The Lonely Hearts Book Club. From the moment Sloane found the brooch, I knew it would come back in a big way, and I couldn’t wait. As a Canadian, it might just be something in my blood, but I will continue to reread the Anne of Green Gables series, probably annually, for the rest of my life.

Sentimental without being sappy, The Lonely Hearts Book Club will crack your heart wide open to make space for this entire cast of quirky, possibly unstable characters. Now excuse me while I dream about becoming a librarian with access to Arthur’s collection.

Star rating 3.5.

An easy and wholesome read, I enjoyed seeing a group of people connecting over books and libraries. I felt this slightly missed the mark of ‘warm hug in book form’ that I was expecting but enjoyed it nonetheless.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: Contemporary fiction📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
An emotional and heartwarming book about friendship

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Interesting characters
Conversations about books
Found family
Emotional yet funny reads
Multiple POVs
Lots of heavy themes
A Man Called One but make it bookish

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
The ending!
Relatable

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
Wasn’t very eventful

This book was everything I hoped for...and more! (ESP being a Canadian and all the Anne of Green Gable references?? My heart!! I'm smitten!)

The characters were so real, deep, and emotional. I really enjoyed the Multiple POV's, getting to know each character and how the see each other.

A bit of background (but not too much bc please read it!) Sloane is forced to take a leave from her librarian work after she wrongfully uses the database for an address to check in on a grumpy old man that she has grown to care about. But grumpy old Arthur will have none of it. Sloane is engaged and her fiancé is less than thrilled with her new pursuits, Arthurs grandson comes into town to check in on his grandpa, and Arthurs neighbor becomes and unlikely friend and advocate to Sloan. One of Sloan's co-workers is eventually roped in and through a series of events, they all start a book club and as it turns out...is helping them in each of their lives, for all very different reasons.

What I loved: the writing style. It was smooth and effortless. An easy, heartwarming and exciting read!

What I didn't love: Arthur got too much for me sometimes. There were parts when Sloan and others staying to help him was a bit un-believable because he is just so SO mean...

Overall, I rate this book 4.5/5 stars!

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC of this truly heartwarming story!

One of my favorite tropes is found family. Making friends with people who deny any help, despite how much they need it, and those who go out of their way to become friends is at the heart of this story. Sloane Parker hides behind her job as a librarian, content to drift along with whatever comes next, even her fiancé. Sparring with a cantankerous older patron becomes a challenge that brings her out of her shell. Sloane is a giver, and she gradually realizes she deserves more than she's given herself. This is a delightful book, albeit with loss and grief, about how we can take chances and make a new life for ourselves and others.

Thank you to Sourcebooks for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Sloane Parker is a librarian at a small town library. Every day she verbally spars with a curmudgeon patron Arthur McLachlan until one day he doesn't show up. Sloane decides to track him down and in the process starts a multi-layered story with many different POVs.

Sloane, Arthur, Maisey, Greg, Matteo, and Nigel all have distinct voices. Each one has something to bring into this rag-tag group, and each one is dealing with their own problems. I enjoyed the fact that each character had some growth in this book.

I could read a whole sequel from Arthur and Matteo's points of view.
Overall, this was a solid and fun ride. It would make an excellent addition to a book club as well. Everyone will be able to identify with one of the six characters.

This is such a beautiful book.

Sloane is a librarian (who’s very much afraid of life) who joyously does battle with Arthur, the grumpy old man who visits the library like clockwork. When he doesn’t show for a week she breaks the rules to check up on him and ends up losing her job.

What follows is a delight in found family, embracing the good and the bad of life, moving forward even when it’s hard and not being afraid.

I love a crusty old curmudgeon with an interior of marshmallow fluff and Arthur is all that.

The ending is so beautiful and emotional I was a bit tearful so be prepared.

By all rights, this book should have been a perfect read for me. Characters are mostly introverted. One is a librarian. They create a book club. The theme of found family is one that I adore. I’ve heard someone say this is like a ‘Breakfast Club for old people that love books’. (You know a young whipper-snapper made that comment 🤣)

Check. Check. Check. It’s checks all the boxes! ✅

So why didn’t I love this book? 😖 More importantly why didn’t I vibe with this book, like, at all?

I don’t know.

Maybe I’m not as old as I think (I tell myself this every day but so far, I don’t believe me)?

Or maybe the story just took too long to get going and by the time it did, I was invested in other books more (a big downside to reading 3 or 4 books at the same time)?

Or maybe it’s because I’m not a huge fan of grumpy characters that turn all gooey inside later in the story (I really didn’t like A Man Called Ove for that very reason but I do plan on watching the movie to see if I feel differently)?

I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know.

But I’m super bummed that I just couldn’t connect with this one as I was so looking forward to it and most people are really loving it.

I’d rate this personally as a 2.5 but since I think I should have liked it better, I’m rounding up to a 3.

This was a solid read. It wasn’t the best. It was far from perfect. But overall I enjoyed it. I like to the development of the characters. But I think I need a little bit

I'm a huge fan of Lucy Gilmore and always enjoy her stories regardless of the genre or the name she's using.
I loved this one too, had a lot of fun and rooted for the characters.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

This book was just so charming. I really loved that we got into each character's perspective and heard their voice, it really added a new depth to the story. While this was predictable in good ways, it still managed to keep me entertained. You can't not feel good after reading this. 4 stars. If you liked The Reading List, this is a book for you.

This book will make you laugh, probably make you cry and is just a joy to read.

This is about a misfit book club. Sloane Parker, who is quiet, reserved and wallflower-esque begins to trade barbs with the cantankerous Arthur McLachlan in the library every day. Sloane begins to look forward to their barbed banter, until she realizes he has missed a few days and breaks the cardinal librarian rule of checking on her patron. She inserts herself to become Arthur's caregiver and in doing so brings in his neighbor, Maisey, who is single, lonely and struggling with her relationship with her teenage daughter. Together (although Arthur reluctantly) they form a rag-tag book club. Soon added is Arthur's grandson, Greg, who has come to make amends with his grandfather to fulfill his mother's dying wish. Sloane's co-worker, Mateo also joins the crew, lost in his own identity finding after multiple failed careers. There is another member but I don't want to spoil anything so I'll keep that identity to myself.

I adored this book and its band of misfits. It was such a delight to read, especially the chapters from Arthur's point of view. He really is a crotchety old miser but I loved him just the same. I might actually end up buying this one to revisit in the future.

My thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for this wonderful ARC in exchange for an honest review. I loved it.