I thought this book would work for me, but it had what often is a kiss of death for my reading experiences, which is that it was too cutesy for my taste. Definitely would work for others, but not for me.

this was such a kindhearted and soft book. its really refreshing to see a book that really centres friendships and talks about how important they are, especially the intergenerational nature of the ones that were in this book. it was definitely a really introspective book in how it acknowledged all of these varied problems that the characters had, but how their greatest strength in dealing with them was always community.

i did like the changing POVs of the characters and the way that it allowed the reader to really understand what they were going through, although at times i thought their internal voices got a little bit muddled, especially through mateos and gregs. arthurs was definitely the strongest of the four, and it was nice to see his perspective of his anger and vitriol.

i do really wish though that at one point sloane got to say fuck. or just any swear word. she really deserved it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, just WOW! I wanted to both devour and savor this book in equal measure because it was just that good! It's funny, because I put off reading it thinking that I might not be in the mood for it. I couldn't have been more wrong. It's only January and I can tell you right now that this will be one of my top books of 2023.

The story is broken up amongst 5 main characters who are all broken by varying types of heartbreak. This group of misfits is brought together by a unassuming librarian and a grumpy old man. Sloane brings everyone together via a bookclub where these lonely hearts learn to find love and friendship again.

This is a must read for book lovers as the literary references are incredible. But really, this is a book for everyone. It has all the feels, incredible humor and the writing is impeccable.

When Sloane's curmudgeonly library visitor, Arthur, doesn't show up at his regular time, Sloane decides to pay him a home visit. While there, she encounters Arthur's neighbor Maisey and later encounters Arthur's grandson Greg. The main characters are rounded out with Sloane's co-worker from the library, Mateo, who all decide to form a book club when circumstances join them together. Despite all the characters being from different walks of life, they all share the same core emotion: loneliness.

The Lonely Hearts Book Club by Lucy Gilmore was an absolute dream of a book. I fell in love with each of the characters, which was easy to do since the book was divided into sections/a different character narrated each section. I loved this style of writing because I could truly understand all the characters' thoughts and emotions. Gilmore does a fantastic job developing all of the characters in a way that doesn't make the book seem choppy or incomplete. How the characters help each other because they truly SEE each other made for enjoyable reading.

My only complaint is that the ending seemed very rushed. I enjoyed the last page, but it went from an epiphany moment to a fast conclusion. It's one of those that makes you want to write the author and beg for a sequel.

Loved this book! Such a heartwarming story about love and finding the words to express it. I loved how each character fit into the story so perfectly and represented different struggles of humanity. By the end of the book I felt like I was there sitting with the book club laughing with the characters. Highly recommend this one!

“The Lonely Hearts Book Club” by Lucy Gilmore is such a heartwarming story! I absolutely loved each one of the characters! Each one had something they were struggling with in their personal lives, but their stories all come together with delightful banter, dialog, friendship, and healing. Thank you so much to NetGalley and publisher for the ARC! I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Lonely Hearts Book Club is such a great story. It is my favorite read so far this year. It is about a young librarian named Sloane who meets a crabby old guy at the library that she trades barbs with, and what happens one day when he does not show up. The creation of the book club was my favorite part along with the highlighting of the special book. While Sloane and Arthur are the main characters, every member has a chapter and we see things through their eyes. I really loved them all and they each really brought something to this very special story. To be honest, I hated for this one to end, I really felt part of the group, and having it end was a tad lonely for me. I really enjoyed the writing style and look forward to reading more by this author.

I loved this book and its entire cast of characters. Every time the POV changed, I desperately wanted to spend more time with the character I'd just grown to love—and then by the time I finished the following character's POV, I couldn't bear the thought of leaving them behind either.

The Lonely Hearts Book Club is a sweet and gorgeous love letter to books, unlikely friendships, and what it means to let yourself be vulnerable.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you for allowing me the chance to read an advanced copy of this novel. I really enjoyed it! I like going into books blind. From the title/cover I was expecting a romance, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover a beautiful multi-generational friendship story. I think that storyline is quite unique, and readers will appreciate something different. Readers will also LOVE all of the book knowledge sprinkled throughout the novel and how much books mean to the characters. The Anne of Green Gables connection was beautifully woven through the ending. The only change I would have liked to see was maybe a bit of a romance between Sloane and Greg - or maybe a hint at a future romance?

Will post a full review at my Instagram @thenovelnickole during pub month - April 2023.

I can't even begin to tell you how much I loved this book! The Lonely Hearts Book Club is such a heart warming, genuine and relatable story, written exceptionally well and with a lot of heart.

Lucy Gilmore has written an incredible book, following five main characters. We get a chapter in each of their perspectives, with each chapter lending more to their shared story. The story itself revolves around Arthur, a grumpy old man who visits the library Sloane works in and hurls insults at anyone brave enough to look his way. He and Sloane are drawn to each other, and others around them are pulled into their unusual friendship. Everyone in the book has their own story to tell, their own battles to face and their own reason why they are drawn into this 'Lonely Hearts Book Club'.

I loved that all of the character's perspectives pulled their own weight in the book, none were space fillers and none were unnecessary to the story. The transition between characters is seamless, and we don't lose track of the overall story as we learn more about individual character stories.

The wit, banter and sarcasm in this book is very entertaining, and each of the characters bring their own type of humour. The way Arthur shows his love is unique and beautiful. The ending of the book is absolutely perfect, and I had a rollercoaster of emotions reading it.

The Lonely Hearts Book Club does include some difficult themes. Lucy Gilmore raises issues surrounding familial relationships, death of a loved one, and loneliness. The way she tackles each of these, and more, are done so in a respectful and thought-provoking way. It causes the reader to reflect on their own lives, and causes you to feel for each character on a deeper level.

This is an incredible and beautiful book, and it is one that I think many people may be able to relate to, in some form or another. I have so much appreciation for The Lonely Hearts Book Club, it is absolutely a new favourite.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for allowing me to read an eARC of this book, I am very grateful!

My thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book.

Sloane is living a perfectly acceptable life, engaged to be married to a chiropractor with a bit of an overbearing family, working as a librarian which she loves. She has daily verbal tussles with one of the library’s patrons, and when he has a prolonged absence she can’t help but get involved, and when she does she pulls a quirky cast of characters into her and Arthur’s orbit as well.

Perfectly wholesome and heartwarming, the perspective shifts from character to character, giving us more insight into each of their lives as they form an unlikely book club and deeper friendships than they could have imagined.

A sweet and feel good read that will have you rooting for everyone involved.

This book was truly beautiful! I loved everything about it from the characters, the storyline and mention of other books throughout.

It was perfectly paced and hit me in the feels! Despite Arthur being a grumpy old man , he was my favourite character and as a character he was developed through the story perfectly!

I really did love this one and will be recommending it to everyone I possibly can.

3.5-4⭐

If you like character driven novels and book related plot lines, you will love The Lonely Hearts Book Club. Heartwarming and rich, the characters all have their own quirks, and learn and grow throughout the book.

Sloane is a quiet woman, recently engaged, and working as a librarian. Her life looks perfect from.tve outside, what more could she want?

Arthur is a grumpy, friendless, old man. He visits the library often, gets into screaming matches with the librarians, and has a reputation for making them cry.

When Sloane meets Arthur one day at the library, she is determined to engage him in conversation. They develop a routing of quick witted barbs and snark. Arthur doesn't.come in for a few days and Sloane.worries something may have happened to him.

Unlikely friendships form and they learn to confront their inner fears. It reminded me a bit of "All the Lonely People," which I loved.

Thank you to netgalley for an eARC to review.

I loved each and every character in the book: Sloan, the young library clerk who has been escaping in to books most of her life; Arthur, the cranky library patron who scares everyone but Sloane; Maisey, the caring neighbor, who shows her love by cooking; Mateo, a man who can’t commit to a job because of his fears; and Greg, who is fulfilling his mothers dying wish to make amends with his grandfather.

A character driven love story to the power of stories and unconventional friendships.

I loved this book! Very sweet and bookish. It focuses on a librarian named Sloane who befriends Arthur, a grumpy, erudite older patron. When Arthur's visits to the library suddenly stop, Sloane's concern leads her down an unexpected path filled with new friends, book discussions, and a deeper look into herself.
Perfect for anyone who enjoys books about books or unexpected friendships.

Oh I love this one! Slone and Arthur’s story is so sweet. So much to learn here - giving someone attention when they seem to be a terrible person. Just so heartwarming. Makes me want to go out and find an Arthur myself. The whole cast of characters and their quirks are amazing. This is a book I will read over and over again. Lovely.

Absolutely delightful to read. Such a heartwarming, funny and endearing story about 4 strangers coming together. It made me laugh and cry. If your a fan or Anxious People I’d recommend this one, it left me with the same feeling.

I will be posting my review for this book on my blog on March 30, 2023.
There was a lot to like about this book. The characters were wonderful, they had so much heart but they were also funny. I don't know if I necessarily believe a group like this would get together in real life but I really enjoyed them on the page. I thought the author did a great job on creating these characters and I loved that the book was split into sections for each character, rather than going back and forth between them all. I also really loved that the books chosen for their book club were not by Dead White Guys, or even Jane Austen to be honest. Not that there's anything wrong with Jane Austen but the same books tend to get picked for these kinds of things and Lucy Gilmore picked something different and I really appreciated that.
By the end, I was sad to say goodbye to these characters but very satisfied with the ending!

4 stars!

This book I'd recommend to all booklovers.
This story brings several lonely people together and by starting a bookclub they change eachother's lives. This book focuses on peoples love for reading and how this can bring people together.

The characters were great. Diverse, funny, maybe a bit stereotypical, but in a good way. For instance, the grumpy old man. It was perfect for the story. Yet, these stereotypes also ended up in a typical direction for the story to move to. This made it quite easy to predict what was going to happen. This being the reason I gave it four stars instead of five.

The book is seperated in different POV's. Every POV giving you the perfect view of the story. This way yo get to know all characters and their importance to the story.

In the end, I think this is a quick cosy read for booklovers. Nothing too difficult and just fun to read in for instance the types of weather we are currently facing during the winter.

“The Lonely Hearts Book Club” is a bittersweet book by Lucy Gilmore. This book follows Sloane, a lonely librarian and her friendship with a bitter patron, Arthur. One day Arthur doesn’t appear at the library and Sloane discovers he’s in the hospital. With some twists, Sloane decides to start a reading club. Others join the group, but at it’s heart this book is about how, literally, judging a “book by its cover” (or, in this case a person) isn’t always a good thing. All five of the main people (though there are some memorable side characters) are lonely (thus the title) in their own ways. I liked how the book is divided into sections narrated by the different members of the group. Maybe it’s because I’m a parent, but Maisey’s dealing with her daughter I found rather relatable. I liked the side character, Nigel, a lot and I liked how he fit into the book. The publisher included a list of questions for book club discussions, which I found perfect as I’m sure this book will be picked up by reading groups.