Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Martha Storm, awkward librarian, finds herself in the middle of a mystery when a copy of fairy tales authored by her late grandmother arrives at her doorstep. When she discovers that her grandmother might be alive. she sets out to uncover family truths while learning more about herself as well.

Everything about this book appealed to me upon first look: the characters, the plot outline, and even the cover. Unfortunately, I did NOT care for this book, and had I not been reviewing it, I would have stopped reading it altogether. I found all of the characters completely unlikable, the mystery of Grandmother Zelda to be lackluster and uninteresting, and the transformation of awkward and gawky Martha to be ineffective. I did not connect with this story at all.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, for this free eARC.I enjoyed this Novel quite well. I was rooting for Martha. She learned to say NO! She learned to say YES to happiness. Nicely done.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, for this free eARC.

Books about books are some of my favorite things to read. So when I saw this on NetGalley, I quickly requested it.

Th Library of Lost and Found was a cute story, that had some really touching moments. I loved Martha as a character! She is a librarian who is always willing to help people, until the day she finally tells them no.


One day she receives a book that is full of fairy tales, that was dedicated to her, by her late grandmother. She notices the deduction happened years after her grandma passed. As Martha starts to find out more, she soon learns a lot of family secrets.

I really enjoyed this book, and it was a solid read. I enjoyed the ending, as it really helped tie everything together. This was my 1st book by Patrick, and I look forward to reading another one!

I thought the blurb sounded like this book was a mystery, however, it was more of a light fiction book.
It was okay but not very memorable.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

I loved this book. You can't help but wonder what happened in poor Martha Storm's life to make her the way she is - meek and afraid to say no to the people around her. She loves to help people and seems to be taken advantage of. One day a mysterious book is left on the library steps and this book holds the key to her past and changes the way she views life.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was the ideal book at the perfect time for me. I love books about books, bookshops, libraries and almost anything to do with reading and this book had all of those things. I have read some reviews that simplify this story down to a cute quick read but I am of a different opinion. I found this book had many layers and examined independence, happiness, personal growth, family drama, secrets and regrets really well.

The main character Martha is known for being reliable, cheerful and honestly quite a pushover. She has buried herself, literally and figuratively in tasks she has taken on to help others. This book has a wonderful colourful cast of characters from an eccentric grandmother who loves to wear turquoise to a coworker who mispronounces words consistently to a woman who is looking for a man who looks like he belongs on the front cover of a romance novel but doesn’t quite meet those standards herself and she wants them to be able to fix her washing machine!

It is a book left on a doorstep that changes everything. Little is known of the strange book when it first appears as it is a poor copy with the cover and the title page torn off. It is the inscription inside the book that starts a mystery for Martha to find out the book’s origins and author.

Within the story are chapters about Martha’s childhood and her family dynamics which open the reader’s eyes to the complications that likely formed Martha as an adult and from which she made decisions that affected her life path.

Interspersed here and there are short stories written by Martha, her mother and grandmother that are like little telling fairy tales.

The Library of Lost and Found will be on store shelves March 26, 2019

Thank you to @netgalley and Park Row Books for this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have a soft spot for books with settings in bookstores or libraries (The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, and so on). If you’re a bibliophile who feels the same way, or if you like heartwarming tales about quirky characters set in the UK, you’ll like this one.

The Library of Lost and Found is a charming, cozy read. It took a little time for me to warm to the main character Martha, who is a people-pleaser to the point of being a doormat. However, her journey to uncover her family’s past and how that changes her unfolds naturally, and I enjoyed following it.

Cute story, but a bit disjointed at times. A few twists and turns, but nothing too dramatic. Overall, a good story to read on a rainy day with a cup of tea.

When I started this book, I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy it. It started slow for me. But once it got going, I didn't want to put the book down. So don't give up on this great book.
Really enjoyed this book. And I'm glad I got to read an advance copy - thanks to #NetGalley
#TheLibraryOfLostAndFound

Plus I enjoyed that one of the characters had my name - Martha. :)

I don’t read a lot of adult fiction in general and when I do I lean more towards the romances versus the literary fiction. So this was a bit of a fun reading exercise for me.

I liked the story for what it was, but I felt mislead by the title. I just expected something different based on the title alone. I was looking more for the finding of lost items and our character making connections with the outside world that way. I also wanted more library stuff! There just wasn’t enough action at the library. However with that being said, I did like the story.

We start with Martha, a great character, who I could relate to at the beginning and ending of her journey. She was a person who had let life kind of happen to her, but didn’t know how to actually live life. She works at a library and is constantly doing things for others. One day she finds a mysterious book that contains the stories she wrote as a child. Inside the book is a dedication from her grandmother, 3 years after she had supposedly died. This book then leads her on a hunt for the truth about her family.

I like the complexity of Martha’s families. Martha’s mother, Betty, has a few flashback chapters and I really enjoyed them. It showed the dynamics between Betty, her husband, and her mother brilliantly. The confusion and betrayal Martha feels are so real and they were such good moments throughout the book.

Librarian Martha Storm has a problem with saying no.  She cared for her parents for many years before they passed away and now she continues to put others before herself and receives no appreciation whatsoever for it, especially from her sister Lillian.  In fact, it seems everyone takes advantage of Martha's kindess.

Her life changes when she finds a book of fairytales addressed to her on the library doorstep.  Inside is a dedication written to her from her grandmother ...dated three years after her death.

With few clues, Martha begins a search for her grandmother who may still be alive.  She meets some kind people on her journey and unwittingly uncovers family secrets that change her perspective and ultimately her relationship with her sister.

The Library of Lost and Found is a heartwarming story about family and letting go of the past to make the most of the time we have.
If you're looking for a charming cozy read, give this book a try!

Thanks to Park Row and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.  The Library of Lost and Found is scheduled for release on March 26, 2019.

I am a sucker for any book about libraries, bookstores, or books, so reading this British title was a no-brainer for me. However, the library is not strongly featured in the story, and I found it hard to like the lead character, Martha, a woman who wants to please everyone so much that she becomes a true doormat.

Martha gave up her personal life, and a fiancé, to take care of her ailing parents, for 15 years. Now she spends her time volunteering at the local library, where the manager refuses to give her a paid position. She helps everyone in the village with all of their needs, to the point where everyone, including her married sister, takes her for granted. Martha finds a book that is filled with stories that she wrote in her childhood and is signed by her grandmother, years after her grandmother supposedly died. As Martha investigates this apparent mystery, she begins to see her life in a different light.

The book is slow-paced, and I became very impatient with the unsympathetic protagonist. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a preprint of this book.

How can you not love a book whose cover features a stack of books with a cup of tea on top. It sets it up as very inviting for us bibliophiles. This charming story had me smiling, laughing and even tearing up once or twice. There are a few twists and turns that I never saw coming which further added to my enjoyment. The characters are three dimensional and quirky in their own way, which makes them seem very real. Patrick uses alternating timelines effectively — the short vignettes that take place in the past fills in the blanks in the present

The Library of Lost and Found is about Martha Storm, a volunteer librarian who loves books. But she is also a people-pleaser who always puts everyone else first, before herself. That is just how she rolls. The fact is that she loves to help others but goes to an extreme as all the projects she takes on for them fills up her house.

“One of the best feelings in the world came when she received a smile of appreciation, or a few grateful words. When someone said, “Great job, Martha,” and she felt like she was basking in sunshine. She’d go to most lengths to achieve that praise.”

The crux of the story is a search for self — Martha is essentially lost and ultimately finds herself. At the same time, she also comes to care about herself first and foremost. It is a story about Family — the ties that bind us as well as the ties that choke us.

“There was an unusual stirring inside her stomach, of wanting to do something for herself, for once. A touch of rebellion.”

Martha comes from a dysfunctional family in which there were secrets that are finally revealed to her. Martha used to write stories as a child and loved to share them with her grandmother Zelda. These stories are interspersed throughout the book and i found them to be an added bonus to an already entertaining read. But her grandmother passed away while Martha was still young and it’s as Zelda took Martha’s imagination with her because she has completely lost the desire to write.

“But now, as Martha stared up at the sky, the moon was just the moon. The stars were only stars. She’d lost the desire and ability to create stories, long ago, when Zelda died, taking Martha’s hopes and dreams with her.”

Just a few pages in, Martha discovers a book which features her stories as well as other family tales. The book is written by her grandmother and a note is written inside to Martha but the date is a few years after Zelda passed away. Martha sets out to solve this mystery — where did the book come from, when was it published and why is Zelda writing after her death.

It is easy to dislike Martha in the beginning because she lets others walk all over her but her transformation is fascinating to witness. You will want to root for Martha and cheer her on during her journey of self-discovery. Her transformation, albeit slow but steady, will leave you smiling and wanting more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

What a lovely, cozy book. With just the right amount of melancholy so as to not make it too saccharine sweet.

This has been compared by others to Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, and I do see the similarities. Martha and Eleanor are both stuck in routine, have complicated childhood backstories, and need to learn how to get outside their comfort zone and communicate with people again. But Martha's story is much more rooted in the family; it's the reason her life has gone so off-track AND the source of her greatest comforts. I rooted for Martha every step of the way and was deeply enthralled by her journey in figuring out the truth.

I also loved the cast of quirky characters in Martha's world - everyone was appropriately fleshed out in this picturesque English seaside town. And the constant imagery of libraries and bookshops made me salivate about going back to England someday. (Miss you forever, Mr. B's.)

What a sweet & touching book! Martha is living an ordinary, uneventful life. She works in a library, but is constantly overlooked for promotions. Her "friends" take advantage of her good nature & ask favors of her. Her parents are deceased and her sister barely speaks to her. When a worn/torn book shows up bearing a dedication to Martha, signed by her beloved grandmother 3 years AFTER her death, it sends Martha on a quest to figure out how that could have happened.

Intermingling fairy tales from the signed book with flashbacks and current day stories about Martha, her friends, and family, this is a lovely tale of secrets and lies, love, and the power of story. I loved every minute! This is not an action-packed thriller, nor is it a gutwrenching story of family intrigue. Rather it's a realistic story of a family with all the love and angst that comes with the word "family". There are some surprises and some predictable moments. There are some moments that will make you smile (even laugh) and some that will tug at your heart strings and maybe even cause a tear or two. In the end, it's an uplifting story of love and the power of imagination and how stories can be at once cathartic and truthful and inspirational. Just perfect!

I instantly fell in love with this story. I have not read the author's prior novel but after finishing this book, I am going to pick up a copy to read. Ms. Patrick just infused such life into her characters and this story.

Everyone that I met, I just liked and wanted to be their friend. There is a romance that blossoms between Martha and Owen. It felt real and right. It did not distract form the overall storyline. Getting to know Martha's grandmother, Zelda was great. She was an intriguing person. It was easy to see where Martha got her love of storytelling. I mean what about the title of the mystery book, Blue Skies and Stormy Seas. A great title.

This book just tugged at every string of my heart. The Library of Lost and Found is a must read.

Having grown accustomed to being treated unfairly by most people with whom she encounters, sister, employer, even her parents who expected her to remain single and care for them in their old age, librarian Martha Storm comes across a badly damaged book that changes her life. Written by the beloved grandmother she thought to be deceased, Martha is surprised to find a mystery in the book's dedication to her, signed years after the grandmother's supposed death. Her quest to discover the truth leads her to a discovery of self. At first you can be angry with the heroine for allowing others to treat her like a doormat, but by the end you are cheering her on as she learns to rediscover her true voice. A suitably titled, touching story of loss and redemption, with a few surprises to keep you reading to the end.

Phaedra, you continue to amaze me with every book you write! I enjoyed every second curling up to this book. There were giggles and there were tears. I loved all of the characters but the one who I stuck with the most was Betty. I’ve been in a toxic all-consuming relationship where I wasn’t allowed to be myself and constantly criticized about things that were out of my control, and so the final fairytale read by Lillian totally broke me. I also loved watching Martha grow and move on, it was all so heartwarming!

Also, if you haven’t read any other authors other works... do it!

I do love books about libraries - always one of my favorite places. Martha Storm works at the library in her local seaside town. She derives a sense of purpose by doing things for other people. She keeps a list of tasks and checks them off when they are done. Martha lives alone. She took care of her ageing parents for years and now they are gone. Martha feels invisible. Then a special mysterious book turns up and things start happening that will change Martha's life. There's a mystery to solve.

This was a charming book that seemed like a middle-age coming-of-age story to me. It was an awakening and Martha has a chance to grow and become what she could be. I enjoyed the story. It's easy to see how many people become caretakers for others and lose themselves in the process. The characters are delightful - I loved Zelda's joie de vivre.

Thanks to Phaedra Patrick and HARLEQUIN through Netgalley for an advance copy.

I am a librarian. By nature books like my babies so to speak :) Naturally books make me dream, escape into unreality and teach me from time to time.
"The Library of Lost and Found" has everything that made me love this book! From a Librarian who makes you take a magical journey, a plot that makes you literally "eat" every page and almost live it to a great flawless writing that makes you feel every sentence making it almost believable!
The author is going to be "hunted" by me for a lookout on her next book.
I seriously want to experience another magical journey through her books, learn from them and relax! If you like magic, fairy tales, adventure, a little mystery, and paranormal theme, this book is for you.
This book is going to be on my favorite list for a long time, because it struck me with its magic well!