A feel-good read about a middle-aged woman coming into her own. *Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an e- galley in exchange for an honest review.

I could not keep reading. I apologize for a negative review but this book really grated on my nerves. Maybe it was the nature of the main character or the style of writing but even skipping lots of pages I just couldn't.

A quiet read. The main character has made some life decisions that perhaps she's not too happy with. She is able to pull her life back together, and have better relationships because of it.

By the author of The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper,librarian Martha Storm who has taken care of her parents for years, realizes that it’s time for change when a book of fairy tales finds her. Written by her grandmother who supposedly died years ago. Martha’s journey into the past changes her present life. Wonderful story, great characters.

What a wonderful heartwarming story. Families are complicated and Martha's was no exception. Having devoted her life to caring for her parents, Martha found purpose in volunteering at the library. Books play a central role in the story, especially one that just "happened" into Marthas possession. Great characters and wonderful story line.

I was happy to have the opportunity to read an advance copy of Phaedra Patrick's newest book as I had read and enjoyed her other books. This one was a charming, quick read. There are quirky characters and a great setting. Although I enjoyed this one too, I was a little turned off by a character who misuses words. I found it neither amusing nor realistic. Some of the book was predictable, but it didn't detract from the story. It was a fun, escapist read.

Martha has spent her life being fulfilled by doing for others since her parents passed. One day she discovers a book that is her and her Nana’s stories published after her nana’s death. Her tasks get put aside while she searches for the information on the book. Along the way she discovers family secrets.
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Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC ecopy for my Kindle.
Martha Storm is a volunteer librarian who puts everyone's needs and desires before hers. Coming from a complex family and not having the best childhood memories, Martha does move forward and learns to make her own needs a priority.
I enjoyed all the characters especially her Nana Zelda and Siegfried, the light house keeper. Overall, an good book!

A novel about a library and a bookstore is a delectable literary combination. Add in some romance and a few family secrets and you’ve got a winner!

Though there is an element of predictability in this book, I rather liked it. It's charming, with engaging characters and a sweet romance as well. The perfect read for a lazy weekend!

I enjoyed this book more than I expected. At first, I thought it was going to be predictable. However, the family dynamics were well drawn, and the characters richly complex. Also, as a librarian, I appreciated some of the humorous insights into our profession.

When her grandmother was alive, Martha loved to tell and write stories and often told them to her grandmother who was most encouraging. . But after the death of her grandmother her imagination seemingly dried up and while she would have liked to write stories, Martha just didn't have it any more. A book finds its way into her hands. There is an inscription to her from her grandmother, As she skims through it she realizes they are stories that she has told her grandmother,, There is a dedication to her in the book signed by her grandmother,
dated a couple years after her grandmother has died. Martha contacts everyone she can think of to ask them to explain how this can be. She searches out other copies and eventually solves the entire mystery.

Martha Storm is the woman who does everything: errands and mending and art projects and programs mostly because she does not want to disappoint. Never married, she cared for her parents until they died. So of course, she has the time. One evening she finds a package: a book of short stories she remembers writing as a child and some she remembers her mother telling her. The book is inscribed by her beloved grandmother, dated 3 years after her death. Martha goes on a journey to solve this mystery and finds what she had lost.

This story is a magical fairy tale.

This has been the most delightful book I have read in a long time! Biased towards librarians I might be, but seeing us grouch the eyes of Martha Storm and her family gave me much to ponder. We laugh at our library’s lost and found box. Filled with dirty socks, and forgotten baby bottles, it also contains bits and pieces of lives left behind. Martha and her family are no different. Sprinkled with titles and authors names, this book was refreshingly pleasant.

This is a heartwarming story that isn't too sappy! It has a good twist and it has a bit of a love story. Ms. Patrick has developed believable characters and relationships.

I enjoyed this book so much that I finished it in just one day. I think the main characters are just lovely and the fairy tale stories embedded in the novel are endearing. I would love to read more of those.

She feels that helping others is what make her life worthwhile. She can’t say NO, and she gets through life with lists and is falling behind. She leaves work one day and discovers an old book wrapped and addressed to her. When she opens it she finds it inscribed to her and it contains stories written by herself as a child and by her Nana. What follows is a journey to discover where the book came from and who wrote and published it. Beautifully written and will keep you reading until dawn. Enjoy.

In the beloved film The Holiday, Cameron Diaz's character hears a movie announcer telling her how her life is going; if the movie announcer was announcing Martha Storms' life, he'd be the nagging reminder that "her only worth was in helping others" (70). Storms is a single, forty-something year-old woman who loves stories, volunteers at the library, took care of her parents until they passed away, and who gave up the love of her life in order to do so. Still living in her childhood home, she's surrounded by a hoard of her parent's belongings and unfinished projects she does for other people in town. While she's surrounded by material things, her life is empty. Phaedra Patrick excels at telling stories of people who need to be pulled up by their bootstraps. Arthur Pepper and Benedict Stone, meet Martha Storm! With the help of a misunderstood younger sister, parents with secrets, co-workers, new friends, and a quirky Nana named Zelda who may or may not be alive, Martha's life transforms over the course of this book!

This book was a slow starter, but once the character of Martha began to develop, I was pulled in to her story. I can see how some readers would relate to her sense of responsibility and frustration at her circumstances. I supported her efforts to break out of her routine and become the person she wanted to be.

This book was received as an ARC from Park Row Books in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

Every Librarian should have this book not only in their library collections but on their coffee table. Books like these warm the hearts of Librarians to know that they are still appreciated and also how to NEVER underestimate the power of books and the imagination. In every way I can relate to Martha and her struggles with not only being a librarian but with the feeling that she is invisible until she discovers a whole new world she never knew just from reading a book. That to me is the ultimate reason of not only my love for reading but why I love my job as a librarian!

We will definitely consider adding this title to our Fiction section of our library collection and that is why we give this book 5 stars!