I enjoyed getting to know the people of Dove Pond. The book made me wish I lived in this wonderful sometimes magical small town. The friendships were heartwarming, particularly between Trav and Mama G. Hope to visit Dove Pond in another book.

I'm always intrigued by anything with "book" or "library" in the title, and the blurb fed that sense of intrigue so I requested this one as soon as I saw it. It starts out strong, with great characters and some interesting magical realism elements that, while familiar, still felt engaging and entertaining. But the book rather quickly became a little too sweet and trite for my tastes, and felt like it veered a little too far into Lifetime movie-of-the-week territory for my taste. It was cute, with fun world-building and several enjoyable characters, but a little more convenient and heartstring-tugging than I hoped - or expected, based on the beginning. Still, it's a quick, sweet tale about home and family and finding your way /place with both, so if that's your cup of (sweetened) tea, give it a try. ☕😊

Librarian Sarah Dove and Town Comptroller Grace Wheeler are not likely to be friends. Sarah loves Dove Pond, the town she grew up in, and Grace is just here to do a job until next year when she will move on and up, taking her niece and her foster mother with her. …but when you add a little magic to a town filled with people longing to connect, miracles do happen. This heartwarming novel is filled with characters you come to care about and invest in. It touches lightly on the topics of foster children, loneliness, dementia, and PTSD. For fans of Alice Hoffman.

After her sister's death, Grace Wheeler moves to the small town of Dove Pond with the hopes of creating a home for her family and learning the ropes as the new parent for her niece and the caregiver for her elderly mother in the early stages of dementia. She has taken the job of town clerk and only plans to stay for one year, hoping to save enough money to move back to Charlotte with her family.

Grace's new neighbor, Sarah Dove, the town's librarian and the youngest daughter in Dove Pond's founding family, has other plans for Grace. Sarah has a special gift - she can talk to books. Or rather, the books talk to her and tell her who needs to read them. And the books that document Dove Pond's history are telling her that Grace is the miracle the town needs to solve its financial woes and get back to its once thriving roots.

Despite her intentions to not get too attached, Grace starts to put down roots and get to know the townspeople of Dove Pond. Along the way, she finds that maybe they were exactly what she and her family needed all along.

I loved this book! It reminded me of the Waverly Family series by Sarah Addison Allen - a small town story with a little bit of magical realism thrown in. I'm excited to continue this series and really get to know the townspeople of Dove Pond. There's some nice foreshadowing at the end with clues to some future books. I'm definitely adding Dove Pond to my list of literary towns I like to visit.

Sarah Dove lives in the small town of Dove Pond, just like her family has for generations. And like many of those other women in her ancestry, Sarah has a gift, a special power. In Sarah's case the power is the ability to hear books speak to her and tell her who needs to read them. Once she becomes the town librarian, that ability really comes in handy. Just imagine - you're emptying the book return bin and the books are telling you which patron you need to give them to next. Talk about readers' advisory services!

Sarah may have met an immovable object when it comes to the newest resident in Dove Pond. Grace Wheeler moves to the quiet town in an effort to help her adoptive mother and her newly orphaned niece. Mama G grew up in Dove Pond and Grace hopes the move will help them all heal in various ways, but she does not have time for the odd librarian who seems to have conversations with stacks of books, or the motorcycle-riding neighbor next door with his long hair and gruff manner. Can the charms of the books, the neighbors, and the town itself work their magic on Grace and her family?

This is a book perfect for readers who enjoy stories revolving around relationships and small town settings, but also for those who already know the power of the right book at the right time and want to see that power in action (in the hands of the book charmer). Recommended for fans of <i>The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend</i> or <i>The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry</i>..

I will miss Dove Pond and all of my new friends terribly.
This book has all of my favorite things:
magic, books, a small town, romance, friendship, family drama, sisters, women in leadership positions, cats, and books —- wait, did I say that twice? The blurb on this book mentions Sarah Addison Allen and Practical Magic, and that’s spot on. The dialogue is so believable, it feels like eavesdropping.
This poet, gooey warm cookie of a book had better have a sequel.

This was an absolutely delightful book, one that will appeal to fans of Sarah Addison Allen and lovers of Magical Realism.

This is a lovely story, one that I thought would be about Sarah, the "book charmer" in question, but Sarah is more the glue that holds the story together as her library books tell her what book each person needs. This story centers around Gracie, the woman who has come to rescue the sweet but failing town of Dove Falls (and Gracie doesn't want her book, surprise.)

This is a story about love, redemption, and family. It touches on topics of PTSD and dementia and captures the small town dynamic well, The writing is engaging and the characters are relatable and interesting. I was caught up in the emotions of the novel, and sad to see it end as I fell in love with many of the characters. It's clear that this is the first of a series, and I love the idea of seeing more from these lovely characters.

This was an easy, light read and will make for a wonderful summer read.

This book left a good taste in my mouth. The tone was a bit like Sarah Addison Allen's magical/fantasy realism, and this genre captivates me.

Sarah Dove, the town librarian, has a special bond with the books in her care; they speak to her, and have since she was a child. Sarah and her sisters were born with special gifts, and although five of her sisters have left town to live elsewhere, Sarah and her sister Ava have stayed. This is the story of a small, sleepy southern town on the verge of losing it's solvency. Along comes Grace Wheeler, her young niece and elderly adopted mother, Mama G, in tow. Grace is willing to settle temporarily in Mama G's hometown to give her special mother a secure setting for advancing Alzheimer health problems, but she has no intention of staying. The books speak to Sarah that Grace is the answer to the town's problems, so Sarah is determined to befriend Grace and entice her to stay.

The Book Charmer is a book about what family and friendships are, and how things are not always as they appear on the surface. It is also about living in a tight knit community and how sometimes it is a curse, but more often, it is a blessing. I am pleased to have been given an opportunity to read this book in advance, this book did not disappoint. Sometimes what we need in life to help us is the exact opposite of what we imagined it would be.

The more I read, the more I thought the title should be *Books That Charm* or something on that order. For, though this is a book about a librarian named Sarah who really, REALLY loves books, she doesn't charm the books -- the books charm her. It is a book about books which talk to Sarah and tell her who might need to read which title. The selections might not make sense at first, but just give them a little time. Magic happens.
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I read this EARC courtesy of Gallery Books and Edelweiss/Net Galley; pub date 07/30/19

The Book Charmer
My thanks to #NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review. Saccharine-sweet, the Book Charmer, by Karen Hawkins brings small-town charm and big-city hustle together in a delightful story of love and redemption. The town of Dove Pond is full of believers—they believe in one church or the other, they believe in the magic of the Dove sisters, and they believe in each other. This is a Hallmark movie waiting to happen. It’s a recommended pool-side, beach blanket read, for sure.

How could I resist The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins? The title alone drew me to it and the synopsis..my oh my! Fans of Sarah Addison Allen this one is for you. If you loved, Garden Spells, and the Waverley's you will fall in love with the Dove's and the southern town of Dove Pond.

The tale that unfolds was wonderful, and I lost myself in this small southern town. I laughed, cried and wanted to stay. I thought at first the book would focus mostly on Sarah, but it was truly Grace's story and those within her circle. We get romance, address dementia, PTSD, acceptance, and see a family being built and taking root. Throughout the story Hawkins weaves magical realism and books..... wonderful books!

My full review will post at Caffeinated Reviewer on July 22nd and shared on all social media. A review will cross-post to Goodreads and Amazon. Link to review provided below. (7/22/19)

I am a fool for Hallmark movies, and that is just what this book reminded me of.
The story was not too dramatic or far fetched and had just the right amount of funny moments. It is a very warm and endearing story about a woman who was once an orphan, having to make a huge change in her life for her family.
I connected with this story a lot because I have an older mother that I am very close to, and a daughter. As my mother ages I sometimes become afraid that she may become ill and the thought of losing her crushes my soul. In this story, it shows how it is ok to lean on your village of friends and family and it also subtly addresses our fears of taking risks.
Any book that can make me both laugh and cry is a good book to me!
I can totally see a made for TV movie coming from this.

A charming story about life in a small town that has big financial problems but also a lot of special relationships blooming. The title gets its name from one of the main characters that is the town librarian and the books "speak" to her. The story delves into the issues of dementia with an a woman and the mother that adopted her, as well as the woman's niece.

This was a charming booking but one that simply was not my cup of tea. Intended to be in the vein of magical realism a la Alice Hoffman but ended up being a bit too saccharine for what I typically read. I do think that the characters were enjoyable and since this is the first in an anticipated series so I recognize that first outings in series are typically shaky.

If you are a fan of Jan Karon and the like, then you will enjoy this series.

I absolutely loved this absolutely charming novel, and hope to see more from the characters of Dove Pond. SO thankful to have gotten to read an advance copy of The Book Charmer thanks to Netgalley and it was nothing but pleasant.

Well thought out characters and personalities with relatable issues & a bit of magic, any book lover will instantly fall for this one!

This is one of those books that make you smile each time you pick it up to read.

Centered in a small town with a hint of magical charm. Sarah Dove can speak to books. which allows her to know what people need to read before they do. though Sarah is an important character along with Trav they are not the main character.

Our main character is Grace A tough woman who has been through a lot. Growing up in foster care Grace finally finds a home with Mama G. Fast forward years later and grace has become the caregiver not only to the woman who took her and her sister in years before but she is now the mother to her sister's child.

grace is a hard case but as time goes by in Dove Pond Grace soon learns what it means to truly love and to have friends. She also learns what it means to belong.

this book was such a lovely read and I cannot wait to read it again and to continue with the series.

Would have been 5 stars if it had-had an actual ending. I loved the story but hated the quick wrap up.

I absolutely loved and adored The Book Charmer. When I read the synopsis, I was incredibly intrigued. When I began to read the story, I was quickly and instantly hooked. The characters were so easy to relate to and the way they were written made me feel as though I was right there getting to know each one dearly. While reading, I felt as though i was riding a rollercoaster of emotions. There was laughter, heartwarming and touching moments, as well as moments that brought tears to my eyes. The main character, Grace, has to cope with the devastating results of Alzheimers, as she watches her foster mom go through it. These scenes were so vivid and made my heart ache. I was truly captivated by The Book Charmer and was sad to see it end.

// 😒 my face when I got about 1/3 into the book. It started out pretty good, and I was thinking I was going to love it. It quickly turned into a Hallmark movie in book form. If you know me, you know I steer clear of Hallmark movies. I picked it up because the word “book” was in the title, and although it does mention books, I just wasn’t crazy about the storyline.
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Grace moves to Dove Pond to care for her niece Daisy and adoptive mother Mama G. Sarah, the librarian in town and known as the book charmer, believes Grace moved there to save the town. Grace, Sarah, and others plan a huge festival to draw a crowd to Dove Pond to bring in some money because the town is drowning in debt. And then Grace and Trav fall in love. Hallmark all day long!!
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Pick this one up if you’re looking for a good vacay read! And thank you, @netgalley, for my copy! This one releases July 30th!
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🌟🌟🌟

Sometimes you find yourself drawn somewhere and can’t for the life of you, know why you need to be there.

When tragedy strikes for Grace, Mama G and Daisy then end up in Dove Pond, meeting a slew of truly eccentric townspeople. One of those being “the Book Charmer”, Sarah. You’ll never believe how she knows a book is “meant” for someone but, somehow she always gets it right. Grace was sent here to help Dove Pond and everyone knows it except her.

I truly loved this book and the characters in it. They were people I’d want to know and have in my circle. And if this town was in a beachside community then it’d be the perfect place to live, well for me. 🙂

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

And a HUGE thanks to NetGalley, Gallery Books and the lovely Karen Hawkins for the Advanced Readers Copy!

The perfect beach read, you’ll love it so grab it on July 30!!