This is one of those books that you mourn the end of a good story. It takes you a while to get into it but then it completely sucks you in and you find it impossible to put the book down. The storyline and character development were absolutely outstanding. I loved the twists and turns. This is a book that you don't try to figure out what's coming next; you just sit back and enjoy the story for what it is. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to get wrapped up in a well-written book.

Sarah Dove is special. At least, that's what everyone says. Even the musty, cranky old journal that lives in the library seems to think she has a destiny to fill within her small town home of Dove Pond, North Carolina. After all, when there are seven Dove sisters, there's always special magic afoot. And, as it turns out, Sarah *can* talk to books. She has a knack for fitting the right book with the right person, at just the right time to make magic happen. Even if it's never *her* the magic happens to.

Grace Wheeler didn't plan to come to Dove Pond. But then, she didn't plan on her sister Hannah dying in an overdose, leaving Grace the sole caretaker of Hannah's daughter and their aging foster mother whose early stage dementia is beginning to develop into something more serious. She never wanted to leave her high-paying finance job in Charlotte, but she loves her family--and so she's decided to spend one year in Dove Pond while they try to heal the wounds left by Hannah's death.

But Dove Pond...Dove Pond is in trouble. If Sarah can't figure out a way to save it, the town her family founded over two hundred years ago--and everyone who lives there--will go bankrupt. When Grace arrives to take on the role of town clerk, Sarah knows she's found her answer--Grace has the financial savvy and the experience to lift Dove Pond out of its great depression and turn things around. But Grace isn't sure she has the skills--and she doesn't think she should go out on a limb in a place where she isn't looking to put down roots. Somehow, Sarah has to convince Grace that she's the right person to save Dove Pond. In order to do that, she'll have to make Grace care about Dove Pond--and the people inside it--by showing her the real magic one small town can offer three battered hearts looking for a fresh start. And maybe, just maybe, Sarah will also discover a little magic of her own.

So many things attracted me to The Book Charmer--early readers promised a 'Matilda for adults' and compared it with the sort richly magical tales written by Sarah Addison Allen and Alice Hoffman, who just happen to be two of my favorite contemporary adult authors. While the writing itself leaves a little room for polish and maturation, ultimately The Book Charmer delivers my favorite brand of cozy magical realism--the kind that's brimming with small-town magic and features a community ensemble you'd want to live next door to--and just the right amount of mischief and hi-jinks--to keep you enjoyably transported for hours. I'm so glad to have stumbled on this author and am eagerly awaiting new titles...I hope we get to see Grace and the Dove sisters again soon!

What a charming book this is! A very easy read (I breezed through it in two days). It has great, well-rounded female characters (particularly the older characters). Love the cozy, small-town setting. I'm a sucker for these kinds of places. Definitely a great spring/summer read.

Delightful book about a town in need, people in need and a touch of magic. Good things happen with community. Opening up yourself to others and letting help in. Listening to them even when things seem impossible. It seems impossible that the Dove family all has something very special about them. Sarah hears books who tell her who needs them, usually the recipient thinks she is nuts, and the book seems to have nothing to do with them or nothing that they want. However, they are always needed, and you would be remiss to dismiss a book that knows you need it. The town is in a financial crisis, and a woman in a personal crisis can help them- if she allows herself to be a part of the community. An uplifting read, although there are some dark parts.

The Book Charmer is the first in a new series by Karen Hawkins about a girl named Sarah Dove who has special powers to hear the books that speak to her. She grows up to be the librarian in her small town of Dove Pond, where she meets a city transplant named Grace Wheeler, who wants nothing to do with the small town she’s found herself in. However, Grace could be just what Dove Pond needs to save the town. This book has beauty and magic that bibliophiles are sure to love!

Sweet, charming, easy read of a book. Fun well developed characters and a sweet storyline that keeps you reading.

Thank you to Net Galley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

The first chapter of this book leads one to believe the story will be about magical books that speak, but that chapter is told from the perspective of Sarah Dove when she was only seven. Thereafter, the story moves to the present day, when it becomes not so much about “magic” books but a charming story of family, friendship, and hope.

Sarah Dove, 25, is now the town librarian, and she does indeed have a knack for making sure every book finds the reader who most needs it. Some in the town do think Sarah is capable of magic, but a close friend opines:

“A lot of people in Dove Pond believed that Sarah and her sisters had special abilities, but that was just gossip and nonsense. The Dove sisters just had hearts bigger than their heads. They cared more, perhaps, than they should, so their intuition was stronger than most.”

Sarah becomes convinced that the legendary Dove Pond good luck has arrived in the form of a new resident, Grace Wheeler. Grace and Hannah Wheeler had been repeatedly kicked out of foster homes until they got taken in by Mrs. Giano, or “Mama G” as they called her. Mama G became the rock upon which Grace grew and built her life. It didn’t work out so well for Hannah, however, who died two months earlier from an overdose. She had already dumped her illegitimate daughter Daisy, now 8, with Mama G.

Tragically for all concerned, Mama G was showing signs of Alzheimer’s: “Grace’s heart, already broken by Hannah’s death, had shattered. . . . now, quite suddenly, it was Grace’s turn to make things work and to take care of not just Mama G, but the recalcitrant Daisy as well.”

Grace quit her dream job, cashed in her retirement plan, paid off her lease, and took Mama G and Daisy back to Mama G’s home town of Dove Pond. A cousin of Mama G’s had offered them a rental house and even a job for Grace. It was only for “Town Clerk Level 1,” but had flexible hours so Grace could take care of her family. She even found a local woman, Linda Robinson, to look after Mama G when Grace was at work.

But Grace struggles with how to cope with Daisy: “Hannah’s death had left Grace aching, angry, and empty. But it was even harder for Daisy.” Daisy had sudden flares of anger and stubbornly refused to accept Grace as a parent.

As if Grace didn’t have enough on her plate, she quickly discovered the town was on the verge of financial ruin.

It appears Grace and her family could use some magic in their lives, and there is plenty of it in Dove Pond, in the form of caring people with plenty of heart, and a handsome neighbor, Travis, with hurts of his own to overcome.

Mama G in one of her lucid moments says to Trav, whose nightmares from PTSD keep him up at night: “You don’t sleep, so you get angry. It’s sad, but life is not fair. I sometimes think it was never supposed to be. Life is made up of moments, good and bad. But while you don’t get to pick all the moments, you do get to pick which ones you cling to.”

She adds to him as well as Grace: “‘You’ve both let your anger take over your lives, but it’s time for that to stop.’ She locked eyes with Trav and then put her hand on Grace’s shoulder. ‘One day, you’ll need to be there for her.’ . . ‘You and Sarah both. And Daisy too. You will need to be there together. Do you understand?’”

When trouble comes, Grace, Daisy, and Travis benefit from Mama G’s advise, and find a new understanding of love, community, and family.

Evaluation: While this story didn’t seem to match the publisher’s blurb, in my opinion, I actually liked it much better than I thought I would based on that initial impression. The story may be gooey with an improbably lovely outcome, but isn’t that what we need these days?

So it probably didn't hurt that I too am a book crazy librarian!! Totally loved this book! The characters were fun and thoughtful. The twists were great to read...kept me going late into the night. She did such wonderful characters, I hope she does a follow up so we can see where some of them go!!

The small North Carolina town of Dove Pond is in trouble. Good thing they have magical sisters, southern charm, and a savior-who-doesn't-know-she's-a-savior. The novel is cozy af. I don't know if I was medically/hormonally emotional when I read it or if it just got me, but it got me.

That's maybe despite the romanticizing of books, reading, and the town library, not because of it. What's really sweet is a town coming together to help an outsider, and that outsider learning to embrace the town. I also like that the romance is secondary to the friendship story.

A heartwarming story of family and friendship and how sometimes we can't control where life takes us!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley. This is a lovely, sweet, gentle book about the magic of books, of families both found and born, of small towns, and of hope. The prose is evocative and the characters well written. Fans of The Good Witch will love this book. I can't wait to spend more time in Dove Pond.

A fun, light summer read for fans of magical realism and Sarah Addison Allen. The town of Dove Pond gives off serious Stars Hollow (Gilmore Girls) vibe, and the whimsy of books speaking to a librarian to assure they’re put in just the right persons hand is adorable.

I have never walked by a bookshelf and had the books talk to me. While I have read books and felt there was something there that talked to me, but I had to open the book and find it for myself. In this case,Sarah, the town librarian had the 'knack' of giving certain people just the right book, after they had fluttered their pages or actually spoke to her. Sarah was one of the Dove sisters who all had special talents. When Grace moves to the area, Sarah believes she is the one to save the dying town. The road to success, friendship and love is rocky but provides a most satisfying read.

This book is the most heartwarming, feel good book I've read in quite awhile. If you like Fannie Flagg and will definitely love this book!!! A small town community of close friends & three newcomers to the town - pulls together as a "family" to make the floundering town prosperous again.

The story begins with Sarah Dove who has the ability to talk to books. Now, this magical aspect of the book at first made me stop reading right away. However, once I restarted, I could see it as a quirky trait and addition to the story line, but the magical powers weren't a key portion of the story.
Overall, this was a nice and charming story about a small town that is suffering from lack of businesses and growth, and how it bands together after the influence of some new blood in town, and jumps into action to host a town festival. There are moments of friendship, adjustment in life due to circumstances such as Alzheimer's, and dealing with some past events. This book also nicely sets up additional books to come featuring the town.

I love books set in small towns, books about librarians and books about books. The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins has all of that. This is the second book I've read in the magical realism genre and so far, I'm liking this genre.

The plot is not complicated at all. But all the characters in it are so vibrant and realistic, you just can't help but want to hang out with them and get to know them more. The writing flows effortlessly and the magic, once it grips your attention, it never lets go until the last page. So be prepared to wield some self-control if you want to have 10 hours of sleep every night like I do. Just so you know, I lost and ended up sleeping for 6 hours every night until "the end." I tried to relish the words and read slowly but that obviously didn't work. You just want to keep reading.

Just read it especially if you enjoy reading about small towns, librarians and books. Definitely the perfect summer/vacation read.

This is a new author for me, but I fell in love with this book. The author is similar to Sarah Addison Allen, in her writing, which I love.
The small town story of Sarah and her magical ways swept me in right away. It was a nice change from the romance and mystery books I have been reading lately.
Hopefully this isn't a stand alone and there will be more books to come from this sleepy little community.

Absolutely charming little magical read. This book is perfect for the lovers of Sarah Addison Allen or Alice Hoffman who don’t care for a lot of drama but love a touch of magic, other than a couple of minor grammatical errors, I had no problem enjoying the story, getting to love the characters and feeling fully engaged in the story.

I could not connect with this story. I already felt disinterested and then there was a part that contained a level of fat shaming. The characters were discussing a balcony and if it was sturdy enough, something to the effect of not allowing a bunch of fat people out there and it should be fine. It felt really unnecessary and a little gross, to be honest. I will not be finishing this one.

I give this book 5-stars. The story is wonderful. The characters are quirky and interesting. It was so easy to fall in love with the town as well. I cannot wait for the next book in the Dove Pond series.

The book has good flow and is easy to read. There is no profanity that I can remember. There are also no intimate scenes. This book is perfect for your grandmother who loves to read, but doesn't like sex in her books. My grandmother tears out the pages, so you have to be careful with grandmothers.

I must, however, join the ranks of confusion regarding the title of the book and the main character. The title leads us to believe the book is about the book charmer of the town. The story is about a completely different character. The book charmer does have a story line in the book, but she is hardly the heroine of our story. I must admit, Ive never been faced with such a dilemma. I do sense that her story will continue on and culminate at some point in the series. Perhaps the book should have been called The Dragon Lady instead?

Daisy, Momma G and Grace will grab your heart in this debut novel of the Dove Pond series. Here's hoping we see more of Sarah and Blake in the books to come.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review The Book Charmer.