2.75 stars
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TW: Mental illness, Abandonment, Car accident, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Bullying
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Darcy uses her love of books to escape her real world, she has a hard time letting people in as she doesn't want them to see her messy life, mostly brought on by her hoarder of a mother. That is, until she meets Asher who has a few secrets of his own (like having a girlfriend while he flirts with Darcy). He walks right into her life and straight to her heart. I will say that I loved our main characters, it's nice to see characters so young and have flaws that get talked about.

I adore characters who are book lovers just like me but I felt like it was overdone, we get it she likes books. That aspect of her life was peppered in as much as it could be and eventually, her being a book lover just got in the way. Looking back on what I remember about this book, it isn't much. The two of them have a cute love story but other than that it's your typical YA. In my opinion, this reads as a younger YA (12-15) and that could have been the reason why I didn't connect with it as much as I would have wanted to.
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I would like to thank NetGalley, Inkyard Press, and Laura Taylor Namey for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This book was first published on October 8th 2019.

I didn’t realize this was a YA initially but still began to enjoy it, lower my expectations significantly with an eye roll that it was YA. But wow what a darling story of redemption and self understanding! I almost wish it was further developed for a more mature audience. But still a very sweet story.

This disappointed me. Unfortunately I think it just wasn’t for me. I liked the writing style and Darcy as a character. Better suited for a teen

The Library of Lost Things
By Laura Taylor Namey

Darcy Wells is a bookworm. She has spent her time consumed by books, in order to distract herself from her mother’s hoarding issues. But soon Darcy’s only home becomes under fire from the property manager and Darcy must face reality. Asher Fleet comes into the bookstore that Darcy works at and her world is opened up to more than just black and white characters. To secure her happily-ever-after she will have to stop living her bookish life and start living her own life. I liked Darcy Wells and Asher Fleet. They worked well together, the chemistry between them was really good.

Thank you to Inkyard Press and NetGalley for this review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I was going to. I really feel like this book is more about the friendship of the girls, rather than the romance. I really enjoyed the tone of the author and will read more from her.

This was such a powerful book. I regret not reading it sooner. It tackles a topic I haven´t seen in a lot of books and the writing style takes the reader right into the midst of it.

I will not be giving feedback on this book as I couldn’t really get into it but I think others may enjoy it.

This book was wonderful--I appreciated the light parts as well as those where we are welcomed into hard conversations about being honest with ourselves and others.

I love the title of the book. That was the only thing about the book I liked.

ARC copy provided by Netgalley in exchange for honest review.

I have elected not to read and review this book due to time constraints. Thank you for the opportunity.

Not a new favorite. The protagonist just isn’t a great person I had high hopes for this book since the protagonist is a bookworm, but she’s not a great friend, and the romance is just blah.

I’m such a sucker for books involving books! This book was fun, and also refreshing because it was able to cover serious topics without feeling too hokey or forced. It had everything I’d want in a YA romance - a cute relationship that isn’t too gushy and doesn’t involve instalove, interesting characters that keep you invested, and of course, all the bookstore shenanigans. I doubt I’ll remember much of this one in a few months, BUT it was still a charming read that made me happy for the characters in the end. The plot does progress fairly slowly, and there isn’t really much going on plot wise, so I’d give it an even 3.5 stars. A fluffy read through and through. I’d definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys books like the Lara Jean series by Jenny Han.

The characters are great in this book. The romance is good. Everything is good. But I think the clincher that makes it a 5 star book for me is that it stresses being honest with yourself and your family and friends. So much conflict could be alleviated if we were just honest about our own flaws.

‘The Library of Lost Things’ by Laura Taylor Namey was a poignant, lovely, and emotional read. It had well-developed characters, lyrical writing, and a great plot that sucks you in. Definitely recommend!

3.5 stars. It was cliche and a little cringe at times, and Darcy reminded me too much of my high school self, but this was sweet and just what I needed.

Although, I definitely think was mistitled. If library is mentioned in the title we should have gone to a library at least once lol.

Darcy has a big secret—her mom is a compulsive shopper and hoarder. As a way to cope, Darcy has spent most of her life hiding herself within the pages of books. When she meets Asher, a boy with shattered dreams, she finally starts opening up—and learning that her mother may not be the only hoarder in their home.

THE LIBRARY OF LOST THINGS is a beautiful story filled with complex relationships. It’s an emotional and heart-warming read, and I especially loved Asher, who’s healing from a terrible accident (the migraine rep was a nice surprise). YA contemporary fans will love this book!

Library of Lost Things by Laura Taylor Namey, 352 pages. Inkyard Press, 2019. $18.


Language: PG-13 (46 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: ; Violence: G



BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE



AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE



17yo Darcy is counting the days until she turns 18 – not so that she can leave her home, but because then DCFS can no longer take her from her mother. And she knows that they would if anyone from outside her very small circle of friend (yes, just one) ever saw their apartment – the apartment that is full of all the things her mother hoards. Darcy lives most of her life inside the books that she inherited from her long-absent father and even works in a secondhand bookstore. Then Asher starts coming into the store - the handsome recent high school graduate, who had a promising future as a pilot, only to have his dreams crushed when he was in a terrible car accident. As their relationship starts developing, Darcy has to decide how much of herself she wants to share – especially since there are parts of that story she only thought she knew.

I thoroughly enjoyed Namey’s look at a child living with a hoarding parent (though the books that I have read always have the mother as the hoarder). She adds more dimension to the psychology of hoarding and recovery from hoarding. Darcy is a sympathetic resilient main character and her ability to recognize and deal with her own problems is solid and satisfying. The romance is a nice addition and I love that is just that – not the focus of the narrative.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS

Unfortunately, this book just didn't work out for me. I found it incredibly boring, and I didn't like how the main character immediately turned to "pick me" energy when the love interest said something supposedly rude to her (it really wasn't, anyone in retail would know that people blend in sometimes). Also, I got a really bad feeling whenever the MC talked down on her mother's disorder.

The Library of Lost Things follows Darcy Wells, a bookish girl with a secret. Her mother struggles with hoarding and compulsive shopping, so their apartment is filled to the brim with objects. For years, they have managed to keep their property manager out of their apartment, but now there’s a new manager and they want to make some improvements. Darcy realizes her home could be taken away from her at any time, or she could be taken away if anyone discovers her secret before she turns eighteen.

Darcy has been able to rely on books and her best friend, Marisol. Darcy’s love of literature is so strong that she is able to memorize large portions of it with little effort. Throughout the story she clings to an annotated copy of Peter Pan that comes her way at the bookstore she works at. But Darcy’s life is about to change when Asher Fleet comes into the bookstore after an unpleasant interaction. Asher is a former teen pilot whose dreams ended after an accident.

Writing a character who is also a bookworm is a dangerous game. Sometimes it works, but often the character can come off as pretentious. I think the author did a great job of allowing Darcy to enjoy and reference most literature. I would have been upset if Darcy only cared about classics, especially since younger readers might want to read from the perspective of another YA reader. There were a few moments that made me roll my eyes, like when Darcy had a conversation with Asher about speed reading. He explained his process to her and she essentially mocked him. During the conversation, the topic of eBooks/eReaders came up, and *gasp* Darcy doesn’t like them. One of the revelations later on in the book could be a reason for this, but I’m only speculating about that. As a librarian, I still occasionally hear unfair criticisms of eBooks and it gets old.

I also thought the writing could have been more concise, but it’s also a debut and Laura Taylor Namey’s second book seems to have won over a lot of other readers. I think taking out a plot line or two might have helped with this.

I recommend this book for any YA contemporary readers who want their protagonist to enjoy reading. If the topic of hoarding will be triggering, definitely avoid this book.

Great author, so I was a little disappointed that I couldn’t connect with this one as much. I do think it was well written and each character was fleshed out very well!