While this book is my very favorite type, i.e. a book that is about, refers to, and utilizes other books, this one is special because it allows those books to be the catalyst to the resolution to the story. It is a great coming of age story, surrounded by several good books, and quotes from each. It is about a teenage girl with very special abilities when it comes to books. She lives with her hoarder mother, and has to find solutions to some intense problems. She does this with the help of a fantastic, life-long friend, and a new friend she has just met. The story is moving, riveting, and on some level, relates to each of us, though we may not fight these particular demons. It is a beautifully woven story, and I am looking forward to purchasing a printed copy when it is released!

4 / 5 ⭐

I adored this story. For those of us who “get lost in books and stories,” Darcy Wells is a very relatable character. The voice of Darcy rings true to that of a lifelong bookworm, but also one of a girl with big secrets. So where does she find her solace and refuge? Books.

Darcy loves books, she brilliantly devours the words, and she even works at a bookstore. Books are where she can run through the story freely, no pretenses, no lies. In the real world, Darcy has to hide, pretend, and lie. For years she has been hiding what is right behind her front door. Darcy’s mother is a hoarder. There are only goat tunnels from one room to another through stacks, piles, and tubs of stuff. Very few people are aware of “The Hoard” except Darcy’s grandma and Darcy’s best friend Marisol.

But the status quo is about to be shaken. There is a new building manager and the lease is coming due. Darcy is turning eighteen soon and her wealthy grandma, who has been supporting her, is threatening to cut off her allowance. Then a copy of Peter Pan with notes and poems scribbled in it mysteriously finds its way into Darcy’s hands. The notes seem to become a guiding force in Darcy’s life. Best of all, into her life walks Asher, a boy who just might be her Prince Charming.

Ultimately, this is a love story. Not just young love, but also Darcy’s struggle of dealing with her mom’s mental health issue, “The Hoard” and loving her mom through it. Darcy has to come to a self-realization that she too has been hiding behind things, as well as, building her own walls. With the help of her wonderful friend (everyone should have a Marisol) and Asher, Darcy discovers that she needs to write her own story.

Thank you to @Netgalley and @Inkyardpress for this ARC for review.

Publish Date: 10/8/19

Wanted a light, fluffy read to get back to reading, and this fit the bill. YA fiction has never been my favorite and this book didn't change my mind.

The Library of Lost Things was quite good! I loved Darcy’s character. She was strong and smart, and what’s more, she knew it and didn’t try to destroy anyone with it or complain the entire time. Female leads like this are so rare. Even her best friend, Marisol, was quite likable. They had real, honest discussions (as best friends do!) and weren’t so glued to their phones the entire book. It was refreshing.

I enjoyed Darcy’s romantic relationship as well. It was a slow build, and I saw the work up there. It wasn’t straight to lust.

My favorite parts of the entire book were the Peter Pan excerpts which were wonderfully done and added so much to this story. Some of them even made me tear up. Growing pains can be the worst.

As a counselor, I even like how the description of hoarding was written. It was accurate and a fairly good portrayal of how hoarding affects loved ones as well. However, what I didn’t like was the reason for the mother’s hoarding. I thought that storyline felt a little forced and was very rushed at the end. I was a little disappointed with that.

Also, I found it a little (read: A LOT) unbelievable that a mother (hoarder or no!) would just let their teenage daughter fly with someone so young - especially one who was suffering such severe migraines. Would have been awesome - but, very unbelievable.

Overall, a really good book!

OH MY GOODNESS. Where has this book been all my life??
A love story set against the backdrop of a bookshop with a Darcy-esque hero and a bookish heroine, THE LIBRARY OF LOST THINGS is a beautifully written thrill of a read that isn't afraid to dig into the darkness of teenage years while still hopefully pointed towards the light.
Can't wait to get a physical copy on my favorites shelf.

Such a cute, sweet story about two lost souls finding each other. I really adored Darcy and Asher and their whole story, how cute and adorable they were together. I liked Darcy's love of words and books and how she remembered everything she had ever read. I loved Asher's speedreading and how they would discuss the merits of both skills. I loved the Peter Pan influence and how he gave her the acorn necklace and she gave him the thimble. They were just the cutest couple.

I liked the addressing of serious topics like Darcy's mother's hoarding and how Darcy came to recognize it not as a problem, but something they could work with. I liked Asher's and his post-concussive syndrome and how great Darcy was about that and his love of flying.

I loved Marisol and the sisterhood between her and Darcy and how they always had each other's back and Marisol and Jase were cute, I wish we could have gotten a little more of them.

I do wish there had been some kind of conflict or something? It just felt like other than the resolution with the mother, we didn't really have any high stakes in anything? But I also did like that everything was sweet and cute and nothing terrible happened? (I was honestly waiting for Olivia's dad to come beat up Asher or London to reveal the hoarding).

Overall, I really loved the story, but I wish there had been a little more to everything? More of the characters, more depth to their stories? I did love the bookstore and the Peter Pan copy she had and how it had belonged to her mother and the coming full circle of that <3

The Library of Lost Things is a book I wished I had when I was younger! Hoarding is something that impacts so many around the person who is hoarding. I could remember feeling the panic Darcy felt when she thought someone would have to be let into the apartment! Letting people in and being seen is something Darcy escapes as she delves into her world of books. She has a close friend, Marisol, and the two share a tight bond. This story takes place during their senior year when things start to unravel for Darcy as she deals with her mother’s compulsive buying and hoarding, her absent father trying to become part of her present, her grandmother who has tried to ‘protect’ her, and a new love interest. Readers will feel her emotions at each turn. So many issues to navigate and overcome. This is a must add to classroom library shelves.

An advance copy of this title was provided by NetGalley and Inkyard Press in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a charming novel! The main character was well developed and the writing style the author used kept me engaged the entire time.

I didn’t love this book but realize that there will be an audience for it. It just wasn’t unique enough for me to be intrigued by it.

The Library of Lost Things is a fun read, although it took me a few chapters to really dive into the story. Darcy is a likeable character, and I really loved the descriptions of her interactions with her friend Marisol. Honestly, I would happily read a whole book just on those two!

An adorable story with a light romance, strong friendships, and complicated families. I will be purchasing it for my high school library.

The Library of Lost Things is a young adult romance novel at it’s core, but it weaves in weightier topics such as mental health and recovering from physical injuries. Darcy is a teenager hiding her greatest secret from almost everyone. Only her best friend knows that her mother is a hoarder. In order to keep their lives afloat, Darcy takes on all the responsibilities of maintaining their apartment, working enough jobs to support her mother’s spending illness, and keeping up a false image at school. Her solace from the mess of her real life is the fictional world of her beloved books. Darcy possesses a unique talent for memorizing passages, so she turns time and again to novels to escape from life or seek advice when her mother is unfit to help.

This carefully concocted coping mechanism is turned upside down when she starts falling for the boy who visits the bookstore where she works. In addition, her estranged father has reached out and now wants to connect with her. Is it worth putting aside her books in order to open herself up to unpredictable but real connections?

This YA novel is a delight for book lovers due to the plethora of literary references. The author is clearly a fan of books herself, so it’s endearing to read the numerous quotes, passages, and characters that Darcy mentions. I’m always a sucker for young love as well. The relationship is well-developed over time and never feels rushed or out of the blue. Plus, Darcy’s best friend is a fabulous supporting character. She provides just the right amount of advice to encourage Darcy while still acting like a high school teen.

My only complaint was the overuse of bookish metaphors during the conclusion. It felt a bit like the author was trying too hard to show how much Darcy loves books. Lots of “how will you write your story” and “putting aside your fictional life for a real life” type thing.

Overall though, it’s a delightful YA novel for any reader. And Peter Pan plays a central role in this story, so if that’s one of your favorite children’s classics you’ll enjoy this book even more!

Darcy Wells, named after Jane Austen’s most famous hero, collects words and stories. She memorizes stories without even trying and escapes into them to hide from her real life, namely the fact that her mother is a hoarder.

Darcy is navigating her last year of high school, and just trying to survive until her 18th birthday, when she is no longer in danger of being taken away from her mother. But when Asher Fleet, a boy she vaguely knew when he attended her school the previous year, starts to spend his breaks in the bookstore where Darcy works, she slowly begins to realize that just surviving might not be enough anymore.

This debut by Laura Taylor Namey is at times funny, sweet, serious, and heart wrenching. I have never read a YA book that handles mental illness in this particular way, and it really struck me. Darcy’s mother is a hoarder, and this is treated for what it really is, a mental illness. Laura doesn’t shy away from how this affects not only Darcy’s mother, but Darcy herself, and examines just how deeply the effects of this kind of disease can cut a family.

Darcy's best friend Marisol is unwavering in her support, but not afraid to make Darcy examine her life more deeply. Asher, the love interest, also pushes Darcy to try to do more than just survive. The characters in this book are fleshed out and real, and are not afraid to face their problems head-on, even if they need help with that sometimes.

Laura Taylor Namey successfully blends romance and real-world issues into her novel and has created an engrossing book. It will hopefully resonate with readers, and let some of them know that they are not alone in dealing with life’s problems, whatever form they may take.

I’m not quite sure what I was expecting of this book, but it blew my expectations out of the water.

Wow. I don't give many 5-star reviews, but if I could have given this book 6-stars, I would have. The Library of Lost Things is a fantastic read with bits of romance and classic literature woven into the story. The characters are all lovely, if a bit broken, and it is a joy to watch them try to piece themselves together. I will read this book again and again. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved The Library Of Lost Things. Thank you to #NetGalley for a copy of the ARC.

The very first thing that hooked me was the main character, Darcy, and her love of books. She works in a quaint bookstore and uses books to hide her thoughts and deepest secrets (and her family has quite a few).

The second thing I adored was her bff Marisol and the amazing friendship they have! Marisol won’t let Darcy do anything questionable without her. It made me appreciate the Marisol’s I’ve had in my life!

Oh and then there is the cute boy, Asher, who visits the bookstore from time to time.

You will find just the right amount of sweetness, some twists and turns and amazing book quotes in this book! Lots of sentences to quote and deep themes to ponder or discuss. Do yourself a favor and check it out!

No librarian could resist a book titled The Library of Lost Things. This story of a girl, about to turn 18, taking refuge in books from a dysfunctional home life is good reading for any book lover. The observations are those of a teen navigating a world of friends, first love and family disappointment. Some of the narrative is understandably superficial, as befits a teenager. However by the end of the story Darcy’s journey has led her to a wisdom and understanding that is conveyed through the writing itself. Frankly all the main characters are too good to be true, but I didn’t care. I loved them either because of that or despite that. There is also a fun reading list at the end which might lead you to some new literary delights.

Darcy is a literary genius, who started reading when she was three. She has entire passages of books memorized, but she has a secret. There's a reason there's no welcome mat outside the apartment she shares with her mother. She doesn't want anyone to know her mom's a hoarder. While there is a romantic component to Darcy's story, her self-discovery is the bigger tale to tell.

Loved this book! I couldn't put it down. I think this is the first YA book I've found that addresses a parent who is a hoarder. This book has all the things a teen is looking for. I think it will be a very popular pick in my Middle School Library. I can't wait to see what the author comes up with next.

The theme of my reading life these days seems to be: I should have loved this book, but sadly...I did not.

Every single thing about this book appealed to me. However, I was so bored while reading it. I don't know if it's the writing or if the book just didn't go the course I thought it would when I picked it up. It moved a little too slowly for me and I found myself having trouble investing in any of the characters. I think, in the end, it's just not what I had been hoping for and it as a DNF for me at 35%.

A little predictable. Includes all the YA trappings. Dysfunctional parent. BFF. Frenemy. Cool boy. School play.