Ok, so I was not expecting to read the POVs (points of view) of a teenage boy and an elderly woman 72 years young. Instead, I thought this would be a love story and I was pleasantly surprised as I tend to enjoy such relationships that feel like grandma/grandson in a way.

The library is the link to bring those two together which makes it even more heartwarming a story. A library in a small town that needs some more loving and appreciation to be exact. Maggie and Tom have different reasons for seeking the comfort of the library walls and although they might seem an odd couple at first sight but they might be more alike than they think!

Bella Osborne certainly knows how to write characters! Tom acted like a teenager with all his feelings, growing up, dealing with the death of his mom (not a spoiler, we get to know that very early on) and Maggie is a kind-spirited woman with a secret that at times haunts her.

We follow their individual stories but also their journey from meeting up to.. (well you will have to read the book yourself to find out the rest).

Loved every second of it and enjoyed the farm bits and the way some sensitive topics were handled without taking away their severity.

Thank you to Netgalley and Aria & Aries for offering me an e-copy of this copy in exchange for an honest review!

Tom is sixteen and just lost his mom. His father has some drinking issues so he is feeling a bit lonely. Maggie is in her seventies also feeling a bit lonely only having her book club and library. A beautiful friendship blossoms between these two after Tom helps save Maggie from being robbed.

This book proves that sometimes the most unusual friendships can turn out to be the best friendships. I really enjoyed this lovely book.

Content just didn’t appeal to me in the way I thought it would, and I couldn’t commit as much time as I wanted to reading it

The Library by Bella Osborne was a bit of an unexpected treasure. As a lover of all things book related the title of course caught my attention and judging by the cover I expected an easy light read. Something light, fluffy and maybe a bit on the schmalz-y side. I couldn't have been more wrong. What I got was a a story about an unlikely, yet heartwarming friendship between a 16 year of boy and a 72 year old lady. What I also got was a book that didn't shy away from heavy subjects such as loss of a parent, grief, social isolation, alcoholism and loneliness and does so beautifully!

Bookworms,books, friendship and love seriously what’s not to love !




Teenager Tom has always blended into the background of life. After a row with his dad and facing an unhappy future at the dog food factory, he escapes to the library.

Pensioner Maggie has been happily alone with her beloved novels for ten years – at least, that's what she tells herself.

When they meet, they recognise something in each other that will change both their lives for ever.

Then the library comes under threat of closure, and they must join forces to prove that it's not just about books – it's the heart of their community.

DNF - Did not finish. I did not connect with the writing style or plot and will not be finishing this title. Thank you, NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me access to this ebook in exchange for an honest review!

⚠️ TW/CW: Alcoholism, Addiction, Death of a Parent, Vomit, Animal Death, Bullying, Violence, Blood

Synopsis: Two different generations. Two unusual people. Thrown together to save their local library. Tom is a teenager who blends into the background of life. After a row with his dad, he escapes to the library. Tom ends up with a bagful of romance novels and comes under the suspicion of Maggie. Maggie is a pensioner and has been happily alone for 10 years, at least that's what she tells herself. When Tom comes to her rescue a friendship develops that could change her life. As Maggie helps Tom to stand up for himself, Tom helps Maggie realise the mistakes of her past don't have to define her future. They each set out to prove that the library isn't just about books – it's the heart of their community. Together they discover some things are worth fighting for.

Thoughts: This book was exactly what I needed! Possibly strange for a twenty something but I love a book with elderly characters and Maggie was just amazing. The relationship that developed between Tom and Maggie and honestly just ever character in this story just had me enthralled! Bella Osborne does a wonderful job of creating characters that you just feel so much for and right from the start I felt a connection with both Maggie and Tom. An unexpected friendship but a beautiful one. I loved the discussion that this story had about alcoholism as this isn’t something I’ve read about before but I felt like it was very realistic and well handled. Everything in this book just felt so real and I can’t wait to reread it at some point to tab all the best bits! This book had me laughing, crying and questioning my relationships too and honestly it’s made me want to make use of my library too! I’d 100% recommend this!

Recommend? ✅
Reread? ✅

I adored The Library! Both characters were perfection and I could not get enough of it. What a wonderful story.

EXCERPT: The post lady came in and handed over a pile of letters and something Christine had to sign for. Christine let out a gasp worthy of anyone winning a TV prize jackpot but her face told a different story. Maggie went to see what had caused it but Betty was quicker off the mark.

'Something wrong?' asked Betty, her face laden with glee.

'They're closing us down,' said Christine, followed by a dramatic sob as she clutched the podium for support.

Betty was quick with the tissues, which gave Maggie a chance to swivel around the offending letter and have a quick read for herself. She wasn't surprised to see that Christine had made a mansion out of a Lego brick. 'It's inviting you to a meeting about the future of the library, Christine.' It wasn't exactly an eviction notice. Maggie had seen plenty of those in her time.

Christine looked affronted. 'That's what it means.' She stabbed the letter with a neat fingernail. 'It came by recorded delivery. They call you to a meeting and that's when they tell you they're closing you down. . .'

ABOUT 'THE LIBRARY': Two different generations. Two unusual people. Thrown together to save their local library.
Tom is a teenager and blends into the background of life. After a row with his dad, and facing an unhappy future at the dog food factory, he escapes to the library. Tom unwittingly ends up with a bagful of romance novels and comes under the suspicion of Maggie.

Maggie is a pensioner and has been happily alone for ten years, at least that's what she tells herself. When Tom comes to her rescue a friendship develops that could change her life. As Maggie helps Tom to stand up for himself, Tom helps Maggie realise the mistakes of her past don't have to define her future.

They each set out to prove that the library isn't just about books – it's the heart of their community.

Together they discover some things are worth fighting for.

MY THOUGHTS: I needed this! If you want a book that is going to make you smile and your heart swell, this is it!

The characters are realistic, relatable and mostly lovely, except Kemp who is an out and out bully. Thomas Harris, just like the author, is seriously lacking in self-esteem, and feels like he is invisible - 'Not actually invisible – that would make me interesting and I’m not. I’m the person others find easy to forget. The one who is lost in the crowd.' - except to Kemp, who always manages to see him and make his life even more miserable than it already is.

Maggie is in her 70s, and lives alone on a smallholding with just her animals for company. The highlight of her life is the weekly book club at the library. She is an extraordinary character with hidden depths and a tragic secret.

Maggie and Tom meet at the library after Tom's dad smashes his x-box which seems like a tragedy at the time but which is probably the best thing that ever happened to him, because he starts reading again, something he hasn't done since his mum died.

A friendship that will change both their lives begins when Tom comes to Maggie's aid when she is getting mugged.

The Library isn't so much about the efforts to save the local library as a touching story of an unlikely friendship. It's a heartwarming and uplifting read that left me with a smile on my face and needing to read more from this author.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.3

#TheLibrary #NetGalley

I: @bellaosborneauthor @avonbooksuk

T: @osborne_bella @AvonBooksUK @aria_fiction

#comingofage #contemporaryfiction #familydrama #sliceoflife #smalltownfiction

THE AUTHOR: Bella's stories are about friendship, love and coping with what life throws at you. She likes to find the humor in the darker moments of life and weaves these into her stories. Bella believes that writing your own story really is the best fun ever, closely followed by talking, eating chocolate, drinking fizz, and planning holidays. She lives in the Midlands, UK with her lovely husband and wonderful daughter, who thankfully, both accept her as she is (with mad morning hair and a penchant for skipping). (Amazon)

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Aria & Aries via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Library by Bella Osborne for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

This book was phenomenal. It’s probably one of my all time favourite reads. I loved how the two MC’s bridged different generations to come together to save their library. 100% I balled my eyes out. I cried so much. It’s such an incredibly moving story that you can’t help but fall in love with. Amazing.

“Every book is a key that unlocks another world, leads us down the path of a different life and offers the chance to explore an unexpected adventure. Every one is a gift of either knowledge, entertainment or pure escapism and goodness knows we all need that from time to time.”

Tom and Maggie are as different as they can be on the outside, but what eventually bonds them is a combination of books, a common goal, and the human longing to be known and needed. Alone with his alcoholic father, sixteen year old Tom is at a crossroads and must figure out his future. Meanwhile, Maggie is a seventy two year old pensioner alone on her farm and desperate for human connection. Enter in the library. Full of heart and rife with emotion, this story pulled me in, broke me a little, and then put the pieces back together with loving care. If you love books about libraries, underdogs, and themes of forgiveness and restoration, this one is for you!

Contemporary Fiction

A new favorite! Incredible!

Tom is having a tough time at home. His mother died when he was young and his father has been having a hard time with alcohol. As a way to escape, he ventures into the local library and starts reading romances as a way to be close to his mother.

Maggie is older and goes to the library on Saturdays for book club as a way to fill her time. Her husband passed away and other than caring for some animals on her farm she doesn't have much to do or much interaction with anyone.

Tom and Maggie are thrown together several times and slowly develop a friendship. Tom ends up helping out at Maggie's farm and Maggie helps him navigate the situation with his father. They also come together to save the library from being shut down.

The relationship between Tom and Maggie is magical! The way they come together and help each other is so sweet. Is the book a little idealistic - sure, but who doesn't want to hope for better things.

Loved this!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this novel.

Libraries and animals
Maggie and Tom, both lonely and unusual people, meet at Library or rather outside in an alley. Sounds promising and romantic, no Tom is 16 years old and Maggie is 72, but they form a friendship which transcends time.
What a delightful story this is, easy reading and involving, I cried at the end.
Tom lives with his distant Father having lost his Mum at the age of eight, they try to make the best of the situation, but both harbor anger and resentment. Through a chance meeting with Maggie, Tom learns to appreciate books and the role that the local Library plays in the community. With threats of closure the Librarian seeks help, Tom, Maggie and Farrah come to the rescue. Meanwhile Tom stays at Maggie's farm, gets to know home comforts, responsibility for animals and unconditional love and help.
Maggie is keeping a secret which is revealed to Tom who react with anger, hurt and disbelief, he comes to realise that no onw is perfect.
An insight into the difficult life of a sixteen year old and an independent woman

The fabulous cover sets the scene for what is going to be found inside the book. Great story of people from different generations out to save their library from closure in just a few weeks. Osborne has sympathetically created a somewhat magical relationship between Maggie and Tom and ended up with particularly enjoyable good feel-good story. Beautifully written, sensitively handled, a story for all generations.

Ist there a genre like cozy family drama? Imho that's a description this book would fit into. There's Tom, a self-conscious teenager who prefers to go through life unnoticed. After his mother died, his father got in the habit of drinking and there's not much left of the happy family they used to be. Then meet Maggie: a sturdy old widow who lives on a farm, does yoga and martial arts and seems unafraid of anything. When by coincidence Tom and Maggie meet at the library, an unusual friendship starts to blossom, and soon Maggie takes Tom under her wing. Tom starts opening up and becoming the boy he could have been all along. When the local library is threatened by closure, Tom and Maggie start a campaign to save one of their favorite places.
While there were a lot of dramatic issues touched in this story, it never lost its cozy charm which made it a comfortable, at times even funny book to read. While some coincidences felt overly convenient, the plot developed easily and the characters appeared well-drawn, though I got the impression that Tom sometimes behaved much too grown-up for the teenager he still was. Overall, I very much enjoyed reading this book which revealed itself to be much more substantial than I first expected.

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The Library
by Bella Osborne (Goodreads Author)
4.38 · Rating details · 1,290 ratings · 405 reviews
Two different generations. Two unusual people. Thrown together to save their local library.
Tom is a teenager and blends into the background of life. After a row with his dad, and facing an unhappy future at the dog food factory, he escapes to the library. Tom unwittingly ends up with a bagful of romance novels and comes under the suspicion of Maggie.

Maggie is a pensioner a ...more
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ebook, 384 pages
Published September 2nd 2021 by Aria & Aries
ISBN139781801100465
Edition LanguageEnglish
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Review I have been a fan of Bella’s work for a while. Although I haven’t read every single book that she has written, I hope to have her other books read within the next couple of months. I read the synopsis for ‘The Library’ and it certainly grabbed my attention and drew me in. So without further ado I grabbed a cup of tea, grabbed my copy of the book and settled down for what proved to be a fascinating afternoon of reading. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Library’ but more about that in a bit.
I adored the characters of Tom and Maggie and I warmed to them from the start. In fact they began to feel like friends of mine and I found myself feeling all protective of them. Tom is a teenager, who feels that he is invisible and that nobody notices him. In other words, he feels like he doesn’t fit in anywhere. I got the impression that Tom is rather lonely and he has few real friends. Tom has his games console but soon that is taken away and he has to find another source of entertainment. Maggie is a pensioner, who in her own way feels rather lonely and vulnerable due to her age. The main social interaction that Maggie has, is her weekly trip to the library to attend the library book club. Tom and Maggie meet at the local library and the rest as they say is history. The stories of Tom and Maggie really tugged at my heart strings and some of their emotions and feelings mirror how I feel about myself, which sent a shiver down my spine. Soon Tom and Maggie have to join forces to try to save the library that they have both grown so fond of. What happens? Well for the answer to that question and so much more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
Oh my word, I was drawn into this book by the synopsis alone and the story within the covers of the book sealed the deal as it were. Once I picked the book up, that was it. I knew from then on that I wouldn’t be doing anything else other than reading for the rest of the afternoon. I simply couldn’t put this book down. The book wasn’t exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I became so wrapped up in the story that I lost all track of time and just how quickly I was getting through the story. The pages turned increasingly quickly as I worked my way through the book. All too quickly I reached the end of ‘The Library’ and I had to say farewell to Tom and Maggie. I found ‘The Library’ to be the true definition of an unputdownable page turner of a read, which held my attention throughout and kept me guessing.
‘The Library’ is superbly written but then that is true of Bella’s books in general. ‘The Library’ is slightly different to the sorts of books that Bella writes but for me, it was just as enjoyable. Bella has one of those easy going writing styles that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. In fact reading one of Bella’s books feels more like a chat between friends rather than reading an actual book. I hope that makes sense. For me, the book is a bit of a slow burn but that suits the story that Bella is telling and allows the reader to get to know Tom and Maggie. I love the very vivid and realistic way in which Bella describes her characters. She describes them so well that they seem just as real as you and I. She makes them come alive as it were. ‘The Library’ was a bit of an emotional read for me as I became so wrapped up in Tom’s and Maggie’s lives and how they felt mirrored how I felt. I love the way in which Bella makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story themselves and at the heart of the action.
In short, I adored reading ‘The Library’ and I would definitely recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Bella’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

As a librarian, it was a delight to see a community come together to support a cornerstone. I adored the play between the characters, the development of the story and the feel of community. It's a winner!

This was a great read. Exploring the lives, problems, and struggles of characters all at different stages in their lives. I loved it! Very interesting and great writing!

Oh my gosh!
I seriously couldn't read this book quickly enough! I enjoyed every single word
The story is about two wonderful individuals and a few locals trying to save a library from being closed down but that really is the tip of the iceberg with this book.
The friendship that develops between 16 year old Tom and pensioner Maggie is truly a delight to read about. It's very cleverly written from Toms perspective and it was how I think a teenager would think/act/speak..... I should know as I have my own 17 year old son and it was just a super top standard book that I will recommend to everyone!
There is no truer love than friendship

What a brilliant story, so many key areas covered in life, Loneliness, friendship, alcohol addiction. it was great to witness the friendship develop between Maggie and Tom. keeping you dropped from start to finsh.


I really hope we can revisit so we can see what happens next between Maggie, Tom, and Paul.

please can we go back.