There was a lot going on in this book! A story inside of a story! I buckled in from the first page and never trusted a single soul. This was my first book by this author an I was pleasantly surprised how quickly this book grabbed my attention and refused to let me sleep until I knew all the answers! Fantastic read.

A library. Book Lovers. A reading room. Book Lovers. Murder. Immediate obsession. Add a complicated narrative requiring your complete attention.
I had to pause life to keep - well worth it! There is so much I want to say - but I don't want to give it anything away. This book deconstructs murder mysteries - offering puns, standard characters, complicated narrative and a plot that will have you obsessed!

This was an absolutely fascinating read! I loved the story within a story. The merging of real life with the actual crime was keeping me on my toes. I was constantly guessing where the story would lead next. The setting of Boston was also really exciting! The author did an excellent job really creating a scene intentionally.

I received an advanced reader copy of Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill in exchange for an honest review.

“Murderer isn’t a job description. It tends to be something you do on the side.”

The Woman in the Library begins with an excellent premise: four strangers are sitting together in the library when they hear a scream. The strangers quickly become friends, not realizing one of their new friends is a murderer. How exciting! This book starts off with a bang and then maintains that momentum throughout. I loved reading about the four friends and the mystery that tied them together.

What the blurb failed to mention is this novel’s brilliant meta narrative. At the end of every chapter there is a letter addressed to Hannah, the in-universe author of the book we’re reading. Hannah has been sending drafts of her chapters to Leo, who lives in Boston and thus can provide insight and suggestions regarding the accuracy of the setting of Woman in the Library. I had no idea what to expect from these letters, and their storyline was at some points even more thrilling than the main narrative! It was amusing reading each chapter and then seeing Leo pick it apart. The addition of these letters to the novel was genius, and elevated Woman in the Library to another level.

That isn’t the only way in which this novel is super meta; Hannah is writing about four strangers in a library hearing a scream and trying to solve the murder, and then her protagonist Winnifred/Freddie is also a writer, and uses her experience in the library as inspiration for her own novel where four strangers in a library hear a scream and try to solve the murder. I know meta narratives can be polarizing for some readers, but it is done so masterfully here that even those who typically avoid it would be remiss to pass this up.

Woman in the Library is without a doubt the best book I’ve read through NetGalley this year. It is a phenomenal novel, and now I’m eager to pick up Gentill’s other novel, After She Wrote Him. Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced reader copy.

Have you ever listened to an audiobook and wished that you were reading the story instead?

The book within a book concept was pretty fun but in the audiobook version it left me confused several times. Especially when Leo's letters had a different voice than Leo in the story. I thought they were different people for the first part of the book and then I thought I had mistaken something for a while. Even at the end I was still scratching my head a bit.

Other than that, the scream in the Library to begin the story was so exciting. And the creation of the friend group and their individual characters were also very enjoyable. I think as the story went on, I lost interest a bit.

Strong start, but then it took a long time for the story to pick up and go.

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill



Four strangers are sitting at a table in the Boston library and a scream pierces the silence.
They can't leave until the reason for the scream is known. So they talk and get to know each other just a little.

Freddie is writing a book and I really liked her. She and the other three at the table are students. She nicknames (in her head) the others as "Handsome Man", "Freud girl" and the last guy is "Heroic Chin".

This story is a book within a book, as we also have Leo who is another student who writes to author Hannah.

The foursome band together and try to solve a mystery. This book had me hooked from the beginning.

I did not guess "who dunnit" but I enjoyed the journey.

There seemed to be a lot of eating, every time the four met, or even two of them it was somewhere to eat.

I really enjoyed this mystery quite a bit.

I would recommend it highly.

thank you to the publisher and Netgalley

4*****

I’m greatly surprised by how much hype there has been for this book, which is essentially a forgettable, below average mystery.

I read a LOT in the mystery genre and I’m not super picky as long as the solve isn’t awful, but this one is unengaging, has no atmosphere, has no feeling of suspense, and the characters lack even a shred of nuance.

The solve is fine, if predictable, but the backstory that leads there is dull and the delivery of it clumsy.

There are so, so many great mysteries that get very little attention. It’s baffling to me why this one got so much.

This was a thriller of another kind. Definitely was not your typical one of the mill thriller. There was a story within a story in this book so you really have to pay attention to what was going on. Remind me of silent patient because the writing was insightful and intelligent. It was a multi dimensional story with a true whodunit vibe. Absolutely loved it.

Review published on Goodreads, 27 April 2022:

I've been wanting to read this book ever since I heard about it and you know what? It did not disappoint. The premise is a simple one—four strangers are brought together because of a suspicious scream in a library that leads to their temporary detainment and subsequent friendship. When a body is later found in the library, an amateur murder investigation naturally ensues. Like I said, a simple premise but one with TONS of potential for a fun, clever, entertaining mystery novel—which is exactly what THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY is. The tale has an intriguing story-within-a-story structure that gives it an appealing hook. Its main story is upbeat, fast-moving, and twisty. Freddie and her new friends are likable characters, with a rapport that is palpable right from the beginning. While the killer's identity didn't surprise me any, the plot still held my attention and kept me guessing. I read THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY quickly because it was such an enjoyable yarn. I'll definitely be looking for more of Gentill's engaging mysteries.

Me, personally, I’d say this is a three-star book, but I’d still recommend it to those who like murder mysteries so four. It was a pretty fun read, twisty, and multi-layered. I enjoyed the writing but I don’t think the story was overall for me. I also wasn’t too keen on the main character and a few others.

I made a valiant attempt attempt to read this book; however, try as I might,”The Woman In The Library” just did not grab my attention as I believed it would when NetGalley made it available. The synopsis of the story was an excellent “gripper:” Four people sitting in a library when out shouts a woman’s scream. Should have led to several sleepless nights reading. But it just didn’t grip me as I expected.
So for some this should be a great read. But I can only give it a modest 3 stars.

This book wasn't what I expected it to be. It was better. Gentill's writing was so well done. I couldn't put this mystery down. I needed to know who was the killer and who really was Leo. The way their each individual stories entwined together and the complexity of them. Definitely a good quick read. Plus, a double mystery with a twist.

3,5 stars, This murder mystery was intriguing with the different character development however it left me a bit confused with it being a story within a story. The characters and the quick relationships they suddenly build in the library also seemed a bit unrealistic. Interesting plot however I was hoping for more.

A book that has a setting in the library is a pretty solid selling point. For me though, that ended up being the only selling point for The Woman in the Library. In this book, you are following Hannah as she writes a book but also navigates her own life. I think the difficult part about this book is the writing style-You essentially have 3 pieces happening at once: The book that Hannah is writing, correspondence between Hannah and her editor Leo, and then a weird personal layer that develops midway through the book when we find out Leo may not be who we think he is. There isn't much separation between dialogues so especially at the beginning, it is hard to tell you are reading a piece of Hannah's book, or reading about Hannah's life. Because of the multi-layers, there are a lot of characters and not much depth to them.

I think for me personally, if Hannah's book had been better, it would've been more enticing to read. Hannah's book read much like a bad version of clue and just didn't captivate me.

I think the potential for this book is there and I can see why people enjoy it, but it just wasn't the book for me. This book is perfect for those who like the inner workings of writing or perhaps true crime. I also have to wonder if the audio is better.

I was super excited to read this one from the premise alone. But for some reason, it kind of fell flat for me. I loved that we got a story within a story kind of, with following along with the woman writing the book and the happenings with her "correspondent" and the actual story itself. As the story went on, I became more invested in the characters, however I did end up predicting what was to happen way before it was going to and that didn't make it that interesting to me anymore. Also, the "correspondent", the author converses with, what point did any of that have to do with anything? I understand it added something to the overall story, but it just felt out of place and then super rushed at the end. I think this could have been something remarkable, it just fell flat for me.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for letting me read an early copy of this interesting book!

I enjoyed this a lot, except for I wanted more "library time" :) Immersive but complicated plot, love the emails at the end of the chapters. I wish I knew something about Boston, if I can eat some of the foods described.

This book was so good! I loved how it was 2 stories in one. I couldn’t put it down and was so shocked at the end! I will definitely be looking up more books by this author! I am so thankful that I was able to read this book through NetGalley!

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange of a honest review.

A murder mystery in a library, what could go wrong? Apparently, according to some reviews I've seen, a lot.

But I particularly liked the book. I didn't think it was phenomenal, but it was good. The plot (and the plot within the plot) is quite interesting and clever, it made me feel more engaged than if it was just the main plot.

I was intrieged by the blurb, and the beginning of the book, but I didn't like the story within a story part, which I normally do. It felt pointless, I was expecting something to happen, but sadly it didn't. In regards to the tittle of the book and the way the group first meets, the library and the woman were grossly overlooked, I was expecting more investigating rather than what actually happened. Also not a fan of the last line, what was that all about? I didn't ge it.

I really enjoyed the crazy twists and turns with this book. The ending still has me scratching my head a bit, but I think that is perhaps part of the thrill of finishing a book like this. There are stories within stories and overlapping characters, but I had fun trying to follow them down the rabbit hole of the author's imagination. This wasn't like anything I have ever read. I read one review where someone described it being similar to the movie 'Inception' and I completely agree. I definitely recommend it if you enjoy puzzles/mind twisters in your stories. The author has a very unique and intelligent style of writing. I would definitely be interested in reading more of her books in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.