A mystery within a mystery? This book blew me away. The Woman in the Library is a gripping thriller about an author writing a mystery story, while corresponding with a fan. I needed to take a Dramamine with all of these twists and turns. I have never read a book by this author before, but I will definitely check out more of her books.
If you are looking for a thriller that is nothing like you have read before, this book is for you. It’s a perfect beach read. I want to thank the author, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

What could be better than books about books?😍

||That's what it's about: Freddie is writing her book in the library when a marrow-shaking scream rings out. The next morning, the body of a young woman is discovered. Connected by the scream, a fast-growing friendship develops between Freddie and three strangers from the library. But already in the first chapter it becomes clear that one of them is the murderer.||

What I found cool: Each chapter is commented by Leo, Hannah's beta reader, because Freddie only exists in a book and is actually not real at all.
I've never read a concept like that before and I have to say it was really good. A definite recommendation from me.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I liked how the Freddie was writing a story within this story. I had a hard time at first deciphering who was who, eventually figured it out. Which made for a great read lots of twists and psychological suspense. The way the author brought the characters together and slowly built their relationships helped to understand how each of them met in the reading room and how their lives intersected. Very good book, was drawn in from the beginning.

I liked this idea of a story within a story. And through bits of the book, I was actually invested in both story lines.. But the book had some issues for me - throughout the entire book people and things just randomly started appearing; like magic. I felt at those moments the author could have resolved issues through the writing but wasn’t sure how so to circumvent the issue something or someone just “appeared”. Also, I wasn’t sure why Leo’s letters were included.
Having been provided a electronic copy of the ARC, I feel I grossly missed something big that happed in the ending with Leo. Maybe the readers who finish an actual book will have a completely different experience with that part of the book.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed the story within a story. It's a plot device I enjoy, I also liked the plot and pacing. This was good. I just didn't really connect with any of the characters and half of them I actually didn't like at all.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ebook ARC of this story. Originally, it sound like a story I'd really enjoy- a murder that started in a library and one of the four main characters is the murder... And there were definitely parts that I enjoyed. But I found that since it was a story within a story within a story, I was getting confused at times and was left wanting more. Things seemed unfinished- there are several answers I'm still looking for and the ending to all the different parts felt rushed.

I so wanted to love this book. I love mysteries, and as a librarian, I also love books that feature libraries. But this one just didn't work for me. Four strangers meet and bond over a scream they heard in a library. A woman is found murdered and one of the four is the culprit. That alone is my kind of mystery, but then there is a totally unrelated story line that adds nothing. It is a distraction, along with the incredibly annoying personalities of the main suspects.
This book had such great potential but fell short in execution.

I really enjoyed the writing format of this book. A little different than anything else I've read.
Some of it got legitimately intense as time progressed and knowledge increased.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. I’m sad it took me so long to make it a priority, but I’m so glad I read it!

This was NOT what I was expecting, but I kind of loved it for that reason? Such a fun and different type of thriller, and I've never read a book within a book before. Really terrific on audio, too!

This was a great thriller and I loved that it was set at the Boston Public Library, right down the street from me! I thought the premise of this book was unique and not in a typical thriller setting. The characters were dynamic and I felt captivated throughout the whole story and was kept on my toes!

Hannah, an Aussie writer in Boston on a fellowship, is working in the Boston Public Library when a woman's scream breaks the quiet. Detained by the police she and the other three at the table engage in conversation.. This chance meeting leads to friendship.. As they ponder the first death other disturbing events occur. Everyone has a story...everyone has secrets and the four begin to doubt.each other I was captivated by this innovative unconventional novel. with a mystery within a mystery. As the subplot of the emails from Hannah's beta reader grow darker the tension mounts. Close attention is needed to keep the real story and the protagonist's work in progress defined.. The characters are well realized and diverse.in their backgrounds and personality. There were unexpected reveals and plot twists aplenty which could well make this a one-sitting, engaging read. An excellent crime novel that will stay in my memory for a long time and will recommend to others.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

If I could give more than 5 stars, I would. What an imaginative plot: a book within a book. The increasing menace was brilliant. Highly, highly recommend!

This book how a slow start for me but once into it the plot and character development was top notch. The design of the book and flow of dialogue was well done. The reader is kept on the edge of the seat until the bitter end. I look forward to new writing from this author.

I loved the fact that this book was multiple stories wrapped up in one. It made it such a good read!

Guessing motives and the ending throughout the book is what keeps a reader motivated to try and solve the mystery before the author discloses it.

The ending was unexpected and has me wanting to read more from Sulari Gentill!!

Whit, Marigold, Cain and Freddie meet by chance - sitting in a library when a woman's scream rings out - only to be found dead. But who killed her?

This book was like a story of a story, about someone writing a story.

Confused? Nah don't be - get started and you'll find you can follow along easier than you'd think!

4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Special thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was so tired last night I could barely keep my eyes open, but I just HAD to finish this book!

It was such a quick, fun read that I didn't want to end! The Leo letters did through me off a little but, but I still enjoyed that part of the story too on its own.

I'm pretty sure I let out an audible gasp when I realized the murderer wasn't in fact the person I thought it was, and was actually someone completely not on my radar.

As this was my first book by this author, I'm excited to dive into her blacklist now because her writing style is so enjoyable!

How many stories can you combine in one book? Too many in this one. The premise of this storyline was promising but I think the addition of all the different characters with their different secrets got to be too much.

I wanted to like this one so much. I loved the premise, and the setting, but the execution just did not work for me. The layered story confused me, and the main plot just did not grab my attention the way a thriller should.

This book started off so promising between the title and the immediate hook - a mysterious death in the library during opening hours in the light of day - YES PLEASE! However it quickly went down hill from there and left me with a headache from all the eye-rolling. The relationships between the characters felt so forced for the sake of the plot and not believable at all. I cannot fathom these four people coming together so quickly as they did based off one event. Maybe if the author would have chosen a smaller, more controlled environment like a small university library instead of the massive Boston Public Library, I could have found the relationships and the story more plausible. I think that dark academia would have benefited this story. The Woman in the Library would have been a DNF for me if I didn’t owe a review.

3.5 stars. I liked the book but it was a tad confusing. The end was a jumbled mess and it just made me even more confused. I liked the characters and the style of going back and forth from one story to another.

Edit: the publisher sent me a finished copy with a piece of paper that helped me understand the story a bit more. But I shouldn't need that paper to understand the story and it's not like normal readers will get the paper to help them.