***Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
A story within a story. This was a twisty and clever mystery that had me guessing until the end!

This book had tremendous promise--a story within a story, the most unreliable of narrators--but ultimately, it didn't really stick the landing. I loved the setting, and several of the characters. I just wish it had a more satisfying final arc.

As far as a debut goes, this is definitely a solid read with great world building. The writing is binge-able, but as far as the mystery, it's pretty obvious who the murderer is from the second they walk into the story.

Definitely a fun read for people who are into the craft of writing and publishing. Having been in a writers group before I think Gentill nails that atmosphere. While I enjoyed the email component to a point, there is a series of events that get tacked on at the end that I just found to bloat the story.

Overall, really fun book, but a little cozier than I prefer to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an ARC of this title.

The last thing I want to do is tear apart someone's brainchild, so I'll try to be tactful in my critique of The Woman in the Library...

Firstly, the premise was gripping! I was so excited when I first read the synopsis months ago and I'd been eagerly looking forward to its release(I was thrilled to be selected to receive an ARC). A Woman is killed in a Library, four people hear her scream and one of them is the murderer? Sounds like a great mystery! For me the book, however, fell short in every aspect(characters, dialogue, plot). Great idea, poor execution.

The subplot of emails between Leo and Hannah was semi-original, but distracting and an annoying interruption to the mystery.

The characters....oh my. Honestly, I might have liked the book if all the characters were,well, not the characters. Everyone was either annoying, unlikable, or unrealistic. All characters are supposedly 23 or over, but act like teenagers with their whiny and immature dialogue.

I know that The Woman in the Library is supposed to be one of this summer's best New releases, but I found it to be hugely disappointing. 😔

Loved this book, really enjoyed the plot line and the characters. Very engaging for me it was a 5 Star read.

2.5

With thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publishers for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wish I could say that I loved this book. I wanted to, but it just didn’t grab me.

To demonstrate - I had issues with my reader app throughout my reading of this book and had to read after restarting my phone while on aeroplane mode to prevent it reloading and crashing. Which was not the problem - the problem was that the book didn’t hold enough pull for me to go through the actions required to read it.

The setting of the library was gorgeous, it made me want to visit both the BPL and my local gorgeous library. For me though, that’s kind of where my enthusiasm ended.

I might not want to read it again myself, but I also wouldn’t deter anyone else from reading it and I would read another book from the author.

I couldn’t finish this book simply because I realized I didn’t really care what happens. I was intrigued by the story within the story, but both story lines were very slow. The way the characters came together wasn’t believable to me either. I could see them getting together to discuss what happened at the library but their getting so tangled in each other’s lives seemed like a bit of a stretch. Also the second storyline took me out of the first and messed up the pacing. I also questioned the first author writing a story set in a place they’ve never visited.

I was intrigued by the concept of this book, but for me the mystery fell a bit short. The main driving point that kept me engaged was the Boston setting. I loved following the characters in the Boston Public Library and through the streets of Back Bay.

Perhaps this book just wasn't what I expected as I was hoping for more of a thriller. But as a fiction novel, it is just fine. I would love to read more by Gentill in the future as the writing was smooth and sophisticated.

Thank you Sulari Gentill, Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately another flop for the thriller genre! 😔 Everything about this book appealed to me. I can’t imagine anything better than a murder mystery set in the library. This book was so flat and felt very repetitive. The ending was incredibly uneventful and so unsatisfying. There are so many great thrillers out there so I would pass on this one. I know my book reviews haven’t been pretty negative lately but I promise I really liked the book I just finished!
.
Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to give my honest review.

I love a good mystery and having spend many hours doing research in hallowed reading rooms, I was interested in both the setting and the unwinding of the who "dunnit". My attention began to wain as the characters stretched incredulity and the emails from Down Under didn't add much to convince me to finish the book. Apologies for my inattention and gratitude for the opportunity to receive an ARC.

Excellent suspense and mystery! I thoroughly enjoyed the main mystery of how the story unfolded. I think the letters interspersed are a little distracting from the other story but it’s a unusual device and I tolerated it. I liked the way the characters had their past disclosures in small doses and the author was a good writer to create suspense. I think the mystery is compelling and enjoyable. I liked how you aren’t sure who to trust and keep you guessing throughout the novel. I will definitely need to read other mysteries by this author. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher!

A scream pierces through the quiet of the library, bringing together four strangers. Who screamed? What happened? The four new friends want to discover the truth and find danger. But can you trust a stranger?

Hannah is writing a story about Freddie, an Australian writing student in Boston, who hears the scream and makes three friends – a story within a story. Murder, crime, friendship, and trust – an enjoyable and suspenseful story with plenty of twists to keep you turning the page.

A thriller about strangers who meet in a library due to a murder. The characterization and plot development kept me reading chapter after chapter. I enjoyed the dynamic between the four main characters, but questioned the swiftness of how close they became. Some of the relationships seemed obsessive, when that is not how they were to come across.

I would have loved this book if it weren't for the emails. The emails took so much away from the plot, interrupting the end of every chapter. The emails are a separate plot line that adds little to the book. After each chapter I was tempted to skip the emails, but I suffered through them wondering why they were even placed there. I probably would have given the nook 5 stars if they were not included.

I want to thank Netgalley, and Poisoned Pen Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review

I apologize but I was not able to finish this book. I was in a different headspace at the time of requesting / recieving this book and the time I got it.

This book by an Australian author of Sri Lankan origin suited me very well. I've loved all the reads I've done by this author and this one did not disappoint too.

Set in the august presence of the Boston library Hannah is writing a book and finding inspiration hard to come by. A book within a book genre if there is one. Hannah is Australian and she is inspired by correspondence by an American writer Leo. Hannah's character is Freddie and whilst in the midst of writing gets embroiled in a murder initiated by a scream. That initial scream sets off a series of horrendous events ending with another murder and the suspicion falling on this small group. The evidence against each one of them stacks up and the author very cleverly directs one in every which way which makes for
very confusing conclusions - all wrong!

The story was a little convoluted with several blind alleys, wrong turns for the reader but it ended very neatly.
Another good mystery novel from Gentill.

This was a smart and well written mystery where everyone is a suspect. The plot within a plot was great but took me a bit to get my head around. I loved the descriptions of the Boston Library! Highly recommend

This was a quick, easy, sometimes fun story-within-a story murder mystery. The writing had some subtle humor and not so subtle social commentary. I did finish the book and did want to find out whodunit, but I ultimately felt that the characters and plot fell a little short for the sake of form, the reveal could have been better. And the ending – I just didn’t like it.
I was a little put off by the stalkerish behavior of some of the characters and the fact that it was never called out as abnormal. And I didn’t understand the instant romantic relationships that developed – especially with Freddie and Cain – there was not enough character development to make me see that there would be any attraction for something that was supposed to be long term.

I enjoyed the book within a book concept, and the smart way the author used the letters from Leo to add context to the story. The character development was very good and well-planned. The references to the stories each main character was working on and the inspiration for those characters was a neat addition to create more depth to the plot as well. The weakness for me was the slow start of the story. Nothing grabbed me at first but sticking with it paid off in the second part of the book! Once I hit the halfway point, there was much more action and cat-and-mouse game occurring and I was hooked.

I received a complimentary copy of this book, and all opinions are my own.

This is a book within a book.
Author Hannah is writing a Mystery novel about four strangers thrown together amid a crisis.
Each person has a reason for being there. And one of them is a killer.

After Hannah finishes each chapter she sends it to her number one fan - Leo.
Leo adds a unique point of view along with suggestions and some criticism.

I loved this format and this double story was so fun to read. I can’t even decide which story I liked best. It was such a unique style and I would definitely recommend this one.

I am once again asking to rate something 3.5 stars. I really don’t ask much.

This story was unlike anything I’ve read before. Maybe that means I need to read more, or maybe it really was just an unusual and interesting take on a mystery. I think I liked the actual story more than the email correspondence, but I thought the interspersed emails were a cool way to differentiate the story from other mysteries. A few thoughts.

I felt like the two mysteries both were a bit weak and maybe couldn't have stood on their own without the secondary mystery there to distract/hold each other up. I wanted more investigating and more details about the library murder, but it was solved at the end very suddenly. I think the email correspondence really drew away from the unraveling of the original mystery. However, the correspondence also offered a different sort of perspective than you would normally get. I liked seeing Hannah protest her pen pal's increasingly racist and creepy advice in her writing.

But as far as the creepy and racist advice goes... I read another review that said the social commentary in this book was heavy-handed, and I have to agree. There were parts where the author simply missed the mark and left some really unacceptable or questionable things on the page. I was very uncomfortable at the beginning when the pen pal complained that he couldn't take advantage of white privilege anymore as an author, so it was something of a relief to see him written as the villain. I'd worried the author was serious when she wrote that comment because unfortunately, this is something that some white authors actually feel (James Patterson, anyone?) but I digress.

All in all, I think I liked this book for what it tried to do, but I had problems with some of the content and wish the plot was structured better/differently. I'm not sure the correspondence could have been a story on its own, and I do think that the emails helped enrich the library murder mystery, but I'm left feeling a bit odd about it. Do with that what you will.