This is a book within a book and I LOVED it! It's a fast-paced, gripping thriller that you don't want to put down! I was thoroughly entertained throughout.

An author sits in the ornate and lush Boston Public Library working on her next mystery when a scream comes from deeper in the library. She and other in the room rush to find out what has happened and then end of spending time together. In a fast-paced and exciting introduction to several characters, our narrator tells us that this is how she first sits down to have coffee with a murderer. A second author has been corresponding with the narrator through letters. This author has been struggling with writer's block. And while they are happy to help with any and all writing projects, they find their own creativity stymied at every turn. As the plot moves forward, though, the reader begins to sense that not all is what it seems. It begins to become unclear if both authors are real. One author might actually be the written character and plot of the other. But which way does the fiction flow? Does the author even know? They mystery becomes deeper and more psychologically clouded the deeper the story goes. Gentill's use of epistolary in this mystery gives the entire story a unique feeling of viewing from a distance while still becoming immersed in the plot.. An old-fashioned air folds around all the writing though the mystery is very new.

First off, thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

When I say that this book was amazing, that doesn’t even cover half of it. Truly unique, “The Woman in the Library” follows a group of unlikely people banded together while murders and attacks are happening around them with the big question: What is the connection? Who is behind all of this?

After each chapter of the book, there is a letter written to the “author” of the book from a beta reader. This storyline within the story was such a chilling, exhilarating added bonus to this book.

All in all, I genuinely enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it.

From the first chapter this book caught my attention. I didn't love the switch between book and letter to pen pal at the beginning, but there is a point to it. The description were amusing. Loved having a bit of insight on a writer's process. Interesting characters and great writting.
Looking forward to read anything else from Sulari Gentill.

I had really high hopes for this book. I enjoyed the multiple storylines but my connection to the characters never materialized, and that was disappointing. The concept was fascinating but the overall execution was lacking.

A mystery with no apparent culprits. This book kept my attention to the very end. The reader examines the clues and information as they read to see if they can solve this mystery. I originally chose it because it was set in Boston, but I was happy to find it an inquisitive read.

I was not a fan of this book at all. I felt that it was poorly written and so cheesy. I tried picking it up again several times but couldn't finish. There are soany great novels out there, why waste time with this dribble.

It's always compelling to read murder mystery set in a library, especially when the murderer are all lurking behind the thick bookshelves just waiting to strike. You'd expect to have such a fun time trying to debunk each alibi stated by the murderes right? Unfortunately, for this book, the plotting just seems average. Sure, it's compelling! But I think it played too much on the well-loved tropes we have rigidly that it doesn't really feel like it's offering something new or exciting to the table.

A fast-paced, character driven story about an author penning a murder mystery. The format is intriguing but the side story made the progression a little clunky.

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill is a mystery about a murder in the Boston Public Library. Four strangers happened to be reading together at the same library when they hear a scream. The security guards tell them to stay put until they can determine what is going on. While they are waiting, these four strangers start talking and get to know one another, and they end up becoming friends. But, one of them is a murderer. This was a fun read with an interesting premise; but unfortunately the characters were pretty unlikable, and I found the reveal to be underwhelming. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

Hannah Tigone is an accomplished Australian author writing a novel about a woman murdered in a library. She's soliciting chapter-by-chapter feedback via email from aspiring writer Leo, since her story is set in Boston, where Leo lives. Meanwhile, in Hannah's draft, four strangers are drawn together after hearing a mysterious scream in the Boston Public Library and set out to conduct their own investigation...even though one of them may be the murderer.

The plot may sound complex, but it's really not once you get into the flow of it. This is such an inventive concept for a novel. It's a mystery within a mystery, playing out in both the real world and in a fictional one. This structure allows Sulari Gentill to play with the conventions of the mystery genre and with the idea of fiction itself, exploring the relationship between readers and writers in fun meta ways. I'm a big fan of fiction about writers that allows authors to talk about the craft of writing, so I was dazzled by this concept.

Unfortunately, the structure was the most memorable part of The Woman in the Library for me, because the execution of both story lines missed the mark a bit. About halfway through, things get very interesting in the "real world" part of the story, and I wanted more of that. I also wanted to see a bit more interplay between Leo's emails and Hannah's draft. The fictional portion of the story reads very much like a first draft, which is probably intentional, but neither the writing nor the mystery really grabbed me. The book as a whole lacked atmosphere and character development.

Ultimately The Woman in the Library was a unique reading experience that I will remember more for the way it was told than for its content. But I'll certainly be watching for another book by Gentill, because it's clear she has some fascinating ideas and a compelling way of telling stories. 2.5 stars, rounded up.

4.5 stars

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
As Hannah Tigone writes her novel from Australia, she imagines sitting in the Reading Room at the Boston Public Library. She looks at the three people that surround her, and visualizes them in her next novel. She names them Freud Girl, Heroic Chin, and Handsome Man.  She will be Winnifred (Freddie for short).

Meanwhile, Leo (who really is in the U.S.)  is reading the chapters of the new book that Hannah. is writing, and offering his opinion....and suggestions.

Freddie, Whit, Marigold and Cain eye each other in the Library.  When a woman's terrified scream interrupts their quite time, the four bond....and soon they are chasing a killer...

But no one is as they seem.  One of them is a murderer...maybe more than one.



My Opinions:   
Well, that was a twisty tale!

The characters were interesting.  I admit to not liking "either" Leo, nor the pushy Marigold from the very beginning.  Whit seemed too puppy-like to be believable, and Cain seemed the natural choice for a murderer.  Some of my opinions were worthy, others, not so much.

The book took an interesting look at friendships, how they are formed, and why.  So much was based on trust and loyalty.

The book was actually a book within a book, with the emails from a rather extreme fan to the author reminding us which parts were actually the book being written.  At first, that was a little confusing, but in hindsight, it was a blessing that helped keep things straight.  This would have been really confusing without those emails.  It sort of messed with me.....but in a rather fun way.  It also added a layer to the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed and highly recommend this one!

3.5⭐️s

‘The Woman in the Library’ is a book within a book mystery that plays out with a logical and well thought out ending! Each chapter ended in somewhat of a cliffhanger that had me wanting to keep reading to see how everything played out and I wasn’t disappointed!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Recommend for mystery/suspense lovers!

I really enjoyed this one and found the framing device interesting. It had a similar energy to The Maid by Nita Prose, and I will definitely recommend it to fans of that book.

What a great who done it. Set in the Boston Public Library there are 4 people setting at a table and hear a scream. It turns out that Hannah is seeking inspiration for a book and through a series of emails between her and Leo we follow the plot and murder. The characters are well written and very likable, it's hard to imagine one of them as a murderer. The twists make the story intriguing and a page turner. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I was initially interested in the book-within-a-book style of the novel, but was disappointed to find that it ultimately wasn't really relevant to the story. At the end of every chapter we flip back to the "main" story, told in letters from Leo to Hannah, who is writing the manuscript of The Woman in the Library, but in the end the letter plot felt irrelevant and took me out of the action. Most early chapters did end with a compelling hook, but overall I felt the story didn't stick the landing it set itself up for.

The Woman in the Library is a mystery that begins with four different people sitting in the reading room of the Boston Public Library when they hear a woman’s scream. They learn that the woman has been murdered and they have to stay put until the scene is processed. We slowly learn more about each of the characters and why they were in the reading room and why each of them could be a suspect.



Woman in the Library immediately grabbed my attention with the title and when I realized it was set in the Boston Public Library I was even more excited. It started out really strong because I love the way the author introduced the main character and how she is in the library’s reading room trying to write a book, but then it started getting confusing when I realized the Woman in the Library is about an author who’s writing a book…about a writer who’s writing a book. I really enjoyed the premise of the book and the mystery within the mystery but I don’t think the execution worked for me. I did enjoy the way the main character’s character she’s writing about named Freddie is going about getting inspiration around her in the reading room when we are first introduced to all the characters who are suspected of murder. I think there was a lull in the beginning but it picked up again at the halfway point when there’s a bit plot twist. The characters were well thought out and written but I couldn’t really connect with any of them and found Freddie’s thoughts and actions somewhat annoying at times. Overall this was an entertaining read but I would have just enjoyed the main mystery about the libraries murder alone. Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the digital copy of the book.

✨ A book within a book about 4 strangers and a scream at the Boston Public Library.

💜Xi takes her schooling seriously, but she has had a crush on Kiyana, the cheerleader for awhile. But, Kiyana is not out yet!

💥I started listening to this book on Libro and got super confused. So I switched over to the ebook and immediately got hooked. So glad I did! The mystery moves swiftly with clues pieced together by our main characters. There is a twist or 2 that made me audibly gasp and I did not see the ending at all. I knocked off a half a star for something that happens at the very end, but other than that, this was an amazing read!

My face at the end: 😬

🍪 I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to @Netgalley , @librofm and Sourcebooks for allowing me to read this ahead of publication.

💯 For more details on the books we read, be sure to follow me on TikTok (@zaineylaney). I will give you a list of reasons to read! Or listen to our podcast, Elated Geek, wherever you subscribe.

OMG! This book! Started off slow for me, but once I got into the story and why we were seeing letters from Leo I lost my mind with how intriguing it all is. I loved all of the flawed characters and had to keep reading to find out more. It's a story within a story with murder, mayhem, and creepy letters. Loved it!

As a huge reader, obviously the setting of this story drew me in. I found it somewhat slow and almost too literary at points but still enjoyable. I do think there was a lot going on and the mystery of it all almost played second fiddle which was a little disappointing. I didn't really find myself even caring who it was. The one part I did really enjoy was the story within the story. I thought that was very cool. Overall I didn't dislike this book but I didn't love it either. I will say I am intrigued to pick up other books by Sulari Gentill because I do think she has a very unique style.