A thank you to Netgalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Forgot to write the review, so been more than a minute since I read it, but I recall both liking the book and being disappointed by it. I liked the story within a story as well as the unique one of the stories being a written account of the book, yet at the same time it made things a bit more conveluted and difficult to be sure which was which (real or written.) Complex and uniquely crafted to be sure, but also irritating at times. Overall fun, but final thought, good, but not nearly dark enough. What that says about me...

This mystery starts out with four strangers sitting in a library after when they all hear a loud scream. Later, they find out that there was a murder and the four of them put their detective hats on to figure out what happened.

This book started off very slow for me and was a little difficult to get into. Though once I got to about halfway it picked up and I really was interested in knowing how it would all tie up. I’m not quite sure if the multiple layers of the story really added much to it, though I appreciate the attempt. I do also wish there was more character development so I could have been more invested in each of them.

They mystery itself was not predictable, but still ended with a realistic spin. Once the clues started dropping, the story stared to come together in a really intriguing way and kept my attention.

4 stars
A book within a book (within a book?) - what I call book-inception. If you can get past the initial confusion this causes, it was a fairly interesting read.

Thanks to netgalley and poisonedpenpress for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book had an interesting concept, one that I did enjoy. However, I found myself not super invested in any of the characters, and I predicted the plot twist pretty easily. While this wasn't a horrible book by any means it didn't put a super lasting impression in my mind.

The prose of this book was so compelling, and the characters kept me wondering what would happen next. Such a fun read, very engrossing!

Great book! I had a hard time putting this one down, and found myself thinking about it long after I finished. Great read - add it to your list now!

Thank you NetGalley and Sulari Gentill for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

WHAT I LIKED:
So this book is written about an author writing a book about an author writing a book... Just let that sink in for a second... Three stories wrapped in one! It was the coolest thing to read and yet also slightly confusing. The end of each chapter seems to have a reply letter from a Beta reader - Which was interesting all by itself. The Beta reader did start getting weird and that played out in a way I never expected. The actual story that she was writing about, was also twisted and didn't turn out how I expected either. The person that was painted as the bad guy, was done so in a perfectly constructed way that gave you little to no doubt he was the killer. The third story in here - the one that she was writing You never know enough details about to even guess how it would end..

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
While I enjoyed the two/three stories intertwined, I didn't think there was enough detail about how the BETA reader was caught.. I also would have enjoyed knowing how she finished her story and if it was fully based on what happened in her crazy, twisted life. Aside from those, there were times that just really dragged or spent too long dwelling on unimportant sections.

OVERALL / RECOMMENDATIONS:
I enjoyed this read. I think the characters were written well and likeable. It also wasn't easy to determine what was going to happen next as you are trying to keep up with two separate storylines happening at the exact same time, that never meet up.. I do recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a super fictional mystery, or a story within a story.

Four people are in the Boston Public Library when a woman is found dead. The four become friends and try to figure out who killed the woman.
This book threw me at first but after a couple chapters I figured out what was happened. Twists and turns are found through out.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this book.

A very inventive mystery, I love a good book within a book so the twist of a book being written and letters added along the way was a great way to present it. I loved the "book" part of the book (which may not make sense until you read it) but the letters were a distraction now and again. I loved the twist within the letters section but found they were a little too frequently inserted and at what felt to me to be random times. I did like the main mystery though and did not guess the ending at all.

I predict this will be extremely popular with readers who enjoy traditional mysteries, as well as a "gateway" book for readers who are not sure if they like mysteries or not! It's just perfect, with a complicated (yet understandable) structure, featuring an unhinged character who corresponds with the main character by way of giving manuscript advice. Definitely keeps you turning the pages and guessing until the end.

This one was middle of the road for me. I expected it to be a huge summer winner, but it fell somewhat flat for me.

Received a digital ARC of this via NetGalley. While I felt the beginning seemed a bit slow, it had an interesting twist that made the rest of the story much more compelling.

I have so many questions after finishing this book.

Starting off on a positive note, I stayed up well past my bedtime to finish this one - 2:45 a.m. I couldn't put it down!

But.

I was left with so many questions about so many plot holes. One that seriously impacts the murder, and others that just make for too many coincidences in the story.

As someone who reads a lot of mysteries, I thought this one was very unique. The "story within a story" involves a mystery writer who is in a library when she hears a scream. She forms a bond with the three people she is sitting with, and they begin to try to solve the mystery. As the book progresses, you realize that this narrative is actually a book being written by another writer; we get to read the correspondence the writer receives from a fan/reviewer, which becomes its own story. Confusing? A bit - but it keeps you engaged and thinking!

I liked the premise (murder in a library!) and the structure of the book was really clever. At times I was frustrated with the characters and their behaviour (I wouldn't have formed bonds with these strangers so quickly, I don't think). If you are a fan of mysteries and feel like books recently have been a lot of the same plot, this is a well-written change.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinion. This was a very interesting read as it's basically a story within a story and I found myself really having to focus to keep everything straight. I thought it was good read but can't say it was one of my favorite reads. Lots of twists and turns.

This one feel flat for me. I am wondering if I should start avoiding books with "The Woman in the" in the title.....

The Woman in the Library is a "story within a story." I didn't find this as confusing as other readers and could keep it straight. I actually found the letters written from Leo interesting and they added a fun side plot to the story. What lost me was about 75% in when the letters started to get bizarre-referencing the pandemic, etc. It seemed like there were so many plot holes I couldn't keep up.

Overall, I was not a fan. The premise intrigued me, but about half way through I completely forgot the main concept of the book, which was that there is a woman murdered in the library. Too much going on, not enough to connect the dots and plenty of plot holes to fall into.

The Woman in the Library immediately caught my attention because who doesn't like books about books -- but what I didn't realize was that this book was a book IN a book! Or was a it a book IN a book IN a book? Let me try to explain...

The book opens up with a letter from a reader to Hannah Tigone, a writer who cannot travel to Boston to research her current book due to restrictions. The reader is there to offer suggestions, insights, and research. Then, the book moves onto Chapter 1 (of Hannah's book) where we meet Winifred aka Freddie as she's writing her own novel. As she's researching her own novel at the Boston Public Library, she and three others hear a scream. From that moment, those four were all immediately bonded. From then on, each chapter of Hannah's book is followed by a latest letter from Leo, the reader. You learn more and more about Leo as both stories progress -- ultimately leading to TWO mysteries.

While I enjoyed this premise, there were so many parts that left me feeling confused and parts that felt not incredibly realistic. One thing that bothered me was how immediately obsessed the group of four was with each other -- kept me wondering "didn't they have other friends or aspects of their life?"

If this sounds like your type of book, I would highly recommend skipping the audiobook version and getting your hands on a physical copy. With the changing stories, it was really hard to keep track of what storyline we were in while listening to the audiobook.

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced ebook and e-audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

Loved this book! Have placed on a table at the front of our store and it sold very well.. 5 stars! Books about bookstores and libraries are always a favorite.

Fun and fast paced read. I absolutely loved it. A story about four people, brought together while at the Boston Public Library Reading Room and they hear a woman scream. There has been a murder. These four people develop a friendship and decide that they owe it to the woman who was murdered to try and discover what happened to her.

A book I loved to Hate.

I wanted to so much give up on this book and found myself stopping numerous times only to pick it up once again and having to read it.

It's a good story. And the premise grabs you from the start. A Scream, followed by the discovery of a body. Has all the makings of a good psychological thriller. and it does deliver.

So why wasn't in working for me. The dialogue. I couldn't stand reading the dialogue. It was tedious. chapter - book mystery followed by email notice to "friend" turned stalker (not giving a spoiler - you can figure that one out from the get go.

The author was brilliant how she brought the group together and how she fleshed out their story. I mean, we are really reading a book as it's being created and proofed, followed by friend/stalker giving advise on what changes need to be made to appease to an American audience.

I had to finish reading it and discover the fictional murderer in the story and the downward spiral of the friend stalker. This book made into a screen play would be a great Netflix/Hulu story.

My star rating reflects that fact that it is a good story, just the writing did not work for me.

What a page turner! The mystery is actually a plot within a plot and very cleverly conceived. The main character is an author, who lives in Australia, and is sending one chapter at a time to an author friend in Boston to preview and critique. Their friendship and events surrounding their conversations become their own suspenseful mystery which keeps the reader flying through the chapters to see what their next email correspondence may bring.

Meanwhile, the chapters of the new murder mystery novel, that are sent via email from the author in Australia, also keep you on the edge of your seat. This story centers around four main characters who meet in the reading room of the Boston Public Library. They become acquaintances, and eventually friends, after hearing the scream of a woman nearby. As they look around, they are unable to discover the the lady in distress. The next day, they learn that a local reporter was found murdered in the Library and they soon become part of the murder investigation since they were all present at the time of the murder.

I thoroughly enjoyed the cleverness and suspense of this story-within-a-story. Highly recommended for fans of past-paced murder mysteries, especially those with cunning plot lines. Thanks to NetGalley, Sulari Gentill, and Poisoned Pen Press for an advanced eBook is exchange for my honest review.