Ooo I knew this was going to be a creepy one and I was correct! Excellent storyline and the plot was definitely a suspenseful one. Great writing and I am really impressed with this storyline.

"The woman in the library" is a fairly short book but I still feel like I have a lot to talk about when reviewing it.

This novel is quite original in the sense that we get two stories at the same time. The "book" timeline and the "real life" e-mails. It might have been done before, but I'm not aware of that so for me it felt very new and exciting. I didn't expect that before reading the book and it made me immerse myself in the story a lot faster, I think. The fast pace also helped with that.
At the end of the book, there is a small questionnaire written by the author and one of the questions she asks is about how having those two stories affects the reading experience. Especially since one is made to feel like a real-life occurrence while the other is more fiction, even though both are obviously fiction. For me, I don't think it changed the way I read the book. I am always aware that what I read is fiction, so this didn't make me feel like one story was more real than the other. But I can see people feeling that way, so definitely a very interesting question.

I found that the amount of information that we got for both stories was pretty good. I did find myself wanting to know more about the e-mails and what was going on with that, but it made sense to just add small pieces of the plot in between the rest. So it won't outshine the other mystery.
My only complaint would be the way things ended. Not because of the endings themselves, since I found them to be quite well done, but they did feel a bit rushed. Especially the fiction one. I feel like the "real life" conclusion made a lot of sense. It was easy to imagine that really happening so I preferred the structure and resolution of that one.

Also worth mentioning that throughout the story, and with the use of the e-mails. the author posed several questions that had to do a lot with the times that we live in and how those should be reflected in literature. Those are very long conversations but I'll try to give my opinion briefly.
When it comes to the pandemic, I struggle to decide whether I want it to be a part of the books that I read or not. And I feel many would be in the same camp. If it's done like it was in this book, I don't mind it. Small mentions here and there and just acknowledging it is not something that prevents me from staying in the fictional world I chose to read about to "escape reality".
When it comes to race, I think that's such a great topic that the author brought to the table. For me, I don't care about the races of the characters unless them being a specific race plays a part in the story. I am a writer myself and try not to describe my characters too much because I feel like it avoids people being ignorant and saying they can't relate to a character for being black or gay, which would be two ways of "being different" to many (ignorant) people. But at the same time, it's important to make sure we have all types of people (sexes, races, sexual orientations) represented in books. Maybe I don't care too much about the race of a character because I'm white. And some black authors might feel the same way but others won't. I don't think there is necessarily a right or wrong here. But I loved that the author sort of called out the people who would refuse to read a book because the main character is black or even because the author is black or a woman. A very important conversation to open through just a couple of lines in a book. I appreciate it.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. We get two mysteries for the price of one and it's just a quick fun read with some interesting commentary. Highly recommended.

First of all, that cover art is delightful and drew me in initially. While I enjoyed the subplot and "story within a story" concept that tracks throughout the entire book, it led me to not care as much for the narrative of the "woman in the library" murder. In all honesty, I read through those sections quickly in order to find out what was going on with Leo, who is shrouded in mystery. Perhaps it's because I'm an introvert, but I found the idea of the four characters in the main plot becoming fast friends from a chance meeting in a public library unlikely. It was also frustrating to see the main character constantly making bad decisions given the information that is discovered bit by bit. Although I had high hopes for this title, the subplot steals the show and the conclusion is somewhat lackluster compared with the buildup.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC.

A story in a story this has "Inception" vibes but in the best possible way because at the end you actually understand what happened. LOL

Intelligently written and perfectly paced, this story gripped me page one and I zoomed through it even as I knew that meant it would end. I couldn't stop myself from crashing forward to the next page!

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy. It is my pleasure to write an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Sulari Gentill for the advanced copy of The Woman in the Library in exchange for my honest review.

I went into this one relatively blind after seeing Poisoned Pen promote it on Instagram, and to my delight I was approved for it the very next day! This book gripped me from page one, though I must admit I was super confused about what was going on until probably 15% in.

Additionally, I commend Gentill for pulling off such a unique format for writing this book, it was done very well and completely enhanced my enjoyment of the story. I don't want to get into specifics because I think it's a fun Inception-esque detail.

Also, the book opens in Boston Public Library... a true reader's delight!

Gentill now has a new superfan in me.

Yes, this was somewhat of a story within a story. The author of the story in the novel is an Aussie living in Australia. She is a well known and well read author there and in the US, as well. For some unfathomable (to me) reason, she is corresponding with a wannabe author in Boston who can’t seem to achieve more than rejection letters for his current novel. Inexplicably, she is sending him chapters of her new work to critique. She wanted to set her current novel in Boston, but apparently knows nothing about Boston so she sends each new chapter to him asking for his advice.

OK. I suppose that’s the overlying “story.” The story within that story involves a murder at the Boston Public Library and the 4 patrons, unknown to each other, who just happen to form a friendship because of their shared experience: sitting at the same table in the public reading room while hearing the scream, presumably of the victim.

Then follows the requisite “getting to know you” activities which, of course, involves jealousy from one of the two women. These are all adults and yet they’re depicted as little more than young teens in their characterization.

Perhaps this was meant to be a YA book and I didn’t realize that. The writing style features simple sentence construction and elementary vocabulary. I hope this will be a winner for the author, but not a winner for me, sadly. At 44%, I closed the book.

Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher, Sourcebooks, for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited around the hype of this book, but I feel like it was a bit miss-marketed to me. I had the understanding that the book was set almost entirely in the library and our core cast couldn't leave the table due to the investigation. The book was going to unfold as we learn about each of the cast's backstory and all their secrets. That happened in the first couple chapters, and from there was an entirely different story. Only two of our core cast really had any secrets, and there was a slightly bizarre subplot of letters reacting to the chapter you just read. I say bizarre because while it was interesting at about half way through you could ignore the letters entirely and it would not change the book at all. Especially because we don't know anything about the fictional author Hannah who is writing the manuscript you are reading. If anything I just found myself getting annoyed with Leo our letter writer because it was like being in class with someone who just keeps doubling down on their opinion and you feel like they had to have read an entirely different book than yourself to get those conclusions. Also was he anti or pro mask?? I'm so confused. Also book Leo at the end of the novel appearing at the hospital was that suppose to be as ominous as if felt? I was convinced it was him the whole time, but was he just following Freddie? What was with all the desserts he sent her? I kept expecting something to be poisoned. Did I miss something?

After a murder in this "locked room in reverse" thriller, the players meet as strangers in the Ornate Reading Room of the Boston Public Library and depart as friends. When they hear a piercing shriek in another room, Freddie, Whit, Cain, and Marigold are sitting at a table in the library. They had no idea that one of them would be the murderer. Surprisingly, the cops are unable to locate a body when security locks them in place to investigate. They are able to go, so they gather for coffee to chat about what has transpired, and they learn that one of them is a stalker. They'll find out later that the body was hidden under a table which kicks off this thrilling mystery. 

Freddie, the narrator, resolves to create a book about them as characters. The subplot of a writer Leo offering help on Hannah's work via email has a chilling feel to it. His input gets dark and weird, yet it keeps you interested and makes you change your opinion about who the killer is multiple times. The characters are well-developed and believable, but it's the personas of each buddy and how they see each other that has captivated me the most.

4.5 STARS
I actually really liked this book. I loved the book within a book (with one of the characters also writing a book) idea! I was there for it the entire time! It felt very meta at times and I loved that!

There were a lot of twists and I loved reading both the book that the fictional author was writing and the few emails that we get between the author and her fan. There is a lot I could say here but for fear of spoiling it I won’t.

I will just say that it’s a perfect “who dun’it?” Mystery with some thriller aspects and I binged it in a few hours. This is probably one of my new favorite mystery books! I will definitely be picking up other books by the author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for gifting me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Woman in the Library by S. Gentill, published by PoisonedPenPress, is a full length, thriller/ crime-fiction told in a multiple pov.
Four strangers in Boston Public Library, that's where the storyline is set. An unique, unputdownable read. A story in a story, layered, excellent, enjoyable full of twists and turns the reader is kept on the edge of the seat.

While at the Boston Public Library trying to work, Freddie (Winifred) is sitting at a table with four strangers when she decides to use the three as characters in the book she is writing. A scream pierces the silence and they are asked to leave. The four decide to go get coffee while waiting for more information. A friendship forms when they find out that someone was murdered and the body hidden in the library. The four start to try to figure out who was responsible. The more information they discover, the more it becomes clear that one of the four could be responsible especially when Freddie begins to receive strange text messages and another member of the group is attacked. The story is told in an unusual fashion, chapters of the book are interspersed with email from a man named Leo, who is writing to the (fictional) author of the book, Hannah. A well-told story with plenty of interesting twists and turns.

This book hooked me from the start, knowing one of the four main characters is a murderer! A fictional murder mystery being written by an Australian writer Hannah with the help of her male US correspondent Leo. I liked the format of each chapter being the murder mystery manuscript and ending with a letter of correspondence from Leo. The four friends in the story are very intriguing, each with their own story to tell. I also loved the setting of the murder being in the Boston Public Library. The story flows very well, making you want to keep reading to find out who the murderer is. I enjoyed this mystery very much!

3.5 stars rounding up to 4
This one was a slow burn for me. About halfway through it really picked up and pulled me in. Despite the slow start I enjoyed the ending. Even though the reader has a good idea the killer is one of the four main characters, the way it turns out is still a twist si that'sa positive. The book also contains a subplot, which at first confused me, but once I realized what the author was doing it worked for me. All in all a decent mystery. Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this ARC and provide an honest review.

I'm new to Sulari Gentill, but as a huge fan of the mystery genre...I can already say I'm a fan of their work! What an awesome premise - a mystery within a mystery, a chilly Boston setting, complex characters. I did struggle with the frequent references to the pandemic. Like the rest of the world, I'm pretty burned out in day-to-day life on virus talk, so generally prefer my fiction to be mask-free.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for allowing me the chance to read this book early!

I really enjoyed this novel. I thought the way that Gentill played with stories within stories was really well done and added a layer of suspense and tension that I hadn't been expecting. Leo is truly unhinged and reading his letters was something else.

The plot is fairly straight forward and it moves quickly. I enjoyed the cast of four and their investigation into what happened in the reading room of the BPL. I also quite enjoyed the fact that the main character is a writing so we get to see a little bit of the writing process as she moves through the 'investigation.'

I don't want to say much else, because this is a book to go into without knowing all that much about it. It's a quick read and it's a fun read. I would recommend! I would have probably given it five stars but felt the ending wrapped up a bit too quickly for my liking. That final line though! Whoa.

Humanitarian corridors are being set up from Mariupol, Sumy and towns and villages outside the capital Kyiv.
But Ukraine officials accused Russian forces of firing on a convoy of women and children from Peremoha village, near Kyiv, killing seven.

I went into this book expecting a typical murder mystery. Instead, I was taken on a bit of a ride that drew me in, to the point that I immediately sought out another Sulari Gentill mystery after I'd finished this one (also great, by the way). WIthout giving too much away, I can tell you that the book appears to be chapters of a work-in-progress being sent to a beta reader, insterspersed with that person's feedback via letters. As the novel goes on, it takes unexpected twists and turns, adding layers to Gentill's tale.

i found the story within a story concept really interesting and from the first chapter i was already hooked. however, the problem with this book was that the subplot was much more interesting compared to the main plot, but we only get like 10% of the subplot in the entire book. the main storyline was intriguing in the first few chapters but it quickly became dull and boring because the main characters themselves were dull and boring. i don't mind a slow paced mystery thriller book with lots of dialogue as long as the characters are compelling and have substance, but this book didn't have those characters. halfway through reading the book i was far more interested in the subplot, but there wasn't much page time for it so it wasn't developed enough. i also think the revelations for the main plot was so poorly executed and some of the things didn't make sense to me. i thought the revelation, at least, would pay off for the mediocrity of the book but it was so unsatisfying as well. moreover, i found the main character to be so annoying. she's pushing 30 but she kept acting like a 16 year old and i just could not understand how impulsive and irrational she was throughout the entire second half of the story.

i would've enjoyed this had the author focused on the subplot and not the main plot.

A metafictional thriller. We see the chapters of a novel being written, as well as the responses to the chapters by the author's pen pal. The plot of the author's novel starts when a woman's scream is heard in the reading room of the Boston Public Library. It is revealed that the woman was murdered, and the experiences bonds together four people who heard the scream. This part of the novel is fascinating.

The metanarrative hinges around the author's pen pal, who slowly reveals more of himself throughout his emails and feedback. Watching his feedback be taken into consideration for the following novel chapters is immensely satisfying in ways I can't quite describe, especially when the changes are clearly but not explicitly sarcastic.

I found this to be a gripping and thoroughly original thriller, and I read it in one sitting. However, the ending of both arcs falls slightly flat to me, both being a bit anticlimactic and the in-universe novel ending not living up to the originality that preceded it. Be that as it may, I would still recommend this to almost anyone as it is far and above many other thrillers in originality and thrills. Hugely entertaining.

A twisty-turny ride that was enjoyable from cover to cover! This is a must read for fans of thrillers and mysteries who are looking for something off the beaten track. While the theme is not new - a group of strangers thrust together, one of whom is the murderer - Gentill's novel with a novel treatment is refereshing. Avid readers will get a kick out of the setting - the beautiful Boston public library.

I would recommend for fans of classic mysteries and character-driven whodunits. Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the Arc.