I started this book this morning and could NOT put it down! It’s now 1am and I start work at 7am….

Absolutely phenomenal. I was hooked from about 15% in, at times early on I wondered was the story going to be a bit too perfect and tied up in string? Than the author addressed this almost as even though the beginning felt predictable, the plot changes got more and more dynamic.

And then Leo’s letters came in at the halfway point and I was BLOWN away. This is a terrific book, though I do wish the ending didn’t unravel quite as quickly. The last few pages from the killers reveal seem to rush out too fast, but I can see why too. It is impossible to keep up the momentum here. Maybe even if the subplot of Leo was handled a little more clearly towards the end? Just one or two more letters would have balanced the ending out for me more.

I’d give this a 4/5 stars out of ten. With my only deductions being the title (I feel like the titles of ‘the woman’ or ‘the girl’ are a bit overdone? And I feel like another title could better describe what we’re getting into here) and also the unravelling end. Though I liked the conclusion I would have appreciated a better landing.

Amazing though, I’m going to be ordering more of the authors works to read. This was fantastic.

This book is about how tough it is to write a book. Two simultaneous mysteries –one in the library and one in correspondence from afar to a person who viewed the murder. The book was twisty, turny and had a “moral to the story” about what love means and how we can love someone even when others suspect them. I liked the play on words of Cain’s name (renamed Abel) and the subtle implication of all of us having some good and some evil. There is also a muder in the past, some retribution, shifting shades of guilt, romance, a donut shop named Around the Hole (ha), and an investigation by a magazine called the Rag.

My attention was held throughout and I kept guessing what was going on. If you curvy mysteries with a bit or intrigue and romance included, this is a book for you.

I felt this book was overly confusing. The premise of a book within a book was a great idea, but it lost luster for me the further I read on...and well it had some great fast paced moments and I enjoyed the mystery it just wasn't great..

Dear Author,

You wrote a delectable literary mystery. Freddie, Cain, Marigold, and Whit are perfect strangers, but you bring them together randomly to unravel the mystery of a woman’s scream and a body found in the BPL.
I wondered right away if they met by chance because their friendships bloomed right away.
You piqued my interest in the first chapter with your claims that one of them is a murderer.

Now what to say about Leo? Your faithful email correspondent from across the globe who gets creepier with each email. His unsolicited advice on your manuscript and details about murders with photos gave me creepy stalker vibes from the beginning. I knew that guy was no good. How smart of you to include him though. How else would you know the ins and outs of Boston since you were writing your manuscript in Australia? So lucky your biggest fan lives in Boston.

Thanks for keeping me guessing the real murderer’s identity until the end. And for throwing in the other murders all the while connecting them all. Pure genius! Your murder story within a murder story was so riveting and unique. Bravo to you for writing this addictive unconventional mystery! I can’t wait to read more.
Yours,
A fan
Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks/Poisoned Pen Press for sharing this digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I'm so glad I knew nothing going into this book, the end of the first chapter took me completely by surprise. I hope everyone goes into this book like I did, just wanting to be entertained because oh boy I did. Such a fast-paced easy read! The only reason I took off a star was that I guessed who the killer was pretty early on but I was not super upset about that. Really interesting how real-world issues slowly seeped into the narrative, it didn't feel forced. I will now be going into the author's back catalog I loved this one so much. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read.

I finished this on 1 day, that is how amazing it was. The twists and turns of who was responsible kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. The subplot throughout was totally fresh and different. Gave it all an extra ompf to put it all over the edge.

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill is definitely not what I expected. The blurb for this book had me hooked! This is a murder mystery set in the Boston Public Library, but with many layers, so it took me a little while to figure out the actual premise of the book, which I suppose was the point, so I definitely give it points for creativity. This is really a story within a story, which isn’t immediately clear, but I can’t say more without giving too much away. The book is well researched and a lot of thought was put into the setting, and I enjoyed being transported to Boston and BPL. This book will appeal to fans of The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz. Novels centered around writers seem to be making a big splash right now, and this one will be appreciated by readers looking for a unique story with a literary themed plot.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for sharing this digital book, in exchange for my honest review.

I really loved this, so much so that I'm ordering all this authors previous books.

In a way you get two for the price of one here, a novel within a novel, both layers are hugely compelling. There's a terrific group dynamic of characters, a mystery that twists around in a way Christie would be proud of and it is unexpectedly delightful from first page to last.

Really excellent. Hugely recommended by me.

I kept forgetting the main story line was a fictional book within a book because this is so wonderfully written.
We first meet the author, Hannah, via a letter written to her by a fan, Leo, who is a struggling author himself. The first chapter introduces us to Winifred (Freddie), Marigold, Whit, and Cain, four strangers, maybe, all seated at the same table in the reading room of the Boston Public Library. Startled and shocked when a ragged, terrified scream tears through the room, they head to the library cafe where a budding friendship forms. Hannah had me hooked when she ended that chapter with the words “I have my first coffee with a killer”.
I loved how we slowly learn more about the characters as their relationships form, and how the details they omitted leak out. The tension is amplified by the increasing creepiness of the letters from Leo, and his introduction in to Freddie’s book as a character.
Thanks to the author for this unique mystery, and to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.
You won’t regret a minute you spend reading The Woman In the Library.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this free ARC.

I'm really starting to love this new trend of a "book within a book". Sulari hits this idea out of the park! This had me guessing the entire book and the ending is just right. I can't wait to see what else Sulari has written!

I was looking forward to reading this novel. The title and the description intrigued me. It started off very well but as the story went on it just didn't seem like it was a believable story. Maybe I didn't understand clues that were possibly in the book or how the neighbor writer Leo could be writing the letters to the author and also a part of the story. and The characters were not very deep as well, the story line wasn't developed well. I think it could have been a great mystery novel if it were thought out better and written better.

The ornate reading room at the Boston Public Library is quiet, until the tranquility is shattered by a woman's terrified scream. Security guards take charge immediately, instructing everyone inside to stay put until the threat is identified and contained. While they wait for the all-clear, four strangers, who'd happened to sit at the same table, pass the time in conversation and friendships are struck. Each has his or her own reasons for being in the reading room that morning—it just happens that one is a murderer. This is such a uniquely written mystery. I have never read anything quite like it but the best way to describe it would be to say this is a story within a story. Once I started this I could not put it down. I was blown away by the end. I am now a huge fan of this writer and you will be too. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

This book's blurb leads you to believe it's the story of four people who meet at the library due to a scream. In one way it is that story, but in another it is so much more. A story within a story, this book is difficult to explain. The four people in the library in a way are the center of this story. They simply aren't all of it. The other part is the correspondence between the author of the library story, and a feedback reader. I found the concept quite fascinating, but in a way wish more would have been done.

About halfway through, the main character Freddie really started to frustrate me. Her decisions screamed of stupidity, and as someone who has won a writing fellowship we know she isn't unintelligent. Also, the ending was a bit of a let down. It wraps up quickly, and left me wanting more - more details and more closure.

Ultimately it was an interesting idea, and the construction of the story was something I haven't seen before, and would like to read again.

What a unique and entertaining book!! I won't lie I was a little thrown at first with the format of how this story was being told but once I figured out what was going on I couldn't put this book down. I could not read it fast enough. I had to see how Hannah would finish her story & what would happen to Freddie, Marigold, Cain, & Whit. Don't even get me started on the whole Leo side to this book!

There were definitely some twists in this book that I didn't see coming but for me that is always the sign of a good mystery/thriller. If the reader can figure out the twists or big reveal to early it takes away much of the fun getting there. This was my first book by this author but I definitely look forward to checking out more of their work. A big thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for getting this fun book into my hands.

For the most part, I REALLY loved this book. I couldn't wait to keep reading it, and I really felt like I was there with Freddie and the crew.

Gentill did a wonderful job of taking an existing format and tweaking it to make something new and interesting that doesn't become too off-the-wall unreadable. I enjoyed the layout and back and forth a lot, but I also feel like it contributed to a few of the issues I do have with this book.

It started off with a bang, but fell a bit flat towards the middle and end. When the group first became friends, I was expecting more a la Tana French with the relationship building and suspicion, but Freddie did not really suspect any of her friends. She seemed a bit too naive, and I wish the book had delved more into the mystery instead of focusing on her relationship with Cain. The end felt like it wrapped up too quickly, literally using the "so much happened at once" trope, then a seemingly (somewhat) happen ending.

I also take issue with Leo's racism - was this a plot device for readers to examine their own feelings about race, or to add to Leo's unlikeable character? Why did fictional Leo show up in the end of the book? Did he also send her the box of nice groceries AND the cupcakes, and why?

Overall, a solid, enjoyable story to immerse yourself in.

I went into this with trepidation. I read one of Sulari Gentill's Rowland Sinclair series books for a book club, and I was not impressed. Maybe it had to do with starting in the middle of the series, but I wasn't interested in Rowland at all, the mystery wasn't fulfilling. HOWEVER this standalone novel The Woman In the Library was fantastic 4.5 stars deservedly rounded-up ! The writing was witty, the characters were enjoyable, the red herrings led me down the paths they were supposed to without feeling forced. I had a hard time putting this one down. It is a little confusing at first, because there's a story within a story within a story (it's truly story-ception), but the author does a great job of keeping everything in order and believable. Having the emails with Leo separate from the main story of Freddie, and using aliases for Freddie's writing was really helpful - it's clear that the author had a target and knew how to get there properly. There were many twists and turns, the devolution of characters was abrupt yet natural. A page-turner til the very end!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a really interesting choice of narrative. There is the mystery book that involves four friends that hear a scream in the library. Then there is a subplot that takes place through a series of letter to the author of the book. I don’t think I’ve ever read something like that! I definitely got engrossed in the library mystery. I had lots of questions about the subplot! But overall it as an enjoyable book!

The Woman in the Library has two interwoven stories, one set in Boston and its iconic public library and one that takes place through correspondence between the author of said story and her most zealous fan. Both narratives operate at an engaging pace, and Gentill does a masterful job of slowly building the tension in both story lines. In the end, the most intriguing mystery may not even lie with who is responsible for the death of the titular woman, but in the relationship between author and reader - a truly personal connection.

This was pretty unique; the author uses an interesting framing method for this and I thought it worked fairly well. There was confusion at the beginning, but as I kept reading it started to make more sense. The mystery was fun, but a bit rushed on the character development; you’re left wondering how they could all possibly become so close, so quickly.

Excellent mystery involving 4 young people who hear a scream in the library.
Freddie, is an Australian writer on fellowship to Boston. She gets involved in the finding the person who murdered the woman later found in the library.
At the end of each chapter is a letter the reader assumes is her editor . As the story goes along the reader learns something quite different. The letter writer corrects The Australian words for American words which adds culture to the book.
The ending will surprise some who don’t follow closely.
Recommend