Thank you to the publishers Avon / HarperCollins for giving me the opportunity to review THE LITTLEST LIBRARY by Poppy Alexander.

Loved the premise of the littlest library in England so much that I bought copies for myself and for Christmas gifts.

This is a heartwarming literary-themed novel about a woman who turns an ordinary red phone box into the littlest library in England and brings together a struggling village.

Despite setbacks, Jess manages to find some hope and goes out to do something meaningful, in other words, making lemonade out of lemons.

If you're needing a sweet story, set in an English village with a library at it's heart, this one's for you. I think this one could be a perfect palate cleanser, or just a cozy book to curl up with. While some pieces didn't feel the most realistic, I could forgive those bits for how much warmth and loveliness came through this story. I had the heartwarming vibes that you get from watching the Great British Baking Show from this one.

I was really looking forward to this book because I did in fact judge a book by the cover and this looked adorable. It was a cute story marred by slow pacing and characters that needed some more development to be more engaging.

DNF - this has all the makings of a delightful book but I think I'm not the target audience. Jess loses her grandmother and her job and moves to a small town. It seemed like she unbelievably went from being a self proclaimed romance adverse introvert to a completely different person, making friends, becoming active in her community and seeking romance with a neighbor. I made it about half way through and then thought this was better suited to a younger (less jaded) reader. I'm sure it will appeal to that demographic.

In this book, Jess Metcalf, takes an empty red phone box and some of her grandmother's books and manages to bring a whole town together. She also finds love along the way.

The Littlest Library is a heartwarming story about community, found-family, books, and love. It is an incredibly sweet story about new beginnings and leaving yourself open to new possibilities. There are realistics stakes, clever banter, and moments of pure unbridled joy. It is light, fun read that should accompany you on vacation.

DNF. I got bored fairly quickly but I believe it’s because of my personal tastes and nothing to do with the author

The best way to describe this book was delightful. I just really enjoyed all the characters and the concept of the little library. It was an easy read that was predictable but sweet.

A charming read for a crisp fall day, you will love Poppy Alexander's latest book. #partner @avonbooks

Jess loses her library job and her grandmother who raised her around the same time. She decides she needs a change. She buys a little cottage in a new town that also comes with an old telephone booth.

Soon, she is making friends with her neighbors and turning her phone booth into a cute community library! I loved watching Jess learn to manage her grief and create a network of people around her. It was such a lovely one-sitting read.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review which has not altered my opinion of this book. I would like to thank NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the eARC.

This book is one of the cutest things ever. We follow Jess Metcalf who has found herself stuck in life following the death of her beloved grandmother and the closing of the library where she worked. By chance, she stumbles upon a small home with a red phone box in the front yard and falls in love with the property. When she buys it on a whim, she decides she will stick around to get her mind back in order before moving on a finding a new job. What she doesn't expect to do is fall in love with the town as well as many of the occupants within it.

This book was so cozy and such a hallmark style of book, it had me smiling basically throughout. I found it quite refreshing to have a protagonist like Jess because she is an unmarried person in her early thirties who loves nothing more than sharing good food and books with people. I found that relating to her was really simple and I highly enjoyed her story. The characters were were thought out and fun, I loved that they did normal people things like gossip, have age old fights that no one seems to remember, ride bicycles, have miscommunications that they realize can be solved, have toddlers who are fussy and it all felt like real life rather than just a book.

I cannot recommend this book enough for lovers of books, romance (no smut, it's not needed here), and cute moments that lead to finding oneself in an ever changing and sometimes heartbreaking world. I give this a 5 out of 5 and it is officially one of my new favorite books!

I love books about books. I love books about libraries. I love books about librarians. I love books about bookish people. The Littlest Library had so many of things I love when reading that I felt connected the whole time. Jess’s story isn’t one to miss!

3.25⭐

Featuring ~ single 3rd person POV, starting over, grief, library, books, community, small town, slow burn

This was a sad, turned nice, story following Jess as she helps bring a little library to a town that needs a pick me up. While I see the potential for this to be heartwarming, it was more heartlukewarming for me. I did enjoy the descriptiveness throughout, but it was slow moving. The cover is cute and the plot interesting. Little Libraries are very popular these days and I even have one in my neighborhood. I definitely see the potential for many of my friends to like this one.

The Littlest Library follows thirty-two year old Jessica "Jess" Metcalfe as she moves to the small village of Middlemass finding new friends and adventure. There are a series of events that play a role in her decision to move. At the forefront though is the recent death of her grandmother who raised her since she was a little girl. The move is a bit of a spur of the moment but when she sees the ivy cottage for the first time, she feels like she is coming home.

The cottage has not been lived in for a while so there is much work that needs to be done. Jess has a strong mental picture of what she would like it to look like when it is finished. There is also this old phone booth on the property that is shared with the community. Before she knows it, Jess is pulled into deciding what to do with the phone booth and helps turn it into a small library. There is no public library so the small library immediately becomes a hit. All of the books that are being used belong to Jess or her grandmother so they all have a special place in her heart.

Living in the village of Middlemass helps open Jess up. She has always kept to herself afraid to miss out on time with her grandmother. She only has one close friend that she keeps in touch with. The women of the village immediately take her under their wing giving her advice and helping support the little library. I really enjoyed the creation of the library within the phone booth and the way it brought the community together. There are literary references and tiny tidbits of wisdom coming from the little library though out the story.

There is a hint of romance within this story but it often felt like it was an afterthought. There really is not enough evolution of the dynamic between Jess and her neighbor Aiden. At first they bump heads and annoy each other but slowly they become friends. It never felt like it really moved past that though. There was quite a bit of this story that felt repetitive to me. Much of what was being said or done could have honestly been condensed. I also felt that some things were rushed in order to be finished and I just didn't feel that was necessary. Alot seems to happen away from the page and it was just expected that the reader would catch on to help the story move forward.

The Littlest Library has the feel of a small community that is in need of books. When the little library is created there are sever characters who immediately become attached to it. I enjoyed the creation of the library in such a unique space. It brought something special to the community. The rest of the book did not really bring anything to me. It felt redundant and honestly just hit me as an "okay book". There is nothing wrong with an 'okay book" but in this case it really felt like there was something missing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager as well as the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
#NetGalley #AvonandHarper #PoppyAlexander
What a cute premise. This book is extremely appealing.
Jess Metcalf’slife goes in a different direction when her grandmother dies and she loses her job. She moves to a small cottage in a small community that includes a red phone booth. She gets the idea to turn the old phone booth into a library. This helps bring the community together but will it get the attention of her cantankerous neighbor?
This book is perfect for bibliophiles. This is the part of the book that appealed to me the most. I loved how this book highlights how important libraries are to the community. This gave me a very cozy feeling.
This was a warm, cozy fuzzy blanket of a book.

If you're looking for a read that's cute and cozy, The Littlest Library is it.

There was nothing new or groundbreaking in this story, but it's sweet and still has depth. It's hard not to fall in love with this small town community by the end of the book - I wish I could take an extended vacation to escape from the city for a while.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Working at a library myself, I found this book really cute and sweet. This was just a nice easy read and I really enjoyed it.

Quick thoughts: A charming setting, likeable characters, a library in a red phone booth, a community that comes together, food, family and friendships, so many literary references, and of course, the magical power that books have. All this and more make this book a sweet read that is perfect for armchair travel to quaint villages with picture postcard views.
And, last but not the least, this cover by @jane_mount 😍
#TheLittlestLibrary #NetGalley #LiteracySpaces #InternationalLiteracyDay #libraries #womensfiction #avonbooks #happilyeveravon

This was a heartwarming book that I enjoyed very much. Jess is a fabulous character with a caring personality and a challenging back story. After her grandmother or "Mimi" passes away and she losses her job as a librarian she hastefully buys a quaint rundown cottage in the village of Middlemass. Her new cottage comes with some surprises, such as the old red telephone box. With the help of her neighbors she fills the telephone box with her Mimi's book collection and turns it into a community little library. This littlest library makes quite the impression on her new community leading to new found friends and maybe a romance for Jess. Although, there are those that think the telephone box should be used in a different way and these people may just run Jess out of her new found home.
The village of Middlemass has many colorful residents that I enjoyed getting to know. I was enchanted by this book and happily recommend it to those who need a heartwarming book to brighten their days.
I am grateful to Avon books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this wonderful book in exchange for a honest review.

Jess has experienced loss in her life. Her parents died in a car accident when she was only four and, as the book begins, her beloved grandmother recently lost her struggle with cancer. To top all of this off, Jess has been let go from her librarian job. NOTE: These are not spoilers as all of this is learned very early in the book.

Jess moves to a small village after these recent events. Oddly, there seems to be a red phone box on her property. Curious, she goes to a village meeting to find out what the phone box means to her. Watch as she decides what to do with it.

This novel is an easy read. There are a number of characters and lots of books. If these things appeal to you, this will offer you a pleasant read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and, Avon and Harper Voyager for this title. All opinions are my own.

This was a slow paced but heartwarming book about the power of books to bring people together. The title grabbed me as I'm a fan of little free libraries and thought a story about one would be cute. Though billed as more of a romance, that plot line wasn't strong in my opinion and only added a little to the story. I wish even more emphasis was given on how the books in the littlest library changed the community. We got some snippets of this, but I felt following those storylines would have made for a better read.