The Littlest Library is a gentle story about love, loss, connection, and hope. Jess lost her parents at age 4, but luckily, her beloved grandma stepped in and raised her. After losing Mimi just a few months ago, she also loses her librarian job in the town where she was born and raised and realizes she needs to make some changes in her life, especially since she has nothing holding her there any more. On the day her house is listed for sale, she heads out to the coast and stumbles across an adorable but ramshackle cottage and a tiny, decommissioned phone booth for sale in a tiny village. Moved by an impulse she can't explain, Jess decides to place a bid on the cottage, ends up buying it, and thus sends her life off on an entirely new and unexpected course and finding new connections, friends, and maybe even a new love where she least expected them.

In addition to being reminded to be open to new experiences, I think this book does a great job in demonstrating that seemingly small actions, random encounters, and one very small phone booth can cause ripples that are far larger than would be expected from their size. The pace of the book was a bit slow, but seemed appropriate for the story and more in tune with the slower paced life of a village such as Middlemas. Jess’s cottage, overgrown garden, and her new village were lovingly described and by the end of the book, I so wanted to spend my holidays there, and wished the setting wasn’t fictional. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

I’ll admit the cover and they synopsis for The Littlest Library caught my eye and from the description I could tell this book was more women’s fiction than romance, so I wasn’t too disappointed that the “romance” in this book didn’t come to fruition until the very, very end, but honestly I think the book would have been stronger if that part of the story had been left out because it was flipping frustrating.

Jess is a young 30 something woman who lived with the grandmother who raised her since age 4 and worked as a librarian until it recently closed, now at a loss as to what to do with her life she makes a decision to sell the only home she remembers and change her life something her Mimi (grandmother) had always talked about. One a drive she stumbles across a run-down cottage for sale and without even really looking at it puts in an offer. I personally felt Jess was having a bit of a breakdown making rash decisions without thinking but she ends up moving into the cottage in Middlemass, a very small and dying town and finds that she is responsible for doing something with the abandoned red telephone call box that sits on the edge of her property.
We find as this story meanders on that Jess has never maintained close friendships other than her best friend who lives out of the country and who she speaks to about once a week via Facetime. Her friend seems to think Jess needs to take risks and chances and maybe she does, but for someone who has been extremely careful all her life selling her home, buying one she barely looked at, and moving without even thinking about the job market this was big, huge even.

After a parish council meeting it is decided that Jess will make the telephone call box a little library and she sets out to do this with the help of her neighbor Aidan who is volunteered to build the shelves. Jess sees this as a perfect use since she was told she can’t remove it and she has 10 boxes of her grandmother’s books that she wants to share with the town. I loved this part of the story how she makes the library a place for her neighbors and the townspeople to discover old favorites again, find new books, and gather as they wait their turn. Jess begins to mingle with the people, she makes friends, and she begins to fall in love with her new town. I loved watching the changes in her as she tends the overgrown garden, begins to restore her cottage, finds ways to help people she’s met, and gives back to the community by offering to help with solutions to problems. What didn’t work for me was the weird supposed romance between Jess and Aidan whose ex-wife visits frequently and stays in his home with him and their daughter albeit in the guest room and has made it known she doesn’t like seeing Aidan around Jess. Honestly it was uncomfortable reading there was nothing in their interactions that made me think they were really into one another, then there was an almost kiss interrupted by the ex-wife, then a real kiss that was awkward, not to mention half the town trying to throw them together and it felt forced and uncomfortable. I rather liked both Jess and Aidan and I think had the ex-wife not been in so much of this book that maybe a slow burn romance between them would have been nice, but instead it fell flat throughout the majority of the book and then boom right at the end a bit of hope that it will happen. Two big thumbs down because I then felt cheated instead of happy.

Parts of this story worked well, other parts not so much and while I’m not sorry I read it I was disappointed in the way it ended because it felt unfinished.

After the library Jess works at closes and her beloved grandmother dies, she needs a fresh start. She finds one in a small English village and a dilapidated cottage with an old red phone booth out front. She turns it into a library for the community to enjoy and along the way she finds friendship and love.

I enjoyed this book well enough and it was a quick read, but I feel like it was a little too predictable. With that said, somethings I enjoyed was the creation of the library itself and all the books and quotes from books that were mentioned. Lastly, I liked the small village and tight knit community aspects of the story.

It’s a sweet story about a librarian who needs a boost in life.

At 32, Jess Metcalfe lost her beloved grandmother Mimi, the woman who raised her, and her job at the local library when the library closed. Bourton-on-the-Marsh is the only home Jess knew after her parents died in a car accident when she was four. But, her best firend, Hannah, married and living in Australia, tells her she needs a change in life. But, Jess is afraid of change. She has a fear of devastating loss, a fear of impending disaster. And, it’s worse when she starts to feel happy because she knows it won’t last.

Jess has nothing to do one day, though, and heads to Devon. In Middlemass, she comes across a little cottage that desperately needs help. And, Jess herself is so desperate that she falls in love with Ivy Cottage although she never really had a chance to tour it. An angry man confronts her about parking and blocking the roads. For once in her life, Jess does something impulsive, and puts in an offer on the rundown cottage. Before she knows it, her grandmother’s house is sold, and she’s packing up ten boxes of books to move to Middlemass.

That angry man is Aidan Foxworthy, Jess’ new neighbor, and the man who sold his grandfather’s cottage. Aidan might be stoild, with little expression except exasperation when he’s near Jess, but he’s also a helpful neighbor. Then, he tells Jess the telephone box on the property is her responsibility, and sends her to the parish council where they’re brainstorming ideas for the telephone box. What about a little lending library with Jess’ ten boxes of books as the basis of the library?

Jess and Aidan might rub each other the wrong way, but he puts shelves in the telephone box after she cleans it. As she starts to find friends in the community, there’s always something nagging at her, though. It’s Hannah who tells her she just can’t allow happiness to happen because she’s always afraid something will go wrong.

The Littlest Library is about a woman who is afraid to find happiness. There are so many reasons I loved this book, including the comment that broke my heart. “We’re book-starved here in MIddlemass.” It’s a moving novel of community and love and books, and finding where you belong. You might just want to check it out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really wanted to like this book, I truly did. But honestly, I found it slow and boring. Jess really wasn't likable at all. She just complained and then did nothing to fix it. Aidens personality changed multiple times. Maisey was way too grown up to be a 12-year-old. Some of the things that happened at the beginning of the book were never talked about again. The sagging roof? That was forgotten. The bat issue? Also forgotten.

Also, Jess is a librarian, she should have has a system when loaning her books out. She was afraid they wouldn't be returned. So then why didn't she catalog them, write them down, so she knew if any of them were missing? Also, they were all special to her, some of them even had quotes from her grandmother in them and she still allowed people to borrow them. That's a no-no to me!

Jess switches up her entire life after her be,Ives Mimi dies and she loses her librarian job. She finds a charming little cottage with a phone booth in front of it and settles in. She opens a telephone box library (don’t you love the phrase?!) and stocks it with Mimi’s books.
I love the different village personalities to harried Becky and grumpy Aiden. I loved the whole concept of the telephone box library, similar to the Little Free Libraries where I donate most of my books .
I thought Aiden keeping Jess dangling with oh I like you, but….. was a bit tiresome.
All in all it’s a sweet read about villagers, love of reading, the importance of books, and so much more.

Thank you @poppyalexander @netgalley @avonbooks @harpercollins for the free copies—eARC and paperback Advance Reader’s Edition. It’s been such an honor to read and superfan this beautiful book.

Ratings: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (0-5)
Steam: 🔥 (0-5) kissing only

What I’m Starry-Eyed Over:
🤩 This book is as darling as the beautiful book cover—an adorable community united over the littlest library in the form of an old phone booth with a sassy turned sweet relationship budding in the corner.
🤩 Get lost in the beauty of an English village in the UK.
🤩 A fresh start with an impulsive decision when that’s not the norm.
🤩 Grumpy/sunshine and neighbors.
🤩 Love for librarians and libraries and little libraries.
🤩 Such gorgeous descriptions of the beautiful scenery and changing seasons.
🤩 Themes of community, friendship, and found family.
🤩 Town/community celebrations.
🤩 Neurodivergent representation and all kinds of readers and books.

What I’m Wishing/Dizzy About:
💫 Be prepared for a super slow burn (it’s worth it).
💫 Have some beverages ready. You’ll be craving something every chapter—tea, coffee, wine, beer, gin & tonic.

Possible triggers:
🔬 loss of parents and grandparent
🔬 divorce involving children

If this doesn't put a smile on your face, I don't know what will.

Seriously, this book was a heartwarming book about community, family, books, and love.

Jess Metcalf has had her life turned upside down when her grandmother passes away and she loses her job. She purchases a small cottage in a small close-knit community. Her house even comes with an old red phone box. Who doesn't love them?

When she first stopped to look at the cottage, she met a grumpy man who had ties to the house....

Jess, a librarian, decides to give back to her new community by turning the red phone box into the littlest library which she fills with her grandmother's books. It's a hit with some but there is one who would rather see the red phone box be used for something else.

Jess has soon charmed the town, but will she charm her grumpy neighbor?

This was a heartwarming and sweet book. I loved the characters and the community in this book. The book touches on so many marvelous things such as community, friendship, books and the love of books, family, and love in many forms.

From beginning to end, this book was a pleasure!

#TheLittlestLibrary #NetGalley.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager, Avon and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was predictable but absolutely adorable. I really enjoyed the cast of quirky village characters.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

The Littlest Library
by Poppy Alexander
Pub Date: 19 Jul 2022

What could be more perfect than reading a book involving books and the littlest library! Love the cover picture!! This story was just so sweet even with the shadows of darker themes. Jess who was raised by her grandma after losing her parents at a young age is dealing with loss again. Her grandmother, Mimi, has passed away and she is now unemployed from her librarian job. These major life changes force Jess to move (literally!) out of her comfort zone. The story revolves around Jess finding her way in a new community in a small English village, fixing up a dilapidated cottage that came with an old telephone box (and a grumpy next-door neighbor!). This book is about love, friendship, finding your people and your purpose. I was definitely cheering for Jess to find the courage to live life to the fullest...and get her happy ending!
3.5 stars

I find myself with really no strong feelings about this book that I just finished. It was fine but I'll forget about it tomorrow.

My main issue with this book is that it felt like something I'd read (or maybe watched) before. Nothing felt new. Jess is forgettable and the scenario of a 30-something year old woman moving to a small town to find her place in the world is not exactly new. There were a few cute tweaks to the familiar tale but nothing that kept me engaged.

The one somewhat promising twist was the library itself and that's really why I picked it up. But without other plot points to occupy my mind, I spent too much time trying to figure out this library and it just didn't make any sense. People are coming every day to a library in a phone booth, how many books could there possibly be? There's an entire shelf of classic romance, another of cook books, and a third of children's books. Assuming the cover is close to accurate, that's half the books and there's only 20 or so of each. How are all of these people using it so frequently with so few books? I realize it's a cute idea and I'm just being picky but seriously, my mind kept wandering back to this and that's a bad sign in and of itself.

One last complaint was the attempt to be inclusive. There is literally a single statement in the book that Maisie is dyslexic and it is never mentioned again. There is also lots of speculating about the sexuality of an older single man which I found unnecessary and in bad taste for a book published in 2022. These two items could have been omitted entirely with zero impact on the story and it really felt like they were inserted only to say there was some representation in it.

The quirky characters were cute but there were so many and I mixed them up constantly. The plot was fine but nothing special. The romance was probably the most interesting part of the book for me and a few parts towards the beginning were pretty cute but it quickly got put on the back burner and the angsty pining didn't come across great.

So overall, not bad but not great. If you are a fan of contemporary with a hint of romance and don't mind a very familiar feeling plot, you might want to give this one a go.

* I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. *

Jess Metcalfe has recently lost her job and her beloved grandmother. She decides to move to the English countryside to start a new chapter in her life. She falls in love with the charming Ivy Cottage which happens to come along with her own red telephone box. Jess transforms the old telephone box into a little free library. The library helps to bring the community together. As Jess starts this new chapter in her life, she develops new friendships and a special friendship with her surly neighbor Aidan.

I thought this book was good. It did drag a little for me and I thought the ending was a little abrupt. However, I enjoyed the setting and I thought the little free library was super cute.

The cute cover and title ( plus it being categorized as a romance) had me slamming the request button. I was SO excited to read this; it seemed like a book lover's dream! Unfortunately, it was not quite what I expected. This book is VERY descriptive; I found myself skimming pages on pages of scenery descriptions. Another distraction from the main plot was the undeveloped five-ish subplots that took away majorly from the story. I am not sure you can classify this book as a romance either; the main characters kiss once .. twice?

Not to be negative, I did like a few aspects of this book! I enjoyed how Jess opened the library, filled it with her dead grandmother's books, and read how she cared for it, also how the little library brought the community together and provided an oasis for many of the sub-characters.

Thank you, NetGalley and Avon & Harper Voyager, for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.

A book about books and a small town. The perfect recipe for a very sweet book. This book is also about self-discovery and grief. It really is just so cute and a great summer or beach read. I am giving this three stars just because I didn't really connect with any of the characters too deeply. But the writing was good, the setting was good and overall I enjoyed the book.

This is the story of my dream! To move from he city to a cute little English fixer upper cottage and tend to the little free library in my front yard. This book is heartwarming, cozy and made for those of us who absolutely love books and love to share that love with others.
Jess loses her job when the city library closes down. On top of that, she’s coping with the loss of her beloved grandmother, Mimi. When she takes a drive to clear her mind, she stumbles upon a quaint little village that calls to her heart. When she finds a rundown cottage for sale, she knows it’s what Mimi would want her to do. So she moves in and gets to know the locals, especially her neighbors, Aiden and his daughter Maisie. Aiden is a hot but grumpy single dad and despite that there are definitely some sparks between them. There’s also Diana, who comes to be One of Jess’s closest new friends, and encourages her to step outside her comfort zone.
On Jess’s property is an abandoned old phone booth that the young men of the village use as a urinal after a night at the pub. Jess decides to clean it up and turn it into a little free library with the help of Aiden and the Town Council and using books left to her by Mimi. That is until some people of the village decide they’d rather have a defibrillator located in there for everyone to use. In order to convince the village to keep the library, Jess and her friends hold a grand opening ceremony and festivities to convince the naysayers that it’s the right choice.
This book is like a warm mug of tea for the soul. It hugs you, it makes you smile, it cheers your heart. And it’s about books! Talk about ticking all the boxes!!
Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review

This was a cute and heartwarming story, centered around the power that books can have on not only individuals, but communities as a whole. I loved the village backdrop of this story, and the main character was easy to relate to the majority of the time.

I enjoyed the librarian aspect, and how the struggle of modern day libraries and librarians were portrayed. I found it very realistic, and it added another layer to the story and the main character's dilemma. The supporting characters had just the right amount of intrigue and humor as well. Overall a 3.5 star read for me.

The Littlest Library by Poppy Alexander is a sweet story of self-discovery and community spirit. I enjoyed this book very much and loved the charming village and its inhabitants.

Jess Metcalf leads a quiet peaceful life with her grandmother. When her grandmother passes away, Jess is left feeling lost and a bit lonely, but when she loses her job at the library, she decides it’s time for a change. She finds a small cottage in a small village in the English countryside. She decides to purchase the cottage and later finds out that an old phone box is on her property. She works with the town council and they decide to turn it into a library.

Jess decides to use her Grandmother’s old books to start the library, and as the library becomes more popular, Jess becomes more at home in her new little village. She befriends many of the quirky villagers, and especially the somewhat grumpy Aiden, who sold her the cottage.

I enjoyed this small town story. The story is mostly about Jess and how she moves through her grief of losing her grandmother and how she makes a new life in the village. The romance with Aidan was a slow burn, but there was some great banter between the two. And I adored Aidens daughter Maisey, she was a fun addition to the story.

I recommend The Littlest Library to anyone who enjoys Women’s fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Littlest Library by Poppy Alexander is a sweet story of self-discovery and community spirit. I enjoyed this book very much and loved the charming village and its inhabitants.

Jess Metcalf leads a quiet peaceful life with her grandmother. When her grandmother passes away, Jess is left feeling lost and a bit lonely, but when she loses her job at the library, she decides it’s time for a change. She finds a small cottage in a small village in the English countryside. She decides to purchase the cottage and later finds out that an old phone box is on her property. She works with the town council and they decide to turn it into a library.

Jess decides to use her Grandmother’s old books to start the library, and as the library becomes more popular, Jess becomes more at home in her new little village. She befriends many of the quirky villagers, and especially the somewhat grumpy Aiden, who sold her the cottage.

I enjoyed this small town story. The story is mostly about Jess and how she moves through her grief of losing her grandmother and how she makes a new life in the village. The romance with Aidan was a slow burn, but there was some great banter between the two. And I adored Aidens daughter Maisey, she was a fun addition to the story.

I recommend The Littlest Library to anyone who enjoys Women’s fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a nice, medium paced read for me. I enjoyed reading about Jess and the new life she's trying to set for herself after her grandmother passes. I loved Jess's idea of turning the old phone booth in front of her new house into a little library; she was able to connect with her neighbors and it was great to see those interactions. It honestly didn't need the romance part. It was nice getting to know Aidan, but I think the story would've been fine without a romantic plot.

Overall I thought this was a pretty cute story and I'd definitely be interested in reading more by the author.

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the ARC!

I am a huge fan of little free libraries and this reminded me of them. I think this was a great little book and I will definitely be reading more of Alexander in the future.

Imagine coming across a library in an old telephone box! Magical! The Littlest Library is really a book about reinvention and growth for not only the protaganist, Jess, but also the village and the little telephone box. It is a lovely read.