Thank you Net Galley, for giving me the opportunity to read and review it early!!

I enjoyed reading this story. I love books that have anything to do with books or reading. I thought it was really cute. I liked how they mentioned classic novels in the story. Definitely check more of her stuff out.

A library in a phone booth? A woman dealing with tragedy by uprooting her life and starting over? Sign me up for a trip back to England to visit the village of Middlemass. It's a small little village within driving distance to Birmingham, but you'll feel like you've walked into an episode of All Creatures Great and Small for the general feel of the town.
Jess is a librarian and lover of books. After her grandmother passes away and she loses her job, she feels lost in a sea of despair. She is being forced to sell her home and on the day there is a viewing of the house, she takes a drive into the country and her car stops her in Middlemass where she is instantly charmed by the lake, the ducks, and a small cottage. Being impulsive for once, she puts an offer down on the cottage and it's accepted! After she moves in and it's decided that the phone booth on her property should be a library, she pulls out the 10 boxes of books she's never been able to go through before and creates the littlest library.
The premise of this book and the descriptions of the town and cottage are perfect, it really pulled me into the story. I loved reading about how Jess was fixing up the cottage, her unwanted house guests, and the books; however, there are too many characters in the story and they drag down the plot in the middle of the book. For such a small village, there are a lot of people living there and I found myself getting a little lost and not being terribly interested in the other characters. There's a whole subplot about a stay at home mom that seemed to drag a bit too. As a working mom, I understood the problems she was going through, but it seemed a little one sided.
Overall, the book is good and for the first half, I could barely put it down. It does get a little slow in the middle, but has a very satisfying ending and you'll be happy you visited Middlemass. And you'll never look at an old phone booth quite the same way again.

What cute book!
I loved the idea of turning an old telephone booth into a Little Library!

I enjoyed reading the transformation that jess had thought out the book.

If you want a quick, cute read that will keep you engaged the whole time, The Littlest Library is the book!


Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review,

The Littlest Library

I couldn’t have come across a more “me” book! I love little libraries and the sense of community I feel they bring to the areas they are located in.

This book is about a young woman who finds herself while stewarding a little library in the community she moves to. The book takes place in the English countryside.

An old phone booth is used to house the little library. I can imagine with the help of the cover how beautiful the library is. The library proves to be the catalyst the people in the community need to come together, fix old wounds, and form new relationships.

Overall, the book was heartwarming and engaging. I really enjoyed the character development and ending. I won’t say more as I don’t want to ruin it.

The Littlest Library will be published on July 19, 2022. I highly recommend grabbing a copy!

This one was a miss for me. I did like the characters and the setting. However, I felt that the story dragged on and there wasn't anything happening. A lot of talking about doing things, but not really doing anything. I was happy with the ending and the way things worked out for Jess, but overall, it was an effort to make it to the end.

This is a very sweet and charming read. The little library out of a phone booth reminds of "Little Free Libraries" which pop up in many neighborhoods all over the country. Reading is important and this is made clear in this story. It creates friendships and bring back memories from your youth when you read books from your past.

2.5 stars - a cute, cozy story about life changing and learning to step out of your comfort zone, BUT it was so bloody slow and overly descriptive. The village cast of characters was mildly entertaining but very one note and not very engaging. The romance was so forced and weak! Not really believable in the end.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Jess is devastated when her beloved grandmother, Mimi, passes away after an illness, and now she has lost her librarian job. It is hard, but she decides to sell Mimi’s house, where she was raised. Too painful for Jess to be at the house while it is being shown to prospective buyers, she decides to take a drive for the day. At one point, to avoid a traffic jam, she takes a turn and ends up driving through the village of Middlemass. She is surprised to see a red telephone box and her curiosity has her going up to a ramshackle cottage nearby. She finds out that the cottage for sale, and the red telephone box is on the property. Almost on a whim, Jess buys the cottage. She gets off to a rough start with her next-door neighbor, Aiden, and he has his own issues. With encouragement from some of her new friends and using the boxes of books she and Mimi had collected, Jess converts the telephone box into a little library.

The villagers are borrowing books, sharing reading memories. Jess loves sharing the books and living in the village, but she may not be able to stay if she is unable to find a job. Just as she is at a decision point, several things are happening which can affect her decision. Jess may find that having taken a different path lands you right where you needed to be all along.

This is a cute and cozy story. Jess takes a step outside her comfort zone and moves to a small village where she starts a little library with her late grandmother’s books. I loved reading Jess’s decisions to do something new in her life despite being nervous about the unknown.

I think author's are amazing creators and I truly appreciate their process. That is why it is so hard for me when I don't connect to a book. I didn't hate the story, but I just didn't connect with it. I loved the setting and the concept for the book, but just didn't feel like I connected with any of the characters. I know there are others who this book will be perfect for. It is a sweet story with a feel-good premise. It just wasn't for me. can not even imagine the time and energy that goes into writing a book.

I was gifted an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The story was a cute idea, but it lacked a lot of sustenance for me and didn’t really keep my interest. It was a nice coming of age and finding yourself story, but it was very back and forth with the main character about what she was going to do next. I really wish I had loved this book because it truly was a cute idea, but I just think it needed something more to make it great.

honestly i wanted to like this book, but it did not work for me. i wish it would have because i was so excited to read this one and to get to read it way early?! thank you so much netgalley!!!!!

I honestly was bored. The concept is cute and sounded fabulous but I just could not get into it. And the many paragraphs describing the house and her wanders through it are so repetitive. I there was a lot of skimming done on my part.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley & Avon and Harper Voyager!

After the death of her grandmother, Jess Metcalf decides to pack her belongings, including the vast collection of her grandmother’s books, and move to the country. She soon finds herself the owner of a little cottage with a red phone booth in the yard. Along with some help from new friends, the phone booth is transformed into a little lending library of her beloved books.

This book is the perfect mix of sweetness and small town charm. I love the concept of little free libraries. There is some clean romance but it isnt the main focus of the storyline. A majority of the plot follows Jess and her journey of a new start. There’s no epilogue so the last chapter seems a little open ended. I’m not sure if the author is planning to have this be part of a series but there’s definitely room to expand on any of the characters.

This is the first book that I have read from this author but I look forward to checking out her other works and what she may write in the future.

I only got a very short way into this book before being so badly turned off I quit. On the very first page, the protagonist and her bestie are celebrating protagonist's "freedom" from a decade spent "buried alive" working at a public library. Wow. Ok, so, fine, you're not happy with your workplace, fair enough. But a few pages later up pops this sentence: "Being a librarian...was no longer an option and being a librarian anywhere else was a doubtful ambition; council funding cuts and the digital age were making traditional librarian skills increasingly obsolete." This is just straight up shitty information. The writer clearly loves books, otherwise they wouldn't be writing a book?? And this is their impression of libraries??? Forget it.

eARC
The Littlest Library
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Poppy Alexander
Pub day: 7/19/22
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Clean Read: Yes

“It takes a village” is so often used as a reference for families helping with little ones, but the true root meaning of the saying inspires the trusted belief that there are people on your side. This sweet story is a true reminder of that. It’s about finding one’s place, trusting oneself, and building a home. I enjoyed the relationships, characters, beautifully crafted village setting, and the focus on family (of all kinds).

Overall, the book felt longer than it needed to be and as a result, it took me longer than usual to read through it. I found myself frustrated with both protagonist’s for different reasons. I was upset that Aidan let Lucie control him for so long, and I was upset that Jess couldn’t get of her own way to be happy. But, all in all it worked out nicely. I love books about books and was charmed by and wholeheartedly rooting for “The Littlest Library”!

Thank you to Avon and Harper Collin’s for a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

What a fun and heartfelt story - just what I needed!

I love the fact that little libraries are so popular around the world because it helps to make things more accessible and create that sense of community as well.

Jess is a very relatable character who showcases the uncertainty of how life can unfold, but the way in which you accept it and use it to your advantage can define you. The fact that she was able to create The Littlest Library seems quite serendipitous for not just her, but the whole village.

It’s never easy to lose someone so close to you, but being able to carry on and keep that loved ones spirit alive is the best way to celebrate your love of that person. Sometimes when you least think about things, other rays of light can remind you of better days.

This is the kind of story that, as you’re reading it, gives you a bit of a hug and says: yes, you may be going through a tough time, but always remember that you have support, whether that be your friends, your family, your community, a beloved pet or a story/memory. It also shows that you don’t need to be afraid to share your thoughts and feelings with others, but more especially acknowledge them with yourself.

Thank you to the author, Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for this ebook copy!

The Littlest Library was written for us book lovers. It's like a warm hug. It's one of the most charming books I've ever read. After her grandmother passes away, Jess packs up her books and moves to a small village. She soon discovers she owns an old telephone booth so she decides to make a little library. The village falls in love with her little library and it provides her a sweet connection to her new town. The Littlest Library was such a sweet and adorable read. I loved it!

This was a really cute and heartwarming read. Alexander navigates Jess's grief and the upheavals in her life really thoughtfully and did a great job making Jess relatable to almost anyone, as we've all experienced stressful times and navigated new situations. My favorite aspect was the setting, which I found absolutely charming and at times, hilarious. Alexander made living in the countryside of England and having my own little phone booth library at the top of my bucket list :)

After the passing of her grandmother, the woman who raised her, Jess Metcalfe packs up and moves to a small village and into a run down cottage with a an old, unused telephone booth out front. As she struggles to find her place in the village and in life…she turns the phone booth into a little library with the hopes of bringing the community together. As she struggles with her leap of faith decision to move, she becomes enamored with the village and it’s residents and the fact that everyone seems to think she’s a perfect match for the village bachelor who has a big obstacle to overcome before he can open his heart to anyone.

I really enjoyed this book. It provided me a sense of community within its pages that I long for in my own life and I felt welcome within its pages. It also made me want to start a little library of my own outside my house. This would be a great weekend read or beach read as it flows really well and makes you smile.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager and Poppy Alexander for early access to this gem in exchange for my review. I loved it…but not the bats in the attic…lol!