Elodie’s Library of Second Chances by Rebecca Raisin is a story full of heart as the main character Elodie steps away from her family’s conglomerate business to try to save a local library in a small town. Whilst arriving in said small town, Elodie discovers an array of discarded members from the extremely judgmental & gossip-fueled society. Elodie swoops in with eagerness for success & saving to overhaul the community that’s set in its’ ways. She comes up with the brilliant idea of having people become their own books to “check out” & share their story with others in hopes of offering a different viewpoint.
I definitely appreciated the moral of the story about how often we make quick judgments about people without knowing any of their story & how damaging that can be both to you & them. I think it’s a worthy & valid reminder to all that we are all unique with various pasts & taking the time to listen to other’s tales & respond with empathy can progress us much farther as a society than judgement & ridicule ever could.
I wanted to love this more than I did. It covered some serious topics very quickly in a made for TV movie type fashion, which I understand makes sense for the heartwarming story that is wanting to be portrayed. I think I just wanted a little more depth & nuance to some of the more difficult topics.
I did love the fact that saving the library was so important because I think libraries are safe havens for many & hold such a special place in society.
Overall I did enjoy this book & the important message being conveyed. I think it’s a critical content that I hope makes someone else see people in a different light & leave the world a brighter place.

Elodie’s Library of Second Chances by Rebecca Raisin comes out August 4, 2022!

Massive thanks to NetGalley & HQ for giving me the opportunity to read an arc of this in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger warnings: This book mentions &/or contains addictions, loss of parent, bullying & suicide.

A sweet read for me! Small towns and libraries. Loved the characters and how the storyline flowed. A feel-good book that I didn't want to end. Five stars!

I absolutely loved the concept of this book! Who of us isn't guilty of judging a book, or person, by its cover at one point or another in life? The story follows a young lady who seems to have everything, but just wants the chance to live her own life, and her interactions with some of the town misfits. It's a sweet story, but one with a very deep message of looking inside yourself and then taking a second look around at the things you THINK you know...

Another day, another @rebeccaraisinwrites gem to add to my favourites!

Once again Rebecca has written characters I cannot help but fall in love with that live in a place I long to visit! Elodie is the daughter of a media empire who is desperate to carve her own path in life, doing the thing she longs to do, being a librarian. Along the way she befriends all the misfits and outcasts of Willow Grove and brings together a community in the most magical and fascinating way. My express favourite is Alfie, a precocious, hilarious and outspoken beauty of a boy, who has Autism. He reminded me so much of my friends boy and having a brother with Autism, I empathised so heavily with the struggles his amazing mum Jo has faced in an attempt to give her son the best life possible.

I've said it before and I'll say it again I ADORE Rebecca's books and will buy them blindly without question. My love of her books is only enhanced by how lovely she is as a person, thank you Rebecca, @hqstories and @netgalley for the early access. It was, as always, a pleasure.

Elodie’s Library of Second Chances
by Rebecca Raisin
A warm, sweet book . Everyone needs to save all libraries and never. A book is full of second chances and caring.

This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review. Cozy fun read. Likable characters and a storyline that is intriguing. This author is talented in weaving a lifelike story. Enjoy this book and the characters. Looking forward to another one.

A delightful tale of friendship and new beginnings. Set in a small town library this heartwarming story is a must read for the summer.

A charming, positively warm book with a can do, confident spirited lead character - Elodie. A perfect summer read filled with good old gumption and no judgement.

This was absolutely delightful. The plot was well-paced and captivating from start to finish. The characters were charming and witty. I highly recommend this fun and quick read! Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

I read the other books in this series around the holidays and was pleased to see another "British women doing things" story was on its way--it did not disappoint! In this one, Ellie is the daughter of a media and publishing company power couple and the face of the company, their decision not hers. She is finally fed up with working for her mother doing a job she doesn't care about when she happens to see an add about a small rural library that might be closing but is looking for a new librarian for now. She decides to brush up her unused library degree skills and apply using her full name Elodie to distance herself from her family, and is surprised to get the job. When she arrives she meets the town's handsome journalist and learns more about small town life and the backwards thinking when it comes to outsiders and appearances. She decides to save the library and one way she will do so is to host programs where people can borrow human books to learn their real stories and she knows just who to ask--the other town outcasts.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! Watch for this when it is released Aug 4/22. My review will live in a story highlight called ARCReviews on my Instagram.

While this book wasn't for me, I'm sure there are many who will enjoy it. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

I've never read a RR book I didn't love and this was no exception. Her characters are just so entertaining and likable you want to spend the whole weekend with them - which I did and had a marvelous time.

I sat down on a rainy afternoon to start Eloidie’s Library of Second Chances And I didn’t stop until I’d finished.

It was an absolute joy to read simple but definitely not Boring.

I haven’t read anything before by Rebecca Raisin but I’ll definitely be looking out for her next publication. I can’t recommend this book highly enough grab yourself a cup of tea sit down and prepare to be transported to a world of reading bliss.

What a wholesome read! This book made me want to run away and become a librarian too; a girl can dream right? I loved the idea of a People's Library and the way that it was used to bring a community together. It spoke to my background as an Occupational Therapist and how important it is for people to have meaningful connections with others and meaningful pursuits in their lives. It made me want to pursue and further explore how a career as an OT could link with community libraries an offer community-based initiatives for all. My only criticism of this book was that Elodie always seemed to have the right thing to say, like offering parenting advice despite not being a parent herself, and being able to understand exactly what other people were going through despite coming from a very privileged life in London. At times this felt a little unrealistic and I actually found myself wanting to see a more vulnerable, fallible version of Elodie where she didn't always do or say the right thing, or perfectly understand everyone. I also noted a few grammatical errors and a couple of words missing here or there, but I imagine these will be picked up and sorted before publishing. All in all, a delightful but also though provoking read that now has me dreaming big for my future!

This is such an enjoyable story. I loved the characters in the library and their 'living book' tales. A fabulous idea to fit into a community.

This book is a warm blanket and a cup of tea. It is a much needed break from the worries of day to day life, and it reminds us that there is good in people. I felt so much joy and comfort with this book and I am so grateful I read it!

What a lovely book about how we should never judge a book by its cover and how everyone deserves a second chance. Elodie wants to follow her dream of being a librarian but works for the family firm where she is known as Ellie, and her mother, who is totally success driven, won’t hear of Elodie doing anything else. Using her real name she takes on the job as librarian at Willow Grove and is tasked with saving the library. A host of meaningful characters who all have stories that you learn about through the book with none of them taking centre stage. Uplifting, heartwarming and inspiring this is an absolute gem.
Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Stories for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Elodie doesn’t have a life to call her known, she is the face of Astor, something she really has no interest in or passion for. What she loves doing is reading and when she spots an article about Willow Grove library needing a new librarian, she decides now is the time to go for it.

This is a nice, easy read, which makes you think how we all make judgements about people based on looks, gossip and preconceived ideas. Some of the characters really resonated, like Alfie - really nicely written and understood by the author, and Harry - how many times do you walk passed a homeless person as though they don’t exist. Thought provoking, with a decent story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. 3 1/2⭐️

Never judge a book by its cover, especially this one. I definitely wanted to read this based on the gorgeous cover alone, which was silly of me. I couldn’t relate to any of the characters and didn’t care what happened to any of them.

I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for a review and opinions are my own.

A sweet story about a woman of privledge looking for a life on her own terms. Elodie wants to save the library that once made her want to be a librarian and in doing so changes herself and the town. A quick read, but a good story.