I DNF'd this audiobook at 25%. The synopsis does not match the actual book; it promised a locked room mystery and this was NOT that. The characters became heavily invested in each other so quickly and with no reason. They might have cared, but I had no reason to care about them or what happened to the victim. While the narrator was good overall, her Southern accent was awful and completely took me out of the book every time Cain spoke.

☕️𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐈𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲☕️

For fans of: Agatha Christie, Clue, Knives Out, Only Murders in the Building, and locked room mysteries🔪🔍

𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Who dun it
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞: locked room
𝐏𝐮𝐛. 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: June 7th, 2022
𝐌𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 4 stars
𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 3.7

Guys, I am so excited for tonight’s signing of Riley Sager’s new book (and mostly just to link up and hang out with some cool houston bookstagrammers🤩💃🏼) BUT I do need to stay up with posting reviews from books I read this past weekend so without further ado, The Woman in the Library🔍👏🏻

This is a PLAYFUL mystery/who dun it and I loved it because it was a breath of fresh air compared to all these domestic thrillers I’ve been reading lately🖤

“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.”

𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲? 𝐎𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐞? 𝐎𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 ‘𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠’? 𝐈𝐟 𝐬𝐨, 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡. 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫👀🔪🔍

The setup of this book was intriguing and probably a big part of the reason why I kept reading this one, However it also did make the story a bit confusing. I kept reading through or reread where I needed to and realized that it was just the set up of the book that left me with questions and confusion, It was easy to understand why and I continued, but the ending really fell short for me, Looking back the guilty party was obvious, but it was constantly brushed off which became a little annoying,

Okay, so this one took me quite a while to get through. No skimming for this one. And a lot of rereading to make sure I was comprehending the characters and events. I definitely had a few moments where I didn't know if I wanted to keep reading or DNF.

The part I really liked was how difficult it can be to be a writer. It was nice to read about that, even if it was in a fictional book. But then the book within a book kind of made my head spin.

You need to pay attention to this one, which isn't a flaw, but I think I was just not in the headspace for this. Maybe at another time, I would have enjoyed it a bit more.

Maybe I'll reread this in a couple of years, it'll be like a new book, and I'll like it more.

✨ Review ✨ The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill; Narrated by Katherine Littrell

The narrative structure of this book is utterly inexplainable until you read it, but I'll try! The book intersperses two storylines. One storyline is the content of a new novel that Australian author Hannah is writing. The second storyline is feedback to Hannah from a beta reader which comes after each chapter. The book pairs the new novel's chapters with the commentary from the reader, and the way these stories interact is so creative! This doesn't do the story's structure justice but I really loved this.

The novel within the novel was about a group of four friends that forms after they hear a scream in the Boston library. As we follow these four strangers that set out to solve a murder, all sorts of twists and turns emerge.

But this is where things get confusing. The book Hannah is writing (the novel within the novel) is about an Australian writer Freddie, and both stories feature a Leo (which is a clever storytelling mechanism but also can be a little confusing).

For me, this book some talking through after to appreciate in its fullness. It's probably not my favorite book I've read lately but that didn't stop me from marveling at its innovative approach to storytelling.

The audiobook version was a good listen, but if you struggle with multiple narratives or a lot of characters in stories, you might prefer to take notes or read the ebook.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 💫
Genre: thriller, mystery, literary fiction
Location: Boston, Australia
Pub Date: Out now!

Read this if you like:
⭕️ Dual side-by-side narratives
⭕️ "Gentle" thrillers - not too much gory violence
⭕️ f/m romance storyline woven into a thriller

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press, Dreamscape Media, and #netgalley for an e-copy and audio copy of this book!

THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY is not like your regular book. This is a book within a book, written by Hannah Tigone. Her book follows Freddie, an Australian who is staying in Boston on a fellowship while she works on her novel. The first chapter really sucks you in and ends with such a perfect line. Freddie is struggling with her novel and finds herself writing details about the three strangers around her while they are in the reading room a the Boston Public Library. Then, a scream happens, which breaks the ice for the four strangers to talk. A fast friendship is formed and the four find themselves in a real life mystery after the discovery of a body in the library.

As I mentioned, this book is a book within a book and in between chapters, we read correspondences from Leo, a fan and beta reader for Hannah, the fictional author. Leo is an aspiring writer himself and in between giving advice to Hannah, is seeking advice of his own. This whole section is its own subplot as the messages from Leo become worrisome. It’s like two stories in one, which started off okay, and then became distracting almost.

The format is really interesting but in the end, doesn’t really add to the story, and in some instances, takes away from it. I found Leo’s parts to be upsetting at times and just unnecessary at others. The fictional story following Freddie and her new friends was good and engaging enough without the added b-story. Aside from that, the pacing was good with interesting characters and a great mystery. I found that the ending felt rushed, but, overall, I enjoyed the audiobook and found it to be a quick read!

Thanks Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for an audio copy of this book. I loved it. This is a story within a story. Freddie, Cain, Marigold, and Witt all meet in the reading room of the Boston Public Library. They all seem to be aspiring authors. Only Cain is actually published. The four hear a woman and scream and later that night they learn that a woman was found dead in the library. Freddie lives in the same building as Leo and he seems like a shady character. Always popping up. The book is told as if a woman named Hannah were writing it from Australia and she is sending copies to a man named Leo who has taken it upon himself to correct all the things American that she doesn’t know. This was a great book to listen to, the narrator kept things interesting and didn’t try too hard with the Aussie accent. She also didn’t go crazy trying to do a Bostonian accent.

A riveting and surprising read! Some mysteries you figure out right away, but this one kept me guessing until the end.

I hadn't realized from the book description that this was a story-within-a-story and found the surrounding narrative a bit disruptive at first as it builds much slower than the main text, but it escalates quickly and soon I was just as hooked on that story.

I can't wait to read more by Gentill! And the audiobook narrator was absolutely brilliant!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the interesting structure of this “story within a story” mystery. An Australian bestseller mystery author, Hannah is writing a new murder mystery based in Boston while she is confined in Australia because of Covid-19 pandemic. Her American super-fan Leo became her test-reader and started to correspond with Hannah.

In the story within story, the protagonist, Freddy is also an Australian female author who is writing a new novel while on a scholarship. While Freddy was in the Boston Public Library, she hears a scream. Later, the woman's body was discovered in the library, and Freddy and three other tablemates who heard the scream together became good friends.

There are so many red-herrings and twists and turns. Also there are 2 Leos out side and inside of the story. You'll never get bored.

I was not very satisfied with the (surprise) ending. Therefore, 4 stars.

3.5 rounded down for the audiobook.

I started this book as an audiobook. The format is set up as alternating letters/e-mails from aspiring author Leo (in the US) to Hannah, an accomplished Australian author who is writing a book about the murder of a woman in a library and the group of people who are doing some armchair investigating of the crime. Hannah's chapters are all her writing, featuring the main character Winifred "Freddie". We don't get any of her voice in the book other than her writing. Confused yet? I promise, it's not that complicated once you get going.

The thing that didn't work for the audiobook for me was that there was only one narrator, a female. It would have worked SO much better had there been a male narrating Leo's portions and a female narrating Hannah's book. I honestly got lost with who was talking and it took me out of the story. When I switched to the print version, it was much easier to keep track of what was happening.

At almost 50% into the book, things get very interesting. I admit that it might be a chore for some readers to stick with it to that point, but if you do the payoff is worth it. Things get much more sinister and intriguing and I honestly wish we had a bit more from that side of things (you'll know what I mean when you get there).

Overall, I really enjoyed this book within a book, but it does take a bit of work on the reader's part to puzzle out what is going on and how everything fits together. This is a unique read and I'm glad I took the opportunity to experience it.

It’s #thrillerthursday and, while Sulari Gentill’s The Woman in the Library isn’t the scariest of thrillers, it starts with a bang and keeps the suspense notched up until the final chapter. Plus, it’s a book within a book, a trope that lots of us love.

The characters are easy to become attached to. They’re all hiding something, and I think you might be as surprised as I was by the end!

Thanks to my pals at @poisonedpenpress and @dreamscape_media I was able to enjoy The Woman in the Library in both print and audio, and Katherine Littrell’s narration is absolutely perfect.

This is a twisty classic mystery, what the author calls “a locked room in reverse.” It all starts when a blood-curdling scream rings out in the Boston Public Library, as four strangers are seated at the same table in the reading room. This is where the above photo was taken, also the site of my engagement pics. 😉 I loved all of the twists and turns in this book and really didn’t guess the killer until the end. The book is constructed as the chapters interspersed with feedback from a pen-pal. I found this book to be very creative and well written. I listened to the audiobook, and the narration was fabulous. As a local, it was also fun to read a book set in Boston and the surrounding area.

I typically do not listen to audiobooks but I was so captivated by this story I wanted to be able to continue listening while doing work and being outside. The narrator was excellent and captured the accent and voices of the various characters.

The format for "The Woman in the Library" is a story within a story told with corresponding letters. Which probably makes no sense until you actually start reading the book. But I loved how it was about an author writing a book that was about an author writing a book.

Enough about that... it also begins with a scream. While writing in the Boston Public Library, Freddie is at a table in the BPL with three others who hear the scream. The four become close immediately, bonded by that moment. But one is the killer.

Hannah is writing the story of Freddie and the others, corresponding with Leo overseas. Leo's letters give insight and feedback into Hannah's writing and what reader's may think of Freddie and the others as the pandemic rages in "real" time.

I read and listened to this book, thanks to Netgally and Sourcebooks. I would highly recommend this to mystery/suspense fans both due to the unique format and the way the plot keeps you guessing until the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC copy of The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill!

I enjoyed this mystery and I liked the story within a story format of this book!

This was a story within a story within a letter (I think). To say I was confused though listening to this audio would be right. We start in the Boston Library where suddenly there is a scream and everyone is ushered out and a body is found. Therein lies the mystery. Who is the murderer? We are led to believe from the beginning it is one of them. One of them is an author who is writing a book with the help of a series of letters from someone in Australia (I think). I was confused through most of this but had figured out the murdered long before the ending. Can I recommend this one? Sure, maybe you will be able to keep it all straight...

This one promises a story in a story, as most of the book is actually a novel that the main character is writing.
Confused? Me too… I started and restarted this several times and never felt certain that I knew what was happening.
Although I enjoy books that make you think, this one was too much work. I think this is would have worked better in print.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for my gifted ALC.

Well…that certainly wasn’t what I expected. I’m going to be honest, I really didn’t like this book. If I hadn’t had an audio copy, I wouldn’t have finished. Thankfully, the narrator was engaging enough that I could power through this while driving to-and-from work.

It’s partially my fault that I didn’t enjoy this. I misunderstood the premise and thought that it was going to be a locked-room mystery where a woman screams/dies in the library and then all of the characters are stuck there until the end. That’s not what this story is. Instead, it’s more like a book, within a book, within an overarching story. Our main character, Freddie, is a novelist, but it turns out that we are reading the work of an unseen character named Hannah Tigone - and that’s where this book lost me. If this had just been a standard whodunnit, I think I would have had a better time. Instead, the flow is constantly broken up at the end of each chapter with recaps/criticisms of the chapter we just read. Leo’s perspective is, frankly, exhausting and I couldn’t find myself to care about this additional storyline It didn’t further the plot in the slightest and became more of a distraction and hindrance than a help.

The story itself wasn’t bad. It was a fairly simple murder mystery. I actually figured out the plot about 20% in, but was kept intrigued enough until the end to figure out why - and if my guess was correct. None of the characters were particularly fleshed out and the ones that were felt more one dimensional than anything.

The narrator did a decent job, I think. I liked all of the different voices and accents, except for Cain’s. Cain is, explicity, from North Carolina and his non-rhotic/old south accent didn’t really fit with the geographical context. Regardless, I enjoyed Freddie’s Australian accent, and I liked that each of the characters were unique enough where I could tell them apart.

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me, but thank you so much to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

I enjoyed this story in a story, even though at times it moved a little slower than I like. There were some good twists and it did keep me guessing.
Katherine Littrell’s narration was very well done.

If you like books about books and mysteries this book is for you!

3 ½ stars

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher Dreamscape Media, LLC for a fair and honest review.

I listened to the audio of this book. It was well done and kept my attention. The plot is fiction written by an Australian author. She is sharing her chapters with Leo, a struggling writer and fan of Hannah’s previous work. Leo is based in Boston and shares his opinions and suggestions with Hannah about the setting of her book. Travel restrictions due to the COVID pandemic render Hannah unable to travel and Leo attempts to help her in her research throughout the writing process. We come to know Hannah's characters and the storyline of a "murder" in the library that bonds them all together. The story is somewhat slow and goes off course a few times. Overall, I liked the story, but it was not great, everything was tied together in the end...it just didn't pack a punch. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

I’m such a fan of the book within a book concept and add in a fun library setting, this one had so much potential! While the story within a story was incredibly clever and extremely well done at times, it also slowly became one of my least favourite things about this read as I found myself often confused and constantly questioning what was happening and what story I was in.

I applaud how difficult this one must have been to write as it was extremely multilayered with some intriguing and complex characters. I enjoyed the whodunit aspect and found the twists and turns entertaining.

I think this one’s worth checking out but go in in the right head space and ready to pay very close attention to detail!