As usual, Alice did not disappoint. I absolutely loved this book, just as I had her others. I was instantly drawn into the plot of the story and the characters. The power of books and their importance is beautiful. I also loved the aspect of the woman breaking free from the cult. I just loved it overall.

Banned Books, Banned artwork, cults, magical realism and time travel. I'm always in awe at what Alice Hoffman creates. She is a fantastic storyteller. I loved this tale of a young girl getting trapped in a cult and her daughter escaping the cult and going back in time. This book is heavy with loss and grief. I found myself near tears many times. Definitely a book that will stay with me.

Alice Hoffman writes lyrically with prose that touches the heart. When Ivy finds out out is pregnant, she sees limited choices after disappointing her wealthy Boston parents. Ivey runs away and ends up in a community that is a cult. When Ivy has Mia, she realizes her mistake but cannot escape. Mia finds escape through the books she steals from the local library. Both reading and the library are prohibited, but Mia finds a different path. I would give the first half of the book five stars, but when the magical realism comes into play, Mia time travels back to 1837, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Scarlet Letter is what gave her the strength to leave, but the story becomes a little too unrealistic. Recommended for the beautiful writing and heartfelt emotions. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity.

Ivy is a scared teenager—pregnant with nowhere to go. She finds the Community, an isolated commune that she thinks is the answer to her problems.

But once she gives birth to her daughter Mia, Ivy realizes the idyllic farm is not the paradise she’d hoped for.

When she’s 15, Mia runs away from the only home she’s ever known.

She runs to her true home—the town library, where she finds shelter and safety in the form of librarian Sarah and her partner Constance.

Mia starts a new life, carrying with her just her treasured book, The Scarlet Letter, with a mysterious inscription.

As she grows to adulthood and becomes a librarian herself, Mia slips back in time and meets her hero, her idol, Nathaniel Hawthorne.

But she must choose—love in the past, or a future she must build herself.

***

Alice Hoffman’s latest is a love letter to books and the power of reading.

Through Mia, she explores how one book can transform the way you see your life, and yourself.

I’m a fan of Hoffman’s work, and The Scarlet Letter is one of all-time favorites, so I was excited to read this. And it didn’t disappoint. This was quintessential Hoffman—lots of witch-y, woodsy vibes. It was a quick, engrossing read even though there weren’t any great surprises in the story.

Check out this book if you love books or stories about the unbreakable love between a mother and child.

Thanks to @netgalley for the eARC!

a heartbreaking novel that will take you to so many hard decisions, a woman who must change everything all the rules that she was raised with, love is stronger than any community or any rules, love should be and only be the thing. The story of Mia who fell in love with books and stories and then with a writer.

Thank you, NetGalley and Atria Books, for the advanced copy of The Invisible Hour in exchange for my honest review.

While The Invisible Hour was not my favorite Alice Hoffman book, I enjoyed many aspects of this novel. I completely loved the first part of the novel but then it kind of turns into a whole other story. It was hard for me to connect with Part 2 of the novel but I tired. It was a little far fetched as well which did not help me make the connections that I usually make with a Hoffman novel. I will still continue to read her books though because she does have a way with words that draws me in.

This was my first Alice Hoffman book. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that she has written many others and has quite the following. As I progressed through the book, it became clear very quickly that Alice Hoffman knows how to create magic. The story is very multi-layered, with several things happening within the plots. On one hand, the main character is in our contemporary world, trying desperately to escape the cult that she has found herself entrenched in. On the other hand, there's a mystical realm that plays a big part in Mia's journey. It's a wonderfully detailed, magical story. A definite recommend!

As always, I am a tremendous fan of Anne Hoffman and enjoyed this weaving, magical tale of mother and daughter, of two women finding themselves in a world designed to prevent them from blooming.

This was enjoyable but it lacked Hoffman's signature magic. There's something beautiful about the way Alice Hoffman writes, how she weaves magic throughout her novels, and the way characters end up connecting in the end. The Invisible Hour did not have those elements that I look forward to when I pick up a novel by Alice Hoffman. This was just enjoyable, but not a story that will stick with me. I am sorry this one missed the mark for me, but I do think others will enjoy it! I can't wait to see what Hoffman writes next.

I received an e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

I have a hard time reviewing this book, because it's divided into three parts and really feels like three distinct works. I enjoyed the first half, where we meet the main character Mia, and her mother Ivy. There is an abrupt shift in setting, tone, and character arc around halfway through the book, and it lost me a bit. There are elements of magical realism that I wasn't anticipating. The descriptions of the book do not mention this plot twist, as it is the crux of the novel and would really spoil things, but had I known about it, I probably would have skipped this book and opted instead to read something from Alice Hoffman's back catalog. Her beautiful writing and storytelling is present here as in her other novels, but this one didn't stand out to me.

This book was a quick read for me. I looked up after my first sitting with it and had read about 20%!

This story helped me realize why I had such big dreams for myself when I was a kid. I envisioned a life that I had never experienced before, almost like a fairytale, because i was a reader. And readers are believers and achievers.

I liked the book but the ending fell a little flat for me.

A beautiful story filled with heartbreak and just a touch of magic.
The story follows Mia, raised by her mom in a cult called the Community where women don’t have rights. Reading the Scarlet Letter which she snuck from the library brings her such a sense of familiarity, almost as if it was written about her mom and upbringing . But as she tempts fate with the outside world, her life becomes more entwined with that of the author, himself, Nathaniel Hawthorne. This is a heart wrenching novel not only about love and heartbreak, but courage and fighting for yourself and the ones you love. Thank you to Atria Books for the ARC.

This book had me in my feelings. I love books about books and when combined with thoughtful storytelling, love, and intersected with family, it was just captivating. I did feel like something was missing but overall and did not quite seem like a usual Alice Hoffman book. Overall I liked it and found myself continuing to think about. Thank you for the ARC!

Alice Hoffman always delivers a superior story that stays with me and I keep thinking about how she wove the strands together.
Thank you for sharing this book with me.

Although not my favorite Alice Hoffman book, I loved the writing in this one. The author is able to build a compelling story and clearly demonstrates strong character development. The theme of importance of books is near and dear to my heart and any book lover would find this novel to be an authentic portrayal of the magic of books. Alice Hoffman has an easy to read but elegant writing style that will easily capture the hearts of many readers. I will definitely continue to pick up her books in the future.

4/5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. This was yet another wonderful book by Alice Hoffman. She has a wonderful way to tell a story that makes her books fun and exciting reads.

I thoroughly enjoyed the activity of reading this book. Its prose is leisurely and the descriptions are beautiful. The experience was like taking an autumn walk. I enjoyed aspects of the story, but the overall effect was somewhat disjointed. POV seemed to shift within paragraphs at times which took getting used to and often felt a little bit like whiplash. The story managed to somehow be slow paced and move quickly at the same time. You would spend an entire (long) chapter on one day only to shift 2-15 years at the beginning of the next one. The ties to the Scarlett Letter weren't quite as extensive as I expected. There is a cult that is a major feature of the story, that uses the branding of letters on women's bodies as punishment for their "crimes" and Nathaniel Hawthorne is a character beginning in part 2, but I felt like there were missed opportunities.

As a lover of magical realism and stories that aren't quite full fantasy, I loved those aspects of the book, but I wished they had shown up sooner. The connections felt like they came at the end of a story and all of the sudden there was a whole other story. If I were rating this book exclusively on vibes, I'd give it 5⭐, but because of the disjointed POV and the pacing issues, my overall rating is 3.5⭐.

I absolutely loved this book. I went into it knowing absolutely nothing about the plot, but immediately got swept up in the story and finished the book in 2 sittings. The writing is spectacular and the characters are unforgettable. This one will be living rent-free in my head for quite some time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC!

Rating: Did not finish at 63%
Star Rating: 3 Stars

Thank you to Net Galley and Atria Books for providing me with the DRC to review. This book had such a promising premise, but it really just didn't do it for me. I found myself unable to really connect with the characters and possibly would have liked more detail into their initial background. I like the magical element to it, but other parts of the book seemed like it was trying to be 3-4 different types of book.
It felt at times like a coming of age, conquering your past type of story, but at other times went into the territory of abusive relationships with the relationship between Ivy & Joel in The Community. Then it had this magic element of discovering books and their healing power.
I just found it had compelling bits in different parts of the story, but was trying to make every point at once.

I could see people enjoying this book that are standby Alice Hoffman fans, or are more invested into the Mia/Nathaniel portion of the book, but it was not for myself.

Alice Hoffman has a place in our hearts with all of her books, including Practical Magic (one of our favorite series). So it is no surprise that her newest book is on our list of time travel romance books. This is the newest Alice Hoffman book and it is a book lover's dream come true.

This fantasy is a story of love, heartbreak, and the magic of books. Mia Jacob is on the verge of sinking herself into a river when the book The Scarlet Letter saves her. The words seem to tell her story of growing up in an oppressive cult where contact with the outside world is forbidden and reading books is a heinous crime.

Even more daunting is the inscription on the inside of the book that is inscribed to her. This is a time travel romance book as only Hoffman could do it. I loved the audio version of the book- it brought life and depth to this story.