3.5

Ava's quiet life is turned upside down when she refuses a stranger's advances at a local bistro. When he tells her she will be sorry, she can't help but wonder if her past is coming back to haunt her.

Ava was coming up on the tenth anniversary of something traumatic from her past. What exactly happened was kept a mystery until the end of the story with the likely intent of creating a sense of unease. Instead, it gave me sheer frustration. I felt beat over the head with the fact that Ava had this "thing" in her past. I got it the first time. It didn't need repeating. Ava had a past and it made her paranoid.

My frustration doubled down when Ava attributed some very odd things to her paranoia instead of the fact that her circumstances were actually just really stinking creepy!

Right off the bat, I just don't love these generic book titles. Even though Ava was the head librarian at Tate Modern, I didn't feel that the narrative had enough to do with the library or her position there to warrant that title.

The story veered toward the unrealistic and a little too popcorn-y to me but it did keep me turning the pages so I can't complain.

3.5 stars
Why do we not follow our gut feelings? Why do our best friends seem to think it is ok to brush off those gut feelings their friend has...The Librarian touches on these thoughts and ultimately...the best advice learned is Do Not Discount Your Gut Feelings.

I love love loved the beginning and the writing style throughout! I feel like it was so intense and just a really good, really easy thriller. I marked it down slightly just because I feel like the plot twist was slightly predictable. But overall loved the book!

I really enjoyed the beginning of this book! It hooked me from the start and I was even spooked. Things started to get a little slow and I was confused where it was going. Overall it was a fast read with lots of twists. Not my favorite of thrillers due to some events being a little over the top and non believable.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of The Librarian by Valerie Keogh from Net Galley and Boldwood Books in order to read and give an honest review.

…Overall, it was an okay read I give it a 3.5 rounded up. It was an entertaining and quick read that would be perfect on a dark and stormy night….

Introverted Ava Warrington works as a librarian at Tate Modern. Living a quiet life in London, a dedicated workaholic. When Ava and her best friend Poppy visit a bistro for a drink as usual her attractive, flirtatious, and outgoing friend gets close to a handsome gentleman she spots at the bar. When Ava, feeling ill, excuses herself for a few minutes and upon her return to the table notices her seat was filled by the gentleman that Poppy had been flirting with. While getting ready to leave another man approaches Ava, insistent on buying her a drink but when he politely declines the man pursues her and becomes aggressive. When she stands her ground, he is angry and warns her that she will be sorry. Not being able to shake the incident, she realizes that it is the ten-year anniversary of a traumatic event from her university days which has caused her to run away from the world and hide in her “safe life.” When she is set up for a heinous crime at work, suspended, making her feel like her world is falling apart.

While trying to think who could be setting her up her mind kept coming back to the gentleman at the bistro as he was the only one who had taken issue with her. She confides in her friend Poppy who is self-interested, occupied with her new romance. A colleague believes her and wants to help so they decide to stake out the bistro together for the mysterious man. Things take a bizarre turn when she experiences a few creepy occurrences, she feels she is being watched and she learns of the murder of a colleague. When it becomes clear to Ava that she is alone it is up to her to clear her own name and get her job back. When at her lowest, not sure if her paranoia is due to the ten-year anniversary, her friend Poppy goes missing after making plans with her and when she realizes she is alone she turns to her older sister Judy for help. After a string of occurrences lead her on a harrowing journey, she learns that she can no longer run away from her past.

This was a tough review for me…parts of it I really enjoyed, some not so much but, in my opinion, it had a lot of potential, but it just fell flat for me. I enjoyed the atmosphere and tension the author brought to the page as well as the cleverly crafted and complex characters, I will say this, wow, the villains were definitely chill worthy. However, there were numerous references to the traumatic event from Ava’s past to the point of becoming tedious. The event is not really revealed until the climax and even then, the backstory seemed disappointing. Overall, it was an okay read I give it a 3.5 rounded up. It was an entertaining and quick read that would be perfect on a dark and stormy night.

I wasn’t as impressed with this book as I was hoping to be. The beginning of the book started off with a bang, but then quickly fizzled out and did not regain momentum until the very end of the book. None of the main characters were all that likable in my opinion. Ava, especially, was super frustrating. She continuously lamented the person she used to be, and her “inability” to say no. It also felt like she would get really annoyed or frustrated without any cause.

The ending of the book left a lot to be desired. It wasn’t until then that we think we find out what happened 10 years prior, but even then, it’s unclear (literally) what actually happened. There is still more information being uncovered - and then it just ends. I was hoping for an epilogue to tell me more about what happened with Dustin and Noah, how Poppy recovers and/or what she has to say about the whole thing, does Ava ever learn to say “no”…but we get nothing.

All in all, it was just okay.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to #Netgalley and #BoldwoodBooks for the #ARC of #TheLibrarian. I had been in a reading slump before getting to this book, and when I got about 1/3 through I officially had lost my slump. I just had to read and squeeze in 5 minutes here and there. The only negative I have to give is the narrative can move quite slowly at time, but then when it picks up it really makes up for it.

Shhh....silence is safer...but is it?

Ava Warrington is a quiet reserved young woman with her dream job as head librarian at the Tate Modern in London. After university many of her friends travelled or took up fancy jobs abroad but after a chance application, Ava found herself working at the Tate fresh out of university. And she loves her job. Every evening she comes home to the house her parents gifted her, kicks off her shoes and relaxes in the silence.

But lately that silence has become deafening. A reminder than not all is as it should be and that she doesn't truly deserve this. And that one day, it can all be snatched away in the blink of an eye.

And then it is.

It begins with a chance encounter at a bistro one afternoon. A lunch with best friend Poppy who is busy scouting for her next conquest, eyeing off two potentials...one of which she lands without effort and Ava leaves her friend in his capable hands and heads off home. But she is stopped by a dark eyed handsome stranger who insists on buying her a drink. Ava, who is forever told by her sister and Poppy that she doesn't know how to say no, thinks on the invitation before telling him just that - "No, thank you." But it seems he isn't listening and he bars her way, insisting on just one drink. But there is something in his eyes - something predatory - that makes her act on her original instinct. And she leaves him standing in the doorway shouting after her "You'll be sorry."

Words that come back to haunt her in her waking hours and her dreams. "You'll be sorry". When she finds a bloodied bird on her window but returns home to find no trace of it there. When she is suspended from the job she loves for ruining a valuable painting. When she's in the silence of her home. When she's lost to sleep and dreams of the past. When everything comes back to haunt her...she hears those words over and over and over. "You'll be sorry."

So much goes wrong for Ava where do I begin? Sadly, I almost missed it for fear of falling asleep the pace was so slow and the silence deafening. And don't get me started on Poppy. The woman is supposed to be her best friend but all she's interested in is sharing everything about the latest love of her life that she's "got a good feeling about this one", forgetting she's said the same about the last dozen of them. When Ava truly needed a friend, all Poppy could think about was herself. And then had the audacity to say she's such a drama queen. The one time Ava asked if she could come over after being suspended from her dream job, Poppy says "Oh I would but Noah (her latest conquest) is on his way over..." Ava would have dropped everything for Poppy if she needed her. This sounds all too familiar to me and I hate one-way friendships/relationships. I've been a doormat for people for most of my life and I will still gladly help them if they need me...yet can the same be said for them? Not one person rang me for my birthday so I guess that in itself is very telling. Like me, Ava is there for her friends and family should they need her but are they there for her? I really felt for Ava.

Overall, THE LIBRARIAN is a slow burn thriller that builds its pace with a palpable tension throughout. Sadly, it wasn't enough to hold my attention and I ended up skimming through most of it to find out how it all unravelled.

I would like to thank #ValerieKeogh, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #TheLibrarian in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

The Librarian is a slow-build, tense and twisted read. Valerie Keogh does an excellent job of presenting a well-crafted plot with a mix of endearing, creepy and disturbing characters. Ava Warrington, head librarian at The Tate Modern, lives vicariously through her best friend, Poppy. She lives a recluse life by choice after the harrowing life-changing event ten years ago. With the impending and dreadful anniversary, Ava notices that her seemingly mundane life is drastically changing; her professionalism is questioned, her friend goes incognito, and she cannot shake the sinking feeling of being watched. Did this primarily happen after refusing to drink with a stranger who reeked of danger? Is there more to this that Ava cannot see? The author has done a fantastic job creating a well-rounded, introverted protagonist. Though the landscapes are limited, there is an element of freshness with little repetition. The ending was twisted and shocking, one I could have never imagined.

For fans of tense suspense, do not skip this one! Thank you, NetGalley & Boldwood Books, for an ARC. This honest review is left voluntarily.

After an uncomfortable interaction with a strange man, Ava finds her once boring, repetitive life a little more exciting when odd things begin to happen.

Although I loved the thrilling aspects of this book, I did feel that the repetitive alluding to Ava's past which eventually is revealed, could have been done far earlier. I feel it added filler to the book and not really in a good way.

I would read more from this author in the future for sure!

Ava isn’t living her life. She is simply existing. She loves hearing about other people’s excitement, but keeps herself very much under the radar, throwing all of her energy and focus to her dream job, as librarian at Tate Modern.

After Ava turns down a predatory man in a wine bar and he tells her she will be sorry, strange and unnerving things start to happen.

The book is a quick read and quite enjoyable, however I did find the plot a bit thin and repetitive. It was clear from the start that the current events were linked to an incident 10 years previously to which Ava alludes throughout. I felt it would have been more affective to give the reader the details of the incident earlier on, so that the ending (which was excellent) would have linked in more effectively.

I look forward to reading more for this author.

3/3.5⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Valerie Keogh does it again! This was a quick and easy read and had a similar style to her other books, which I enjoy - if you are a fan of hers, you won’t be disappointed!


4.5/5 stars ⭐️

One of my newer favorite writers, Valerie Keogh can weave together a story that creeps up on you. This has twists and turns and kept me on my toes!

The Librarian by Valerie Keogh

Since that fateful night, I have always kept myself to myself. Reserved. Private. Alone.

Some people think I am too quiet. That life is passing me by. But I know there is safety in my own company. That no one can hurt me if I don’t let them get too close. Until the day I meet him. A handsome, charming stranger. A chance for me to take a risk…finally? Or a man who threatens everything I’ve worked so hard for? You’ll be sorry… And that’s when my whole life begins to fall apart….

Out on April 21, so good!

The story is a slow burner which builds and builds to a great crescendo of an ending. It will have you on the edge of your seat with the "spooky" parts wondering what should Ava - the main character -do at times and feeling all her tension and edginess. As the reader, you are not told what is the full cause of all her anxieties until the end which keeps you guessing throughout the book.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review.

What a great read. I’ve read a lot of this authors books and for me this was up there with the best of them. A slow burn psychological thriller about Ava Warrington, head librarian at The Tate Modern. Ava is a quiet, reserved woman ever since an unknown event that took place when she was at university, 10 years ago. But her life is about to be turned upside down.

Briefly, after a night out with her outgoing friend Poppy, Ava is propositioned by a man who becomes threatening when she turns him down. Almost immediately afterwards strange things start to happen to Ava and a friend who is helping her is murdered. Although she has no proof, so doesn’t go to the police, Ava is convinced the ‘Bistro Man’ has something to do with the strange events and possibly the murder. However, when Ava finds Poppy unconscious from a drug overdose and the police become involved, she shares her beliefs with them.

The tension as things happen to Ava is palpable, I could imagine just how scary this must have been. The crow! Full of twists and turns my reading about who the killer had to be was totally wrong. As it moves towards the reveal this got pretty scary, and violent, but not graphically. An easy read, well plotted thriller with plenty of suspense and a shocking ending. Very enjoyable.

Stretches belief. Reads like a magazine story. Repeating "The Thing that Happened Ten Years Ago" every chapter (at least once, often more) does not build tension, it irritates. (You even know what it was, albeit without detail)...
The "baddies" explaining all their plans, motivations and what they've done to an ever-patient and understanding police officer, is childish. In one scene, where all suspects should have been arrested until everyone was investigated, 2 were just "believed" and praised by the police. Oddly naive. I did keep (skim) reading till the end. Involved far too much domestic detail (eg re applicances, making coffee etc), bit like verbal diarrhea. Not one for me.

Thank you to #Netgalley and #BoldwoodBooks for my copy of #TheLibrarian by #ValerieKeogh
WOW This book had me from the start.
10 years ago at university Ava met Simon and everything went wrong, with her life plan totally changed Ava decided to keep her head down, enjoy her work and let the rest of life pass her by.
But life’s not like that and when others are let in who knows what will happen.
A great read
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Very intriguing and not what I expected at all. I was a little thrown off by the title. While the main character is a Librarian, I didn't think it had a lot to do with the storyline. That's neither hear nor there though. It was invested and creeped out and on the edge of my seat. A couple things were a little out there and hard to swallow when all was revealed, but I enjoyed this very much.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this advanced reader copy. Ava is not who you think she is; although she has her dream job, something is missing. A meeting with Poppy at the bistro changes Ava's life and direction. A polite stranger drags her into a whirlwind mess. What will she do??? Turn off Dateline and grab this book for your weekend reading.

Ava was what many people would describe as a typical Librarian someone who is quiet and reserved but this isn’t through choice but rather because she is hiding from life due to an incident that happened ten years ago.

This was a great psychological thriller that had twists and turns right from the start as Ava’s carefully constructed life starts to unfold. This book had me hooked from the moment I started it and definitely didn’t disappoint I was kept gripped thorough out. I will definitely be reading some more of Valerie’s books.

I would like to thank BoldwoodBooks books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.