This was a great audiobook. I really enjoyed the characters, all the book quotes -some from books I have read-, I enjoyed how each character had it's own chapters...it reminded me a little of A Man named Otto but better.

Thank you for his audiobook!

I found this narrator boring to listen to and the story just drug for me. I made it halfway through before I called it quits. It was just too slow of a story for me.

The Lonely Hearts Book Club was my first book by Lucy Gilmore, but how could I resist a book with a bookish theme??? This was a very sweet novel that made me laugh often. The characters were quirky, some to the point of being unrealistic, but they were likeable overall. This is one of those books I struggle to write a long review about because it was a simple, feel-good story set in the world of book-lovers. It succeeded as such and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for that, but not to anyone looking for a deeply unique or memorable story. That is not a negative. In fact, I read a lot of heavy themes and I absolutely adore getting quirky gems like this one as palate cleansers between my weightier stories.

I really enjoyed this sweet story. First of all I love me a crotchety old man. The old man that has a hard exterior but on the inside is a big softy. He was my favorite character in this book. I also enjoyed all the other characters and their back stories.

The Lonely Hearts Book Club starts when Sloane Parker (librarian extraordinaire) and Arthur McLachlan (grumpy old book lover) strike up a unique sort of friendship. From there, Maisie, Greg, Mateo, and others join in on the quirky adventures and conversations of this one-of-a-kind book club.

I listened to this book as an audiobook, and the saying “the narrator can make or break the audiobook” is definitely true in this case. I felt very underwhelmed by the narrator’s voice and impressions of the various characters. I kept thinking to myself that I would have enjoyed this book much more if I had read it instead of listened to it.

However, there are many parts of the book to love. The alternating viewpoints between the various members of the book club provide a clearer picture of why community and connection matter to each character in turn. The setting is very vivid and it feels like it could have taken place in my hometown, which I enjoyed. The overall feel of the book is one of friendship, optimism, and togetherness, which makes for a very light-hearted read (even if one of the main characters is described as an “old curmudgeon”).

I would recommend this book to anyone who considers themselves a bibliophile, enjoys a light-hearted story about friendship, or is simply looking for something different and more unique to read.

Starting with the story of Sloane, a librarian in a small town, and moving through chapters told by each of the main characters, the reader learns about their loves and heartaches. The misfits unite to form a most unlikely book club of boisterous, voracious readers and movie adaptation watchers.

The librarian in me absolutely loves books that represent those in my profession. Sloane shows compassion for her patron in the way she recommends books and then worries about Arthur things being "off" with him. Each character is memorable and seems like an old friend by the end of the book. The story's telling through their eyes brings a unique twist but works well to show the melding of the lives and the building of friendships.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves to read, loves libraries, loves books, loves friendship, etc. I guess, I recommend it to everyone.

The audiobook narration was fantastic. The narrator was engaging and brought life to each of the characters in order to keep them highlighted, entertaining, and understandable.

I listened to the audiobook version which was narrated by Angie Kane. She did an incredible job bringing each character to life with their own distinct voice. Despite having multiple point-of-view characters, the single narrator was able to execute the narration seamlessly.

I thoroughly enjoyed this heartwarming story. The characters were so endearing and I felt fully immersed in their lives (and book club). It's a truly unique, emotional, and special tale. I highly recommend picking up a copy when it is released next month.

Perfect for fans of books, libraries and librarians, unlikely friendships and second chances. I love Sloane's spunk and determination.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🎧Song Pairing: Family - Mother Mother

💭What I thought would happen:

It is a book about books…SOLD! Plus all the pretty colours - yeses all around

📖What actually happens:

Sloane is a librarian who cares deeply not only for literature but the patrons who visit her place of employment. When grizzly old Arthur hasnt shown up in a few days, she grows concerned and must break some rules in regards to personal info to find out he’s ok. She loses her job but gains a friend and community of book loving friends when she takes it upon herself to care for Arthur.

🗯Thoughts:

I👏🏼love👏🏼found👏🏼family👏🏼books. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. There is something magical in finding a group of people who have nothing in common but end up loving one another more than anything.

This is a book for fans of Clare Pooley and Freya Sampson. You will not be disappointed. I haven’t seen too much from the Booksta world on this one but it definitely deserves its day in the sun! Read it! Love it! Obsess over it! Mmmmk?!

This has everything you’re looking for:
📚 Book club
🩷Friendship
😊 Jaunty characters
🙈All of the emotions

The is book is so cute! I love the grumpy old man who, you can tell, has a soft spot hidden and waiting to come out. I love the younger generation who takes interest in the older one- something so important in this day and age and doesn’t happen nearly often enough. The wisdom passed in from these older generations that changed the lives of the younger ones forever.

🌀Synopsis
Arthur McLachlan is Sloane’s nemesis. Each day he enters the library looking for her just so he can insult her and leave her upset. So when he doesn’t show up a couple days in a row, Sloane knows something is wrong.
She decides to look up his address and check to make sure he is okay. Even though he is a pain in her rump, she knows he is old and alone and someone needs to check in- it might as well be her. This act of kindness ends up costing her the job at the library.
Now jobless, she spends her days at Arthur’s. With the help of a neighbor, Maisey, and her old coworker, Mateo, they help Arthur heal. Part of this healing is starting a book club, a club that allows them all to escape their current situations. The experiences with each other help them all figure out their next steps in life- some letting people go and some mending friendships that have been broken for a long time. One little book club changes so much for this group.

This was such a heartwarming story. Sloane works at the town library and finds herself arguing with cantankerous Arthur. Arthur comes in to the library every day and is feared by all of the librarians except for Sloane. She begins to look forward to her daily argument with Arthur and when he doesn’t show up for a couple of days she makes her mission to make sure Arthur is ok. Along the way Sloane encounters a quirky group of people that form s bookclub.

This story was a little bit Eleanor Oliphant and a Man Called Ove, both titles I adore. This one has so much to offer. It evokes so many feelings as the group comes together to become a true family. This cast of characters is one you cannot help but love. The narration for the audiobook was great!

4 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Sloane Parker is a local librarian. She befriends the local curmudgeon Arthur and gets involved in his life. A group related parties form a book club but really the book is about friendship and healing old wounds.

I enjoyed the literary references. The group talks a lot about Anne of Green Gables which I haven’t read and I started listening to it. Hmmm…almost done with it and can’t believe they all loved it so much.

This is a fun, feel good story, and the narration is excellent. Sloane makes a connection with a grumpy old patron, Arthur, by sparing with him at the library where she works. When he doesn't stop in for a number of days, she gets worried and tracks him down. Sloane finds Arthur at home and ill, so she steps in to help. It isn't long before the two have inadvertently started a book club, which starts out small, but grows as more people join in. As they get to know each other, the club members all began to find that they both need the club and are needed. I really enjoyed the ensemble cast of characters and seeing their growth and I think many other readers will too. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

I loved the title of this book and based on the editors blurb I believed this would be hopeful potentially uplifting storyline. It had its moments, though they were few and far between. Sloane was a librarian. It wasn’t “just a job” for her, but a calling for her so much so that she went the extra mile to take care of her patrons, one curmudgeon in particular. It was her caring heart that got her fired by her heinous nasty boss. With time on her hands she decided to gather the rest of her friends/ex-coworkers and forms The Lonely Hearts Book Club. Together they form a pseudo/chosen family and look after each other. It was somewhat slow and flat for me, but well intentioned.

The cover made me think this was going to be a run-of-the-mill romance but it was so much more. I really enjoyed the relationships between all of the characters here and how they found each out as a family through the bookstore.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED this book! It was so sweet and I loved how this group of outcasts came together to surround a cantankerous old man who needed love even though he would not admit it. These characters were wonderful and I loved the multiple points of view as it really added to the sweetness of the story.

Librarian Sloane lives a quiet life. She has work friends and a fiance but doesn't realize that she is kind of lonely until she meets Arthur.
Arthur is the grumpy older man who comes to the library often and Sloane loves their sparring relationship. When Arthur fails to show at the library for several days, Sloane becomes concerned and visits him at home after being told not to by her boss.

What a cast of characters in this one. And I do mean characters. They are a quirky bunch.. But they all have one thing in common. Hence the name of the book club.

I enjoyed that most of the characters got to tell their own story. Listening to the audio version, it was sometimes hard to keep track of who was speaking. Maybe another narrator to represent the male characters would have helped with that.

Overall, a good feel good story with a greats cast.

Thanks to netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the arc.

A group of lonely people find each other and support each other through lots of life changing events. One is a curmudgeonly old man, one is a librarian, one is a performer hiding behind multiple career paths. Good character development that leaves you rooting for them all and sorry to see the story end.

I wanted to love this one more than I did. A book about books and a blook club is right up my alley. Unfortunately, a lot of the dialogue left the realm of good-natured bantering and entered into mean territory. I didn’t enjoy that so much.

I listened to the audio, and some of the characters’ voices were grating and sometimes even annoying. I think I would have probably enjoyed this one much better in print.

I wish I could be more positive.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

This book definitely starts out a little slow, but keep going. It was a nice listen with a great message. I think the audio could benefit from a full cast, but otherwise I was pleased with it. It was maybe a little predictable, but sometimes that is okay! Good book to listen to on a nice spring day.