Books about books will always be an immediate buy. Add in a dual timeline that features a whirlwind romance with swoony note exchanges you have created the perfect book. Reading this felt like a like a hug for my soul. My mind enjoyed all the book references and there was so much to highlight/annotate it’s impossible to include all in this review.

However, there is no wrapup at the ending of the book - it just ends. It felt incomplete.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! Being a librarian, I'm a sucker for books about libraries and this was one was sweet and just a tad mysterious. I fell in love with all of the characters, especially Jasper, I'm also a sucker for grumpy old men. A great, uplifting story of love and family!

This was my first Lucy Gilmore book but it most certainly won't be my last.

The Library of Borrowed Hearts tells the story of Chloe, who is doing her best to scrape by, taking care of her three siblings. She finds a book at a flea market and realizes that it's been annotated by her grumpy, old neighbor.

Chloe realizes she holds the clues to a great, tragic love story and continues to follow the story, desperate to know how it ends.

Equal parts heartful and hopeful, The Library of Borrowed Hearts is a sweet love story with adorable friendship sure to please all book lovers.

This one had potential, the premise and cover alone made me snag this one, but it felt a bit boring and lifeless. I really questioned some of the choices of the FMC in this

I was so excited to receive an ARC of The Library of Borrowed Hearts because I loved Gilmore's The Lonely Heart Book Club.

This is a dual timeline and dual POV book. Chloe is raising her three younger siblings after their mom disappeared and left the children home alone for days. Chloe works at the local neighborhood library and discovers that sixty years early two young loves wrote notes back and forth to each other in the margin of the books. Chloe becomes invested in their story and wants to know how it ends.

Jasper, Chloe's next door neighbor, is a grumpy old man who makes Chloe's and her siblings' lives miserable.

To Chloe's surprise, Jasper is the male voice in the notes written in the library books. Chloe becomes determined to find out how the story ended.

The biggest issue I had with this book is that Jasper and "C" wrote in the books. It hurt my book loving heart that they wrote in library books. I wish Gilmore would have had them put notes on paper in the books. But I am a fan of any book that has a cast of quirky characters that shows we are better together.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

DIDN'T HIT THE SAME AS GILMORE'S PREVIOUS BOOK

Absolutely not a bad read, I did enjoy it. I just wanted a bit more

What I liked

👍 Reference: Gilmore references the 'hero', Arthur, from her previous book, The Lonely Hearts Book Club. That was fine nod and a fun easter egg.

👍 Book about book: Books about other people who love books as much as I do - and who find love through the love of books - will always be a hit with me.

What I didn't like

👎Characters: None of the characters developed enough throughout the story, and Chloe was (sadly) the most bland character.

👎 More: Honestly, I was looking for more of the magic that I got in Lonely Hearts Books Club. It just wasn't there for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC of The Library of Borrowed Hearts!

This was my favorite read of April! I definitely have a soft spot for grouchy old neighbors with a heart of gold and Jasper is certainly one of those! I also have a soft spot for books about books so this one was really checking all my boxes. I enjoyed all of the characters. Usually in a multi POV book I feel disappointed when the character narrating switches but with this one I was perfectly happy to get back into that other timeline or viewpoint. Chloe is an exceptionally well developed character with her squashed dreams and forced responsibility balanced perfectly with the love she bears for her siblings and happiness she finds in the life she didn't plan but is making the most of. Zach is such a great balance for her.

Jasper and Catherine's timeline was also excellent with a different kind of focus on family expectations and how everyone embraces those differently. Catherine's mom was such an unexpected character. I loved her despite some of her actions. I don't necessarily agree with Catherine's actions but we wouldn't have this wonderful story without them so I suppose we will have to accept them.

When the story started to lag, new plot twists were introduced at the right time to bring the book back. The ending wasn't what I expected but I loved it.

Chloe Sampson is going through it - her mother abandoned her three younger siblings and she had to drop out of college to be their guardian. She now takes care of them, working as a library assistant, living paycheck to paycheck, with a messy house and unpaid bills galore. When she finds an old copy of a banned book from the 60s while cleaning out the library's basement, she wonders if she could fetch a pretty penny for it on Ebay. When she takes the book home, she realizes that two young lovers have been corresponding in the margins, which intrigues her. She mentions the book to her cranky neighbor Jasper Holmes, who offers her a blank check in exchange for the book,which piques Chloe's interest even more. Was Jasper one of the writers in the margins? And who was he writing to? What happened to her? Chloe is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery, and when a handsome young survival-school instructor offers to help her with her quest, who is she to say no?

I LOVE LOVE LOVED this story. It started off a bit slow, but once it got going, it was GOING! There were so many surprises, twists, and turns. I loved seeing things from the POV of so many different characters and getting to see the motivations behind each one's actions, which made you sympathize with them all, even when their choices were at tension with someone else's who you were also growing to love as a character! Chloe and Jasper had so many similarities and I loved seeing them realize it and especially for Jasper, realizing that what he really wanted and yearned for was family and that even if he didn't have one of his own, he had the Sampsons and that was enough. I cried multiple times during the last 45 minutes of this book, so that should tell you something. This was just such a beautiful story about the power of books, making hard choices, and standing up for the people you love.

I recommend The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy reading!

I got this book from @netgalley it is an advanced reader copy. It came out yesterday!

This book is for a book lover. It quotes dozens of books. It was pure magic. I love that it doesn’t fit into one genre. There’s romance in it and mystery in it, but it’s not a romance or mystery. There are multiple timelines and almost everyone’s point of view.

Chloe is a librarian in a small town. She finds an old book that has love notes written in the margins. It becomes her mission to figure out who these people are and their story. All the while Chloe is raising her siblings and sorting through her mess of a life.


#netgalley #netgalleyreader #netgalleyreviewer #netgalleyarc #netgalleyreads #lucygilmore #lucygilmoreauthor

I had the opportunity to both read and listen to this novel. I enjoyed both experiences. The variety of narrators added to the depth of the story and characters. The story reminded me of A Man Called Ove but with a literary twist. The quotes from the classics woven throughout added to the depth of the story. The character development and dual time line really engaged and invested me as a reader/listener. I look forward to reading The Lonely Hearts Book Club and others by Lucy Gilmore.

Thank you Net Galley, Lucy Gilmore and Sourcebooks for the opportunity to preview this novel that is now available. The opinions shared are my own.

Chloe Sampson is a 25 year old Librarian that is struggling to raise her three younger siblings after their mother abandons them. Chloe is put in charge of getting rid of all the old damage books from the library’s basement. Chloe comes across a bootlegged book from Mexico that is worth lots of money. This is the beginning of a journey that will take you through a 3 part POV, and bounce between present and past time lines.

Jasper is your typical grumpy, reclusive old man neighbor. Chloe finds it hard to believe that her neighbor would want to buy this kind of book. Upon inspection Chloe finds inscriptions throughout the book from long lost lovers.

Slowly Chloe discovers that there is more books floating around town with similar inscriptions now she is on the hunt to find out what happened between the grumpy reclusive neighbor and his long lost love.


This book is so cozy and has a variety of relatable characters, personalities, sayings and I throughly enjoyed this book. This is my first novel by this author. I was intrigued and wanted to read it based off its beautiful cover and title. 4/5 ⭐️thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this magical mystery.

What an utterly charming book! It’s sweet and beautiful and full of lovely quotes from some of the greatest stories written. If you like books about lost love and found family, this is definitely one to pick up.

I did detest the mom, though I’m sure that is completely the point but I was hoping for more ‘letting her have it’ moments for leaving the children like she did. By either Chloe or Jasper, I would have been satisfied with either!

And while I hoped that Catherine and Jasper would get back together, I did appreciate the way it ended and still felt like a happily ever after was had by everyone involved. Loved this one!

What a great book! It was a romance, with mystery and back story and a happy and kinda sad ending, all wrapped up in one. Chloe and Jasper are cut from the same cloth, and it was heart-wrenching and sweet to see their stories unfolding simultaneously, 60 years apart. Interspersed are snippets from all genres of classic literature. This is a book written for book lovers.

I absolutely LOVED this book and audiobook! Such a heartwarming, touching, and emotional story and I devoured it!

"You don't get to decide how other people feel. The things you do matter...They don't get to walk away and then come back like it doesn't mean anything. We're...real live human beings. Not just some side characters who disappear the second they decide to turn the page."

"I take comfort from knowing that I can always pick up a book, a new one, if I want...someplace unique; an old one, if I find myself in need of a friend."

The Library Of Borrowed Hearts by, emotional eliciting, will read anything she writes, author Lucy Gilmore, ripped my heart to shreds and then slowly stitched it back together but there are scars.

Chloe, a young librarian, is struggling with life. Forced to leave college when her mother abandoned her 3 younger siblings, barely surviving financially, her solace is in books. But when she finds a rare, once banned copy of Tropic of Cancer, her life changes in unexpected ways.

She plans to sell it; then she discovers scribbled love messages in its margins, and realizes the romance continues in other classic books. Imagine her surprise when her cantankerous elderly neighbor, who refuses to return the frisbees that land in his yard, offers her a blank check for the book.

I was absorbed into the writer's world with every word I read and listening to talented voice actors Leanne Woodward, Aven Shore, Joe Jameson and Bob Ball be these complicated, often heartbreaking characters was emotional.

From the 1960s love affair of two star crossed lovers told through over 30 books from Rebecca to Wuthering Heights, to the present day love of found family, your heart will be curious, frustrated, oh so angry, and then it will weep, heal and love its borrowed time with this has my heart forever story.

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook from Dreamscape Media and SourcevBooks/Casablanca via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book! It was cute, heartfelt and cozy. I wanted to be apart of Chloe’s family! I loved the book quotes and references to so many classics. I also adored the love story that unfolded in the past. I didn’t like how it ended though. I wanted a happy ever after! I have a review posted for this book on Instagram that I have linked below.

Gosh, this was an utterly wholesome book! Told in multiple past & present POVs, this spans through decades witnessing 2 lovestories along the way! While mutilate POVs can be tricky, this book certainly wasn't. Infact it provided so much depth to it.

I loved Chloe so much. Her relationship with her siblings, her banter with Zach and her new-found bond with Jasper. Gah! Zach was an absolute flirt & I was totally here for it. This story explored so many emotions that felt real and raw; it like a warm, sunny day with a breath of fresh air.

Read it to experience a heartwarming & heartfelt tale!

Thank you Netgalley & Publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

If you enjoy a sweet closed-door romance, a duel timeline, a curmudgeon character, and a book about books, The Library of Borrowed Hearts might be for you. Librarian assistant, Chloe Sampson, is a young person with an old soul. After her mother left home unexpectedly, Chloe quit college and returned home to take care of her younger siblings. While sorting old books in the library basement she comes across an old copy of The Tropic of Cancer and notices there is handwriting in the margins, which leads Chloe on a scavenger hunt to unravel a 60 year old "tragic" love story.

Chloe's curmudgeon neighbor, Jasper Holmes, comes face-to-face with Chloe over an altercation involving a frisbee. When he hears Chloe say she has an "vandalized" old copy of The Tropic of Cancer, Jasper offers her a black check to buy it. Why does Jasper want this book so badly? How is he connected to the book? The love story unfolds and the ending will leave the reader mildly satisfied; however, there are many little story lines that get in the way of the story. This book wasn't a page-turner for me. The story is told from many different perspectives, so the reader has to keep up even though the plot moves slowly. Overall, the book was a mediocre read for me.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for this ARC.

The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore has a beautiful cover and an even more beautiful story. This is my first book by Lucy Gilmore and I absolutely loved it. The author has managed to create such interesting and developed characters. While all the characters are lovable in this book except for maybe Chole’s mother, it is Jasper and the Sampson siblings that stole my heart.

The dual timeline alternating between Chloe’s timeline in the present and Jasper’s timeline in the 1960s helped weave the story well. While the love story between Jasper and Catherine was beautiful. It was the bond between Jasper and Chole that I loved. I especially liked how the ending was not picture-perfect but more realistic.

This heartwarming book has it all- whirlwind romance, love notes, unexpected friendship and found family.

This is a book that tugs at your heartstrings and is a perfect read for those who love romance, found family and books about books.

Thank you Netgalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca and Lucy Gilmore for giving me a chance to read this ARC!

RATING: ★★★★★