Chloe is struggling, she had to drop out of college to take care of her 3 younger siblings after her mom abandoned them, and is working in a library when she finds an rare edition of the Tropic of Cancer. What’s almost more interesting that the rare book find are the romantic notes written in the margins and that her super crabby neighbor offers her a large amount of money for the novel. Through some detective work (and the help of a new romantic interest) she finds more old library books that have similar romantic notes in the margins written by the same star crossed loves - and she believes that of the authors is her neighbor. Chloe is determined to follow the book trail and learn their love story.

I thought this was a nice sweet book; it’s very much like Gilmore’s last book - a librarian befriending a curmudgeon with references to a bunch of novels but I enjoyed the plot of this one more. The story is told in 2 POVs - the 1960s love story and Chloe’s present day story and I thought the two views were done quite well. I read about 40% and listened to the rest and enjoyed the narration of the audio while walking around and cooking and the story was a nice escape (which I needed this week). It wasn’t the most memorable novel but I enjoyed it while I read it
3.75 stars (rounded to 4)

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC to review

Library of Borrowed Hearts was a pair of (mostly) sweet stories told in two timelines. I loved Chloe and her family, especially the dynamics between her and her siblings. Her next door neighbor, Jasper, starts as an enemy but is of course a curmudgeon with a heart of gold. A lot of what happened in the timeline of the past irritated me, but I do think it was probably fairly typical of the time period… however as a reader of romance it was hard to watch unfold. I won’t get into it because it veers into spoiler territory, but several times Catherine made me want to throw my phone across the room. Four stars though for well-developed characters, romantic secret love notes, and the lovable curmudgeon. They always get me! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc.

The Library of Borrowed Hearts was such a bittersweet read. I loved the hidden stories between the life long lives of this couple. I also enjoyed how everyone is intertwined and a part of each others lives. Being a book lover my entire life, this story really resonated with me personally as well as entertained me. Great book!

Wow, this was such a wonderful read. The story within the story was so deep and moving. I also just loved Chloe, even with her hardships she truly understood the deep meaning of family and taking care of the ones you love. The story between J and C, was so beautiful. I was so reeled in by all of it and wanted to see what happened between them! So much heartbreak that Chloe experienced in her lifetime, I was praying that she'd some day get her happy ending. While this story has deep meanings and good life lessons which may make you shed some tears, it will also make you smile quite a bit and laugh a few times as well. Loved this story, the author has a magical way with words.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca to read/review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.

When Chloe is cleaning out the library's basement, she comes across a discarded book called “Tropic of Cancer” which is banned in the US, but worth a lot of money. Which is perfect, because Chloe is broke and needs to take care of her 3 younger siblings. Of course, Chloe is a very curious person (research reasons, obviously), she decides to read a few pages from the book, only to discover that had been using it to pass notes to each other. And the curiosity only increases when she realizes the man in the notes is her grumpy neighbor Jasper.

The Library of Borrowed Hearts has to be one of my top reads of 2024! I loved everything about this story; the character development, flashback scenes, dual POV, and how through a few letters in books, the characters were able to come together and form family like bonds.

This was my first time reading a book by Lucy Gilmore and now I currently have the rest of their books on hold at my local library. Lucy’s writing style is funny, easy to follow along, tugs at your heartstrings and makes you laugh out loud. I also appreciate that this story in particular was easy to come back to. I knew if I had to take a break from reading, I could easily pick back up where I left off.

I did not expect to cry for about 50% of this book but I sure did. A wonderfully heartfelt, gut-wrenching tale of family, past love and moving on.
This story is written in five parts with different perspectives for each, flowing between the present and 1960. Chloe is taking care of her three younger siblings after her mother walked out of their lives. She is struggling but making do when she is launched into a scavenger hunt after finding a book in her library with annotations between a couple. As the novel developed so much is revealed such as who the couple is that wrote the marginalia, what her nasty neighbors problem is, and what's in store for Chloe and her future.

This book made me ache in a way that has not been accomplished since I read Tuesdays With Morrie many years ago. It is a perfect combination of found family, coming of age and a love story that will make you want to sob and laugh all at the same time. Easiest 5 star rating I've given in a while.

I was first intrigued by this book’s cover, I love everything about the art on this one. Then I saw it was @tamaratamaralucy newest book, and I got really excited. And then I read the description and I knew I was going to have an amazing time reading this book.
Chloe has been stuck in a life created by her mother’s choices for a long time. The oldest of four siblings she became responsible for the younger three when while she was off at school her mother up and left without a word to anyone. Working as an assistant in her local library is as close as she will get for the foreseeable future to her dream of being a full librarian, at least she gets to work around books. When she finds an old book in the library basement full of notes between two young lovers from the 60’s she finds herself needing to know what happened to them. And when she discovers one half of the pair is her extremely grumpy and irritable neighbour Jasper, she is even more intrigued.
I adored The Lonely Hearts Bookclub, and this book gave me the same wonderful kind of read, but I think I fell in love with this one even more. Chloe and her siblings will barge right into your heart and you won’t be able to shake them, and you won’t want to. Jasper is the perfect grumpy man with a heart waiting to be uncovered and his boisterous neighbours are just the people to do it. The timeline and perspective switches are flawless, and getting to follow the love story from the 60’s was a delight.
A perfect piece of cozy fiction that packs a huge emotional punch.
Look for this one April 30 2024.
Thank you so much to @sourcebookscasa and @netgalley for letting me review this fantastic book.
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The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore is an adult fiction romance and a book about books that also talks about family, friendships, and life lessons. It is charming, hilarious, a moving novel about the way books bring lonely souls together, and much more. Jasper Holmes, the curmudgeon next door, is such a grumpy old man.

If you ever stumbled upon a chance to read a book that was annotated and had thoughts by someone mentioned in it, would you read them? If ever given a chance to read the same book with your partner and jot down your own respective thoughts, would you do this activity? HELL YESS, I DEFINITELY WOULD!

Our main character and librarian, Chloe Sampson, stumbled upon a book that was read and annotated long ago by two lovers, one of whom is her next-door grumpy neighbor. But there is an interesting twist to this that builds the plot of this book and adds more layers to it. At times, I struggled to like Chloe and other side characters.

The dual timeline between the past story of Jasper and his lover and the present time, where we see Chloe unravel the truth and find her own path, takes place over almost a decade. I absolutely loved the quotes and references from the classic books in this one. It's definitely worth picking it up once.

The story follows Chloe who works in a library and cares for her three younger siblings. Lots of references to literature throughout as the characters follow a developing romance in the margins of library books. While I enjoyed the novel, I found it leaned on character tropes, the grumpy neighbor, the curmudgeon librarian, etc. Perhaps in the weeds here, but as a librarian myself I couldn't identify with the grumpy head librarian who seemed to be too into cataloguing, and was confused about the description of a degree in library science being reference as a four year undergraduate degree.

During Easter my daughters and I made those yummy treats where you take a pretzel and melt some chocolate on top. A little salty, a little sweet - the perfect amount of both. This book reminded me of that - but if the proportion of chocolate was just a little too much.

The set-up: After their mother leaves unexpectedly and not telling anyone, Chloe has to come back from college to take care of her three younger siblings. She has a low paying, but satisfying job at a library, but it is still tough for her to make ends meet for four people. She is also very proud and doesn't easily take help from others. To add some interest to her life, she finds an annotated copy of Tropic of Cancer in the basement where it seems like two clandestine lovers were communicating with each other. She decides to solve the mystery of their romance. This pushes the book into dual timelines as well as MANY POVs - Chloe, Catherine, Jasper, Noodle, the forest guy (I forget his name)...

Instead of doing a strict pros and cons list, I'm going with pros with caveats. I did mostly enjoy this book, so I think that's fair.

First, I enjoyed both timelines although I felt they both got a bit repetitive in the middle. At about the 60% point I knew where the book was going and just wanted it to get there. There was one chapter from Noodle's POV, which I thought was unnecessary and didn't add a whole lot to the story. I don't think I needed all the different POVs in order to appreciate the book. I was especially not very interested in older Jasper. It would have been fun to discover his personality and quirks through the past Jasper and with the other characters. His inner monologue made him more of a caricature instead of a fully rounded person to me.

Second, I can not for the life of me remember the title of this book. It is VERY similar to Gilmore's last book and title. A neighborly, bookish curmudgeon turns out to be not so curmudgeonly once we and the characters get to know him. Think Ove/Otto from Fredrick Bachman but much, much sweeter overall (too much chocolate). I find this one hard to distinguish from her last book. But I did like both better than her rom-com I Hate You More. I'm curious to see if this is going to be her niche now or if she will branch out beyond this micro-genre and similar plot.

Third, although I wouldn't call the ending tidy or neat, it was very saccharine and sweet. I thought some of the characters were VERY quick to forgive and forget when major life things happened. But that could be the cynic in me. I was happy for the characters because I liked them, but I didn't find it overly believable.

Fourth, there is one trope used in the book that I absolutely hate, but I can't say it because it is a bit of a spoiler. I think it wasn't an immediately DNF for me because of the time period, but it did make this not a highly rated book. I think it is probably realistic but overdone.

Overall, this was a successful, quick, easy, sweet read. If you are looking for something not too heavy with a happy ending (but I wouldn't straight up call it a romance) this might be a good fit for you. Am I going to remember these characters? No. Is this going to win any awards? Probably not. Did I enjoy reading it? Absolutely. 3.75 stars rounded up.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A fun nice beach read with enough substance to make it more than a fluffy book!

Another fabulous book by Lucy Gilmore. I absolutely adored her previous novel so I was excited to read this one. It was amazing - so heartwarming. I loved the multiple POVs and time periods....it added so much to the storyline. I do agree with some reviewers that wanted a happily ever after but all in all a great book. A book I will 100% recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I wasn’t convinced I was going to love this story…until about halfway through- when I realized I was so in love with Chloe’s family, her work at the library, and grouchy old Jasper, that I couldn’t put it down! So many literary references, a twist in the final act, and the sweetest siblings made this a home run for me. I’m excited to read more by Lucy Gilmore!

This story takes place in two timelines that match up perfectly. I thought the author did a great job melding the storylines together. I am not usually a huge fan of family style books and focus on struggling moms/guardians but this was actually really cute. I now want to go to a library and look for notes in the margins of random books :)

"You know the thing I always loved about books is how they make it possible to live a thousand different lives."

If you are looking for a heartwarming story that uses books to connect people, share a love story that will fill and break your heart, and help those who may be lonely or struggle to connect to those around them, The Library of Borrowed Hearts is for you.

This book felt like a warm hug for my soul. I adored the utilization of literary pieces along with the correspondence between J & C to propel the story forward. Lucy Gilmore's choice of when to introduce specific POVs allowed me to feel the characters' emotions and get to know them more deeply. Overall this book was beautifully written and unique, and I will be thinking about it constantly - the Sampsons and Jasper have a special place in my heart. My only complaint is the abrupt ending - I needed more!

⭐⭐⭐⭐ This is my second of Lucy Gilmore's books and they just feel good. There is suspense in understanding the characters and she includes twists in the stories but without any anxiety involved. This one was a little steamier than her last and even though I'd say it is a Romance there is such depth and breadth in the cast of characters that it seems fuller than typical genres.

Read if you like:
•Forbidden Love
•Meddling families
•Second Chance
•Impossible Love

🌶️🌶️- A little steam, but not too much IMO.

Chloe Sampson interrupted her grad school to move home and take care of her three younger siblings.
She's working part time at the library and struggling to make ends meet. While cleaning out the library basement she finds a rare edition of a book from the 1960s. In the margins are notes between two young lovers. Intending to sell it online she's shocked that her cranky neighbor, Jasper Holmes, offers to buy it immediately. Chloe realizes that he's one of the writers. And the literary hunt continues when she realizes that this isn't the only book that they used to pass notes.

Tracking down a love story from decades ago, opens up doors and second chances in the present. Jasper finds himself, sucked into the whirlwind that is the Sampson household. Not all love stories end in tragedy or start with first love.

Why I started this book: I've been haunting Netgalley this year, and this title caught my eye.

Why I finished it: The story unfolded gently, pulling at the heartstrings as it continued. This is the second book in less than a month, about the power of finding the right book to heal and help a person. (See [book:Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books|200987258]). Chloe and Jasper learn about family, friendship and power of second chances. And the bittersweet gifts of love. This is a romance, an ode to books, and curmudgeon all in one book. How could I resist falling in love?

Chloe Sampson, self-described book nerd and library employee, has found a treasure in the far reaches of the Colville Public Library’s basement — a dusty bootleg Mexican copy of “Tropic of Cancer” by Henry Miller, a famous banned book, that wasn’t legally published in the US until 1964. It’s going to be thrown out, but she thinks it has some value to online collectors and she could use the extra money. Although she’s only 24, she abandoned her library science degree to be responsible for 3 siblings, ages 15, 12, and 11 (after her mother just walked out), and her $18 an hour job just lets her family scrape by. Until she realizes that the book has been annotated (which would negatively affect its value) — apparently by a couple trading secret messages nearly 60 years ago. She’s beguiled and absolutely gobsmacked when her elderly curmudgeonly neighbor, Jasper Holmes, wants to buy it for $5000 — far more than a pristine copy would fetch.

Chloe enlists her fellow librarian, Pepper, to find other 60 year old books to uncover the decades old love story, as she is sort of courted by Zach, the survivalist school guy who rescued her brother from an accident in the woods. In a dual timeline, another young librarian, Catherine, is intrigued by a similar well-read strapping woodsman (Jasper?) while being pursued by another guy who works on the military base commanded by her father.

This delightful, clever story takes time to come together, as old secrets are revealed, relationships get re-evaluated, and the timelines start to intersect. Classic books are uniquely utilized to tell a love story. Chloe is a marvelous main character whose hard work as a substitute mom to her odd set of siblings is both amazing and heartbreaking. She’s come to realize that she might seem “stuck” for now, but there’s always a friend inside the pages of a book. 5 stars! I think this would be a terrific book club choice, too!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Chloe has big green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): YES Jasper’s garden has a featured place in the plot, but not everything blossoms at the same time, but the author needed these specific plants for literary references. Crocuses are a March bloom, long gone by the time lilies in June appear. Wisteria isn’t blooming when it’s pumpkin spice time. And growing oleander in Washington state beyond the coastal areas would be rare beyond a zone 8b -10. But Jasper’s garden is magical, so it’s all there.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Loved every minute.

Chloe is on the struggle bus. Called back from college she's taking care of three rowdy but lovely siblings since they're Mom left them high and dry. She gets a job their local library and stumbled upon a very old copy of Tropic of Cancer in the basement. Curious, she starts to read the scandalous tale only to find several notes in the margins - back and forth - love notes. Even MORE curious is when her cranky neighbor Jasper offers her a blank check to take it off her hands.

Literary scavenger hunt. Multiple POV. Two romances. Strong family bonds. This book is why I love to read.

Chloe is struggling to keep up with everything in life - her job, her brothers & sister. Then one day she finds a book with writing in the margins.

I really liked this story. Chloe seems like a character I’d like to be friends with and the love story is unique.

#netgalley #TheLibraryofBorrowedHearts