Lucy Gilmore has crafted a novel that feels like the memoirs of five characters. It pulls the reader into the pages, just as two of the protagonists found literary and emotional homes in the books they shared. "The Library of Borrowed Hearts" is a mystery, several love stories, an unfolding of hearts and minds, and it is delightful. I couldn't put it down. This will be a wonderful addition to my book group's list and I'd recommend it to anyone who will get a chance to discuss the many themes and questions it so beautifully gifts its readers.

This is my second Lucy Gilmore read and they have both been really great reads! It was also a nice touch to see the name of one of the grumpy characters from her other book mentioned within this one.
The library of Borrowed Hearts follows Chloe, who is raising her younger siblings following her mother walking out on them some years ago. Chloe works in the local library and when sorting out some old books in the basement finds an old rare edition of a banned book that has secret notes (love letters) written in the margins. When she finds another book with the same secret notes, she becomes determined to find the rest of the books that form the rest of their love story, especially when she discovers that her grumpy neighbour is one half of that love story.
An uplifting, although perhaps somewhat predictable, read about family and friendship and of course, books 📚

Loved this book so much! It should be read by every reader no matter what your favorite genre is! One I will recommend to all!

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this arc. It was a delightful story that celebrated the joy of books and how they can connect and bring together even the most unlikely of people. This was told through a dual timeline that ends up weaving together pretty seamlessly, and I really appreciated how the lives of Chloe, Catherine, and Jasper all end up connecting. Not exactly a romance, but not exactly NOT a romance, this was just a really light and warming story filled with a cast of quirky and likable characters. My overall rating is 3.5 stars (rounded up), and I would recommend this book to those who love libraries, small towns, and mysteries with a touch of whimsy.

What a sweet and heartfelt story! There was so much to unpack in these pages. I loved that we got multiple pov from different characters that really helped the story come alive. This book is perfect for book lovers with all the literary references. Readers will also enjoy this story for the found family elements, plus there are quite a few surprises along the way! I definitely recommend this book for fans of Freya Sampson books. Definitely one I'll recommend!

The Library of Borrowed Hearts is a heartwarming and charming story of lost love, found family and best of all, bookish romance. Chloe is working in a library and caring for her younger siblings when she stumbles across love letters written in the margin of a book. Her bookish scavenger hunt uncovers a 60 year old love story, a cantankerous neighbour, and an outdoorsy love interest.

I loved the layered relationships in this story, and the many stories lines the author wove together. The alternating POV was cleverly done, and I found that I was able to really understand the motivations of the characters. I really enjoyed the alternating timepoints and the way that books acted a as a catalyst for the found family. Catherine and Chloe were wonderfully strong and resilient characters, and I loved Jasper’s character development. On top of a great story, I loved the warm and bright cover, which helped me to discover this wonderful read.

Thank you Sourcebooks Cascablana and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

The Library of Borrowed Hearts is heartwarming and charming. I fell in love with the characters, especially the relationship between Chloe and her siblings. This novel highlights just how books can bring people together. I loved the storyline of the mystery of the young couple who was in love writing messages to each other in books. There is a mixture of mystery, romance (old and new), and unexpected friendships. This is such a feel good story and high enjoyable!

Thanks to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca, Sourcebooks Casablanca for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

First, thank you to Net Galley for this ARC. Second, everyone read this book, stat!
I loved this story from the beginning to end. I related to Chloe’s borderline obsession with the book hunt and her just wanting to know what happened. I enjoyed how her and Jasper’s stories aligned and how certain details fit together at the end. I love Zach’s character but I knew something was coming and when it did, I was so upset for Chloe. But Noodle, he has my heart.
While this story isn’t necessarily a romance, I highly recommend this book for the self diagnosed hopeless romantics.

This was a fantastic read. It was my first by this author. I think the best word to describe it is charming. I liked the dual timelines and the chapters from different character perspectives. I fell in love with them all. I didn’t see that little twist coming either! Enjoyed the heck out of it.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘺 𝘎𝘪𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 📚🩷

<is><b>”“You know, the thing I’ve always loved most about books is how they make it possible to live a thousand different lives,” she said, speaking as though my heart wasn’t leaking out all over my face and dripping onto her expensive purse. “Things in this world rarely go according to plan, and we often find ourselves on roads and in cities we never planned to visit, let alone stay in forever. I take comfort from knowing that I can always pick up a book—a new one, if I want to travel someplace unique; an old one, if I find myself in need of a friend—and make everything feel right again.”</i></b>

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.

💕<b><u>What to Expect</b></u>💕
🔖Fiction/Romance
🔖literary scavenger hunt
🔖Dual timeline
🔖Multi POV
🔖letter exchanges
🔖book references-mainly Wuthering Heights(which is one of my favorites)
🔖first child family sacrifices
🔖grumpy hermit next door neighbor
🔖found family

My only issue is that the book just ends. I’m going to complain and throw a fit every time a book ends with no epilogue. The book feels incomplete and my mind is left with too many unanswered questions.

<b>Overall thoughts:</b> I really enjoyed this story as you can tell and would recommend if you like women’s fiction that features romance and plenty of classic book references.

Another charming and book-centric offering by this author.

Chloe works at her local library and is often frazzled and overwhelmed as she takes care of her three younger siblings and struggles to pay the bills. She finds a welcome distraction when she unearths of copy of a rare book with love notes in the margins. Can she figure out who wrote the notes and what happened to their love story?!

This is a sweet read with a few twists (both surprising and not so surprising) thrown in.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

“The Library of Borrowed Hearts” by Lucy Gilmore without context: ✍🏼📚🪵🌱🚲🚗🎳🥏🐕🧑🏼‍🔬🎞️

My favorite character was Jasper— mainly because my grandpa loved gardening just like he does. Jasper is the opposite of him in that he’s cranky and grumpy. He reminds me of the old man in “A Man Named Otto,” the movie because I’ve never read the book. They are just lovable characters.

The beginning and middle of this book was slow and boring for me. It felt like I was just reading the book synopsis, but in much lonnnnnger paragraphs😭. There were also so many POV switches; I didn’t hate it but I also didn’t love it.

The romance is hardly there. It does “span decades” but not in a dreamy, magical way that it implies. Quite underwhelming. The references to classic literature was fun to read and I love the love-story-through-an-annotated-book idea, but it wasn’t it for me!

I truly didn’t expect to love this as much as I did! I’m not really big on the rom-com type romance books and I incorrectly assumed that’s what I was getting into. This book is so heartbreakingly beautiful. More than once, I thought I had figured out what was going on and I’m glad I was wrong every time. This is the first time I’ve read anything by this author and I’m glad I know where to turn when I want to get my heartbroken and put back together within 300 pages.

I can’t even begin to explain the love I have for this book! It was witty, funny, sad, and just so so good! I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Thank you for the advanced reader!!

Such a charming read! This was a delightful story about books! I instantly loved Chloe and how fiercely she cared for her siblings. The storyline about her befriending Jasper was perfectly done and it was endearing to see him go from a grumpy neighbor to a grandfather figure to the four kids. The chapters set in the past we also well done and spaced out enough that it didn’t feel like that part was taking over the whole novel. I see a big difference in the characterization of the characters between this newer novel and The Lonely Hearts Book Club. In The Library of Borrowed Hearts, everyone had a distinct personality and was multidimensional. You can’t not fall in love with Chloe’s siblings!! I also enjoyed the Zach storyline, although I wish I had gotten to know him more throughout the story. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel!

Utterly charming! My first read by this author but it will not be my last. I really enjoyed the dual POV of this title as well as the dual timelines.

Librarian Chloe Sampson faces challenges in caring for her three younger siblings, searching for her identity, and making ends meet. Near the end of her tether, she stumbles upon a rare 1960s book at a flea market, interpreting it as a stroke of luck. However, her cranky hermit neighbor surprises her by offering an exorbitant sum to buy it. Intrigued, Chloe examines the book and discovers notes between young lovers, one likely being her neighbor, Jasper Holmes.

This discovery propels Chloe on a quest to unveil the identities of the lovers from decades ago and understand their fate, intertwining with the mystery of her lonely neighbor. As she delves into the literary scavenger hunt, she forms an unexpected bond with Jasper, revealing a deeper side to his personality.

In this delightful, humorous, and touching tale, unlikely connections blossom through a shared love for books. The marginalia mystery infuses the story with energy, and as Chloe befriends Jasper, the narrative brims with heart. Gilmore weaves a romantic tale that transcends generations, highlighting books' power to unite distant souls and heal. "The Library of Borrowed Hearts" unfolds love stories in unexpected places, offering a relatable and captivating read for every book enthusiast.

I extend my gratitude to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for providing the opportunity to read and review this book.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it as a lighter read with a combination of romance, multiple points of view, family, as well as found family. I like the cover art and the literary references as well. As a high school librarian it isn’t a title I would buy for our library, but I would recommend it to older students looking for this type of book. It isnt a title that is wildly inappropriate or would raise eyebrows..

NetGalley ARC --

This is my second Lucy Gilmore book and I love her writing and character development. It was a great story about found family and the love of books - highly recommend!

“They don’t get to walk away and then come back like it doesn’t mean anything. We’re human beings, Chloe. Real, live, goddamned human beings. Not just some side characters who disappear the second they decide to turn the page.”
......................
Fantastic read. From start to finish, perfection.
The book was a true rollercoaster. It made me feel a lot of things in different measures.
At the beginning, I was so enthralled with Chloe. She had a dry sense of humor that made me laugh many times, and her banter with Zach was funny to read.
Her story itself was compelling, leaving college to suddenly be a mom to her three younger siblings, who each has their struggles, and also the loneliness she felt despite being surrounded by people all the time.
The way she latched onto the love story of Jasper was heart breaking to me. I understood the need to be able succeed in something, she wanted to conclude the story, to put an ending. It felt vital for her existence.
Moving on to Jasper, let's just say I shed tears over this man.
The depressing existence he had, one that wasn't even completely his, combined with the fragile, sensitive heart he had, it was a combination that I was fascinated by.
To be quite honest, I didn't like Catherine and Jasper together. Although Jasper truly loved her, I felt that Catherine was more taken by him, his rough exterior and the gentle way he dealt with her, he was a breath of fresh air compared to her father and his subordinates.
The story was woven so strongly, especially in the second half. It was a struggle to keep from sobbing, let me tell you. I absolutely loved how realistic the author was about how love isn't the only factor to consider when in a relationship, the realistic view was refreshing to read.
I also liked the highlighted difference between Jasper and Catherine's love story and Zach and Chloe's. While it was hinted that they were similar, in the end it was apparent that they weren't the same.
I loved it so much and will definitely look out for any new releases by the author.
*I received an ARC of this book through netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*