Books about books are always my jam. Throw in cranky curmudgeon neighbors and mysterious love stories within the pages of classic books and you have a story that will grab you. There are some slow moments and plenty of drama which is par for the course when you have a story that has duel timelines and several POV'S but there are also some serious moments and twists that had me feeling all kinds of happy and thoughtful.

The Library of Borrowed Hearts was suggested to me since I had previously read and enjoyed Lucy Gilmore’s other book,The Lonely Hearts Bookclub. If I am being honest, had Netgalley not suggested it, I would have never read it. That would be an utter shame as it was a beautiful story, so much so that it is in the running for my favorite read of 2024.

Chloe Sampson isn’t your ordinary twenty something. After returning home to care for her three younger siblings, she was forced to give up her dreams of becoming a librarian. Tasked with the insurmountable job of providing a roof over the head, food to eat, and medical care, she is barely making ends meet. Until one day she discovers a banned book that might hold the key to her money woes.

I am a sucker for dual timelines and multiple points of view; both of which Gilmore effortlessly provides in her latest novel. Alternating between present day, the 1960s, and five different POVs readers are invited to witness two unique love stories that center around banned books.

Gilmore choosing to center the love stories around banned books, opened the door for an important discussion. She calls into question what criteria should be used to deem a book inappropriate, or if it is merely censorship. This is a fascinating topic that deserves to be addressed more.

Special thanks to Netgalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and Lucy Gilmore for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a lovely read, though I did find myself a bit lost with the changing viewpoints/timelines. Two romances, two storylines, but they end up weaving together beautifully. Well done!

4/5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the advanced copy.

I thought Chloe was a great character as she struggled to raise her siblings. Jasper was another solid character but I didn’t quite like Catherine. Enjoyed most of the book references but the story seemed slow to me, almost was a DNF.

** I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. **

This was a great book with dozens and dozens of nods to great literature. As a school librarian, I appreciated that 2 of the main characters also worked at a library, 60 years apart. All the characters in this book were so lovable with all their quirks and idiosyncrasies. I love how it started off with Chloe on the hunt through the great works to find clues as to who would be writing love notes in the margin of library books. (though the librarian in me cringed a bit at the idea of people writing notes in books that they don't own). It was so fun to piece the story together along with her and meet the characters of Jasper and Catherine as they were in the prime of their lives, falling in love for the firs time.

I also loved the twists the author took so as not to typecast her characters. Jasper was the romance-loving woodsman and Catherine was the horror-loving rich kid. Just when I thought Jasper was never going to find love again, we discover that Catherine isn't dead after all like he's believed for all these years. Instead of second-chance romance, however, Jasper finds he can continue on with his life and look after the younger generation living next door.. I love how Catherine also went on to a live a full life, though I hated that she lied to Jasper to do it, and became a single mom with an amazing career as an editor.

I'm so glad that the story didn't end with all the main characters falling in love and getting married but rather finding fulfillment in their places in life. I love the gift Catherine gives Chloe to explore having a career and not being locked into small-town life.

This book was so stinking sweet! I loved Chloe and her commitment to her family. I adore Jasper and how he inadvertently takes them under his wings. It was a great and uplifting read!

This was an interesting book about the relationships between people. Chloe works at a library. She struggles to make ends meet with her three younger siblings living with her. She’s excited to find an old edition of a book. But then she’s puzzled why her grumpy older neighbor wants to buy it. Why is he interested in this book? Chloe knows there are notes written in the book’s margins and she sets out on finding out if there are other books with writing in them as well. She’s also curious about the story surrounding the written notes.

This one was a lot of fun! I enjoyed the mystery that Chloe was solving in the books, and how it led to learning more about her own past as well as her neighbor's past. Watching love grow both in the past in in current times was fun, and I enjoyed the romantic nature of the story!

I DNF this book. Too many references to literature I wasn't familiar with, and could not get into either storyline.

I love a story with a good curmudgeonly character, and Jasper does not disappoint! Chloe is a librarian that is struggling to take care of her younger siblings. One day finds a rare book at the local flea market, to her surprise her neighbor offers her a crazy amount of money to buy it. Once she takes a closer look she finds a series of notes written in the margins, they are between two people and one really seems to have been Jasper. So begins a mystery that spans multiple books, and a decades old love story begins to unfold. At the same time, Chloe is dealing with family drama in the real world. Through it all she will learn about love, friendship, forgiveness and the true meaning of family. I absolutely loved reading her younger brothers journey, and watching the development of all the characters! This was such an enjoyable read, Lucy Gilmore does it again!

Ahhh this book was so sweet! I loved the dual timelines and multiple points of view! Great cozy read!

Short synopsis: While cleaning the old shelves in the library, Chloe finds an old copy of Tropic of Cancer with love letters scribbled in the pages.

My thoughts: I am such a sucker for a book about books. And this one was just so adorable! Now I need to go back and read The Lonely Hearts Book Club, which is already on my TBR!

This one has dual dual timelines, and multiple POV. They all just blend seamlessly together to really give the reader all the feels of this story.

There is heartache and hope, a mystery of who wrote the messages in the book, and so much love. Chloe was such an amazing character and the love she showed her siblings. And don’t even get me started on Jasper. I love a crotchety old man in my books and his inner softness was everything!

Read if you love:
- Books about books
- Libraries
- Dual timelines
- Multiple pov
- Romance

The Library of Borrowed Hearts Review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS ONE. Lucy Gilmore does it again! I read The Lonely Hearts Book Club on a whim so when I saw this ARC on NetGalley I knew I had to have it! Thank you to the author and publisher Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC copy!

This book is so heartwarming that I literally SMILED while I read it. The book references, the characters, the mystery and the message that family is what you make it and that family can be found in the most surprising places and people is just 10/10. Lucy Gilmore writes compelling characters, even with all their flaws you want to understand their stories. This book even has a reading list of all the books mentioned and quoted in the story, what a cool feature!

I hope Lucy Gilmore (who has several author aliases) keeps doing what she is doing here with these literary themed, feel good fiction because I need more of it. Also I LOVED the nod to Arthur from her other book.

Read this one, it’s a 5 star read from me. I have no criticisms.

I will be posting my review on my book instagram @readitwithtay sometime this week (6/24-6/30)

I really enjoyed this book. The Library of Borrowed Hearts is a multiple point of view novel that takes place over 60 years with flashbacks to the early story of Jasper and Catherine and the contemporary story of the family and their neighbors. I loved how the book interwove the stories, the characters, and particularly the growth of Jasper in the later chapters. The different point of views add so much interest to the inner monologue of the characters. The only one who I honestly feel got short changed in the end was Chloe, I think there should have been a little more completion to her story.

"The Library of Borrowed Hearts" is an amazing story. Librarian Chloe Sampson has a lot on her plate. Aside from work, she was thrust into the role of caregiver of her three younger siblings. She is balancing life as best as she can while living next to her curmudgeon neighbor Jasper.

While at work, she discovers a rare, banned book from the 1960s and decides to swipe it in an effort to raise money for her family. While inspecting it, she finds little notes in the margins that tells a secret love story for the ages. She then discovers more books that were part of this clandestine relationship and is eager to see how the past unfolds.

This is a story of lost love, of found family, and of struggle. It was a charming read and I am so thankful to NetGalley, Lucy Gilmore, and Sourcebooks for gifting me this ARC.

I always love books about books and librarians then throw in found family and I’m in heaven.

This one has dual timelines, a couple of romances, multiple POVs, a bookish scavenger hunt, lovable pets and a grumpy neighbor.

With so many characters, some ended up a little underdeveloped, but this is a solid read or listen.

There is quite a cast of narrators in this one. Leanne Woodward. Aven Shore, Joe Jameson, and Bob Ball all do such a great job bringing such a large and varied cast alive. I love when there are multiple narrators for a book with a large cast. This group hit it out of the park.

You can't help but root for Chloe Sampson and her younger siblings! While the ending is clear from pretty much the beginning of the novel, and it wraps up way too quickly in my opinion, the characters are fun to follow and each timeline was enjoyable to read. This is my first Lucy Gilmore read, but unlikely to be my last.

I enjoyed this book from start to finish - and once I started it I didn’t want to put it down! This story jumped between timelines - which I always love - but it was the characters and all the literary allusion I quickly became enthralled with as the two timelines converged. I loved the found family in this book as well. A few times I had found myself hoping for a different ending for the characters I came to care for but this book is a journey I’d recommend to everyone. And I love that all the works referenced in this story are in a list at the end of the book.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced electronic version of this story in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this story! The character dynamic, the found family, the drama! Such a fun read filled with nostalgia.

Thank you Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the eARC of The Library of Borrowed Hearts! All opinions in this review are my own.

While I enjoyed this one, I found the pace to be very slow. I loved the storyline of Jasper and Catherine, and Chloe finding their correspondence in the books. When it wasn't focused on that, I impatiently waited for it to go back.