If you love Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, you’re likely to enjoy Gilmore’s Library of Borrowed Hearts. And if you hate it (I do), then you’re still likely to like Gilmore’s nod to Brontë’s tale of doomed, sicko love. In Gilmore’s case, no one is doomed, the loves are pretty cool, there are two timelines and threading through the novel are BOOKS, certainly Wuthering Heights, but other favorites too, like Montgomery’s Anne books, The Secret Garden, and even the misogynistic infamous Tropic of Cancer (as a matter of fact it’s the book that sets off the narrative). It’s the story of many bookish people, reading books and living messy lives. And it moves, inexorably, unlike Heights, to unresolved HEAs, but overall, things look UP and no one will have to engage in necrophilia. I take that as a win and the publisher’s blurb will suffice for details:

Librarian Chloe Sampson has been struggling: to take care of her three younger siblings, to find herself, to make ends meet. She’s just about at the end of her rope when she stumbles across a rare edition of a book from the 1960s. Deciding it’s a sign of her luck turning, she takes it home with her—only to be shocked when her cranky hermit of a neighbor swoops in and offers to buy it for an exorbitant price. Intrigued, Chloe takes a closer look at the book only to find notes scribbled in the margins between two young lovers back when the book was new…one of whom is almost definitely Jasper Holmes, the curmudgeon next door.

And when she begins following the clues left behind, she discovers this isn’t the only old book in town filled with their romantic marginalia. This kickstarts a literary scavenger hunt that Chloe is determined to see through to the end. What happened to the two tragic lovers who corresponded in the margins of so many different library books? And what does it have to do with the old, sad man next door—who only now has begun to open his home to Chloe and her siblings? In a romantic tale that spans the decades, Chloe discovers that there’s much more to her neighbor than meets the eye. And in allowing herself to accept the unexpected friendship he offers, she learns that some love stories begin in the unlikeliest of places.

Gilmore’s novel is structured in two time periods, 1960 and the present, and alternates between the two. She wisely kept the setting as her fulcrum, never changing, a small town, Colville, in Washington state. As the narrative alternates between its two timelines, it changes narrative perspectives: grounding it initially in Chloe’s POV and then adding the voices of the two 1960s lovers, Jasper and Catherine (modelled after Heathcliff and Catherine without the bad blood or tragic ending, more a beautifully ironic comment on the eye-rolling toxicity of Brontë’s protags. Loved it.), and even Chloe’s adorably precocious siblings.

This makes Gilmore’s narrative sound an unholy mess; my reading experience belied this. I found it engaging and seamless, probably because Gilmore may alternate “voices,” but she keeps her narrative squarely in third person past tense. Gilmore’s characters are also compelling and loveable, which is not to say they don’t have their edgy moments. Gilmore’s character set, and it IS more ensemble piece than singular focus, say harsh and hurtful things, do hurtful things, but other than the one villain of the piece, as Gilmore herself has Chloe comment, they put love above self-interest. They’re difficult and make mistakes, but they’re the people who make the world better, plugging away at loving others and being responsible.

We have a good sense of Chloe’s ethos, for example, as Gilmore introduces us to her. Chloe’s is resolved, duty-bound, and a little depressed: “Despite the fact that I was little more than a drudge in my small Washington town — or, more likely, because of it — more of my free time was spent deep in the pages of a book. Unless you were super into hunting or fishing, there wasn’t much else to do around here. I worked and I took care of my family. I did things no one else wanted to do. And I read. Always, I read.” So did Jasper. So did Catherine. And that is how they met, wooed, and became lovers. And it’s in that book Chloe finds that she discovers not Miller’s salacious self-indulgent drivel, but a beautiful love between curmudgeon neighbour Jasper and the new girl in town back in 1960, Catherine.

Sixty years later, Chloe’s discovery leads from chapter to chapter and voice to voice to an unfolding that riffs on Brontë’s dark tale. But Gilmore stands with the romance genre. And even though there isn’t the classic romance narrative a romance reader would look for (there’s a romance, but it’s not what you think; there a possibility of a romance but not for whom you’d imagine), Gilmore stands on the side of the HEA angels, romance writers. In the end, Gilmore’s novel is closer in spirit to Wilde’s “Selfish Giant” than Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, more about renewal than stagnation, expressing more humour than despair. I loved every page of it. And you will too. Miss Austen, she too would be a goner if she put her caustic wit away. Gilmore’s novel also reminded me of another recent great one I read, Kate Clayborn’s The Other Side of Disappearing. If you’ve read and enjoyed Clayborn’s wonderful novel, you’ll be a goner for Gilmore’s funnier, softer version.

Lucy Gilmore’s The Library of Borrowed Hearts is published by Sourcebooks Casablanca and was released on April 30th. I received an e-galley, from Sourcebooks Casablanca, via Netgalley for the purpose of writing this review. This did not impede the honest and AI-free expression of my opinion.

The Library of Borrowed Hearts brought a lot of reading delight in the “curmudgeon meets a young person and they form a bond” trope. Several books have recently used this trope and I am becoming a huge fan of them!

In this story, the characters exist in two timelines - the 1960’s and current day.

In current day, Chloe is a young woman working hard to take care of her siblings after their mother walks away from them. Having to withdraw from college, Chloe is working at the local library and finds herself sorting books in the basement. She stumbles upon a book with writing in it and upon further examination, she realizes there are love letters and hints to other love letters written in the margins.

Meanwhile, at home, Chloe struggles with her elderly next door neighbor, Jasper, who seems to take delight in harassing her and her siblings, even going so far as to call protective services on them.

After yet another neighborly squirmish, Jasper appears one night and is shocked by the book Chloe is holding as she answers the door. It’s the book from the library basement that she brought home to see if she couldn’t figure out who wrote the love letters in the margins. Jasper gives Chloe a blank check in exchange for the book, telling her to fill the check in with what she deems is an acceptable amount for it. While Chloe could seek vengeance and write in an exorbitant amount, she doesn’t even though her siblings could get new shoes, clothes, name brand food and supplies with the much needed money.

This is the beginning of a new relationship between Jasper, the curmudgeon, and Chloe, the hard-working young woman. When she realizes Jasper is the author of half of the love letters, she begins to understand why he seems so angry and closed off.

This story was delightful and heartwarming as it shows the importance of second chances, friendship, forgiveness, and the family’s we choose to create. This was a solid four star read and one I’d definitely recommend if you enjoy the trope and/or Gilmore’s other works!

A great heartwarming story with some mystery, heart, book love, and found family. A very sweet story I could easily recommend to anyone! Great on audio and digital- narrators were great as they changed with the characters! I also really liked the different POVs an time periods.

Thank you to the publisher and Net galley for the opportunity to read this book!

Happy Pub Day to this absolutely heartwarming book.

Thank you @netgalley, @dreamscape_media media and @sourcebookscasablance for the ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Did I go crazy and listen to this book while reading it at the same time? Uh, yes I did.

Warning for a long rambling review.

The grumpy old character and a lively young woman who bursts into his life is a trope done to death. And while I've always loved the idea of it, rarely have I actually seen a good execution.

When I started this book, I knew I was in trouble. I knew I'd finish it in a few days even though I can't really afford to (I'm preparing for a very competitive exam). Then I saw that it was actually dual timeline, and I thought okay there's hope for me to read it at a reasonable pace rather than a starving man seeing food for the first time. I have a literal phobia of historical fiction, I guess. But it was written beautifully. And I found out I was in trouble after all and I read this book while I really should have been studying.

The characters were so lovable and quirky. They stole my heart in less than a page. This book will stay with me for a long time. And I'll change my mind every few days whether I loved the ending or hated it with my very being. Which is the only reason I didn't give this five stars

The Library of Borrowed Hearts was complex, yet had adorable characters with their own quirky characteristics. Chloe's ability to put aside her own hopes and dreams to keep her family together is admirable. Jasper has a huge heart, which he masks behind a cranky demeanor. The entire energetic Sampson family makes you want to dive right into their little crazy world. A book to suck you in and make you feel right at home.

A cute and quirky read for lovers of books, 'The Library of Borrowed Hearts' is a great find for those lazy afternoons or weekends.

Chloe is a delightful character who has not had an easy life but is doing the best she can for her siblings and herself. I enjoyed the first book by this author, " The Lonely Hearts Book Club" and was just as pleased with this story.
This is told in today and in the past. The past story involves notes made in a found book. Who left these notes and why?

A good bit of mystery and good old small town charm made this a winner of a read for me.


Thank you NetGalley for the advanced E-book edition in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so charming and delightful to read. I loved the story and the characters; the multiple POV and dual timeline was written so well. The audio version is fantastic! I loved the multiple narrators. Reading a book about books, book lovers, etc will always be an easy yes for me and this one did not disappoint. A cozy, heartwarming read.

I definitely went into this book thinking it would just be a light hearted tale about a lost love but it was so much more. Getting to see the 2 timelines for the characters was a great way to build up the emotion in the story. From banned books, to forbidden love, to creating a found family, this book has many layers that keep the reader interested the whole way through.

The story could have been so much better. First of all, I found it hard to believe that an 80+ year old woman was still working as a fierce top-of-the-field book editor in NYC. That job is rigorous and stressful. It would have made much more sense for the time span to be more like 40 years. Secondly, the way the MC's love interest ingratiated himself into the MC's life felt off-putting. And she forgave him pretty quickly. I didn't love the abandonment storyline and the way the mother just waltzed back into her children's lives with hardly a blink. And the young lover...the way she ended things with her sort of boyfriend was just shitty.

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The Library of Borrowed Hearts - Lucy Gilmore

A book about books, what more could a reader want. Having read Gilmore's 'The Lonely Hearts Bookclub' last year I knew this would be another great read so requested it immediately on Netgalley.

Chloe is a librarian who is taking care of her three siblings after her mother left them. It's hard and she struggles that put food on the table but she's not going to accept help from anyone. She thinks she had found a temporary bit of cash when she finds a rare book in the libraries pile of books that bin. However, when he grumpy neighbough offers to buy it off her for £5000 she is intrigued. At closer inspection there is writing in the margins, and not just one person's writing. The book was previously used to send messages between two lovers, one of whom is definitely her grumpy neighbour Jasper.

She begins to follow the clues in the book and realises this is one of many used by the two young people, over 50 years previously. Lucy is on a hunt to find them all, but she still needs to support her family. Even more so after Noodles fell and broke his leg, gaining support from the local survival instructor.

This was another great read about books from Gilmore. It's quick and easy to get into with some small twists and turns along the way to keep you interested. I can't wait to read the next on she comes out with.

I really enjoyed this novel, all the characters are so lovable. I wish there was an Epilogue so we could get a little more info after the story ends. But the writing style of Lucy Gilmore is so easy to read! Looking forward to more from this author.

Library of Borrowed Hearts is a good pick for book and library lovers. Told through dual timelines with multiple POVs, this book about found family has book references galore. I loved the characters and it made me rethink what a HEA really means.

Chloe Sampson, a librarian, faces an uphill battle as she shoulders the responsibility of caring for her three younger siblings—Trixie, Theo, and Noodle—after their mother's abandonment years ago. Exhausted from financial strain, Chloe stumbles upon a rare banned book from the 1960s while clearing out the library's basement, sparking thoughts of its potential value.

Living next door to the Sampsons is Jasper Holmes, a recluse known for his gruff demeanor. Chloe is taken aback when Jasper expresses interest in purchasing the book. As she delves deeper, she uncovers a hidden narrative within the book's margins—a tale of young love and clandestine communication between its previous owners. Intrigued, Chloe uncovers more copies of the book in Colville, sparking her curiosity about Jasper's past and his unresolved romantic history.

Themes of young love, unexpected friendships, overcoming barriers, financial hardships, and the value of diversity resonate throughout the narrative. With endearing characters and nods to classic literature, including references to Gilmore's previous work, "The Lonely Hearts Book Club," this novel earns a heartfelt recommendation and a five-star rating.

The Library of Borrowed Hearts was a heartfelt novel filled with found family, twilight/young friendship and literature. I’m grateful to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read and review the story of Chloe and her siblings, and of Katherine and Jasper and how these stories intersected and overlapped.

Full review will be posted on goodreads, storygraph, and instagram then linked here shortly!

This story was beautiful, wonderful, funny, heartwarming, heartbreaking, sad, crushing, and hopeful all in one. I loved the different POVs and dual timelines. I think those aspects REALLY added a lot to the story. I think this would be an amazing limited series on netflix or prime video.

I inferred from the summary of this book that this was going to be an emotional read. What I didn't anticipate that I would be totally emotionally gutted. Some of the twists of this one (particularly those in the last quarter) were honestly too much for me to handle. I know there is challenge and struggle within the human experience, and I knew there would be given the set-up of the story. However, the level and nature of the ones in this story just made it a really, really hard read for me. I did like the story built around the mysterious messages in the library books, but as the progression of plot happened and secrets were revealed, it just wasn't for me.. Thanks to NetGalley for the look at this April 2024 release.

There's library books with secret messages. But there's romance outside library books, too.

I love how the book plays with the different timelines. And the plot twists in both timelines are amazing!

I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a fun romance read with an intriguing cast of characters.

Also love the reading group guide and the book list that are included!

Includes:
Library books
Secret messages
Romance
Heartbreak
True love

Chloe Sampson's is raising her three younger siblings and struggling to make ends meet. Her mother walk away from them and left Chloe with no choice but to move back home and care for them. She is working as a librarian and struggling to make ends met. While working she comes across a rare edition of a book - the book is filled with writing. The writing leads her on a scavenger sort of hunt as she wishes to discover the life story of the individuals corresponding in the margins of a book that wasn't just rare but also banned.

Imagine her surprise when she discovers one set of the handwriting belongs to her cantankerous neighbor, Jasper who has offered to purchase the book from her. Chloe ends up searching for additional books that tell the story of two lovers in order to find out what happened to them.

The Library of Borrowed Hearts is a story told in different narratives and time periods. The points of views are distinct. The story within the story appealed to me the most as I found those characters more interesting. The build is slow but if you push through it you'll find the read worth it.

A charming, if a tad oversweet, story of families given and made that centers around a book-related mystery in a library in rural Washington State.

Chloe Sampson’s situation is dire. She was at University but when her mother, their only parent, walked out on her younger siblings, she was forced to abandon her studies and try to keep her family together. Chloe works at the local library where she finds a copy of The Tropic of Cancer with a conversation written in the margin by two lovers and realizes that one half of the couple is her grumpy elderly next door neighbor, Jasper.

In a second narrative strand, it is 1960 and free-spirited and strong-willed Catherine meets rough but book-loving Jasper and romance ensues as they leave each other notes written in the margins of A Farewell to Arms, The Haunting of Hill House , and, aha!, The Tropic of Cancer . But, Chloe finds out, Catherine died a long time ago.

Though both 1960 Jasper and present day Sampsons live in near-poverty it is of the we-were-poor-but-we-were-happy variety. The characterization of all the cast is pretty heavy-handed; they are each given a distinctive trait which is reiterated every time they appear. The exception is Chloe, who feels authentic in a way that makes you root for her and wish the other characters could have been a little more nuanced.

When things go from bad to worse for the Sampson family, things move towards a crisis and Chloe has to make some tough decisions. There are a few surprises along the way and Chloe and Jasper realize they are similar in many ways and can find their way out from the depths only by opening up to other people.

Not the most original conclusion, for sure, but pleasantly and satisfyingly arrived at.

Thanks to Sourcebooks and Netgalley fpr the digital review copy.