Overall, The Book of Doors was a downright delightful read! I'd say the criticisms about it's slow-to-start intro are very accurate, but it didn't bother me too much (I just had to settle into it and before I knew it, the pages flew by). Also on target are the negative reactions to some of the language in the book - I think this is something to be aware of if you decide to give this book a try. It's going to come down to your tastes and what triggers you allow in your media selections. (Though I'm hoping the author will take the reviewers remarks into consideration, I can also understand the flipside of the argument.) That said, I simply adore the books about books trope, and The Book of Doors ticked so many boxes that I still think makes it a worthwhile story to immerse yourself in!

Many thanks to William Morrow (HarperCollins), and NetGalley, for an advance reading copy of this book.
What a fun read!
If you enjoy novels about books, bookstores, libraries, etc., this one’s for you. It’s about the power and magic of books—literally! The protagonist, Cassie Andrews, comes to possess a book known as the Book of Doors. The book allows Cassie to open any door and instantly travel through it to any other door—present or past. Cassie, who loves to travel, can now do so anytime she wants. However, as she and her best friend, Izzy, will soon find out, possessing the Book of Doors puts their lives at risk.
Enter Drummond Fox, a librarian who possesses several other magical books that he secretly hides in the Fox Library. For ten years, Drummond has been hiding from those eager to possess the Fox Library and other magical books. These evildoers will kill to get these books and use them to control and harm others.
Drummond, who believes that the Book of Doors is the key to protecting his secret library from these evildoers, discovers that Cassie has it. Together, they embark on a journey to protect these magic books, save themselves, and stop these evildoers.
One of my favorite characters was Hugo Barbary, a menacing character who is comically evil and sadistic to the core. But other vile characters lurk, including The Bookseller and, most of all, The Woman.
Gareth Brown’s "The Book of Doors" is creative, adventurous, and entertaining. While the story’s overall cohesiveness may have benefited from some minor tightening, and more backstory regarding certain characters, these considerations do not significantly impact the story’s effectiveness and reader’s enjoyment.
The Book of Doors is a magical book that you won’t want to miss!

Very Intriguing, Mystery and Full of Adventure!

This story will draw you in and keep you reading. The characters are quirky and interesting . The story was so full of twists and turns that it kept my attention and for the first time ever I gave up on figuring out a book and just took it in.

I will say I had a few issues* One usually is a DNF for me. I decided to keep reading/listening and just try to skip over those parts.

*Some Language including … I would have DNF’d it just for God’s/Jesus’ Name being used inappropriately had it kept occurring. Not sure why that is necessary to be honest. This would have been a 4-5 Star read for me had that not been the case.

Audiobook: Narrated by Miranda Raison
Miranda made this very interesting with all
her voices. Not sure how she kept them straight. She kept me on my toes in a good way.

This is Gareth Brown’s Debut Novel. I will look for his next book…

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the Publisher and was under no obligation to post a favorable review.

I received this title as as an ARC from Netgalley. It was highly anticipated for me as a librarian, lover of books, and lover of travel. The addition of time travel elements really tipped it from like to love for me. Time travel is such a difficult trope to master, as the author must write things happening in the present tense and be aware that they are things that will happen in the future past the entire time, even before the reader is aware. Gareth Brown does this masterfully. I have told all of my friends that is sci-fi for those who don't like sci-fi, or sci-fi for beginners because the sci-fi elements flow so easily that you forget that it's "not real" (and you really want it to be! There are 2 ongoing love stories, but they are not overpowering and are not made to be the main plot line. andd I rooted for both couples. But the enduring friendship between Cassie and Izzy, the found family that develops and endures, all the way down to the realization of how it all began (and who started it). No spoilers. I read in Brown's bio that his first book was very bad and he has been working to make up for that ever since. Well congratulations, you've done it!

Wow, The Book of Doors is just wow. Cassie is at work when a book falls into her lap. When she gets home she and her best friend, Izzy, realize that the book can take them through any door in the world. Amazing right? The only problem is that people have been hunting for this book for centuries.

With the help of an unexpected group of friends, will Cassie be able to save herself, the book, and her friends from those who want it enough to kill?

I was immediately sucked into this book and Gareth’s writing style. He keeps you engaged and desperate to know what happens next. This is absolutely one of my favorite books of the year.

Thank you to Gareth Brown, NetGalley and Harper Collins for this ARC.

This was well written but the world building was middle of the road at best and Cassie wasn't quite a rounded character enough for me to truly lose myself in the writing.

Started off really strong but fell apart in the second half. Loved the magical realism vibes and special book powers. If the energy and pacing from the first half had been maintained, this easily could have been a five star read.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.

I highly suggest you to pick this up if you enjoyed The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow which is a book I adored so it doesn’t surprise me that I enjoyed this one. Here we follow Cassie who is a girl working in a bookstore. Her favorite customer gifts her a book. And It looks super unique with odd drawings and words that are strung together. After some events, she realizes that it can transport her to other locations just by opening a random door. Her and her best friend set out together, traveling anywhere their hearts desire. But they soon discover they aren’t the only ones with a magical book and they are being hunted by the not so nicest people. Super enjoyable!

This was an incredibly beautiful story filled with magic and wonders. The imagination runs wild with this story. Imagine finding a library filled with books that not only contain marvels and mysteries but could also make magic. The possibilities could be endless but that would also mean that there may be chances for them to fall into the wrong hands. There are so many things this story touches on. We get to see examples of true friendship, what it is and looks like. We get to experience the emotional roads the MC travels on because of how wonderfully the author described everything. Such a good read in my opinion. I loved it!

Have you ever just imagined about being teleported to a place in an instance. Or jump into a book to be in their world with those characters. I have and I know I'm not alone.

This book was just a fun read over all. The first half of the book was really slow for me and it was hard to keep engaged, but the second half was great. I couldn't put the book down. The twist and turns in the book had me guessing what would happen next.

Having all these magical books and learning what they can do was interesting. People from different walks of life band together to stop "the woman" from collecting all the books and destroying the world. I liked the concept of going back in time and also seeing other peoples memories.

The only thing I was really confused about is the nothing and everywhere chapter. So much information was thrown out and I was just real confused on how the books really were made. I get the whole feelings thing from the event that just happened, but nothing else.

Overall I truly enjoyed reading about magic books and how everyone used them.

Thank you Netgalley, Gareth Brown, and Publisher for this Arc, in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC

I really, really enjoyed this book. I keep telling myself I'm not a fantasy reader, and then I stumble upon books like this and completely have to rethink things.

This book was well-paced, interesting, twisty, and thought-provoking. If you hate all things magic then I'd stay away from this one, but if you're open to it I'd highly recommend it. I can't wait to see what else this author has in store.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC. This book was everything I wanted it to be. Our main character Cassie starts out at a NY city bookshop where she meets a sweet quiet old man who lives her a special gift. That gift sets her on a course of going to incredible places, but it also comes with danger and grief. I could not stop reading and when I got to the end, this story stayed with me. A must read.

First things first, this cover is gorgeous. I was completely hooked and invested in this book from roughly page three.

Cassie comes to possess the Book of Doors, and her life turns upside down. She’s suddenly in danger and buckle up because you’re in for a ride from there.

Without getting into spoilers, Brown approaches a common concept from an interesting angle, and it gave me a lot to think about. It also allowed for the intersecting storylines to be wrapped up and explained nicely and tidily.

It is a well-written, engaging, and thought-provoking read. I had to knock off a star because some of the descriptions of gore were a bit intense for my taste.

4 stars out of 5.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for my honest feedback. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC! I loved the concept of this book even though I’m not huge on fantasy and really enjoyed how magical it was, especially since it took place in NYC and centered around a bookstore! I will recommend this one!

What can I say about this book? This book had magic joy, sadness, friendship. I thought this was a really good book and not something I've read before. The characters were flawed, but in a realistic way,. They weren't perfect, they weren't all likeable, but its what made a book about magic books seem a bit more realistic.

I really liked the main character Cassie and her best friend Izzy. I wish there was a bit more development on some of the other supporting cast, but overall, I thought this was a solid book.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

As a reader, I love a book about books. In this case, the books are special - the Book of Doors, which Cassie receives as a gift from a customer who passes away on her shift, gives her access to all doors - she can open any door and be anywhere in the world she chooses. She soon discovers their are other special books out there - and other collectors. And some of those collectors will do anything to get their hands on her book. A tale of magic, travel through time and space, and love of books...who could ask for more?

4.25 ⭐️

Magical realism that felt cozy and also action packed. Solid character development and a really fun plot. I love a book about books so much, add in some time travel and I’m sold.

I did feel like this book took me an eternity to read but I am still not sure if it was the books pacing or my will to read. I did enjoy it, but sometimes I felt like I could put it down at any point. For a debut novel this is really great. Looking forward to more from the author!

Thank you to Netgally, William Marrow, and the author for the ARC.

It’s easy enough to read the blurb for this book and see what it’s generally about, so I’m gonna skip that for this review and stick to what this book was about to me.

To me, it’s about loss and how it can affect a person in unanticipated ways. It’s about accepting that there’s more to life than we realize in our limited perspective, and knowing that it’s okay to not know what comes next. It’s about unexpected friendships and coming together for a mutual purpose.

I really enjoyed this book. The concept and plot were appealing to me and I thought the characters were well-developed. However, the writing was a tad choppy (which is common with non-linear storytelling as well as multi-character pov) and it felt the suspense was a bit forced in places. I would recommend this book to others, and I’d be interested in reading more by this author in the future.

Thank you to William Morrow, Custom House, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Unfortunately I didn’t finish this book. I started it being excited about the premise because it’s a magical story about books. But a few lines put me off and bothered me, and I wasn’t really liking the writing or characters. I usually know if I’ll like a book within the first few chapters, and this just isn’t for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

With its time traveling and magic - this was a fun read! It was a bit fast paced, with a few slow chapters. The plot was all over the place, but I think that was part of the experience. Everything was connected somehow, and I loved it. I still have many questions so I think I should do a re-read to see if I find some answers. I wish we got more of Cassie’s back story, to understand her a little better. The book had its funny moments, but also very creepy scenes. I liked that darker side of it, because of course with books this powerful you get very evil people.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for allowing me to read this advance copy!