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!

Cassie is living an ordinary life when she unexpectedly is given a strange old book called The Book of Doors. Inside it tells her that any door can become every door and she begins to use it to open door into far off lands (and even far into the past). But as she and her roommate and best friend Izzy soon discover, there are more magical book out there, and there are a lot of people who want them. Cassie and Izzy are found by a Scottish book collector named Drummond Fox who seems to want to help them (but does he just want the Book of Doors for himself?). As the story progresses Cassie learns more about the magical books and what they can do, and what some people are willing to do to get their hands on them.

I really enjoyed the time travel elements and how it is slowly revealed that there is this huge web of events that deliciously intersects and connects and criss-crosses and yet it all makes sense. I thought everything was handled masterfully.

I did not expect this book to go to the places it went. That's a good thing.

When Cassie Andrews is unexpectedly gifted an old book, the Book of Doors, she opens herself up to an underground world of magic — and also murder. On the run from a psychopathic book collector, Cassie makes a host of new friends and discovers there's more to her own past than she ever imagined.

Cassie, our main character, is less compelling than some of the side characters — including the villains. But the most compelling part of this novel is the magic system. It's clever and strange and beyond the world building I expected of a book about books. To say more would give away some of the twists, which I found genuinely unexpected in places.

Overall, I think this is a book more worth reading for the plot than the characters, but the characters are still likable enough to carry you to the meatier plot points. 3.5 starts rounded up to 4.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

In "The Book of Doors," Cassie Andrews stumbles upon a magical book in her bookstore that grants her and her friend Izzy the power to travel anywhere they wish. This book is part of a collection, each with its own unique abilities, sought after by various factions for centuries. Characters include Drummond Fox, the keeper of a magical library; a mysterious detective on a secret quest; and a dangerous woman leaving chaos in her path. Cassie, Izzy, and Drummond embark on an adventure to secure these books against those with nefarious intentions.

Authored by Gareth Jones, this novel captivates with its inventive plot and vivid settings. I found the characters, particularly Drummond, fascinating and Cassie a relatable heroine. The story, told through multiple viewpoints, combines magic and mystery into a rich narrative, though it sometimes faces slow pacing and redundancy. While the time travel aspect raises questions, the dynamic between heroes and comically evil villains adds depth, despite the latter's underdevelopment.

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for the eARC of this book!

When Cassie is left a mysterious book by one of her favorite customers, a series of catastrophic events unfold. This book is called The Book of Doors which allows the holder of the book to use any door as a portal to another door anywhere in the world and in time. But by using the book Cassie has put a target on herself and those around her. She must embark on a journey to prevent dangerous people from getting The Book of Doors and other books like it.


The premise of this book had so much potential and it just fell flat for me. There was so much that happened that it felt rushed at times, and it got very confusing trying to keep up with where exactly you were in the storyline. Another issue I had was the dialogue that came from one of the main villains. I understand that you want the villain to be unlikeable or make them seem evil...BUT I don't think using racist language is ever necessary to do so. I also felt that the subtle comments about food and weight were entirely unnecessary.

The Book of Doors is the book to recommend to all who loved The Midnight Library, The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, and similar titles. It's bookish, it's magical realism, it feels urgent and timely - in short, it's a very enjoyable story that has a lot of unexpected twists and turns that I didn't see coming. I really loved it as a meditation on grief, and letting go, and coming to terms with the loss of loved ones from your life. It felt very heartfelt and thoughtful. I know lots of reviewers have called out some of the lazy racist/misogynistic language, particularly from the villain character - and, I get it, and I think it's not the most sophisticated way to convey that someone is overall bad, but I'm willing to accept it as a small misstep in an overall very lovely, very satisfying book. Definite 4 stars for me, and I've already been recommending this to folks who I know it will resonate with.

I really wanted to like this book. I liked it in the beginning. The concept of the magical books was super interesting and fun. The main characters (Cassie and Drummond) were likable and relatable. But then things just got weird and dark and gruesome. Once "the woman" character was introduced, who is a super evil character, I started to not like it. Her character was almost too evil and the enjoyment of killing people and causing pain on others was too much. It seemed unnecessary to me. I wish there was more backstory for the main characters - Cassie, Izzy, Drummond and Lund.

The other thing I struggled with was the concept that Cassie created the books. I still don't understand how that happened. Couldn't she just make the books go away if she created them? I am confused.

Loved the magical books concept, but things were too violent and gruesome in ways that seemed unnecessary,


My rating: 2.5/5

I can’t even express how much I love this book. It had me hooked from the start. It’s so good!! It’s so full of fantasy and escapism. Perfect for those of us who love to escape into a book full of whimsy and delight. It was a delicious treat, reading this book. Now I must buy the physical copy as soon as it comes out! I am so in love with this book. There aren’t enough capricious adjectives to describe how much I loved this book. I was so lost in another world while reading it. So perfect!!
And usually when there’s a lot of different perspectives in a book, it’s too confusing and annoying. But in this case, it was perfect and it all tied together amazingly and I was intrigued by every chapter!

Now I need an alternate story where nothing bad happens and there aren’t any risks and Cassie just gets to explore the world with the book of doors

It was really good the way it is, the sci-fi / thriller nerd in me loved this book so much, but I also would enjoy a book with the same premise but without the conflict and drama. Just, a book of doors that takes you wherever you want to go with no consequences and no bad guys and no people trying to hunt it. Just, good times and magical adventures. Why does every book have to have drama and conflict and evil and murder? Why can’t there ever be a book that’s just a happy magical good time? The book is really good. I just wish there was another book about the same concept but without any of the bad stuff. Just the good stuff. If this was a story about how a girl was gifted this book and got to travel the whole world doing fun adventures, it would be right up my alley. But of course, there had to be evil and danger involved. Couldn’t just have a happy story. Had to make it dramatic. I do appreciate this story and its drama, I just was really enjoying the idea of being able to magically travel anywhere I want. And then they added all the bad stuff and it made me sad. Why can’t Cassie just have fun and enjoy herself? Someone should write a book like that. One without danger. One where someone just has happy fun whimsical times. I’m getting way off point here. Anyway, I love this book, and I wish there was another book with the same idea but without the conflict.

Spoiler alert:

She was only friends with mister Webber in the past because she was friends with him in the future because she was friends with him in the past and so on and so forth forever. That is hurting my head.

And holy shit, that consciousness twist! It’s like someone took some seriously good psychedelics while coming up with this story. This was just really awesome to read.

I only wish I had the full and corrected version in my hands right now, since I was so lucky to get a free uncorrected version from NetGalley. I have no idea what’s been changed since the book was released to the public, but I’m dying to know!

This book needs to be a Christopher Nolan movie!! It’s that mind blowing and awesome. Like interstellar and inception. It’s so good. So damn good.

The only thing that really bothered me was the Drummond / Cassie creepy weird romance stuff. That guy was way too old for her. It was just weird. But thankfully it wasn’t a big part of the story. Still creepy though.

Anyway, I very much enjoyed this book and I’m glad NetGalley let me read it!

And also (MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!)
But it also is making my head hurt thinking about the fact that the woman is only bad because the bad man gave her his pain in the past that she herself took away from him in the future but she wouldn’t even have it in the first place if he hadn’t gone back to the past to accidentally give it to her… but he wouldn’t have had it to give if she hadn’t taken it from it in the ballroom before he got sent back to the past again. It’s all so confusing and twisted and it makes my brain hurt. Where did it even come from in the first place? How did he get it to begin with? So many time travel things that are making my brain spin around and contort. All the loops and connections and everything… it all just hurts my head trying to figure it all out. I want to talk to the author and ask like a million questions. One of the main questions being, why did Cassie go back and give herself the book of doors when she could’ve just chosen not to do that and the whole ordeal would be avoided? Well, I guess there wouldn’t be a book if that happened. But still. What’s weird is that at the beginning of the book, I assumed mister Webber had been using the book of doors and had been going on adventures, but in reality he didn’t get the book until minutes before he died. And Cassie gave it to him. To give to her. To start this whole shindig over again. Ugh. Alright, alright, I must end this “review” now (which let’s be honest this is really just me blathering more than an actual review)

This book was so unique and fun. Even the acknowledgments at the end of the book are unique and fun. I cannot wait to get ahold of an actual physical corrected copy of this book! (And I also want to get a copy of that book he mentioned that was about the invention of time travel. That sounds like an awesome book!)

This book was a wild ride of magical realism and I enjoyed it but also couldn't think too much about the logistics of anything.

While living in New York and working at a bookstore, Cassie is given a copy of the Book of Doors when a patron of the bookstore dies and leaves it to her. She and her room mate Izzy soon figure out they can use this book to be transported to any door. The more the find out the more mysteries there are, and there are many twists and turns as they figure out the truth behind the book.

I would say just let yourself go along for the ride with this one -- parts of it felt a little slow or dense to me, but parts of it I sailed through. I loved Cassie and her relationships with Izzy, with her grandfather, and with Mr Webber. Those were my favorite parts of the book. I enjoyed the mystery of the books and learning more about them in bits and pieces.

I know in his author's note, Gareth Brown says that this is not the first book he's written, but for a first published book this one was very impressive. I am eager to see what he writes in the future -- his world building is great and I enjoyed the writing. I love books set in New York and this one had a lot of very good New York scenes.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!