This was an absorbing story. I enjoyed the cast of quirky characters and had fun following them, even though I always get turned around during time travel books. My only complaint was it was a little more violent than I thought necessary, however I found it heartwarming orherwise.

I was sucked in to this world so quickly! A beautiful story of hope and love, I loved the fantasy aspect of the book and it was great.

What a unique story! I went in with high expectations and got just what I was looking for!

Honestly, I was a tad worried because I hadn’t read something sounding so wonderfully magical since I read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. I wasn’t sure The Book of Doors could live up to my expectations when it comes to beautiful writing and intriguing characters. But it did!

This is a book that I will be recommending to a bunch of my friends and other readers!

The Book of Doors is an excellent original story based in the modern day world. The main characters are complex and enjoyable, each with their own faults. While this book is a contemporary fantasy, it also challenged me by [inadvertently] asking questions. Every time I sat down to read, it left me wondering what I would do with a Book of Doors, or Joy, or Shadows, or... what kind of Book I would like to have. And I also am not sure I have read a more terrifying, albeit low key, villan - The Woman in her introduction had me so angry and upset, while also totally terrified at the power she held. I recommend The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown for any fans of contemporary fantasy, similar to The Magic All Around by Jennifer Moorman, Weyward by Emilia Hart, or even fans of Seanan McGuire. I found this book unique and fun, and was excited to read it at every sitting, excited to where it would take me next.

Oh man this one took me MONTHS to read. I read it so slowly. I don't know why, it felt really generic and been-done before at first. And then the villains with other books started popping up and it started getting better. But then a lot of racism toward the Black characters also started popping up and that was really distracting. And then the end got really violent and a crazy plan that was just wild and confusing to have to follow (it was hard to put it down and come back to it later). So the middle was good, it the rest lost me a bit.

THE WORLD BUILDING IS ELITE!

I CANT even wrap my head around how immersive this book was. Detailed magic system with context given appropriately and timely….i could’ve kissed this book.

If you love a slow burn subplot, a classic fantasy with all the twists, turns, ups, and downs of “old”; do yourself a favor and pick up this book as soon as possible.

I cannot wait for this book to be in the hands of my friends. What a beautiful and poignant read. I love the fantasy and time-travel-esque elements. It was a beautiful read.

A book is able to open many doors. Add some magic and we will all be wanting to own this particular book. Imagine the wonder of a book that allows one to step through to where-ever they may want to go. Italy, France,New York, to the store? But once you discover the magic and the consequences, would you still want to make use of this book?
This is a great story but the characters did not come alive for me. Thus, three stars.
I received a complimentary copy of the digital ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. The review is my own opinion.

Cassie is a bookseller living a simple, unassuming life until one of the bookstore's customer dies leaving her two books: The Count of Monte Cristo and a strange book called The Book of Doors. Having read that any door is every door, Cassie and her best friend, Izzy, start exploring all the book can offer, travelling everywhere they want anytime they want. But with all this new magic in their lives, they begin attracting all sort of attention, some more dangerous than the other.

The main thing about this book that I found really odd is that even though the premise promises an exciting story, I found that the book doesn't really have a plot until the last chapters and even so more or less. The book is much more about the friendship between Cassie and Izzy and the exploration of magic and people's greed. And even if these themes could be interesting the main villains of the book felt so lackluster. They were cartoonishly evil; they were evil just because and they did extremely evil things just for the sake of showing how truly evil they could be. The woman, as she is known, does a bunch of things that don't have any other reason than to show how villainous she really is. <spoiler> The woman kills a bunch of animals and brings profound sadness to a kid just to show how evil she is because she revels in it </spoiler>. The other villain, Hugo, loves torture and is extremely sexist (even saying how he'd love to live in the 70s) just to show again how much of a villain he is; these sentiments don't even fit the story, it's just thrown there to further his wickedness. Cassie is an ok character as are the others. But I just didn't care about them or their safety, the stakes just didn't feel real <spoiler> everything that could have done something to them is just scrapped by using the book of illusions </spoiler>.

When the plot finally begins to move forward, the actions of the characters just don't make sense. They keep making decisions that don't help their cause neither their survival. But the author needs these actions otherwise the book would just end <spoiler> how many time did they let Hugo go just because? Knowing he was really motivated and would keep coming back?? </spoiler>. They keep making the same mistake over and over and over again. The insta-love in two couples also didn't need to happen nor were well done.

I liked the idea of the books though. The magic system was really cool <spoiler> I liked the inclusion of the time travel via the Book of Doors </spoiler>. I hated the explanation of how they come to be <spoiler> I also hated why Rachel became the woman, she was in the way of Hugo's pain so that's why she is how she is? Her entire agency was completely taken away with that - she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time </spoiler>. But their usage was pretty interesting.

By the end, the book was just ok for me.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

Took me a hot second to sit down and write this review because this book is a mess. It starts with a white man who needed to be told (maybe still does) that not all of his ideas are good ones, not every idea has to be included in your book, and sexism via fatphobia and misogyny (the list goes on, I’m afraid) are highly unnecessary to create edginess in your story.
That’s not to say that there aren’t a few good bits here and there, but they do not balance or excuse the red flag salad that is this book. The twist on the Book of Doors (the item itself in the story, not this book title) was clever and I was surprised at how well Brown delivered some of the key emotional moments when so much of the dialogue and motivations in the book are trite and clunky.
Clunky is probably the best word to describe most of this book - there’s a decent-ish story buried in there, but it doesn’t matter because no one reeled this dude in where and when it mattered. 🤷🏻‍♀️

<i>Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow / Harper Collins for an eARC of this book.</i>

This was a thrill to read. I liked the underlying messages in this book and connected with Cassie very deeply. I am currently in law school and had just finished about how I felt I was so focused on school that I forgot to take time and enjoy the things about life and the small adventures you can have every day. I loved this book, the action, romance, and message are very understandable and I feel that this really would touch any great audience. This was one of the most refreshing reads I have had in a while.

The Book of Doors is Gareth Brown's debut time travel fantasy novel.

I want to preface my review with a slight disclaimer. I neither loved nor hated this book. However, I would like to say that I don't believe I was the target reader for this particular story. When I read the description, it seemed like an interesting fantasy, but it's actually more of a speculative fiction novel. The foundation of the story is based in the real world, with elements of magic and time travel, which isn't generally the type of plots that I enjoy. If that's something that YOU enjoy, then I believe you will like this novel. Having said that, on to the review.

Cassie has always loved books, and works in the Kellner Books shop. One night, a regular patron of the store passes and Cassie finds a special book that he left for her. Unbeknownst to her, it's a magical Book of Doors that can take you to any door, any where. When she realizes this, she starts to use it against her best friend Izzy's better judgment. This begins a journey for both of them that they could never have imagined. There are a lot of people interested in this Book, and it's hard to tell who to trust. Separated by time and space, Cassie and Izzy have to keep their wits about them to be able to survive The Woman, Hugo Barbary, and everyone else out to get them.

The plot for me was slow throughout the entire book, although the writing itself isn't bad. Both Cassie and Izzy are likeable, well-developed characters who are relatable in certain ways. They have a strong friendship bond, and everything they do is to try to get back to each other. The rest of the cast of characters (Drummond Fox, Lund, Azaki, etc.) are complicated in their own ways, but will always step up and do the right thing when it matters.

All in all, this is a pretty good debut of magic, heroes, villains, time travel, and loyalty. If you like an eclectic cast of characters, tales of friendship, or speculative fiction, then this novel is definitely in your wheelhouse, give it a try!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for a digital copy for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.

Thank for the opportunity to read this book early! I was very interested to read this magical debut after reading the synopsis! The book follows a girl Cassie working in a bookstore and stumbles upon a magical book after a man passes away at her book store she works at. From there she discovers the magic of the book with her best friend Izzy. They don’t realize they are being watched in the shadows by others that are after this book, unaware she is in danger. The book changes POVS which i was not expecting and confused me at first, but it happened to be a pleasant surprise. You get time travel, and the magical realism was great! I loved the concept of this book.

Wow. Ok, I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting with this book. It could have so easily been several different things. A whimsical journey as Cassie found a magic book that allowed her to travel anywhere. It would have worked as a story of just that - Cassie's adventures, traveling the world.

Instead, what we find is so much more. Yes, Cassie does find a magical book, The Book Of Doors, that allows her to travel to any place she can imagine - as long as she can see the door, the place, then all she needs is a hand on the book, and a door. While at first Cassie uses the book - despite caution from her friend, Izzy - to travel to places she'd been before in Europe, she doesn't have grander plans for it. However, the Book of Doors is something people have been searching for, and not all of them are willing to pay to get it.

Cassie finds herself thrown into a world of magic books that can do wonderous and horrible things, depending on the user. While there are some who value the books for the wonder they can bring, there are others who want them for the power they can give them. Or simply to possess them, to keep others from having them.

As different parties seek these magic books and are brought together, we're taken through the history of these books and how they came to be. How they can change the world, and the lives they touch.

This books gives a whole new meaning to book lovers, and fictional libraries you want to visit!

I liked this book. There was a lot that happened in a short timeline without a ton of interaction with characters or explanation. It was interesting and a compelling story but it did feel a little rushed at times. I wanted more character to character interaction/deeper relationships. But overall it was an enjoyable read. 3.5/3.75 rounded up for Goodreads.

Cassie is working at a bookstore in NYC when a favorite customer leaves her with an unbelievable gift - a strange book of scribbles and drawings with a handwritten note inside explaining that this is the Book of Doors, and every door is any door. Cassie and her best friend, Izzy, begin exploring all the possibilities that come with traveling anywhere at a moment’s notice. But this is not the only magical door that exists. Powerful people all over the world have been collecting them for some time, and can do wonderful and horrible things with them. The only person who may be able to help them is Drummond Fox, otherwise known as the Librarian, who has his own secret collection, but who has been running for the last ten years from the evil they all must eventually face.

I’m not quite a full fledged fantasy girlie yet but I’ve been really loving dipping my toes into stories with magical realism. This was such a cool concept to me: the one who possesses the Book of Doors has only to visualize a door in their mind and they can be immediately transported to another time and place. And there are other magical books out there with all these unique abilities?! Unfortunately, the execution didn’t quite hit for me.

There were a few magical elements that confused me. I also found the characters to be really flat? Like, zero personality. The author definitely TRIED to give them dimension but in such cliched ways smh. Especially the women.

Thank you to @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

3⭐️

We begin The Book of Doors with Cassie Andrews, a bookseller in New York City, when she receives a mysterious gift from a favorite customer: a enigmatic book filled with peculiar writing and drawings. Titled the Book of Doors, it seemingly grants to its possessor the ability to travel anywhere through any door. Excited by the newfound possibilities, Cassie begins going on mini-adventures, wherever a door will take her and her best friend Izzy, a reluctant and suspicious traveler via the Book of Doors. Before long however, Cassie and Izzy realize they're not the only ones with magical books. Thus they find themselves entangled in a dangerous world where book holders with sinister intentions are hunting down the long illusive Book of Doors, forcing Cassie to go on the run.

While The Book of Doors has a fantastic overall concept, complete with time travel and other magical books, the execution falls short in several key areas. The writing often veers toward oversimplification, with characterizations that are flat and overly simplistic. Characters are defined by one or two characteristics, lacking depth and complexity. The dialogue, with its outdated language (such as "Jap" — spoken as an off-the-cuff insult by a bad guy) feels out of place, seriously missing depth and nuance. Also, the portrayal of the antagonists as one-dimensional, mustache-twirling villains is disappointing, and lends itself to some cartoonish detours.

But perhaps one of the book's greatest flaws is in its unfocused plot, which progresses haltingly. The sheer abundance of magical books introduced throughout the narrative made me very aware of the author, who was potentially creating books out of the air — sort of a throw everything at the wall and see what sticks storytelling experience. Even the chapters themselves were unevenly dealt. In the more extended action sequences, Brown leaned into short chapters that never really ended, but stopped "in medias res," and continued immediately, not missing a beat, as the next chapter began. Unnecessary interruptions rather than meaningful transitions, disrupting the flow of the narrative into commercial breaks from tv in the 90s. This issue is juxtaposed and exacerbated by instances where significant time passes with little to no notable events occurring, leaving the reader disconnected from the story.

The Book of Doors is a debut novel with potential, hindered by issues of characterization, plot coherence, and pacing. One can't help but wonder about the role of the editorial process in addressing these shortcomings. Despite its flaws, the book offers glimpses of creativity and imagination, perhaps suggesting promise for future works from the author.

Rating: 3.75 stars - I had a hard time deciding what to rate this, because while the story ended up coming together amazingly, it was all over the place and hard to get through at times. There were beautiful descriptions of the locations, and the twists were all satisfying in wrapping up the threads, but there were so many characters that didn’t get the attention they needed.
The main women characters are stereotypical and shallow - too often making unnecessary comments about their appearance or what they shouldn’t be eating. I appreciated what the FMC grew into, but would still speak in a way that made me think the author had never conversed with a woman in real life. The villains are deeply troubled humans, with quite realistic descriptions, but for how scary they were their defeats almost seemed comical.
Recommended for those who enjoyed The Ten Thousand Doors of January, The Midnight Library, or The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.
Thank you to @NetGalley and William Morrow for providing an eARC for my honest opinion.

Not quite the book for me. I had a hard time finishing. The writing was good though, so it may be a better book for someone else. Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley!

Wow, I am actually shocked how much I enjoyed this book. I loved the characters and the idea of magical books. I was not expecting the time travel aspect of it at all and feel like that added so much to the plot. Mr. Webber was 100% my favorite character and loved that we got to see more of him later on. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for allowing me to read this advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.