Thank you to NetGalley and Gareth Brown for the ARC of The Book of Doors. I LOVED this story. I definitely feel that it will be one of my top reads for the year. I loved Fox Drummond, the grandfather, and Mr. Webber. I got very emotionally attached to these characters alongside Lund. I loved their relationship to Cassie and how they impacted her path in the story. I loved how connected everything was in the story and how it all came together in the end. I definitely recommend this book for anyone looking for a five star read!

For about half of this book, I was very interested in what happening and enjoying it a lot more than I did by the end. Then something happens that changes the entire story, and it felt completely out of place compared to the beginning. Lots of things get thrown in at this point as well. While I did still like the book (and someday a reread knowing where things are going may help), it lost some of its appeal because of the direction it took.

Note: arc provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for honest review

I loved the beginning of this book. About half way through I got confused and lost. I finished the story and the ending was pretty awesome.
Mystical with some fantasy.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

This was such a beautifully written fantasy novel. It tested both my intelligence and imagination as I dove into Cassie’s and Izzy’s world. Thank you so much to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read this early on a digital platform. Excited to read more work by this author!

“Any door is every door.” 🚪

This enchanting story is about a young woman named Cassie who works at a book store. On one ordinary day, a customer she is friendly with passes away and leaves her with a book called “The Book of Doors”. This magical book can take you anywhere you want to go, as long as there is a door to enter and exit from.

This book starts off in such an adventurous way with her and her best friend Izzy using the door to travel the world, but what starts off as delightful, soon becomes sinister and life threatening.

The girls soon run into a man named Drummond Fox, who informs them that not only are there more magical books in the world, but there are also people who would kill to get them. The people who would kill to get them includes “the woman”, she’s a sadistic monster hunting the books one by one & only wants to cause harm and bring despair to others.

This story is action-packed, has a touch of romance, is captivating, emotional, and has a found family aspect to it. The twists & revelations were shocking and gripping. This book is going to stay on my mind for a very long time.

I’m giving this 4.75 ⭐️ not a full 5 because I felt the ending was too abrupt & some reveals needed to be expanded upon. Also, the action scenes became a bit “too much” for me, and the romance subplot was too subtle. I wanted more!!!

✨ If you are a fan of The Midnight Library, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, and/or This Time Tomorrow, then read this book! If you love time bending stories then you’re in for a treat. This book gave me everything I was looking for, and more! ✨

Thank you NetGalley & WilliamMorrow for this ARC! This book publishes on 2/15/24!

DNF @ 50%

I really wanted to love this book as so many have based on their reviews. I’ve tried multiple times to pick this book up and continue on. But I just can’t seem to get myself to continue any longer.

This is about our FMC Cassie, an employee at a bookstore, that receives a special book from an elderly man that frequents her bookstore. It turns out that it’s not just any ordinary book, it’s the Book of Doors that transports you anywhere you want to be.

The beginning was fun. Cassie and her best friend Izzy have light-hearted journeys all around the world and it’s a cute time. Of course, not everything stays bright and cheery. The darker it got, the less interested I became.

There were so many characters introduced that I was getting dizzy with the quantity and lack of quality. Not only were there a lot of storylines going on, but I didn’t feel like any of the characters really stuck. Like Lund and Asaki, I couldn’t for the life of me understand who they were and what role they played. Nor could I be bothered to care.

The scene where the woman sees Drummond’s friends was the last straw for me. The descriptions and the gore completely dissipated any of the little interest that I had left in this book. I’m usually into descriptive scenes like that but these bad characters were just unbearable. I was hanging on by a thread and that scene was the scissors that cut me off.

I guess my problem was I had expectations for this book based on all of the amazing reviews that it had. With the comparison to Addie LaRue, I felt like it was a must-read. I usually say “I’ll pick this up at a later time” but for this book, it’s just completely not for me and I don’t see myself reading it again.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC. I’m very grateful to be able to receive advanced copies to review.

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown follows Cassie as she comes to own a magical book that allows her to travel through doors anywhere. Little does Cassie know that this bit of magic is tied to a very dangerous part of the world. With elements of found family and dangerous magic, follow Cassie and her friends as they try to stop an evil force.

If you are not a fan of negative reviews, that is what follows. I really wanted to enjoy this because the concept sounds very cool. However, I found myself wishing for the pacing to be faster and I felt like some parts of the plot were unnecessary. The relationships between characters were not fleshed out enough and there was an element of romance that was entirely forced. This could have been done without romance completely. Next, the plot feels all over the place. It starts to go in one direction and then completely changes pace. The timeline also threw me off and made it difficult to follow. The timing felt like it was added to describe the magic system, which can be done well, but I feel it was not the case here.

By the time I picked this book up last week, I couldn’t remember what originally intrigued me about it. I’m actually glad I went in without expectations because I enjoyed it more than I think I might’ve with the looming expectations of comparisons made: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, The Night Circus, Ten-Thousand Doors of January.

The Book of Doors is definitely a welcome addition to the above list, but it stands on its own.

It’s hard to say too much without giving the plot away. There’s a lot of layers here and I only guessed one or two of them myself. My only gripe is the pacing. As much as I loved the story as a whole, I never really felt a sense of urgency from the events. It may have been tense at times, but I still felt like I was on a pleasant stroll. In a way, it was refreshing. However, I still enjoy a bit of anxiety when reading.

I received an advanced copy of this book from William Morrow via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

What would you do if you were gifted something that could take you any where you ever wanted? Just imagine the place and when you open your eyes you walk through a door and you're there. Cassie received that very gift however she was not aware of the dangers and consequences that came with it. She is sent back in time and when she arrives back to the present that she knew, she is 10 years older however her best friend Izzy who she was separated from has remained the same. They discover when they meet Mr. Drummond Fox of the dangers the face and there are many seeking to get their hands on the book that was gifted to Cassie. But are they able to fight off all these people who posses so much power?

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and author for my ARC! I really enjoyed reading this story!

I was intrigued by the premise of this book, and I think almost any reader would probably take a second look at this book after reading the back cover. The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown reminds readers that books are magic, and readers are the ones who imbue them with that magic. While not my first or only five star 2024 review, it's definitely one of the books that kept me up at night turning the pages.

Cassie Andrews, the main character in the novel, is living an unassuming life working in a bookstore in New York City. She's had her own share of personal loss, and then suddenly while working, one of her customers passes away. The customer leaves her a book, with the mysterious saying that "any door is every door." You can get this from the blurb on the back of the book. What you don't get from the back of the book is how wonderfully the author explores the magic of the book while Cassie must also fend off those that would steal the book for themselves for nefarious purposes. It really gets to the fact that the same books that can be used for wonder and enlightenment can be used for horror and carnage in the wrong hands.

There were several poignant moments in the novel, and I always try to avoid spoilers, but what would you do if you could talk with anyone anywhere anytime? How would that conversation go? If you could travel anywhere you've ever been, or anywhere you can imagine the door to, where would you go? Would you have the courage to step through the door? Can you also imagine why many would seek to have this book and do anything in their power to obtain it regardless of the cost? I belong to several book clubs, and I'm hoping (and may petition) that this book be chosen because there is so much to unpack. I truly loved the book, and recommend it.

Please be advised I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you liked “The Ten Thousand Doors of January” you will most likely find this book highly enjoyable.

The storyline was interesting and I appreciate all the time weaving from past to present, that, I thought was excellent. What I felt lacked was the time spent on some of the descriptors that didn’t really seem to matter. It felt like the author was trying to be thorough but fell a little short and came off as wasted words. The other aspect I didn’t like was the anti-climactic climaxes at some of the cruxes. So much build up and then BLOOP, it’s over.

This is a story of a woman who loves books and through a series of events has to save herself and her friend. The story itself is endearing but Cassie’s character was annoying to me at times. I know she wasn’t meant to be but I just wanted to reach in the book and shake her. Other readers may find her character a blend of soft and hard and like it, but I felt this blend again fell short and just missed the mark for likability as a MC.

Again, if you like “The Ten Thousand Doors of January”, I say jump right in. This is less flowery in language but equal in storyline. If you didn’t- I don’t think I’d risk being disappointed twice.

There were some elements of this that I found compelling but ultimately this book just was not for me.

First, the positives: the idea of magic books was very cool, and I actually enjoyed the time travel storyline and the time loop it created. That was surprising to me and really allowed some character development, which I appreciated. Some very interesting concepts tackled in this book and I always love a NYC setting. Lots of plot twists to keep you interested.

The not so positive: The writing telegraphs morals really strongly, like the author doesn’t trust the reader to come to their own conclusion. The way the memory taking plot was handled in particular, with the FMC hating the librarian, then on page walking through how she (and we the readers) should be feeling about the scene and the various grey areas. In that sense, it felt like a YA book, even though obviously there’s torture and death and gore and other adult themes. Just a weirdly judgmental tone. The writing was a little clunky, especially for a comp to Babel, and so many things were just shrugged off as, “no one knows, magic, oh well.” The negative self-talk and focus on body image from the female main character and her roommate felt unnecessary and out of place, like the author just assumes all women sit around complaining about how we can’t eat carbs because it’ll go straight to our hips. I didn’t appreciate the random racist comments even if they did come from a clear villain. The pacing felt very inconsistent, and several characters voices merged together for me. The female characters in particular were weak and flat. Even the main villain…. it felt like a caricature.

I do think this will have an audience that really enjoys it. I would recommend it for fans of the Midnight Library, The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, and The 10,000 Doors of January. Unfortunately, I am just not that audience.

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown was such a fun and exciting read for me! I loved the world building and the way the magic worked.
The story follows Cassie Andrews, a bookshop worker in New York City, who inherits the Book of Doors, a rare book with enigmatic words and drawings that promises to open any door. She is approached by a mysterious librarian named Drummond Fox who keeps watch over a unique set of rare volumes. Then Cassie is hunted by those who know of the Special Books and must decide whether to help protect them from those who will do evil.

It was such a fast paced book that had me on the edge of my seat. I also loved how it was written and the way the book flowed. I don't want to spoil anything so trust me when I say this was a unique read when it comes to how it flowed. I really enjoyed this one.

This wasn’t what I expected at all, but I was really pleasantly surprised. This book hooked me from the start and I enjoyed every page. The thought, creativity, detail and planning that had to go into this is incredibly impressive. Anytime a book is written that deals with the bending of time and reality, there’s a huge possibility of holes in the story or loose ends left untied, but this had none.

I won’t say more because I don’t want to give a single thing away, but this was worth the read and I loved it.

More experienced readers of the time traveler genre than I will probably find holes to pick in the logistics of this story, but I was happy to be swept into the fantasy along with Claire and Izzy. Two young New Yorkers are gifted a book that allows them to step through any door and through into another place and time. This is a long held fantasy of mine (especially now, with a far-flung family), so I happily embraced the gift. But magic is never free, and the world of magical books is a dark world of power struggles and politics. Claire, Izzy, and their "white hat" allies have to be very clever and patient to defeat their enemies. Fortunately, this fantasy/romance gives most of them a satisfying happily ever after.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Magic, mayhem, and murder. Yes please! Overall I really enjoyed this book, however there were a couple of issues. At times it had so many minor details, and then other time it would skip years. Still enjoyable read.

Oh, how I loved this book. I couldn't put it down, and thought about it for days afterwards. Getting a book hangover because the book is that good is one of the best feelings in the world. This book was phenomenal and unique and everyone should read it. It's a love story to the power of books and has my favorite element of all: time travel.

Cassie works in a NYC bookstore and the lonely old man who had become a regular, dies one day. Sitting next to him is a book--the Book of Doors, and it's inscribed to Cassie along with the phrase "any door is every door." Cassie goes home and with her roommate Izzy, start trying to figure out what that means. It turns out that they can go anywhere they want through doors if they can imagine. As they have an amazing night experiementing with places they can go, they run into a Scottish man who tells them that they're in danger: The Book of Doors is known and is one of several magical books that are both hunted for evil and collected for good. Izzy and Cassie shrug off the warning, go home, and are almost killed. So the chase begins--but who's chasing whom and for what reasons? Who are these people and what are their motivations? And how will Cassie figure it all out?

You know how sometimes when you read a book, you can tell what books/stories/movies influenced the writer? Can't find them here. This story feels so original and fresh, it's an absolute joy to read. I laughed, I cried, and I am still thinking about this book more than a week after I finished it (and I've read several others in between). I hope Gareth Brown writes more books, especially if they involve the fabulous characters he brought to life in The Book of Doors.

I'm so grateful to NetGalley and William Morrow publishers for the ARC of this book. LOVED IT.

This is one of those books I wish I could read for the first time over and over again! Filled with spectacular craftsmanship and beautifully woven details, "The Book of Doors" is a stunning debut novel by Gareth Brown.

Brown draws his readers into the story and world building throughout the first half of the work. I adored getting to know Cassie, Izzy, Mr. Webber, Drummond and the whole host of characters presented in this marvelous tale! Once I hit the halfway mark, I could not put this book down! I experienced nearly every emotion known to man while adventuring through the various cities and times alongside Cassie and her crew. Over and over again secrets were revealed in such dazzling ways that I still cannot believe this is a debut novel! It takes skill to present magical elements in such a way that - even for a moment - you believe what you're reading could happen in real life. Brown's characters and their scenarios were so real that I felt like they could be happening to anybody I pass on the street or in my favorite book store.

I would love to see a second novel that continues the storylines and slow burners that Brown introduced in this book but, no matter what, believe that this book ends perfectly to be a standalone ... even though I never wanted it to actually end!

If you are a fan of fantasy, action and suspense, this is a book you MUST read. I am so thankful to NetGalley, Gareth Brown, and HarperCollins for access to the ARC! I am telling all of my friends to add this to their TBR STAT!

This was an amazing book for anyone who enjoys magic and wishes they can escape into a hidden world of magic. The book was definitely a rollercoaster, there where highs, lows, and lulls. But the book did an amazing job to keep me on my toes!

Overview: The book's main focus is a woman named Cassie. She works in a bookshop in NYC, lives with an amazing roommate named Izzy, and Cassie loves books. One day a regular client leaves a book behind at the shop and Cassie quickly discovers what it is, the Book of Doors. But like most things magical and wonderful, there is a price for possessing this book. She is plunged head first into a world that she knows nothing about. Thankfully she will encounter people on her journey that she will be able to rely on and eventually call them friends.

Thoughts: The book had a slow start and the sudden increase in the amount of POVs really threw me off but after that is got much better. I was able to predict most of the plot in the beginning but after a bit I was encountering surprise twist one after another. There were moments of disbelief, suspense, and plot twists I did not. see coming. It was so much fun to meet all the side characters and slowly see the web that was being woven by the author and how it all tied together in the end. The book definitely picked up around past the half way point for me. Then the book rapidly came to a conclusion. I immensely enjoyed the book, if I had to say one critique, it would be that the book started off a little slow and ended a little quickly. All in all a great book, and one that I will be recommending to friends who enjoy magic and "timey-wimey" fun.

A big thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of The Book of Doors in return for my honest review.

Nope! I’m not down with male authors writing young women who body shame each other. I’m not down with a male character who says, “I wish I lived back in the seventies, when the natural order was still in place, life was so much simpler then. I could just give you a slap and send you away to make dinner and nobody would even blink.”

We are blinking now! Same character uses racial slurs and more sexist comments. For what? A chance to say it to the wide audience of readers who want to read a book about books and time travel?! He knows the majority of us are woman, right?!

I was hoping for something more.