At first, I was super pumped about this book from its description, and the beginning but when I started reading, it felt slow and uneventful. I almost threw in the towel and checked out some Goodreads reviews, and turns out, others felt the same slow burn in the beginning. Pushing through the slog (around 30%), things picked up and got interesting at about the halfway point.

The ending was a rollercoaster, super thrilling, but there were moments when I had to double back because the timeline got a bit jumbled. Despite the slow start, I'm giving it a 3.5-star rating. Take off points for the initial slow start, but if you can power through, the payoff in the end is worth it!

This book was SUCH a gem and gorgeous surprise!! It started out very cozy portal fantasy feeling, and I was very happily surprised when it took a semi-scifi turn with one of my favorite book plot categories ever!! Oh and it also took a sudden turn out of the cozy genre, be warned that this one has some fairly graphic violence. I LOVED THIS BOOK. I cried several times, I gasped, I cursed, I yelled (sorry cat friends 😂). ALL OF THE EMOTIONS. Plus I’m fairly certain one scene was a very deliberate Stephen King reference, and for that, Gareth Brown, you are my BFF. This is one I could most definitely find myself re-reading. And it was a DEBUT!!!

If I could describe this book using other books, it would be The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue meets Every Heart a Doorway meets 11/22/63.

Synopsis:
A woman works in a bookstore. An elderly man who visits frequently dies in the store, and after the EMTs take him away, she notices he has left her a book. But it’s not just any book, she soon finds this is The Book of Doors which can open any door, anywhere, in any time period. She thinks that this is a blessing, until she soon finds that owning the book puts her in danger.
Pros/cons: When I look on Goodreads this book is SO polarizing- either getting 5 stars or 1. I cannot even begin to understand the low ratings. Though long winded at times, this was the most unique, creative and interesting book! The time travel element had so many twists and turns and every story circled around and back again. Every question got answered. I thought it was FANTASTIC.
It would make a great book club pick, and I hope you pick it up when it’s released next week so that we can discuss it! Thank you NetGalley and William Morris for this advanced copy!

The Book of Doors is a time travel, magical book, what-if type of fantasy story. It will make you question what if you could go anywhere, anytime, in the blink of opening a door? What if you knew there were other books like The Book of Doors? What would you do to keep them safe and out of the wrong hands? I was on the edge of my seat reading this book; it was entertaining, shocking, makes you think, quick-paced, and unlike any fantasy novel I had read. It gave me vibes of fantasy tropes I read, i.e., magical items being able to provide powers, the concept of time travel and how you affect it, and how you protect the powers. Still, it was all combined in a uniquely fascinating way. The Book of Doors is a debut and quite a treat, and I look forward to reading more of this author's future works.

The Book of Doors was just okay for me. I like magical realism, but this might've leaned too hard on the "magic" and didn't have enough of the "realism" to balance it out (for my tastes).

I liked the initial concept of the book, but it definitely turned darker and more violent than I anticipated.

It's a hard book to write a review on because I don't want to give away any spoilers, but just know that there are parts that get fairly complex and sort of make your brain hurt. I didn't mind that, but there were times when I thought there might've been plot holes, yet the complexity of the story and concepts being presented made it hard for me figure out if there were indeed holes. I realize that doesn't sound like it makes much sense, but you'll understand better if you decide to read this book.

I do wish we had been given more backstory on some of the characters to better understand why they were the way that they were. There were super short explanations towards the end that felt unsatisfying. The ending in general felt rushed - a big part of the mystery in the book was how it came to be in possession of one of the characters, and that was explained in two quick sentences at the end of the book. But probably my biggest struggle with the book was the writing, particularly in the beginning. At first it actually read so much like a YA book that I looked it up to make sure it wasn't YA. As the story progressed and the concepts got more complex, I was actually grateful for the simple writing style, but ultimately I think prevented me from feeling any type of emotional connection to the book.

I was also let down when the story explained where the books originated from. I don't know what I expected, but I found the explanation underwhelming and a little lame. The last thing I'll complain about is that there was a weird focus on one character's drink of choice (whisky) - and it was such a focus that I thought it was going to have a bearing on the story in some way. Nope. No explanation or reason for it at all. Maybe that was a nod from the author to a friend or family member...because otherwise I really don't understand why it was brought up repeatedly.

As much as this review seems negative, I will say that it was a really unique concept and I love the idea of a Book of Doors. While the story didn't go in the direction that I expected, that doesn't make it a bad book. I have no doubt that loads of people will adore this book - I think it's just a matter of marketing it to the right audience. I don't regret reading it and my 3 star review means that I did actually like the book, it's just not one that I'd re-read or go out of my way to recommend to loads of people. But for the right person, I could definitely see it being a well-loved book.

Thank you NetGalley and The William Morrow Team for providing me with this ARC.

Overall, I enjoyed the book! I loved the concept and the adventures that took place. I did find parts of the book, not confusing, but just complex. It required some hard core thinking, that hurt my brains at times. The book was very different from what I imagined, but I still enjoyed the adventure.

This was different than what I was expecting from the blurb, but not in a bad way. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise~

The Book of Doors is an incredible fantasy story. Anyone who is avoid reader would love this to be reality. To be able to have a strange give you a gift like Cassie gets is a dream come true. Such an exciting read!

Thank you to NetGalley & William Morrow for the opportunity to read The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown in exchange for my honest review.

I had high hopes for this one, as I thought the plot sounded super interesting and fun. Unfortunately, The Book of Doors wasn’t for me. I struggled to finish it for many reasons. I’m not going to go into a ton of details because I feel like most of my concerns have been mentioned by many others. I felt the pacing was slow and rushed at the same time. The decision on what to focus on was confusing to me. Are the books important or what the MC eats? The Mc and her roommate are interchangeable at times and that became another source of confusion.

I really did want to love this one, but I couldn't connect with anyone to want to know more. This was a read because I needed to read, not because I wanted to read. I do hope many others take a chance and enjoy the heck out of The Book of Doors.

I am going to attempt to write a spoiler-free review, so I’m sorry if I leave things a little vague. You’ll want to go into this one blind!

This book was rich in detail, grabbing my imagination from the very beginning. The various settings are lushly described and I felt immersed in the story. I loved all the main characters and felt like I knew them well.

And then there was the plot. I was expecting magical realism, with a book that lets go anywhere. But this book was far beyond a cozy magical book. The story is extremely complex, so much so that it made my brain hurt at times. And the plot gets very intense and violent towards the end.

I really liked this book. It made me feel all the feels. Happy, sad, shocked, afraid. Some of the twists completely shocked me. And the ending was so intense it made my heart pound.

This is an excellent debut novel and I very much enjoyed it.

Thank you to @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for giving me this ARC to review.

This book was so fun to read and totally different from what i have been reading lately. Thank you again Net Galley for the copy! Lets first off by saying the cover is beautiful. The characters were fun to read about and all the magic involved. There were definitely some twists and turns thrown into the book as well which was great.. The Book of Doors has the power to transport the main character which is Cassie pretty much anywhere in the world she has the power to visualize which is totally awesome in my opinion if that could really happen.
I def will read more by this author in the near future!

Cassie Andrews is just a bookseller with a normal New York City life when her favorite customer gifts her the “Book of Doors.” When she soon discovers what the book can do for its user, her life changes drastically forever.

The twists and turns in the plot of this book left me incredibly hooked. In the last 40 percent of the book, I had a hard time putting it down. Some of the characters I had a hard time loving and some of the plot twists at the end took me a while to trace in my head, but I loved most characters and I loved this book. I would most definitely recommend the wonderful ride that is “The Book of Doors.”

“Hold it in your hand, and any door is every door.”

This debut novel was an absolute joy to read. Reminiscent of The Midnight Library, I was thrilled and excited to jump right into the book.

When a man passes away in Cassie’s workplace, a bookshop of all places, she discovers a book with such power that could be devastating if dropped into the wrong hands. To the point people seek these very special, powerful books out simply for what they hold. Brown’s vivid storytelling leaves your imagination running rampant with the perfect blend of fantasy and suspenseful adventure. The pristine and stunningly rich world building had me swooning.

I love the idea of time travel, and how such a lofty, large library could be found within the pages of one very special book. The plot line was stunning and well paced, and while the ending could have been polished up a little bit more and some ends tied up, this magical story was a joy to read.

I loved this book, and honestly look forward to more from this author.


Thank you to Gareth Brown and William Morrow for the eARC!

Cassie is an unassuming and ordinary bookshop clerk in NYC whose life is all about books. One day a regular and charming old man suddenly passes away inside the store and leaves behind a mysterious book of doors. Her lofty dreams of living in a grand library and traveling may come to fruition when she quickly discovers the powers of this peculiar book. But with magic possibly falling into the wrong hands, trouble is bound to ensue. Will Cassie make the right choices that could affect her past, present, and future?

Incoming glowing review. All the stars! Talk about extreme escapism involving time travel. I absolutely positively adore the genius that is this book. The FMC is admittedly relatable and who doesn’t like a setting and story about books? I don’t want to give away too much but there is a hidden magical library and other books with interesting names. It’s filled with colorful characters you’ll soon come to love and despise. There is a couple frightful scenes involving torture but overall it plays well into the emotional pull of this book. I love it so much I’m adding it to my collection on release day in less than 2 weeks away!

Thank you William Morrow and Netgalley for the opportunity to read The Book of Doors as an e-arc. This one was a home run!

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown is a captivating journey through imaginative realms, seamlessly blending fantasy and adventure. Brown's vivid storytelling and rich world-building create a mesmerizing tapestry of characters and settings. Each door holds a new surprise, making this book a delightful exploration of the extraordinary. The narrative unfolds with a perfect balance of suspense and wonder, leaving readers eagerly turning pages. An absolute joy for fans of fantasy literature!

2.75⭐️! First off I want to say thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I REALLY wanted to love this book. Throughout the whole book I was debating what I was going to give. It started at a 1, there were a few lines about body image that made me almost DNF, but I had a hard time doing that since I was gifted this book. The first 150 pages could have been edited a bit more and seemed to drag on. The last 100ish pages were pretty good and kept my attention which is why my rating went up. I also feel like there wasn’t enough information given on the villains of the story. They were just kind of there. One chapter did give a slight back story to the villains but it seemed like it was just put in somewhere because they told him there had to be a backstory.

I feel like overall the book could have just given more.

This was a really interesting, unique spin on the fantasy genre. Really lovely, would gladly recommend and can't wait to start a reread!

A story with a fantastic premise, “A Book of Doors” is a story that has a lot of promise but may bite off more than it can chew. While it’s still an entertaining read, there were a lot of shortfalls that took away from the story.

This book revolves around Cassie, who is gifted an otherwise unremarkable book with a scribbling that says “Hold it in your hand, and any door is every door”. Given the opportunity to travel anywhere she wants is more than Cassie has dreamed of, but as she learns more about her book and the existence of other books with similar powers, she also learns that these books come with risk as well. There are others out there who hunt down these books and will do anything possible to own these books and the power than comes with them.

The plot of this book is fascinating and has so much potential, but for me, the execution of the storytelling was sloppy. The book starts as a slow burn as we meet Cassie and her friend Izzy and we learn more about the power behind the book of doors. Things pick up when we start learning more about other books and their owners, but this is when things also start going off the rails. We get a lot of characters introduced and a lot of time jumps that don’t always makes sense and were hard to follow at times. There are times books are introduced to plug in holes in the plot, but then other times books aren’t used where they could make sense. I found myself often having to pull myself out of the story just to figure out what was happening.

The ending was also somewhat sloppy. Some characters have their stories buttoned up but others don’t (whatever happened to the book seller or Hugo?) I can’t tell if the author left these things open for a sequel, but it made the book feel incomplete for me.

With that said, seeing some of the beautiful things these books could do was the highlight of this story and was something I thought about when not reading this book. I could see this being a book a young adult would love, someone who would be mystified by the magic in the book and not as caught up on the details. For me, while I still think it’s a great idea, my imagination will need to fill in some of the shortfalls I was left with.

**Thank you so much to William Morrow and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my review. I appreciate the opportunity!**

I loved this debut novel from Gareth Brown. It had so many great elements - some fantasy, mystery, time travel. All of the characters were so interesting, and I loved the friendships among them. It definitely requires the reader to have an open mind. The book was well written and I look forward to reading more from Gareth Brown in the future. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

This book was EXCELLENT! I loved every chapter! I love the idea of magic realism and that there are multiple books in existence that grant you various things, such as luck, the ability to teleport, and the ability to build illusions, and more!

I love the introduction of each character on a separate timeline in pursuit of the books! I loved the innocence of Cassie and her best friend Izzy, and all the mysteries that unfold!

This book was like Inception meets Harry Potter meets Push! I enjoyed the characters, the dialogue and the plot! I love the element of mystery & suspense weaved throughout the book and thought it was an absolute MUST read!

There are also characters that you root for, and characters that terrify you! It was everything you want in a books! I was invested in the characters and on the edge of my seat. Drummond was a fav character!