A whirlwind from start to finish, this is magic and time travel and mystery/suspense done right! While I generally prioritize female authors, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to dive into this magic world of books and I am so glad I did!

For a debut book by this author, he has a winning first book! Thank you to Netgalley for this eARC. This is at this time, my favorite book that I have read this year!
It has everything I love: books, libraries, travel, TIME TRAVEL, a mystery, a chase, and a race to save humanity! And with the addition of a bad guy, NO Woman, and she is bad, very very bad! And evil! I was immediately drawn into the plot of this book, and the story brought me such excitement! The action is well-paced, and I was never bored. . The main character, Cassie, comes into possession of a magic book, the Book of Doors. From there, we meet other librarians, who want to protect the books and others who are searching for the books and want to use them for evil. I love the themes that emerge throughout the story: the strong bonds of friendship, overcoming fear, coming together for the benefit of humanity, and love between your chosen family. I would love to see this as a series, and I think the story leaves many doors open for more!

𝔹𝕖𝕤𝕥 𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟜

Are you looking for a book that has magic but does not require you to learn a complex system or navigate a different world filled with fantastical creatures?

Read 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝘿𝙤𝙤𝙧𝙨!

A contemporary story that incorporates time travel skillfully to develop its main character, and add to the suspense?

Read 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝘿𝙤𝙤𝙧𝙨!

Want a great action adventure story where good characters find each other banding together to fight evil?

Read 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝘿𝙤𝙤𝙧𝙨!

Cassie Andrews cherishes her job at a bookstore, serving coffee and sharing stories with her customers. One of her favorite customers dies right in front of her, leaving behind a book with an enigmatic message for her. This book is no ordinary book- it is 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝘿𝙤𝙤𝙧𝙨 and it promises that any door is every door. Soon Cassie finds herself meeting a unique Scottish librarian, Drummmond Fox, who knows more about her book and of the other books that hold special powers. He owns a special collection. Cassie's book is the most powerful book of all and it must be protected at all costs. Cassie's book leads to his library, and he will do anything to keep it safe.

He also knows about the book hunters seeking these titles and a certain sadistic woman who wants to hold all of the books.

I will be recommending 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝘿𝙤𝙤𝙧𝙨 all year. I have preordered it for our high school library, and know it will be on many Best of 2024 book lists.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝘿𝙤𝙤𝙧𝙨
by Gareth Brown
416 pages
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 star read for me

Thank you @garethjbrown13 @williammorrowbooks @netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I honestly loved this book.

#newbooks #arc #bookstareviewweek
#currentlyreading #timetravelbooks #amreading #bookreviews #bookstagram
@jm_bibliolater jm_bibliolater @mommaleighellensbooknook

I enjoyed this one. The twists and the turns kept me on the edge of seat I couldn’t predict what was to come next. The writing was so beautiful and the pace was perfect. And I love books that end in you thinking about a second one!

Thank you NetGalley for my copy!

The book of Doors was an interesting read, it just had too much of "adjustment bureau" flashbacks for me, I wish the author had done a bit more literary separation between the plot that was previously masterfully presented and the work. I enjoyed reading it, but the pacing was at times off for me, and several comments throughout the book resembling eating disorders, for no obvious reason, were distracting, either the theme needed to be explored more, or left out, for me it did not play a role.
But overall the concept of different types of magic was interesting, and truth to be told, can a bibliophile not enjoy a story about books...

Imagine a book that could transport you to any place and time, past, present, or future. What if there was a book that could heal your physical and emotional wounds? How much would you pay for such books? What would you sacrifice to obtain them? These are the questions that Gareth Brown explores in his novel, The Book of Doors. Brown crafts a tale of adventure and high stakes that keeps the reader hooked. He fills his story with intrigue, mystery, danger, friendship and magic. The characters are charming and unique and I wanted them to succeed. He reveals the origin and nature of the books in a way that is consistent and plausible within his fictional universe. If you enjoy adventures like Inkheart and The Librarians, you will love this story. Thank you Gareth Brown, Net Galley and Harper Collins for the DRC.

I want to thank NetGalley, author Gareth Brown, and the publisher Custom House (William Morrow) for the opportunity to review an ARC of this new book. I attest my review is my own original and unbiased opinion.

Normally I don't read a lot of fantasy-based literature but I was intrigued by the description of the book as well as the titles, and I probably have a weakness for anything that features "books" so prominently.

The Book of Doors is one of many books that have special powers in this novel. Whoever holds the book(s) has the power to do what the title suggests. In the case of Doors, it means the holder can open any door and be transported to another place, as the protagonist in the book Cassie Andrews discovers quickly. Cassie works at an independent Manhattan bookstore (how they can pay the rent is for another book) and an older customer that she has befriended gifts her the Book of Doors before his death.

Cassie and her roommate Izzy begin to explore with the Book of Doors, visiting familiar parts of the city as well as more exotic locations like Venice and Paris. But the young women soon discover they are being followed by someone who is also interested in the Book of Doors.

From there the plot thickens as other characters are introduced as well as new books and their mysterious powers (Book of Shadows, Book of Illusion, Book of Misery, Book of Safety, etc.), We don't know how, why or where these books were created. All we learn is the bad people want them and they will do anything including murder to get the books.

Time travel gets introduced as another tool of the Book of Doors, and then things get really interesting--or weird--if you prefer that option. I won't say there is action as much as drama, but it builds to a big ending and you have to read to find out who wins, who lives, and who dies.

I started this at the end of the year and it was fine to read during the holiday season but I struggled to keep up with the book. The shortcomings to me were as follows: little to know character development; no origins of the mysterious books or their source of power; time travel sequences that seemed out of place and confusing to the reader, and just a real stretch of any sense of realism.

As a debut novel it's a good effort, this is just not my favorite genre. Recommended if you like fantasy with an ample supply of time travel and no references to anything historical or real. I give the book four stars.

Books are magic. This is a truth I have known since childhood and one that I continue to marvel at. Gareth Brown's THE BOOK OF DOORS illustrates that truth beautifully. Though the story has a slow and sleepy start, I was ultimately happy that I stuck with it. What I found as soon as I endured the first couple of chapters was an atmospheric ouroboros of a book.

A young woman working in a New York City bookshop spends the final few minutes of her day chatting with an older man who is a frequent customer. They have a passing friendship, one characterized by warm smiles and friendly chatter about books. So, when the man passes away in the chair and leaves a mysterious book to Cassie, she is quite confused. The book is small and unassuming. There are sketches and scribbles inside, but nothing seems to make much sense, even this seemingly simple sentence:

"This is the Book of Doors. Hold it in your hand, and any door is every door."

A marvelous journey unfolds in the pages of THE BOOK OF DOORS. It is filled with friendship, darkened by danger, and filled with truly unforgettable adventures. A true testament to the timeless and time-bending quality of books to take us anywhere and everywhere.

Special thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. "The Book of Doors" is a truly magical novel filled with suspense, time travel, murder and chaos. I loved all of the different places this story took me to and all of the emotions it made me feel throughout. Such a cool concept, it was well thought out and unfolded with perfection.

The Book of Doors was a great read about friendship, time travel, and the power of books...with some magic thrown in. The world that Brown has built is wonderfully and realistically rendered, and I enjoyed this alternative theory of time travel. And of course, the battle between good and evil (with the twist of how the evil came to be) makes for a wonderful climax.

One thing that reading has taught me is to never accept a mysterious book from anyone; yet, fortunately, book characters continue to do so, and all kinds of adventures ensue.

This debut novel had several tropes I love – a bookshop, a ragtag group of unlikely heroes, and time travel. It was about friendship, found family, magical books, the people who wanted to exploit that magical power, and those who wanted to protect it.

Look, I don’t know if the time travel in this book works consistently within the author’s own parameters, but it certainly worked for me from an entertainment perspective. It tied my brain in knots in all the right ways and had me on the edge of my seat more than once. The plot line was fun and engaging, there were likeable characters to root for and some truly despicable ones whose evilness oozed off the page and got under my skin in a visceral way.

I did wish the author had spent a bit more time on character development of the main characters. I was also a little challenged by some periods of time that were covered quite quickly when I would have wished to have spent more time there. Overall, though, I found this book to be an enjoyable and imaginative foray into exploring what it would be like to have a book that could take you from any doorway to any other doorway.

For me, this book had vibes of The Midnight Library and a sprinkling of The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue but ultimately lighter than both of them. I enjoyed my time with this book, and look forward to what Gareth Brown writes next.

3.5/5. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free eARC!

I really did enjoy the idea of special books that hold immense power, but much of the book fell a little flat for me. The characters felt generic and not fleshed out, I felt no connection to them, and their relationships with other characters in the book weren't represented well (and I could have done without the hints of attraction that made no sense to me).

I did really like the plot, despite some things that felt confusing (but that's a me problem, time travel tends to do that to me). I did really like how the story was told in non-linear format, I enjoyed the parts where Cassie went back to the past, and I liked how the book itself was laid out, like the chapter headings - thought it was a fun touch.

Cassie works in a bookstore in New York. One night a regular customer dies while sitting in the bookstore leaving behind a book for Cassie. The books turns out to be magic, it can open any door in the world. Cassie and her roommate start experimenting with the book and going places till they meet Drummond Fox who warns of danger with the book now that there are book hunters looking for this book she is holding. The book was okay for me, if you like time travel and magic then this would be a definite read.

Thank you to NetGalley, author, and the publisher for this ARC

The Book of Doors' premise is wonderful; Cassie works at a bookstore where one day a regular customer gives her a book, The Book of Doors, a mysterious book with seemingly magical powers that allows you to travel into any door, anywhere, at anytime. I had a problem with the execution of the story tho. It was slow at first and I almost gave up reading it. I was so glad I didn't stop as it got really good after the first slow part. Halfway thru tho it got slow again but I was invested in the characters and the mystery enough to continue until the end. It does pick back up and had a satisfying ending. I really liked the characters (although there were a few moments when I became frustrated with how stubborn Cassie was being!), the settings and idea of this book.

What a beautiful and imaginative story. A snack for the imagination on a rainy day. I nibbled on it sparingly as the story pulled me down many winding corridors. The characters were full and hearty. They were good, bad, both. They were indecisive, selfish, compassionate. And they did a lot of things that I did not expect. I love the idea behind the book. It's a very original take on a common theme. I'm sitting here with my coffee thinking about it now. While it took me some pages to get thoroughly into the story, once it grabbed me, it wouldn't let go.

I look forward to where this author's mind goes next.

Thank you Gareth Brown, NetGalley and William Morrow Publishing

I received this DRC from NetGalley.

I liked the idea of this story and overall, I was invested in it. It was an easy read and didn't get bogged down in convoluted explanations despite trying to include a lot of elements. I think the general storyline was good enough for me to forgive some of the things that annoyed me.

Examples of things that were meh: Several too convenient things happen (some others that happen have an explanation, so I'm not counting those). Characters keep saying that one of them is so lovable and charismatic and and beautiful, but she's only really shown to be just regular at best but also often annoying. Some of the dialogue, especially at the beginning, was rough. Implied insta-love, blah. Some dumb decisions that lead to totally avoidable consequences. I think my biggest wtf was the explanation for how this all started, but maybe this fits under the too-convenient category.

But anyway, I did like how there were no unanswered questions at the end, even if those answers were sometimes too obvious or convenient. I also like when a book takes a turn and surprises me. To avoid spoilers, I'll just say that they end up using a device fairly early that I wasn't expecting, which transitions to the middle section of the book where loneliness and longing are explored, leading to some touching moments. And the ending was fine.

Wow. This book has touched me. I'm so thankful I got to read it early. 💜 It brings back the nostalgia of reading as a teenager. Being lost in a story & so invested in the characters. The little twists & turns are so well done!

The way the book is broken down really helped with learning the characters & keeping track of the plot. The way it all ties together so beautifully at the end had me in tears. 🥹

I love it. Amazing book! 💜

What an interesting read! Just a lovely wonderful story for book lovers. Books with magical powers, and battles between good and evil, you easily get swept up into Cassie's adventure. I did feel it lagged in parts, but overall I enjoyed it.

I received a free electronic ARC from NetGalley.
Cassie works at a bookstore in NYC. One night, a regular customer has a heart attack and dies at the store, leaving Cassie a strange book. Inside the cover it reads:

This is the Book of Doors.
Hold it in your hand, and any door is every door.

The book gives the holder the power to move through space and time, using any door. And what starts out as a fun way to travel eventually attracts the attention of others, some of whom want the book for their own and are willing to do anything to get it.

The premise of The Book of Doors was really interesting, but I didn't love the execution. The pacing was awkward and the wrap up of some of the "bad guys" was unsatisfactory.

An interesting concept for sure, and definitely better than Midnight Library, though it felt reminiscent of that. Not my typical genre, but I did enjoy it. It is not a book I could have read in one sitting, but I did find myself picking it up when I was unable to sleep or when waiting in line at the grocery store. It took me a bit to get through it, but not because it was boring or poorly written; simply because it wasn't quick and suspenseful like my typical favorite reads are.

Thank you NetGalley for gifting me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review and opinion.