This is such a beautiful, magical debut! The Book of Doors begins with our main character Cassie working in a bookstore. She stumbles upon a book called The Book of Doors. At first, she cannot believe this is real. However, she begins daydreaming about her travels through Europe and realizes the book is true and magic is real. Throughout this novel, we follow Cassie and her best friend Izzy navigate The Book of Doors while being watched in the shadows by others. As the story progresses, so does Cassie's knowledge of the book and possibly other books which bring a danger to Cassie and Izzy. I really enjoyed the magical realism, time travel and fantasy of this book, Thank you for the opportunity to read early in exchange for my honest opinion.

The” Book of Doors” was a delightful read! It is fantasy and mystery with a touch of romance. This book is full of interesting characters who make this story one which is hard to put down.
Cassie works in a bookstore in New York where she meets many interesting customers. One of her regular elderly customers gives her an incredibly special book just before he dies, the Book of Doors. Cassie is curious about the book as it is not like any other, she has seen. When Cassie goes home to her Roommate, they figure out how to use the book. The book can take you anywhere you think about. Unbeknown to them, the book is so powerful that it is coveted by many evil individuals. The story takes your imagination through numerous doors, and you will meet many undesirables.
I really enjoyed this book and all the magic and intrigue that goes along with a book that opens doors that you would not expect. Thank you to Netgalley and Garett Brown for this ARC.

I love books about time travel even if I don’t always understand the physics behind it because it’s just the vehicle to tell a story. The Book of Doors it is a story about the life we live, those we chose to live it with and choosing good over evil.

Fans of The Starless Sea should run and grab this one. I will be waiting for Mr. Browns’s next adventure.

I enjoyed this book so much! It felt like a cross between “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” and “The Midnight Library”, both of which I really liked. The story moved quickly, which I appreciated. It could’ve been easy for the author to draw things out, but this really kept a pace that was engaging. Definitely recommend if you like twists and turns that keep you guessing throughout.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6193048770

If you've read The Magicians, The Night Circus, or The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue this book is for you. The Book of Doors follows Cassie and her friends as Cassie transports through time, doors, and places to fight bad and to save her friends and some incredibly special books.

I enjoyed this book, but it was a slow start and there are a LOT of different timelines and characters to keep track of. The ending was fantastic and once I was able to start putting the pieces together and understanding how everything fit I finished this book in no time. There was definitely some muddling about in the middle and I think a character list at the beginning may have helped as there were at least 12 different characters you needed to keep track of.

This was a fun magical, fantasy read! Thank you for NetGalley and William Morrow for this ACR in exchange for an honest review.

I was just incredibly meh about this book. I liked the concept and the execution - magic books? Woohoo! The plot was intricately crafted, not a single bit felt out of place or unplanned. Any discrepancy you think you see gets resolved. I enjoyed the idea of books that can take you places, cause you pain, or bring you safety. Books already metaphorically do all of these things, so what if they actually did?

My problem was that it was just too long and drawn out. Things tended to drag, which really detracted from all of the action. And the action was great!! I didn't DNF because I truly *needed* to know how it ended which is a credit to the writing of Gareth Brown.

*Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

This was so delightful. The perfect winter read. Somehow THE BOOK OF DOORS it’s the perfect overlap of cozy AND thrilling. A combination I did not know I needed. I loved the characters, the journey, the twists, the revelations. Such an original take. I almost, almost wish this had been a series, there were parts I wanted more time with! But it was also wonderful to have a fully contained story.

This book will be extra fun for anyone who loves in NYC or has visited.

I also think this story would translate extremely well to the small screen as a limited series…which is not something I say lightly!

Can’t wait to bring this in to our store, as a NYC bookstore we think this will do quite well!

Thank you Netgally and Garett brown for the advanced readers copy and the phenomenal experience of reading this book!

Oh my what to say… this was magical and kept me picking it up to see where this journey was going. The way everything came full circle was excellent. There were some violent interactions but for me it was not to bad (I do read horror books so) I do believe so far this is the best book of 2024 for me. I will be recommending this to everyone I know who reads and maybe even those who don’t! Do not hesitate pick up this book.

What a world this book creates! I don't want to include spoilers, but I really enjoyed the premise of this book. There are a lot of character stories that intertwine and I was pleased with how they all resolved. There is a fair amount of violence, so be aware if that's not your thing. This a world of fantasy built upon the "real" world. Magic happens with explanation but not too much exposition about the magic itself. There is no real romance, but there is love and themes of family (biological and chosen).

This book was phenomenal from start to finish; I had a really hard time putting it down. The whole complex multiple timelines world building and character work was fantastic and there were so many moments where I was so wrapped up in the story that it was like I was watching it instead of reading it. It was gripping and enchanting - all unfolding so incredibly - with so many layers to unpack .. I was sad to finish it but SO happy to have picked it up. This book is a new addition to my list of all time favourite reads and I can’t wait to read it again!! I’m also looking forward to seeing what Gareth Brown writes next (because I’ll definitely be reading that too)!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A high 4 stars for The Book of Doors and thanks to Netgalley and Gareth Brown for the advance copy.

I loved the premise of this book and imagining all of the magical books, especially the book of doors. Books about book lovers and how special books are always rank high for me and in this case, definitely outweighed my distate for time travel in books.

Three stars for creativity and a new idea.

I loved the idea of this novel so much but the pace of the book was very slow. It was way too wordy for me. This was a DNF for me.

I wish him the best luck with the novel. I’m sure someone out there will love it.

There is this (relatively) new literary idea--urban fantasy. Sure, it could have a more mundane name like modern fantasy. But at least at the beginning of this book, the cities involved add greatly to the character of the story. The characters in the story are also very much of our citified times. People you might meet on any urban street corner, cafe, coffee shop or bookstore. But how do you make magic work in our modern world? We don't see it evrywhere, everyday. So is this just an alternate universe story where magic is real? Maybe. but not many people know about the magic of the special books. Perhaps these talismans of great power but extreme rarity simply slide past most lives. To a few, though, finding, tracking and using such as the Book of Joy, the Book of Illusion, the Book of Memory, the Book of Pain, the Book of Despair and all the others are central to theit lives. What sort of people would be drawn to the quest for what ought not to exist, ah but the glory if it does. Into this world, drop Cassie and Izzy. two perhaps upwardly mobile young women in New York City. And to Cassie, gift the Book of Doors. The book's title page says, any door is every door. How does that work? Is it an entryway to adventure or into terror? So many questions... can they all be answered in a single book. in a time when neverending series seem to be the goal of so many writers? Just possibly so.

Thank you NetGalley, Harper Collins Publishers and Garett Brown for the e- ARC.
Release date - 2/13/24

While working in a bookstore in NY, Cassie’s favorite customer passes away leaving behind The Book of Doors. Cassie and her roommate soon discover the magical nature of the book and find they can travel to any door in the world, present or past. With elements of time travel and adventure this was a good book with a bit of a dark undertone with book hunters chasing all the magic books and in particular the book of doors.

This book was amazing. I was a little nervous at first because there were so many characters being introduced and I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to keep up. Thankfully that was not the case. Just when I thought that I knew what was happening or predicting what would happen next, bam. There was a curveball. It kept me invested during the whole story and I truly loved it.

I also loved how the author portrayed the characters feelings. I really resonated with that and could go through those emotions with the character as she was experiencing them.

I was not anticipating so much gore, so heads up for that. It did not take away from the story at all for me, though.

Thank you NetGalley, William Morrow, Custom House and Gareth Brown for allowing me to read this arc for an honest review.

🚪 BOOK / REVIEW 🚪

Well, #thebookofdoors by #garethbrown was an ABSOLUTE delight to read from start to finish! I had no idea what to expect going into this, and it likely wouldn't have hit my radar unless I got a finished copy from @williammorrowbooks and @harpercollins. This book publishes on February 13th, and if you love #mystery, #fantasy, and #romance wrapped into 1 plot, I think you'll adore this.

Without spoiling the very fun and unique plot, I truly wish that a book of doors actually existed. I would love to time travel - both past and present - to revisit my very favorite memories and people if I could. That being said, if the book (or other books in this forbidden and dangerous library collection) were to drop in the wrong hands, serious consequences arise, which is where the thriller aspect comes into play. The reader goes on a non-stop rollercoaster ride throughout its entirety. The friendship between Cassie and Izzy is also a fabulous addition to the plot, as well as the uncanny cast of characters along the way. While romance is touched upon lightly in the book, I think I may have enjoyed this more had it been more prominent.

This is definitely not a book you want to miss. Even if you dont love the fantasy genre, it's still a really fun read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Loved this one! I thought the story was well crafted with great characters, the multiple POV's (even from the villain's) were awesome. The author gives us just enough backstory that you know the characters well and not so much that it bogs down the story. The time travel is done perfectly, which isn't such an easy thing to accomplish (I've been plenty confused with other time travel novels). This would be perfect for people who enjoy magic, fantasy, some loveable & some very unlovable characters, and books! I think as readers we all think that books are magic, if that's the case, prepare to be enchanted. I'll look forward to adding a physical copy of this one to my bookshelf in February.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book.

I couldn’t really vibe with the characters and the pacing was a little all over the place. I really liked the first 10% of the book but then the whole middle dragged on for me. I wasn’t all that satisfied with the ending either.

The Book of Doors is an at times a magical whimsical story and at other times desperate and full of violent darkness. I have to admit I did not expect the dark side of the story to be as dark or violent as it was. However, it worked for me. I know it will not for everyone.

The Book of Doors is set in our world, but with magical books. It is a story of time travel, good versus evil, friendship, and so much more. One thing that stood out to me is that this is a book about reading and the escape to other worlds that reading can offer. The Book of Doors, any door is every door, is a doorway to other places and times, just like the stories in books are a doorway. Our characters Cassie, Izzy, Lund, and Drummond were all engaging to read from their perspective. Most of the book is from Cassie's perspective but we do get the story for other characters as well.

This was not a fast read for me but one that I took slowly and enjoyed a little at a time. I highly recommend it and am looking forward to sharing it with friends.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an advanced copy in return for my honest opinion.

I really tried to like this because I've seen such good reviews but I couldn't get through it. I think any comparison to Ten Thousand Doors of January threw me off. Ten Thousand Doors had so much joy and discovery, this was more dread and fea r for me. I hope everyone else enjoys it though!