Well written, beautifully evocative with interesting characters and layers of meaning; what a fantastic novel. Cassie finds herself in possession of a book that can literally- not just figuratively, take her anywhere. Its arrival changes her life irrevocably. There is time travel, magic, thrilling adventure, terrifying villains, love and friendship, growth and struggle, loss and hope. This book is an affirmation of why we love to read, the magic and power of stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for sharing this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to get a sneak peek at this incredible book! It is a wild, magical adventure that kept me at the edge of my seat from beginning to end. There are so many plot twists that left me guessing and I couldn’t wait to see what happens next. If you are a fan of The Midnight Library or VE Schwab’s books, put this one at the top of your TBR list!

*ARC review - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

The Book Of Doors was a really great take on time travel that was a fun change from the usual rules (that changes in the past affect the future). This story has SO many twists - several that I should have figured out, some that I didn't see coming -, but I was so involved in the story that I wasn't even guessing, to be honest.

Cassie Andrews is a fascinating MC and an unlikely heroine, and her growth arc is just amazing. This also had a HUGE (and memorable) cast of characters, thankfully each distinct so it was easy to keep up with who was who.

But the plotting, y'all. I would love to see Gareth Brown's method for keeping track of everything going on in this book - it was seriously genius (and I'm just envisioning an entire wall covered with sticky notes.) Did I mention this story has a lot of clever twists? The storyline was just...fun and paced well - lightning fast for action, and slowing down a bit for backstory as needed. I'm not explaining it well - let's just say that it was just right.

When the Book of Doors was first revealed, my initial thought was "what I could do with that" until the inherent danger of the book's existence was revealed. WHEW did that up the stakes. The entire fantastical elements of the books and the character backstories was just so well done.

And The Woman - she has to be one of the most horrible villains I've come across.

If you like fantasy stories that involve secret libraries, time travel, magical books, evil villains - this is the one for you.

Thank you NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was really intrigued to read a fantasy about magical books providing supernatural powers. But this book just wasn’t for me. I was extremely bored. I had such a hard time relating to the characters & I personally didn’t like the author’s style or tone in the book.

Books. Lots of books. The love of books and libraries. Magic. Time travel. The unbreakable bonds of family and friendship. A truly evil archvillain. All these disparate elements are skillfully woven together by Gareth Brown into one of the most impressive debut novels of my recent memory, The Book of Doors.

Cassie works in a bookstore, where Mr. Keller, an elderly customer, stops by on a regular basis. One night, as she’s closing the store, she finds Mr. Keller dead at the coffee table. There she finds a book bequeathed to her, the Book of Doors. She finds that the book can magically transport her to places she’s been previously in her life. But as with anything that’s to good to be true, there are associated dangers that she learns all too quickly.

Skillfully plotted, and wonderfully written, The Book of Doors was one of the most entertaining books of recent years. It’s just so damn good. The story and characters just come to life. It’s an uncommon book when I find myself cheering when great things happen, and despairing when things go poorly for our heroes. I truly hated it to end.

My utmost gratitude to William Morris, and to Netgalley, for allowing me to read an ARC of this marvelous forthcoming book.

A great read. I loved everything about this book. The writing was fantastic and I didn't want to put the book down.

Thank you William Morrow & NetGalley for approving this ARC for me!

I did not like the beginning half of this book only because it was strange to me that Cassie accepted the book so easily, it felt very rushed. However, once you're about 30% of the way in, the plot really picks up. The premise of the book is very fascinating, revolving around these magical, special books. It could have been expanded into a duology or trilogy to allow the plot details to be fully appreciated (i.e. what happens to this new group of friends that will continue on to research/hunt down other rare books to keep the world safe?). Overall, a very compelling read and really makes you think about time travel and how certain "tweaks" can impact the future.

I like the premise of the book as I love all things book related and books about books. Magical realism is a favorite genre. But. I just couldn’t connect with this book.
Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

If you compare a book to Addie LaRue, know that my hopes will be so high. And this did not live to that.

The premise of phenomenal. Such a unique and fun idea about a story with magical doors. The execution however, I found lacking.

The writing felt very clunky to me. There was very little dialogue, and the dialogue that was there felt stiff and unnatural. The characters I found very flat.

This one wasn’t for me.

3.5 stars, rounding up

Make sure to read this one with a croissant and a hot cup of coffee or tea. Or maybe a beignet. Or if you're feeling more hardcore, a whiskey.

This book was overall very good. I will say that my opinion on it fluctuated throughout, and this is why l've not given it 5 stars.

Things I loved: the premise of the book- it gives me Night Circus, Addie LaRue, Starless Sea vibes

I also loved that it made me want to be in certain scenes. If a book draws me in and wants me to be in the setting or enjoying something the characters are enjoying (ambiance, weather, food or drink, a conversation, etc), then I know it’s one I will enjoy.


Things I didn't love: the pacing of the plot, the lack of character development, and the extremes some scenes went to. The pacing felt choppy to the point of distracting me... and this is what really kept it from being a 5 star. The lack of character development didn't bother me too much, many times I wondered if that was intentional. I think it was most obvious when paired with the choppiness of the plot. And the extreme scenes... really could have gotten the story across without them being *so* extreme (and by this I mean language, descriptions, and dialogue).

Overall, I do recommend this book. It still gave me the magical feeling that I love.
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read this book with an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

I love a world where the source of magic is books. The Books possessed incredible, interesting and insidious qualities, I really wanted to know everything about each of them and how they worked. There were a lot of different POVs here, borderline too many for me, but it gave a very wide perspective of the network of people working with and hunting the Books. Cassie’s galavanting and naivety in the beginning was irritating. I enjoyed the Woman’s perspective (probably the most honestly), but I’m a sucker for a good villainess and she was downright despicable. I think this author would have a lot of success writing horror; some of the scenes in this book were BRUTAL, and they were my favorite parts. The concept was absolutely brilliant and the way the last half of the book unraveled really saved it for me, but the pacing of the story in general left a lot to be desired.

While this book wasn’t necessarily my cup of tea, I’m certain it will have an audience that loves it.

Thank you William Morrow & NetGalley for the ARC!

The Book Of Doors was an engaging and captivating story with a unique premise. Admittedly it took me a while to get into the meat of the story, but I found myself thinking about this book when I was away from it. This is a must for fantasy readers and book lovers alike! I think my only critique was that it was kind of violent, and graphically so - I wasn’t prepared for that, so it kind of threw me. Otherwise, I definitely recommend this read!

Thank you again for the ARC’

5⭐️

I'm speechless, this book was incredible. I requested this book because of the comp titles in the synopsis but honestly I think it's so incredibly unique that I haven't really read anything like this. I'm blown away this is a debut! It's so beautifully written.

I don't want to give away too much about this book as I think this is one to go into without knowing much. This book has great characters and atmosphere. It's very creative and I loved the magical realism aspect of it. I also appreciated that this book could still continue in different story lines.

I'll be keeping my eye out for other books by this author as this shows so much promise out other great works to come.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Marrow for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

Five Stars!!!! I’d give it more if I could. Thank you so much to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for the ARC of The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown.

Cassie is a young woman living in New York, just a normal girl working at a bookstore until she discovers The Book of Doors. Receiving this magical book opens up an entire new world that is fun at first but becomes so much more than expected.

I laughed, I definitely cried and at times had to pick my jaw up off the floor. You know it’s a good book when you have to step away to process what just happened before moving on. This story weaves its way through, keeping you hooked and wanting more. The supporting characters are all great.

This type of fantasy book is something I haven’t spent a lot of time reading but am definitely here for it and can’t wait to read more.

I demand to know how I get a copy of The Book of Doors! Let’s be clear, not “The Book of Doors”, but the ACTUAL Book Of Doors. No need to tell me the actual book does not exist – We all know it does! 😊

From the first work in the first sentence on the very first page, I loved everything about “The Book of Doors”. Gareth Brown has skyrocketed to the top of my favorite authors list!

I found “The Book of Doors” to be original and in a category of it’s own. I personally have not read anything quite like it and as the storyline progressed, it just kept growing more and more intriguing and complex. Without a doubt one of the best books I have read in a long time!

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow, and author Gareth Brown for providing me the opportunity to review "The Book Of Doors” prior to publication. I am appreciative and leave my review voluntarily. NOW GIVE ME THE BOOK!

LOVED THIS! What starts as a fun, unassuming adventure quickly warps into an entire underground world that Cassie, our 20 something main character, is not remotely equipped to handle. We follow our chessboard of characters across the world, across time, and across a magical world of books and mystery. Brown does not waste a word in this novel, making sure that the reader is learning with our characters and never knowing what is coming next. This book could easily be started while relaxing on the beach and finished late at night hours after your bedtime.

*thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for a copy of this eARC in exchange for my review*

In concept, this book is brilliant. Gareth Brown devised a fascinating alternate reality where magic is real and time travel is possible. And magical realism in contemporary fiction is a big win for me. But the high of the world building did not balance with the low of the character building.

While there were a few characters that I felt a connection with the vast majority of characters (including our MFC, Cassie) fell flat. They were one-dimensional and functioned more like catalysts for the plot, rather than active participants in the plot. Because of the few lovable, believable ones, I know Brown can write characters in a more compelling way.

I want to note that the woman was a terrifying and anxiety-inducing character for me. She needs to come with trigger warnings, frankly. I think this takes special talent (hats off to you, Brown). It’s not every day that a chilling, psychopathic killer on a page makes me want to vomit. But I wish the other characters felt as palpable as the woman. Also I don’t think we, as the readers, were given justice in her origin story or her end.

The origin of the books was also disappointing for me—the nebulous prose was a dissatisfying experience, given the importance of the books in the plot. But Brown’s handling of time throughout the story was masterful. His closed concept of time and concise explanation was perfect, and I really felt that I understood how time travel worked in his world. He should get an award for making time travel seem simple and plausible.

Overall, the plot was fascinating, but Brown deserved a better editor. I have to believe that the characters and relationships were more fleshed out in his mind. Maybe the story should have been longer, giving more space for character and relationship building. Maybe the details of the plot distracted from detailing the characters more carefully. I can’t say for sure. But this is a debut, after all, and I believe that editing was at fault.

I’ll be on the lookout for more books from Gareth Brown in the future. If he has more ideas as fascinating as this one, I know I’ll want to read them.

I loved everything about this book. From start to finish I was wrapped up in a world of magical books, intrigue, time travel, and the perfect loop of events. This novel is filled with twists and turns that will delight readers to no end. This has been the best book I have read so far this year, and it will be hard pressed to drop it out of the top 10 by the end of the year.
Thank you so much to William and Marrow and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this stunning book.

Greif is a long ad bumpy journey but in this novel by Gareth Brown, the journey has a little magic added. A bookseller in NYC is given a book from a deceased customer. After learning this book has the power to transport her to any place she can imagen, Cassie goes on an adventure with her roommate.

This book - exceeded my expectations. I was in the mood for some fantasy and this definitely hit the spot. There were so many twists and turns. I can’t even count the number of times I gasp and yelled when reading this. I loved the characters and each of their different storylines. A must read if you like fantasy.

I was given an Advanced Reader Copy by NetGalley for an honest review.