This one comes out the 18th and it is definitely one you are going to want to add to your summer reading list

This story challenges some tougher current social challenges we are all facing with the perfect balance of humor and grace. I really love stories that are told from multiple perspectives and you get that with this book. Practically every chapter is told form the perspective of a small town resident.

I also love stories that showcase how books impact us and Kristen Miller did a wonderful and clever job of showing that through the residents of Troy.

“The only thing that matters is who you’ve loved.”

This is a heartwarming, thought provoking, incredibly relevant and much needed story that I highly recommend.

Lula Dean has decided that enough is enough, and how dare there be books with mature content in the library of Troy, Georgia. She publishes a list of banned books, and those books are pulled from the library while the school board reviews the books. In the meantime, she builds her out Little Free Library in her front yard and fills it with titles that she finds more appropriate. She's got so supporters, but most of the town just sort of continues on with life. Until they start to discover that someone has replaced all of Lula's precious books with the books on the banned book list. Chaos ensues.

I was so, so impressed by this book. Book banning is one of those topics that I find misunderstood at best, and nuanced at worst. A lot of misunderstanding has led to people blinding arguing over things that they haven't actually read before. Kirsten Miller does a wonderful job of pulling the reader into the minds of characters on both sides of the debate.

I found the book to be hilarious and thoughtful and I really enjoyed reading it.

This book is cutesy, refreshing, well-written, highly political, and important. There are so many characters and storylines, which are effortlessly intertwined into the story of a town in Georgia and its history. Everything discussed in this book is relevant to today's landscape of the United States. Since I'm not from the US, any version of relatability didn't really work for me, but that didn't stop the story from being relevant. Everything seemed extremely familiar as news that I'd read, yet endlessly fascinating to read as a fictional town. Some of the characters are almost interchangeable, and pretty one-dimensional, but hard not to love. The books name-dropped left me shocked when I learned that they were truly suggested to be banned in the States at some point. The Diary of Anne Frank? Beloved? Maus? What a nightmare, truly.

This was the perfect summer/airport read. It also requires a little suspension of disbelief to enjoy. People who hold certain viewpoints and opinions often don't change them by hearing talking points. One can wish for it, though. Considering I picked this up as a casual read, I found surprising depth to the plot with some unexpected twists. A 4.5/5 read!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Lula Dean is on a mission to rid the town of Troy, Georgia of inappropriate books. Her archnemesis, Beverly, was just elected to the school board, and the two are about to go head to head. Each night, Beverly’s daughter sneaks out and replaces the books in Lula’s little free library with banned books wrapped in “wholesome” dust jackets.

This book is told from the perspective of the town people who have been borrowing the books.


Oh boy, what a book. Banned books should not be a thing. Should kids get free reign to just read anything? Not necessarily, but I don’t think that books should be out right banned from public consumption. I believe that adults should help guide children to books that are written for them, and parents (or parental figures) should help decide what is appropriate for their children. Banning “The Diary of Anne Frank” for being smut? That’s ridiculous? But this is something that actually happens, and yes, it’s that outrageous. Where this book lost me, was that almost every chapter was a different point of view. For me it was just too much, and I felt the author tried to hit a lot of hot topic conversations. The book also got a bit over the top and felt that the author was just trying to cause too much outrage. The banning of books itself is controversial, no need to include every other controversial topic as well. I think that this book is written with a certain person in mind, and if you aren’t that person exactly, you won’t like it.

I did like this book because I did agree with it at its core, I just wish it was less polarizing because I feel that is harmful.

I would give this one 3.5 stars but since I can't give half stars, I will be rounding down.

I loved Kirsten Miller' s previous book, The Change, so I was happy to get accepted to read an ARC of her new book. I liked this! I did get lost a few times due to the large amount of characters, and I did find the ending a bit cheesy, but still a really enjoyable read.

EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ THIS BOOK - AND BANNED BOOKS! I LOVED THE CHANGE, BUT THIS IS BY FAR MY FAVORITE BOOK THIS YEAR. I AM ALL FOR BANNED BOOKS AND MARGANALIZED CHARACTERS, IT REALLY PUTS IN PERSPECTIVE SOME OF THE STRESSES BOOK BANNING IS PUTTING ON PEOPLE. READ IT AND PASS IT ON!!

This book will definitely be a contender for the best book of 2024! I loved this satirical story set in the south in a small town with a cast of quirky characters. At the heart of the story is book banning and the power of knowledge and who holds or controls this power. However, to say the novel was just about banning books would be selling it short because Miller packs in so much more including anti-LGTBQ, anti-Semitism, white nationalism, misogyny, racism, and discrimination. The story is powerful yet will make you laugh and extremely poignant for the all these issues are current in America. Obviously, this story is an ode to love of books and libraries and the power of words and I think everyone should read it! The message behind the story was more important than the characters and the how the novel unfolded was brilliant and empowering. I give this book 10 stars if I could!

Thank you Netgalley and William Morrow Publishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

Lula Dean is a terrifying combination of the most infuriating Facebook tyrants you can think of. She’s nasty, she’s conniving, she relishes attention and will do just about anything to get it: including launching a rocky campaign to remove all books she deems “inappropriate” from her county’s public school system. But Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books is not just a book about one meddling, praise-hungry small towner. It has the most lively, eccentric bunch of characters that will each bring a tear to your eye when you read their stories.

From Beverly Underwood, “woke” book defender and descendent of the town’s most prominent confederate leader, to Isaac Wright, the high school’s first Black and gay valedictorian, Troy, Georgia is teeming with gorgeously unique, complicated people who are just begging you to start reading and learn how one little book changed their lives for the better.

As a lifelong southerner and friend of the written word, I am no stranger to the Book Banners. One high school removes Beloved and The Kite Runner. A middle school in a neighboring county bans To Kill a Mockingbird. Lord of the Flies. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margret. Kids across the country are slowly losing access to worlds they don’t even know exist yet. It’s my greatest wish that everyone in the world will discover that one book that shifts their world view and makes them ravenous for more. This book perfectly demonstrates why I believe so strongly in the power of literature and why it’s imperative that everyone has the opportunity and free will to discover exactly what they need. Although it’s fiction, I find solace in the fact that stories just like these are folding out before our very eyes, faster than you can blink. If this isn’t at the top of your To Be Read list it absolutely should be.

This book was amazing. I loved the way it was set up in the beginning, each chapter following a townsperson framed around how a banned book reshaped their life. The chapters focused on different people in the town of Troy, slowly letting readers get to know an entire town and really fleshing out so many characters and their interactions with one another. The book handled so many heavy topics but managed to do them all justice, within a narrative that was heartfelt, humorous, and sincere.

This was fantastic! I have been telling everyone how important of a book I think this is and after finishing it, I stand by what I’ve been saying. This story shows the impact a book can have on a person, and the importance of all books, even if they contain subject matter you may not agree with or you feel are inappropriate for some. The power of a story can have tremendous impacts on a persons life, and this story shows what those impacts could be. I will be recommending this to so many more people. #bannedbooks

I absolutely loved Miller’s novel, The Change. Her way of writing about real world issues but keeping it fun and witty is a spectacular talent. This one mainly centers around the issue of “book banning” . You get many varying POVs surrounding the topic to dive into and mentally dissect. There are many lessons here… punctuated with that wonderful crass humor. This one will stick with me for a while.

Clever and thought provoking, this would make an excellent book club choice!

Thank you NetGalley & William Morrow for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This review can also be found on Goodreads.

A book about the power of books. What more could you want? When the "acceptable books" in Lula Dean's little library after replaced secretly with the banned books she pulled from the shelves, the effect of books can be felt throughout all of Troy, Georgia.

We are introduced to the heroes, and monsters, of Troy, GA. The good, bad, and the ugly is brought out in town as the books impact each person who stops by the library. Miller does a wonderful job of tackling tough, relevant topics of today's world. And though it is heavy at times, you will find yourself laughing and relating to the heroes of Troy.

Readers will enjoy the small town vibe and local drama, while they are simultaneously exposed to difficult conversations and topics that need to be addressed. It goes to show, yet again, that the power of books has no bounds. Everyone has the right to knowledge, and no one should have the position to take that away in the form of banning books.

I loved everything about this book from start to finish. In a small Southern town, Lula Dean takes up the cause of getting books banned, more for attention than anything else. When she sets up her own little free library at her house and stocks it with "wholesome" books she bought at a thrift store, an enterprising young woman swaps out all the books and puts the dust jackets on the so-called subversive reads Lula Dean was trying to get rid of. What follows is an absolutely delightful transformation throughout the town. Don't get me wrong, there are heavy topics tackled in this story, this is not a fluffy read, but the characters and storylines are wonderful and this is one of my favorite books this year. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for a digital review copy.

What a delight this was! I am a fan of Kirsten Miller - she writes on such interesting and varied topics and I really enjoy her writing style. She is very engaging and pulls the reader into her world very easily. I loved the premise here (as a librarian), and found her execution to be spot-on. She has crafted a tale that is thoughtful and infuriating and informative, while remaining entertaining throughout. Her characterizations were delightful and offered a wide variety of characters whose arcs were well developed and, quite often, funny as heck! I loved this one...

I loved the premise of this book. Banned books have such a power and the author showed that beautifully.

It's official... Kirsten Miller has become an auto-buy author for me. I gave her previous book, The Change, 5 stars and I am so happy to be giving this new release 5 stars as well.

This book is so incredibly funny. I mean, I was literally laughing out loud while reading this, but it also gets to be really dark and disturbing. Honestly, I'm glad that the author chose to incorporate so much humor within this book because without it I think that heavy subject matter would have made this such a bleak and depressing read.

This is a real time portrait of our current socio-political climate. The author makes no qualms about making sure you know that Lula Dean is a stand-in for a certain ex-president, right down to her orange hair and penchant for long winded speeches. The author used such an interesting approach for the story-telling in this book where each chapter is from the perspective of a different community member in this small Georgia town. These little snippets from everyone in town allowed for the author to really build tension and backstory for this big crowd of characters without overwhelming the reader with too much information too quickly.

The story does get pretty intense about 75% in when the tension and hate in the community culminates into a shocking act of violence but the author is able to handle that with sensitivity and a levity that quickly evens out the tone of the story. Now, I'm fully aware that the ending of this book may be a little over the top and saccharine but I think it was what we, as readers, needed at the end of this kind of story. There is so much hate and vitriol and disgusting behavior portrayed by so many characters in this book that it felt like a much needed reprieve to see things end in a happily ever after.

Now, realistically, that doesn't happen. This book is truly a bold faced commentary on our current ways of living. The author is not holding punches, she is not making you read between the lines, she is serving her opinions and commentary to you on a silver platter with sparklers. I understand that that may not be everyone's cup of tea. If you own a MAGA hat... you will hate this book. If you have ever used the term liberal snowflake... this author will really piss you off. However, I appreciated the matter of fact nature that this book used to present current social issues. The author's note at the end was also extremely important and definitely gave more insight into why the author chose to write this story and write it in the way that she did.

This book just scratched the right itch in my sociologist brain and I couldn't be happier with it. Also, I wish that I could have seen that Moxie story time play out in real life. One last warning, this book goes in very heavily on some really intense content and nothing is served with kid gloves. If there is something in the content warnings that is a hard line for you then please do not even attempt to read this book.

This book does an amazing job of creating intertwined vignettes about characters who interact with books (which some consider to be controversial) and shows a realistic effects of reading these books. One character reads “Are You There It’s Me, Margaret” to learn about the female experience of puberty. This builds to a complicated story of a small town’s struggle to interact.

If you are brave enough to read this book, you will be persuaded that books are not the enemy; ignorance is.

Highly recommend.

I have read a lot of new 2024 book releases this year from a wide variety of genres. Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller might be the most important of the many that I've read. It's also one of the absolute best.

Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books takes place in Troy, Georgia where Lula Dean - the resident Karen - has recently started challenging school and library books. To replace the books she's campaigned to remove, Lula puts a selection of approved books in the Little Free Library in front of her home. However, someone else soon replaces Lula's conservative books with the ones Lula has fought to ban, sneakily hidden under the dust jackets of Lula's supposedly "wholesome" books.

In the book's first half, each chapter feels like reading a short story. Every chapter focuses on a different set of characters and how a book changes their way of thinking. The stories are all interconnected and merge in interesting ways as the book progresses but because of this setup, the novel is a fast-paced and fun read. I, for one, flew through this faster than I've read any other book this year! I could not put it down!

The story also has a light and humorous tone. The book deals with a multitude of heavy subjects but it never feels depressing or cynical. In fact, the story is full of optimism and hope.

The characters are all realistic and layered. As someone who lives in a small Southern town, some of these characters even feel like people I may know. I appreciated the understanding and compassion Kirsten Miller clearly took in writing these complicated characters. I especially enjoyed watching as several characters grew and changed thanks to the power of stories.

Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller is timely, relevant, and inspiring. It's about the power of books and how information and education drive progressive change. It encourages positive action and understanding in the face of ignorance and hatred. It's a much-needed book that is funny and light while still taking on heavy political topics.

After reading The Change a couple years ago, I knew whatever Kirsten Miller came out with next would go to the top of my TBR. I’m happy to say that I enjoyed every single page of Lula Dean. It made me laugh, it made me sad, it made me think. It was full of unforgettable and charming characters. I liked how you got a snippet of what each character was going through and how the book they came across from the little library helped them through their situation. Totally wholesome and by the end I felt like I knew the whole community🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻 4.5 stars.

William Morrow provided an early galley for review.

Being a librarian, put library or banned books in a title and you have my attention. I was instantly curious about this upcoming release.

Firstly, each chapter is titled from an actual book title. It is a small touch that I can really appreciate. However, I quickly found that each chapter is sort of a vignette to focus on another resident and their dark behaviors that someone else, through the inspiration of banned books goes about trying to correct or compensate for. I get the concept that Miller is going for - it is all very topical for anyone who has been watching the news over the past half dozen years or so. However, for me, I found it got stale pretty quickly. I felt like I was scrolling through posts on social media with a quick stop at one before moving on to the next. I feel it was trying to hit too many areas rather than focus more tightly on a couple.

As a librarian, I am all for free expression and challenging the thoughts of intolerance, hatred and bigotry. Librarians are advocates of the "freedom to read" principal. I support that Miller's book wants to challenge all of these things and show a (fictional) town trying to be better thanks to the power of books. My concern is how her message will be received by patrons. Will it fan the flames rather then extinguish them? We shall see.