Madeline Martin's book, The Booklover's Library, is a must-read! It takes place during WWII in Nottingham, England. In the beginning of the book, Emma is a widowed, single mother raising her seven-year-old daughter Olivia. Despite the survivors benefits from her late husband's death, Emma barely makes ends meet.

Slowly, Emma is forced to sell possessions she holds dear. As a child, Emma never had the opportunity to know her mother, as she died when she was a baby. As a result of an unfortunate fire in their bookshop, Emma's father died.

A unique opportunity unfolds when Emma is utterly distraught, unsure of how else she will provide for herself and Olivia. Despite the marriage bar that extended to widows with children, Emma is secretly allowed to obtain employment at the Booklover's Lending Library. Every aspect of life will be changed by this change encounter and opportunity. It will be a challenge to keep Olivia safe while her mother is away at work because she is so young.

The Nazis have invaded London. As a result of the war threat in England, Olivia is evacuated to the countryside. On three separate occasions, Olivia would be sent away. Emma soon established close relationships with those in her tenement house, as well as co-workers and library patrons due to being separated from her daughter. When Emma was without Olivia during these months, she remained busy making recommendations to patrons at the lending library. Emma also enrolled in the WVS (Woman's Volunteer Service) to further the war effort at home.

This book is filled with love, loss, twists, turns, and happy endings.

Emma Taylor, a young widowed mother, has to make the tough decision whether or not to send her daughter, Olivia, away from the city as Hilter moves his troops into England. In addition to taking care of Olivia, Emma works at The Boots’ Booklover’s Lending Library and volunteers with the Women’s Volunteer Services. Widowed mothers not being allowed to work causes Emma to be extremely secretive about Olivia, but when she begins to open up she creates her own little family who loves and looks after both her and her daughter. Emma ends up falling in love and creates her own version of happily ever after.

I enjoyed:
- The relationship between Emma and her daughter, Olivia.
- The details given to all the characters’ lives.
- Emma’s happily ever after.

I disliked:
- How long it took for the book to pick up. The first half dragged a bit.
- The reason for the misshelved books at the library. It was a bit anticlimactic for me.

Overall, I thought this was a very cute read and enjoyed the writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Hanover Square Press who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A magnificent piece of historical fiction. Madeline Martin has found a niche that is totally working for her. The story is set in England during WWII and told from the point of view of the main character Emma. It is poignant and emotional as the characters try to function under the threat of war. The plot is superbly executed and has elements of romance as well as a little mystery. This is an expertly written and interesting story that should not be missed.

Emma is a widowed mother trying to keep her daughter safe during World War II. When in need of employment, Emma comes across the Booklover’s Library. She gets the job and struggles between working, keeping her daughter safe, and surviving.

Rating: 4/5 stars. ⭐️

Publish Date: September 10th 2024

I enjoyed reading this. I often look for historical fictions that are heart warming but also devastating and maybe even a little romantic at times. This hit the mark for me.

I thought Emma was a well written character. I felt her emotions and felt for her when she kept having to decide how to protect Olivia.

The friendships in this were nice and the bit of romance as well. I think having things like this when a book is discussing a heavy topic such as WWII, are needed to almost “cleanse” from time to time thought the story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Madeline Martin, and Hanover Square Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Booklover’s Library by Madeline Martin
Set during World War 11, The Booklover’s Library focuses on the life of Emma as she navigates trying to care for her daughter financially, physically, and emotionally. The friends she meets at The Booklover’s Library will shape her and change her.
I liked that Emma had concerns and fears and even though she saw others make mistakes, she cautiously thought the best of them. She made deep friendships at a time when survival could cause many to only look within.
Surprisingly, Mrs. Pickering was my favorite character. She was spunky and thoughtful.
There were several characters in The Booklover’s Library yet they were well developed so that I never felt confused. They interacted with each other in a manner that supported Emma and held their own.
I loved the whole book. I could have read the book in one day but wanted to savor and enjoy it.
NetGalley and Hanover Square Press shared an Advanced Readers Copy with me. It was my pleasure to read The Booklover's Library and share my review.

This book was so informative and lovely

Emma is a single mother in 1931 she was raised by a single father till the day there bookshop went up in flames. At that time it is not proper and wrong to have married women and widows working. However Emma is raising a daughter Olivia and is in need for a job. When Emma comes across the book lovers library she lies that she is a not married or a mother and gets the job. With the help of her neighbors and the people of the library she realizes she doesn’t need to be alone. When war breaks out and Emma gets a letter to send her daughter away she is struck with the hard choice of keeping her or sending her away.

I didn’t know a lot of things what were written in this book I recommend this.

Life has never been easy for single mothers and their children, but late summer of 1939 was especially hard for young widow Emma Taylor and her daughter Olivia. With England on the brink of joining WWII, Emma is doing her best to provide for her child, but with her meager savings running low and prices rising, she is beginning to feel desperate. She would willingly work, but with a marriage bar prohibiting married women and widows with children from working most jobs, she is having a hard time finding a job that will enable her to earn a living, but still care for her daughter. Her luck seems to take a turn for the better when she happens to be in the right place at the right time – in this case, the café in Boot’s the Chemist store. She overhears a librarian resigning her position as she is to be married, and she takes the opportunity to ask about a position and is hired to work in the Boot’s Booklover’s Library – a Lending Library. But with war looming, even having a job, might not be enough to keep her daughter safe, decisions will have to be made about Olivia’s future, decisions that no parent wants to make. Keep your child close and potentially in harm’s way or send them away to live with strangers and hopefully away from air raids?

This story is a heartwarming and at times heartbreaking story of not only a woman struggling to keep her tiny family together during the war but rediscovering her own love of books and sharing that love with her daughter and the patrons of the lending library and maybe even finding a happy ending for herself. The story takes place at the start of England’s involvement in the war and gives the reader a glimpse of life in Nottingham during the terror of the blitz, as well as Emma’s volunteer efforts and her relationship with her young daughter, her friends, coworkers and library patrons. In addition to a fantastic story, fans of Ms. Martin’s novel, The Last Bookshop in London, will be delighted when Emma is sent to London and happens upon Primrose Hill Books and meets Grace and Mr. Evans. If you enjoy well-researched, emotional Homefront WWII fiction with relatable characters and literary references, then look no further, you have found your next read!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

The Booklover's Library was a solid four star book for me. Coming off a historical fiction that I literally could not force myself to finish, I was relieved to be drawn in to Emma's story from the start. I think probably the most interesting part of the story for me, was the conflict that Emma experienced with sending her daughter Olivia away and then bringing her back home (several times) to keep her safe from the bombing. Having read so many World War II novels, I've often read stories of families sending their children away to the countryside (both from the perspective of the child and the parent). I believe this is the first, however, where I read of a mother keeping her child with her for various stretches of time. Emma's turmoil over her decision(s) and her ensuing actions were incredibly relatable. I also loved the full cast of characters in The Booklover's Library. There were many minor characters (patrons of the library, etc.) that were still very well developed and Martin brought everyone to life.

The wonderful message of this book is community. Emma is a widow with a young daughter. She grew up with just her dad since her mother dies shortly after her birth. It was always Emma and her dad, and now Emma and her daughter, Olivia. Finding the Jo bay the Booklovers Library opened a door to a different world for Emma. She found friends, love, and community. Set during England in WW2, there are other factors that play into the story as well. An enjoyable read.

Thank you NetGalley, Hanover Square Press and Madeline Martin for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Booklover’s Library.
I was thoroughly immersed in this historical fiction story set in Nottingham, England during WWIi with Emma and her family. It is filled with emotion and beautiful writing about the difficulties of war and I felt I was right there with them. The Booklover’s Library was quite fascinating with how books were checked out by purchasing tiered subscriptions. Books were a rare treat and demanded respect which makes my heart happy.
This story did not center on the battles of WWIi but how people, especially women were treated, children were sent to the country for safety and how everyone worked together to survive. There were many twists and turns and I couldn’’t wait to see what happened next. There is tragedy, worry, optimism and healing and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Set in Nottingham, England with the backdrop of WwIi, this story follows Emma, a mother trying to make ends meet and keep her child safe. The characters that come alongside her only enhance her love and devotion and their support for Emma. Her love of literature and the setting of a library drew me in further to the story. The historical aspects woven into it brought the reality of the struggle of war to life. This is a beautiful story of friendship, determination, and love (yes there’s even a budding romance in it). Definitely worth another read!

The book follows the story of single mother, Emma, and her daughter, Olivia, in Nottingham, UK during World War II. Emma struggles with deciding whether to keep Olivia home or to send her away at a safer place in the countryside. She also faces all the difficulties of war while working at a bookshop. With several storylines, including a budding romance and the mystery of mis-shelved books, the book highlights the fact that reading is good for the soul.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Booklover's Library combines well-known backdrop of World War Two with a character-drive story following a widowed mother. The story is often sad, as the era was full of tragedy, and Emma is not exempt from the goings-on of the world around her. What I loved most was the honest look at her internal monologue, trying to do the best by her daughter at all times.

I love stories about quaint old bookshops with endearing characters. I would say I prefer these type of stories for Fall Winter, but really it would be a great read any time of year!

I am a sucker for books about books, and libraries, and bookstores so this one seemed like something I would enjoy. And I did, but will say this was not a very memorable reading experience.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s a perfectly lovely book about mothers & daughters, unlikely friendships, and the power of literature to help you through horrific times. However I think I’m over the current trend of books about books, libraries, bookstores, and spunky heroines making it through WWII.

If you’re looking for a heartwarming reading experience, this is your book.

It's Emma Taylor and her daughter, Olivia, against the world. As a single parent raising a young girl, Emma takes a position at a lending library. It's something she's ideally suited for, having been raised by her widowed father who ran a bookstore until it burned down and he died. But when war threatens, she's forced to send her daughter the the countryside in case of German bombers targeting the cities. But Emma manages to find friendships - with her landlady and through the library - and together they help one another through the difficult times.

In spite of a rather slow start, I eventually found a warm and heartfelt story of friendship as well as the love of books. Emma is a very sympathetic character, having to raise her daughter alone after her husband died and on a meager pension. But the challenges she faces, along with the judgement of those around her, often make them even harder. It's an interesting look into look into life during wartime England and how ordinary people coped with the air raids and having to make hard decisions about their children. (I rec'd an advance electronic copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

Thank you NetGalley for this pre-release file of the Booklovers Library. All opinions are my own!
Well I am going to say this, what an enjoyable WWII book. Had a little bit of everything. Mystery, romance, horror (WWII!) …. Very enjoyable read and I highly recommend.

3.75 stars

A very readable addition to the WWII women's fiction shelf, featuring widow Emma Taylor and her daughter Olivia. Married women including widows were evidently largely prohibited from employment in Britain. Emma, who grew up in her father's bookstore before it was destroyed in a fire, gets hired at the Booklover's Library above the local drugstore. Her boss finds out her marital status but is willing to keep her secret.

We follow Emma as she navigates wartime life, wrestles with the decision of whether to send her daughter away to a safer location, deals with neighbors and co-workers and gradually heals from all the loss she has experienced. The background, around the time of Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain and the Blitz, is fascinating and wrenching.

A well-told story with characters you come to care about. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Booklover's Library takes place in WWII England. Emma lives in Nottingham with her daughter Olivia and, despite a marriage bar that prohibits married women and widows with children from working, she gets a job at Boots pharmacy's lending library. But when air raids start to ring and the war heads their way, Emma must decide whether to send her daughter away to the country while she stays behind and works.

Throughout the book, Emma grapples with her decision, bringing Olivia back home and sending her back again. There were some scenes that I thought didn't evoke as much emotion as intended; instances that could have been stronger with a little more showing than telling.

However, there were parts that really resonated with me, especially the moments in which Emma received judgment from others around her - some judging her for sending her daughter away and others judging her for keeping her daughter home. In all of these instances, and in others where judgment was doled, Martin did a great job of showing us a character who was willing to see the bigger picture, explore the reasons these people treated her this way.

I learned a lot while reading this book -- about lending libraries, the marriage bar, the caves of Nottingham, and so much more. It is obvious from the writing that Martin is very passionate about history and I plan to check out more of Marin's work, which are all historical fiction stories with a connection to the book world.

Thank you to Thoughts From a Page podcast and to Hanover Square Books for this ARC!

Historical fiction novel that takes place in England during WWII. Emma has to make the difficult decision to evacuate her daughter during the bombing. The story focuses on friendships, support of a community helping each other and books.