I truly enjoy books that take place in a bookstore or library. This story set during the war reminds us how books get us through difficult times. This book was full of great characters, all helping each other.
It’s another good historical fiction book. Definitely recommend

Readers who enjoy historical fiction will love this book. Set in Nottingham during WWII, this well researched book follows a widowed mother forced to make hard decisions in order to care for her daughter. The rules enforced on widows were heartbreaking and cruel. The British people forged together and supported their troops in every way possible. Loved the unique characters that visited the lending library. The author’s note is very informative and not to be missed. Highly recommended!

I always look forward to the next Madeline Martin historical fiction book and have yet to be disappointed. The novel's main character is Emma, a mother who must face the hard decision of whether to evacuate her daughter, Olivia, as the Blitz is about to start. Additionally, as a widow, she’s faced with the challenge of providing for herself and Olivia and ends up working at the Boot’s Booklover’s Library. I loved the relationship the two had. I also found the history of lending libraries at the time fascinating!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Booklover’s Library. If you enjoy World War 2 fiction and books about books, pick this book up!

Thanks to Hanover Square Books and Cindy Burnett's Thoughts From a Page Early Reads Program for the advanced copy of this book!

This book should be required reading for anyone who loves books, libraries, and historical fiction. Set in WW2 England in the real-life Booklover's Library (located in Boots Chemist), this tale weaves family, loss, and a shared love of stories artfully. At a time when the world was full of danger and the horrors of war, books served as a portal to other lands and times, drawing people together. This is a beautiful tale of found family, hope, and perseverance.

Perfect for book lovers and fans of historical fiction.
The mother-daughter bond and storyline is heart-felt and you go through the pain of what families managed during wartime.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

“She always had admired readers who ventured outside of their natural genres. Those were often the people who had the greatest empathy, the most understanding of others around them, and the broadest appreciation for the world.”

Is this another WWII historical fiction? Yes, but please don’t let that stop you from picking it up. It really is so much more than that! The war is just a backdrop for what is essentially a love letter to books and readers. I felt all the emotions while reading this and have had a hard time writing a review because my words cannot do justice to how much I loved this book!

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like:
Books about books
1930’s England
Alice in Wonderland
Anne of Green Gables
Emma
A mother’s fierce love
Neighbors coming together

Thank you Thoughts From a Page podcast and Hanover Square Press for a digital copy through NetGalley.

A definite must read for every book lover! A story of love and war and people who love books!

A mother's love - a daughter that won't give up and some amazing people who help each other through life at its hardest.

The author provides an unique perspective of England during war.
It pulls at your heart strings following the love of a mom and daughter.

Another enjoyable read by Madeline Martin. The literary references always are a delight.
The child evacuation element literally did break my heart and cause me to stop reading for a stint. Then I would pick it up and it would break my heart again.
The Last Bookshop in London remains my favorite by the author, but I will definitely continue to read her works.
I learned a few things I previously did not know concerning the historical time period, as well. Which was a plus.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to preview this book.

I enjoyed this well-researched book, especially learning about married women in the 1930’s and 40’s having to give up their jobs. The author, surprisingly, is American, not English, so her familiarity with England during WWII is truly remarkable!

I received this book from the publisher via net galley in exchange for an honest review. Three stars.

The Booklover’s Library by Madeline Martin was a beautiful and sad book. The story follows the life of Emma Taylor who grew up without a mother and was raised by her father. When she was 17, something tragic occurred that changed the trajectory of her life.
Now years later, she is a widow with an 8 year old daughter to care for and she has another set of worries due to a war that has started. She has to decide if she should follow the recommendations of sending her daughter away to safety or keep her daughter with her.
The story had many sad elements to it however I loved that during some very hard times, Emma was able to lean in on her community for support. She also relied on her job at The Booklover’s Library which was a great distraction from the reality surrounding her.
I really loved this story so much and I can’t wait to read more books by this author. Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hanover Square Press for this arc! A beautiful story that moved me to tears several times! Really enjoyed this and am looking forward to checking out more of her work!

This is my second book by Madeline Martin and I enjoyed this one as much as the first. She uses bookshops and libraries as beautiful vehicles to write about everyday people coping with personal trauma and the horror of war. This is a trope I love, and some of my favorite books follow this reading trope. While hers are historical fiction and I feel some need to love that genre as well to love her books, I find it a great formula and the characters are usually well-developed and have bits that resonate with the reader. In this story, we follow Emma from her late teens, when she watched her father die as their home and bookshop burned down, to her late-twenties, when she gets a job at the bookstore inside Boots and grapples with sending her daughter to the country at the start of the Blitz. I found this type of library fascinating too and had no idea about them, which I find is another part I enjoy in her books is the details we learn about history as well as the great stories. I knew about Operation Pied Piper, but following a mother as she dealt with the heartache and guilt of sending her daughter away multiple times made the difficulties of single parents during that time hit home. I really enjoyed the book and shed a few tears.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ebook to preview.

I love a great story about books and that is what The Booklover's Library gives the reader in plenty. Madeline Martin also enhances this with just enough love, and danger to make your heart swoon.

An absolutely intriguing book set during World War II. As someone that loves learning about history, especially this particular war, this book caught my attention.

I love how the author was able to make this historical fiction so accurate to what happened. From the children’s evacuation to the air raids to the marriage bar during those times. It made me look everything up and dive into reading about it.

The fictional storyline itself was good and kept me hooked. I just wish there was better fluidity of the timeline and of what was going on.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book very much. The story wasn't bad, although I'm not a huge historical fiction reader. My main issue was with the writing style.
This book follows a widowed single mother in WW2 England looking for a job to provide for her and her daughter. She ultimately has to make the choice to evacuate her daughter and stay behind to continue to earn money for her family.
That premise is simple, but heartwarming. The wiring just took away from how heartwarming it could be. My biggest pet peeve in writing is when the author resorts to telling over showing in almost every scene. This story felt like a summary of a book because every scene lacked a lot of dialogue and movement. For me, that doesn't really work in a novel. Especially one that's supposed to make you feel something really deep.
That being said, I can see why this book might work for someone other than myself.

This is a tenderly written story with insight into the life of women, especially widows with children in the 30’s and 40’s, and how hard it was on both the mothers and the children when they were evacuated to the countryside for safety. The book provides observations of the horrors of war for everyone involved but also the comradery and dedication of the English. I was not aware of the idea of subscription libraries in England and their popularity. The author does provide additional information for clarification at the end of the book on both subscription libraries and the Mass Observation initiative which is always appreciated.
4.5 Stars

“She always had admired readers who ventured outside of their natural genres. Those were often the people who had the greatest empathy, the most understanding of others around them, and the broadest appreciation for the world.”

I’ve only read one other book by Martin and thoroughly enjoyed that one as well. This one was an even better fit for me. I was emotionally invested in the characters lives from chapter one and the way the story is written made it feel like I was right there in the midst of everything alongside them. Before this book I had never heard of a Lending Library and spent a good deal of time researching the ins and out after I finished reading it. I hope to someday visit the one that still exists in Nottingham, England!

“How was a parent to be honest with their child while still safeguarding that precious innocence?”

This was the first book that made me really feel the ache of what it must have been like for the parents who sent their children to be relocated during the war. Maybe because the girl in the story is my daughter’s age, it hit harder than ever.

“Truly, there was nothing better than the companionable silence that fell between readers in a quiet room, each entirely lost in their own worlds.”

As you can see, this story was filled with so many quotes that resonated with me. This is an advanced copy so they may be different in the finished version, but i really hope they all stay exactly as they are.

This is a fantastic historical fiction with an enlightening Authors Note at the end that everyone should read. Highly recommend for my historical fiction loving friends!

Widow Emma has struggled for make a life for her and her daughter. There are restrictions on her obtaining a career due to being a widow and having a child and now war is breaking out. Fear and tensions are high and she is left to face some of the hardest decisions in her life. Taking a chance on inquiring about a position at a bookshop, she manages to get a position however her background needs to remain a secret. Emma has never been more grateful to felt more at home than in a bookshop. She was raised in her father's bookshop until that had a tragic end due to a fire years ago. Emma couldn't be happier but when notice that children should be sent to the country side to remain safe, she is distraught. How could she send her child to some stranger? Yet the government is saying that is the safest place for them. Following the masses, Emma sends Olivia with the other children to the country side. With horror stories of what some children have endured at these place, Emma fears everyday if she has made the right decision meanwhile trying to keep her job as well as herself safe from the never ending bombings wondering if and when this war will ever end. This was an interesting read and I did learn something else I did not know about WWII. Thank you to the author and Netgalley for the complementary ebook. This review is of my own opinion and accord.

A heartwarming story about a mother and daughter in wartime England and the power of the books that bring them together.

I have read from this author previously so when I saw she had a new book coming out I had to request it. We follow Emma, who has grown up with books because her father owned a bookstore. Unfortunately her father’s bookstore burned down and he died in the fire. Emma moves on with her life and marries and has a child named Olivia, sadly tragedy strikes again and Emma’s husband dies. Now Emma is forced to take on life as a widow and find a source of income. She goes back to her roots working in a library helping people select books. We follow Emma and Olivia while they deal with WW2 and the struggles of that time period.

I really enjoyed this book, it was a very sweet story and is a must if you enjoy reading about book lovers and bookstores. It shows the power of books and how they can bring so much joy and comfort into someone’s life. Emma is a strong female character who will do anything for her daughter and Olivia was so sweet and loved her mother very much. I recommend this book if you like historical stories about books and mother daughter relationships.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for an advanced copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.