Emma Taylor's life had its share of joys and sorrows. The family bookstore had burned down, killing her father. She had married not for love but for protection. She became a mother to the love of her life, Olivia. Emma's husband had died leaving her a widow. In 1939 England did not allow married women or widows with children to work. The government provided widow's pensions and even combined with her daughter's government support it wasn't enough to provide for them even though they were frugal. When the opportunity to work in a library arose, Emma managed to secure the job even though her boss knew she was a widow. The Book Lover's Library was located on the second floor of a chemist's shop. People paid for membership to check out books. The women working at this library were expected to know about the latest releases, customer preference, and order books as requested. Emma quickly learned her job and enjoyed it. As Hitler began his assault on France, England realized that they may well be his next target. In preparation, children were sent away from cities to live in the countryside. Emma worried that sending her daughter away would be too difficult. How would Olivia respond? With no one at home, what would Emma do to keep herself busy? A customer at the library seemed interested in seeing Emma. Was she ready to have a new relationship?

The Booklover's Library is an endearing story about the lives of friends brought together during wartime by their love of literature. They support and protect themselves during very harsh circumstances. The war forces each of these people to overcome adversity to survive. Emma had insulated herself and her daughter in a world of just two but survival during wartime meant that they both would have to expand their lives to include others. Emma learns that life can be difficult but the strength of friends and community are invaluable. The characters in this book are well-crafted, hard-working, and generally good-hearted. They are exactly the type of people you would like to find in everyday life. This is one of those books that leaves you wanting to continue following the characters long after the last page. Book lovers and historical fiction fans will enjoy this wonderful book.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing, NetGalley, and Madeline Martin for the advanced readers copy.

I really enjoyed reading this book with its tragic story of sending children away to countryside which was safer than Nottingham during the German bombings. I also enjoyed the historical information that provided context into society’s standards that controlled how women worked or couldn’t work due to a marriage bar law. It was fascinating how a chemist shop (pharmacy) had a private lending library for quite some time. I loved the interaction of the patrons with the employees. The story of the relationships formed between landlord and tenants, mother and child, library patrons and employees were outstanding.

A young woman survives a fire only to be thrust into another danger in her life of the WW2. She once again finds solace in books with being hired to work in a book library. The writer does an excellent job tying in feelings of a young child as she grows to an adult with the horrific fire that took not only her father but her home - destroying her young life. The young child buries this tragedy, but it smolders back to life during the war. Her heart breaks many times a young mother and woman. She learns to open her heart in difficult times to find her happiness. Wonderful story.

Emma is a widowed mother looking for a job when the law prohibits wives and mothers from working outside the home. She finds a job at a Booklover's Library where she can share her love of reading with others under strict orders to say her daughter is her sister. When WWII begins, Emma must balance her new job, her volunteer activities, and the pain of sending her daughter away to the country for safety. Emma is inherently kind and extraordinarily patient with others who are cruel to her. With her kindness, she builds friendships and accumulates a found family.

This is a day-in-the-life novel with a backdrop of war and books. Emma shows us what kindness and empathy can mean to other people and how they can change their behavior because of it. There was also a love of reading during the beginning of the war because reading distracts people from their fear. The action cranks up near the end of the book and you still do not know how the story will end until it does. This was a sweet bookish story that I was glad I read.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s about a smallish town in England right at the beginning of the war. Emma is working with her Dad at his bookstore. The story kept me interested. The characters were realistic. I’m glad that I took time out of my life to read this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.

What a charming read ! The mother- daughter story was touching and compelling. I found the historical elements well detailed and thoroughly believable. I enjoy historical fiction, and this piece felt authentic in its depiction of England in WW2. The characters were well developed and made for a lovely read!

Thank you so much, NetGalley, the author and publisher, for this amazing historical fiction.

Release date September 10, 2024

Historical fiction is one of my go-to reads, add n books, and I am hooked. I was so excited to have the opportunity to read and review this book.

Madeline Martin,did a fantastic job with the historical aspect of the story. Your descriptions of the city, clothing, and society standards during the time period were realistic, and I was able to picture everything clearly in my mind.

The story was engaging and I became totally engrossed in it, so much so that I completely forgot about the world around me.

Highly recommend.

Ms. Martin drew me in from the very first scene and kept me reading way too late into the night. This is one of the most captivating stories set in WWII England that I've read and I loved it. The writing was vivid and visceral for me; loads of crying in this book, but there are so many good things to come out of it as well. The relationships between parent and child, employees and patrons, neighbors and enemies are all so well presented and cover such a wide range of like/dislike, that I feel like I know these people.

Something I really appreciated at the end of the book there is a section about the author's research and various things discovered in the process of creating the story, as well as learning about who she based some of the characters on. Excellent touch.

Highly recommended!

I received an ARC; this is my honest review.

This is a book about World War II and perhaps some lesser known elements during that time on the home front in Britain. If a woman was widowed with children during the war, she was not allowed to do most employment. Another element to the home front was the children being sent from the cities to the countryside. In this book, Emma is a widow with a daughter, Olivia; Emma winds up lucking out and getting a job at a bookshop. She winds up making new relationships through this bookshop and acquires a new found family of sorts; they all go through the war together, with books tying them together. Another greatly written historical book from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/Hanover Square Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book prior to it's release, NetGalley. I wanted to love this story so much, and for the most part I did. It just felt like a lot of repetition to make the book longer than it needed to be. I loved Emma, Mr. Sanderson, Olivia, Margaret, Mrs. Pickering, Mr. Beard, and the rest of the characters. Even the grumpy librarian whose name has completely escaped me at the moment. Wish there had been more story and less filler. Maybe more dialogue would have helped. Despite my review, I encourage you to give it a try. Maybe you will see something more in it that I missed.

On the eve of World War 2, Emma Taylor, a young, widowed single mother, and her daughter, Olivia, need some hope. They find it when Emma is hired by the Boots’ Booklover’s Library in Nottingham, England. At the risk of losing her job, Emma is forced to keep her widowed status a secret, along with her motherhood. When a German invasion seems imminent, will Emma be able to send her daughter away to safety? Filled with interesting characters and historical details, this book is perfect for fans of World War 2 fiction.

Historical Fiction is not normally my go-to genre, but I liked what I read about the book so I eagerly dove into Madeline Martin's The Book Lover's Library. I am so happy that I did! The information a reader learns about Nottingham, England during WWII as this beautiful story unfolds is amazing. Readers will relate to the complex and difficult decisions that protagonist Emma Taylor, and those around her, must make for their and those they love well-being during WWII. This story unfolded at an ideal pace. As I read this book, I kept thinking of others to recommend this book to and that would enjoy it as much as I did.

Thank You, Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read this novel in return for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up
This historical fiction novel about a young mother takes place mostly over the first couple of years of World War II in Nottingham, England. Emma, a young widow with no family to rely on, lives with her 7 year-old daughter, Olivia, in a boarding house in Nottingham on the eve of World War II. Emma struggles to provide for her small family because married women including widows were not allowed to work, however, an opportunity arises at the Boots' Booklover's Library and Emma is hired by a compassionate manager who is willing to overlook the fact that she is a widow. When the threat of war becomes a reality and German bombing campaigns increase the danger to residents of Nottingham, Emma must face the agonizing choice between keeping Olivia with her in the city or evacuating her to live with strangers in the countryside.

The Booklover's Library is a heartwarming wartime mother/daughter story about the hardships faced during the war and the lengths that a mother would go to in order to protect her child. The story is well-reserached and weaves historical information into the plot relating to the evacuation of children via Operation Pied Piper. the marriage bar that prevented women who were married as well as widows from working, the work of the WVS (Women's Voluntary Services) and the general struggles that women faced during that time period because of sexist laws and societal attitudes. I particularly enjoyed learning about the lending libraries operated by the Boots chain of chemists that lent books to patrons via subscription. This is a lovely story about the importance of books and of community to provide comfort in difficult times that includes a sweet romance storyline - a good option for anyone who enjoys light historical fiction!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

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 Chemist (yes, that Boots) and grapples with sending her daughter to the country at the start of the Blitz.

The Booklover’s Library by Madeline Martin is a historical fiction that takes place in England at the beginning of WWII. It’s a heart-warming story between a mother and daughter who say “ together it’s just them against the world.”
As the war moves closer to England Emma does what she can to keep a roof over their head and food on the table. She gets a job at the lending library by convincing the manageress to hire her. Emma makes lifelong friends with people from the library along with other tenants at the apartment where she lives.
This book touches on the pain and loses people went through at that time including rations, evacuation, bombing and the separation of families.
Through the journey we feel the heart-wrenching choices that had to be made on a daily basis.
The Booklover’s Library was a great book to read. I would recommend this book to others.
I give this book a 4 star rating.
This book comes out September 10, 2024.
Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC e-book and give my review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Madeline Martin, and the publishers for allowing me access to the e-Arc.

4.75 stars

I have enjoyed all of Madeline Martin's historical fiction books. I was excited when I was chosen to review The Booklover’s Library. Let me tell you that this is my favorite book from her. I could not put this book down for a moment. I had to know what was going to happen next. I must warn you that you will need tissues with this one. I cried so many times. I loved the fact that it surrounds a lending library. The discussions one woman must take to keep her daughter safe. The strength of the fmc was evident. Her choose to help people was inspiring.

I highly recommend it!!

When I saw the title, I immediately knew this was a book for me. After all, who is a booklover that doesn't love libraries? The setting of Nottingham during WWII, and the need for a lending library were perfect. Into that setting, Ms. Martin wove the story of Emma, a widow, trying to get by and care for her daughter Olivia. The details give evidence of the author's research, such as the strictures on married women. And the impact of the war on life itself .... you will be riveted. Ms. Martin, I do hope you'll give me advance notice of your next book!

Set in war-time England, a single mother has a hard time getting a job, but is able to get one at the Booklover's Library. The reference to books are wonderful. The plight of women was highlighted. Many women could not work once they were married. Then, there was the choice mothers had to make about sending their children away from the bombing and the issues with either choice they made.

Madeline Martin never disappoints! Emma, a young widow, is faced with supporting herself as well as raising her young daughter, Olivia, while living through World War II in Nottingham, England. Women with children are not permitted to hold jobs outside their home (Marriage Ban) and Emma finds herself desperate. She is willing to go against the rules in order to provide for Olivia and takes a job in a subscription lending library.

The character development is thorough, the writing makes the reader feel as if she actually knows and sees each character, the story line is gripping, and the descriptions of wartime England are vivid, believable, and terrifying as the reader feels as though they are part of the story line. The overlying theme of this novel is a mother's love and the extent she will go to in order to ensure her child is safe, happy, and loved.

This historical fiction will pull at your heartstrings and make you uncomfortable at times, but it is definitely worth reading!

This book is certain to win multiple awards. One of the more gripping stories I have read. The bravery of all who fought the Axis powers come through strongly. And those that endured the devastation of their countries equally. The backstories of the principal and secondary characters add depth. Looking forward to reading more books from author Madeline Martin.