★★★★☆
A beautifully written and emotionally rich novel that weaves mystery, family secrets, and the magic of storytelling.

The Library of Lost Dollhouses tells the story of a young woman uncovering the hidden histories within intricate dollhouses left behind by her grandmother. The narrative delicately explores themes of memory, loss, and the power of art to preserve stories across generations.

This was such an interesting story and premise! I was so intrigued by the dual timeline stories and couldn't wait to see how they intersected. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did an amazing job of bringing the story and characters to life. A very good book!

So this story features a librarian, a bookshop, and dollhouses - yes please! I love how this story weaves back and forth in time while Tildy tries to solves the mysteries of her past that she didn't even know existed! Also, wouldn't it be amazing to be able to create such beautiful (and meaningful) pieces of art like those dollhouses. I wish they existed for real!

This was such a beautiful, emotional story about women learning to take up space in a world that tries to shrink them down. I really loved how this explored the weight women carry—whether it’s family expectations, artistic passion, or simply trying to survive during difficult times. I especially appreciated that part of it was set in San Francisco, because I live and work in the Bay Area, and it just felt that much closer to home for me.

The dual narrators really brought both timelines to life, and I thought the dollhouse motif was a clever way to symbolize the boxes women get put in and how they break out of them.

Big thanks to NetGalley and HarperAudio for the audiobook. Definitely recommend this one if you love historical fiction with heart and stories about women fighting for themselves and their art.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio Adult for an advanced read copy of The Library of Lost Dollhouses by Elise Hooper.Tildy works as a curator for a historical library in San Francisco that is facing financial turmoil.  When she accidentally stumbles upon some old dollhouses hidden in the library she thinks she may have discovered a means of raising the support the library desperately needs.  As she delves into resourcing their origins, she not only discovers historical secrets hidden in the details of the houses but also a connection to her own personal history.  Told from multiple timelines and perspectives, this book covers so much history.

The Library of Lost Dollhouses
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A super great story. I really enjoyed the story & book. The Audio was great. A super good Summer read.
Thank you NetGalley

I have always been a fan of dolls and dollhouses. As a teen I even purchased a dollhouse, that my uncle helped wire for lights. I’ve always been intrigued by the world of miniatures and the stories they could tell. So upon seeing this cover, I knew it was a book I had to read.

The dual timeline in this book helps the mystery of the dollhouses unfold. Although I did feel I needed a diagram of the characters in order to keep up with who knew who and the different names. I truly enjoyed this story. I loved the idea of building your secrets right into a dollhouse that would be on display. As it was said in the book, “People will see what they want to.” So it was the perfect location to hide them.

I will definitely give a closer look to any dollhouses I come across in the future 😉

The Library of Lost Dollhouses by Elise Hooper

I just finished The Library of Lost Dollhouses by Elise Hooper and here are my thoughts.

Tildy Barrows is the bead curator at a beautiful library in San Francisco… The library is on the verge of closing from bankruptcy and Tildy is bereft.. That is until she finds 2 never seen before dollhouses.. Tildy knows that this could be what the library has been looking for to help bring in people to see the exhibit but the more Tildy digs for clues, the more she realizes that some secrets should remain buried.

I wanted to love it. I really did but it missed the mark for me a bit. Too many POVs for my liking and it wasn’t as exciting as I was hoping for. I was hoping for more from the mystery but it was straddling timelines and POVs and it was too messy for my tastes. Now the audiobook was done really well and I could more or less keep up with who was who but it could have been the best book of the year for me… It should have been but the story was too muddled. Too much going on but nothing really happening. SIGHH! I did love Tildy but the romance they had for her was boring and flat. The pace was too slow and it wasn’t quite what I was expecting.
I did like it… I just didn’t love it.


3.5 stars

3.75 stars rounded up

I think I came into this book with the wrong expectations. I expected this book to be part mystery part social commentary where I'd get to learn about women's lives from other times and have the thrill of puzzling together what exactly happened to boot. Instead, it ended up being a book about two women living their very human lives full of mistakes and growth and lessons learned and opportunities missed. There were mystery and adventure and romance elements, but they were secondary to the slow unfolding of the women's stories. If you want a highly character-driven story that shows the faults and strengths of various women, then this might be a good fit for you--especially if you appreciate queer rep in historical settings. If you want mystery, adventure, and social commentary like I was expecting, then this is probably not really what you're looking for.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Library of Lost Dollhouses by Elise Hooper
Narrated by Emily Rankin; Caroline Hewitt
Originally published on April 1, 2025

This book would be great for a historical fiction lovers, staged around a library and dollhouses, with a little mystery and romance involved. What not to love? I think it would especially appeal to shy, bookish people like all of us at one time or another. It also includes some history of dollhouses, which is fascinating. I appreciated that.

This book is told in multiple female voices covering a century between 1920s and 2020s, in places with fascinating history such as San Francisco and Paris. Tildy is a librarian in contemporary San Francisco library who finds a hidden dollhouses which could save her beloved library. She starts to research the origin of the dollhouses and Belva Curtis LeFarge, the influential heiress who established the library a century ago.

In the postscript, the author mentions that she modeled some characters from actual historical figure, and you would be able to recognize some of them if you are history/art history lover which is fun as long as one would take it not too seriously. I would approach this book like a cozy historical mystery. The plot does have holes/unbelievable coincidences... If you won't let it bother you, you would enjoy this book.

Luckily for me, I had an opportunity to visit Museum of Shenandoah Valley in Winchester, VA (unrelated to this book) which has intricate dollhouses on display. If you are dollhouse lovers, I would also visiting this museum to enhance your love for all things tiny and intricate.

A copy of this audiobook was provided courtesy of NetGalley and HarperAudio. My opinions herein stated are my own.

This book was a sweet surprise! I loved listening to this on audiobook and the narrator did a great job with the dual timelines of Tildy (present day) and Cora (1900s). I don't typically find myself reaching for historical fiction, but every time I do I seem to really enjoy them and learning about the past through the characters unique perspectives. This specific story spanned from the early 1900's to present day and took the reader on a journey to understand how their stories were connected. The book had it all - history, art, love, friendship, women empowerment and mystery. I'd definitely recommend to anyone looking for a mix of any of those topics! Thank you to NetGalley, HarperAudio and the author Elise Hooper for the free copy!

This book had so much potential. Tildy works in a historical museum and discovers a hidden, secret room with dollhouses that hide secrets as well. The book has a dual time line between modern day and historical fiction. Both stories were well written. The historical fiction was fantastic. I loved the portrayal of strong women who were unsung heroes during the war. The historical romance stories were believable as well. But the modern story that framed this book promised to be a personal mystery, which basically fell flat, and the romance story was undeveloped and seemed to be tacked on for good measure. I listened to the audiobook which had separate narrators for each of the two stories. Both narrators did a fine job. This audiobook was interesting, but the story was not compelling.

Thank you HarperAudio & NetGalley for the advanced audiobook of The Library of Lost Dollhouse by Elise Hooper.

Elise Hooper’s The Library of Lost Dollhouses is an imaginative and tender exploration of memory, identity, and the quiet stories women leave behind. Through the evocative symbolism of dollhouses—miniature replicas of lost or longed-for lives—Hooper crafts a dual narrative that is rich in atmosphere and emotional nuance.

The novel shines brightest in its concept and detail. The idea of a secret library of dollhouses is both whimsical and haunting, and Hooper’s historical imagination brings these tiny spaces vividly to life. Her prose is elegant and thoughtful, and she clearly has a gift for evoking the poignancy of overlooked lives and objects.

That said, the pacing can at times feel uneven, with moments where the story’s momentum slows under the weight of its own introspection. Some characters, particularly in the contemporary timeline, could have been more fully developed to balance the novel’s emotional resonance with narrative drive. The central metaphor—while beautiful—sometimes risks being overextended.

Despite these minor shortcomings, The Library of Lost Dollhouses remains a compelling read for those who enjoy literary fiction with a historical thread and symbolic depth. It's a novel that asks readers to pause, reflect, and consider how the smallest things—rooms, stories, memories—can carry the greatest weight.

Rating: ★★★★

The Library of Lost Dollhouses was such a gem. I went in expecting a cozy bookish tale, but what I got was a layered, time-traveling story.

Tildy Barrows is a curator at a historic library in San Francisco, and her life is very much about order and preservation. When she stumbles across two intricate, long-lost dollhouses (and some puzzling clues tucked inside), she’s pulled into a hidden history connected to the library’s eccentric founder. As she investigates, we’re swept across eras and continents, from glamorous Paris to a quiet English village to 1950s Burbank.

I loved how the story unfolded thoughtfully. Tildy was a wonderful character to spend time with, and I really enjoyed watching her grow into a bolder version of herself. I also appreciated the focus on the forgotten contributions of women across generations.

Emily Rankin and Caroline Hewitt were a perfect narrating pair. They each brought their parts of the story to life with warmth and emotion, and their voices helped clearly anchor the shifts in time and perspective.

Highly recommend for anyone who loves libraries, history, and stories about women stepping into their power.

I received an advanced reader's copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinions.

Honestly, I don't think I was the right audience for this book. Everything in the description seemed like it should be everything I want in a book. Except that the description was a bit like the movie trailer for an upcoming attraction where it shows you all the cool things and you see the movie and the trailer is misleading AND you just saw all the coolest bits in the trailer.

I love historical fiction, where it takes a person, even, a time and it breaks it down into a story you can follow without bogging you down with history book facts. (think like the musical Hamilton vs. the Ron Chernow book- both were really good but the musical broke it down into bite sized chunks). Now I love women code breakers, I've always been fascinated by Francis Glessner Lee, I love libraries, I love the idea of artifact being passed down and finding place in a new generation and how it connects the two together.

But none of those things actually happened in this book. And now that I'm being honest I DESPISE historical romances. There are very few cases I want to read about people falling in love in a historical fiction. And I want my books to be upfront that they are romances in disguise with female/female romances. And if all that wasn't enough- but the modern day character falling in love read like a hallmark movie (big city librarian, goes to small town- meets lumberjack will she follow her dreams or her heart?!)

I found the beginning slow going, but then the middle I just kept reading hoping it would pull together the dollhouses, and the history, and the recipient of the dollhouse. Frances Glessner Lee made these dollhouses (nutshell studies) that were used to train detectives and FBI agents how to solve murders. They had a purpose. These dollhouses were statement pieces, with hidden details nobody wanted to know. I think if the description had better matched the book I wouldn't have requested it. But now I'm big mad I wasted all that time reading something I hated

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio Adult for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. Tildy is the Curator at a Library in San Francisco and one day as she is showing a group of students around the library, they come across a hidden room. Tildy enters the room to find a beautiful handcrafted dollhouse complete with miniatures. She convinces her boss to do an exhibit of the dollhouse and she starts her research to find out the background of the dollhouse. In her research, Tildy comes across the name of the woman who created the dollhouse and as she continues down the rabbit hole, she finds other dollhouses that have also been created by the same woman. Tildy also finds out that these beautiful creations are not just dollhouses, they are creations that tell a part of history and some also tell a more personal story. I really liked this story and the characters and I hope you do too......Enjoy!!!!!

After being drawn in by the premise of The Library of Lost Dollhouses, I was ready for a haunting, atmospheric read—and for the most part, Elise Hooper delivered. The novel blends historical fiction and quiet mystery, with dual timelines that explore forgotten women, memory, and the spaces we leave behind. It’s a story steeped in secrets, and while not everything worked for me, the overall reading experience was genuinely immersive.

The book opens in a small-town library, where Tildy Barrows stumbles across a hidden door that leads to something utterly unexpected: a room full of old, intricately detailed dollhouses. These aren’t just charming miniatures—they’re emotionally loaded spaces, each telling its own story. As Tildy digs deeper, she becomes increasingly consumed with uncovering the identity of the creator, known only by the initials C.H.

From there, the narrative shifts between Tildy’s perspective and the past, where we meet Cora Hale—the mysterious artist behind the dollhouses. I found the dual POV structure to be one of the book’s biggest strengths. The transitions between timelines are smooth, and the way the stories echo and inform each other adds real emotional depth. Cora’s chapters, in particular, felt layered and deeply felt. Her creativity, her quiet rebellion, and the love and loss she weaves into each miniature home made her arc the standout.

What really kept me turning pages was the mystery itself. The dollhouses are filled with coded messages and visual clues that feel like breadcrumbs leading toward something bigger. There’s a dreamlike quality to the way Hooper describes them—each room a silent witness to a life once lived. I found myself wishing I could see them in real life, just to study all the tiny, meaningful details.

But while Cora’s story is resonant and compelling, the present-day plot didn’t always feel as grounded. Spoiler warning here: The romance between Tildy and Ben felt more like a distraction than a meaningful part of her arc. Unlike the carefully developed relationships in Cora’s chapters, Tildy’s connection with Ben came off as superficial, and I kept wondering why it was included at all. The emotional weight of the novel was already strong—Tildy’s journey of self-discovery and her connection to Cora could have stood on their own without needing a romantic subplot.

That said, the book has some truly lovely moments. There’s a quiet reverence throughout for the idea of art as memory, and for the ways we try to preserve stories when they risk being forgotten. Lines like “Some houses hold more than just furniture—they hold people’s ghosts” struck a chord, hinting at the emotional history tucked behind wallpaper and wood.

By the end, I found myself more invested in the past than the present—but even so, the novel left me with that particular ache I associate with stories about things lost, preserved, and half-remembered. It’s not a perfect book, but it’s one that lingers in the mind.

Ultimately, The Library of Lost Dollhouses is a quiet, melancholy mystery that shines brightest when it leans into its historical heart. If you’re drawn to dual timelines, atmospheric settings, and the idea of memory encoded in objects, this one might just be for you.

The Library of Lost Dollhouses is the first book that I have read by Elise Hooper. I really enjoyed the dual timeline novel that highlighted strong women, wonderful writing, and the world of art and the making of miniatures. Emily Rankin and Caroline Hewitt did a wonderful job with the narration of the audiobook, which brought the book to life.

Synopsis:
When a young librarian discovers historic dollhouses in a hidden room, she embarks on an unexpected journey that reveals surprising secrets about the lost miniatures.

Tildy Barrows, Head Curator of a beautiful archival library in San Francisco, is meticulously dedicated to the century’s worth of inventory housed in her beloved Beaux Art building. She loves the calm and order in the shelves of books and walls of art. But Tildy’s uneventful life takes an unexpected turn when she, first, learns the library is on the verge of bankruptcy and, second, discovers two exquisite never-before-seen dollhouses. After finding clues hidden within these remarkable miniatures, Tildy starts to believe that Belva Curtis LeFarge, the influential heiress who established the library a century ago, is conveying a significant final message.

With a newfound sense of spontaneity, Tildy sets out to decipher the secret history of the dollhouses, aiming to salvage her cherished library in the process. Her journey to understand introduces her to a world of ambitious and gifted women in Belle Époque Paris, a group of scarred World War I veterans in the English countryside, and Walt Disney’s bustling Burbank studio in the 1950s. As Tildy unravels the mystery, she finds not only inspiring, overlooked history, but also a future for herself, filled with exciting possibilities—and an astonishing familial revelation.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperAudio for the advanced digital copy of the audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio for the Audio-ARC. An enjoyable work of modern/historical fiction in the vein of Fiona Davis or Kate Morton. I was especially intrigued by the use of dollhouses and miniatures as the catalyst for the story, which was made even more important by reading the afterword. The book takes us on a ride from a modern day special collections library in San Francisco back in time to WWI and places in-between. Strong female characters. As a librarian and archivist, I do take exception to the portrayal of the library and the actions of its leadership. While the plot relies upon a lot of coincidences, it still provided an entertaining read; and isn't that the point?

An interesting read that embraces the importance of recognizing overlooked women from history, Elise Hooper's "The Library of Lost Dollhouses” covers a span of a century in multiple narratives. Tildy Barrows, the Head Curator of an archival library in San Francisco, has an uneventful life that takes an unexpected turn when she discovers two never-before-seen dollhouses. Her journey to understand the history of these dollhouses introduces her to a world of ambitious and gifted women in Belle Époque Paris, a group of scarred World War I veterans in the English countryside, and Walt Disney's bustling Burbank studio in the 1950s. For anyone who enjoys an emotional, slow-paced story–this one is for you.

I appreciate Elise Hooper and HarperAudio for allowing me to review this audiobook.