The Bookbinder's Secret unfortunately was boring for me. I didn't connect with any of the characters nor the weird pacing. I'm sure many readers will enjoy this one, sadly it wasn't my cup of tea.

A great story of a mystery found on accident within a book. I was up all night reading, as every chapter brought a new clue and a new story. Wonderful!

This was an interesting historical fiction novel that gave the reader an insight into the world of bookbinding and the role women played - or did not play - in the world of books and bookbinding.

Lillian Delaney, the protagonist of the story, is a strong female character who does not let anything deter her. She is an anomaly in the world of women in books in the early 1900s. She works in a bookstore that her father owns, but she is also an apprentice at a nearby bookbinder's shop. The head bookbinder is innately impressed with her skill and her drive, and one day, he sends her on a job to bind a book with a woman's touch. It is on this mission that Lillian discovers a secret burned book with another secret within its pages.

This discovery leads Lillian on a chase through London and other towns to find all the books by this elusive author before she or any of her family gets injured or killed. This book includes mystery, love, history, and books - some of my favorite things. I give this book a 4.5-star review, rounded down to 4, as sometimes it was confusing to know if the story was about Lillian's life or the one she was reading about. I think this might just be an organizational problem that will hopefully be fixed, and each section will be clearly labeled before publication. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book as an ARC from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley. This review is my own. Lilian Delaney is a bookbinder living and working in Oxford in 1901. Her father is a bookseller, and she lives a somewhat solitary existence. While visiting a wealthy client, Lilian is given a partially burned book that leads her into a dangerous mystery, complete with intrigue, murder, and a race to solve a puzzle. The characters were very well crafted, and i absolutely loved this story. I cannot believe this is a debut novel. I hope the author has more books to write because this was truly excellent. Highly recommend!!!

A story within a story! A fascinating chase around the UK, investigating mysterious letters sealed away beneath the end papers of specific books. A mysterious and interesting read. Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book did not take long at all too pull me right in. A beautifully written story for anyone who loves books, books about books, mystery and historical fiction.
Lilian, a young female bookbinder and loves what she does. She soon finds herself with a partially burned book that will turn her life upside down and throws her into a very dangerous adventure that threatens all she has and her very own life. Travelling across the country following many leads to find the other 5 books to save herself from the man in the bowler hat who wants whatever it is she finds. Her journeys are dangerous, but she must succeed to survive.
Wow! This is a book that I will stay with me forever. The more I read, the more deeply I became attached to it. I could visualize each and every character and every place that Lilian travelled to. I will definitely be picking up a physical copy when it’s released and enjoy reading through it a second time.
Thank you @stmartinspress and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Thanks for the advance read. I enjoyed the story and always enjoy a new author. Good luck with the book

Whereas I found the novel beautifully written, almost lyrical. But sort of got tired with the main character and her obsession with the “books”.

A young bookbinder begins a hunt for the truth when a confession hidden beneath the binding of a burned book reveals a story of forbidden love, lost fortune, and murder.

Nice convoluted historical mystery set in the world of books and bookbinding. Loved all the details about the craft, thought the story a good one, though a bit too long with more emotional highs and lows than I like (I prefer a higher ratio of intellectual brain candy to emotional in my reading).

A foggy mystery with a self-determined early 20th century woman. Fast paced and page turning. I loved the fmc was a skilled worker and passionate about her craft.

4.5 Star read for me.

As a book lover, I enjoyed the detail and care that went into describing the bookbinding process. My interest was piqued from the start and the mystery surrounding the letters only deepened, pulling me in.

What truly made this book stand out for me was the emotional journey. I experienced so many highs and lows while reading this book. I felt like I was going through all sorts of emotions. Lily, the main character, starts off living a life where she’s simply going through the motions. But once she’s thrust into the mystery of the secret letters she’s forced to push her own boundaries and make different choices.

Despite the challenges she faces, Lily shows incredible perseverance and growth. Her development was one of my favorite parts of the book. By the end, she’s not only better equipped to care for herself, but also more intentional in the relationships she’s choosing with the men/people who surround her.

I was so engrossed in the book that I didn’t even realize how close I was to the end until there were no more pages left to read. I wasn’t ready for it to be over. I’m already hoping for whatever adventure comes next.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Thanks to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for access to this eARC in exchange for an honest review. This is such a unique story. It takes place in 1900s England and follows Lilian, a bookbinder, as she is embroiled in a secret surrounding a volume of books. Although took me a bit to get into this book. Once I got through the introductory parts of the story. I could not put it down. The mystery surrounding what Lilian finds and all the subsequent twists and turns were well written. Definitely recommend for anyone who loves a good mystery novel.

As a letterpress printer, lover of book arts and historical mysteries, The Bookbinder’s Secret premise seriously ticked the boxes.

Well written details left me fully disappointed to not be in a binder’s workshop when I looked up from reading.

I enjoyed this read, but feel it could benefit from being significantly condensed; the pacing was off and it seemed to take while to get to the conclusion.

The main character is a young woman who is an apprentice working with a master bookbinder in the early 1900s when women had few employment opportunities. Lilian, the apprentice, is desperate to strike out on her own, desperate to be independent of her father who owns a bookshop that has seen better times and desperate to prove to herself and the world that she is resourceful, skilled, confident and fully capable of taking care of herself without the support of a man. She becomes embroiled in a mystery when she finds letters hidden in the bindings of a series of old books that tell of a doomed love affair, murder and an even more repressive society than the one in which she lives. Lily is drawn to a man with whom she had an earlier relationship. He seems to care deeply for her, but she is conflicted. As Lily attempts to solve the hidden letters mystery, she encounters serious threats to her life and to the lives of family and friends, so she struggles with how vigorously she should pursue the answers to the questions that the hidden letters pose. I felt a bit frustrated with her selfish need to find those answers while people she loves were beginning to be in real danger from others who were seeking the same answers. The storyline presents constant tension for the reader—do we sympathize with her growing feminist principles and right to live an independent life? Do we feel as desperate as she feels to solve the mystery presented in the hidden letters? Do we champion Lily’s desire to pursue a career above marriage or do we hope she finds happiness with the young man who is willing to do anything for her?
Thanks to Net Galley for providing this advance copy of this book.

The secret itself is SO good - a treasure hunt of life-and-death, throughout England.

For anyone who loves slices of life and a view into family and work and class clashes in historic England, this book is a page turner. It's like multi-generational sagas of Ken Follett's Century trilogy meets the dramatic flashbacks of Discovery of Witches.

Couldn't put this down!

What started with an interesting premise becomes the story of a young bookbinder's journey to find and solve a mystery found within a burned book.

The story has a great premise and the mystery is laid out well. I was disappointed in the 'hidden codes' that are never fully shown or described just mentioned many times. I also did not feel a need for the abortion plot line and it made me want to just stop reading. The main character doesn't come across very favorably overall- a pretty self-centered woman intent on following her own desires. Like other reviews mentioned, the time period didn't really shine through and there was a lot of modern women 'messaging'.

I give it a 2.5 out of 5 because this book could have been so great if edited down a bit, certain plot points expanded or deleted and better pacing.

Where can I apprentice to be a bookbinder? Please and thank you.

Lily Delaney, an apprentice to a master bookbinder at the turn of the 20th century comes across a letter hidden beneath the binding of a burned book that hints towards romance and murder. Lily becomes obsessed with the story and begins the hunt for the remainder of the story despite the dangers to herself and her loved ones.

Lily is a self-aware character, all too human in her decisions, and I enjoyed traveling on her path as she searches out booksellers who can help complete the mystery at the risk to her own life.

Set in Oxford in 1901, 'The Bookbinder’s Secret' introduces Lilian (“Lily”) Delaney, an apprentice bookbinder stifled by the rigid expectations placed on women in the profession, and with a few quirks that make her an interesting character.

The author does a beautiful job with the bookbinding details, drawing you in until you feel like you're there in the bookshop with the leather bindings and dusty shelves. The descriptions of bookbinding were quite interesting, though some may find the focus a bit weighty at times. Lily is a convincing heroine, filled with determination and spirit.

After a start, the pacing picked up with twists and intrigue that combined the mystery with a somewhat contemporary feel, which could appeal to modern readers. The romance definitely took a back seat to the mystery and bookbinding, and it would have been nice to have a little more something there, but for a historical mystery, it kept me engaged.

This is definitely one of those books where the reader should go in filled with curiosity and not expectations for how they think the book should turn out. Just allow yourself to become immersed.

'The Bookbinder’s Secret' is a nicely written debut: atmospheric, intelligent, and driven by a heroine who refuses to stay bound by convention. For historical mystery fans—especially those with a love of old books (as so many of us book lovers do)—it’s an enjoyable read.

A very intriguing story about Lily, a young woman in early 1900s Oxford who is an apprentice bookbinder, a job that was very male dominated at the time. Quite by chance, she discovers a few pages of a letter hidden in the binding of a partially burned book, and finding the rest of the pages becomes her obsession. Problem is, she's not the only person obsessed with finding the letter, and someone is playing dirty.

I enjoyed both Lily's story and the story in the letter, and how everything fitted together. What kept this from being a 5-star read for me was Lily's relationships with her father and with Harry and Charlie. These all seemed under-utilized, and Harry never seemed to have much a personality to me. I also wish there had been a little more exploration of the women's bookbinder society. I really enjoyed the characters of Ambrose and Mr. Caxon, and given the way the book ended, I hope we get a second book with more time spent with these characters.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and A.D. Bell for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.