I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I really enjoyed this book! After a bit of a slow start, it picked up and I was able to enjoy the quirky characters, the library setting and the mystical/fantasy elements. This cozy read had a little of everything, appealing to my eclectic tastes so that I could enjoy a little romance, a little mystery, a little fantasy and a little historical fiction. FMC was a little wishy washy at the beginning but evolved with the story to become someone I cheered for and smiled with. Enjoy!

This took me a while to get through, but honestly, im keeping it up at 4 stars because I still enjoyed the actual storyline.
who doesn't dream about bringing a character from a book to life even for a short time? or even to fall in love?
In The Charmed Library, Stella works as a librarian who has grown up seeing words that no one else sees. She then discovers secrets that Arnie, the head librarian, has kept but wanted to share with her. She navigates dealing with the many secrets and finding ways to work with the rules those secrets have. She makes human mistakes and has found family who help her through it all while also falling in love and discovering more about even herself. I felt this was a story of discovering one's self and happiness. A feeling of belonging and found family.

After finishing the book, I decided I really liked it, but maybe I just like Happy Endings. I think the premise of the book was a bit convoluted at first. I found it difficult to keep up with the characters and where they fit in the story. And Stella's magic was a bit interesting. I'm not certain how the magic will be used. And her relationship with Jack, while lovely at the end, was a bit strange. I mean, he's watched her since she was a child. Not sure how I feel about that connection. Still, a lovely read.

The Charmed Library by Jennifer Moorman invites us into a charming, magical tale where literature quite literally comes to life. Published by Harper Muse, this novel blends cosy small-town vibes with a touch of magical realism, crafting a romantic and heartwarming escape perfect for readers looking for something soft and emotionally satisfying.

Set in the quaint town of Blue Sky Valley, the story follows Stella Parker, a heartbroken woman trying to rebuild her life after a painful relationship. Working at the public library as an assistant, Stella meets Jack by an unexpected twist of fate—he just happens to be her longtime book crush, stepping out of a novel and into her life… but only for a very short period of time.

The emotional tension works well thanks to the time-limited nature of Stella and Jack’s connection. While the romance felt a bit rushed and Jack lacked flaws, I appreciated Stella’s emotional journey, the warmth of the secondary characters, and the cosy atmosphere.

This is more magical realism than romantasy, with light worldbuilding but a strong emotional core. A sweet, feel-good read for anyone who’s ever wondered what might happen if their favourite fictional character stepped off the page.

✨ Rating: 3.5/5 → rounded to 4 for the emotional impact and the magical concept
🫑 Spice: None

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Muse, and Jennifer Moorman for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book felt like stepping into a whimsical Hallmark dream. Afterall isn't it every romance readers dream to meet their fictional crush?

That said, there were a few elements that didn’t quite land for me. Ariel, the friend character, felt a bit jarring in the story. Her “vibe-sensing” ability didn’t mesh well with the magical tone of the book. It gave off more of a forced Gen Z quirkiness that felt out of place. The scene where she was inserted into a romantic moment also felt awkward and oddly intimate for a third-party character.

The magical rules of the world weren’t fully fleshed out either. It often felt like the author was shaping the magic to fit the plot, rather than building a consistent system or framework that made sense on its own.

I also would’ve loved more development and emotional depth in the central relationship. It all felt a bit rushed and more like a plot device than a natural progression of love. Some book character arcs were left unresolved, and I found myself with lingering questions by the end.

Lastly, the tone and voice felt more geared toward a college-aged audience even though the characters were supposed to be the late 20s to 30s age group.

Still, at its core, this was a fantastical story about taking chances, letting go of fear, and embracing unexpected change. Sometimes life pushes us forward before we’re ready and that’s when the next chapter begins.

I really enjoyed this book it was cute and charming I love the characters and just the library was adorable

This wasn't for me. While <i>The Charmed Library</i> had an intriguing concept, I found the first 40% of the book to be painfully slow and all of the characters felt like plot devices instead of real, deep human beings.

While an adorable concept, this book didn’t hit the mark for me. The idea of Stella, a librarian in a small town, being able to see “words” around her that no one else can see was an interesting bit of magic but there was really no explanation as to WHY there is magic in this story. Perhaps that’s the contribution to the small-town mystery? I would have liked Jack to have been introduced a bit differently because that entire relationship just gave me a bit of the ick, but I won’t get into the specifics on that.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review The Charmed Library.

The Charmed Library is a quirky love letter to libraries and readers everywhere. How many of us have ever wished that characters from our favorite fictional stories could be transported into the real world? Well, at the library in Blue Sky Valley, NC, they can. It's magic! But magic always comes with a price, and in this case, part of that price is that characters can only stay in the real world for two weeks before they return to their own stories. That's a problem for Stella Parker, assistant librarian, who learns about this magic at a turbulent time in her own life. Although she has her own magic, she sees floating words everywhere, she doesn't quite know how to handle these literary heroes and villains that now populate her beloved library especially when one of them is her dream guy come to life straight out of her favorite book.

This story is so fun to read. First, Stella is a hot mess, which I don't normally love in an MC, but she's also just endearing enough that I found myself cheering for her and wishing for her to have a happily ever after. Second, the literary characters that populate this story are great! The author made perfect choices of well-known characters from a wide variety of genres, and I think almost all of them will be known to most people whether they are lovers of literature or not. Finally, Jack, our love interest is perfect. No, I mean, he's perfect. That's maybe my only complaint here is that he doesn't seem to have any character flaws, well, except the whole thing where he's going to disappear soon, and, I suppose, that's a big one.

We have an abundance of small town charm, a magic library, a sweet romance, nods to classic literature, and random words literally popping up all over the place. What's not to love? I recommend this to anyone who has ever dreamed of their favorite book crush coming to life. There's hope for you yet, if only you can find your own charmed library.

Any book surrounding a library will always draw me in. In this book, words literally fly off the pages right before our main character Stella Parker's eyes. When she burns a journal of words, of love letters to her ex, the plot of the story kicks off in which she discovers fictional characters coming to life.

It was a cute concept. What feels cozier than a spending time in a library having characters come to life? Unfortunately. this one just wasn't for me. It was cute, but I just wasn't a fan of the romance and after a while the plot began to lose me.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

The Charmed Library by Jennifer Moorman

Stella appears to be your run-of-the-mill 30 year-old librarian, except that she has a magical gift which allows her to see words everywhere. In fact, words wretch and bubble out of her in a variety of colors and appear everywhere, all the time. One night she returns to the library after-hours to retrieve her forgotten purse and stumbles upon literary characters come to life between the stacks. When a heart-attack lands the head librarian, Arnie, in the hospital, Stella discovers the magic he’s hidden from her all these years.

3.5 ⭐️

The story opens with Stella burning a journal to rid herself of her ex, which acts as the catalyst for her words to become more urgent and even painful when they appear. With the help of her childhood literary crush, Jack Mathis, Stella must navigate the changes of her gift as well as her newfound information surrounding what’s happening at the library. After she catches feelings for real-life Jack, what will happen when his borrowing period comes to an end? This story is reminiscent of the Night at the Museum with a small-town vibe and an unexpected twist.

Thanks to @netgalley and @harpermusebooks for this ARC read! “The Charmed Library” will be published in January.

As a huge fan of the Midnight Library, this was a super read. Stella’s character is very relatable, and her being absolutely in the weeds with love and life in general actually made me love her so early into reading.

This whole book was a dream! A portal for your favourite characters to come to life? Yeah I saw the chivalrous soldier and immediately thought “Aragorn” and why not? Her embracing this magic was a journey and a lovely read.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This book set in Blue Sky Valley, North Carolina in a public library is so heartwarming! In this public library, the fictional characters come to life. As a public librarian, this book just made me happy. The story is charming and I loved every minute of reading it! Highly recommend!!!

Awww, this book felt like eating a lavender scone under a twinkle-lit tree while your favorite fictional boyfriend casually strolls up with a smirk and a British accent. You know the vibe.

This story is one big magical "what if" for anyone who's ever wished a book could literally reach out and change your life—or at least drop a hot WWII soldier into your library. Stella’s gift—seeing words that flit through the air and hum with emotion—is such a beautiful metaphor brought to life, and it made me want to scribble in a journal ASAP just in case it might start glowing.

Yes, there's romance. Yes, there's a little chaos. Yes, there’s literal bookish magic. But more than that, this is a gentle reminder that stories—ours and others’—are how we find our way back to ourselves. Also, can we talk about the enchanted library with secret passage vibes?? Obsessed.

Only reason I’m docking a star is the speed of the romance... like, okay we just met and you're already my soulmate? Sure, Jan. But everything else made up for it—especially the surprising twist at the end and the way it all wraps with a bit of stardust and self-acceptance.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion! 💫📚

Thank you to NetGalley for the free ARC. The opinions below are wholly my own.

I need to state first that it was an unedited proof that I read because it likely is part of the reason that this book didn’t connect with me. The formatting and switching fonts made sections difficult to understand and that makes reading an involved story like this one a problem.

What should have been appealing and whimsical instead was confusing and bitter. There were A LOT of words used here but they didn’t give me an emotional connection to the characters. Too many unnecessary details made it difficult to pick out what was important and the repetition of some of those details was annoying and boring.

With some very careful editing, this story could be good. There is an interesting skeleton hidden underneath.

This was a cute concept. I struggled to get into it for a while because the author’s writing style just wasn’t for me. I had a hard time liking Stella and the insta-love trope isn’t my personal favorite. I really liked the magic aspects and it gave off Night at the museum vibes, but bookish!

Who wouldn't like to meet their favourite literary characters? I can think of a few!

Stella Parker works in a library because she loves it there and enjoys the company of the head librarian Arnie. But after a series of painful losses—the death of her father, a devastating breakup, and a complicated family past—Stella finds herself emotionally stuck, clinging to memories that no longer sustain her. Struggling to find a purpose she simply lives day to day. But one day, while the library is closed, she stumbles upon a group of unusual people in the archives section of the library.

I'm not really into fantasy stories but this one was so unique and unexpected that I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

I'm a sucker for books set in libraries, especially those that embrace the magical side of books and reading so this was a very quick request when I saw it.

I really identified with Stella, her heart broken after the end of the relationship and finding solace and friendship in the library. She wonders if she's completely lost her mind when she starts to see words around her. and even more so when she swears that fictional characters are coming to life. Some of the characters are very welcome (who doesn't want to meet Mr Darcey?) but others are only happy causing trouble... and what happens when she meets her fictional crush?

Very sweet book, I enjoyed it a lot.

This was a sweet but predictable book! The writing was okay but the premise is calming and enchanting. Worth the read!

This story gets off to a slow start. The premise is an interesting one, but the storyline is slow going.