I found myself completely drawn into the lives of Hattie, Avril, Stuart, and Will, each carrying their own burdens yet finding solace in the library. I felt the warmth of the setting—the quiet refuge it provided and the way it became a space for connection, discovery, and healing.
I appreciated how the story unfolded so naturally, weaving together their individual struggles into something beautiful. I connected deeply with their journeys, especially the way the writing competition pushed them to open up and share parts of themselves they had kept hidden. I found myself rooting for them, feeling their joys and frustrations, and celebrating their victories, big and small. I finished the book feeling uplifted and moved by the reminder that stories—both the ones we tell and the ones we live—have the power to change everything.

This book left me with a full heart, and I’d recommend it to anyone who loves books about friendship, hope, and finding unexpected belonging.

The Storytellers by Sue Heath

The local library is a place for community members to enjoy a cup of coffee, to read a book, to swap a book, to exchange ideas, and maybe even share a piece of themselves. It’s also a refuge for people like Hattie, looking to reconnect with her past, and Avril, trying to hide from the future, and Stuart, searching for a new purpose, and librarian Will, whose life has been spun in an unexpected direction.

Loved this captivating story and the visitors of the library , all needing things from it other than the books !
Great characters , fab plot , and I could really relate to the way the author wrote .
Excellent.

This author is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. Her stories are wonderful and so are her characters.
In this novel she says that we're all storytellers. That we each have our own stories and walks of life. I agree. We're each different in our own way.
My favorite part of this story is that it's set in a library. I can connect with this story
My library is my happy place. A library is a place where ppl can relax and have some quiet time among many other things.
Hattie is my favorite character. I loved in getting to know her. She's got a way of putting things behind her and moving on. I wish I could be more like her.
Avril and Will are my favorite couple. They are also a joy in getting to know.
I just couldn't put this story down until they all told me their life's journey. It was so good!
This was a fantastic read! I hated to say goodbye. I'm still thinking about them.
5 stars from me for a job well done. I highly recommend.
My thanks for a copy of this beautiful story. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

A beautiful story about friendships meeting in a library, their lives and likes as well as romance. I thoroughly enjoyed loosing myself in this book and couldn't wait to pick it up and start reading again. Highly recommend. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

The Story Tellers by Sue Heath is a clever heart-warming novel of how ‘one story brought so many people together, righted so many wrongs and made so many people happier.’ It is about four people who enter a writing contest together at the library. Aspects of their lives are drawn upon as they each write a segment of the novella. The plot and characters change and expand as they each add their own contributions and it is fun to see how fiction begins to mirror past, future and present concerns. Quickly the story becomes a vehicle to express their emotions, work out scenarios and learn from the experiences.

This novel creatively shows the power of story-telling and how it can bring about change in people’s lives. For Hattie, Avril, Stuart and Will this happens. Strong friendships develop from their collaboration. They learn how to help each other over their personal hurdles, while creating a wonderful story together. And as the Mayor says in his assessment, it is ‘cleverly structured and beautifully written with all team members maintaining the same voice.’ Like a choir contributing separate parts to a unified whole as they blend their voices in harmony. You can hear the individual parts but they come together in unison with one purpose. The Mayor made some clever comments that they were not looking for a ‘story driven by one person.’ Rather they sought ‘something diverse, original, a demonstration of collaboration, and evidence that the writers were able to adapt depending on what other people wrote.’ And these four definitely did that. They each brought their individual voices to the story but wove their threads together to create a wonderful whole with a special plot and memorable characters.

There are many wise quotes in this novel about the value and significance of story-telling to society and individuals. And what it can lead to. ‘..the truth was seldom what you wanted or expected. And yet it could bring good in unexpected ways…’

I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the four writers, their lives and how they connected, helped, supported and changed each other for the better. And, of course, a library is a perfect setting for this and to tell a story! It provides a brilliant base for a community to flourish with friendships, sharing and exchanging ideas on books, having coffee, finding refuge, seeking new purpose and order. And in this case, a chance to come together on a project that each one can contribute to and make a success.

I love how they each worked out their problems through telling their sections of the story. How they found answers through writing their plot scenarios. And from that received hope, healing, faith and courage to move forward with their own lives. Writing provided an avenue to act out their dilemmas and explore solutions but as a team. Thus opening the door to fresh ideas and new directions.

I really appreciate all the thought, care and love that went into this novel. The idea behind it is brilliant and it shows how special the writing community is and how important stories are to our civilisation. I was touched by the warmth in the characters, moved by their trials, excited by their victories and rejoiced at their discoveries. The story ends on a high note with lasting friendships, restored faith and healed hearts. I definitely recommend The Story Tellers for those who love books and see their value. 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to One More Chapter and Netgalley for a review copy.