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lusimusi's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is the best books I've read in a while, I've enjoyed so much that I teared up at the end, my only wish is that there was an epilogue but I can't even complain because the last line has me in its grip.
Content Warnings
Minor: Terminal illness, Death, and Cancer
sarah_thebooknerd's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thank you Libro FM and the publisher for a free audio copy in exchange for an honest review.
Okay listen, everyone who is an avid reader and loves books needs to read this book. It is such a beautiful tribute to why we love books and how they have the power to bring people together. This book discusses the depths of loneliness and the lengths that people will go for human connection when feeling starved.
I loved the discussions between the characters, the curmudgeon of the group and the banter that happened with all of the characters with him was just everything, parenting and how sometimes the more you want to hold on to your children you lose them more, grief, putting up walls to protect yourself, wanting to re-connect with family you want in your life and power of friendship and love just made me so happy.
I cannot emphasis enough to pick up this book.
Okay listen, everyone who is an avid reader and loves books needs to read this book. It is such a beautiful tribute to why we love books and how they have the power to bring people together. This book discusses the depths of loneliness and the lengths that people will go for human connection when feeling starved.
I loved the discussions between the characters, the curmudgeon of the group and the banter that happened with all of the characters with him was just everything, parenting and how sometimes the more you want to hold on to your children you lose them more, grief, putting up walls to protect yourself, wanting to re-connect with family you want in your life and power of friendship and love just made me so happy.
I cannot emphasis enough to pick up this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content
Moderate: Grief and Death
yvo_about_books's review
5.0
Finished reading: February 23rd 2023
"Life stories were written in ink, not pencil. Once they were down, the only thing you could do was turn the page."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
I have a weak spot for stories with a bookish angle as well as stories with one or more older main characters, so it's no surprise that the blurb of The Lonely Hearts Book Club caught my attention immediately. Arthur McLachlan gave me A Man Called Ove vibes, which is an all time favorite... Add the promise of unlikely friendships and a bunch of misfits thrown together, and I fully expected to have an excellent time with this story. I'm now happy to announce that I might just have found a new all time favorite to add to my list, and this story was everything I hoped it would be and more!
I don't hand out those full 5 star ratings often (it's like an A++ for me), but I couldn't give The Lonely Hearts Book Club any less than the full rating. My first 5 star read of the year that will without a doubt appear on my list of 2023 favorites! Why was this story so successful for me? More than one reason, but a lot of it has to do with the main characters. Arthur McLachlan makes for the perfect old curmudgeon grump, and the A Man Called Ove comparison is definitely accurate. His character growth is one of the reasons this story truly stands out, and his attitude makes for some hilarious banter and interaction in general. His character is complemented with a great mix of other misfits; a truly unlikely bunch to be thrown together into a book club and friendship, but even more powerful because of it. Every single one shows character growth over time, and I loved spending time with them.
The story uses a multiple POV structure, but not in your usual way. Instead, The Lonely Hearts Book Club is divided into 'parts' where each main character is in the spotlight before moving on to the next. These changes in the POV made it easy to truly get to know every single one, and since their friendship evolves and they started spending more and more time together, you will still get to see all of them anyway. Having Arthur's POV later in the story is a brilliant play, because he might not have had the same impact early on in the story... As a whole, I loved the structure of the plot and how everything was wrapped up in the end.
The Lonely Hearts Book Club is a true bookish story with not only part of the plot set in a library, but also two librarian main characters, an old professor, the book club and lots and lots of bookish references and quotes. If you like a bookish angle in your contemporaries, you will be in for a real treat! I particularly loved the book club part, and how the characters with a different background and education all got something different out of the books they read. Such a perfect representation of what books mean to different people! Another bonus: the fact that there is hardly any romance at all. Instead, The Lonely Hearts Book Club focuses on friendship as well as family, grief and self reflection... And I loved the story so much more because of it.
All in all The Lonely Hearts Book Club turned out to be such a wonderful, heartwarming and moving story, and I cannot recommend it enough if you enjoy well written bookish contemporaries with a fantastic cast of characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, Death, and Grief
jelavision's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was such a heartfelt book about journey of grief after losing a loved one and the difficulty of healing from the pain. How human connections can be forged and strengthened. How a book can bring the unlikeliest of people together. I went into reading this book thinking it would be a lighthearted one. However, the book packs an emotional punch. It's a book I will be re-reading in the future. Each character was written in such a thoughtful way, and well developed. It was lovely to go on the separate character journeys; and, then to see how each character meshed with the group. The group joining together was done in such a nuanced way. How you can form your own family and friendships in spite of the sadness of grief. This will be a book I recommend to others for sure!
Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Death, and Grief
Minor: Cancer
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