Reviews

How Can I Help You by Laura Sims

Only show reviews with written explanations

sydlicious's review against another edition

tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

i recently started a book club, and i chose this one for our first read
i had no prior knowledge of this story, i had only heard of is through 1 previous recommendation

i will say, for a first bookclub pick, it was a good choice
it was very short, fast paced, consumable, and entertaining

•characters:
out of the 2 FMC, Margo was my favorite
she gave me very much “Pearl” from X and Pearl vibes
she was very delightfully kooky, i love a crazy bitch with a grandiose sense of self
pa-tree-see-ah left me desiring a bit more from her character, but overall i enjoyed the dynamic these 2 had with each other, they were meant to mirror each other and in this regard i feel like the author did well

•plot:
2 librarians, one is a former nurse serial killer, and the other is on the cusp of learning the others secret
solid plot for me personally, i liked how the 2 MC circled in each others orbit, each one using her intuition to learn what secrets the other is hiding
the killer nurse aspect was a just a little bit too “misery” for me, i looooove misery (is a 5 star read for me) and while i enjoyed Margo’s craziness, she just doesn’t hold a candle to annie wilkes

•twists:
i wish there was a little more twist at the end
sure, i liked how patricia essentially ended up transitioning into the margo role, taking is upon herself to “help people”
but to me, it wasn’t necessarily a “twist”

•mood/atmosphere:
the library imagery was on point, i loved how they used church/religion as metaphors for the sanctity that is a public library, i felt like i could smell the musty books and hear the soft tapping of the keys on the computers, etc etc. very good imagery

•themes:
the main theme that i picked up on was of the library itself, how important libraries used to be and how they are a bit of a “dying” medium
libraries should always exist, literature should always be accessible to those who don’t have the means to access them otherwise
libraries are to me, a place of holiness and tranquility, and i really enjoyed the commentary this book expressed in that regard

overall, i find this to be a decent enough thriller, very easy to read and had some commentary i enjoyed, however it just didn’t give me that “above 3 star” feeling