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reasek's review against another edition
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Medical trauma, Murder, Medical content, and Fire/Fire injury
cassidylee's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
This book delivered exactly what I expected. If you’re looking for unsettling and quietly violent librarians, it’s a great choice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Death
Moderate: Murder, Blood, and Medical content
Minor: Death of parent and Sexual content
leebeeloves's review
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content and Murder
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Blood, and Cursing
asporer22's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I quite enjoyed the premise for this book, but I also felt that it was quite long and drawn out. The main character, Margot, felt like she was talking about the same thing over and over again. I felt that as much detail as the author tried to put into these characters, they were still flat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder
Moderate: Medical content, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Torture, and Death of parent
missgrangerr's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Being a public librarian, this appealed to me quite a bit. I enjoyed the library anecdotes but story itself was lackluster. Ending felt extremely rushed and left me wanting something else.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Medical trauma, Medical content, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Alcohol and Addiction
kelseyr713's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Entertaining read (especially since I used to work in a library), but I wished for a little more insight into both characters, especially as this is essentially a character study (the Margot chapters moreso) with some thriller trappings. Villain protagonist is always fun though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Stalking, Toxic friendship, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Death of parent and Child death
ruthie_the_librarian's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Being a librarian myself, there was something slightly unsettling about reading a psychological thriller set in a library! This is a dark (really dark in places) engaging thriller. Margo is really interesting to read. I felt less drawn to Patricia, but I liked seeing the interplay of their two stories. And watching Patricia become feverish in her writing, I did get caught up in where her story would go. I wasn't entirely sure about the ending, though I sort of sensed things might go that way. Very readable, though it wasn't always the best thing for me to read immediately before bedtime!
With thanks to Netgalley for my copy.
With thanks to Netgalley for my copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content and Murder
beepbeep101's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Violence, Murder, Death, and Medical content
aileron's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Death of parent
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I stumbled across this book on Libby and was drawn in by the cover.
"How Can I Help You" follows Margo, or at least that is what her colleagues and patrons at the small local library think her name is. No one suspects that she actually has a very sinister past and may have played a part in countless deaths. No one really sees how hard Margo tries to play her role, until Patricia, a recent college graduate, starts at the library. Patricia aspires to be a novelist, and she thinks Margo may be the perfect inspiration for a character.
I am not exactly sure what I expected from this book, but I was blown away! Margo is a highly unlikeable character, in fact I really and truly despised her, but I also could not stop reading from her perspective. I NEEDED to know her story and I was highly invested in uncovering why she was at this small-town library after a seemingly successful career as a nurse. I did really enjoy her mentality of why she was working at the library. She sought a quiet life that she could help people, which made the library seem like the perfect fit for her.
I really empathized with Patricia and her failed writing career. Patricia so desperately just wants to write; in fact, she has to write to keep her sane. But the more she becomes invested in a story, the more she seems to lose herself and the less good writing is actually doing for her. Patricia so easily succumbs to obsession and almost jeopardizes everything to get a good story. That all-encompassing need to create is a feeling I think any artist can relate to.
I was expecting a sweet story about meek women who lead quiet lives and work in the library, but what I got was pure anarchy. I did not know where the story was going, and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride to get there. This story is both strange and familiar, and it just worked for me.
I highly recommend this book (if you too like the strange), and I cannot wait to read more from Laura Sims in the future.
"How Can I Help You" follows Margo, or at least that is what her colleagues and patrons at the small local library think her name is. No one suspects that she actually has a very sinister past and may have played a part in countless deaths. No one really sees how hard Margo tries to play her role, until Patricia, a recent college graduate, starts at the library. Patricia aspires to be a novelist, and she thinks Margo may be the perfect inspiration for a character.
I am not exactly sure what I expected from this book, but I was blown away! Margo is a highly unlikeable character, in fact I really and truly despised her, but I also could not stop reading from her perspective. I NEEDED to know her story and I was highly invested in uncovering why she was at this small-town library after a seemingly successful career as a nurse. I did really enjoy her mentality of why she was working at the library. She sought a quiet life that she could help people, which made the library seem like the perfect fit for her.
I really empathized with Patricia and her failed writing career. Patricia so desperately just wants to write; in fact, she has to write to keep her sane. But the more she becomes invested in a story, the more she seems to lose herself and the less good writing is actually doing for her. Patricia so easily succumbs to obsession and almost jeopardizes everything to get a good story. That all-encompassing need to create is a feeling I think any artist can relate to.
I was expecting a sweet story about meek women who lead quiet lives and work in the library, but what I got was pure anarchy. I did not know where the story was going, and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride to get there. This story is both strange and familiar, and it just worked for me.
I highly recommend this book (if you too like the strange), and I cannot wait to read more from Laura Sims in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Toxic relationship, and Murder
Moderate: Medical content and Sexual content