Scan barcode
danileighta's review against another edition
For me, this book was a lot of tell not show. I couldn't finish, but I'll always try books with the word "library" in the title.
chelseydankert's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
A sweet quick read. Not too deep emotionally, but well rounded character development
thefooddater's review
2.0
I liked the descriptions of book loving. I wasn't too invested in the plot, especially the romance. The plot twists was done in one chapter and was glazed over.
kimblefairy1989's review against another edition
3.0
I am honestly not sure how I feel about this book. On the one hand, I thought the plot was good and well written - who doesn't love a book about books? On the other hand, I just found Dodie quite irritating most of the time - she seems very privileged and got in a huff whenever things didn't go her way.
jenlynnhill's review against another edition
3.0
Very unrealistic in so many aspects, but it was a quick and fun read, especially if you love art and books.
ellyrarg's review against another edition
3.0
I didn’t love it, but I wanted to. The first third was really really great, Dodie was one of those go-getters, light hearted and generally charming. She grew the lending library and ate many wonderful baked foods, had a lovely community around her and it all seemed really great. I was sure she’d manage her clear goals and any upcoming conflict in a way that resonated (spoiler: not the case).
What was not great was everything after. Like her being spineless and getting chewed out by Maddie and Kendra, and taking all the blame unfairly. Her stubbornness about not accepting help. Not worrying about Shep obviously keeping secrets (blah). Allowing other people to put down her dreams/needs/wants. What bs. She went from being a strong, lovely character with charming determination to an absolutely (and unnecessarily) meek damsel in distress.
Once the problems had been piled on, the whole book changed. The pacing got slow and the ideas and paths got convoluted, overwhelmed with what felt like badly written emotional sullenness that didn’t feel authentic (or communicated appropriately. It came off as naff). TBH I started skimming. The way she managed (by pushing everyone out) was poor form and I don’t think true to her character we’d met in the first third. The whole Shep line was awful. Prince Charming has never been less charming.
Overall, I really liked the premise. Hated the implementation.
What was not great was everything after. Like her being spineless and getting chewed out by Maddie and Kendra, and taking all the blame unfairly. Her stubbornness about not accepting help. Not worrying about Shep obviously keeping secrets (blah). Allowing other people to put down her dreams/needs/wants. What bs. She went from being a strong, lovely character with charming determination to an absolutely (and unnecessarily) meek damsel in distress.
Once the problems had been piled on, the whole book changed. The pacing got slow and the ideas and paths got convoluted, overwhelmed with what felt like badly written emotional sullenness that didn’t feel authentic (or communicated appropriately. It came off as naff). TBH I started skimming. The way she managed (by pushing everyone out) was poor form and I don’t think true to her character we’d met in the first third. The whole Shep line was awful. Prince Charming has never been less charming.
Overall, I really liked the premise. Hated the implementation.
rgnesmom03's review against another edition
2.0
Likable characters but bad writing
I liked the idea of the story and the characters, but there are zero transitions. It reads like an ADHD 16 year old wrote it. Okay for a summer pool read.
I liked the idea of the story and the characters, but there are zero transitions. It reads like an ADHD 16 year old wrote it. Okay for a summer pool read.
lukehanfangirl's review against another edition
2.0
The story was interesting but the writing was all over the place. Random transitions, abrupt endings, and no flow really made it difficult to keep reading. I kept with it because I was interested enough in the characters to continue with it.
shree_reads's review against another edition
3.0
What will you do if your town's only library closes down for renovation? Dodie - an avid book reader thinks of converting her sunroom into a lending library. Her ideas turn into reality sooner than she anticipated. The Chatsworth natives help her by donating books and also by being regular consumers to her lending library.
Dodie's life was happy yet not perfect. She had a hard breakup and a sour experience as a painter - the lending library and the simple life at Chatsworth gave her stability. The first half of the book was pretty great but when the family drama was introduced - all the dilemmas, neurotic breakdowns, and crazy rush of emotions it became a bit weird for me but I still enjoyed the book.
Dodie has a thing for babies and she recently learnt that she might have a gynecological problem after the age of thirty-five and when her best friend, Sullivan, died leaving behind a cute child she thought of adopting him - but she had a hurdle in her way she was neither rich not did her boyfriend, Shep, was ready. She had to go through a lot of heartaches, planning and had to pull herself together because if the lending library. I really felt sorry for Dodie at times and sometimes angry because of her cutting-off-the-world nature.
This one was a bit beyond average read for me though I loved the concept of the lending library and the childish blabbering of Teribithia. I didn't like the family drama that much but I now that was much needed to develop the characters. Overall I loved the tone of the book and the love for books within the book.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me will a free copy in exchange for an honest review. Happy Reading Fellas!
Dodie's life was happy yet not perfect. She had a hard breakup and a sour experience as a painter - the lending library and the simple life at Chatsworth gave her stability. The first half of the book was pretty great but when the family drama was introduced - all the dilemmas, neurotic breakdowns, and crazy rush of emotions it became a bit weird for me but I still enjoyed the book.
Dodie has a thing for babies and she recently learnt that she might have a gynecological problem after the age of thirty-five and when her best friend, Sullivan, died leaving behind a cute child she thought of adopting him - but she had a hurdle in her way she was neither rich not did her boyfriend, Shep, was ready. She had to go through a lot of heartaches, planning and had to pull herself together because if the lending library. I really felt sorry for Dodie at times and sometimes angry because of her cutting-off-the-world nature.
This one was a bit beyond average read for me though I loved the concept of the lending library and the childish blabbering of Teribithia. I didn't like the family drama that much but I now that was much needed to develop the characters. Overall I loved the tone of the book and the love for books within the book.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me will a free copy in exchange for an honest review. Happy Reading Fellas!