Book Review: The Library by Bella Osbourne

The library is a magical place. Come join some other people who think so too.

Blurb

Tom is invisible. He happily blends into the background of life. But Farah Shah changes everything. Farah makes Tom want to stand up and be seen – at least by her. So Tom quickly decides the best way to learn about women is to delve into romance novels, and he finds himself at the village library where he befriends 72-year-old Maggie.

Maggie has been happily alone for ten years, at least this is what she tells herself. When Tom comes to her rescue after a library meeting, never did she imagine a friendship that could change her life. As Maggie helps Tom navigate the best way to ask out Farrah, Tom helps Maggie realize the mistakes of her past won’t define her future.

But when the library comes under threat of closure, it’s up to Tom and Maggie to rally the community and save the library!

Will these two unlikely friends be able to bring everyone together and save their library?

Review

I just wanted a book that would make me smile and The Library was it. Of course, as a massive bookworm, the setting of the book is what drew me in initially. However, it was the charming story, warming characters, and strong sense of community that kept me there.

Tom and Maggie are a somewhat unlikely pair, but they gel so well, showing that there are no age bounds to friendship. Besides their love of books and desire to save the library, they also save each other from the lode they are currently living. This element of The Library does bring a deeper, sadder vibe to the story, but combined work everything else, the reader gets a heartwarming read.

The author did a great job of relaying the different feelings of the characters to the reader. We can all, more or less, relate when characters are feeling happy, but not so much when they are going through a hard patch and we haven’t experienced the same. Yet I felt so empathetic towards Maggie and Tom.

I’m so glad I got the chance to read The Library. Thanks to Netgalley! You can pick up a copy of the book here.