The Library of Borrowed Hearts is a book lover's dream

If you want to love a book about books, look no further than Lucy Gilmore. After reading her 2023 release, I knew I had to pick up The Library of Borrowed Hearts.

For those who are new to Lucy Gilmore, she's written some fun romances in the past and now she's shifted focus a bit to write some bookish tales. That's not to say there's no romance involved in them, though.

If you've read The Lonely Hearts Book Club and enjoyed it, it feels like The Library of Borrowed Hearts is akin to that but with a little bit more. That's why I was able to read this book in one sitting and share my thoughts with all of you.

I'd like to thank Sourcebooks Casablanca for both sending me a digital ARC and a finished copy of this book so let's get into my thoughts.

The Library of Borrowed Hearts is a gorgeous tale of love and books.

The Library of Borrowed Hearts is a long title and honestly, it makes sense as this book spans a long time and follows a lot of characters. First up is the Sampson family which consists of Chloe and her younger siblings she's taking care of. Then we have the family's next-door neighbor, Jasper who is a grumpy old man with an unlikely past.

While the book does focus on other characters, the story is mostly about Jasper and the Sampson family. Chloe is trying to keep everything together in her life but she can't help but get sucked into a mysterious love story told between the margins of books. Meanwhile, we're following Jasper as he's recounting his life and we learn about how the love story connects back to him.

As with most Lucy Gilmore books, things are connected in more ways than you initially think. While I don't want to give away too much about the rest of the plot, the book is broken up into parts with each sections being told from a different character's POV. While it might seem like a lot, Lucy Gilmore weaves everything so seamlessly.

On the whole, though, The Library of Borrowed Hearts is truly a love letter to books and the love we have for our favorite stories. Heck, we even see a reference to The Lonely Hearts Book Club which was such a fun Easter Egg. There are also nods to popular classics such as Wuthering Heights, Psycho, The Haunting of Hill House, and much more. If you're a reader of any kind, you'll be tickled by a lot of these mentions.

Honestly, there isn't much I'd change about this story although I do think some plotlines worked out a little too well. Then again, that's sometimes how books manage to capture us and I can happily say The Library of Borrowed Hearts had me hooked.

The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore is out now where books are sold.