Cover Image: The Littlest Library

The Littlest Library

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Member Reviews

The Littlest Bookshop

Jess Metcalf is perfectly happy with her quiet, predictable life - it's just the way she likes it. But when her beloved grandmother passes away and she loses her job at the local library, her life is turned upside-down.

Packing up her grandmother's books, she moves to a tiny cottage in a charming country village. To her surprise, Jess finds herself the owner of an old red telephone box, too - and she soon turns it into the littlest library around!

It's not long before the books are borrowed and begin to work their magic - somehow, they seem to be bringing the villagers together once more...

Maybe it's finally time for Jess to follow her heart and find a place to call home?

As readers know, lately I’ve been unwell and I’ve been looking for warm, uplifting reads that aren’t too taxing to read. This is my first book by Poppy Alexander and it’s been sitting on NetGalley for some time, obviously waiting for the perfect time to read it. That turned out to be this weekend. My other reason I’m drawn to this book is that I help to run our little community book exchange, situated on the village green in our red phone box! It’s amazing that I ended up living here, because I had a friend who lived here when I was thirteen and she would often ring me from that very phone box to have those hour long chats about absolutely nothing. Now it’s filled with books, including my unwanted proofs once the book has been published. So all this made me finally read this story about Jess moving to a small rural community and adjusting to life after a series of losses. Jess’s life has been changed forever after the death of her grandmother who she loved dearly and the loss of her job and home. Thanks to losing her job, Jess needs to sell the home they shared for something affordable and this brings her into a village community. As with all communities, there are village politics and allegiances to negotiate. How will she ever integrate into this new place where she doesn’t know if she belongs?

This is a lovely and warm story of belonging and finding that place to live where you feel at home. Yes, Poppy is having a difficult time at first but I was looking forward to her finding her feet and starting to blossom. There’s also Jess’s love of books, something all of us bookish types can identify with and there’s nothing I love more than a book about books. I was hoping to see Jess find herself through writing, to know which books sustain her, inspire her and help her discover her authentic self. It seems like serendipity when she stumbles upon this pretty village that could become for forever home. She’s inspired when she finds out that her new home comes with an old phone box; could this provide her with the opportunity to share her love of books with the villagers. I know that it takes a while to settle in a village and I’m at the stage of walking the dog and passing the time of day with the people I meet, becoming friends with my lovely neighbours and being mobbed on the way to the phone box when I’m putting new books in. Jess is starting from scratch, but this time is vitally important for her sense of self. She realises that although she loved living with her grandma it has had an effect on her own growth. She doesn’t know her authentic self. A new beginning with no one she knows around her sounds bleak but it’s exactly what she needs to think, experiment and find herself. Luckily Jess is a lovely person and the love she has for books gives her a way of interacting with new people and making friends. There is also a possible romance, but for me this was all about Jess. This was a charming book that I would recommend for anyone who loves books or someone looking for an uplifting, comfort read that’s perfect for autumn.

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How could I resist a book about books? I loved the premise of this story, the little red telephone library box is so cute!

This is a story to put a smile on your face. It's filled with heart warming friendships and it had a real sense of community. I liked the idea that the telephone library was bringing people together and in turn, helping Jess with her own grief.

Highly entertaining, quick read, filled with charm and happiness.

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A lovely book that allowed me to escape to an idyllic village for a while! Uplifting, enjoyable and highly recommended.

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Lovely feel good book to read. It was a joy to read. Lovely characters. Great plot. The book was charming. Very well written. I’d definitely recommend this book It’s just adorable

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The concept for this story was enchanting and charming and captured my heart from start to finish. The character creation was a pure joy and I was pulled into a warm and wonderful tale that has stayed with me.

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The power of a good book to captivate and distract from heartache has never been more important. This is the book. Its light, warm and a gorgeuos read.

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This is the first novel I've read from Poppy Alexander and I'm so glad I was given the chance to read it. I found it light and easy to read but captivating at the same time. I could relate to Jess in quite a few ways and the strength she finds to deal with things that knock her down and the pull herself back up is empowering.

I loved the small community which she became a part of and how her character then seemed to heal and adapt. I also loved all the different characters within the community that pull together.

Just a really lovely heartwarming read.

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What begins as quite a sad book evolves into a lovely and sweet story about community and finding your place to belong. It's very heartwarming and well written.

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This was a really nice heartwarming tale. I really sympathised with Jess and loved that the protagonist had a real love for books.

This book is beautifully written, the author, Poppy Alexander has a way with words that kept me captivated. It was quite a relaxing read and I felt like I could really picture the village of Middlemass.

It was a little light for me and followed the usual trope but it was an enjoyable read.

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This was a brilliant read and is being featured on my blog for my quick star reviews feature, which I have created on my blog so I can catch up with all the books I have read and therefore review.
See www.chellsandbooks.wordpress.com.

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I wasn’t expecting this to be as sad as it was to start with and I wasn’t really in the space to handle that. There were aspects I enjoyed though and maybe if I read it again at a different time would have loved.

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Cute as a button tale of community and belonging that made me want to escape to Middlemass, start planting beetroot and open my own telephone box library!

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Thank you to the publisher for my eARC copy of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t love this book and therefore didn’t finish, I just didn’t connect with this one. Not for me, sorry.

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This didn’t do it for me unfortunately. The start was too sad for me to be able to get into it and I found myself not wanting to continue

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A sweet and charming novel about the power of books, the joy of community and finding the courage when loss has made you afraid. Set in the picture perfect Devon village of 'Middlemass' we follow Jess, who after losing her beloved grandmother and her job, takes a leap of faith and buys a country cottage intent on starting again. We meet a wonderful, heart warming cast of characters, a community in need of a heart, and watch as Jess creates the 'Littlest Library' which brings people together and gives her a home. Filled with sweetness, humor and a touch of romance this is a book to soothe and calm any ruffled soul.

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This was a joyful and heartwarming story which was written well. I liked the characters and they felt well developed, and the storyline was good. It was a light, enjoyable read!

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Jess has reached a crossroads in life after losing both her grandmother, Mimi, who raised her after her parents died and her job in a library. It is now the perfect time for a new start. She gets into her little Mini and heads to the west country. She finds herself in a little village called Middlemas and makes a very out of character decision and buys a cottage.
Packing up her grandmother's books, she moves to this charming country village. To her surprise, Jess finds herself the owner of an old red telephone box, too - and she soon turns it into the littlest library around!
It's not long before the books are borrowed and begin to work their magic - somehow, they seem to be bringing the villagers together once more...
Maybe it's finally time for Jess to follow her heart and find a place to call home?

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There is love in books, handing them down to be read and treasured.

I enjoyed devouring this in a weekend reading, there is a warmth and comfort in the charactors and the countyside life. Makes me want to set up my own little library outside my house, such a inspising story of the different relationsips and starting anew.

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I’ve struggled to think of a word to describe this book other than ‘beautiful’.

The main character, Jess, is such a wonderful human and without realising is quite spontaneous.

All of the characters in this book were well written and the story was great.

Read it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

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The Littlest Library follows Jess Metcalf who loses her nana, Mimi and her job as a librarian in Bourton-on-the-Marsh within months of each other. She decides to buy a cottage with a red telephone box outside in another village which she turns into a small library, using her gran's books. The reader lives in the pockets of Jess as she settles into her new home, Ivy Cottage in Middlemass in the West Country.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Littlest Library and found it very appealing. Protagonist Jess is a warm character and the story was wonderfully uplifting, keeping me turning the pages. Jess was supported by a good bunch and I especially liked her close friend, Hannah. The setting of Middlemass sounded glorious and I could easily picture the duck pond, the snowdrops, daffodils and everything Poppy Alexander whipped up with her great writing in my mind. The character development of Jess was gradual but realistic as she begins to enjoy being a huge part of her new community after setting up the little library. She makes new friends and is integral to the positive changes for some of the villagers. Very highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Orion Publishing via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

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