A fabulous read which swept me up. This book instantly engages the reader in the lives of an assorted group of individuals and the background stories. Of course, since one of the settings is a library - that had me hooked from the start.

A charming book filled book, great characters (loved Hattie!) and an emotional story about people looking for their true selves. Happy to recommend.

The Story Tellers is an enjoyable multi-generational tale with the added depth of a story within a story. Four individuals, whom we get to know from sharing their viewpoints, meet at the local library and form a writing group to write a story for an interlibrary writing competition. The writing group members are all at a crossroads in their lives and find solace and support from their writing group community. Each writes a chapter, and through this, we learn more about the individuals. It's a heartwarming read with believable characters and a bookish setting. It's gently paced and peppered with humour and poignancy.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

The Storytellers is heartfelt, character-driven “uplit” set in a library and celebrates multigenerational friendships.

Four strangers who meet at the local library and join a writing competition. This eclectic group of inexperienced and sometimes reluctant writers draws inspiration from their own lives and the support of the group.

Colorful Cast of Characters
* Hattie: recently widowed, 87 years old, determined ring leader
* Avril: young adult, at loose ends after quitting her job
* Stuart: recently retired, looking for meaning and purpose and ways to fills his free time
* Will: young adult, working temporarily as a librarian while caring for his ill father

Hattie sees a flyer announcing a writing contest and convinces the others to form a writing group. The assignment is to write a novella or short story in “round robin” style. One person starts the story and the next person adds a chapter, building on the previous one. As their writing project progresses, they learn about each other and become a “found family.”

The story is told from various perspectives and includes a “story within a story.” Honestly, a story within a story is my least favorite literary technique, and I tend to skim or skip them…which I did here. I was more interested in the main characters, their lives, and the group dynamics. I loved the “found family” element and appreciated the multigenerational friendships and the satisfying and heartwarming ending.

Thoughtful themes include found family, new beginnings, multigenerational friendships, grief, hope for the future, creativity, the power of storytelling, and the importance of libraries.

Content Consideration: grief

Fans of character-driven “uplit,” books set in libraries, and multigenerational friendships will find a great deal to appreciate in The Storytellers.

Thanks #NetGalley @OneMoreChapter @HarperCollinsUK for a complimentary eARC of #TheStorytellers upon my request. All opinions are my own.

I loved The Storytellers from the very first chapter. It’s a delightfully warm and engaging read, with characters who feel instantly real. I especially enjoyed the pro-library theme and the way the writing competition brought such different people together. The story-within-a-story was a lovely touch, and I liked how the fictional tale the group created quietly mirrored their own lives, revealing their hopes, fears and truths. A charming, feel-good novel that celebrates both storytelling and community.

The storytellers follows four individuals at different stages of life whose paths cross at a local library. A writing competition brings them together and allows them to explore the issues in their own lives through the characters they create in their story and find support from one another as they form close friendships. The story was well written and balanced, each character felt real and well developed. This is the first book I have read from this author and I will look to see what else they have written.

This is a new book by this author for me. I have read Sue Heath’s “The Secret Ingredient,” which is also part of the “One More Chapter” series.
In this book, Hattie, a recently widowed retired woman, decides to turn her life around. After an unhappy marriage, she decides to do everything her husband prevented her from doing, including searching for her first love, Peter. Since she doesn't have a computer, she tries to use the one at the library.
One day, she sees that a writing competition has been announced, requiring a story written from a minimum of four. She manages to convince the librarian, Will.
As with The Secret Ingredient, this book has alternating main characters.
The main characters are Hattie and Will. Will has temporarily put his bookshop in Cambridge on hold for two reasons: his father's surgery and a broken heart. He is also the librarian.
Then there is Avril, who has just resigned from her job as a hairdresser. She lost her mother as a child and now has a stepmother and stepsisters who mock her. She finds herself in the library by chance, returning “The Lost Bookshop” (a highly recommended book and another book in the same series). Finally, there is Stuart, who retired early due to problems at work. He takes refuge in the library to escape his wife's artistic Thursdays (see: nude painting).
I can't stop comparing it to the previous book. I enjoyed this book much more than The Secret Ingredient. Here, too, the author conveys lessons, but in a much less "heavy" way. The combination of characters is balanced and entertaining. The most interesting part is how the author gets characters with different sensibilities to organically write a story, even diverting Hattie's murderous mind.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Colling for this eCopy to review

I just finished The Storytellers by Sue Heath, and I have to say it was like curling up with a warm blanket and a cup of tea. This novel is a gentle, heartfelt celebration of community, storytelling, and the unexpected ways lives can intertwine.

The story unfolds in a quaint local library, where four very different people Hattie, Avril, Stuart, and librarian Will, find themselves drawn together by a flyer for a writing competition. Each of them is carrying emotional baggage: Hattie is trying to reconnect with her past, Avril is hiding from her future, Stuart is searching for purpose, and Will is navigating a life that’s taken an unexpected turn. As they begin to share their stories, both written and personal, they discover that storytelling isn’t just about words, it’s about healing, understanding, and connection.

What I loved most was how Sue Heath made each character feel so real. They weren’t just names on a page; they were people I wanted to sit down with, maybe over a biscuit and a brew. The writing was warm and inviting, and while the plot wasn’t packed with twists or drama, that’s exactly what made it special. It’s a quiet book, but one that speaks volumes about friendship, vulnerability, and the power of shared experiences.

If you’re looking for a feel-good read that celebrates libraries, writing, and the magic of human connection, The Storytellers is well worth your time.

3.5⭐️ An enjoyable, lighthearted read centred around three very different patrons of a local library and their librarian when they enter a group writing contest. I liked that the chapters of the writing contest book was contained to the middle and end of the book so you are able to get a firm grasp of each of the main characters and their storylines coming in to writing their chapters. The way Hattie, Avril, Stuart and Will help each other work through their problems and how it translates to the book they write is well done.

‼️Out Now ‼️ I must apologise profusely to Author Kate Hewitt, for being late with my reviews - sorry 🙏🏽 😍 At our school’s bustling summer picnic, I watch single mom Harriet walk purposefully toward my husband, Michael. She places a hand on his arm, introducing herself and laughing at something he says. A knot forms in my stomach as I watch. I know what’s coming. I’ve been here before. But I can’t walk away…

Over the next few weeks, I try to keep Harriet from my family. But no matter what I do, she finds a way in. Our children become friends, she comes to coffee dates with the other parents, and one night I find her in my kitchen, smiling at my husband as she sips a cocktail. I’m becoming a stranger in my own home.

That night, when I see a message from her light up on my husband’s phone, I can barely breathe. I know this is more than an affair. She’s in our lives for a different reason. For years, I’ve kept a secret buried deep because I thought I could hold my family together. But now I’m terrified Harriet is going to reveal it, and I will lose everything…. 📚📚 This book showed relatable school mums dynamics! Especially when a mum is becoming very familiar with one of the others husband! Strange behaviour between them causes all sorts of problems. There are too many secrets!! #followback #instagram #followers #myself #love #thesecretbetweenus #katehewitt #bookouture #netgalley #bookstagramshaz

Reading this book was like throwing a warm cuddly blanket around my shoulders and settling down to read on a comfy chair. I'd definitely prescribe it if you need a bit of a pick-me-up.
I loved the book being set in a library, a place I feel very at home being in. And I loved the characters. They were so real, coming alive as the story progressed, I felt I really got to know them and could feel empathy with all of them.
The dual storyline, the character's lives and the novella that they are writing really hooked me in from the very first page, I was drawn into being part of both stories and it became a page-turner as they progressed. This book must provide an inspiration to libraries and community writing groups and show what can be achieved when we work together and that you can succeed and achieve even without experience or "being good at something."
An Uplifting Read!

Really good book which I will recommend to others.

Thanks for the opportunity to read & review it.

I love my local library and I'm there at least once a week for some event or to get or return books. They're about so much more than books, though, aren't they? They're magical places, actual TARDISes because they are so much bigger on the inside than the outside and you can go anywhere in the universe, any time period.

Hattie, Avril, Stuart and Will all have different reasons for using their local library. Will doesn't have a choice; he's a temporary employee. The other three are either hiding or seeking -- or both -- from something or for something -- but Hattie is the catalyst. She's a sassy old lady who enters the library with the intention of finding somebody from her past but then finds out about a writing contest and ropes three other people into it.

The story is just cozy and magical and lovely. Each character finds what they're looking for, and even more. It's the kind of book that has an ending you're happy with. I hope to read many more books from this author.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the chance to read and review a digital copy of this book. All opinions are mine and freely given.

When the library posts a flyer for a writing competition, Hattie, Avril, Stuart and Will join together to write a novella, each contributing a chapter at a time. They start as strangers, with their own set of problems & insecurities, but by the end, they become friends and confidantes. The chapters alternate between the main storyline, and the chapters they write for the writing competition. I found myself rushing through those chapters, because I didn't enjoy them anywhere nearly as much as I did the main storyline. The book was very slow paced, and several of the characters felt one-dimensional. I did like that everyone ended up with a happy ending to their storyline, though. I really enjoyed this author's previous book, so I was disappointed that this one didn't rise to the same level.

Prepare to be charmed!

In The Story Tellers, readers follow four people, each from different walks of life who despite vast differences, have all sought refuge inside the local library. When the spunky eldest of the four, Hattie, decides she would like to enter a group writing contest, their lives begin to converge in surprising and heartfelt ways. Together they are tasked with writing a novella, each tackling a single chapter before handing it onto the next writer. As the story inside the story evolves, it becomes clear that art is in fact imitating life....and readers are treated to some seriously nuanced and satisfying characters and friendships!!

There's no denying it, The Story Tellers is viscerally charming! It's not hyperbole when I say I smiled almost the eternity of the story! Even in it's more serious moments there's a lightness and humor that offers comfort through the tougher themes. With a strong emphasis on community and belonging and the importance of storytelling, this quiet and quirky story might just steal your heart, It surely stole mine!

A lovely, warm tale of finding out what is important, of coming to terms with the past and making a new future. And it's got a library and stories and some great characters.

The Storytellers by Sue Heath is a warm hug of a book about second chances and unlikely friendships. Three patrons and one staff member of a library form an unlikely, but surprisingly effective, writers group and enter a competition to create a collaborative novella and in the process become more like family than friends to one another.
Hattie is widowed and not so much mourning her overbearing husband as revelling in her new found freedom and thinking about what might have been if she had made some different choices all those years ago, Avril has recently quit her job as a hairdresser but is not sure what she wants to do instead, and is haunted by questions about the mother who died when she was a young child. Stuart is recently retired and finding it difficult to adjust, especially since his wife seems to be more interested in painting artistic nudes of the local butcher than spending time with him and Will is nursing a broken heart after he and his girlfriend moved home only for her to dump him and start seeing someone else, and as if that was not bad enough she is now a regional boss for the library he works in. It is hard to imagine this group of people coming together to create a cohesive story let alone see them becoming like family to one another, but that is the magic of this book. Without characters as well crafted and believable as these this book could have felt a bit to saccharine, but there is enough complexity to keep you interested and I certainly found myself rooting for them and feeling their heartbreaks almost as much as their victories. The use of the book within the book to mirror each of the character's inner struggles was really effective, especially since it allowed the reader to understand what was going on at the same pace as it was revealed to the other characters. If you need a little joy and comfort in your life, this is a book I would highly recommend picking up.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

A beautiful story about the power of stories, of friendship and of memories.
The Storytellers is a gorgeous story from Sue Heath @zarastoneley
Hattie, Will, Avril and Stuart are missing something when they come together for the writing competition. An eclectic bunch, the library and their lives weave together seamlessly like each chapter they write.

I really like the concept of this book. Following four people and their struggles and then seeing them come together to write one book. I felt like reading a book inside a book was so creative and I loved it.

Happy release day to Sue Heath for her new novel The Storytellers!

Last year I read and loved Sue Heath's novel The Secret Ingredient. It was one of only 3 books that I gave a rating of 5/5 to, so I have been keeping an eye out for a new book by her. I was very excited when I saw the cover and read the description!

The Storytellers is another delightful read about found community, about the power of storytelling and so much more. The book is centred around the local library, where a group of come together to write a short story for a local competition. The rules are simple. Each part of the story must be clearly written by different contributors but come together as a complete story. And the prize? A party with the mayor!

Hattie first comes to the library as she wants to learn to use the computer. She has recently been widowed after many years of unhappy marriage and now she wants to find the man she believes she was in love with many years before.

Will is the librarian who has moved back to town to look after his dad. He is only in town for a while and hopes to go back to his real job running a bookshop. Things are a bit complicated for Will as his ex girlfriend is also his boss and she is now going out with a man that Will dislikes intensely.

Avril has quit her job and is now searching for what the future might bring. She is also trying to find out anything about her mother who died when she was very young. Her father remarried and Avril doesn't really get along with her stepmother or her two stepsisters.

Stuart has recently retired and is at something of a loose end. He has a happy marriage although his wife is often very busy with all her different hobbies. Stuart has to get out of the house on Thursdays as he doesn't want to catch an eyeful when his wife is hosting her life drawing art class.

Given that each of our characters are at different places in their lives it makes sense that their sections are all very different, and each of them work through their own issues in their sections of the story. It is a bit of a concern that Hattie does tend to want dead bodies to keep on turning up in her sections!

You couldn't help but cheer the characters on as they wrote their story, willing them on with the hope that they would win the prize. More importantly though, I willed them on as they built bonds with each other, and as they began to help each other.

There were so many great quotes about life and books in this novel, and it was full of humour too. I often found myself smiling for pages afterwards as I read including a particular passage about the local butcher that just had me laughing and smiling for ages.

This is a book that I can see myself rereading if I need a pick me up. At least until the next Sue Heath book comes out anyway!

This was one of the books I nominated for 20 Books of Winter. I am also sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews, British Isles Friday hosted at Joy's Book Blog and the Bookish Books challenge hosted at Bloggin' Bout Books.

Rating 4.5/5