Wayward Reviews

A cozy, comforting read that hit the spot in between my usual fantasy romances. I had a few mixed feelings about the characters, but there were definitely some highlights.

Book Synopsis

Book Details

Pages: 367

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Publisher: Zaffre

Format: Paperback

You can tell a lot about a person from the library books they borrow…

Library assistant June knows a lot about the regulars at Chalcot Library, yet they know very little about her. When her mum – the beloved local librarian – passed away eight years ago, June stepped into her shoes. But despite their shared love of books, shy June has never felt she can live up to the village’s memory of her mum. Instead, she’s retreated into herself and her memories, surviving on Chinese takeaways-for-one and rereading their favourite books at home.

 When the library is threatened with closure, a ragtag band of eccentric locals establish the Friends of Chalcot Library campaign. There’s gentlemanly pensioner Stanley, who visits the library for the computers and the crosswords, cantankerous Mrs B, who is yet to find a book she approves of, and teenager Chantal, who just wants a quiet place to study away from home. But can they compel reclusive June to join their cause?

If June wants to save the library, she finally has to make some changes to her life: opening up her heart to friendship, opportunities and maybe even more . . . 

*Please note I do use affiliate links occasionally

Review

* Non-Spoiler Review*

This was my first read of the year that wasn’t from my Fairyloot subscription! I’m pretty sure I hauled this one last year—I was drawn in by the cover, and at the time I was really craving some contemporary fiction.

The story itself is super sweet. We follow June, who’s living a pretty quiet life as a library assistant in a small village. Things start to shake up when the library is at risk of closing due to budget cuts. It’s not exactly a brand-new plot, but as someone who loves books and libraries, I was totally hooked.

That said, I actually found the side characters more interesting than June. Normally that doesn’t bug me too much, but in this case, it did get a little annoying.

Overall though, it was a cute, cozy read. Nothing super original, but it was a nice change of pace from all the fantasy romance I’ve been reading lately.

Spice Rating: 1/6 – See my rating system here

Book Rating: 3/5 (decent writing, but 2 point deduction for the storyline)