The Littlest Library

 Synopsis

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?

Loved

• The little library! This is the cutest premise ever and my new favorite trope is people bonding over books. This is my dream- having a library in my front yard where people come and borrow books and then talk about them. The best part is seeing how the books affect each character's life- Becoming by Michelle Obama giving a harried mom the courage to follow her dreams or Little Women encouraging an older lady to reconcile with her sister. Discussing books is the best topic, and we get to do that so many times in this book- ah, so happy.

• The charm. This little story just hits all the right places and filled up some holes I didn't know needed some sunlight. I relate to Jess in that she moved to a small town where she didn't know anyone, bought a super old fixer upper cute house, and tried to bring her community together through books- and she succeeds! This story is completely charming- from summer picnics with the neighborhood to discussing books in the garden to bonding with each quirky character- this is a story that makes you want to jump right in and pull up your seat at the characters' table.

• The characters. My other new favorite trope is unlikely friendships- and this does it seamlessly. Jess makes friends with everyone, listens to their problems, serves them thoughtfully, uses literature to help people with their problems, and loves people in their flaws. All of the characters are flawed, quirky, and dealing with relatable problems, and it's impossible not to love them. I feel like I know someone in my life who matches each character and I just loved them instantly, and loved how Jess helped them. These friendships had it all- quirkiness, banter, understanding, and hope during dark times. I felt like I just belonged in the friend group and I missed the characters after I finished the book.

• The setting. Again, the setting was so charming. Set in a small village in the English countryside, in a cute old house with a garden and PHONEBOOTH LIBRARY. Can it get any cuter? The answer is NO.

Didn't Love

• I would have given this book 5 stars and absolutely loved it, except the romance was SO weird. I wish it hadn't have had the romance because it took away from the story with its weirdness. I felt like it was awkward, forced and there was zero chemistry between them. I felt like the love interest was too grumpy and never really redeemed himself. When they kissed I actually felt awkward because I hadn't detected any chemistry or sparks or anything from either of them, so it felt way out of the blue. 

Content

• Language: 
• Some uses of "damn," "hell," and "a**."

• Sexual content: 
• A little innuendo.
• A secondary character talks about her long affair with a married man.
• A few kisses.

• Violence
• None.


• Other themes:
• LGBTQIA: A secondary character is gay.

Overall Thoughts

The premise of this story could not be any more promising. I would say it totally delivered on everything except the romance. I honestly wish there wasn't a romance in this story because it took away from the plot of Jess making friends, running her library, and working through her grief. The romance felt forced, awkward and distracting from the plot. But besides the romance, this story was just delightful. The phone booth library is adorable, the bonding through books is just dreamy, and the characters are absolutely endearing and lovable. It couldn't be set in a more charming setting in the countryside and a little community. This is one of those stories that's like receiving a hug, drinking a glass of hot cocoa, or sitting in the sunshine- it fills you up and makes you content, satisfied, and more willing to spread your joy with others :)