The Library: the uplifting and feelgood page-turner you need to read in 2023!

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Overall, I really liked the story and if you’re looking for a new character duo to love, you just might love Maggie and Tom! They each set out to prove that the library isn't just about books - it's the heart of their community. No complaints here. I loved the bond between Tom and Maggie, so unconditional, so unexpected, so adorable! Maggie especially is unlike any other geriatric character I have seen in novels. I’d love to meet someone like her in real life. She steals the show in this story. The story alternates between Tom and Maggie's points of view, which gives us both perspectives and helps us to understand each of them. Both characters were likable and sympathetic. The novel is well-written and moves along as the plot develops - would the library be saved or be closed in a round of budget cuts? Would Tom graduate from high school and go to university or work in the dog food factory? Would Maggie...well, I'm not going to share any spoilers here but let me just say it's a heartwarming story. The Library is heart-rending and inspiring in equal measures. A wonderful story of the triumphs of community over bureaucracy. I adored it!' -- Celia Anderson

I always like reading books by this author and think this novel was far better than my last read… by a long way. I really enjoyed this one and thought the narrative was a perfect example of cosy escapism – what more could you want from a book?! There seems to be no shortage of books lately about the threat of closure to a beloved community library - this is one of two I have right now. Unfortunately, it’s a reflection of the real-life threat to public libraries, so if I take nothing else away from this book, it’ll be a reminder of how grateful I am to have an awesome community library where I live and to continue to support it! MY THOUGHTS: I needed this! If you want a book that is going to make you smile and your heart swell, this is it!This is the first book I've read by Bella Osborne and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This book kept me engaged throughout. It is about a friendship between 16 year old Tom and 72 year old Maggie who met at the village library. Tom's mother died and he's living with his Dad, who is an alcoholic. Maggie lives alone on a farm and enjoys it. Tom has a crush on Farah, who enjoys romance novels, so Tom goes to the library in hopes of either seeing Farah there or learning more about women by learning about romance novels. Maggie goes to the library once a week for book club as a way of interacting with others. When the small library is under threat of closure, Tom and Maggie help to rally the community to save the library. That's just the highlights - the really interesting part of this story is the relationships among the characters, most especially Tom and Maggie.

The Library” opens with Tom, a sixteen year old grieving for his mother, who died a few months previously. Tom’s dad is also grieving and in his grief , he turns to alcohol to numb the pain. Which does not make for a pleasant home life for Tom, who already feels invisible. No one notices Tom at all, well, except for local bully Kemp, for whom Tom is a target. Tom is lonely.A friendship that will change both their lives begins when Tom comes to Maggie's aid when she is getting mugged.

I loved this book! There are so many things happening , so many lessons to learn for young and old. Maggie Mann. Seventy-two. Widowed. Lives on a farm with her animals and her garden. Lonely. Discovers that her weekly book club at the library is a wonderful opportunity to find interaction with other bookworms. I absolutely loved this book. Heart-warming with genuine characters, the plot pulled me in and I was rooting for the library every step of the way. A great tonic for the times and highly recommended!' -- Talli Roland The chapters alternate between Tom’s and Maggie’s POVs. Both characters felt fully realized and I was equally invested in both. Osborne does a great job of portraying Tom as a boy verging on manhood but not there yet. All of their issues (loneliness, alcoholism, money problems, grief and trust issues ) are handled sensitively and realistically. Flip side, Tom’s introduction to farming provided some comic relief. This book was received as an ARC from Aria Books in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.Tom Harris feels as though he is invisible. “Not actually invisible – that would make me interesting and I’m not. I’m the person others find easy to forget. The one who is lost in the crowd.” The first sentence –“My name is Tom Harris and I am invisible.”– seemed to be a rather odd hook. But hook me it did. And so I got to know Tom, an awkward teenager who runs into Maggie, the other central character in the book. It turns out that Maggie is, shall we say, old enough to be Tom’s gran. The story unfolds somewhere in the UK, in a small village.