The Library of Borrowed Hearts

Published: Dreamscape Media
Narrators: Leanne Woodward, Aven Shore, Joe Jameson, Bob Ball.
Date: 30th April 2024
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Librarian Chloe Sampson has been struggling: to take care of her three younger siblings, to find herself, to make ends meet. She’s just about at the end of her rope when she stumbles across a rare edition of a book from the 1960s at the local flea market. Deciding it’s a sign of her luck turning, she takes it home with her—only to be shocked when her cranky hermit of a neighbor swoops in and offers to buy it for an exorbitant price. Intrigued, Chloe takes a closer look at the book only to find notes scribbled in the margins between two young lovers back when the book was new…one of whom is almost definitely Jasper Holmes, the curmudgeon next door.

And when she begins following the clues left behind, she discovers this isn’t the only old book in town filled with their romantic marginalia. This kickstarts a literary scavenger hunt that Chloe is determined to see through to the end. What happened to the two tragic lovers who corresponded in the margins of so many different library books? 

The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore was very enjoyable. We have Chloe and her three siblings Theo, Trixie and Noodle (Aloysius) and their next door neighbor – a grumpy old man who never returns anything that goes over into his garden.  That’s Jasper.

Chloe was left to care for her sister and brothers when their mother just up and left them. She has done so with a very low paid job at the local library. Then she comes across the book with all the notes that two people have made in the margins of a book quite a long time ago. The mystery begins!

Soon we are down that rabbit hole of a story which is utterly fascinating. It eventually plays out into the lives of Chloe and her brothers and sisters. We meet along the way Zac who rescues Noodle when he gets in a spot of bother. Zac becomes quite significant.

This story is a whole listening experience, I went along for the ride and I came to really love these characters. It has some sad parts to it and equally it has some laugh out loud moments and very heart warming moments. It’s one of those books I hate to say good bye to the characters.

The narration is very good, the story as it moves along is told from a few of the characters viewpoints, and different narrators voice these characters.