If you had the choice of any life which one would you choose? Matt Haig deals with mental health, making the best of oneself and bringing things back from the brink. Surprisingly cheery bearing in mind the subject matter. Likeable characters, not too preachy and a happy ending.

Some books just speak to you. They seem to access a part of your soul that you weren't even aware of; that you didn't even know you needed. This is one such book. I've read other books by Matt Haig but none have affected me in the way that this did. I'm speechless. Everyone should read this. Everyone needs this magic in their lives.

This is a book about life, in all of its messy perfection. It's a fantasy novel, in a way, but it's also more real than most contemporaries. It's almost impossible to review because it's impossible to capture the feeling that it gives you. I've rarely read a book and felt so profoundly moved.

'The Midnight Library' is an in-between place, somewhere between life and death. The protagonist, Nora, wants to die. Her life has gone in a completely unexpected direction and she no longer has the will to keep herself alive. But instead of dying, she finds herself in a library of endless possibilities - a library where she can live out every other possible life, all the lives that could have happened if she made different choices, from the large to the small. As she explores all of her other lives, Nora comes to profound realisations about her own - and what it means to be alive.

There are no perfect things in life, so of course this isn't a perfect book. But it comes close to. I encourage everyone to read this book - read it, and seek joy in the small moments that make up humanity.

Matches a very readable and accessible style that tackles big themes with a punchy, neat concept. The end is maybe easy enough to predict with quite a tidy, positive resolution but no less satisfying for it. The plot explores ideas of unfulfilled potential and what makes for a happy and successful life. Our heroine is easy to relate to and sympathetic and what’s not like about the concept of magical library full of all your parallel unlived lives?

Kind thanks to netgalley and canongate for the arc.

The story surrounds Nora whose life is spiralling out of control. Having tried to live her life in the past to make others happy, she finds herself in a state of despair. After losing her job and isolating herself from friends and family, she feels like no one cares. The last straw comes when her cat Volts dies and Nora comes to the conclusion that the world is better off without her.
And so appears the Midnight Library- a place where you get to see your regrets and relive opportunities that could have been. But, as Nora soon finds out, when we get to see what our other lives are like, will they actually be as great as we imagine them to be?

So I found this to be a really interesting, insightful tale. Nora clearly has troubles which are shown at the beginning of the book and you feel for her, yet what is slow to emerge is a novel of hope and joy as she learns what life can be like if you try not to focus on the ‘what ifs’ and ‘what could have beens’. The grass is always greener on the other side, we often like to think, but actually is it? This novel explores that theme.

The parts for me that really stood out here, were the lives that Nora got to live, I so enjoyed them. I also got a great education into philosophers and their ideas!!

Matt Haig writes wonderfully on the theme of mental illness here and how even when life seems impossible, there is still much to live for.

Nora Seed has hit an all-time low. After losing her cat, her job, and is full of regret, she takes her own life. However, she suddenly finds herself in the Midnight Library – a point between life and death – and learns that she has an opportunity to live as if she had done things differently. She had felt like she had let everyone down, including herself. But things are about to change.

“Because, Nora, sometimes the only way to learn is to live.”

The concept of ‘The Midnight Library’ is wonderful, and Haig executes it brilliantly. How different could life be if we made another choice? How could one decision change the lives of the people around us? And, is there any such thing as a perfect life? In one life Nora is an internationally famous rock star. In another, she works as a scientist in sub-zero temperatures in the Norwegian archipelago. She is an Olympic athlete, a vegan powerlifter, rich, poor: the possibilities are infinite. Throughout it all, Haig seamlessly interjects magic into the most prosaic of details.

Furthermore, in his bestselling memoir ‘Reasons to Stay Alive‘, Haig chronicled the personal anxiety and depression he experienced which lead him to consider taking his own life. In ‘The Midnight Library’, he is just as unflinching in his depiction of depression. He seamlessly articulates how debilitating it can be, how it can feel like you’re stuck in a black hole. And yet, his writing never feels dismal. Rather, he counterbalances sombre moments with a hopeful tone and a touch of humour. While sometimes Nora’s monologues were repetitive, the meaning was clear: even when you feel like you’re trapped, there is always a way out of the darkness.

There’s so much more to unpack in this book. From ideas around climate change and the connection between ourselves and the world to familial relationships, fame, and the nature of happiness. Matt Haig tackles so many themes with such grace: a reminder to live life to the fullest and appreciate every moment, even the hard ones. As Nora tries on the many shoes of her infinite lives, we see how making space for regrets is one step towards softening their hold over us. We can have regrets without being their prisoner.

Overall, ‘The Midnight Library’ is a truly inspiring story that, yes, is full of hurt and despair, but also love and transformation. Haig eloquently articulates the consuming nature of depression for those who find that words escape them. As with ‘Reasons to Stay Alive’, I’m so grateful for this book and vouch that everyone should read it. The only way to learn is to live.

Thank you, Matt Haig, Canongate Books, and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A life-affirming story that is beautifully written & full of wonder! I find myself highlighting excerpts on almost every page. Guaranteed to be a story that stays with many people for a lifetime!

Utterly magnificent thought provoking book. For anyone who has ever wondered if there's a better life out there.

This book made me cry, and I don't think I will ever forget it.

I love how easy it is to read one of Matt Haig's books, yet they leave such a great impact on you and have you thinking about them long after you finish. This book joins Haig's other works that leave you feeling positive about life and its possibilities. I would highly recommend! Great bookclub book as well!

"'Between life and death there is a library,' she said. 'And within that library, the shelves go on for ever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be different if you had made other choices...Woukd you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?'"

Nora Seed is unhappy, living her ordinary life of regrets with beloved cat Voltaire, in Bedford, England. Miserable, having fallen out with brother Joe and feeling she has let everyone down, she decides enough is enough and she no longer has any reason to live.

She finds herself I. This mysterious in The Midnight Library, where her old school librarian, Mrs Elm, is there to guide her way. Will it give her the chance to put things right and live a life free of regrets?

Ensconcing and magical science fiction, I fell in love with this book within a few pages. It reminded me a little of The Charmed Life of Alex Moore by Molly Flatt in its examination of life and its many potential meanings. Nora is relatable and engaging. Short chapters kept this nice and pacy and I read it quickly to find out the fate of Nora and The Midnight Library. Splendid escapism, shot with optimistic realism about the importance of perception. This is a truly beautiful and inspiring book.

I was thrilled to be accepted for an advanced copy of Matt Haig's new fantastic novel.
I immediately was thrown in to Nora's world, her hurts and her regrets. This sounds like a depressing concept but actually it is a most uplifting and life-affirming story, without twee sentiment.
There's a special library, The Midnight Library, where the librarian oversees all of Nora's life stories, her multiple lives resulting from all her choices. Each book is an opportunity to "try" a different choice but each alternative has its own inevitable consequences and lessons for Nora, and those she loves.
The philosophy in this story is interesting and the way you are shown how our own happiness comes from within and through the different kinds of love we experience. The lessons of life are painful with many routes that deviate from our dreams and even ideals, but have led us to be the people that we are, and that is sometimes all about perspective.
A brilliantly engaging and thought provoking read that I could read again and again.

‘Between life and death there is a library,’ she said. ‘And within that library , the shelves go on for ever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices . . . Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?’

Ever since Matt first tweeted about the idea of this book, I was sold. So when I saw it on Netgalley I had to try for it, and dived straight in when I was accepted.

This story was amazing, like a fiction version of Matt's Self Help books.

The story starts with Nora who takes he own life, and wakes up in a strange library full of books which look the same, and a familiar face. She has endless possibilities of living a life she never did, each book a different life. She can visit as many as she wants, and if it isnt he right life to stay in, she'll end up back in the library to try again.

Sounds great right? Living the lives she never got to, living out choices she regrets making? Well she only has a certain amount of time in the library, as long as be click stays on Midnight, so she needs to figure her plans out before time runs out.

The idea of this story is brilliant, and the book didn't fail to make me smile. I'd recommend it to everyone!

Very much a 21st Century “It’s A Wonderful Life.”
When Nora Seed decides to die by suicide she is shown alternative lives to help her see if a different life with different choices will yield a more satisfied Nora.
As much of a self help book as a fiction novel, The Midnight Library is a sweet story that touches on philosophy, purpose and meaning.
Matt Haig’s sensitive writing style turns a touchy subject into a conversation starter.
Definitely one for the book clubs and definitely one for someone who struggles with mental health problems.

What a clever and likeable book. Matt Haig's well known awareness of the impact of depression on an individual runs through the book. He is clever, insightful and kind. I absolutely loved our heroine, Nora and I really wanted her to live and live well..
The idea behind the book is inspired and it is brilliantly executed. I read the book in two days and I didn't want to put it down. The story line is really different but at it's heart is family, friendship, a longing to be fulfilled in life, and how our experiences make us what we are. I thoroughly recommend this book for all ages and genders. There really is something for everyone.
Thank you so much to Matt Haig, to the publishers and to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this delightful and moving book. I highly recommend it.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

“Between life and death there is a library,’ she said. ‘And within that library, the shelves go on for ever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices . . . Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?”

So begins Matt Haig’s new novel. A brilliantly beautiful, sweet, life affirming story.

After attempting suicide Nora Seed has the opportunity to explore how her life may have played out if she’d made different choices. Inside the Midnight Library with the guidance of her old school librarian, Nora unpicks her regrets and experiences countless lives. Delving into the ‘what ifs’ and questioning what makes a successful or perfect life. What is it that makes life worth living?

The book explores big topics of mental health, depression and suicide with a light and touching style. Haig draws on his own experiences of mental health and depression allowing him to write with understanding and empathy. It is the perfect example of the healing power of storytelling, the balanced art of fiction as medicine.

This book is a beautiful affirmation of self worth, contentment and hope. It made me laugh and it made me cry. I cannot recommend it enough.

Published in the UK in August 2020. Thanks to @netgalley and @canongatebooks for my eARC.

What a jam this book was! The idea that there are various spaces we are unaware of between life and death is well depicted in this fascinating novel.

Imagine if you can fix your regret. Imagine if you can change your life where the choice that put you on a crossroads took you on a different path, where you lived in another country, fell in love, became famous, or had an adventure. What if you had the chance to live those lives to find the life you truly want?

I love Matt Haig’s books.

He never disappoints.

His fiction novels are the everyday lives of people injected with fantastical elements. They never feel like gimmicks, because Haig has the talent to weave them into his narrative where it feels normal, and not extraordinary. When I discovered he was releasing a new book, I had to get my hands on it. I adore How To Stop Time and The Humans, and I can say The Midnight Library joins in on my adoration of his writing talents.

Nora Seed has reached her low point. After losing her cat, her job, and is full of regret, Nora decides to take her own life. When she wakes up she finds herself in a library, where she meets her school librarian, who shows her all the lives she could’ve had from her book of regret, leading to Nora facing her regrets and discovering what she wanted out of life.

Anyone who has read Haig knows about his own issues with mental health, a topic he isn’t afraid to explore in his novels. Nora struggles with her own issues, and Haig writes every unflinching detail, from how dark it can go, yet always balances that out with hope that the darkness can be overcome or managed. It’s honest and vulnerable, not afraid to show the difficulty of being in such a dark place, but showing you need to embrace life over depression, which is never easy. And the wonder of the library shows that there is so much you can get from life. It can take you anywhere, you can become anyone, do anything, and go anywhere. But even if you do find the perfect life, can you dedicate yourself to a life you know you don’t belong in?

The exploration of the library and the concept of multiple lives was fascinating to witness, how different life can go if we made different choices, but aren’t the perfect worlds we wish them to be, or how one choice can change the direction of other people’s lives, too. It’s like Ground Hog’s day, but without the one day repetition, but more how a person responds to it, when life doesn’t feel like reality anymore.

The one thing I had trouble with was how quickly Nora made her revelations in her new lives. In some of them she would only be there for a few hours before she has her inspirational epiphany, and it felt way too quick to come to those conclusions, especially when she was going on very little information on her new life. It could’ve done with more time exploring them more.

The Midnight Library is an emotional exploration of life, death, and the possibility of what life might hold for us. Pick it up and get ready to fall head over heels.

After attempting suicide, Nora Seed finds herself in The Midnight Library. A place that is entirely her own, where she has the opportunity to fix her regrets and see what life would have been like if she had made other choices, taken a different path.

Another truly exceptional book from Matt Haig, The Midnight Library is filled with heart, hope, and the most uplifting message. Haig writes with boundless empathy and creates characters that are so human, I defy anyone to read and not find some aspects of their own self within them.

Of course, mental health is at the core of this story, and as usual, it is dealt with with the utmost respect and love, in a way that only someone that has faced their own struggles could do.

Devoured in a day and pre-ordered immediately. This is a book not to be missed, that's for sure!

I found I was able to relate to the main character, Nora, throughout her journey in this book. I think it is a story that is incredibly well thought out and will definitely make you consider your own life and your regrets from a different perspective. I would recommend this book to anyone!

Reading a book by Matt Haig is like reconnecting with an old friend. There's something about his writing that I find comforting; his work is accessible and full of humanity. He makes you think about your own experiences and often make sense of them.
The Midnight Library is no different. Nora Seed has had enough of life and attempts suicide. She finds herself in a position to 'try on' the lives she could have lived. Would any of them have been better? Nora's journey probably reflects a lot of peoples mental health journeys. The idea that you could see how life would turn out if you'd made a different choice is an intriguing and interesting one. I loved Nora's lives - she could have been a rock star, a glaciologist, a pub owner... the possibilities are endless. Ultimately, the message is one of acceptance and hope, that there is light as well as darkness, and that even the smallest act might change someone's life.
A lovely lovely book. Plus it has a librarian - Mrs Elm - and they rule.

Books are magical. Some books come into your life at a point in time when you need them the most. The best books are the ones that you read and they stay with you. They are the books that you will read over and over again. The Midnight Library is one of those books. It is a book so full of heart, humanity and emotion, one with a perfect storyline that will tunnel its way into your heart. One that will stay there.

The protagonist is Nora, her life is falling apart, with things breaking down in her personal, family and work life, she feels like her life is no longer worth living. That's when she has a 'visit' to the Midnight Library. A place where she is surrounded by the books of lives she could have lived if Nora had made a different decision in her life. Filled with a life of regret, but the opportunity to have a taste of a life based on those, Nora takes us on a magical, emotive journey. What I loved about Nora is that she's a character who we can all identify with on some sort of level, I definitely saw a piece of myself in her and that made the book so much more magical for me.

It made me think, and it'll make you think, if you could go back to a moment and change the trajectory of your life, would you? Would it make you happy?

Matt Haig's writing, as ever, is poetic and thoughtful, taking thoughts that we all have and producing a poetically philosophical plotline that will have you captivated, utterly absorbed.