Member Reviews
A delightful story of a lovely little village ,with a shy librarian who does everything she can to save the library from being torn down . A village of fun characters ,each unique to the storyline.
Elsie lives a quiet life, the village librarian, she keeps herself pretty much to herself, She doesn’t want to be noticed, despite the fact she notices a lot and a lot of people rely on her presence within the village and of course in the library. The village and the library are her whole world. Why would she want to do or go anywhere else?
When all she knows is threatened – Elsie has to step forward and be heard and seen. The library is to be closed, to make way for more affordable housing. The place needs to be saved, it is a haven for those who are lonely, stressed mothers, coffee mornings and baby groups as well as books.
The affordable housing is the idea of Jacob Yardley, who is desperately trying to appease his father and show that he can successfully work on a building project of his own. Except Jacob’s heart isn’t in it and he will not play the underhand games to ensure that the library is knocked down to make way for the housing at the expense of a whole community.
Jacob and Elsie first meet and there is a spark, but when they both find out what the other stands for, it is a spark which is not going to go as planned. Much to the disappointment of Elsie’s friends who think Elsie needs to step out from behind whichever books she has her nose in.
Whilst this a wonderful romance, set in a lovely community and of course features a library. It touches on many topical points to do with little villages surviving when the inhabitants age and grow. How a project such as affordable housing can divide villages, relationships and friendships and how the strength of something such as the loss a library brings everyone together.
I enjoyed all the characters and quite frankly wanted to poke Jacob’s father in the eye with his grandiose attitude of what is right for his son! But that said, you could see who Elsie and Jacob were clearly meant to be together and that their shared passion of words, books and poetry were going to overcome any obstacle – eventually!
A perfect book for fans of warm, comforting women’s fiction and I guarantee you will want to move to the village right away!
Librarian Elise loves her job. She loves the people and the community. But now the library is under threat as the council makes way for new housing development.
Jacob believes that providing affordable housing is very community minded and people don’t use libraries anyway. But after meeting Elise, Jacob might be reconsidering his opinions.
If you love an enemies to lovers trope this one is definitely for you. It was thoroughly enjoyable and heartwarming.
This book was a breath of fresh air that I much needed because I had been in a reading slump. I fell in love with the story, and it kept me hooked!
Elsie loves book and library is her paradise. Being able to work as a librarian in a library is a dream come true for her but this is going to be taken away very soon from her. The location where the library is being identified for future development by a private construction company led by Jacob. Being a shy and timid , it was a surprise to see Elsie rise above to protect the one thing that meant to her.
This is a lovely story and I love both Elsie and Jacob’s character very much. The author did a good job in writing the way the relationship between them grow and the ending is really uplifting . Not too fast or vice versa. I love the supporting characters i.e the local who frequented the library. Love their story and it give you a cosy feeling reading about them.
Great, easy read. Felt like a hug in book!
Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.
This enemies to lovers romance was so unbelievably adorable! As an avid reader, I enjoyed the female protagonist being a librarian, and the story line was really engaging. This was a light, fluffy romance and gave off serious Hallmark vibes. I absolutely adored it!
Sweet and charming summer beach read. Great characters and a lovely setting. .
I've read a few books by this author and they are all lovely reads. This is no exception. . .
A really great story, charming, atmospheric, great characters. Filled me with warmth and spirit. Well written and flowed nicely, was romantic and funny, charming and full of fun. A great read, i really enjoyed it.
The Little Library on Cherry Lane is the first book that I have read by Katie Ginger and it won’t be the last. If you like clean romances, then this book might just be for you. Elsie is a very shy librarian at a small village library in Meadowbank, England. She receives some terrible news, the library is being torn down and replaced with a housing development. Jacob is the owner’s son of the construction company in charge of tearing down the library and building the housing development. Who knew that all Elsie needed to find her voice was to threaten something that she is very passionate about. The little meek librarian is quickly replaced with a feisty woman who will do anything to save the library that she loves even at her own detriment. She causes such a fuss for the project that she gets canned. Even though they are on opposite sides of the situation there is some serious chemistry between Elsie and Jacob. Will they end up working together to save the library and will they give them a chance as a couple as well? Read The Little Library on Cherry Lane to find out.
This was such a sweet and charming read, the characters were well-developed and relatable, they’re lovely and it features a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers story that will steal your heart. The story is so heartwarming , it really is such a charming story it had me captivated and I didn't want it to end! I can’t recommend this enough or other books by Katie she’s such a wonderful author
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
I adored this book. A lovely, light read. Very well written and I wanted to stay there, in that little village. When I finished I felt like I hd moved away and left friends behind, in those characters. This is the second Katie Ginger book I have read now and I'm not usually a light reads sort of person, but I will definitely be on the lookout for more of her works. 9/10
I really enjoyed this book, I like the cover and the author and i hope there is going to be a serirs.
‘Books and the library had always been her sanctuary. They made her feel safe and secure when the rest of the world proved too much.’
The Little Library on Cherry Lane is a joy to read being a love story to books and libraries. Yes, once again I delve into all things bookish but this time around with an added bonus of a special homage to local libraries and the attributes they bring to the community. Set it in a tiny, rural village in the English countryside, removed from the modern world, it is pure delight.
Of course this is a romance - enemies to lovers - with all the necessary ingredients associated with that trope. What attracted me to this book was the focus on a local library - a place, generally speaking, where you are most likely to find book clubs, toddler/children events, coffee mornings and overall a hub to gather for the local community. Katie brings to the fictional Meadowbank library a great cast of characters who each bring something to make readers both smirk or smile.
‘Like I said in the meeting. This isn’t about books and bricks and mortar. This is about people and belonging and support and care. The library is so much more than books. Why can’t you see that?’
This book truly highlights just how important a library is to a local community and I’m not talking solely for the primary purpose of book lending. A library often evolves into a place for people to connect and learn, to gather and communicate, to find your tribe. The conflict over the library closure for land needed for affordable housing made for a realistic drama. At times, however, it became a little repetitive with simplistic and at times unbelievable actions and events but I was prepared to overlook that and just enjoy the journey.
Dig a little deeper to look beyond the contemporary village romance and Katie alludes to some worthy topics. Yes, it is about taking up the fight for what you believe in, support of the community and gaining the confidence to take ownership of your life. What I really admired, however, was the light shining on the more serious issues of grief of a long term partner, the isolation and loneliness of first time mothers, the cruel world of council zoning and development which really added another layer to this worthy tale.
Much like the warm cup of tea we so enjoy here at Great Reads & Tea Leaves, The Little Library on Cherry Lane will warm your heart transporting you to a place of gentle romance and easy drama all set in an inviting location amongst a gregarious group of characters.
‘I just love books,’ she began with a slight tilt of her head. She pushed her curly hair back from her face. ‘They’re magical. They take you places you might never get the chance to see. They take you away from your troubles. They educate. They help you believe things can be different . . . better.’
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.
A delightful, light-hearted story which was a pleasure to read from beginning to end.
The sense of community around Elsie, the main character, who tries so hard to save the village library was uplifting. A great pity that this community spirit is so hard to find in real life.
A great escape into happiness !
Katie Ginger delivers another heartwarming and charming read. This made perfect escapism for me especially now in the worrying times we are in.
The closure of Elsie's local library resonated with me as my local library closed during Covid 19 and it didn't reopen again. I could sympathise as their library provided a service beyond book borrowing and research facilities, it was a valuable social hub for the residents of Cherry Lane.
Elsie is a very endearing character. She is reserved and quiet but fiercely protective of her library and she is determined to save it. She has to come out of her shell in order to do this. Elsie and Jacob's relationship was charming. They really didn't like each other at the beginning and it was very uplifting to see them develop feelings for one another.
The book is quite funny in places and the side characters added another layer of lighthearted banter. The sense of community and belonging is very strong in this story and you get a real sense that the library is at the heart of it.
Really enjoyed this read, it has all the warmth and twist and turns too. Loved the way the author makes you want to be there on ur all.
This book was adorable! It follows a fiery, independent librarian as she wrestles with “the man” and the sexy land developer/manager guy in charge when the only library in town is sold, to be torn down and covered by apartments. She goes on to do everything she can to save the library, and even Jacob is impressed with her in the end.
I loved the Springtime British vibes in this story, it felt like “The Holiday” without the Christmas with books added in! Heart eyes!! A very light, easygoing read that I enjoyed way more than I expected to. 4 stars!
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC :) Review posted in my “ARC” stories highlight on my Instagram!
This is another super cute small village romance with some fun community drama! This might be very American of me but there is just something so smooth and soothing about these British romances with the locals really knowing each other and the pubs and local shops and maybe it’s just I’m jelly of all the tea times but I really enjoy them 🥰
The leading lady Elsie the local librarian stands her ground and fights to protect the library shocking everyone. Jacob is just following orders. Again, this one is cute, sweet, loved the side characters, and that HEA.
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Thanks to @hqstories @netgalley for a copy of this book!!