Get ready for the thrill...............

Valerie Keogh's books never disappoint. The Librarian brings to you a new world of psychological thriller. With a medium paced and gripping plot, the story enthralls and creates an air of mystery around us. And the most wonderful thing about the plot is that it has only a few characters as the center of interest. Ava's character is wonderful and right from the start she grips us in her aura. But you need to have a little bit of patience as nearly halfway through the book nothing much happens. But after that it was a captivating read.

I went through a chunk of this book wondering how and who would fit together. I got so far and figured out the hows and the whys but oh my, not the complete picture! That shocked me!

I adore Valerie’s writing! In each book, she brings a slightly fresher sting to the tale, and this was not one I was expecting! With this book, there wasn’t a lot set in the Tate Modern or a library which I was a bit sad about. But the bits that are set are the start of the unraveling.

Some of this book gobsmacked me! One shocking scene inside a flat, had me holding my breath that’s for sure! I listened to the audiobook and I was willing for the fantastic narrator to hurry up as I needed to know what was going on, but I was also praying she slow down so that this didn’t end. But I blitz the audiobook in a day, so guess who the winner was there! LOL. I mean there was one bit I was shouting at the characters to not open the front door to a flat!

I must say I didn’t particularly like anyone in the book, I did find Ava was a little tedious at times, and Poppy well she was very self-centered for a stage. It was Judy to who my heart went out. I liked how everyone had time in the book and we got to see glimpses of the other characters’ lives.

Cleverly done as normal. Her twisty mind knows no end! Especially as she unravels a shock that I didn’t even predict, leaving you to make of what you will. I was shocked! It then made me question the entire book and Ava’s previous 10 years!!!!

Another winner by the awesome Ms Valerie and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!!

The Librarian by Valerie Keogh was an excellent psychological thriller. It was a quick read and would be great holiday read relaxing by the pool with a cocktail. or two

Ava Warrington is a reserved young woman that just loved the peace and quiet around her and lives a simple life. She is the Head Librarian at the Tate Modern, this is her dream job that she loves every minute of it. This is a job she would never get bored with.

Poppy her friend invite's Ava out to the local Bistro for something to eat, a few drinks and a gossip. Ava couldn't say "No" all Ava wanted to do is spend the day on the sofa watching tele!.
Whilst there, a good looking guy starts to chat her up Ava has always had a problem saying No, but she didn't feel to good and she had to go home. She said No to him then he asked her if she wanted a drink!
Ava had to repeat herself several times and walked away from him!
Only for him to shout, ‘"You will be sorry" as she walks down the road!.

After she said No to this guy, weird things start to happen around her. She found a dead Black bird outside in her garden and when she went to get rid of it that evening, it had disappeared!!!! Then things started to happen where she worked! and she is convinced that it has something to do with the guy at the Bistro.

Is he getting his revenge as she said No to him?

or Is history repeating itself?

And that’s when her whole life begins to fall apart…......

I highly recommend this book it had good twists and turns throughout that will have hooked and hard to put this book down.

Big thank you to NetGalley and to Boldwood Books the publisher for my arc in return for an honest review.

Ava Warrington loves her dream job as head librarian at the Tate Modern, that she landed straight after graduating she sometimes feels that she missed out on traveling and potentially fancier job offer but she is happy and content with her life. Ava is a bit of a worrier which I thought would be a bit off-putting but it suited her personality and the story to a tee, you see something something happened 10 years back, which continues to prey on her mind and with the upcoming 10 year anniversary of the incident her nerves are a little on edge.

Her best friend Poppy convinces her to go out with her to a local bistro to man hunt - Poppy finds a man and as Alice decides to leave her friend to it she has an encounter with a guy as she leaving where she turn him down - for the second time to which he responds with "you'll be sorry.". From that moment things start happening t Alice, her laser pointer damages a painting during one her guided tours, she is finding dead birds in her garden -- could the man she turned down be on some form of revenge spate? Surely not!

But no, it is something much worse and when Poppy gets caught in the crossfire of who is targeting Ava, she is tasked with facing her past in a twist I never saw coming!

Yet another brilliant read from Ms Keogh!

4 stars

Valeria Keogh returns following The Trophy Wife with her latest suspense drama, THE LIBRARIAN, where a woman's mysterious past meets the present.

Set in London during the summer, Ava Warrington is a librarian at Tate Modern with a sister Judy who is married with children.

Ava had graduated with a Fine Arts degree from the University of Bristol and stayed on to do a post-graduate qualification in librarianship. She had planned to travel, but when an assistant in the library of the Tate Modern came up, it was an opportunity impossible to pass up.

She loved her job. Ava is quiet, introverted, and has anxiety. She experienced something from her days at university which made her overly cautious.

She had been with Tate for seven years, five as an assistant and the last two as head librarian. She was twenty-nine, going on ninety.

She is friends with Poppy, and they go out to a bistro. They are very different in that Poppy is impulsive and rarely looks further than surface attraction, whereas Ava is one of consideration. She pushes Ava to get out more.

There is a stranger at the bistro, he gets aggressive, and Ava says NO. He issues a threat of: YOU'LL BE SORRY.

The world came to her loud, clear, and laced with anger. Was she a drama queen? (we hear this constantly in the book).

He was just like Simon had been. What happened in Bristol?

Afterward, strange things begin happening. Ava has been suspended and blamed for damaging a painting with a pointer. Her careful, safe life had fallen apart, and she had no idea why.

She had met two horrible men, the Bistro Man (present) and Simon Loder (past). Was the Bistro man responsible for the bird and her job problems? Is he trying to punish her?

The past ten years earlier for Simon is unraveled. She has regrets. What happened back then and how is it connected to the present?

Then someone winds up dead. Was he targeted? Was this a coincidence?

Everything in her life she thought was stable was falling apart. Then another tragedy, and this time, her friend. Now her sister Judy's marriage has problems.

Everything that had happened recently had to link to what happened ten years before and the life she had destroyed. Memories were full of anguish, regret, doubt, and searing pain. Was she a victim?

Someone is out for REVENGE. Two psychopaths. How many close to her will be collateral damage?

Keogh keeps you hanging as you flip the pages to find the connection. Even though I have enjoyed the author's previous books, this one was not quite what I thought, nor a favorite. With the cover and the title, I expected more literary references and mystery about the library.

Instead, it focused more on Ava and her current/past life with these guys. Things get repetitive, and Ava is paranoid about this Bistro Man, her being a drama queen, her past, etc., which gets rather tiring. Very drawn out and lacks a certain depth.

I would classify this as more of a female mystery drama for those who enjoy light cozy mysteries more than a psychological thriller. I loved the cover but did not think it fits the book. Would have liked more literary/books/library focus.

Thanks to #BoldwoodBooks via #NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Blog review posted @ JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: April 21, 2023
My Rating: 3.5 Stars

Thank you for the copy of this book.

It took me just a minute to get into this book, however once it got going I could not put it down. I read it in the car, at work, in the bath, and in bed. When I asked for this book, I got because of the title, but this book became way more than the title. Librarian was her job, but not who she was.

There were so many twists and turns in this book, I was afraid if I didn't finish it quickly something else would happen. Perfect psychological thriller. It had all the great components of a great mystery-murder, sex, lies, and a dark past.

I would definitely recommend this book.

I think this is my first novel of Valerie Keogh's - and it was certainly different.

Ava has her dream job - head librarian at the Tate Gallery. Quiet and reserved, there is something in her past which has caused her to be cautious but we're not privy to the details until later in the book. However, her friend Poppy drags her out to socialise from time to time - when she's between boyfriends, that is. Each and every one of Poppy's conquests are always 'the one' - at least for a while. The latest one is no different. Until, that is, things change . . .

I couldn't quite make up my mind about this one as I was reading; the hints are there that something happened in Ava's past which obviously affected her confidence but I was a bit annoyed that it took so long to find out what. However, having reached the end of the book, I can quite see why the author wrote it that way. Did I see what was coming? No. I was completely unsuspecting of the guilty party until it was too late (by then, it was spelled out on the page and I couldn't miss it)! The story with her sister distracted me sufficiently - and wow, I want her on my side if I ever find myself in a 'situation'. Well written, I'm just not sure it was meant for me. However, I'm sure many others will love this one, and I'm happy to give it four stars.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

3.5

Ava's quiet life is turned upside down when she refuses a stranger's advances at a local bistro. When he tells her she will be sorry, she can't help but wonder if her past is coming back to haunt her.

Ava was coming up on the tenth anniversary of something traumatic from her past. What exactly happened was kept a mystery until the end of the story with the likely intent of creating a sense of unease. Instead, it gave me sheer frustration. I felt beat over the head with the fact that Ava had this "thing" in her past. I got it the first time. It didn't need repeating. Ava had a past and it made her paranoid.

My frustration doubled down when Ava attributed some very odd things to her paranoia instead of the fact that her circumstances were actually just really stinking creepy!

Right off the bat, I just don't love these generic book titles. Even though Ava was the head librarian at Tate Modern, I didn't feel that the narrative had enough to do with the library or her position there to warrant that title.

The story veered toward the unrealistic and a little too popcorn-y to me but it did keep me turning the pages so I can't complain.

3.5 stars
Why do we not follow our gut feelings? Why do our best friends seem to think it is ok to brush off those gut feelings their friend has...The Librarian touches on these thoughts and ultimately...the best advice learned is Do Not Discount Your Gut Feelings.

I love love loved the beginning and the writing style throughout! I feel like it was so intense and just a really good, really easy thriller. I marked it down slightly just because I feel like the plot twist was slightly predictable. But overall loved the book!

I really enjoyed the beginning of this book! It hooked me from the start and I was even spooked. Things started to get a little slow and I was confused where it was going. Overall it was a fast read with lots of twists. Not my favorite of thrillers due to some events being a little over the top and non believable.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of The Librarian by Valerie Keogh from Net Galley and Boldwood Books in order to read and give an honest review.

…Overall, it was an okay read I give it a 3.5 rounded up. It was an entertaining and quick read that would be perfect on a dark and stormy night….

Introverted Ava Warrington works as a librarian at Tate Modern. Living a quiet life in London, a dedicated workaholic. When Ava and her best friend Poppy visit a bistro for a drink as usual her attractive, flirtatious, and outgoing friend gets close to a handsome gentleman she spots at the bar. When Ava, feeling ill, excuses herself for a few minutes and upon her return to the table notices her seat was filled by the gentleman that Poppy had been flirting with. While getting ready to leave another man approaches Ava, insistent on buying her a drink but when he politely declines the man pursues her and becomes aggressive. When she stands her ground, he is angry and warns her that she will be sorry. Not being able to shake the incident, she realizes that it is the ten-year anniversary of a traumatic event from her university days which has caused her to run away from the world and hide in her “safe life.” When she is set up for a heinous crime at work, suspended, making her feel like her world is falling apart.

While trying to think who could be setting her up her mind kept coming back to the gentleman at the bistro as he was the only one who had taken issue with her. She confides in her friend Poppy who is self-interested, occupied with her new romance. A colleague believes her and wants to help so they decide to stake out the bistro together for the mysterious man. Things take a bizarre turn when she experiences a few creepy occurrences, she feels she is being watched and she learns of the murder of a colleague. When it becomes clear to Ava that she is alone it is up to her to clear her own name and get her job back. When at her lowest, not sure if her paranoia is due to the ten-year anniversary, her friend Poppy goes missing after making plans with her and when she realizes she is alone she turns to her older sister Judy for help. After a string of occurrences lead her on a harrowing journey, she learns that she can no longer run away from her past.

This was a tough review for me…parts of it I really enjoyed, some not so much but, in my opinion, it had a lot of potential, but it just fell flat for me. I enjoyed the atmosphere and tension the author brought to the page as well as the cleverly crafted and complex characters, I will say this, wow, the villains were definitely chill worthy. However, there were numerous references to the traumatic event from Ava’s past to the point of becoming tedious. The event is not really revealed until the climax and even then, the backstory seemed disappointing. Overall, it was an okay read I give it a 3.5 rounded up. It was an entertaining and quick read that would be perfect on a dark and stormy night.

I wasn’t as impressed with this book as I was hoping to be. The beginning of the book started off with a bang, but then quickly fizzled out and did not regain momentum until the very end of the book. None of the main characters were all that likable in my opinion. Ava, especially, was super frustrating. She continuously lamented the person she used to be, and her “inability” to say no. It also felt like she would get really annoyed or frustrated without any cause.

The ending of the book left a lot to be desired. It wasn’t until then that we think we find out what happened 10 years prior, but even then, it’s unclear (literally) what actually happened. There is still more information being uncovered - and then it just ends. I was hoping for an epilogue to tell me more about what happened with Dustin and Noah, how Poppy recovers and/or what she has to say about the whole thing, does Ava ever learn to say “no”…but we get nothing.

All in all, it was just okay.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to #Netgalley and #BoldwoodBooks for the #ARC of #TheLibrarian. I had been in a reading slump before getting to this book, and when I got about 1/3 through I officially had lost my slump. I just had to read and squeeze in 5 minutes here and there. The only negative I have to give is the narrative can move quite slowly at time, but then when it picks up it really makes up for it.

Shhh....silence is safer...but is it?

Ava Warrington is a quiet reserved young woman with her dream job as head librarian at the Tate Modern in London. After university many of her friends travelled or took up fancy jobs abroad but after a chance application, Ava found herself working at the Tate fresh out of university. And she loves her job. Every evening she comes home to the house her parents gifted her, kicks off her shoes and relaxes in the silence.

But lately that silence has become deafening. A reminder than not all is as it should be and that she doesn't truly deserve this. And that one day, it can all be snatched away in the blink of an eye.

And then it is.

It begins with a chance encounter at a bistro one afternoon. A lunch with best friend Poppy who is busy scouting for her next conquest, eyeing off two potentials...one of which she lands without effort and Ava leaves her friend in his capable hands and heads off home. But she is stopped by a dark eyed handsome stranger who insists on buying her a drink. Ava, who is forever told by her sister and Poppy that she doesn't know how to say no, thinks on the invitation before telling him just that - "No, thank you." But it seems he isn't listening and he bars her way, insisting on just one drink. But there is something in his eyes - something predatory - that makes her act on her original instinct. And she leaves him standing in the doorway shouting after her "You'll be sorry."

Words that come back to haunt her in her waking hours and her dreams. "You'll be sorry". When she finds a bloodied bird on her window but returns home to find no trace of it there. When she is suspended from the job she loves for ruining a valuable painting. When she's in the silence of her home. When she's lost to sleep and dreams of the past. When everything comes back to haunt her...she hears those words over and over and over. "You'll be sorry."

So much goes wrong for Ava where do I begin? Sadly, I almost missed it for fear of falling asleep the pace was so slow and the silence deafening. And don't get me started on Poppy. The woman is supposed to be her best friend but all she's interested in is sharing everything about the latest love of her life that she's "got a good feeling about this one", forgetting she's said the same about the last dozen of them. When Ava truly needed a friend, all Poppy could think about was herself. And then had the audacity to say she's such a drama queen. The one time Ava asked if she could come over after being suspended from her dream job, Poppy says "Oh I would but Noah (her latest conquest) is on his way over..." Ava would have dropped everything for Poppy if she needed her. This sounds all too familiar to me and I hate one-way friendships/relationships. I've been a doormat for people for most of my life and I will still gladly help them if they need me...yet can the same be said for them? Not one person rang me for my birthday so I guess that in itself is very telling. Like me, Ava is there for her friends and family should they need her but are they there for her? I really felt for Ava.

Overall, THE LIBRARIAN is a slow burn thriller that builds its pace with a palpable tension throughout. Sadly, it wasn't enough to hold my attention and I ended up skimming through most of it to find out how it all unravelled.

I would like to thank #ValerieKeogh, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #TheLibrarian in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

The Librarian is a slow-build, tense and twisted read. Valerie Keogh does an excellent job of presenting a well-crafted plot with a mix of endearing, creepy and disturbing characters. Ava Warrington, head librarian at The Tate Modern, lives vicariously through her best friend, Poppy. She lives a recluse life by choice after the harrowing life-changing event ten years ago. With the impending and dreadful anniversary, Ava notices that her seemingly mundane life is drastically changing; her professionalism is questioned, her friend goes incognito, and she cannot shake the sinking feeling of being watched. Did this primarily happen after refusing to drink with a stranger who reeked of danger? Is there more to this that Ava cannot see? The author has done a fantastic job creating a well-rounded, introverted protagonist. Though the landscapes are limited, there is an element of freshness with little repetition. The ending was twisted and shocking, one I could have never imagined.

For fans of tense suspense, do not skip this one! Thank you, NetGalley & Boldwood Books, for an ARC. This honest review is left voluntarily.

After an uncomfortable interaction with a strange man, Ava finds her once boring, repetitive life a little more exciting when odd things begin to happen.

Although I loved the thrilling aspects of this book, I did feel that the repetitive alluding to Ava's past which eventually is revealed, could have been done far earlier. I feel it added filler to the book and not really in a good way.

I would read more from this author in the future for sure!

Ava isn’t living her life. She is simply existing. She loves hearing about other people’s excitement, but keeps herself very much under the radar, throwing all of her energy and focus to her dream job, as librarian at Tate Modern.

After Ava turns down a predatory man in a wine bar and he tells her she will be sorry, strange and unnerving things start to happen.

The book is a quick read and quite enjoyable, however I did find the plot a bit thin and repetitive. It was clear from the start that the current events were linked to an incident 10 years previously to which Ava alludes throughout. I felt it would have been more affective to give the reader the details of the incident earlier on, so that the ending (which was excellent) would have linked in more effectively.

I look forward to reading more for this author.

3/3.5⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Valerie Keogh does it again! This was a quick and easy read and had a similar style to her other books, which I enjoy - if you are a fan of hers, you won’t be disappointed!


4.5/5 stars ⭐️

One of my newer favorite writers, Valerie Keogh can weave together a story that creeps up on you. This has twists and turns and kept me on my toes!

The Librarian by Valerie Keogh

Since that fateful night, I have always kept myself to myself. Reserved. Private. Alone.

Some people think I am too quiet. That life is passing me by. But I know there is safety in my own company. That no one can hurt me if I don’t let them get too close. Until the day I meet him. A handsome, charming stranger. A chance for me to take a risk…finally? Or a man who threatens everything I’ve worked so hard for? You’ll be sorry… And that’s when my whole life begins to fall apart….

Out on April 21, so good!