I love this book which looks into small town America where the Lulu Dean of the title has been instrumental in causing lots of books to be withdrawn from public libraries and banned. She sets up her own tiny library outside our house and fills it with what she feels to be appropriate books for the population mischief and merriment occurs and these books are taken out of their book jackets and replaced by the very books that she’d banned.
I love the way that you met the population of the town gradually as the story unfolds and learned how they have been affected by the book banning . Person who needed the books to find representation of themselves within the community, the person who was raped and needed the books to find their voice.
I love the way the actual books were “quoted in the novel and as a reader I was surprised how few of them I had actually read. There were definitely a few that I had to be read list after reading this novel.

I wanted to love the authors previous book The Change but although I loved the premise I didn’t enjoy the book .I was willing to give this one a go however when I saw it on NetGalley UK and I’m so glad that I did

I would recommend this novel for those that are primarily based. The character development is precise and developed in a subtle nuanced way. The people all feel very real and you feel like you know them by the end of the novel. I suspect that this novel will be very popular this summer. I wouldn’t be surprised if it makes it onto the best sellers lists
I copy of the novel on NetGalley UK. The book is published on the 20th of June 2024 by HQ
This review will appear on NetGalley UK, Goodreads, and my book blog bionicSarahSbooks.WordPress.com. It will also appear on Amazon UK.

In the small town of Troy, Lula Dean and Beverly Underwood have been enemies since high school and things get more complicated when Lula is on a mission to rid the school and town libraries of books that she feelscontains propaganda or pornography. However Lesley (Beverly's daughter) slips in books on the banned list and changes their covers.
I think this book covers most topics! Anti-semisitism, homophobia, racism, slavery etc and it had me wondering all the way through which direction it was going in. It all comes together in the end!
It's a story of allowing the truth to be told, even if history/ancestors got it wrong at times and making sure the same mistakes won't be repeated.

If you fear for our freedom to say and think as we wish Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books has got to be top of your reading list this summer.
In a town in America, a provocative baking book placed in the local library as a joke gives Lula Dean enough ammunition to persuade a group of citizens to “cleanse” the library of unsuitable books.
Soon, many of the residents begin to fight back, helped by a clever act by one of the younger people who manages to get the banned books into the hands of exactly the people who need them. As the books work their magic the town is changed forever and long buried secrets emerge.
I loved this book - the first few chapters read as interlinked short stories as we get to know the key characters but as events move on it becomes more of a whole. There are some unforgettable people -in particular the 80 year old lawyer Wilma Jean who is fighting her family’s attempts to put her in a home and proving that age is no impediment if your brain is still agile. It’s very funny and an absolute page turner but carries a serious message, ignore it at your peril.

This book was so hard hitting at the same time as being a really enjoyable read. It had such a strong message against all kinds of hate and prejudice. It had characters from many different walks of life featured, but without the reader having to stress out about who is who. It was a really powerful book.

I loved how the different narratives weaved into each other. At the start of the book it almost seemed like a series of interconnected short stories, but as the book progressed the events of the chapters started to overlap and bring it all together. It was a really effective way of showing how all the banned books that people got from Lula Dean’s library were affecting the whole town and bringing them all together to fight against Lula Dean herself.

It was a really easy to read book, that grabbed me from the first chapter. There were parts which were told from the point of view of some not so nice people or in some cases people with views who were changed over the course of the book, but having these people challenged by others or changed by the books they read made me happy, because it really showed the power of books and words.

Don’t be put off by the hard topics covered in this book. It is a book of power, a book of joy and a book of rebellion.

I absolutely loved The Change by Kirsten Miller, it’s a clever and powerful book that ignites all your emotions. I was curious to see if this book would hit me with the same ferocity - spoiler alert it did!

From the first page it is a tour de force. It cracks open the prejudices, the histories and the rivalries that exist within a small town. It shows the importance of using history to educate and improve and it warns of the dangers of miseducation and manipulating history to follow a personal agenda.

Whilst it tackles some heavy themes, it does so with humour and whip smart comments, which were so satisfying they made me green with envy that I didn’t write them!

For someone who spends a lot of their time championing books and celebrating the benefits of reading; the banning of books is a truly frightening thought. Kirsten Miller argues our cause in this novel. Through her cast of characters we see how books and reading educates, inspires, enlightens, comforts and above all entertains and brings joy.

One of my favourite reads this year, it’s a must read for all book lovers but not for those who are easily offended by phallic shaped baked goods!

Even those this is a nice, easy read that feels like a simple chick-lit type read it is actually really clever and shines a spot light on so much that is wrong with America right now! Kirsten Miller is so socially aware and exposes so many flaws in society in this book without being derogatory or making people looks stupid!
Another funny, entertaining, thought-provoking book from Kirsten Miller. A must read.

I really enjoyed The Change and this was even better. It combined all the slightly claustrophobic drama of a small town boiling over with current socio-economic and political issues, all told with wit and humour. Essentially small town ‘bigot’ who is really an unhappy woman who wants attention, causing a huge book banning at her local library. She then opens a little free library and stocks it with ‘appropriate’ titles. Someone swaps the dust jackets on the books and hilarity ensues. No spoilers but it’s great to watch the unfolding of how a single book can change a person’s perspective. While this has a generous measure of wish fulfilment, it’s inkeeping with the hopeful tone of the book. Miller extends grace to almost everyone and it’s good to see everyone, regardless of background, status, education or race being both very wrong on some things and very right on others. I have a few minor quibbles but nothing I care to mention here – matters of opinion only. This is an exceptionally clever and funny book. Highly recommend. As a bonus, the incomparable January Levoy narrates the audio book.

This was such a hard-hitting and engaging read following multiple people living in the small town of Troy in Georgia. It is such an important read which deals with a lot of heavy themes and social issues such as censorship, homophobia, racism, sexual abuse and misogyny however I love the way Miller added humour into it making it entertaining.

I loved the message in this book and I loved the discussion of how important books can be in growing up and in learning. I also really liked the way it incorporated a handful of actual titles that have been banned and how these books changed the way individuals in this book thought and how they helped them grow.

While there are numerous characters and we see the events happening from their points of view I never once felt overwhelmed or confused about what was happening. The story flowed really well and I think having the story told this way helped build up the importance of the story and how certain people think. Honestly this is an great story that I feel everyone should pick up!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“He said dress codes are necessary because if girls are allowed to wear what we want, the boys won’t be able to focus. I said why not let the girls dress comfortably and send the boys home until they can show self-control.”

Troy, Georgia. Lula Dean has a chip on her shoulder from way back..something to do with Beverley. Lula is on a mission to eliminate the corruptive power of reading, has stripped the school library of inappropriate books and set her up own little library with ‘safe’ fiction. Dawn’s husband has a basement full of memorabilia which she gets to dust once a week. Isaac has told his family he’s gay..and Wilma Jean knows her family are after her money and want to put her in a home…

I introduced my review of The Change with the following sentence, ‘This is one of the most delicious, original and absolute badass books you will read this year…’ I don’t think I can improve on that as an introduction to Lula Dean. Kirsten Miller has done it again with another fabulous and piercingly insightful novel in which she takes on ‘book banning, white nationalism, anti-semitism..’

This is a book about stories, about narratives - the kind of narratives that people tell about their lives, about history and which obscure and rebrand the truth. In the course of the novel the residents of Troy read Lula’s books and in so many ways Troy’s residents discover what’s really behind the covers.

This is a book which grabs you on page one and never lets go. In some ways it reminded me of Desperate Housewives with the petty jealousies, secrets, domestic struggles and lies with a blend of drama and comedy. But this goes far deeper, stripping out deeply rooted prejudices and age-old histories. And, of course because it is America, there is always a gun somewhere…

The author has a wicked and wonderful sense of humour which had me howling, whilst the issues she addressed left me saddened and frustrated. Her characterisation is superb and never over-shone by the issues.

“As far as he was concerned, if your faith was shaken by foul words or sex scenes, then you must not have had very much to begin with."

For book lovers and haters book bans everywhere!

Huge thanks to HQ Stories and Netgalley for my digital copy of this wonderful book.

The author cleverly manages to encompass so many very important issues in this book, slavery, racism, anti semitism, misogyny and prejudice experienced by LBQT people. She successfully blends all these topics into a story which happily resolves many individuals problems.

A fun read with a serious message. I loved the timeliness of this book and the important subject matter. It shows the obsurdity of banning books and of a few individuals deciding what people can and can’t read. I am UK based and this is not an issue that’ we have to deal with, unlike those ‘over the pond’. Thankfully.
The novel makes the subject accessible and it felt real. The cast of characters are likeable (mostly) and show the strength of feeling about this issue and the many repercussions of a book ban. The plot also includes a campaign to remove the statute of a confederate and slave owning general, which is also very well done.
Good luck to our American cousins and thank you to Kirsten Miller for tacking this. Bravo!

This year I've been pretty lucky with the amount of books I've been getting in advance, and this book is no exception and probably one of my favourite books of the year if I am quite honest.

Set in Georgia, Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books takes us on a ride with one of the most on the pulse 'culture war' topics that is currently going strong right now, the banning of book and uses it to expose the hypocrisy and the prejudices of the community this book is set in. Brilliantly witty and fantastically paced this book is exceptional.

The characters of Lula and Beverley really are so different and so brilliantly written, that it is almost cinematic as these scenes jump off the page (I would love to see this as a show, I think the drama would be brilliant) particularly between these two, however as this book focuses on a small town the array of characters allows for more perspective which I found so interesting and so enjoyable - to see the growth of these characters via the power of books is such a pleasure to read.

One of those books I'm probably gonna make everyone around me read, this book was one of my most anticipated reading the blurb, and I need to own it physically for my own library collection - and I want everyone to find it!

(thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC).

A novel that deals with a serious topic like censoring books but it's also the heartwarming and very funny story of people and of a small town.
Well plotted, excellent storytelling.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

What a pleasure to review this wonderful book. It was inspirational and so well connected with lots of hidden meanings to life. How we can turn a blind eye or make assumptions about things we don’t know or understand. To be opinionated, extremist, racist and homophobic and how this affects small communities and interpersonal relationships. All so
Powerful through the medium of books! Books that are read; educate us, are relatable, part of life experience and create a ripple effect. Makes you realise how important books are to inform us and to relate too.
I loved this book and the author. Her style of writing made the book so easy to read!

Overall I enjoyed this book mainly because of the many likeable characters in it and their interesting back stories. I hope the amount of small mindedness and prejudice shown in this town reflects the author’s desire to expose this rather than real life as I found elements of it made me feel uneasy which was probably the aim.

Having read Miller’s debut novel earlier this year, I was excited to have the opportunity to read her newest release. I was bit uncertain to start with: enjoying a first book so much, I was anxious that the next read would be just as good. And I was definitely not disappointed.

This is a clever novel that made me laugh, shudder and everything in between. Exploring racism, censorship, LGBTQ, slavery and more, this story shows how books can change your life. The idea of books being banned is not uncommon, even in today’s more liberal society and in this read, Miller explores how much of an impact the written word can have.

Lula Dean is part of a committee that has successfully removed books that are considered as harmful to the young children of Troy, Georgia. She sets up a little library at the bottom of her driveway, containing all the books that she considers as wholesome reads for the community. Except a prank that sees the books replaced by some banned ones has an impact on the people of Troy forever. As these banned books move back into circulation, lives change, secrets are exposed and families are not the same ever again. All thanks to the power of the written word.

This was a fast-moving and engaging story. I was entertained throughout the story and even with the deeper, more sensitive topics, I still felt that Miller presented them in a way that made the plot just as interesting – to the point that I couldn’t put the book down and I raced through it. I liked how the chapter titles were names of these banned books and the content matter became relevant to the theme of the story. I could not foresee how the book would conclude and loved how Miller kept giving surprises all through the narrative.

However, there are a lot of characters in this book to be reckoned with. After all, this book deals with the entire town of Troy, even if it is considered to be quite small. You do need to concentrate with this one as, after a few chapters, the characters start to blend across one another. In this way, I think it would have been helpful to have a character list at the start of the book – I ended up making my own character notes so I didn’t get too confused. This certainly helped and I think I would have enjoyed the book less if I became confused by all the people.

Miller explores really interesting and relevant topics and I enjoyed how the story concluded. The characters all learn something about themselves and I loved seeing how Troy had completely evolved by the end. Not only does the novel present the power of the written word, but also ignorance versus knowledge. Censorship has lead to control and this book shows that having little exposure to information can be more dangerous than knowing nothing at all.

This is a story that will stay with me for a while. There are so many layers to this story that made it more enjoyable and thought-provoking. Another great book from Miller.

With thanks to HQ and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When local busy-body Lula Dean takes it upon herself to remove books that she has deemed as unacceptable from the schools and libraries, she sets up her own small library outside her house of 'acceptable' books. Little does she know that there seems to be a rebel in the small town who is determined that people should still have access to these books.

This was a fun and entertaining read that also covered some important and timely issues - sexism, racism, book banning and right-wing views, to name just a few. There was a great cast of characters, good, bad and downright awful, but it gave a well-rounded and believable feel to the book. Excellent narration too!

I really enjoyed this book..I found it thoughtful, creative, thought provoking and one to remember.
I liked the different characters and how it made me think.
I thought it was cleverly written.
My first by this author but I'd definitely read more.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books is not afraid to take a good look at some of the social issues being experienced in the USA (and no doubt in other areas of the world too ) and expose just how dangerous and damaging censorship can be.
Lula Dean is on a crusade, to remove any and all "unacceptable" books from the local library and of course as a good white Christian woman she is the perfect arbiter of decency. Instead she fills her Little Free Library with books she deems more appropriate for the community. When a local young woman switches out the books in the middle of the night, readers find themselves picking up books that are not only completely different to what they were expecting, but also somehow books that speak perfectly to their often unknown needs or desires. It is not long before all hell breaks loose and the community finds itself in turmoil.
This is a really sharp read that shamelessly skewers stereotypes but still has a warmth to it that I really enjoyed. There is a large cast of characters, some more likeable than others, and I really enjoyed seeing how their stories intersected. From racism and sexism to homophobia, the variety of prejudices that the author is able to link together into a cohesive tale is saddening and angering, and I can understand the frustration that I see so often when yet another US school or town library is forced to purge its collection , often of the books that young readers need most.
So much more than I expected, I highly recommend making time to read this gem.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own .

What a though5 provoking book.
If you wanted proof about the powerful impact that words can have then read this book.
When a chain of events leads to an alternative library of ‘worthy’ books, some mischievous individual is obviously going to swap the books and replace them with banned books in ‘worthy’ covers. Each book finds a reader who is then spurred on to take action against some kind of injustice.
This book made me laugh, made me shout, made sigh with relief when those that suffered found their release. It made me think and that for me is a sign of a good book.
Try it and see what you think