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

I loved this book.... it reminded me of the petty attitudes of some people, and their intent on everyone following the same rules!

Quite funny in places.... the penis cake I don't think I will ever forget!

I thought the blurb sounded interesting and it was quite good.  It was a pretty easy and entertaining read, with lots of humour but a definite morality underneath.  I also thought I could detect a thread of rage from the author at the sheer injustice of it all.  There were a lot of characters so some of them were only stereotypes or mere shadows, rather than being fully fleshed out.  The plot itself was fairly straightforward, although there were a few little surprises here and there.  There's obviously a strong desire to spread the reality of banned books, and I really don't blame the author in that one bit.  My only concern would be that the book seems to be very much preaching to the choir.  Surely people who read a book about banned books already know of the situation and how ridiculous it is?  Still, it does give out a good message so hopefully it will make its way to those who really need it. 

Many thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy to review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of the excellent book. A 4.5 star read for me.

Warning: if you are racist, homophobic, misogynistic, antisemitic, sexist or an otherwise alt-right leaning bigoted idiot then this book isn't for you!

This book tackles incredibly difficult and important themes but managed to do so with humour and hope.

A great read that I enjoyed from the first sentence to the very end. Yes, it's cutesy and twee but that just adds to its charm. A really thought provoking insight into the American South and the rise in book banning, particularly the damage limiting people's access to various sources of information can have.

Great writing, great character development and a fun read on some heavy topics - I highly recommend it!

I was keen to read this book as it’s about censorship. However, I struggled a bit with it due to the poor formatting and editing. I shall therefore review it for Netgalley but will wait until I can get my hands on a print copy after publication before reviewing for Amazon and Waterstones. Other reviewers seem to have had the same problem.
Reading the reviews has been interesting especially as for some reviewers the book reads like fiction as it’s set in a small community in the States and not in the UK where they have not come across this type of censorship. Having worked as a librarian with children and young people in schools and public libraries since the early 80s, I have certainly come across censorship. In a Catholic school, books on abortion were removed. Another job involved going through shelves searching for racism. Some parents questioned books on homosexuality. This book highlights the problems of banning books and will make an excellent book for discussion.

This was nothing like I was expecting it to be at all! I can’t say too much about it without giving it away, but this book deals with a lot of sensitive topics such as race, sexuality, sexism etc in such a beautiful, clever and engaging way that I couldn’t put it down! There are so many wonderful characters between the pages, as well as some that are less than desirable! Another brilliant read by this author!

To the book community this plot is the ultimate horror story. Both very sweet and quietly terrifying. Funny and shocking. An easy read with a hard lesson.

In Troy, Georgia, the concerned parents committee headed up by local woman Lula Dean, have cleansed the libraries of any material they deem unsuitable. Don’t worry though, in its place Lula has opened up her own library with wholesome books that won’t lead anyone away from the righteous path. But when curious hands open Lula’s books, they get more than they bargain for. Opening up that dust jacket is opening up a lot of cracks in Troy.

I’m British and after a quick Google, I don’t think this kind of Orwellian censorship is very common here. So to me this is fiction, but in other places this is very much not which is terrifying.

I love the concept of the pure opposite book being hidden in the dust jacket and it bringing meaning to the reader. I love that a book about the domestic life of a gay couple was boring rather shocking. And I found it heartbreaking that a reader didn’t know the ending of Anne Frank before picking up the book.

The way the story jumps around from family to family can get confusing, I got there eventually as they are eventually tied together but there are a LOT of characters. Equally some of the subplots were more interesting than others. In a sea of characters there are some incredible stand outs, but I’ll leave you to pick your own favourites.

My only point that stops this being a 5☕️ is that the story doesn’t really drive forward until close to the end. It was interesting but there was no urgency to pick the book back up.

I love how the book keeps coming back to the statue. This is something I can relate to, how something you see everyday can stop having any meaning but these are things you should stop and examine more closely. Why DO we still have so many statues of really terrible people?!

This novel about censorship should be disseminated as widely as it can go, in as many mediums that can take it. I can see this making an excellent TV series one day.

Thank you to #Netgalley and @HQSTORIES for my my #arc

Gloriously and unashamedly inflammatory, uplifting and full of a love of books.

It's hard for me as a lifelong UK resident to understand the mindsets one sees in books such as this. I know often there's tropes, stereotypes, exaggeration, but I also see enough of international news and interviews to know that the types of characters represented here are far from fictional.

And this book made me mad. Mostly because I am a fervent and passionate reader, former librarian and big believer in the power of reading to inspire change, educate and as a source of comfort and community. And I think Kirsten Miller agrees with me, from what I read here.

In a small Georgia town (the literary subtlety here was not lost on me), a war is going on, though on the surface all is peach pies and happy families. Lula Dean, long-time thorn in school board member Beverly Underwood's side, has mounted a crusade to ban books from the school and public libraries that she feels are damaging the town's youth and morals. Replacing it with her own homemade lending library, full of 'The Southern Belle's Guide to Etiquette'-type titles will of course send the townsfolk down the correct path to righteousness.... of course.

But Beverley's daughter, with access to all the stored banned books starts a rollercoaster of change off when she replaces each book with one of those banned, recovering them, and the Troy residents, each of whom with their own personal problems and questions, start to discover understanding, answers and the courage to change their lives in what they are reading.

That’s when all the townspeople who’ve been borrowing from Lula’s library begin to reveal themselves. It’s a diverse and surprising bunch—including the local postman, the prom queen, housewives, a farmer, and the former DA—all of whom have been changed by what they’ve read. When Lindsay is forced to own up to what she’s done, the showdown that’s been brewing between Beverly and Lula will roil the whole town...and change it forever.

I loved this. I loved the array of characters: those needing answers about girls, long-downtrodden wives realising what they've been prevented from achieving, young people with fears of homosexuality, an older lady giving up on fighting her money-grabbing relatives... all can find motivation from the written word. There are more than a dozen storylines each threaded together by Lula Dean's library, and I didn't find this a problem on the audiobook to track.

And how it all comes together... oh, it was marvellous! I desperately want to see this on the screen. Some wonderful roles here, a fair bit of sermonising, some very funny scenes (the cake scene was a standout) and I'm just so glad books like this actually exist. We need them, to remind us what education, knowledge and the freedom to think for ourselves does for ourselves and for everyone collectively. Thank you Ms Miller.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

This book tackles a very prescient and troubling discussion - the banning of books - with a sharp wit and a kindness. Has a very light touch for what is quite a dark comedy, and the interthreading of stories meant that even most of the 'villains' were three-dimensional characters with some sympathetic features [except the ones who REALLY didn't deserve it].

A satire with a gentle bite and a cosy ending.

Absolutely loved this. A brilliant observation of the clouded viewpoints of so many people and very on topic given everything that is going on right now. Told with sharp with sharp wit - despite the ark topic matter it's an easy, entertaining read.

Lula has decided to educate her town and has banned certain books. The residents are only allowed to read what Lua wants them to read.
But not everyone is happy!

The first banned book I read (aged 12) was The Sin of Abbé Mouret by Emile Zola, after I discovered a banned reading list in the back of a school Bible. The concept of banning books is always contentious but essentially people should be free to read what they choose (assuming the element of age appropriate is considered). Lula Dean sets herself up as judge and censor but happily, rebels inhabit the small American town. This is a delightful romp and broadside on bigotry, and all forms of prejudice. There were several interesting characters who join the resistance – their backstories lent weight and humour. Certain events were predictable, but entertaining nevertheless and the book is goo ‘time out’ read.
I found the publisher’s copyright stamped on every page – often more than once – more than somewhat distracting, as were the missing words and ends of sentences. I would happily sign a non-disclosure agreement rather than tackle these again.

This is a lighthearted and. very readable look at prejudice in small town America. But really it's a cautionary tale that it could happen anywhere. The small minded folks all get what's coming to them in the end, but it does leave the reader thinking that this could so easily happen anywhere and how important it is to take a stand again prejudice and bigotry.