The Library of Lost Things - Review

The Library of Lost Things

By: Laura Taylor Namey

Expected Publication: October 8th 2019 by Inkyard Press

384 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

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Goodreads description--From the moment she first learned to read, literary genius Darcy Wells has spent most of her time living in the worlds of her books. There, she can avoid the crushing reality of her mother’s hoarding and pretend her life is simply ordinary. But when a new property manager becomes more active in the upkeep of their apartment complex, the only home Darcy has ever known outside of her books suddenly hangs in the balance.

While Darcy is struggling to survive beneath the weight of her mother’s compulsive shopping, Asher Fleet, a former teen pilot with an unexpectedly shattered future, walks into the bookstore where she works…and straight into her heart. For the first time in her life, Darcy can’t seem to find the right words. Fairy tales are one thing, but real love makes her want to hide inside her carefully constructed ink-and-paper bomb shelter.

Still, after spending her whole life keeping people out, something about Asher makes Darcy want to open up. But securing her own happily-ever-after will mean she’ll need to stop hiding and start living her own truth—even if it’s messy.

I usually try to review a finished book before moving onto a new book, but these days it's easier to move on to another book than it is to sit down and type up a review. So The Library of Lost Things isn't as fresh in my mind as I'd like.

I picked up The Library of Lost Things because of the hoarding aspect. I can't say that I've ever read a book that dealt with this subject in any form. So the uniqueness really brought me in. Husband isn't a hoarder, but he certainly attaches sentiment to objects whereas I'm much less sentimental with material things. And Laura Taylor Namey really took on the topic well I thought. Of course, we weren't seeing the hoarding from Darcy's mother's perspective but from Darcy's.

While I liked Darcy and I liked Asher, I did feel like the romance between the two was missing something. It was a slow build for sure, which I usually like, but I wish there would have been a bit more heat or passion I guess. I don't know. Something hard to put my finger on was missing.

Initially I was annoyed with Darcy's "word of the day". This is a little overused in YA books where characters are prepping for the SATs. But this wasn't the deal at all and was worked into the overall story much better than I've ever seen it before.

For a debut, I thought Laura Taylor Namey showed a lot of promise. She wrote with a purpose. Her words chosen specifically and often poetically. It wasn't lyrical like I've seen from Lauren Oliver, Maggie Stiefvater, or Tahereh Mafi. But her words had multiple meanings at times which I can certainly appreciate. I will look out for future books from her, but I also hope to see some continued polish with pacing, the romantic relationship, and a few other areas.

The one area and character that never disappointed was best friend Marisol. The easiest choice for the best best friend of the year so far. Everything about her was wonderful. She was supportive. She never battled Darcy for center-stage. She was amazing. I loved her. I wish I had my own Marisol.

Favorite quote:

-"Don't you know? You've got me, Wells."

I want to talk more about the cause of the hoarding and how Darcy handled her relationship with her mother, but I feel like most of that is spoiler-area. I will say that some of the ultimate conflict didn't have the "oomph" that I was looking for.

The Library of Lost Things was a solid debut for author Laura Taylor Namey. It wasn't perfect. I wanted a little bit more passion from the romance and felt ultimately the build up behind the hoarding wasn't quite what I wanted it to be. Yet, I loved the side relationships. Marisol, in particular, was awesome. I'll be looking out for more from this author. The Library of Lost Things gets 3.5 Stars. Have you read The Library of Lost Things? What did you think? Let me know!