Sloane Parker is a young librarian in Coeur d’Alene, a small city in Idaho. She's a people pleaser living a quiet life. The most excitement she's had in a while has been through her interactions in the library with Arthur McLachlan, an elderly man who seems to find his only joy in insulting and arguing with her. When he becomes ill, Sloane takes it upon herself to help this angry, lonely man. Sloane, who has become fond of Arthur despite his mean behavior, decides to host a book club in his home, which is filled with books. Arthur begrudgingly agrees. The members of the club are people dealing with issues in their own lives. And while Sloane is engaged to a successful chiropractor, she realizes that she, like those in her new group, also feels very alone. Before diving in, I assumed The Lonely Hearts Book Club was going to be a light book. A break from anything too emotional. Plus, I'm always attracted to books about books. But author Lucy Gilmore's story snuck up on me, tugged at my heart and exceeded my expectations. The characters are wonderful. The story was told from each of this quirky group of random people's perspectives. And each one was dealing with something painful. The insight into each person's life made me care about every one of them. The novels the book club selected mirrored what was going on within the characters' lives, which was so impactful. My eyes welled up with tears while reading this sweet, moving book. Many thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca for the advance. I'm so glad to have read it and hope others will enjoy it as much as I did. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Contemporary Fiction.
Publication Date: March 28, 2023.
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