Genre: British Literature

Note: The following original review for this book is old and does not meet current review standards. A fully rewritten review is planned. On paper this book wasn’t going to be my cup of tea as I am generally uninterested and detached from stories focusing on familial drama. While I struggled to stay invested for majority of the first 2/3 of the book, my patience was rewarded by the last 70 or so pages that surprisingly connect all the loose threads in such an explosive and exciting manner (rewarding endings seem to be a trend for me and Matt Haig novels). I was almost taken aback at how much action happens in such a short number of pages vs the rest of the novel that spent so much time setting the characters and pieces into place. As other reviews that covered, the vampire elements and lore take a back seat to the drama and relationships between the Radley family members and suspicious neighbors in the quiet village of Bisthopthorpe, though they do have key moments that are integral to the plot. Would’ve rated the first 2/3 of the book 2 stars and the last 1/3 4 stars so we’ll go with…

Note: The following review for this book is old and does not meet current review standards. A fully rewritten review is planned. I feel like there’s two common themes left by many negative reviews for this one, so before I say anything else: 1) This book is a work of fiction and despite it involving themes of depression and suicide, this is by no means a self-help guide for people feeling depressed. Neither should one assume the protag’s feelings or thoughts on the matter are representative for everyone who has ever felt depressed as depression is such a personal and varied thing for people. 2) It’s called The Midnight Library and the library serves as a plot element as well as a metaphor for one’s internal state of mind. Majority of the story does NOT take place in a library and the books are also a metaphor for “what if” scenarios in her life. This is a novel more akin to a drama-based, non-thriller take on the Butterfly Effect, NOT a novel about reading or literature (did they even read the synposis?). Points aside, I found the concept interesting and the progression of the plot and internal thoughts of the protag…