Laura Taylor Namey
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Inkyard
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
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.REVIEW
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.
Darcy’s real life was sometimes difficult to face, and she therefore, she chose to live in her fictional worlds. During her senior year, not only did Darcy meet someone, who could be a real life romantic interest, but her financial and living situation were both threatened. The real world had begun seeping in, and Darcy had to decide if she was willing to take the risk, and open herself up, or remain hidden behind the wall she erected to protect herself and her mother.
How could I resist a book-loving character? I found it so easy to connect with Darcy as a book lover, and adored all the quotes and word games Namey incorporated into the story. I also found her really simple to empathize with, as she was a child being forced to assume the adult role in her home due to her mother’s struggle with mental illness. But, what I enjoyed most, was seeing Darcy slowly remove her protective barrier and begin to let more people into her life. She expanded her social circle, spread her wings via theatre, and even made an effort to make peace with her father’s absence. All of these were HUGE steps for this rather introverted bookworm, and I was so proud of her.
Luckily, Darcy had a fantastic group of supporting characters to help her with this process. Best friends, Marisol, and her family, seemed to be a steady source of comfort and encouragement for Darcy. They had been giving her love and support for many years, and simply just oozed love and acceptance. Her boss and his ex-wife were also very pro-Darcy, and I couldn’t imagine how much harder things would have been for her had they not been part of her life.
One of the biggest catalysts for her life changes was Asher. This lovely boy was trying to rebuilt his life after a car accident left him bodily broken with his future hanging in limbo. He was sort of lost and adrift, when he stumbled into Darcy’s life, but he was able to offer her friendship and a different perspective, as he gently encouraged and supported her throughout her latest setback.
I enjoyed all the personal development Darcy experienced over the course of this book, but I was here for the romance. I am happy to report, it did not disappoint. It was obvious from their first meeting, that Asher and Darcy were a fabulous pairing, but there were quite a few obstacle they had to overcome, before they could head off hand-in-hand to romance land. Because of that, it was a rather slow burn, but I enjoyed every delicious second of it.
I would be remiss, if I did not mention how well I thought Namey approached Darcy’s Mother’s illness. It’s not that I have not read other YA books featuring hoarding, but I think this was the first to not just describe the physical side of it, but also, talk a bit about the mental side of hoarding. I like that therapeutic approaches were discussed, as well as, the different types of hoarders that exist. The author also clearly depicted how the hoarder, as well as their loved ones, were affected by this disorder. My heart ached for Darcy as she battled with her love for her mother and her hatred of the hoarding. Needless to say, this was a rather complicated mother-daughter relationship, which I believe was done quite well.
Overall: This was a lovely and touching story, which incorporated romance, friendship, forgiveness, mental health, and books in a captivating way. A stellar debut, which has me looking forward to more from this author.
* ARC received in exchange for an honest review.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
This former teacher writes young adult novels about quirky teens learning to navigate life and love. Her debut, THE LIBRARY OF LOST THINGS will be published 10/08/19 from Inkyard Press/HarperCollins. Her #ownvoices sophomore project, A CUBAN GIRL'S GUIDE TO SWEATERS AND STARS is coming fall 2020 from Atheneum Simon and Schuster.
Do you have a favorite book set in a bookstore?
Let us know in the comments!
Let us know in the comments!
I'm really excited for the Library of Lost Things! Since I love to read and this book is about the library, I can't wait to see what happens in this book! My favorite genres are horror and fantasy!
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't have anything to do with a library, but the main character is an avid reader
DeleteI think I remember seeing you sharing this one before... maybe in a CWW post? Anyway, the synopsis definitely sounds familiar. I like the sound of both Darcy and Asher. Interestingly enough, I just recently read a book where the character's mother was an extreme hoarder (The Reckless Oath We Made by Bryn Greenwood).
ReplyDeleteThe one thing I liked was the way Namey went into some of the psychology of hoarding and the different types of hoarders. Did Green wood do that as well?
DeleteThere was some explanation about the hoarding but it didn’t go too in depth. The hoarder wasn’t the main character, but the MC’s mother. So it played a factor but wasn’t the main focus. The psychology of it really is interesting, though.
DeleteGot my eye on this one. Sure glad you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteIt was well done. Just the right amount of drama and the romance was so sweet
Deletekudos to laura for starting her writing career with a smashing debut
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
Her follow up sounds like it's going to be amazing too.
DeleteGreat review! I don't think I've seen this one before, but I like the premise.
ReplyDeleteThe premise was great, but it was the characters, who made this a fantastic experience for me.
DeleteI love your review, and I'm adding this to my tbr right now. Books with a bookworm MC - especially one who works in a bookshop, because yay, how fun! - are a treat. :)
ReplyDeleteShe was so bookish, and I really liked the way Namey featured the book store
DeleteI can totally identify with Darcy as a bookworm, and how she uses books as an escape - but I definitely appreciate that she grows a lot throughout the book!
ReplyDeleteShe used them as an escape in an extreme way, so it was good to see her confronting that truth.
DeleteThis sounds fabulous! I love books that feature characters that love books but I also like the fact that hoarding is featured. I don't think that I have read anything that dealt with that. Great review!
ReplyDeleteEvery character was wonderful in this book, and I loved that Namey assembled such a strong cast.
DeleteI've just started seeing this one around recently and it sounds really good! The characters sound wonderful. Great review!
ReplyDeleteAll the characters were well crafted and fully formed, even the ones with smaller roles, and I found myself caring about all of them.
DeleteI love that Darcy loves books! She sounds like she has been through a lot. My heart goes out to her. Im curious if my library will have it. Great review.
ReplyDeleteDarcy's affection for books ran deep, and literature played a big role in her family history too. It's an Inkyard book, so I would like to think your library would have it. I know I can access it via Hoopla from my library.
DeleteI can't resist book-loving characters either Sam! I love that the main character was able to have huge character growth and let her walls down. I think it's unique and such a needed element that you were able to learn more about hoarding, the different types, and the emotional and mental aspects of this illness as well. I've seen the television show hoarders a few times, but other than that I don't know much about this mental illness. Your review has my interest sparked, and I's like to learn more. This sounds like the perfect story for both entertainment and information. Fantastic Review Sam!
ReplyDeleteLindy@ A Bookish Escape
Most of the books I have read always feature the type of hoarders you see on TV shows. This was a more nuanced version of a hoarder. She was neat and put together, but inside, her home was a veritable warehouse. Namey also talked about the emotional and financial strain too, which is normally left out.
DeleteGreat review!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteWonderful review, Sam! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed this one, I recently read it and fell in love with it as well. Such a wonderful story and I loved the romance <3
ReplyDeleteThe romance was probably my favorite part. I loved these two so much!
DeleteDarcy sounds like a character I would really love. I've had my eye on this book for a while so I'm glad to see how much you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteDarcy was great, but she was even better, when she opened up and let herself connect with others.
DeleteThis was such a good review. I can also always easily connect to bookworm characters and she really does make huge steps for an introvert. I love that she has such a good support system too. And it's great that it shows some of the mental health behind hoarding. I haven't read a book where hoarding is included yet...
ReplyDeleteDarcy needed a support system with her mother's issues. I am better able to handle a character's struggles, when the author gives them some support, so, it was an important part of the story for me.
DeleteI don't know how I didn't realize this book is about hoarding. My dad is a hoarder, though not to the extent I've seen in some of those TV shows---he doesn't have disgusting garbage around, but he has literally rooms and rooms filled with piled up random stuff he gets because it's a "bargain." (He's gotten not one but two organs---neither he nor my mom can play.) My mom has done her best to keep it from overtaking the entire house, but I think she's really only been successful in two small rooms that are "hers." The psychology of hoarding is so interesting---I definitely want to read this!!
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
The mom in this book was neat and clean, but she had a lot of stuff. It's interesting your talk about "her" rooms, because the daughter in the book, her room was off limits from her mom. Darcy keeping her mother's hoarding a secret drives the story, and like I said, it's one of the first times I have encountered an author going into the psychological aspect of it.
Delete