This book was completely unexpected for me. Going into it, I knew nothing but what the blurb says and that it is/was quite popular on BookTok. What I definitely did not expect was to read this in one sitting. It does have a couple of slight issues that had me wondering what the editor was doing, but those instances thankfully don't impact on the story itself. Apart from those minor issues, I found this book to be a very enjoyable read and will be returning to it again in the future. It has an intriguing premise at its heart which I haven't personally encountered before, and provided a fascinating way to gain perspective on life. Indeed, at several points, I found myself wondering if the library is actually real, in the context of some of my own experiences.

A quick read packed with insight, heartfelt tenderness and the most brilliant spark of hope. 
The energy of this book is akin to a quick comforting squeeze from a hand held. 

Summary
In The Horse and His Boy, Aslan tells Lucy, "To know what would have happened, child? No. Nobody is ever told that." This book turns that sentiment upside-down. What if we could know what would have happened?

Following a similar trajectory to the classic movie, It's a Wonderful Life, Nora Seeds decides to end her life. In the nowhere between life and death, she finds herself in "The Midnight Library." As George Bailey was presented with the opportunity to observe a world where he was never born, Nora is given the chance to see what life might have been like if she made different choices along the way. What will she learn from stepping into the pages of a myriad of what ifs?

My Thoughts
This book was, most defininately, literary fiction ... which I typically don't care for. However, The Midnight Library provided a clearer path than most literary fiction and swirled it together with enough fantasy that I enjoyed the journey. Nora's "inciting incident" is depressive despair and the implied "promise to the reader" is that the lessons of the Midnight Library will renew her appreciation of life. A bit "preachy"? Perhaps. But whimsically and, even, compellingly so.

The consistent, prevalent swearing prevented this from rating higher in my personal preference.

Overall, I would say this is a good book for anyone who enjoys It's a Wonderful Life or In 27 Days, but is okay with more mature content and a liberal-leaning worldview.

Content
Romance: Overall, minimal. Nora somewhat regretfully/somewhat bitterly remembers a former fiance. As she explores other lives, she sleeps with three different men. Two are her husband in that life, one is not. In all of the encounters, she simply states that action occures with minimal commentary. Topics like s*xting are mentioned briefly. Her brother's sexuality (gay) comes up several times throughout the story, and she is supportive of his relationships both in her real life and in the possibilities she explores.

Language: This isn't a book where there are curse words on every page, but Nora does swear with steady consistency and is not shy about employing f-bombs (once used in a steady stream). J*sus and G*d are both employed as curses.

Violence: Almost non-existent and always non-graphic. Nora's cat dies. She notices self-inflicted scars on her body in various lives. Obviously she makes an attempt to end her life.

Religion: Nora's worldview is entirely secular.

Quotes I Liked
"The game is never over until it is over. It isn't over if there is a single pawn left on the board. If one side is down to a pawn and a king, and the other side has every player, there is still a game."

"...she had managed to convince herself there was no way out of her misery. That, she supposed, was the basis of depression, as well as the difference between fear and despair. Fear was when you wandered into a cellar and worried the door would swing shut. Despair was when the door closed and locked behind you. But with every life she saw that metaphorical door widen a little further as she grew better at using her imagination."

"All this was meaningless without love."

Was sitting around a 3.75 or solid 4, but the genuine feeling and warmth I felt in the last group of chapters meant I had to bump it up. A few things I wanted to query, but maybe the hyper-critical part of my brain should take a backseat sometimes and not let it judge my entire opinion. Would still recommend.

It is a heart wrenching book and if you are looking for a happy lighthearted book keep searching. But even if you are looking for that type of book you should come back to this one. It is a very good book that deserves a read

Absolutely beautiful. If you enjoyed Everything Everywhere At Once, this is definitely up your alley. I know I'll be thinking about this book for a while, took me about two days to get thru

Well-informed word choice and very powerful passages throughout.

cheesy and predictable but it made me cry ❤️