The Lending Library by Aliza Fogelson

I can only assume this story takes place in an alternate universe, one free of war, famine, or plague. A world in which a teacher has time to bake elaborate pastries and run a small library out of her home, and a sexy construction worker enjoys reading Don Quixote in his spare time. There is of course some conflict–there wouldn’t be a story without it. But it feels cloaked in naivete.

Despite this world being annoyingly perfect, I kept reading because I found something endearing about the story. It gave me a chance to escape this rotten universe. You can’t help but fall in love with the characters and the small town they live in. And even though I’m a cynic, I’m also a hopeless romantic. And as soon as the story hinted at a potential romance, I was hooked.

3/5 ♥