Darcy Jane Wells lives more in the stories of her beloved books than in real life in Laura Taylor Namey’s The Library of Lost Things. Struggling with her mother’s hoarding, she meets Asher Fleet: the love interest and a pilot whose dreams were crushed by a car accident. Through everything she endures, Darcy learns to share her chaotic inner world with others. It’s a heartwarming message, but it wasn’t enough to save the book. 

Just as Darcy’s mother copes with her feelings by compulsive shopping, Darcy finds comfort in the stories of her books, living through their characters. Her best friend Marisol is one of the only people introduced to Darcy’s private world, but as Darcy quickly finds companionship in Asher, she struggles to share her mother’s hoarding with him. 

For a book described by Kirkus Reviews to be for “bookish readers,” it’s safe to say that it’s surprising to hear the main character equate being a ‘puppy murderer’ to speed reading. Darcy has perfect memory, holding onto each word she’s ever read which sparks her emergency role in the school play, an example of a more random storyline within the book. 

Another issue was predictability: in many cases, everything worked out almost too perfectly. Further, Asher as the love interest having a girlfriend through the majority of the book made appreciating the romance aspect of the story incredibly difficult. 

Almost saved by the undeniably sincere ending message, The Library of Lost Things is predictable, but satisfying as well. As she discovers throughout the book, Darcy has her own story to write. But with so many different paths to choose from, the book itself was quick to switch from a story of challenging but persevering familial relationships to a more superficial story of drama-filled instant love.