The Library of Lost Things

by Laura Taylor Namey

Overview

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.

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781335928252
Publisher:	Inkyard Press
Publication date:	10/08/2019
Edition description:	Original
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.40(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Laura Taylor Namey is a Cuban-American Californian who can usually be found haunting her favorite coffee shops, drooling over leather jackets and wishing she was in London or Paris. She lives in San Diego with her husband, two superstar children and her beloved miniature schnauzer/muse. The Library of Lost Things is her first novel.

Editorial Reviews

2019-07-14
A sweet romance from a debut author to watch.

Darcy Jane Wells works at a bookstore and likes to memorize lines from her favorite classics. Her friends are her beloved characters and her best friend, Mexican/Cuban American fashionista Marisol, who is the only one who knows Darcy's secret—her mother is a hoarder. Brokenhearted and traumatized by the abandonment of Darcy's father, her mother is the image of perfection in public, but their small San Diego apartment is filled to the brim with her compulsive purchases. Darcy's only refuge is her bookshelf-covered room. With the help of Marisol, a used copy of Peter Pan, and an older boy struggling with his own trauma and illness, the linguistic savant begins to muddle through her senior year. Peppered with literary quotes and chapter headings, this novel will delight teen lit fans (mentions of YA faves abound). Taylor Namey's portrayal of mental illness is thoughtful and well executed, and the characterizations of even background characters are fully developed. The friendship between Darcy and Marisol is well balanced and charming, and the happy ending is swoony—but not overly so. The author sometimes relies too much on tropes (super self-aware teens, a mean-girl ex, a grumpy bookstore owner, and a boisterous Latinx family), but this doesn't detract from the feel-good narrative. Darcy and most characters appear to be white.

A lovely tale for bookish readers that will give them all the feels. (Realistic fiction. 12-adult)

Kirkus Reviews

"Watch out or you'll lose your heart in this library! Laugh and cry and look up words of the day with your new favorite heroine, Darcy, as she finds first love. This story will give you All the Feels!" -Kelly deVos, author of Fat Girl on a Plane

"A poignant tale about a young woman with a book-shaped-heart who finds the courage to write her own story." -Nancy Richardson Fischer, author of The Speed of Falling Objects

"The Library of Lost Things is a compelling family drama with a literary through line that will delight bibliophiles-a classic lit quote begins every chapter, and Darcy works in a bookstore. Though the romance is appropriately sweet, it's Darcy's family dynamics-the war waging within her between love and resentment, the desperation to cling to loyalty while running toward independence-that sets the book apart. Book lovers will find Namey's story especially compelling because, in Darcy, they'll find a kindred spirit." –Booklist

From the Publisher