THE LIBRARY OF SECOND CHANCES

Sparks fly in a small town’s Little Free Library in a beachy tale inspired by the beloved 1998 rom-com film You’ve Got Mail.

Lucy Sullivan was born in coastal Heron Isle, Florida, where she lives and owns a bookshop, thanks to an inheritance from her close family friend Annie. She’s also the president of the Downtown Business Owners Council, and when consultant Logan Lancaster arrives, she thinks that he must have plans that will wreck the charm of the little town. But she won’t let a big-city type come in and ruin the place she calls home. Logan, for his part, is intrigued by Lucy, and even more taken by the Little Free Library she opened when the town’s public library closed. In it, people leave behind notes with recommendations for voracious readers, and Lucy and Logan soon begin an anonymous correspondence using the pseudonyms “Island Girl” and “Gatsby’s Ghost.” Carlisle has a minor character allude to the similarities between this plot and another romantic comedy’s: “It’s just so romantic. It’s like You’ve Got Mail but in a Little Free Library.” Lucy responds, “Yeah, well hopefully he’s not here to open a chain bookstore and drive me out of business.” Lucy even begins to draft a novel using her notes to Gatsby’s Ghost as partial inspiration. Carlisle’s novel is thoughtful, with well-developed characters who move beyond common small-town girl and big-city boy tropes. Instead, she pulls together two characters who turn out to have far more in common than they think. Although the plot floats along at a predictable pace, readers who believe in the power of storytelling are likely to find the narrative heartwarming and affirming. As Lucy’s mentor suggests, “Let this book take you away, and when you come back, you’ll be someone new.”

A warmhearted romance with a satisfying ending.