The Rose Code : My Wattpad Blog

D: July 13, 2020 Book Review

Hi Lovelies,
I finally found a young adult novel that's interesting enough for a book review. Introducing The Library of Lost Things by Laura Taylor Namey. Here's part of the blurb, because I'm too lazy to type the whole one:

"She'll read a thousand happy endings before she finds her own. From the moment she first learned to read, literary genius Darcy Wells has spent most of her time living in the world 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."

The blurb caught my interest right away. I certainly relate to Darcy, the main character. I also read books to avoid my crushing reality. I'm afraid that we'll lose our house too, though for a different reason than Darcy. I also want to find my own happy ending someday. Don't we all want that?

I loved the quotes from different classic novels at the beginning of each chapter of The Library of Lost Things. My favorite is from chapter four: "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players" - William Shakespeare As You Like It. I tried to guess what would happen in the chapters based on the quotes and the fun chapter titles.

I enjoyed the supporting characters so much. Marisol, Darcy's gum-chewing, fashion-designing, best friend, was the supportive, encouraging, fun friend I always wanted to have, and Asher, Dary's soon-to be-love interest, was the moody, handsome, sweet boy of every girl's dreams.

However, Asher has a very good reason for his moodiness. He hit his head in a car accident and now has Post Concussive Syndrome. A friend I've met on Wattpad also has it. I've read her awesome blog where she talks about her symptoms, but I can't remember her name. I guess that's what happens when you have over 500 Wattpad followers. If you know her, please tell me her Wattpad name. I want to dedicate this post to her.

My absolute favorite part about The Library of Lost Things is when a used copy of Peter Pan by J. M. Barre was returned to the books store where Darcy works, because someone, who Darcy calls the Mystery Scribbler, wrote poems, lists, and notes all over the novel. I guessed who this someone was right away, but I didn't mind because I enjoyed finding the clues the author left to help Darcy discover the mystery person's identity. Namey expertly weaves quotes and scenes from Barre's Peter Pan throughout her novel, and now I really want to read the classic novel. Have you read Peter Pan?

My least favorite part about Namey's novel is the purple prose. Sometimes the descriptions were so beautiful and poetic that I wanted to write them down in my journal, but occasionally, they were obnoxious and heavy and reading the words was like plowing through mud.

Warning: Do not read this book if you are hungry!!! The delectable food descriptions will have you heading to the kitchen for snacks. I love Mexican food!

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

5 stars- I loved it and will reread it many times.

4 stars- I loved it and might read it again.

3 stars- I liked most of it.

2 stars- I liked some of it.

1 star- I didn't like it and didn't finish reading it.