The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Book Review

Happy Friday, book fam! I hope all my US friends had a lovely Thanksgiving yesterday!
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⁣If you’re planning to spend today shopping and buying holiday gifts, I highly recommend Midnight Library for the book lover in your life. I absolutely loved this book. It was so heartfelt and lovely and despite the sci-fi aspect of the plot line, I think this is a story to which everyone can relate. At its core, this is a story about regret and how every decision - big and small - affects the direction of our lives.
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⁣The book begins with the lead character, Nora Seed, experiencing an exceptionally awful day. After a series of unfortunate events combined with her lifelong struggle with anxiety and depression, Nora makes the decision to commit suicide. Upon drifting off into oblivion, Nora awakens in an otherworldly library, which contains an endless supply of books. Each book in this magical library contains the story of another life Nora could have lived had she made different decisions.
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⁣Guided by an old friend, Nora is able to right various wrongs throughout her life and experience first-hand how her life would have turned out had she made different choices. While in the Midnight Library, Nora slips into numerous versions of her life. In one of her alternate life-timelines Nora is a famous musician, in another she is an accomplished geologist, in several, she is a wife and mother. As she slips in and out of various versions of her life, Nora attempts to find the perfect timeline, one where everything went right.
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⁣Despite the fact that I totally guessed the ending, it was so beautifully written, I absolutely didn’t mind. This book reminded me of a cross between the movie Bedazzled (remember that one with Brendan Fraser and Elizabeth Hurley??) and the Blake Crouch book Dark Matter. If you read and loved Dark Matter, this is a must read!
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⁣⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5⁣
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TW: Suicide, suicidal ideation, depression, alcoholism

⁣If you had the chance to go back and make different decisions in your life, would you take it??