The Librarians

The Librarians (publication day September 30, 2025) by Sherry Thomas was a wild ride that I enjoyed every moment of! And I was floored to learn Thomas has an impressive backlist of romance, fantasy, and mystery–both adult and YA–and that English is her second language! Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the e-ARC.

The Librarians centers around a branch of the Austin public library, and four of its staff members. Hazel has recently moved back to Austin to stay with her grandmother, who is beginning to need help, but who insists that she doesn’t want Hazel underfoot all day, so Hazel applies to work at the library. Hazel is enigmatic and effortlessly cool. Sophie, the branch manager, is raising her teenage daughter on her own, and has a secret she’s keeping from everyone. Astrid, too, has a secret–in her late 20s, she speaks with a vaguely Scandinavian accent. And Jonathan, a tall, fit, gay man, former military, has recently gone to his high school reunion and wants any excuse to meet with his former crush.

When two people who attended the library’s inaugural game night are murdered, the librarians are involved–some more than others. And some have much more to lose than others. Through flashbacks, we learn that this isn’t Hazel’s first time being questioned by the police–apparently back in Singapore, they came looking for her husband who had embezzled millions. And Jonathan’s former high school crush is the medical examiner.

I loved the characters and the way Thomas wove wise sayings into their own personal musings. I loved the representation–Hazel is of Chinese descent from Singapore, and Sophie is Black and queer. Astrid doesn’t believe she’s that interesting, so has pretended to be from Sweden for years. While merely work acquaintances at the beginning, they open up and begin to be each other’s chosen family. It has everything–missed connections, a second chance with a high school crush, a heist-like flushing out of the murderer, a quest to find a missing code hidden by someone who has died, and a break room filled with international snacks.

While not explicitly fat-positive, it is weight-neutral, as there aren’t really any negative body descriptions. I highly recommend it!