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How Can I Help You
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
From the author of Looker comes this "compulsive and unforgettable novel" (Mona Awad) of razor-sharp suspense about two local librarians whose lives become dangerously intertwined. No one knows Margo's real name. Her colleagues and patrons at a small-town public library only know her middle-aged normalcy, congeniality, and charm. They have no reason to suspect that she is, in fact, a former nurse with a trail of countless premature deaths in her wake. She has turned a new page, so to speak, and the library is her sanctuary, a place to quell old urges. That is, at least, until Patricia, a recent graduate and failed novelist, joins the library staff. Patricia quickly notices Margo's subtly sinister edge, and watches her carefully. When a patron's death in the library bathroom gives her a hint of Margo's mysterious past, Patricia can't resist digging deeper--even as this new fixation becomes all-consuming. Taut and compelling, How Can I Help You explores the dark side of human nature and the dangerous pull of artistic obsession as these "transfixing dual female narrators" (Kimberly McCreight) hurtle toward a stunning climax.
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angel1
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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Mehso-so

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5
This one was just OK to me…like the storyline but the writing was kind of boring and I scanned through some of it.🫣

17 likes1 comment
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BittersweetBooks
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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The problem with this is that it can‘t go on forever; books end 📚🔥

18 likes1 stack add
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DaniJ
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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Pickpick

Lyrical prose, murder, insanity, potential psychopathy and human obsession all set in an aged library with quirky patrons. A quick read and a gentle thrill.

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Susanita
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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A disgraced nurse and a failed writer work together at a small town library where they develop an uneasy friendship. Things get weird, especially after the #death of an annoying patron.

I don‘t know what I expected, but this wasn‘t it. There were some interesting moments, but I didn‘t particularly enjoy it. The cover is intriguing, though.

#autumnplease

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks It made me feel icky 😱 6mo
Eggs It sounds icky - I‘ll pass 😂 6mo
39 likes2 comments
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TheKidUpstairs
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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Hockey season begins...

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jlhammar
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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Pickpick

Fun audiobook. Extra points for having one of the main characters discover the amazingness of We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson.

57 likes2 stack adds
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Christine
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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Pickpick

I thought this was great! The library setting, creepy/disturbed/delightfully detestable main character, interesting side characters and relationships, and engaging audio narration made this a very effective mini-slump buster for me. The ending...was what it was. But overall this was a fun read that flew by fast, which suited me fine (even though I would have enjoyed more time with Margo! 😬).

48 likes1 stack add
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ImperfectCJ
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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Pickpick

Okay, I really liked this book! It's so quiet and understated, which makes it all the more chilling. It's about control---of narratives, of situations, of other people, of ourselves---and about interpretation. I suspect that some of the best books are written with the idea in mind that each individual character is the hero of their own story, as it is in life. Sims accomplishes this quite well.

38 likes1 stack add
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Chelsea.Poole
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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Pickpick

The library setting-loved
The repetition-obnoxious
The viscous/sinister mind of the killer-entertaining and creepy
The portrayal of library patrons-pretty accurate
The motives for the killer-didn‘t find it believable

I‘m so torn on this one! The audio is quick and entertaining and I can‘t NOT give it a pick, it‘s just so perfectly library-centric! But unbelievable and so convenient, and felt forced at the end.

Billypar I attended a reading by Sims last week, though I haven't read her yet. Apparently she used to work at a library so those patron interactions may be drawn from real life (she read the portion with the lady who feels unjustly accused of not returning a ton of books 😄). 7mo
73 likes1 comment
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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I‘m in the minority again. This one definitely made me cringe and feel disgusted at times! It started off intriguing , but very anticlimactic and ended the same. I did like the library setting 🤷🏻‍♀️ Tux agrees!! 🖤

#Adayinthelifeoftux

#LitsyLoveReads

dabbe Tux, you are just the most adorable kitty! 🖤🐾🖤 7mo
Mimi28 Yea, just by the description I don‘t think I want to read that book. Tux is so cute 😊😻😻😍😍😎 7mo
Megabooks This didn‘t appeal to me. Glad I passed! Your cat is so cute! 7mo
See All 9 Comments
JessieKB Tux🖤 7mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @dabbe 🐈‍⬛ 🖤😽 7mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Mimi28 thank you!! 😽 7mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Megabooks glad I‘m not the only one!! 😽😽 7mo
dabbe @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks He's starting to grow into those adorably long legs! 🤩🤗😃 7mo
71 likes9 comments
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britt_brooke
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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Mehso-so

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Murderous nurse turned suspicious librarian? I‘ve read too many thrillers lately, and while this was certainly more unique than most, suspending belief is tricky for me. I know the should focus on entertainment value, but I‘m set in my (almost) 42-yr-old ways. I did appreciate how Margo is both likable and horrible. That‘s nearly impossible to pull off! Dual POV and audio narration were fab as well. Fans of the genre should pick this up.

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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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I guess it‘s been a long day for Tux 😹😹

#ADayinthelifeoftux
#Catsoflitsy

GondorGirl Tux is not comfortable at all. 😂 7mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @GondorGirl ikr 😂 he makes us laugh!! 7mo
dabbe I want to rub that tummy! 🖤🐾🖤 7mo
See All 8 Comments
AnnCrystal Oh, too adorable 😻🐾💕🐾😻☺️. 7mo
Gissy Someone looks so relax😻🐾🐾 7mo
Crazeedi Awwww!!! 7mo
Mimi28 Oooooooo!! When they show their stomach like that it is a sign of complete trust and relaxation. You‘re a great cat mommy ❤️❤️ 7mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Mimi28 awww thank you ❤️❤️ 7mo
84 likes8 comments
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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Picking this one back up tonight. My daughter brought me some apricot wine 🍷 and it‘s fine!!

I‘m only on page 36, but this one kinda makes my skin crawl…

Megabooks Have a great night! 7mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Megabooks thank you my friend 🩷 7mo
arlenefinnigan Oh I LOVE apricot wine. Haven't found anywhere that sells it for years though. Enjoy! 7mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @arlenefinnigan thank you! There‘s a brewery in the town where she lives 🍷 7mo
71 likes4 comments
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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This sounds interesting! A nurse turned librarian with a mysterious past! Yes please 📚🩸🩺💊🧪✅

TieDyeDude Ooo, sounds scandalous :) 7mo
80 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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britt_brooke
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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Greenway #audiowalk with the best boy. 🎧🐾

#Champ #dogsoflitsy

Gissy 🐶🐾🐾🤎🤎🤎 7mo
LeahBergen Hey, Champ! 😘 7mo
See All 8 Comments
britt_brooke @Gissy 🤗🐾 7mo
dabbe What a handsome boy! #thoseeyes 🖤🐾🖤 7mo
britt_brooke @dabbe 💙💙 7mo
BookLineNSinker I liked this book a lot! 7mo
britt_brooke @BookLineNSinker Definitely entertaining! 7mo
83 likes8 comments
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Librarybelle
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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Pickpick

Margo works at the circulation desk at the Carlisle Public Library. Margo has a very dark secret. Margo begins to unravel when Patricia is hired at the library. Told from both characters‘ perspectives, this is a deliciously creepy novel. I could understand library frustrations as detailed by Margo and Patricia. This was so good. Comparable to Mona Awad‘s books & Phil Hogan‘s A Pleasure & a Calling.

Audio is amazing! Loved Margo‘s voice!

OriginalCyn620 Stacked! 7mo
Cinfhen Yay! I‘m soooo happy you liked it 🩷 7mo
jlhammar Just placed a hold on the audiobook! 7mo
See All 6 Comments
Librarybelle @Cinfhen It was a perfect amount of sinister behavior in an unlikely place! 😂 Thanks for putting this on my radar! 7mo
Librarybelle @jlhammar Hope you enjoy! 7mo
74 likes2 stack adds6 comments
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BookLineNSinker
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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#TitlesandTunes I would say this book would go beautifully with 'Pardon Me' by 311. This song just seems fitting.

43 likes2 stack adds
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BookLineNSinker
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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Pickpick

I really loved this book. It was dark and twisty, but all the while I was rooting for Margo in spite of her neurosis lol. Margo fled her former life, under suspicious circumstances, 2 years ago and has been happily working as a library assistant since. Everything is carrying on quite well until a new reference librarian is hired at the library where Margo works. Then things start getting really interesting. ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

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vlwelser
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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Pickpick

I actually really liked this a lot. It's a creepy nurse story but the setting is a library. So that's unusual.

#BookSpin @TheAromaofBooks

#Aardvark

TheAromaofBooks Another fabulous cover!! 8mo
51 likes1 stack add1 comment
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peaKnit
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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This was a great recommendation from @Cinfhen for #dramaqueen and #titlesandtunes this month! I listened to the whole thing on flights and snatches of time during a wonderful girls weekend in North Carolina. I‘d suggest song Devil Woman, a Yacht Rock classic by Cliff Richards - cause Margo sure was. Excellent Rec!

JenReadsAlot Glad you had a good weekend! 8mo
Cinfhen Ha!!! Perfect song!! Margo certainty had a bit of the devil in her 😂 8mo
Cinfhen Glad you had a fun weekend! Hope it was drama free 😉 8mo
27 likes1 stack add3 comments
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AmandaBlaze
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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Pickpick

A creepy, little page-turner in which a game of cat and mouse is played out in a small town library setting. Be careful the next time your books are overdue!
#SummerEndReadathon @TheSpineView

TheSpineView Great job! 8mo
34 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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AmandaBlaze
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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TheSpineView Great combo! 8mo
29 likes1 comment
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Cinfhen
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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Pickpick

Yay! My last read of the month was SOOOO GOOD! I absolutely LOVED this one! After a bit of a reading slump this audio just hooked me instantly! I couldn‘t stop listening 😊❣️Margo is living a quiet existence since she began working in a small town library but her past is about to catch up to her. It‘s a game of cat and mouse and I was ALL IN! Dual audio narration was excellent - really raising the intensity and fury of librarian Margo.

Deblovestoread You are my audio guru … you haven‘t steered me wrong yet. 😊 8mo
Cinfhen @Deblovestoread fingers crossed 🤞🏼 I hope I keep the streak going 🙏🏻❣️😊♥️ 8mo
BarbaraBB Sounds really good 8mo
See All 12 Comments
Megabooks Sounds interesting! 8mo
Cinfhen Definitely #RightBookRightTime for me @Megabooks @BarbaraBB 💯 worth a #BorrowNotBuy, Meg! 8mo
BarbaraBB Good to know! 8mo
KarenUK This sounds great! 💕 8mo
Cinfhen Hi!!!!! I think you‘d like this one @KarenUK 8mo
britt_brooke Reading this now! 7mo
Cinfhen Hi @britt_brooke I REALLY miss seeing what you‘re reading!! Hope you like this one 💚It was definitely the #RightBookRightTime for me 7mo
britt_brooke @Cinfhen I‘ll finish it today. 🙂 I‘m consistently about 8 books behind on reviews. Maybe I‘ll get caught up this week … I think this every week but it hasn‘t happened yet. 7mo
Cinfhen I‘ll keep my eye open @britt_brooke 🤩 7mo
74 likes3 stack adds12 comments
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Cinfhen
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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After a bunch of lackluster books, i FINALLY found one I‘m LOVING !!! Audio is SO GOOD 🤩 and twice already the term #DramaQueen has been used … #TitlesAndTunes September ideas 💡
Here‘s a look at the beginnings of our Spotify playlist https://spotify.link/dIu6Y8u0HCb

See All 28 Comments
Bookwormjillk Nice! 8mo
Chrissyreadit 🎉🎉🎉 8mo
Librarybelle Yay!! 8mo
Cinfhen @Librarybelle you need to listen to this audio! I‘m dying to hear what librarians think of this book! I LOVED it @Chrissyreadit @Bookwormjillk and our playlist is already SO FUN 8mo
ShyBookOwl This sounds right in my wheelhouse! 8mo
Cinfhen I LOVED it @ShyBookOwl really diabolical fun 🤩 dual audio narration was perfect 8mo
ShyBookOwl @Cinfhen Sold. Just placed a hold on the audiobook lol 8mo
Librarybelle I‘ll have to check it out! 8mo
Cinfhen Yay!!!! I hope you love it @ShyBookOwl 8mo
Cinfhen LMK if you get to it @Librarybelle !!! 8mo
Faranae I've already decided on my song (warning: it's opera!), I'm just trying to decide on a book. I've been very much mood reading lately so that's hard to plan! 8mo
Cinfhen Hahaha @Faranae I love that you‘ve chosen something SO DRAMATIC- hopefully your find a book that‘s equally creative and fits your mood ♥️ 8mo
BarbaraBB Thanks for creating the playlist again Cindy 💖 and I love that we‘ll have opera in it this time @Faranae 8mo
DebinHawaii I got this book as an Aardvark August pick but you are making me want to use an Audible credit & listen to it instead. 🙋🏻‍♀️ 8mo
Cinfhen I‘m sure it‘s great in print @DebinHawaii but the dead pan narration REALLY elevated my reading experience 🫢 8mo
peaKnit I may just copy you! I‘m heading out for a girl weekend considering my audio options for the plane ride! Thanks for the tip!! 8mo
Cinfhen Have fun @peaknit and I think this would make for a GREAT plane companion and I feel like it would be really fun to choose a song for this book! Lots of good options 😜 8mo
peaKnit Done and on my phone! I‘ll get back to you on my song lol!! I‘m dropping my kid off to college today so lots of mama drama/ tears ahead likely. 🤣 8mo
Cinfhen Oy! Been there done that @peaknit good luck 😭😭😭 8mo
peaKnit I finished listening just as my plane was landing at home, what a great rec! Thank you!! 8mo
Cinfhen Yay!!! Hope you had a wonderful weekend 💗 @peaknit and hope all went well with the college move-in (edited) 8mo
94 likes4 stack adds28 comments
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EatSleepRead
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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Pickpick

This was really good. I couldn't put this one down. Such a creepy main character too. 😳

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Jen2
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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Pickpick

Loved it

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Hooked_on_books
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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Mehso-so

Right as she‘s about to get caught killing patients, nurse Jane flees and reinvents herself as Margo, small town librarian. It‘s now 2 years later and a new hire shakes things up with Margo. I love the premise and this book started strong, but I felt like it fell a little flat and petered out by the end, which I didn‘t buy.

dabbe Look at dat sweet pup! 🖤🐾🖤 8mo
54 likes1 comment
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Reading_E
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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Pickpick

Could not put the book down!

she.hearts.horror Reading now. It‘s so easy to get hooked ! 8mo
6 likes1 comment
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ICantImReading
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

What a weird, dark, and creepy little thriller! This was really engaging (and also very unsettling), and if life would have allowed, I could have read it in one sitting. I would have loved for the backstories and the ending to have been more fleshed out. #Aardvark #AardvarkBookClub

57 likes1 stack add
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Amie
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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Mehso-so

I don't know what to say about this book. It's weird, the main characters are not likeable, it's set in a library, and there's murder. That all sounds good to me, but I think I just didn't understand what motivated the obsession between the two characters or what exactly was going on with one of the characters.

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Erinreadsthebooks
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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Idk, nothing seems to be sticking lately and I‘m having a hard time staying with a book. I don‘t mind an unlikable narrator and I used to be a librarian, so this should be right up my alley. Regardless, I‘m pausing and hopefully I‘m on to something else by this afternoon. 😕

43 likes1 stack add
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Branwen
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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Am I currently reading a book about a murderous librarian? 😱 Yes. Yes, I am! 😂💕📚

Clare-Dragonfly Don‘t read it in front of library patrons! You‘ll scare them! 9mo
Branwen @Clare-Dragonfly Or maybe I SHOULD read it in front of them to help keep them in line! 🤔😂😂 9mo
53 likes1 stack add3 comments
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AudiobookingWithLeah
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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Pickpick

3.75⭐
I have to say, lately, when so many books go with one narrator for all of their POVs…they did not skimp on this one, the narration was perfection. This was a great slow-burn type of thriller. A quick, effortless listen with building dread, and cat & mouse antics…but she forgot to stick the landing. The ending was lackluster and felt like she took the easy way out.

Kristy_K Great review! I‘m on the fence about reading this one. 9mo
AudiobookingWithLeah @Kristy_K I liked it and it was super quick. It's probably one that's better on Audio. Slow-burn always hits better on audio. 9mo
26 likes2 comments
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vlwelser
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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And somehow I picked 2 #aardvark books this month. Despite having read one of the 5. I picked neither of these for the cover but I do appreciate the hot pink.

@AardvarkBookClub

Megabooks Oh I love the mister magic cover!! 9mo
39 likes1 comment
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K.Wielechowski
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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Panpan

What did I just read?!

Jane is an angel of death, a serial killer nurse, who skips town when suspicion lands on her, changes her name to Margo, and becomes a librarian.
Patricia is a failed writer turned research librarian who forms a morbid fascination with Margo that gets stronger when she realizes Margo is actually Jane.
Neither were particularly likable or sympathetic characters.

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alecia3dixie
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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Panpan

I really wanted to like this one 😫 and a lot of people are still probably going to like this. But, me personally, this book did the one thing I can not stand in books. 2 main characters, switching POV, and recounting the same exact things. You would get a long chapter about the first main character, then switch to the second person and read the whole thing again through their perspective. Personally, 1/5

Yuki_Onna Stacking nevertheless... 😅 9mo
10 likes1 stack add1 comment
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EadieB
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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Pickpick

#HowCanIHelpYou #LauraSims #BookSpinBingo #SeriesLove2023

No one knows Margo‘s real name. They have no reason to suspect that she is, in fact, a former nurse with a trail of countless premature deaths in her wake. That is, at least, until Patricia, a recent graduate and failed novelist, joins the library staff. Patricia quickly notices Margo‘s subtly sinister edge, and watches her carefully.

EadieB When a patron‘s death in the library bathroom gives her a hint of Margo‘s mysterious past, Patricia can‘t resist digging deeper—even as this new fixation becomes all-consuming. This is a really good book as the librarian, Patricia, is taking notes and keeping a journal. These writings have turned into a book about a psychotic nurse who is working as a librarian. The plot is unique and allowed me to read about Margo and her dark secrets. 10mo
EadieB As I read on, I really enjoyed the ending and I am looking forward to reading another book by the author, Laura Sims. If you like unique books about someone who isn't who they are suppose to be then you will love this book. 10mo
TheSpineView Excellent! 10mo
See All 6 Comments
EadieB @TheSpineView Thanks! 10mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 10mo
Andrew65 Another excellent review 👏👏👏 10mo
48 likes1 stack add6 comments
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nitalibrarian
How Can I Help You | Laura Sims
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Starting this ARC today. This one is about a serial murderer who was a nurse, but is now hiding out as Margo, a pleasant library clerk. I'm intrigued.

30 likes2 stack adds