Review: The Reading List (by Sara Nisha Adams)

My Rating: 4.5 stars

A reading list is found inside a library book with the heading: "Just in case you need it." The same list ends up circulating throughout the small town of Wembley and as the story progresses, we see the impact that this list ends up having on various members of the community. In the story, each character has to deal with various harsh realities that life hurls at them — issues that are difficult and perhaps even unresolvable, since they are part of what it means to be human. Most of the characters come upon reading by chance, but become lifelong readers after witnessing for themselves how much the books they pick up end up helping them work through certain things. As an avid reader myself who has experienced first- hand how finding the right book(s) at the right time can truly be life-changing, I love how the author, Sara Nisha Adams, emphasized this point in the ways she incorporated each of the books on the list into the story line.

This was a story that covered a lot of ground emotionally, as it made me both laugh and cry in turn. The characters were endearing and I absolutely loved spending time with them — to the point that I honestly didn't want the story to end. Like both of the main characters, Mukesh and Aleisha, experienced while reading some of the books on the list, I found myself so completely immersed in the story that I was rooted to the same spot for hours, reluctant to put the book down because I just had to know what would happen to these beloved characters.

This wonderful story is a lovely tribute to books and reading, but more importantly, it's also an ode to libraries and their ability to bring people (readers and non-readers alike) together — a message that is all the more urgent today with so many libraries under threat. I'm deliberately keeping my review short and vague because, with this book, there is honestly not a whole lot that can be said — it needs to be experienced for itself. With that said, my one small regret is that I would've liked to have read all the books on the reading list prior to reading this book, as I'm sure it would've enhanced my experience even further. The good thing is that it's not too late — I already put the books I hadn't read yet on my TBR with the intention of getting to them as time permits, at which point I would love to do a re-read of this book (hopefully before her next book comes out in 2023).