How about a story that combines young love with the love of books?

Chloe Sampson is a 20-something who has been taking care of her three younger siblings for a few years now, ever since their mother left. Chloe works at the local public library, and yet it's tricky for her to make ends meet in this hectic household. Her sister Trixie and brothers Theo and Noodle can be quite the handful. Not to mention the fact that she has to also monitor the antics of Gummy Bear, their dog.

Daily life is stressful. And then there's the old man who lives next door, Jasper Holmes. He's so mean that he keeps all of the frisbees and the other toys that happen to make it over the fence into his yard from the Sampson place. From time to time, Chloe has to deal with him, too.

Now, however, she is distracted by having a romantic mystery to solve. Chloe has found old library books with two sets of handwriting in them. Evidently, two people from 60 years ago -- "C" and "J" -- wrote messages to one another in these library books. At first, they exchanged ideas about the books and the characters. Then their "conversation" turned to meeting one another in person. Who were these two people? What happened between them? Could they still be living here in the small rural town of Colville, Washington? Will Chloe ever be able to learn the truth?

Much of the book is told in first-person, from Chloe's point of view. Some chapters are told by or are focused on other select characters, including the real life "C" and "J." Some of their chapters go back to 1960, when the two first wrote their notes in the books. Getting alternative viewpoints allows the readers to gain insights that the other characters may not have. It's as if we're passing notes back and forth to one another in THIS book.

As I read, I developed a possible theory about how everything could be resolved. My theory turned out to be incorrect. But the real resolution turned out to be even better. Eventually.

The Library of Borrowed Hearts is a well-spun story with an intriguing premise, a unique storytelling style and an unexpected and satisfying ending. I highly recommend it, especially for bookish readers or for librarians.