Matt Haig

THE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A BBC TWO BETWEEN THE COVERS BOOK CLUB PICK Between life and death there is a library. When Nora Seed finds herself in the Midnight Library, she has a chance to make things right. Up until now, her life has been full of misery and regret. She feels she has let everyone down, including herself. But things are about to change. The books in the Midnight Library enable Nora to live as if she had done things differently. With the help of an old friend, she can now undo every one of her regrets as she tries to work out her perfect life. But things aren’t always what she imagined they’d be, and soon her choices place the library and herself in extreme danger. Before time runs out, she must answer the ultimate question: what is the best way to live?

The Midnight Library

a. 💫

It seems impossible to live without hurting people.

“In one life we have known each other for years and are married...” he said. “In most lives I don't know you at all,” she countered, now staring straight at him.

Maybe that's what all lives were, though. Maybe even the most seemingly perfectly intense or worthwhile lives ultimately felt the same. Acres of disappointment and monotony and hurts and rivalries but with flashes of wonder and beauty. Maybe that was the only meaning that mattered.

adleena

‘It seems impossible to live without hurting people.’

Sana El-Merie

“The prison wasn’t the place but the perspective”

'But you will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life’.

. And you know what? They're fucking right. Because life is frightening, and it is frightening for a reason, and the reason is that it doesn't matter which branch of a life we get to live, we are always the same rotten tree. 

 Maybe even suicide would have been too active. Maybe in some lives you just float around and expect nothing else and don't even try to change. Maybe that was most lives.

It was a familiar feeling. This feeling of being incomplete in just about every sense. An unfinished jigsaw of a human. Incomplete living and incomplete dying.

i think about the multiverse a lot—how there might be infinite versions of me, each one making different choices, maybe living without the regrets i carry. it’s weirdly comforting to imagine that somewhere out there, there’s a version of me who’s done everything “right.” maybe he said yes when i said no, stayed when i left, or spoke up when i stayed quiet. i wonder if he’s happier, if his life feels more put together. but at the same time, i feel this pull toward the mess i’m living now. it’s like every wrong turn, every awkward moment, or stupid choice somehow ended up shaping who i am today.

“Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?”

Maybe that's what all lives were, though. Maybe even the most seemingly perfectly intense or worthwile lives ultimately felt the same. Acres of disappointment and monotony and hurts and rivalries but with flashes of wonder and beauty. Maybe that was the only meaning that mattered. To be the world, witnessing itself. 

Every life contains many millions of decisions. Some big, some small. But every time one decision is taken over another, the outcomes differ. An irreversible variation occurs, which in turn leads to further variations. 

Between life and death there is a library. And within that library, the shelves go on for ever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be different if you had made other choices. Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?

Leon

« Aber du wirst niemals leben, wenn du nach dem Sinn dessen suchst », sagte er wissend.

Ein Mensch war wie eine Stadt. Ein paar weniger wünschenswerte Aspekte durften nicht den Blick aufs Ganze verstellen.

« Manche Reuegefühle basieren überhaupt nicht auf Fakten. Manchmal sind Reuegefühle… Ms. Elm suchte nach dem richtigen Begriff und fand ihn schließlich, ... ein Haufen Scheiße. »

An der Natur teilzuhaben, bedeutete, auch am Überlebenswillen teilzuhaben.

kinda hopefull kinda ominous quote about life

mina

'Well that's the beauty isn't it. You just never know how it ends.'

'It seems impossible to live without hurting people.' 

thats the whole chapter titled ' A Moment of Extreme Crisis in the Middle of Nowhere' lol

' 'Oh fuck,' whispered Nora, into the cold.'

Being in something of a late-life crisis, I was recommended this book by a good friend. It’s an interesting read, and has some good nuggets. The story (fable?) is predictable, but it does deal well with the shackles of regret (if you’re one of those people who say they never regret anything, this may pass you by, but for me, it’s part of my ‘root humanity’). It can be naive, and simplistic (most things are either/or - there’s not a great deal of space for nuance.) But it circumvents the ‘self-help’ genre stereotype well. The underlying message is that life is never going to be perfect, so don’t pine for something unachievable. Personally, I think the James song summarises it well:

I’m not sure this book will lift me from my depression, but I will try to remember its message. 

Jan Jackson

Being in something of a late-life crisis, I was recommended this book by a good friend. It’s an interesting read, and has some good nuggets. The story (fable?) is predictable, but it does deal well with the shackles of regret (if you’re one of those people who say they never regret anything, this may pass you by, but for me, it’s part of my ‘root humanity’). It can be naive, and simplistic (most things are either/or - there’s not a great deal of space for nuance.) But it circumvents the ‘self-help’ genre stereotype well. The underlying message is that life is never going to be perfect, so don’t pine for something unachievable. Personally, I think the James song summarises it well:

Raise your glass
Life’s a fucking miracle
We’re made of light
Our form is physical
If we love life
Life loves reciprocal
Celebrate
She, he, we, they
Welcome sign

I’m not sure this book will lift me from my depression, but I will try to remember its message. 



I finished it in a day and it was perhaps the fastest book I have ever read in my life. I must say that I was very satisfied in terms of its suspense, readability and story. In the novel, Nora, who feels her life worthless due to the regrets she feels because of her choices and the direct/indirect consequences that followed, finds herself on a journey in which many people can find a piece of their own life. The development of the story, the characters, the narration and the message given got full marks from me. I feel lucky to start 2025 with such a book; I have a book that is a candidate to be a bedside table.

Hakan Erbas

The #1 New York Times bestselling WORLDWIDE phenomenon Winner of the Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction | A Good Morning America Book Club Pick | Independent (London) Ten Best Books of the Year "A feel-good book guaranteed to lift your spirits."—The Washington Post The dazzling reader-favorite about the choices that go into a life well lived, from the acclaimed author of How To Stop Time and The Comfort Book. Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better? In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig's enchanting blockbuster novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.

A Novel

The idea behind the book was interesting, somewhere between life and death there is a library filled with books representing all the different ways it could have gone. I can see the appeal, as many of us can relate to Nora's story -- but for my taste, there was something missing. Like the author could have gone deeper or built more around the story. By mid-book, it was clear to me how it was going to end - so not much surprise there.

All in all a good and quick read. Interesting concept, and a light way to touch on subjects like mental health.

Lavinia

The idea behind the book was interesting, somewhere between life and death there is a library filled with books representing all the different ways it could have gone. I can see the appeal, as many of us can relate to Nora's story -- but for my taste, there was something missing. Like the author could have gone deeper or built more around the story. By mid-book, it was clear to me how it was going to end - so not much surprise there.

All in all a good and quick read. Interesting concept, and a light way to touch on subjects like mental health.

met this book at the right time of my life when I was burned out of academics. Life has a purpose, no matter what. 

I was gifted a physical copy for my birthday by my bestfriend’s partner and this has been in my tbr for quite a while now, so imagine my surprise!

This was a good read, personally. The concept of getting to experience the lives you could have lived is really interesting to me. Haig could have gotten more in-depth with some parts, but I really enjoyed this.

It is quite a revelation to discover that the place you wanted to escape to is the exact same place you escaped from. That the prison wasn’t the place, but the perspective.

I was gifted a physical copy for my birthday by my bestfriend’s partner and this has been in my tbr for quite a while now, so imagine my surprise!

This was a good read, personally. The concept of getting to experience the lives you could have lived is really interesting to me. Haig could have gotten more in-depth with some parts, but I really enjoyed this.

A favourite quote:

It is quite a revelation to discover that the place you wanted to escape to is the exact same place you escaped from. That the prison wasn’t the place, but the perspective.

a personal failing; this book was too difficult for me to read when i was in a place where i had trapped myself in a life i didn't want and i couldn't figure out how to escape. i struggled and then put it down; since then, so many old things have broken apart and so many new, good things have risen from the ashes, but this book is now too tied to the past for me to see past it (136/288)

rin 🐇

moonstone

• Every life contains many millions of decisions. Some big, some small. But every time one decision is taken over another, the outcomes differ.

• She wondered if her parents had ever been in love or if they had got married because marriage was something you did at the appropriate time with the nearest available person.

• 'True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing.' – Socrates

• Want is an interesting word. It means lack. Sometimes if we fill the lack with something else the original want disappears entirely.

• The more focused you were on the activity, the less foced you were on everything else. You kind of stopped being you and became the thing you were doing

• You can choose choices but not outcomes

• The more people were connected on social media, the lonelier society became.

• You don't have to understand life. You just have to live it.

• As Thoreau wrote, "It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see."

• A former curse and a present blessing

• The prison wasn't the place, but the perspective

Kath

• Every life contains many millions of decisions. Some big, some small. But every time one decision is taken over another, the outcomes differ.
• She wondered if her parents had ever been in love or if they had got married because marriage was something you did at the appropriate time with the nearest available person.
• 'True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing.' – Socrates
• Want is an interesting word. It means lack. Sometimes if we fill the lack with something else the original want disappears entirely.
• The only way to learn is to live
• The more focused you were on the activity, the less foced you were on everything else. You kind of stopped being you and became the thing you were doing
• You can choose choices but not outcomes
• Most gossip is envy in disguise
• The more people were connected on social media, the lonelier society became.
• You don't have to understand life. You just have to live it.
• As Thoreau wrote, "It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see."
• A former curse and a present blessing
• The prison wasn't the place, but the perspective

This is my First Adult Matt Haig Book, and I must admit that I have always been daunted by this book and I have no idea why. I decided to pick the Audiobook and was reading alongside and this created a lovely reading experience especially for a book that is all about choices, regrets, and embracing life and leave you as the reader questioning your own choices.

Nora Seed is having a really bad day. She is mugged, loses her job, blamed for other’s people’s failures, and her cat is run over by a car. She is also seriously depressed. This day is one of many bad days that Nora has experienced over the last decade of her life. She can’t take life anymore and attempts suicide. Nora wakes up to discover that she is in the space between life and death known as The Midnight Library. Here, Nora is given the opportunity to take the paths she didn’t choose and undo her regrets. She travels into the multiverse, getting to experience her other lives.

Nora’s character felt like a real person making real decisions. I could feel of her emotions from both the dark side and the life side. She is such a fragile, desperate, adventurous person who is not scared by anything. I love how Haig has woven in magic, fantasy alongside Quantum physics, literature, and philosophy to make a captivating read.

This is such an emotional and powerful read. Nora is a character who is fragile and in a desperate state on mind that she decided to take her own life, but this is such a book that offers love, warmth and healing. Its inspired me to stop regretting things and embrace the here and now a little more.

Ian Brakspear

This is my First Adult Matt Haig Book, and I must admit that I have always been daunted by this book and I have no idea why. I decided to pick the Audiobook and was reading alongside and this created a lovely reading experience especially for a book that is all about choices, regrets, and embracing life and leave you as the reader questioning your own choices.

 

Nora Seed is having a really bad day. She is mugged, loses her job, blamed for other’s people’s failures, and her cat is run over by a car. She is also seriously depressed. This day is one of many bad days that Nora has experienced over the last decade of her life. She can’t take life anymore and attempts suicide. Nora wakes up to discover that she is in the space between life and death known as The Midnight Library. Here, Nora is given the opportunity to take the paths she didn’t choose and undo her regrets. She travels into the multiverse, getting to experience her other lives.

 

Nora’s character felt like a real person making real decisions. I could feel of her emotions from both the dark side and the life side. She is such a fragile, desperate, adventurous person who is not scared by anything. I love how Haig has woven in magic, fantasy alongside Quantum physics, literature, and philosophy to make a captivating read.

 

This is such an emotional and powerful read. Nora is a character who is fragile and in a desperate state on mind that she decided to take her own life, but this is such a book that offers love, warmth and healing. Its inspired me to stop regretting things and embrace the here and now a little more.

I needed a break from fairy world so I read this one. It was good and cheesy but a little too corny for me sometimes. I kept getting annoyed with the main character and I only finished it because I needed to know her end decision wasn’t going where I thought. She ended up making the decision I agreed with but I forced myself to finish it 

Jacie Foydl

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝟐.𝟓 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬

I cannot name one thing I liked about this book. Maybe the first three chapters, after then I don't even know or remember what happened. I was just waiting for the main character to finally die because clearly that's what the first fifth or so of the book was insinuating with its "x-hours before Nora decidded to die," but the girl just didn't want to die. 

I don't think it was written for me as the target audience - and it's crazy because I found similarities between this and "I want to die, but I want to eat tteokbokki". Similiarities which included that self-help kind of genre. However, I actually enjoyed the tteokbokki. 

I'm unsure why if they're birds of the same feather, but perhaps because that was written like a non-fictional book bearing conversation between a real woman and her psychiatrist, while "The Midnight Library" was written like an actual fictional novel. I would've probably given it 3 stars had I read even further and reached the end.

Tali 🧸ִֶָྀི𓂃

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝟐.𝟓 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬

I cannot name one thing I liked about this book. Maybe the first three chapters, after then I don't even know or remember what happened. I was just waiting for the main character to finally die because clearly that's what the first fifth or so of the book was insinuating with its "x-hours before Nora decidded to die," but the girl just didn't want to die. 

I don't think it was written for me as the target audience - and it's crazy because I found similarities between this and "I want to die, but I want to eat tteokbokki". Similiarities which included that self-help kind of genre. However, I actually enjoyed the tteokbokki. 

I'm unsure why if they're birds of the same feather, but perhaps because that was written like a non-fictional book bearing conversation between a real woman and her psychiatrist, while "The Midnight Library" was written like an actual fictional novel. I would've probably given it 3 stars had I read even further and reached the end.

the concept sounded interesting at first but i thought it was a little cheesy/sappy and lacked depth 

Jess Z

Nora's life has been going from bad to worse. Then at the stroke of midnight on her last day on earth she finds herself transported to a library. There she is given the chance to undo her regrets and try out each of the other lives she might have lived. Which raises the ultimate question: with infinite choices, what is the best way to live?

This had been on my TBR shelf for ages and I'm glad I finally picked it up. This book starts in a bad place and leaves you full of hope by the end. 

Liam Richardson

This had been on my TBR shelf for ages and I'm glad I finally picked it up. This book starts in a bad place and leaves you full of hope by the end. 



julie reads

i enjoy this book a lot! it was funny seeing her try different lives and it makes me think of my biggest regrets and if i’m living in my full potential (i’m not) but i wish nora the best 

debbie <3

Read it a while ago but loved it :) I love any books that make you reflect on life

The idea behind the book was interesting, however the author had not seized the opportunity as should have. The story had more of a potential. Anyway it’s a fun read.

HelyaSameni

its so crazy bc,,, ive seen this book so many times and thought about reading it so many more times but for some reason i picked it up the other day and i feel like it was just the right moment to read this, ive been feeling very,,, unsure about the future and everything and regretting a lot of things and just feeling not good, and i cried a lot not bc its a sad book but bc i understood it. and its very beautiful

The touching, funny and heartwarming new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of How to Stop Time and Reasons to Stay Alive.

Maureen

“Places are places and memories are memories and life is fucking life.”

***

Somewhere between 3 and 3.5. There were numerous quotes like the one above, so I found myself cringing a lot. I started off with high expectations, then halfway through I felt the book was overrated. Later something piqued my interest, but in the end, my expectations remained unmet. The premise really caught my attention, because I'd never heard of anything like it. Though I'm not big on the self-help advice, so I felt like the book was trying a bit too hard. The ending was so predictable and I'm disappointed because it felt like the author made no effort to switch it up. I had envisioned a potential ending— if it had happened, I might've given this book 4 stars. But it didn't, so there's that.

For what it's worth, the book is physically pretty, though.

big ab

*warning: i’m about to be a real big bitch*
this book was so boring. it could have been so cool. but it was just not. it was giving “male author writes a book based off a thought i had in middle school and yet he thinks it’s groundbreaking and life changing because he had this thought at 45 years old and i had braces when i thought of this”

I dnf this book, it was……. Not my thing 😭😭

Saloni

cool concept and i had high hopes for this book but felt very self-help at a lot of parts and also the main character had so many different sides to her it felt unrealistic.

a phenomenal book - i think one of the most powerful and authentic mementos to the value of life i’ve ever read.

not only was this book imaginative and creative but it was also so human. so real. so sad. so happy. so nerdy and it felt like it hit me in just that right spot if you know what i mean. 

life is really hard and there are so many ways we could live it. there are so many decisions we could’ve made or things we could’ve said. and yes, they would drastically change the life we live - but the truth is that even if we could somehow find a way to visit those lives like nora did in the midnight library, they wouldn’t be ours. they wouldn’t be the one we did live. they wouldn’t be the one where you made one decision over another. and that is sad but mostly great because like you can truly do whatever you want to do if you have the right perspective. like it’s dumb and cliche and annoying because it puts the blame on you if you’re not happy but truly like you can achieve things that seem outlandish and ridiculous you just have to want to do them. 

thank you matt haig for reinforcing that there is so much i love and so much more i want to love. you bolstered my love for life in a way i couldn’t have predicted through this wonderful story.

thanks for choosing life over the midnight library, as i have!

ps: i’m emailing this review to him because why not matt haig will read my words.

Ashna Nirula

a phenomenal book - i think one of the most powerful and authentic mementos to the value of life i’ve ever read.

not only was this book imaginative and creative but it was also so human. so real. so sad. so happy. so nerdy and it felt like it hit me in just that right spot if you know what i mean. 

life is really hard and there are so many ways we could live it. there are so many decisions we could’ve made or things we could’ve said. and yes, they would drastically change the life we live - but the truth is that even if we could somehow find a way to visit those lives like nora did in the midnight library, they wouldn’t be ours. they wouldn’t be the one we did live. they wouldn’t be the one where you made one decision over another. and that is sad but mostly great because like you can truly do whatever you want to do if you have the right perspective. like it’s dumb and cliche and annoying because it puts the blame on you if you’re not happy but truly like you can achieve things that seem outlandish and ridiculous you just have to want to do them. 

thank you matt haig for reinforcing that there is so much i love and so much more i want to love. you bolstered my love for life in a way i couldn’t have predicted through this wonderful story.

thanks for choosing life over the midnight library, as i have!

ps: i’m emailing this review to him because why not matt haig will read my words.

The Midnight Library

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