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The Library by the River

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It was an ordinary rainy day in March of 1985, the day Beth walked in to an ordinary library and met Sarah, the woman that would change her life forever.

At a time when the AIDS epidemic was well underway, when society still labeled homosexuality as an illness, something to be hidden away, whispered about, but not talked about aloud, there were certainly obstacles in their way.

Even so, obstacles or not, Beth is twenty and Sarah is twenty-eight, they're young, and in love, they can handle whatever comes their way. Or so they think.

The one thing they may not be able to overcome is Kim. Beth's jealous best friend. She doesn't see Sarah the way Beth does, far from it, she sees her as nothing more than a problem that needs to be taken care of. An impediment to the relationship she knows she and Beth are meant to have.

Volatile and hot-headed, yes, but is Kim actually capable of tearing them apart? And at what cost?

In the end it'll be more than Beth could ever have imagined.

A story of love, and of terrible loss. And a story of hope.

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 8, 2018

24 people are currently reading
385 people want to read

About the author

Debra Flores

6 books123 followers
Bluesky account for anyone interested:
Debbie2222.bsky.social

Debra Flores lives in Texas with a big beast of a cat - but she has no delusions about him. She knows full well if her life were in danger he would not be coming to her rescue like that fabulous cat on that viral video. But she loves him anyway, especially when he's nice enough to sleep on something besides her laptop so she can write.

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5 stars
124 (64%)
4 stars
45 (23%)
3 stars
19 (9%)
2 stars
2 (1%)
1 star
2 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
Profile Image for Corrie.
1,694 reviews4 followers
February 23, 2019
As I reached the end of The Library by the River, Debra Flores had managed to reduce me to a sobbing mess. Her magnificent storytelling, that was already present in the 5 star time travel romance One Day You’ll Leave Me, has captivated me once again. This book is the absolute bomb. It stirred up a lot of feelings and as much as I wanted to utterly hate that one character (no spoilers) and her actions and put her on fire, I did get her. Only very talented writers can manage that, because they invest in the motivations and development of the main players in such a way I can even feel empathy for the bad girl. The narrative is a sweet slow burn, intimate and heartbreakingly beautiful but with this underpinning of sadness and unease.

Never stop writing, Ms. Flores!

f/f

Themes: the love that dare not speak its name, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, the all sacrificing love of a mother.

5 stars
Profile Image for CJ.
47 reviews24 followers
February 14, 2019
This is a very real, heart-achingly beautiful read. It affected me so much that I stayed awake 1.5 hours after I finished the book at 2am. It’s sure to stick in my mind for the next few days. Having come out in the early 90’s, the story hit home for me. The issues, feelings and realty of those times were accurately portrayed. Debra Flores’ writing is delicate and beautiful. This is the second book I’ve read of hers, and I consider both to be 5++ stars.
Profile Image for Sarah.
106 reviews11 followers
February 5, 2022
"The Library by the River" tells the story of Beth and Sarah who meet at the library and fall in love. But it isn't as nice and easy as it sounds. It's 1985 and there are a lot of obstacles in their way. Maybe too many.

This was my first book by Debra Flores and I loved it. It is beautifully written, touching and bittersweet.

I liked Beth and Sarah a lot. The story is told from Beth's point of view. If you are - like me - too young to know what it was like to be gay in the 80s, you will know it when you read this. Everything is described very well and feels real and it made me really angry and sad.

I actually stayed up until 0330 this morning because I needed to know how the story ends. It was heartbreaking and I'm still thinking about it today.

Even though this is not a very happy story, I'd still recommend it because it's one of those books that are so sad but still so good and worth the read.
Profile Image for Joc.
772 reviews198 followers
May 29, 2019
Oy vey. This is beautifully written and completely engaging but it's not an easy read. Beth is called for jury duty and realises she hasn't been downtown for years. She's within in blocks of the library was that she started frequenting at the age of five. It's also where she met Sarah when she was twenty.

Most of the story is set in 1985 when Beth was studying to become a nurse. It wasn't an easy time to be gay and certainly not openly. What follows is a story of love, friendship and betrayal. It's one of those stories that will be in my head for a long time. It's emotional and powerful, and absolutely worth reading.
Profile Image for Carrie.
404 reviews
September 23, 2020
Good Lord, that hurt.

This somber love story is set in 1985 and no amount of cheesy movies or Aqua Net can provide consolation.

Beth is attending college in Texas. The campus library has too many distractions so she chooses to frequent the public library downtown. But the joke is on her because she finds a completely different type of distraction in the form of a new librarian.

What this author does really well is put you right smack dab within the timeline of her stories. Describing hairstyle, clothing, and providing pop culture references made me so nostalgic for growing up during the 80's.

I enjoyed the supporting cast of characters. They were all so different, vibrant, and original. The uptight librarian. The love-sick best friend. The hippie-phobic and wheelchair bound library companion.

In the beginning, I felt all those giddy feelings right along with Beth. I read so many books and none have done a more realistic job of demonstrating that awkward initial crush stage. Did she look at me a certain way? What did she mean by that? Is she interested... maybe? Of course not. Should I or shouldn't I? Guhh!

There isn't much I can say about the plot without revealing important things that make this journey reverent. I will just tell you that it made me giddy, happy, indignant, irate, and desolate.

And I have to sing praises to the author for providing sexiness and intimate connection without being explicit.

I would have given this 5 stars except that it felt like there was an imbalance of narrative vs. dialogue. Sometimes I found myself skimming paragraphs that didn't seem necessary to the overall direction of the story. And while the dialogue was good, it was sometimes confusing as to who was saying what as the same person would have dialogue two paragraphs in a row instead of alternating.

I recommend this to people who like to ready about romance, libraries, coming out, the 80's, unrequited love, gay oppression, literature, ugly crying, and pocket-less zipper clothing

P.S. Did I miss the explanation of how the mother finally came around in 4 years (which was 2 years too late)?
Profile Image for hubsie.
621 reviews86 followers
August 20, 2020
Well.....shit. 

I finished this the other night and am still sad. Like, sitting in my office wanting to write more words but even my hands are sad. And I feel conflicted. because even though the story is "hey I've been kicked-in-the-face and now my teeth are crumbling out" devastating, and your heart will ache, you should still read it. It's actually brilliant, and does have many moments of joy and wonder and love thrown in. I see other reviewers feel similarly to me. 

This morning at 5am I still couldn't get it out of my head, and reached for the last few chapters again to make sure I read it right. Yup, sure did.

I don't even know what else to say. Think my boss will accept the excuse that I need to go home because my hands are sad, affecting my ability to type? Hmm....
Profile Image for Jamie.
213 reviews84 followers
December 7, 2021
This is a reread, because for some reason I wanted my heart completely ripped apart again. Even though I knew what was coming this time it still killed me.

First of all, I don't think the official blurb does this book justice. It's a little wordy and doesn't capture the power this book holds, while also telling a bit too much.

The Library by the River tells the story of Beth in 1985. Beth likes to spend time in the library, both to study as well as to keep exploring new books. When a new librarian is hired named Sarah, it turns Beth's world upside down. But the rest of the world might not be ready or able to go upside down with her.

This book is really difficult to discuss without spoiling crucial parts of it. But this is a raw and emotional work and be prepared for that. The Library by the River isn't a happy book really, but a really touching story. A masterwork of pathos. If you need to cry you won't need to look further.

As I mentioned at the end of my review for One Day You'll Leave Me, Debra Flores hasn't published anything for a few years, but I'll be first in line for her next book if and when one comes out. 5/5
Profile Image for Dawn.
139 reviews8 followers
March 7, 2019
This was a great book! I remember what it was like back then. I grew up in a small town in the Midwest. Being gay was something that was frowned upon and not talked about. You got married and had kids. I could relate to the story in more ways than one. The author did a great job with the characters.
Profile Image for Jo reece.
551 reviews60 followers
April 25, 2019
Urm, well... wow. Very powerful book. The writer knows how to tug the heart strings but yet can still make you smile at the same time.

Profile Image for Gabriela.
26 reviews5 followers
November 9, 2019
It's beautiful. It's poetic. It's heartbreaking. This book let me speechless. I cried. I don't get why some people don't let others being happy. The author did a really nice job by bringing up very realistic things to this book. It's definitely a worth read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
551 reviews11 followers
April 30, 2019
This is a very well-written and powerful love story. I am really impressed with Flores, and I'm definitely going to be reading all of her books.

I will warn you, despite its classification, I believe it doesn't qualify for the romance genre.
Profile Image for Sleady.
87 reviews7 followers
December 18, 2021
At first I am just curious are this book really that sad? Everyone said so in their review. I recently read a book from this author and it's actually good, so I thought why not for this one.

I tell you, it's really sad.

After reading a book that's really sad around July, I promised myself not to read a book that will break my heart ever again but ofc it's always tempting to break a promise made to ourselves. But then, this story is sad but not to the point of breaking my heart. Maybe I was prepared for it.

Or actually..there are something else that divert my attention along the way. Kim. The best friend, Kim. I was once like Kim, once upon a time. Not entirely similar but I was in love (or I thought so at that time) with my best friend who date someone (in my opinion) is an asshole and didn't deserve her. So, I understand how Kim might feel about Beth dating Sarah. I was leaning a bit on Kim side in my reading, so I just don't know what to comment on the ending. I was distracted and I am just not sure what to feel for everyone. Mad? Sad? Idk.
Profile Image for Cookie.
51 reviews4 followers
April 21, 2021
Sometimes I am lazy to write a review, sometimes I do not care, and only rarely, I am left speeches.
Ms Flores is discovery, and this is a damn good book. Of I go to dry my kindle.
Profile Image for Nadine Bok.
36 reviews
June 4, 2023
Well done Debra Flores!! Loved this book so much and it took me a long time to get over the ending. Too bad there are people who will go to any lengths to ruin someone's life.
Profile Image for Gabriella.
326 reviews89 followers
December 18, 2023
Y’all were right when you said this was heartbreaking! I know I’ll be thinking about those last few chapters for a long time. So far Cantoras by Caro de Robertis is the only book that’s ever made me cry, but who knows. I could see myself rereading this book and crying if I’m in the right (or…wrong) mood.

Overall, this is such beautiful book. Flores’s writing is truly something special. From the absolute gravity of Beth’s love for Sarah, to the way their first encounter altered Beth forever, to the way memories attach themselves to places and never let go — this book is one heck of a melancholy feels trip. Flores also does a great job portraying the agony of being gay in the 1980s. Surprisingly, however, the book is also light-hearted and feel-good at times?? Shoutout to Beth’s wholesome dad, her library friend Mike, and even the uptight librarian Ms. Strauss.

Unfortunately, I’m docking a star due to a) the fact that the elaborate scene-setting descriptions sometimes felt unnecessary, and b) because I just wanted more interactions between Beth and Sarah. What we got was great, but I felt like I needed more to be truly invested in their relationship.

Debra Flores is now on my radar and I’ll definitely be reading all her books!
Profile Image for Angie Engles.
372 reviews41 followers
December 22, 2018
I'm not sure my disliking a character should be reason for me giving this four instead of five stars. The book itself is beautifully written and has so, so much that I can relate to, more so emotionally than in direct experience comparison, if that makes sense. I get the sense, though, that the reader is supposed to like both main characters and since I don't care for Sarah at all, I think that falls on me rather than the author. I cannot really say anything more without spoiling things so I'll just leave it at this: some of us have known "Sarahs" in real life and been hurt by them, sometimes unintentionally, sometimes intentionally. For me this is not a love story, but one long exercise in heartache, exceptionally told, but just too painful for comfort.
Profile Image for Jo.
208 reviews21 followers
February 24, 2019
Ms Flores's first book really got to me. This one just bombed my heart, I need another bottle of wine. Strong story, well written, powerful and have to tell you it is sad. Well worth the read.
Profile Image for Menestrella.
400 reviews36 followers
March 21, 2024
Tears... I am a mess.
Powerful reading. So real.
Profile Image for Maze.
86 reviews2 followers
July 22, 2018
Beautifully written. Wish it could have ended differently for Sarah and Beth but so goes life. Unfortunately, every story doesn't end in beautiful sunsets and everlasting love. Which I think is a good thing because it keeps things in perspective. It's real. Every couple won't always get the happy fairytale ending that they deserve. Which, on the other hand, is very sad. I enjoyed Sarah and Beth. Their banter, their love. Too bad Beth couldn't see Kim for what she really was.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Jenn.
14 reviews
December 15, 2018
Beautifully written! I struggled in the first few chapters of the book, wondering why the story was going back in time, and so much talk about the library. I'm just so glad that I stuck with the book for the beautiful story to unfold. I did not want this book to end.
Profile Image for Lexi.
59 reviews4 followers
March 19, 2025
I would describe this book as cruel. I have considered other adjectives, but that’s the one I continue to land on. It revels in the beauty of possibility for the better part of two hundred pages, and yet concludes in a brutal refutation of the very same. Perhaps it’s the existentialist in me, but the true tragedy lay not in the loss itself—tragic though it was—but in the active denial of all other possibility, in Beth’s future life constructed wholly within the shadow of her traumatic loss. The parting reflection that, it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all, only serves to cheapen that tragedy with cliché. Perhaps I have simply never known a love so singular and complete as to be that by which all others are judged, but the prose was not quite up to the task of showing me that that’s what Beth and Sarah truly had.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Kirsty Grant.
48 reviews3 followers
July 24, 2022
A book that makes me realise just how luck I am to live in the world I do, where I can love, live with and marry who I want.

This book broke my heart. Once I started it I couldn’t put it down, and once I finished it I couldn’t get it out of my head. Definitely worth a read.

Hoping that Ms Flores continues to write more sapphic novels for us to enjoy.
Profile Image for Cody.
26 reviews18 followers
May 7, 2019
I havent been this bummed out by a gay relationship since The 100. Also, it was on the slow side. Rounded up the rating to 3 but could have gone either way for me.
Profile Image for Cindy Stein.
796 reviews13 followers
May 6, 2019
In the 1980s, Beth is a 20 year old college student lesbian in San Antonio, Texas. One day she walks into the city's public library and meets Sarah, the new librarian. There's an instant connection that builds slowly and then blossoms. But Beth's best friend Kim is in love with Beth and is extremely jealous of Sarah. Kim has a major temper and holds a grudge. Beth knows how Kim feels about her and tries not to encourage her, but keeps hold of the friendship because Kim was there for her when Beth's mother rejected her.

The above plot sketch doesn't do this book justice. It is a heartfelt and extremely sad book that reflects back on an era where in many places in the US being a lesbian was a dangerous proposition. In that regard, it is an important book to read.

It's very important to note that this is not a typical romance with a HEA. There are aspects of romance, including the meeting, the build up, the major conflict of misunderstanding, the reconciliation and falling in love. But the pattern ends there.

Just be warned. The last chapter of this book had me weeping inconsolably. I'm still profoundly sad just thinking about it.

I'm rating this a 5 because of the book's impact and importance. I will say, it is in places overwritten and the beginning is slow. But the last 2/3 are engaging. I'll be interested to see where this author goes from here.
Profile Image for ࣪ ִֶָ☾..
369 reviews1 follower
November 18, 2023
"I had the rest of my life to spend with Sarah. I knew this the way I knew the sun was going to come up the next morning, and the morning after that, and ten thousand years from now when I was long gone."

debra flores, the author that you are. please keep writing these beautiful stories of yours

i reached the last page of this book with tears rolling down my face. fucking hell. the bitch (THE bitch) took years off my life.

it's been a while since i read a book this gut-wrenching because i was trying to avoid it (i'm sad enough as it is no thank you). after reading one day you'll leave me, i thought this was gonna end on the same note but man was i wrong. i think what made this so horribly depressing for me was the fact that they were so close to spending their whole life together only for it to be ruined by some pathetic bitch. i hate her so much i was ready to jump in the book and wrangle her to death. UGH AND TO THINK SHE GOT HER HAPPY ENDING???? i hope she died from an agonizing disease atleast

anyway, beth and sarah's story made me think about all the gay people back then who must've experienced cruelty and harassment for being who they are. it was enough to rip me apart all over again to think that THIS story may have happened in real life for some queer people. i'm gonna ruminate about this before sleeping damn it
Profile Image for Candace.
Author 1 book18 followers
January 14, 2024
Back in the old days, when I first began reading lesbian literature, the first novel to really hit me where I lived was a novel that today might have trouble finding a publisher. It was Jane Rule’s *This Is Not for You,* and by today’s standards, its cardinal sin was the omission of the obligatory “HEA” ending. “HEA,” which is short for “Happily Ever After,” is a kind of genre guarantee that no reader of lesbian romance will ever be troubled by having to invest emotional time and energy in a story that doesn’t end on an upbeat note, along with the promise of many more upbeat notes to come.

HEA is the worst form of literary sanitation I have ever encountered, because it grinds down our stories, from having the potential to be great, heart-breaking, tragic, or whatever and instead renders them into predictable bits of entertainment that most remind me of Nietzsche’s “A little poison now and then: that maketh pleasant dreams.”

Anywho, Debra Flores’ *The Library by the River* will, I promise you, break your heart. I will drop no spoilers except to warn off HEA-seekers that, like Rule’s great novel: “This Is Not for You.” For those who have the heart and soul to read real literature, rather just some genre romance aimed at those that Naiad’s Barbara Grier termed “our one-handed readers,” I recommend this book most highly. It is worthy of your time and effort.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews

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