RiverRidge Horizontal Bookcase, Espresso

For a product that was a bit expensive it is very cheaply made. You can feel it in the material and the way it wobbles when put together. I would NOT recommend you buy this.EDITED: Do NOT buy this. After a little bit the middle shelf ripped off. A bookshelf that can't hold kids books is useless. I'm so upset I bought this and it wasn't cheap. I've added two new pictures of what happened.

This is the first Amazon review I've ever written, and I felt moved to leave after seeing the other reviews. I also received one that stank of some kind of fumes, and would highly recommend against buying this. I would give this no stars if I could. I have a 7-month-old baby and needed a shelf for toys and books. I bought this same shelf about a year ago for the nursery and it was fine. Because we were adding a play space elsewhere in the house that would also be for a second baby, I ordered the same model. As other reviewers have noted, it arrived with a terrible stench that I couldn't identify. I assumed it must be the paint, but it doesn't smell like paint. I can't return it because I already assembled it and let it sit outside, hoping the fumes would go away, but they haven't. Given that this was for a small baby, I would advise against ANYONE buying this product, but particularly if it is for a child's room. It appears to me that the manufactured switched factories (both shelves I bought were made in China) because the parts for the second, smelly one I received were not labeled with stickers as the first one was. Again, STAY AWAY from this if you are concerned about fumes from this shelf.

The good: As a bookcase, it’s cute and affordable. The bad: The edges are a little sharp to keep in a toddlers room without bumper guards, so be warned on that. The ugly: OH MY GOD, I just finished putting this together and I am legitimately light-headed and concerned for my health. The smell this thing gives off is unbelievable - think wet paint mixed with nail polish remover. And it lingers! The whole house smells. I have it in the basement now secluded in a corner closet hoping it finishes off-gassing at some point. There is no way I’m putting this anywhere close to a living creature that requires oxygen to live, let alone in my daughters bedroom. It really is that bad - there is no way this smell is good for your health based on my headache and wooziness. I will come back and edit the review should the smell actually go away at some point. Right now, it is a hazard to living beings.

As soon as I opened the box, I got a very strong odor. I believe that smell is formaldehyde, which is used to make these kind of products. You can research for yourself a/b prolonged exposure to formaldehyde. I left it in the garage for a week before putting it together--still smelled bad. Finally, wiped it down with a cleaner, which helped.It's easy to put together and it looks nice, but I would never put this in my daughters bedroom, which is why I bought it! I keep it in the garage now because I don't want a product with that kind of chemical smell anywhere near my family. There are other products out there that you might want to look at..

The item itself looks good and is solid. easy to put together, so no complaints there. The issue - ESPECIALLY for a “kids bookcase” is the chemical smell of this product. It’s noxious and extremely strong. After assembly we had to move it to the garage and air out the nursery. 12 hours later a faint smell remains (book case is still in garage). This is absurd for ANY product, much less a kids item. If the case itself does not dissipate the smell in the next 12-24 hours we will return (or burn!). No way is this odor normal or safe. Recommend a different item.

Bought this 2 years ago to go in my daughter’s room for her toys. Didn’t have any issue with a chemical smell or assembly. Fast forward to today when my daughter placed a small box of legos on the middle shelf and it broke! Similar to another customer’s review, the middle shelf has a large chunk out of it now with the screw protruding. All from a card board box weighing less than 3 lbs being placed on it. Only stuffed animals and Legos are kept on that shelf, not even heavy books! We are moving soon and will be tossing this bookcase in the trash when we do!

I purchased two of these book cases and was hesitant because other reviews said there was a strong odor and they weren't as sturdy as they expected. SO WRONG! These were bought for my classroom at school and I am 100% thrilled with these! No odor at all, high quality finish, very sturdy, and look amazing! I will be buying these for my home office very soon! Don't hesitate on these! EXCELLENT PRODUCT and EASY to ASSEMBLE!

I love it for my toddlers room. Perfect height for her and the details on the side are very nice and not so bland as some others for this price. My husband put it together and accidentally put the back board on backwards so the yellow sticker is visible from the front but oh well, eventually one of us will turn it around. It’s very sturdy too. Overall, we’re very happy with this shelf. There was no damage during delivery like some of the other furniture I’ve ordered online which was a very pleasant surprise.

I unfortunately don’t have time to disassemble it because I need it but I am really not happy with the product. It looks cheap and flimsy, not what I was expecting and for the money I paid.

It is small but functional for the space that I have available.