When Libby Weeks, a beloved Author who writes under the name “F.T. Goldhero”, is diagnosed with Dementia, her world turns upside down. Libby is the writer of the Falling Children series. A series that rivals the craze of Harry Potter and has created quite a borderline rabid fanbase. Libby is expected to finish the last book in her series when her mind really starts to unravel. She’s at a loss on how to finish, when her desperation leads her to reach out to her biggest fan in the hopes that she can help give the children the ending they deserve.

It’s not that I didn’t like this story, I didn’t really like the story within the story. After reading so many good reviews of this book, I was so disappointed that I didn’t love it as much as everyone else. Based on the Cover and synopsis, I expected something totally different. Though I love a bit of whimsy, I wasn’t expecting it to be so fantasy-heavy. So much of the book was parts of the Falling Children series, and sadly, I didn’t enjoy these parts that much.

However, I did really enjoy Libby’s story, her adventure to find Peanut, and Peanuts backstory. This part of the book truly shined in my opinion. All of the characters felt so real and had such excellent development throughout the book. And Stephanie Booth’s writing is pretty fantastic. Even though a huge portion of the book wasn’t really my cup of tea, it’s truly an impressive debut novel. And I adored the ending!

Overall, I liked most of the book enough to feel that it deserves 4 stars. If you like whimsical fantasy writing, you will love this! If you don’t, I still think it’s worth checking out!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review. I hope to read more by Stephanie Booth in the future!

*Libby Lost and Found* by Stephanie Booth is a heartfelt and uplifting story about self-discovery and resilience. Booth's engaging writing and relatable characters make this a charming and inspiring read. It's a beautifully told journey of finding strength and hope in unexpected places.

Oh my. This book is so much. Life death- everything . Im not even sure how to describe it. Its about feeling invisible. About soaring imagination and possibility lost and found.
Libby is the 40 year old writer of a series of wildly popular children’s books- about a trio of orphans in a magical world aka Harry Potter. She writes under a pseudonym F.T. Goldhero because she is painfully shy and signed a shite contract that benefits her minimally while the extraordinary riches of her work flow elsewhere. This story has grade school themes- supporting character 11 year old superfan Peanut struggles in middle school with frenemys, young adult themes - Peanuts older sister Jesse is stuck in a dead end job, and 26 year old brother Buzz was seriously injured in a skateboarding accident and is struggling to find purpose. All this is mixed in with very adult themes -Libby’s early onset dementia, foul language and sex.
My favorite plot device is the unreliable narrator and here we have two suspects- a child with a wild imagination and a woman suffering from apparent dementia whose whole world was built upon the lives of fictional characters from her imagination.
I don’t want to give too much more away other than to say peeling back the layers was part of the fun. I loved this book. Highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.

Started out a bit slow but once I got into it I couldn't put it down thus will be a page turner very witty

what convinced me to read this book was the quote “for people who don’t know how to be themselves without the books they love”. and it is the best description of " Libby Lost and Found".

As a millennial reader I've adored this book. I laughed, cried and made a connection with the main characters, Libby and Peanut. They are just amazing and will be kept in my heart for a long time.
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Highly recommend!

"Libby Lost and Found" is a touching story about a famous author with Alzheimer’s trying to finish her last book. With the help of a young fan who knows her stories inside out, Libby faces the challenge of her memory slipping away and learns about the impact of the stories we tell ourselves. I would highly recommend this to my patrons at the library.

Thanks to the publisher, author and NetGalley for early access to this beautiful book. The cover alone caught my attention. This is such a heartwarming story that I don’t want to put down. It made me smile and cry at the same time ❤️

Honestly loved this book. Its a romance novel but for YOU. Libby is an author and gets a diagnosis that significantly changes her life. The way she encompasses her journey made me laugh, it made me cry, and IT MADE ME WANT TO READ. This is just an adorable read. I would absolutely recommend. Also, thank you so much to the publishers an Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review :) an amazing worthwhile read! Can't wait to read more of this authors work!

In LIBBY LOST AND FOUND, Libby Weeks is the real-life author of the hugely famous F.T. Goldhero, author of a wildly successful children's fantasy series. After receiving a dementia diagnosis, Libby finds her memories slipping away from her, which Booth skillfully incorporates into the story and draws readers into the experience that Libby is going through. The final book in the series is due, but Libby struggles to write it. She finds help in Peanut, an 11-year-old superfan who has ideas for the series. As the story progresses, the line between fiction and reality begins to blur, creating a mysterious thread throughout. Booth also effectively uses mixed media to build the narrative and the world around F.T. Goldhero's popularity. This was imaginative and touching.

One of the best books I've read in 2024, so glad to have found this gem!!
It was different from what I was expecting but amazing nonetheless.

The premise of this book was great, but I found it so hard to follow. Very slow pace and the second half was tedious for me to read. The children’s book series Libby wrote didn’t make any sense to me and I skipped over most of those parts.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Though there were plenty of moments of trauma, sadness, and hardship faced by the characters, there was also hope, coping, and some humour sprinkled in. The concept of this story was thoroughly unique. It gave me a nostalgic ache for the books I obsessed over as a kid and reminded me that I still have those stories close to my heart, despite growing up.

My only critique was the ending. It wasn't quite as satisfying as I was hoping it would be, but I will spare the spoilers.

I look forward to the final published edition this October!

I was really hoping to like this book because I thought that it would be a great delve into the sadness that is dementia. I thought it might shed some light on the illness while still being enjoyable and not too sad. I found this book interesting at first but very hard to follow as the book continued. I wasn't sure at times what point the book was trying to make. I enjoyed a few of the characters, like Peanut, but some others were strange and hard to get a feel for.

Overall it was an interesting book that seemed a bit long and hard to follow due to the story within a story and dementia element. It was also a bit unbelievable.

LIBBY LOST AND FOUND by Stephanie Booth

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC of this read.

*Possible spoilers*

3.5 rounded up to 4⭐️

A whimsical story set in a small town in Colorado, where a young girl named, Peanut Bixton, lives with her family. Peanut is enthralled with a fantasy series of books called, The Falling Children, written by F.T. Goldhero. The author and her books are famously known throughout the world. Libby Weeks, the author that goes by, F.T. Goldhero, has the last book to write for the series, and is struggling because of having anxiety issues, as well as, the onset of early dementia. Libby eventually turns to eleven-year-old Peanut Bixton, a devoted fan of hers to help her write her last book of the series. Peanut harbors dark secrets of her own and finds eerie similarities between her town in Colorado and the world in Libby’s books. Peanut also finds similarities in the characters of the book, to her own life.

I think this is geared more toward mature YA’s, but did enjoy reading it. Peanut is a precocious young girl with a vivid imagination and her parts are often very humorous. It is heartbreaking to see Libby worsening with her dementia. There are a few plot threads that I thought were unresolved and confusing. At one point, I thought perhaps the similarities between the town in Libby’s books and where Peanut lives, would somehow tie Libby and Peanut together in other ways than just the devoted fan. Some of the things in the book weren’t meshing for me or perhaps I wasn’t grasping it all. Not sure. I do look forward to what this author does next.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to review this arc!

Incredibly intriguing premise, but moved so very slowly for me. Because of this the writing got tedious at times. The plot picks up at around the 40% mark. Unfortunately I hate the 'cant stand up for myself' characters so I wasn't a massive fan of Libby even tho the depiction of her as a dementia patient was probably very accurate. Instead of charming, I found Peanut incredibly annoying. If you told me a six or seven year old was acting like this I would believe you but she ELEVEN. If was as delusional as peanut my parents would have had me admitted into the psych ward.

I did enjoy how everything was tied up very nicely in the ending, that was really satisfying.

This book was just ok for me. Maybe the fantasy aspect of her book writing wasnt for me. I think if you are a HP fan you will enjoy this book.

3.5 Stars


An ode to books, to the stories we love, those that remain with us even as the years pass.

This story revolves around Libby, a best selling author whose series of children’s books are revered by those who follow this elusive author, who prefers not to be revealed to the public. She prefers to remain unknown to the public, her only true companion is her dog. The general consensus is that this author is a man, which makes it somewhat easier. She is currently working on her latest in the series when her doctor advises her that she has early onset dementia.

When a young girl, who claims to be her biggest fan, comes into her life, the girl offers to help her with this book, to find the best way for it to end. After her doctor’s diagnosis, Libby is still reeling, desperate to bring this series to the perfect ending while she still has time, and so she goes to visit this girl and her father, and therein lies another form of magic.

There’s a sprinkling of some semi-dark moments, but overall this was a story with a lot of charm.


Pub Date: 15 Oct 2024


Many thanks for the ARC provided by SOURCEBOOKS LANDMARK / Sourcebooks Landmark

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of Libby Lost and Found by Stephanie Booth.
This is a book I didn’t know I needed in my life until I started reading it. It is magical, heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time. This is a novel that I did not want to stop reading, yet I didn’t want it to end. I absolutely adore Libby and Peanut and had such a fun time hanging out with them. This is a definite must read and I have already pre-ordered a copy for my library. I cannot wait to see what Stephanie writes for us to enjoy next!

"Libby Lost and Found" completely captured my heart. The story follows Libby Weeks, the brilliant yet reclusive author of a best-selling fantasy series, who is grappling with early-onset Alzheimer’s while trying to finish her final book. Yes, there were clichés, and sure, it asked me to suspend my disbelief a bit, but isn't that part of the magic of a good book? Despite its imperfections, this story made me feel, and that's why I love reading.

Libby herself was incredibly lovable, and every character seemed perfectly placed to complement her journey. Peanut, the spirited eleven-year-old superfan who becomes Libby's unlikely ally, brought an authenticity that worked so well for the story. With all her preteen sass and obliviousness, she added a layer of charm that felt just right. The ending may have been a little far-fetched, but it was also beautifully done, pulling all the right emotional strings.

I loved it all—every single bit of it.

Sourcebooks LandmarkThis book was soooo strange and ended up being way different than I thought it would be. It’s so much more about the wacky storytelling and Peanut’s character than Libby, which I didn’t expect. I also felt that Libby never really went through any character growth around her dementia, it was all just resolved nicely in the end. This story did intrigue me, but I don’t think I would necessarily recommend it to anyone. 3.5 rounded down!

🌈Queer rep: Secondary nonbinary character