Thank you to the author, Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story with a huge and creative imagination, Libby is the reclusive and anonymous author of a wildly successful YA series, grappling both with a terrible case of writer's block and crippling anxiety - and has recently been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease. She is under a huge amount of pressure from both her publisher and the fandom to deliver the final book of the series and is struggling mightily. Enter Peanut, an 11-year-old superfan, who may be the key to helping Libby finish her book and who has her own painful history to contend with. At a certain point, these different stories bleed into one another and at times I found it difficult to differentiate between what was real, what was a product of Libby's addled memory, and what was part of the YA series. The elements of friendship, familial love and forgiveness are heartwarming, but having the narrative folded into the storyline of the YA series was a bit too much for me. However, I am sure that this book will find many fans that don*t have as much of a problem with magic realism as I do.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and Recorded Books Media for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the debut book by Stephanie Booth, beautifully narrated by Mia Barron. All opinions expressed in this review are my own – 4.5 stars rounded up!

Libby Weeks is the reclusive author of the best-felling fantasy series, The Falling Children, written under the pseudonym of F.T. Goldhero. Her last manuscript is months overdue and fans around the world have grown impatient. Already suffering from severe anxiety, Libby is newly diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. She knows she needs help to finish her last book. She turns to 11-year-old superfan, Peanut Bixton, who knows the books better than Libby, but has her own issues.

What a wonderful book and the audio narration made it even better! It’s somewhat like a book in a book tale, as we learn just what some books mean to readers. Think of the Harry Potter craze and it relates perfectly to how much The Falling Children series means to its readers. The struggles of both Libby and Peanut are heartbreaking but they are both so open and charming, that it’s not depressing or sad. Instead, it’s hopeful and magical and shows the power of books. Wonderful!

What a fun surprise this book was! I heard a favorite podcaster raving about it and decided to give it a try. I am so glad I did. A beloved children's author develops early onset Alzheimer's and needs a super fan to help her finish the series. This book has so much heart. It's a unique premise and one that will appeal to the book lover in all of us.

Made it though the first quarter of this book before ultimately deciding I just didnt care to continue due to little connection to the MCs and not wanting to read so much fake childrens literatrure.

Here is my review for Libby lost abs found by Stephanie booth! Thank you so much NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in advance in exchange for an honest review! This book was a 3.5 stars for me! I realky enjoyed it! Review linked below

An incredibly moving debut about an anonymous popular children's author with early onset dementia who is struggling to finish the last book in the series. Faced with a harrowing diagnosis and a spiraling ability to remember ordinary day to day things, Libby gets the idea to pair up with one of her young super fans, travelling to her small town with her loyal canine companion. What follows is a family drama, a heartwarming friendship and a beautiful story of forgiveness and redemption. Perfect for fans of books like The brilliant life of Eudora Honeysett. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

CW: suicide attempt, parental abandonment, depression

Libby Lost and Found is a heartwarming and quirky novel that follows Libby, a reclusive author of an immensely popular children’s fantasy series, grappling with debilitating anxiety and the onset of early dementia. Writing under a pen name, Libby’s true identity is unknown to the world, and the pressure from her devoted fandom and demanding publishers mounts as she struggles to complete the series’ final book—only she’s slowly losing the ability to remember the story. Libby reluctantly teams up with an unlikely companion, an 11-year-old superfan named Peanut, whose heritage and backstory are as mysterious as Libby’s books.

Booth’s writing brings these characters to life with vivid charm. However, there were moments when the story felt a bit far-fetched, particularly with the parallels between Libby’s fantasy series and Peanut’s small town. At times, it was challenging to distinguish between what was real and what was occurring in Libby’s deteriorating mind, which made some parts feel confusing. While these elements added layers to the narrative, they also disrupted my enjoyment at points—especially towards the end, where the resolution surprised me but left me slightly underwhelmed.

I appreciated the creative formatting throughout, including news articles and search results, which gave the book a unique texture. However, the “world within a world” aspect—Libby’s fictional universe of the Falling Children—presented a barrier to entry that I found a bit too high. I think a slightly less complicated set up would have had better payoff for the reader this one demanded a lot of effort to get up to speed on.

Despite these minor frustrations, Libby Lost and Found is a beautifully written and worthwhile read. It’s a poignant story about memory, identity, and the weight of expectations, balanced with moments of humor and heart. If you enjoy stories with a blend of fantasy, real-world struggles, and book-within-a-book elements, this one might just be for you.

The audiobook narration was excellent, enhancing the immersive nature of the story, and it’s one that will stay with me long after finishing.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I fear that this book just wasn’t for me. It is a cute concept, and I can see how fans of magical realism-style books might enjoy it more. It was pretty funny/silly at times (especially in the media releases) and the main plot was a pretty cool concept. The undercover author of a YA series with a cult following is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and has to rely on an 11 year old super fan to help her finish the final installment.

However, while I agree that the plot does sound cool at face value, something got lost along the way throughout the book in my opinion. The narration alternated between Libby (the author with Alzheimer’s) and Peanut (11 year old). Libby becomes increasingly forgetful over the course of the book, and Peanut is very imaginative but often to the point of delusion. Reading the story solely through these somewhat unreliable POVs made it feel really disjointed and awkward to me. If there had even been one POV solidly grounded in reality, I think it might have made a difference. Most of the time I was lost and unsure what was real, what was being confused by Libby or what was imagined by Peanut. Now of course this could be the charm of it all for other readers, it just wasn’t in my case.

I ended up just being confused for most of the book, especially when the whole town seemed to be eerily matching what Libby had written in her book series. I pushed through, hoping to find clarity in the ending. While there were loose ends tied up, I’m still left with questions!

I received this book as an eARC from the publisher via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you Stephanie Booth and Sourcebooks!

Meet Libby Weeks, author of the mega-best-selling fantasy series that has captured hearts and minds across the world, The Falling Children. Except nobody knows the author is Libby other than her publisher. Libby writes under the pseudonym F. T. Goldhero to preserve her anonymity. When early-onset Alzheimer’s threatens to leave the Falling Children stuck in a world where Libby can’t save them, she turns to her most loyal fan to help her – 11-year-old Peanut Brixton, who knows the books even better than she does.

As Libby’s symptoms quickly accelerate, Libby and Peanut must work together to save the children. Each struggling with their own demons and secrets, can Libby and Peanut save each other in the process?

This beautiful novel is a love letter to readers and is for anyone who has ever felt like they didn’t fit in anywhere. Libby and Peanut will break your heart and put it back together again. I loved it and I know you will, too.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Libby Lost and Found is an absolute treasure. The originality crackles on the first page. The themes resound toward our deepest fears and offer hope through profound pain. The prose stuns in both its beauty and wisdom. The whole thing is a parallelogram that had me wondering for a while if everything I was reading was a jaunt into madness or relatively reliable which left me nearly speechless. But not completely, lucky for you.

Libby is a writer. But not just any writer. She writes The Falling Children series-the most popular franchise in all of history (bigger even than HP). She's struggling to write the next book so much she sees a doctor and gets an early diagnosis of dementia. It leaves her already anxiety prone personality in shambles. She's missed so many deadlines the fans are feral. She's desperate for some way to Save the Children (who she's written into a forest from which there is no escape), so she reaches out to her 'biggest fan' for help finishing the book. The thing is, no one knows she is F.T. Goldhero, and it's vital she keeps her real identity a secret.

Maybe my favorite part of the book are the voices. Libby and her biggest fan Peanut are our two narrators, and each one of them has such a strong and pigeon-holed voice. Peanut is a series obsessed child with unique family circumstances, and Libby is quickly losing trust in her own mind. Their voices covered everything in an almost otherworldly sheen that was so interesting and beautiful.

Then we can talk about world of The Falling Children. Wow! The creativity it takes to come up with a secondary world like that for the sake of telling another story is incredible. The concept, the personalities, the 'magic'...I was blown away.

So don't be a bone grocer - go get this book!

Note:: I received this title as an advanced readers copy from netgalley and the publisher. Then I pre-ordered a copy for myself :-)

I thought this was a really solid book. I love a book that is all about the love of books and reading. This also has a little bit of found family element to it, which is a catnip trope for me. There were parts where I was a bit confused, but I think that ended working well as a device to make me feel like Libby did as she was coming to grips with her diagnosis of early onset dementia. I'm almost tempted to reread this at some point when my head isn't quite as distracted to see if I would bump it up

** I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Libby Lost and Found is not so much the cross generational friendship story I thought it was going to be, based on the summary. Instead this is more of a young adult fantasy book.

Libby Weeks, author of an incredibly popular series of children's fantasy books written under the pseudonym F.T Goldhero, is struggling to complete her draft of the sixth and final book as she's just been diagnosed with early-onset dementia. After forgetting her dog at the park and almost disclosing her identity to a Buzzfeed journalist, Libby realizes she needs help coming up with an idea to finish the book as soon as possible.

In desperation, Libby reaches out to 11 year-old super-fan Peanut Bixton and leaves her home in Princeton, New Jersey with her dog to travel to the small town of Blue Skies in Colorado where Peanut lives with her family. As Libby's dementia worsens, rumours abound as the world demands that the true identity of Goldhero be revealed and Peanut and Libby desperately try to figure out how to save the children in the stories and write a happy ending.

This book has an interesting premise but it was not at all what I was expecting - in fact, I wondered for a bit if I was reading a YA fantasy book! The magical story of the Falling Children from Libby's book series intersects with the story of Libby and Peanut quite a bit and the narration is unreliable and a bit confusing due to Libby's dementia and Peanut's difficulty separating real life from the stories.

It was a slow start for me but I did enjoy it for the most part although I thought the ending was a bit disappointing. Libby Lost and Found is a quirky and heartbreaking story about broken characters that you can't help but care for and it has a nice message about found family and how we can take comfort from stories. Many people will likely love this book but I don't think it will appeal to everyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

What do you do when you're a writer and you know you're loosing your memory? Add in that your imaginary world seems to be crosssing over to your real life, and things might be a bit confusing. She has hid from the world, but now the world has found her- both a journalist and a superfan just want to help her, each in their own way. But can she trust them? You'll soon be lost in Libby's world, and then Peanut's. For me it was a bit slow of a read, and I put it down multiple times and restarted it. The end may disappoint some readers who fall hard for the story, for others like me, it was in line to what I expected.

My disappointment in this book lies squarely on the shoulders of the marketing department. This is not the cross generational friendship story I expected based on the summary. Instead it was a young adult fantasy book about a girl who escapes her own reality through the world of a fictional series. For what I was expecting, there was way too much time spent on the aspects of the book series and its characters. I wanted more about Libby and Peanut, their realities, and their relationship. Top it off with a completely unbelievable ending and this felt like a huge missed opportunity. The wrong readers are going to be drawn to this book based on the summary and categorization. Tell your young adult reading friends who loved The Wishing Game about this book, because this is perfect if that is what you are wanting to read!

Libby writes the world's most famous children's book series The Falling Children (think Harry Potter famous.) But Libby has early on set dementia and can't remember how to finish her series. She is fighting her memory problems but has no one to help her and is being chased by the media and fans trying to expose her identity when she reaches out to a young superfan to help her write her last book. Libby goes to Peanut's hometown in rural Colorado, seeking answers to her series' finale while trying to hide her identity and cope with her lack of memory.

I really liked some things about this book- the complete frustration and lack of control that Libby feels about her dementia and the safety concerns it brings. I liked the unique characters, although they really frustrated me.

I liked much less all The Falling Child parts. I wanted more on the commentary on fandom and struggles with dementia but this book in a book was lots of worldbuilding fantasy and not for me. I do think others might like this better than I did, especially if you're a fan of Harry Potter or even a series like The Hazel Wood, Lemony Snicket, or even The Land of Stories.

This book was much different than its description and I do think it's being mis marketed. This book is more a commentary on children's fantasy rather than a story about an author with dementia.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

A book about books and authors is always like catnip for me, and I really enjoyed this one! With imperfect characters that you also want to root for, difficult topics tackled with grace, and plenty of bookish nostalgia for readers of all ages, Libby Lost and Found seems to have a little something for everyone. I’m glad to have stumbled upon it when I did, as it gave me the perfect type of light read with substance that I was looking for.

Libby Lost and Found has a unique premise that sets it apart from lots of other novels about books/authors out there already. The story follows Libby Weeks, the 40-something author of a beloved children’s/YA fantasy series that has become nothing short of a phenomenon (think Harry Potter), written under the pen name “F.T. Goldhero” as a way to protect her own privacy. Now five books into the series and working on the 6th and final installment, Libby finds herself with a new, unfortunate diagnosis of very early onset dementia. With the rapid progression of her dementia, it’s slowly becoming impossible for her to finish out her last book and to ensure the group of children at the story’s core come away with the happily ever after that everyone is seeking. Luckily, there is an 11-year-old mega fan of the series nicknamed Peanut that is there to save the day. When Libby’s and Peanut’s worlds collide, both of them end up facing and learning more than either could have imagined.

In addition to the main plot, we also get a deep character study of Libby, Peanut, Peanut’s family, and many other characters in the small town where Peanut lives (and where Libby ultimately finds herself). My heart broke for both Libby and Peanut, but in very different ways and for different reasons. It’s overall a story about grief, hope, found family, love and friendship, overcoming obstacles, coming of age, and so much more. While I did love getting to know all of the characters so intimately and following every thread of plot, I did feel like the details sometimes went a little too far to the point that I found myself wondering if it was really necessary to touch on SO much in one novel, and how much all of these subplots really added to the main message (i.e., did we really need to know the details of Peanut’s adoptive father’s affair?).

All in all, there is certainly a lot to love throughout the pages, but the whole story did require me to suspend some disbelief and just go with things no matter how far-fetched they felt - however, perhaps what felt like a touch of magic in the way that the whole story unfolded was exactly what the author was going for. It was an enjoyable reading experience, and I think it’ll be one that has wide appeal to all sorts of readers. Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was drawn to this book as someone dealing with a parent with dementia. I enjoyed this book for the most part, but at times was confused. With the main character having dementia, I sometimes wasn’t sure if the story was “real” or part of her dementia. Adding to the confusion was the crossover from fantasy and reality of the characters. It wasn't quite what I was expecting, but not in a bad way. A very unique story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reader’s copy.

I really liked the idea of this book. I enjoyed the characters, their interactions and what they have been through and what they are going through. I thought the topic around early onset Alzheimer's disease was incredibly well done and an important topic to cover. Aside from really liking the premise of the book and the characters, the rest kind of fell short for me. I thought it was very repetitive and not all that engaging. For much of the book, very little seemed to happen. I understand that given Libby's diagnosis, there won't be a ton that happens, but it just felt that a lot of the book did not need to be written. I felt that at times it was hard to determine if what happened was real or was part of the disease - it just did not fully connect for me in all parts. THat being said, it was incredibly creative and unique, making for an overall enjoyable read.

Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copies.

A quirky, heart warming, heart breaking novel about Libby, a 40 year old diagnosed with early onset dementia and Peanut, her young and biggest fan. Libby's got a very sad and lonely backstory but she created a best selling and much loved fantasy series for children, one which she will be unable to finish due to her neurological issues. And then she meets 11 year old Peanut who is more than willing and able to help. Admittedly, this does get a bit confusing between Peanut's hometown and the town in the fantasy novels and you might find yourself wondering about how much Libby's health affects, well, everything. That said Peanut's search for her birth family might keep you guessing. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.