Thank you to @SourcebooksLandmark and #NetGalley for the digital ARC of #LibbyLostAndFound. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Libby Weeks is the reclusive author (using a pseudonym) of the Falling Children series. Libby is an anxious person who experiences the world through her writing and her characters. She's missed the deadlines for the final book in the series and her publisher and her fans are ratcheting up the pressure. Libby knows her characters are in trouble, but she can't seem to help them. When she's diagnosed with Alzheimer's, Libby turns to a young superfan to help her finish the book.

The depiction of early on-set Alzheimer's felt authentic and frankly, terrifying. I enjoyed this book, but the scenes of Libby venturing far from home with her impaired cognitive abilities made me anxious. In real life, the consequences could be so different.

Libby Weeks is a 40-year-old woman with anxiety levels so high it’s a miracle she’s able to do anything. Her paranoia keeps her in a cage that prevents her from actually living her life. She has no one, except for her dog Rolf. She’s awkward. She’s quiet. And she was also just diagnosed with Early-Onset Alzheimers. To make matters worse, she is also the illustrious F. T. Goldhero: beloved author of the world-famous children’s series The Falling Children (think Lemony Snicket/A Series of Unfortunate Events). The manuscript for the final book is months overdue, and Libby has written the Children into a dangerous corner with no obvious way to save them. After opening a fan letter from Peanut Bixton, the Children’s biggest fan, Libby makes the dubious decision to pack up and go to Big Sky, Colorado to pay Peanut a visit and see if she know what to do next in the story.

As Libby’s memory deteriorates more and more, she becomes entrenched in Peanut’s life, which weirdly mirrors her own novels. Meanwhile, the fans of The Falling Children have grown impatient for the last book in the series, and are turning against F. T. Goldhero. A billionaire from Texas has even put a bounty on her head – one million dollars to whomever unmasks the author. Libby keeps slipping up and doing things that could reveal her secret identity as the stakes get higher and higher – culminating in a Falling Children rally in Big Sky, hosted by Peanut’s nemesis. Will Libby be unmasked as Goldhero? Will she be able to save the Children from the danger she’s written them into? Will Libby get to actually live her life instead of letting her fears hold her back?

Booth has a wonderful way with words, and this book is sprinkled with humor throughout. Her writing is smart and you’re immediately endeared to Libby and the struggles she’s facing with the loss of her memory. Libby goes on an almost cross-country adventure because her desire to save what she views as HER children outweighs her fears and anxieties – illness be damned. You keep seeing her make mistakes because she just can’t remember, and it adds a lot of needed tension – there were several moments I had to set the book down because I was stressed out about her making things worse for herself.

If you don’t know me, I’m a cancer survivor (2 years in remission baybeeee!!!). I know what it’s like to get a big diagnosis that could be fatal. I know what it’s like when your brain stops working like it’s supposed to (chemo brain is the gift that keeps on giving if you didn’t know). I LOVE that this book isn’t all sad or overly schmaltzy about illness. It means a lot to me that Libby is still Libby, even though she’s got A Lot Going On Now. Libby is ultimately not a victim here – she hasn’t let her illness take her agency away from her. Her illness actually forces her to let go of her control so that she can experience life instead of frightfully playing it safe. She’s dating and traveling and connecting with people and trying. Libby is finally LIVING, in spite of being told she’s dying. And that’s the biggest “fuck you” you can give to an illness.

A word of warning: I was about a third of the way through the book when I became CONVINCED that I knew what the bigger picture was and what was happening. This caused me to read the book in a certain way, which made it less enjoyable for me as I ended up being wrong in my assumptions. This is a book that I’ll have to go back and read again so I can get a full appreciation of it, so I give this warning so you know to read it with a more open mind than I did. Libby Lost and Found is a wonderful story about life, family, loss, and hope. If you are a fan of any serial children’s stories, I think you’ll especially enjoy this read.

Libby Weeks, the secret author of the wildly popular “The Falling Children” series, has developed early onset Alzheimer’s and is unable to finish the final novel in the series. So, she enlists the help of one of her very best fans, Peanut Bixton, a very precocious 11-year-old girl who knows the series inside and out. The storyline progresses as Libby’s condition worsens and Peanut’s help increases. Although the overall story is a charming one, it is really slow going through most of the novel. Additionally, the second half of the novel meandered quite a bit and was confusing at times, and the ending seemed somewhat rushed (although all was nicely resolved). All in all, this was a good read.

Libby Lost and Found is for all book lovers and those who love found family stories.

Libby is a 40 year old woman who writes a wildly popular children’s magical series under the name F. T Goldhero. She lives alone, is an orphan and has no friends. No one knows she is the mysterious author. Libby has been struggling to finish the final book in the series because she was recently diagnosed with early onset dementia. She is stressed and looking for a way to complete the series before her editors, publishing company and fans find out what is really happening.

The story takes us on Libby’s journey as she flies out of town to secretly meet a child super fan who she thinks will help her finish the series, and the events develop from hereThe story struggles with how early onset dementia, alters a person’s mindset and life. A fantastical element of the “Falling Children Series” is also woven through the actual story.

I loved Libby and her superfan, Peanut. I struggled with some of the fantastical elements of the story and felt we got stuck in the middle. The writing was excellent and overall a very enjoyable read.

A complementary copy was provided by publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I haven't read such an emotionally heartwarming story since "A Man Called Ova." While the premise and the writing are nothing like Fredrik Backman's books, the heart of the story grabbed me the same way. Fully developed, endearing characters, a well paced plot and unexpected twists kept me reading almost straight through. Highly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advanced reader copy

Libby Lost and Found
by Stephanie Booth
Pub Date: Oct 15 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Libby Lost and Found is a book for people who don't know who they are without the books they love. It's about the stories we tell ourselves and the chapters of our lives we regret. Most importantly, it's about the endings we write for ourselves.
A heartbreaker of a story with wonderful broken characters who, along with Libby, fit like perfect puzzle pieces so beautifully. All those obsessive Harry Potter fans might be looking into a mirror and it touches on how high we place some authors atop a pedestal they can't help but fall off of. For book fans of THE WISHING GAME, LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY and the tragic characters of ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK - this is your kind of book.
I loved this story~

While not quite what I expected, I was enthralled with this novel and how the pieces of LIbby's dementia and the town of Blue Skies (and those living there) slowly pieced together, Highly recommend.

Libby Lost and Found is a creative, unique novel - I feel it will appeal to a variety of readers, including those who like books about books, fantasy storylines, or heart-wrenching stories of growth, pain, and hope. Libby is the 40 year old author of a best-selling fantasy children's series, hard at work on the last novel when she is diagnosed with early onset dementia. Her life has been full of pain up until this point. In some ways, she has made the most of things, but also, she lives a very solitary life so this diagnosis is even harder to deal with alone. Her story intersects with the internet and one little fan of the series, Peanut. Peanut and her adoptive family were, by far, the best part of this book for me. I love how they allowed LIbby to explore friendship, family, and love in new and hopeful ways. There was a touch of magic throughout this book, both in how Libby experiences Peanut and her town, as well as the story within the story element of the children in Libby's book series.

I rated this novel a bit lower than I would have because I found the premise to be a) a bit far fetched, and b) a bit confusing. The story within the story and parallels between Peanut's town and the town in Libby's fantasy series were intense at times. It was hard to know what was true and what was happening in Libby's mind due to the dementia diagnosis, so that lessened my enjoyment of this book somewhat. Because of those elements, I was surprised at the ending (and also a bit disappointed). That being said, I still enjoyed this book and felt it was worth the read! The author's writing is beautiful.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

3.5
Libby is an author, and not just any author, but the author of a major children's book series that has rocked the world with enjoyment. Only, no one knows who Libby is, she writes under a pseudonym and readers assume the author is a British male. Libby is working on the last and final installment of them series to be struggling with her memory. She can not figure out how to end this book, much less keep track of her beloved dog, and basics in life.

Things to not go according to plan, in fact Libby get's herself into a huge mess, and we the readers get to fret and stress over how she will get out of her multiple sticky situations.

I loved that this book shares the love and passion of amazing books that children love (adults too). It made me feel like she was talking about the equivalent to the Harry Potter series. Libby is endearing and I was worried for her and loved her. That said, her memory loss felt a bit too fictionalized for the sake of storytelling. Too many cliche things seemed to happen. I kinda didn't care about her children's story that we read within the pages, it was a little weird.

But overall, it was a fun book that kept me guessing on the direction it was going!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advance e-copy of this book.

3.5 rounded up.

What I Liked:

The dementia aspects were very spot on and obviously well researched or familiar to this author.

I love an unlikely friendship especially with a child and adult it was heartwarming and tender.


What didn’t quite work:

There were too many plot holes that needed to be addressed.

The ending needs work, editing seems to be a factor here.

A deeply moving novel with a beautiful premise that has a fictional spin on it.

Being a psychology student aI love seeing mental health struggles represented in books, hence I quickly jumped on the opportunity to request this book when I saw it pop up. It was genuinely heartbreaking seeing Libby’s deterioration throughout the book - especially that writing was once a thing she loved, a thing she breathed with, a thing that allowed her to live a life where she did not feel the pain that her life cause her when she was younger. The only thing that took my by surprise was the speed at which she deteriorated… I guess we don’t know how long it took for her to get her diagnosis done - but it definitely went from 0 to 100 quite quickly.

I really enjoyed the idea of a young fan helping Libby finishing the last book of the series… I thought it would be quite straight forward but the journey the storyline took us on was actually quite an enjoyable one. One thing that I did find quite (I don’t know the best way to describe it but…) irksome was how everybody knew the book not just as a fan but a super maniac - as in nearly everybody was quoting the book. But I understand how it was important to set the scale of her fame.

Her actual writing (Libby’s I mean) was quite… creepy, and especially the way her writing took over her life in a way that the line between the reality and the fiction she was writing got blurred. It was quite a thrilling ride.

Overall, I quite liked the book and really enjoyed the way that the author conveyed the narrative of early-onset Alzheimer’s in the book.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I was hooked by this tagline: Libby Lost and Found is a book for people who don't know who they are without the books they love. It's about the stories we tell ourselves and the chapters of our lives we regret.
You’re reading reviews because you’re a reader and you love books and you love to talk story with your reading friends, right? This book does NOT disappoint!
We’re plunged right into the crux of the protagonist’s (Libby’s) situation right away. Moving through her day we come to learn more (which you already know from reading the synopsis in the book’s listing).
The way characters were introduced, and the story developed, was wonderfully organic. The supporting characters were primarily developed through the viewpoints of Libby and Peanut, the two central characters. All the characters had complexities and puzzles, so there were always lots of questions to be answered. Not a difficult read at all, but definitely not an overly simple read either. You won’t be bored, and you won’t want your reading to be interrupted by the mundane requirements of everyday life.
(I really don’t want to divulge any more of the plot than you’ve got from the provided synopsis.)
This book was clever in concept, and very well executed. And the ending was perfect. I really enjoyed it, and highly recommend. And very much hope to see more books by this author.

"A book for people who don't know who they are without the books they love"

Libby Weeks is introverted, shy, meek, and enjoys her seclusion with her dog, Rolf. Libby also has a couple secrets.

Behind closed doors, Libby is best-selling author of "The Falling Children", F.T. Goldhero. She has also been diagnosed with early onset dementia during the midst of her finishing the final book in "The Falling Children" series. Unable to pick up the story where she left off, and with the fanbase and her publisher growing more and more impatient, she responds to a dedicated fan who believes she can help F.T. Goldhero finish the story.

This book is for anyone who wishes they could bottle up the feeling you had while reading your favorite childhood book series, for anyone who adores the found family trope, for anyone who has been faced with difficult challenges but chooses to persist, and anyone who needs a boost of hope. This book is equal parts nostalgia, love, hope, misery, depression and strength and a book that I will continue to think about.

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review

ARC REVEW!! I think it is more of a 3.75 but i rounded up! Libby is an author of a beloved children’s series. it has been awhile since she’s written her last book. she wants so hard to continue her writing, but she was recently diagnosed with dementia, making it hard to get in touch with her characters. Peanut is an 11 year old super fan who wants nothing more than to live amongst the falling children, but she’ll settle for helping coauthor the books. With found family themes and heavy topics, the brixton crew will capture your heart. I think the plot could have been a bit more concise and flowed a bit better. I liked all of he plot points and actually found Buzz’s and Libby lil relationship cute. As someone who has watched someone develop dementia and eventually Alzheimer’s, the representation wasn’t the best but I liked that it was being talked about. I think that the author could have gone a bit deeper into that area.

Libby Weeks is an author of a major best selling children's series (think Harry Potter, with all the craze and merchandising that goes with it) who writes under her pen name F.T. Goldhero. When Libby meets many of her deadlines, her fans start to go crazy, and there is even a million dollar reward offered for whoever can discover who the author really is. Luckily, most people think Goldhero is an Englishman, not a 40 year old reclusive woman who lives with her dog and rarely goes out. There is a good reason for the missed deadline, however, Libby has been diagnosed with early onset dementia, and with her reclusive lifestyle, she has no one to help her. That changes, however when she decides to meet up an 11 year old mega fans who has offered to share her story ideas.

I have mixed feelings about this debut novel. I loved the concept, and felt the dementia representation was done accurately and with respect. I liked the part of the book that was grounded in the real life story of Libby and Pandora (Peanut) the child she meets up with and her family, and what ultimately turned out to be a bit of a found family story. What didn't work for me was the story within the story, which was the fantasy children's story that needed finishing by Libby. I still gave the book 4 stars, however, as I am thinking that may very well just be because I am not a children's fantasy reader.

Thank you to net galley and the publisher for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Libby Lost and Found by Stephanie Booth takes readers on a journey they’ll never want to forget. Libby is the world-famous novelist of The Falling Children, a best-selling book series for children that has taken the world by storm…but nobody knows it’s her. They think it’s written by F.T. Goldhero and Libby likes it that way. But when early-onset Alzheimer’s threatens to leave the Falling Children stuck in a world where Libby can’t reach them, she takes matters into her own hands and befriends a loyal and devoted fan who thinks she can help. What happens next is filled with new experiences, new relationships, big secrets and the progression of Libby’s disease. This novel so beautifully captures the intersections between Libby and Peanut, both who have something the other desperately needs. It’s a book for book lovers, for dreamers, for those who have gone or are going through hard things and for those touched by Alzheimers and dementia. I’ll be holding onto this book in my reading heart for a long while.

If you've ever been obsessed with a book series and its characters you will love and relate to the characters this book! I personally wasn't able to make this connection, but people who feel a deep sense of attachment to literary characters will really enjoy this book.

I was hoping for more of a focus on Libby and her dementia diagnoses, but her feelings towards it were hardly mentioned at all, which I found strange. Yes, she was forgetful, but the life changing diagnosis was rarely mentioned. Instead, a huge focus was on the plot and characters of the book that LIbby was trying to write. The plot of this children's book felt confusing and overbearing; I didn't enjoy reading those sections, which lessened my overall reading experience of this book.

With that being said, this is a unique and well written book that specific readers are going to LOVE. I think fans of "The Wishing Game" by Meg Shaffer will like this book. And those who LOVE fantasy series like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, etc will find "Libby Lost and Found" to be a relatable read. One of those instances where the book is not for me, but I can fully understand how it WILL be for many others!

Libby is the author (under a pseudonym) of a famous children's book series. She finds out she has dementia at the age of 40 as she is trying to finish her final book. The children in her story are lost in the woods and she doesn't know how to save them and reaches out to one of her biggest fans to assist her as her cognitive state rapidly declines. This was good but confusing. Peanut (the young fan) has a life and family and hometown that often parallel those in Libby's stories. SORT OF SPOILER ALERT. I expected maybe they'd somehow all be tied together and something they wrote in the story would save Libby from her dementia. Or maybe Peanut and her family were all a part of Libby's imagination. Or something. I didn't love the actual ending and didn't think it made a ton of sense, especially with all those parallels. 3.5 stars rounded to 3

It's not very often I come across a book that stops me in my tracks, occupies my mind throughout the day and makes me react out loud. This is one of those books.

Libby is the author of a beloved series of fantasy novels about the Falling Children. Nobody knows she's the author and she lives quietly in her little flat with her dog Rolf. When we meet her, she has nearly completed the final instalment in the series; the Falling Children are trapped in the Depths of Despair, but she can't figure out how to rescue them. For Libby has been diagnosed with early-onset Dementia and her mind isn't working the way she needs it to.

Libby Lost and Found is a story of love and redemption, and an amazing adventure too. It's a journey inside the mind of someone with dementia, and the reader feels all the anguish and frustration that Libby experiences as she navigates her new reality and tries to save The Children before she can no longer remember who they are. Along the way she meets others who can help her, but who are also on their own journeys of love and redemption. Can they find the courage to take the OtherWay and achieve their happiness? You'll just have to read the book and find out.

I sighed with satisfaction at the completion of this novel. I dearly hope Stephanie Booth has other novels coming, because I can't wait to read them (kinda like the FaChi family)

This is a fantasy book for everyone. Written from the perspective of both an 11-year-old girl named Peanut and Libby, 41-year-old author of the most famous book series in the world, the back and forth narratives are enchanting and fascinating. When Libby is diagnosed with dementia, she struggles to finish the final installment of her final book in her book series. Can an 11-year-old be the answer?