Member Reviews

This book was insane!! The main character was so unhinged, which made the book so good. The book gets crazier the more you read. It definitely kept me engaged and was hard to put down because I NEEDED to know what would happen next. If you like unreliable narrators, you will love this book.

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It’s Maeve Fly…with Musicals!

Seriously, take the unhinged madness of our main character in Maeve Fly and mix it with some off-off-off (seriously off) Broadway, and you have this book.

As much as you want Jessamyn to survive and thrive and take that bow, you just know it’s all going to spiral into madness.

I loved the book, but you’ve got to be the kind of reader who appreciates chaos and characters you wouldn’t ever want to have a drink with. Because cyanide exists.

Would read the author again!

• ARC via Publisher

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Truly psychotic—which I say lovingly, I judged this book by its cover (perfection), and then its synopsis, and it delivered. Gripping, surprising, and utterly delusional from page one. I really hated the protagonist, and I think that’s something other readers will struggle with, but not me. Hats off to the pacing—I really appreciated that when I hit my peak hatred, when it started to become a small struggle to keep following this person, Jessamyn’s life began to fall apart in the most satisfying and karmic ways.

Only issue is I wish I had someone to talk about this book with, to help decipher what was reality and what was Jessamyn being a total delulu psycho.

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was fascinating and enjoyable, and I can definitely relate to the All's Well analogy. The main character is extremely disturbed, so the book is undoubtedly a dark comedy. Jessamyn will make you cringe and actively root against her. I read this quite quickly, and I was always curious about its direction.

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This was ADDICTING. I couldn’t put it down. Jessamyn is so unhinged but also hilarious but I also hate her. she is crazy but I actually felt bad for her at times and was rooting for her. the ending just got more and more insane as it went. she was unraveling and taking everyone down with her. I love the unreliable narrator and I feel like it was executed very well here.
there were some plot points that confused me and didn’t really get cleared up, like why Michelle was treating her so badly yet recommended her to a broadway show as a talented actress. the sexual assault bit was also confusing and seemed to be just thrown in there as it wasn’t really talked about until near the end. it was hinted at, but again, kind of randomly.
the ending was also abrupt but maybe kind of a perfect way to end it? again, a bit confusing, but it was alright.

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This isn't necessarily a book I'd recommend widely, but for a certain kind of reader, I think it's a great choice.

Outrageous, gripping, and cutting... it made me laugh out loud quite a few times.

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Some spoilers**

This one took some getting into, but I'm glad I stuck with it.

It started off funny, and gradually got more unhinged and stressful. When Jessamyn started seeing people for how they really were (Anton and Renée mostly) it felt hopeful and like she might get her act together. Also, she's a super frustrating character, but it's also hard not to feel bad for her given that she's got some terrible people in her life (but, are they actually ALL terrible or is she just an unreliable narrator?)

Overall I'm glad I got the opportunity to read this ARC, perfect for fans of Bella Mackie I think.

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This left me feeling like wtf did I just read.. but in the best way!
This was dark, addictive and absolutely bonkers at times.
We follow Jessamyn, a struggling musical theatre actress (not just an actress!!) who is failing to get her big break, the break she feels she is entitled to.
When her rival is cast in the lead in the musical, she goes to extreme and violent measures to ensure that role goes to her, which is the only right and fair option in her head.

We really feel Jessamyn’s life and mental state start to unravel, which makes for compelling but also disturbing reading.
The repetition started to get a bit too much however and I found the ending very abrupt and bizarre, but overall I really enjoyed this one.

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I loved this book so much I have already recommended it to my friends even though it’s published next year.

We follow Jessamyn as she does what it takes to become Maria in the Sound of Music production at the theatre company she works for. Does she have a great career in acting already? Kind of, but she wants to be on Broadway. Can she sing? Can she act? Is she beautiful? I honestly don’t know.

From the beginning we see cracks of an unreliable narrator as Jessamyn brags about her two boyfriends (and how she met them). And I just beg you to read this book. It’s so well written and so immersive without being too much of one thing or another and you kinda root for Jessamyn in a “I support women’s wrongs” way.

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So fun to read omg. And nauseating at the same time. INSANE.
It felt like I was given the VIP seat to witness first hand the mind of a psychopath.

If R.F. Kuang's Yellowface has an unreliable narrator who's just a horrible main character and person overall, Meredith Hambrock's She's a Lamb! is practically on drugs. I don't even know where to begin.

First of all, the main character Jessamyn. She is confidence itself. She's THE star (meant to be, or so she claims). She is also one of the b*tchiest narrators and can't hide her true self very well. She's all "me, me, me, me, me, me, me". It was fun yet infuriating at the same time, like why can't she empathise with other people?

She is absolutely blind to others around her. There are a couple of other characters whom she think are garbage and you had to learn that they actually aren't through the dialogue from another character because Jessamyn can't be trusted. Not a big thing, but they are like mini plot twists in the form of treats along the way as you read. Yum yum.

At some point, the book made me wonder if I am by any chance, like Jessamyn. Not her kind of crazy, but like, sometimes we do have some b*tchy or judgy thoughts ya know? I'm sure we're all not 100% nice, like when you see someone is walking so slow in front of you on the sidewalk and you're thinking "omg can they walk any slower??" But yea Jessamyn's narrative is SO STRONG that I started wondering if there are times when I talk that people think I'm just obnoxious? I felt sick to the stomach thinking that.

Because Jessamyn CLEARLY IS.

Had to finish the book and take a break to remind myself that "I am grace. I am calm. I am poise." - as what Jessamyn says. Just kidding haha. I am not her okay.

But ok yea, I like that the book made me self-reflect a little bit, despite being a satirical write.

Jessamyn is clearly a psychopath. Those wild thoughts and how she constantly justify every single sh*tty action of hers, and how she forced herself to delete all the wrong doings she had from her brain was super impressive.

------
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc. This review is my own and completely honest.

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I was so excited to love this, but I just couldn’t. The first third was slow to get going, picked up in the middle act, and then fizzled out towards the end. The comparisons to All’s Well and Yellowface are valid, however having read those this one felt a little unoriginal. it didn’t seem to bring anything new to the table. I think if you are new to the unhinged-girlie book scene, I think you will enjoy this, but this just felt a little meh and redundant to me.

ARC provided by NetGalley

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This was such an interesting novel. I had trouble taking my eyes off the page. Watching the main character slowly slip into madness, I just had to keep reading. It’s a very unique story.

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Jessamyn is unhinged, and it's super entertaining. It might have been me, but I had a hard time getting into this book, although once it got to the end and there was more drama, I was invested. The ending was meh though; I think I wanted more of a conclusion. This was funny and had you question how much more delusional one person can get.

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She's a Lamb! was really kind of fun and interesting, I definitely get the All's Well comparison. Jessamyn will make you cringe and actively root against her -- the book is definitely a dark comedy, as the main character is very disturbed. I read this pretty quickly and was always intrigued as to where it was going.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

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Thanks so much to ECW Press and NetGalley for an ARC of She's a Lamb! by Meredith Hambrock in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

I absolutely loved this book! Once I started reading, I just couldn't put it down. While some parts towards the end were a bit predictable, it didn't take away from how much I enjoyed it. It's a gripping female rage horror, very much in the same vein as Yellowface (another 5-star read). I've been struggling to find something with a similar theme since reading Yellowface, and this book totally delivers. Now I can't wait to add her other book, Other People's Secrets: A Novel, to my to-be-read list.

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⟢ thank you to netgalley, meredith hambrock, and the publisher for letting me read this arc!

she's a lamb! depicts a woman's descent into madness to get what she believes she deserves, and it does that so well. you're given snippets of jessamyn's dark mind throughout the beginning of the book— thoughts of doing things to samantha to take her part (but never acting on them) here and there— but it's towards the middle that you really begin to see her slip into them and start making them real. my only issue with the book is the ending. jessamyn seeing her father's girlfriend as a god for telling the policeman that he was hurting her was something i understood, but i also felt it was an odd thing to bring up right at the end. i also would have liked to know what happened afterwards, maybe with an epiloge. regardless of that, my rating is still easily 4 stars. the story sucked me in and even though i knew jessamyn was dangerous and completely in the wrong and delusional, i still found myself rooting for her at times.

support womens rights and wrongs :)

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This book was so delulu I can’t help but sit here looking at my phone wondering what I just read. This edgy novel that lives in the same vein at RF Kuang’s Yellowface darkly chronicles protagonist Jessamyn’s delusional fall from grace in the theater world. The writing was really compelling and the voice was really strong in this book, bolstered by the first person perspective that gave us an insight into exactly what schemes Jessamyn had cooking up at all times.

Jessamyn is literally a starving artist trying to find her big break in Vancouver and is sick and tired of working usher at a regional theater. After trying out for the part of Maria and losing it to a professional rival, she continues working on the show as the child minder for Maria’s on stage charges. As the novel progresses, Jessamyn becomes desperate to shape herself into the star she wants to be, and will do quite literally whatever it takes to get there.

The best thing about this book was the strong narrative voice. The reader really gets to see into the mind of our protagonist as she descends into a sort of psychosis. A lot of her dialogue and thoughts are hilarious too, despite the dark ending and events that prevail. The sinister influence of the patriarchy was a sort of villain origin story for Jessamyn that the author explores in the really interesting ways. Is it still sexual assault if you don’t consider yourself a victim? Do we really have the power to rewrite our past? Her later romantic relationships with different men in the novel also harken back to earlier events that crucially shaped her worldview. Overall the suspense kept drawing me back in to the bombshell conclusion - I recommend! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for early access to this novel in exchange for an honest review. This book publishes on 4/7/25!

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She’s a Lamb is wild in the best way! A delusional musical theater lover puts her sights on being Maria in the Sound of Music and boy to things escalate. I found this book so fun to read, but also frightening. Reading the narrator rationalize everything she does was frustrating and fascinating. It may not be for everyone, but this really hit for me. I will be recommending this one for sure. Thanks to ECW Press for the ARC through NetGallery!

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Jessamyn knows she is meant to play Maria in a regional production of The Sound of Music, but instead she is given the chance to be a childminder for the Von Trapp children actors. She talks herself into that she is really the understudy without being called that, and tells everyone in her life that she is playing the lead. Drama ensues.

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This is such a different read! With an unreliable narrator you just don't know what's going to happen and it's full of intense scenes and feelings.

The author did an incredible job of making Jessamyn - the main character - come to life. As the story unfolded, we began to realise she was unreliable, that her thoughts were becoming more and more obsessive, that she was in total denial about so many things. It left me wanting to know what would happen. I didn't particularly care for or like her, but that didn't matter as the author had created this great story which just draws you in and leaves you wondering what will she do next?!

Jassamyn wants to be an actress. She wants to be Maria in The Sound of Music, but instead of getting the role she's asked to look after the children. She's devastated, but decides she will use it as a way to try to get into the musical herself in case the lead who is playing Maria can't make it... but she stupidly tells her dad that SHE is Maria and he's excited to come and see her. As her desperation grows and her inability to tell him the truth becomes clear, we're left on the edge of our seats.

It was brilliantly written with a lot of insight into theatre life, the commitments, the egos... it was absorbing.

Although there were a few parts of the story which didn't really make sense and a bit unbelievable, I overlook all that as this was just such a compelling story.

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