I usually like Sally Hepworth's novels, but I did not really care for this one.

Elise is 80+ plus years old and has been living in the same place for most of her adult life. She is also keeping a secret that she hopes no one find out about. She is a nosy busy body, but doesn't want anyone to know about her past. She starts getting things in the mail that signal someone may know her secrets, and is trying to scare her with that knowldge.

Overall, I give this a 3/5 stars. I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

This is a beautiful, tragic, and witty story about a woman who had some incredibly dark experiences as a child. I loved experiencing Mabel's world in the later years of her life while getting glimpses into her younger years. This book has a wonderful cast of characters and leaves you wanting to know more about Mabel's life.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this early. Mad Mabel immediately draws you in with compelling characters and an intriguing hook. Every piece of information you get about Mabel's past just makes you want to know more until you get to see the full picture.

Mad Mabel is a great read with fantastic character development you won't be able to put down.

This was such a fun read! Loved reading about Mabel’s story even if it was a bit sad at times. It took me while to connect with the book but once the story picked up I flew through it. Love this author and can’t wait to read more from her.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was not what I expected, based on the description, but it ended up being quite the cozy heartwarming tale. It reminded me at times of the Thursday Murder Club, but more literary fiction. There were a couple themes I did not love but overall it held my attention until the end.

I’ve been a big fan of Sally Hepworth for years. Her writing is unique, her storytelling always hooks you in, and she really knows how to create a compelling plot. But I’ve noticed in the past few years that her books have gotten significantly darker, and Mad Mabel is no exception.

I picked this one up because I was excited to try her newest novel, which comes out in April. I couldn’t get into her last book because of the heavy focus on child abuse, so I thought I’d give this one a try. While the storyline itself was fantastic and absolutely pulled me in from the start, I had a really hard time with several of the themes in this book—so much so that it made the reading experience very difficult for me.

The story follows Mabel, who has faced unimaginable loss in her life. The narrative alternates between her as an 80-year-old woman and her younger years, weaving in how she got her nickname, where she is today, and whether or not she’s guilty of the multiple murders she’s accused of. Hepworth’s writing keeps you turning the pages, but the content itself was hard for me to stomach.

There are several themes in this book that I really struggled with:
• Mabel experiences inappropriate situations with her teacher as a child. While not overly descriptive, the implications were enough to make it very uncomfortable. I personally cannot enjoy books where children are hurt, and I find the glamorization of this subject matter disturbing.
• There’s a sudden suicide scene that felt very abrupt and shocking—it came out of nowhere, and I think it will be jarring for a lot of readers.
• Late in the book (about 88% in), it’s revealed that two characters who seemed to have a deep, beautiful friendship are actually romantically involved. Personally, I was disappointed in this twist. I would’ve loved to see a story that celebrated close friendship without turning it romantic.

Another interesting element Hepworth often uses is characters with mental health struggles. In this book, Mabel has an “imaginary friend,” and you don’t realize until the very end that it was all in her mind. It’s another example of how Hepworth creates layered, complex characters, but again—it adds to the darker, heavier tone that seems to be more common in her recent works.

Overall, Sally Hepworth remains a fantastic storyteller, the heavy themes around child abuse, inappropriate relationships, suicide, and sexuality made it one I simply can’t pass along in good conscience—even though I admire Hepworth’s talent as a writer.

Sally Hepworth’s Mad Mabel has witty dialogue, suspenseful storytelling, endearing characters and heartbreaking drama. The protagonist, Elsie (Mabel) was such a fun, complex character. I thought the story had good pacing and was hooked early on.
I highly recommend adding this book to your TBR! The expected publish date is April 21, 2026.
Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the eARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

There is always something so endearing about a novel told from the perspective of someone who is older, and this one is no exception. I ended up falling in love with Elsie, AKA “Mad Mabel”, and really enjoyed getting to find out her story. I also really loved meeting her neighbors and seeing the camaraderie she had with all of them. There were so many moments that were heartwarming and made me laugh, and there were also moments that were heartbreaking and shocking. I did figure out one of the bigger “twists” pretty early on just from some small clues but I was still shocked by one of the other reveals at the end. This was definitely one of those stories where the characters felt so lovable and real that I was sad when the book ended. One of my favorites that I’ve read so far this year, highly highly recommend!

Sally Hepworth has created her most daring and memorable work to date with Mad Mabel. The story of Mabel captured me immediately through her complex personality and her dual nature and her unapologetic moral ambiguity. The character has a unique ability to penetrate deep into me and stay there while I completely enjoyed watching her develop through the dual time frames that Hepworth masterfully weaves together. The story contains multiple unexpected turns that create an exciting reading experience and the ending twists were excellent.

The book stands out from other similar works because of its fresh and original approach. I have awarded five stars to all of Sally Hepworth's books including this new release on Goodreads.

Hepworth has secured a permanent spot on my reading list because Mad Mabel demonstrates her ability to create thrilling and unputdownable stories that push boundaries.

The release date for this exceptional book is April 21, 2026 so make sure to mark it down because you will want to read it. I received an Advanced Reader Copy of Mad Mabel from NetGalley and Macmillan. The book delivered everything I expected and then exceeded my expectations in every way.

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth is an absolute delight—darkly charming, twisty, and full of heart. Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick, at eighty-one, is sharp, funny, and more than a little mysterious. I loved following her (and Daphne and Persephone—what a trio!) through a story where no one is quite what they seem. Hepworth once again proves she’s the master of blending suspense with humor and unforgettable characters. A must-read!

This book was so good. I can’t even think of anything negative to say. Mabel’s character is the perfect example of how things are not always what they seem. We should slow down on making judgements. This book is going to sell so well!

What a marvelous way to be introduced to Australian author. Sally Hepworth. She has written a book that is hard to define, but leaves a reader with a sense of the rewards of a close knit community and hard won friendship. Our narrator and protagonist/(antagonist?) is Elsie, who peels off the layers of her life through her interactions with neighbors and somehow survives the trauma of childhood and old age with an astonishing story. This is a redemption tale like none other and is told with hopefulness and a more than a little bit of sarcasm and wit. I look forward to see how this book is received and can’t wait to read more from this author.

Honestly, my biggest feeling when I finished Mad Mabel was underwhelmed. I heard this was a departure from Sally’s typical twisty plot line, and I do agree with that, but there were pieces of this book that didn’t feel original. Is it a cozy mystery?? Is it a dark suspense?? Is it a family drama?? I’m at a loss at what genre Sally was trying to write.

While reading, I kept waiting for something to happen! It felt like she was building up to a big reveal, and when we finally got there, I rolled my eyes. The ending was honestly pretty unbelievable. The story I think had something strong at the beginning, but as we progressed through it, I started to lack interest as the plot kept stalling out. When it comes to this dark family drama mystery genre, I need to feel connected to someone! and there was a huge lack of emotion and character development with the main characters. I think you can get away with lack of depth in a thriller, but it was needed here for sure.

Unfortunately, after 3 in a row rated 2-3 ⭐️, I think Sally has now become an author I no longer gravitate to.

This is the best book I have read this year! The story is told through dual timelines - current day where Mable is an elderly woman and the other time line is her childhood.

I would describe this book as a mix of "The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hill" and "A Man Called Ove". The friendship between 81 year old Mable and 7 year old Persephone is so heartwarming warming.

The book had my interest from beginning to end. I know that I will read this book again, it is just so good!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was SO good. I was laughing out loud at several points and also teared up at the end. These characters felt so real, especially Elsie/Mabel. Her loneliness was so relatable and even though I saw the Daphne reveal coming my heart still hurt for her. My only complaint is I wish that the Peter son storyline was expanded on a little bit. Overall a little predictable but another super unique mystery plot with a bit of quirkiness by Sally Hepworth!

Elsie, Else, Elsa, Mabelline, Mabel, Mad Mabel—so many names for one unforgettable woman. She may be cantankerous, grumpy, and guarded, but she’s also a character I absolutely loved!

This story took me on a wild ride through a full range of emotions—from laugh-out-loud moments to vicarious shame, grief, anger, and deep sadness alongside Mabel. I especially enjoyed the shifts between young Mabel and eighty-one-year-old Elsie, seeing how years of heartbreak and loneliness shaped her.

There’s so much heart and soul here, and I know this story will stick with me for a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I’ve loved every Sally Hepworth book and I loved this one too. She is such a terrific storyteller and I’ve always appreciated her sense of humor. The characters in the story are mostly lovable as is Mabel, the 81 year old serial killer. But is she really a killer?

It would be easy for a spoiler to slip in a review, so don’t read too many before you dive in! This is one not to miss. Especially if you are a Sally Hepworth fan. I’ll be reading and reviewing the audiobook when I get a copy.

I've always been a Sally Hepworth fan, yet Mad Mabel was an unexpected surprise of a book for me! I requested an advance copy of the book mainly due to it being one of Hepworth's. I wasn't really expecting a book about an old woman professing herself to be a murderer to be an unputdownable and unique mystery. While we know from the description that Mabel is a murderer, the genius of the book is that we don't find out who she murdered until the very end. The entire time, I was doing my best to guess who the victim was. And while it didn't end up being a huge surprise, the actual circumstances of the murder were not what I had predicted. Also a surprise was how much I fell in love with Mabel (Elsie) as a character. Hepworth did a wonderful job making Mabel a supremely multi-dimensional character who is initially presented as a grumpy old woman but turns out to be hard not to love.

I wanted to love this one, she's one of my fave Authors, this didn't work for me and was a major miss. The Story fell flat, the characters were annoying, I didn't like this one at all.

'There are two kinds of people no one ever expects to be murderers: little girls and old ladies. Meet Mad Mabel.’

Wow! Mad Mabel was so far removed from what I’ve come to expect from a Sally Hepworth novel. In a good way. Hell.........in the best way!

There’s no deficit of mystery, trauma and tragedy. Nor is there a shortage of humor! It's all there in equal measure. But this one, by and large, was chock full of meaning, found family and heart. So much heart.

A dramedy if I’ve ever read one. Hands down and easily my favorite Hepworth to date.

Highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and SMP for this arc in exchange for review!

Pub: 4/21/2026.