Compelling storyline if you're into tarot, horses, and rich people behaving badly, with a side of murder.....maybe, or was it?

The story felt a bit disjointed to me and dragged at times. I also found the main character to be irksome in her pursuit of power in the finance world, only to realize too late how corrupt and rampant with nepotistic it is. It felt a little naive to me, but that fits the development of Rosie's character throughout.

The introduction of Kistune as Japanese folklore should have been explored as a concept a little more if it was going to be a part of the story, as having only being briefly mentioned, it feels a bit exploitative to name a spa with tarot readings after Japanese folklore when the majority of the characters in the book are white.

I am a super picky reader. Much like Chefs are often judgmental about the food they eat, I am judgmental about the books I read. I'm mostly impossible to please. But, it doesn't feel right for me to leave below a four star (unless it's really bad) because these authors are out there TRYING.
So I stop and start many books.
But, then once in a while, one book comes along, and the world stops.
I stop scrolling. The dishes pile up. I'm groggy in the morning from staying up too late. And mopey when I finish the book.
The Fortune Seller...is beautifully crafted. A bit of a mystery at times. I thought, "Oh, I know where this is going...wrong!"
Though there was some foreshadowing that was easy to figure out, it all melded together like an autumn stew on a brisk cloudy evening.
I will hand-sell this over and over and over again.
I can't wait to dive into Ms. Kapelke-Dale's other writing (and how the heck did I ever miss it!)
A huge KUDOs for keeping politics out of this fiction book.
Lately, so many (fiction) books have allowed politics to creep in, and it immediately alienates not only me, but I hesitate to sell /suggest titles even if I loved the book.
This book could have easily lent itself to punching down one political party or making political observations, but there wasn't even a hint; the characters could have gone either way. THANK YOU.
I'm also going to go through some old boxes because I know there is a long forgotten tarot deck in there somewhere.
Maybe you might want to market the book with a tarot card deck?
Believable characters, even the worst of the lot garnered some sympathy.
A story as old as time but done beautifully.
5/5!!!!!

This book is very, very horse-y. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I was absolutely not expecting all the horse talk. If you dislike horses, well … you've been forewarned.

Horses aside, The Fortune Seller was an interesting read that focuses on the class divide in the United States. It's an old trope – a poor(ish) girl goes to a fancy school with the spoiled children of the one percent and struggles to fit in – but Rachel Kapelke-Dale manages to write about it in a fresh and original manner.

The story starts out as an extremely slow burn, but picks up speed around the 50% mark. The relationships between the characters were well-written and believable, and I particularly enjoyed “watching” as Rosie and Annelise's friendship blossomed.

There are really two mysteries in this book: who is Annelise and what happened to Annelise? The answer to the first question surprised me – I never saw it coming at all. The second question doesn't really come into play until over halfway through the novel, and I felt as if the answer was pretty obvious from the beginning. Still, the suspense kept me reading well into the night (it's currently 3:30 a.m. as I write this) and I really enjoyed the twists along the way.

The ending is both refreshing (I've read so many novels that end with depressing cliff-hangers lately) and my biggest complaint about this book. It's almost like things were wrapped up a little too well? Everyone got a big dose of karma, there's a cute dog, the end.

Overall, The Fortune Seller was an intriguing, well-written, and horse-filled read. Final rating: 3.75 stars, rounded up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.

The Fortune Seller by Rachel Kapelke-Dale is an unusual story, very well-written, with interesting characters, and as in her past books, her storytelling never disappoints. The main character, Rosie, who comes from a modest home and life, is returning for her fourth year at Yale after a year of school abroad and little does she know, her last year at Yale will be one she will never forget.
Arriving at her home where she has lived with her friends in the past, Rosie finds out she will have to share a room with a new girl, Annelise, whom she does not know. She finds out Annelise has an exceptional talent which is reading Tarot cards and that becomes an instant fixation. The roommates have unique personalities, money, and are all excellent riders on the Yale equestrian team. Events will unfold that will change all of them forever.
I really enjoyed this book and as the story develops individual personalities, devastating events and secrets will keep you from being able to put this book down believe you will enjoy it as well. I give a big thank you to St. Martin’s Press, the author and NetGalley for this ARC.

This was sold to me as dark academia but with a twist (equestrian girls i.e. rich girls, which just further complicates the already precarious juvenile bonds we find in dark academia) - so I was excited for this read. The girls in question are predictably wealthy, clique-ish, and competitive, which makes for wonderful tension. The tarot card aspect and the equestrian world setting add interesting dimensions to the typical "outsider among rich kids at an Ivy League" trope. The author delivers an interesting look at complicated female relationships and a more substantial exploration of ambition, privilege, wealth, elitism, class, etc. than I expected.

It doesn’t take long I to this novel to recognize the author’s style, mostly when compared to The Ballerinas, in exploring female bonds, complete with their flaws and tragic consequences.

The Fortune Seller finds Rosie, a middle-class Yale student, coming back for her last year of studies, after a year abroad. Upon her return, she finds that the mysterious Annelise has joined her circle of friends, changing the dynamics of the group. Each chapter starts with an exploration of Annelise’s tarot readings, setting the stage for the twists and turns that follow. Who is Annelise? What secrets is she hiding? And will her arrival in the group test the friends apart?

It is a great summer read, although its explorations of class divides and toxic friendships don’t always make it a light read..

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for the ARC.

Rosie is going into senior year at Yale. She has spent her junior year abroad. Rosie has four roommates and they could not be more different.

Rosie has had to work for everything she has gotten. While her riding lessons were paid by a foundation, her hard work with the horses is evident and she lands a place on the team.

Trouble starts when she returns to the house and finds another bed in her room. It seems she has a roommate. Annelise, is the roommate and she is a mystery. Rather Boho and always with her Tarot cards handy, she is a threat to one and a friend to another.

The author is really brilliant at the complicated relationships between women. She doesn’t shy away from the ugly parts either. But it comes across as honest and real.

Complications and tensions arise when one of them suspects the other of stealing money. Rosie is dying to find out more about Annelise, but it’s after graduation when that happens and oh boy was it a shocker!

A good look at friends, class, and what they each want.

NetGalley/ St. Martin's Press, February 13, 2024

The Fortune Seller by Rachel Kapelke-Dale-pretty good book, interesting group of young women who attend Yale, most of whom are quite wealthy and clique-ish. I found the writing and plot to be overly "horsey" after a while and lost interest. The book is a different kind of approach to a fairly familiar trope though, young wealthy people and how they gang up on each other. Decent read.

WOW!!! I seriously loved this book and adored how real the characters were! I could almost see Rosie and Annalise being friends of mine. She perfected the story of excess culture, richness, and how the 1% live in impermeable ivory towers above the rest of us. I absolutely adored the twists that made karma look like a lightweight! Can’t wait to read more from her, her writing grips you and doesn’t let go!

I knew going into The Fortune Seller how well Rachel Kapelke Dale writes complicated female relationships and that’s on full display here. I loved her previous novels The Ballerinas and The Ingenue so my expectations were high.

This novel starts in 2005 with Rosie and her friends who are on the Yale Equestrian team. After being abroad for her junior year, Rosie is excited to reunite with her friends only to learn a new girl named Annelise has joined their clique and will be her roommate. Annelise is an excellent equestrian rider who appears to have many talents and one of them is her tarot card reading. Although Rosie finds herself charmed by Annelise, something seems off. All of the girls are keeping secrets and after a series of events, they start to turn on one another and there are tragic consequences. We then follow Rosie after graduation when she starts working for a hedge fund company. Events from the past continue to haunt her as she searches for answers.

I loved the dark academia feel to the story and the writing is as beautiful as I expected it would be. The tarot card interpretation and foreshadowing at the start of each chapter was a brilliant touch. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and the author for an advance digital copy of The Fortune Seller. It exceeded my high expectations!

Rosie Macalister made it to Yale. Unlike her three wealthy and closest friends,Cressida,Lila,and Andra, she hast to watch every dollar she spends. She returns for her senior year, distressed to find that Cressida has added a fourth person to their group.
The tarot card reading Annelise. What Rosie doesn’t expect is how well she will get along with Annelise and how her entire perspective about Yale and life will change. A tragedy mars their final year, and Rosie soon realizes her Yale degree will not open the doors she imagined. Her first job after graduation, exposes her to more truths about how the super wealthy are truly different and soon she has to decide if this is the life she really wants.
I didn’t expect how much this book would make me think about how hard it is to pull yourself up from a life of poverty, no matter how smart you are. Secrets and lies combined, and made me yell at my Kindle more than once, oh no, that didn’t just happen.
No spoilers, but there were certain people that I was glad to see got what they deserved.

There are some really interesting aspects of The Fortune Seller — the tarot, of course, and Rosie's description of animals, particularly the horses — but outside of that, I wasn't incredibly drawn to the story. The outsider with wealthy friends is a common trope, and while Rosie was a character I rooted for, the book didn't stand out to me.

One other thing I want to note — the description is somewhat misleading. I assumed the bulk of the book would be her post-college years, when in reality, the majority of it took place before either of the mysterious deaths occurred. This might seem like a small thing, but really changed the shape of the narrative and what drove it.

During the early 2000's on a college campus the reader encounters the complexity of female friendships, ambition and those with privilege and wealth. Middle-class Rosie Macalister has worked hard to fit in with her friends on the Yale equestrian team, but has her doubts. Set among these friendships is Annelise a mysterious newcomer who has dark undertones causing disruption, with the girls turning against each other. She is a talented equestrian as well as a talented tarot card reader. Was it fate that brought to Yale's equestrian team, or was it just coincidence? At the beginning of each chapter there is a tarot card reading giving a hint of what's to come. An interesting novel. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Heavier than “women’s fiction” but still a page turner. Regular kid among the rich at Yale but with a fresh paranormal twist. Brings the old trope into the 21st-century.