The Fortune Seller is an enjoyable albeit average mystery novel. Dealing with the popular themes of wealth, class determination, and ambition. The Fortune Seller adds the mystic of tarot reading into the plot and expects too much from a group of 20 something college students. I feel this novel could have used another round of editing to allow the characters to have more fulfilling conversations with each to move the plot along instead of the author's verbose writing. Much of writing, mostly descriptive scene setting was unnecessary.

Another point to note is for those who have read Rachel Kapelke-Dale's other novel, The Ballerinas, you will find many of the same themes and plot structures in both books.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read this novel.

This was a very layered novel centering on a Yale equestrian team and its members, of which two are from less elite backgrounds. Rosie returns from study abroad and is forced to room with Annelise, a student obsessed with tarot cards. She uses them to bond with her teammates and soon Rosie starts learning the craft too. She is eager for her next lesson from Annelise. Both struggle to fit into the elite scene and find common ground in the process. When tragedy strikes, mysteries start to get untangled. Hidden pasts, jealousy, upper class privilege are all interwoven in a quest to see justice served. Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. This is my honest review.

My review will be withheld until St. Martin's Press appropriately addresses the 3 simple demands of the boycott. When the demands are met, I will update with my full review.

I am utterly captivated! From the very first page, I was drawn into its world, unable to put it down until I reached the very end. The characters felt incredibly real, each with their own complexities and struggles that kept me invested in their stories. The plot was beautifully crafted, with twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. The author's prose was exquisite, painting vivid images in my mind with every word. Overall, 'The Fortune Teller' is a masterpiece that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for an unforgettable reading experience.

Full disclosure- The Fortune Seller has an extremely slow first half. None of it flowed. Horses. (so many horses) Tarot cards. Rich girls at Yale (did any of them even go to class?) It took me weeks to get through the first 50% of the story.

However, by the second half I was fully immersed into Rosie’s bizarre little world. I read The Ballerinas also by Rachel Kapelle-Dale so I should have been better mentally prepared. However I was completely shocked by the dark turning point in the story.

The Fortune Seller covers a lot of ground and I was pleased with how it all ultimately clicked together. The ending was rather ambiguous. It did not take away from my overall enjoyment of the story.

For those willing to battle through a tumultuous first half- The Fortune Seller is a dark story worthy of a read.

The Fortune Seller is an intriguing look into the world of privilege beginning with the main character Rosie Macalister, and her equestrian teammates and roommates at Yale. Rosie, having grown up in a middle class family, while the majority of her roommates were born into affluent families, has a different outlook on every situation, and always has her mind on her finances and getting to her next goal. After a year abroad Rosie returns to find that she has been matched with a new roommate, Annelise, a mysterious, tarot reading roommate Rosie knows very little about. The dynamics between the women living in this house make for an uncomfortable, but often relatable living situation, as jealousy and power often play in to the living situation as well as the team. I enjoyed watching Rosie's character develop throughout this novel, and I enjoyed watching her come to terms and adjust her priorities as she grew. Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

I have loved everything Rachel Kapelke-Dale has written so far!
She is the best at writing about young women coming of age in the current world.
Whether they are studying ballet or riding horses, each one of her characters are well developed and refined so realistically, the reader feels they know them intimately.
The setting for this book is Yale and the constant struggle during school and after graduation, is between the haves and the have nots - what some people will do and how far they will go for acceptance into the world of the rich. And how the people born into money and circumstance retain their power over others.
Each chapter starts with a lesson in Tarot cards, as explained by Rosie, the protagonist, which I found fascinating. Rosie meets and becomes close to Annelise, who slips away to New York City to make extra money to pay for her riding classes, by advising clients with her Tarot cards.
There is a lot going on in this book and nobody is who they seem. Rivalries are played out and someone is killed. Innocence is lost, some people are broken, but there is real growth at the end for all.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this!
I enjoyed this read quite a ton: I rode horses pretty religiously in highschool and college and used to read tarot, so a lot of the main plot points were like going back in time. I also really loved the chapter openings about the card meanings: these were really beautiful interpretations.
I thought the story, which follows Rosie, a poor equestrian at Yale, through her relationships with people far outside of her class (particularly her housemates). It really delves into friendships, wealth, drive, ambition, and what your heart vs head want in life.
All in all this was good, but isn't something that will stick with me for a long time.

I had high hopes for this, but I kept waiting for something to happen in this story. I was really disappointed.

I loved this Rachel Kapelke-Dale’s previous books —The Ingenue and Ballerinas. They were so good. Read them. Unfortunately, The Fortune Seller did not work for me as an adult novel. It read extremely YA to me in a way that her other books did not. I cannot put my finger on why because the other books dealt with college students as well. Regardless, I will read whatever else Rachel writes!

Kapelke-Dale gets even better with every book! I loved this story. It was emotional, tense, and full of fascinating characters. It felt like a perfect combination of multiple genres without feeling convoluted. I was surprised how easily I was drawn in and I would gladly have read another 300 pages of these characters.

I went into this book with no idea of what it was about. It was soooo good. I loved the use of tarot throughout but especially at the beginning of each chapter. This story showed classism is a great way. The characters were developed wonderfully. This story was so much deeper than I had anticipated. Will definitely be looking for more from this author.

I would never have imagined combining equestrian themes with tarot reading in a book, but this managed to come together nicely!

I loved that the tarot set the tone for each chapter and it was one of my favorite things thematically about this read, alongside some dark academia undertones as well.

I found it to be slow in some parts, but very well written with great character development.

"before you ask your question, you have to do it. You have to ask yourself.
Do you really want to know?"

This is a slow burn - more like an dark academia than a thrilling mystery. Once I adjusted my thinking, stopped looking for a fast-paced thriller, I liked this a lot more.

My favorite part was the beginning little paragraphs and all the tarot card reading and information woven into the story. It was such a fun addition, and one I really loved. The girls were a bit frustrating - I'm not a horse person so I missed some of the connection to their love and drive. But I did find the connections and Rosie's tenuous hold on their friendships fascinating. It was an interesting read, one that held my attention, but make sure you go in knowing it has a bit of slow burn story and a great ending.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I was given an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Fortune Seller by Rachel Kapelke-Dale is a contemporary novel exploring privilege in university equestrian teams and how much luck really can play a factor in what opportunities we get. Rosie is a scholarship student at Yale on the equestrian team along with Cressida, the daughter of her idol, Grayson Tate. Annelise joins the group and team after Cressida befriends her and teaches Rosie how to read tarot cards, but Annelise is keeping secrets of her own.

Each chapter starts off with Annelise explaining a different card to Rosie, giving bits of voice and how Annelise views each individual card. Rosie and Annelise bond over the cards, living in the same room, and coming from similar situations on a campus where people can pay for admittance. I liked how Annelise was against tarot being about fate or destiny and was instead a lot more flexible and fluid, focusing more on what the cards are saying about the situation as it stands, not the future.

What I really liked was Rosie admitting that she wants money and power, even if it was so she didn’t have to worry anymore or could take care of her family. It’s always a joy to see women in media admit that they want power and Rosie was no exception. The other thing I liked was how little tells to the big twist were planted without giving the twist away, but make sense once you’re aware. Annelise was probably my favorite character and my favorite sections were the ones with Cressida. I love stories about messy women and this really delivered for me.

I would recommend this to readers looking for contemporary works in the 2005-2006 time period, fans of novels exploring class and privilege, and readers who like slower pacing in their contemporary fiction.

Rosie Macalister, with her middle class background, has worked hard to Yale, and even harder to score a place on the Equestrian team. She doesn't come from money, doesn't own horses (the Tate Foundation charitable organisation paid for her riding lessons), and she doesn't quite fit in with her uber-rich housemates. That is until she comes back from a study abroad trip to Argentina, and finds herself sharing a room with a complete stranger: the enigmatic Annelise.

But while Rosie and Annelise become firm friends, the three other housemates - Cressida, Lila and Andra - seem determined to think the worst of Annelise. Until one afternoon things come to a head, leaving one person dead and the group shattered forever. Secrets will be unearthed and Rosie will need to rethink everything she thought she wanted.

Set in the early 2000s, the story follows Rosie through her time at Yale and on into the workforce, where she crosses paths with Cressida's father, Grayson Tate - head of the Tate Foundation who sponsored Rosie's riding and the business mind Rosie wanted to emulate. Each chapter opens with a single Tarot card reading, explaining the card and the meanings behind it - and foreshadowing the events of the chapter.

I adored this book. I'm usually a fast reader, but The Fortune Seller made me slow down and really savour the story. Rachel Kapelke-Dale is a masterful storyteller, who can weave strong, intense relationships with a powerful story and likeable (or not) characters.

The spoiled little rich girl; the broke, thieving heiress; the the middle class trying to break through the glass ceiling; the mystic, the sceptic, the vengeful, none of them caricatures of their type, but people you could easily recognize (if you mix in certain circles). Rosie was a relatable character with big ideals and a strong moral compass, telling the story of these fateful events.

This is a story of class, of privilege, ambition, hopes, money, redemption, coming of age, and choices. Are the choices we make done for the right reasons?

This is both a page turner and a book I didn;t want to end.

What do I need to know now?

~ Many thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review~

On the strength of the ARC I recieved, I also purchased the audio book. Stephanie Cannon's narration was excellent, embodying the different characters with ease - from the winsome Annelise to the jaded Anne-Marie; Rosie's warmth and Cressida's mania and everything in between.

I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it now in your local and online bookstores and libraries.

I liked the college parts a lot more than the adult life parts, especially since Rosie didn't have an excuse for being ignorant anymore. Annelise was the most interesting character by far - I felt like the roommates were all very one-dimensional in a way that didn't feel intentional. I loved the tarot cards, and I loved the mysterious nature of Annelise and what went down, but I feel like it lacked some subtlety in its messaging, and I felt like the message of the book was getting shoved in my face in a way that got annoying. Still a good book that I'd definitely recommend, just not a new favorite.

While a bit of a slow burn, I really enjoyed this book! Set in the early 2000s, The Fortune Seller brings us to campus life on Yale as we follow Rosie Macalister and her friends on Yale’s equestrian team. There’s plenty of rich horse girl drama, but also an air of mystery surrounding Annelise, the transfer student who may not be who she says she is.

While I read this, I got big Pretty Little Liars vibes from some parts of this, which I really enjoyed. The writing was engaging and I was fully invested in the story. The author truly captured the cutting meanness of the horse girls, the drama of the wealthy, and the blindness to the reality of real life for so many. There were plenty of twists and just a hint of a supernatural element. I thought the ending was satisfactory and wrapped up the story nicely.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a review copy.

Thank you netgalley for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

…Dnf:/

So, it just couldn’t grab my attention. I kept waiting to go back to it, but it’s going to expire soon and I haven’t wanted to continue.