A book about tarot card readings and horses and hedge funds ... Unexpected mix of things.

I liked the story. I've liked all the books I've read by this author, but there was too much lacking from this main character. Rosie is like the shell of a person with no personality. And why did anyone think they couldn't ask "what do you do when you go to NY?". Thats a totally normal thing to ask your friend and roommate.

The Fortune Seller is my third Rachel Kapelke-Dale book, and by far the best. It’s a book for the horse girls but not just the horse girls. Circa early 2000s, it centers around Rosie, a middle-class midwesterner on Yale’s equestrian team. She’s returned home from a year abroad to find her place in her elite group of teammates has been filled with a newcomer, the mysterious Annelise. As the book and time goes on, the pair slowly become friends. But a mysterious death fractures the group, leading Rosie to question if she ever really belonged or knew her friends. After graduation, working at a hedge fund as a way to try to claw her way up out of middle class, she has time to reflect her time at university and friendships, and when another mysterious death occurs, she begins to question her whole life and what she wants out of it. Perfectly plotted and drawn out over a span of two years, this coming-of-age-cum-smart-mystery had me turning pages as quickly as possible. It’s a nostalgic throwback to the early aughts that is still very relevant today as an examination of the whole eat-the-rich and excesses/influencer culture. A must-read for 2024.

"Yellowjackets meets The Cloisters in this beguiling coming-of-age story about class, reinvention, and destiny, set against the backdrop of two mysterious deaths.

Middle-class Rosie Macalister has worked for years to fit in with her wealthy friends on the Yale equestrian team. But when she comes back from her junior year abroad with newfound confidence, she finds that the group has been infiltrated by a mysterious intruder: Annelise Tattinger.

A talented tarot reader and a brilliant rider, the enigmatic Annelise is unlike anyone Rosie has ever met. But when one of their friends notices money disappearing from her bank account, Annelise's place in the circle is thrown into question. As the girls turn against each other, the group's unspoken tensions and assumptions lead to devastating consequences.

It's only after graduation, when Rosie begins a job at a Manhattan hedge fund, that she uncovers Annelise's true identity - and how her place in their elite Yale set was no accident. Is it too late for Rosie to put right what went wrong, or does everyone's luck run out at some point? Set in the heady days of the early aughts, The Fortune Seller is a haunting examination of class, ambition, and the desires that shape our lives."

I mean, Annelise HAS to be up to no good, grifters tend towards the tarot.

Fun thriller but I found the social aspect weaker than I expected, and this was very horsey. Like, almost as horsey as Girls and their Horses. Still it’s decent to tide you over. Thanks for the arc. 3.5

I enjoyed the mixing of tarot "lessons" with the story. Overall I enjoyed the plot, but felt at times it was too drawn out and then the end seemed to wrap up quickly. I wish I could give half stars because I would give it 3.5. It was a unique way to write using tarot card meanings at the beginning of each chapter, I feel that it just could've been a little better overall.

I have two main issues here; One, Rosie is insufferable. I didn't like her at all, and I feel like all of the girls in the group are insanely immature to be Yale seniors. I was reading reviews after I finished this, and I saw someone say they thought Annelise should've been the main character, and I have to agree.

Two, I don't believe I would've been interested in this novel if I had known it was more about horses than tarot. The tarot aspect is what drew me in initially, but I didn't realize how horse-heavy the plot was gonna be.

I felt like all the "twists" were fairly obvious, but the story itself was interesting enough that I wanted to keep reading. I also felt like the ending was too sweet. There is so much talk of destiny, fate, and karma in this book, and I think the ending could've been better and more centered around that. All in all, this was okay. It's not my favorite, but it was well-written and easy to be pulled into.

4 stars / This review will be posted on goodreads.com today.

Rosie grew up in a small town in Illinois, aptly named Western Plains, where she swears everything was beige. With parents who are veterinarians and barely getting by, Rosie has been told this isn’t the life for her. So instead, Roaie works really hard in school and finds herself going to Yale.

Not only Yale, but a member of the equestrian team at Yale. Yes, that sport. The one that leans toward very wealthy people. But Rosie is nothing if not determined to never have to worry about money, and this is her way to make sure of that.

So when the wealthiest, most elite girl in all of her freshman class befriends her, Rosie thinks, these will be my people. But will they really? Can someone of Rosie’s background ever really be one of the elite 1%? And when Rosie realizes, as a graduate of Yale and an adult, what being part of that class means, will she really want to be there?

Somewhat a coming of age novel as well as an indictment of the very privileged, this book was amazing. Again, I wasn’t quite sure at the beginning, but as the novel progressed and I became more absorbed in the lives of these young women and what they were capable of, I truly enjoyed it. Rosie is a wannabe, but a wannabe with a genuinely good heart. In the end I think that is what saves her.

There is a lot of what-ifs that might have never flown in the real world, but it does make you wonder if the truly wealthy can get away with just about anything. I enjoyed this romp through the tarot and young adulthood. It was dark and serious at times. Not all fun and games. I especially liked how the cards of the tarot intertwined with the chapters themes. Well written and lots of fun to read.

This book started off strong and I thought this would be a 4 or 5 star book for me. The story intertwined the collegiate equestrian lifestyle, tarot, and dark academia. So this seemed like a win for me. About 25% in though, the book really started to drag and Rosie, the main character, became more and more unlikable, along with a cast of other unlikable characters.

"The Fortune Seller" by Rachel Kapelke-Dale is a riveting exploration of privilege, betrayal, and the consequences of unspoken tensions within an elite social circle. The author weaves a compelling narrative around Rosie Macalister, a middle-class student striving to fit into the world of her wealthy Yale equestrian friends. The introduction of the mysterious and talented Annelise Tattinger adds a layer of intrigue that unravels into devastating consequences. Kapelke-Dale skillfully captures the heady days of the early aughts, crafting a haunting tale that delves into themes of class, ambition, and the unforeseen desires that shape our lives. As Rosie navigates the aftermath, the novel prompts readers to question whether it's too late to rectify the past or if, as the title suggests, everyone's luck eventually runs out. "The Fortune Seller" is a gripping examination of the complexities that underlie friendship and privilege.

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.

A middle-class Rosie is trying to fit in with her upper-class Yale equestrian teammates who have become her roommates. After their junior year, a new classmate named Annelise has joined their team and become a new roommate. Who is she? Where did she come from?

The Fortune Seller is an interesting look at college friend groups. Someone steals money; a new girl joins and throws off the balance. Definitely an intriguing book.

So, let me start this by saying I am not a horse girl, and don't enjoy reading about horses. I didn't realize that the equestrian portion of this book would be so heavy, or at least feel that way. I found the main character to complain so much about money and differences in social class that it negated from the point of the story. This one just didnt work for me. I'm sure a lot of this has to do with my aforementioned aversion to horses.

Yellowjackets meets Tarot meets equestrian...? What? It seems like something I might like, but I didn't love.

* 4.5 stars *
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
The Fortune Seller by Rachel Kapelke-Dale is about Rosie Macalister, a senior at Yale, who is constantly keeping up her image as another rich girl amoung her fancy best friends. Secretly she is a normal middle class student who has to work to survive and is swimming in school loans. When a new girl is brought into their group, and new house, she learns a new skill from her new connection.
I really enjoyed the addition of tarot in this book. As someone who has no previous knowledge of tarot or their meanings I can not speak on the accuracy of the card meanings. However, it was a fascinating addition to the beginning of each chapter that connected to the story. I felt like I was learning something and could get more insight into the story that the character might not immediately see herself.
The way the group connection shifts and changes throughout the book was unexpected. I enjoyed how the main character developed and learned about who she was on her own. As well as, the main character's relationships with the other girls in the group change many times as things happen throughout the novel. It feels like she slowly takes off rose colored glasses throughout the novel and the consequences are unexpected...
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes dark academia and tarot. It was a great novel and I am sad that I finished it. I want more of these characters and this concept to read.

The Fortune Seller is a well woven story of society’s social elite, the impact of shifting friendships, and the dreams we have relative to what we think we want and what we really want.

As always, Rachel Kapelke-Dale delivers a story worth reading! And her research is on point, this time exploring equestrianism and college hierarchy’s. I also especially loved all the woven knowledge of Tarot. Fantastic!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced reader’s copy. I’m honored to read and review another of Rachel Kapelke-Dale’s novels.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel Kapelke-Dale and St. Martin's Press for a digital galley of The Fortune Seller.

Having enjoyed this author's previous novel, The Ballerinas, I was extremely excited to get a copy of The Fortune Seller.

This was such a quick-paced & easy read that follows Rosie through her journey at Yale and being on the equestrian team. It focuses on Rosie's friendships with Cressida, Andra, Annaliese and Lila and her struggle to stay afloat while trying to fit in with her wealthy, elite friends. With Annaliese being the newcomer to the group, much of the story centers around Rosie's friendship with her and the events that follow. I love the journey this story takes us through and shows us the inner workings of being friends with the wealthy without being wealthy yourself; and that being wealthy doesn't necessarily make you rich.

This was a solid 4-Star read for me that I would definitely recommend to my followers or really anyone to read. Very, very good!

Scholarship student Rosie didn’t grow up with the wealth and prestige of her friends on the Yale equestrian team. Returning from a year abroad, she returns home to a new face in the group: Annelise. Annelise is secretive and kind, but when her place in the friend group comes into question, Rosie discovers there is much more to Annelise than what lies on the surface. The Fortune Seller examines class, friendship and the length one will go to hide their secrets. Despite the interest in the premise of this book, it just wasn’t for me.

The pacing of this book is slow. It follows a very linear path of story telling, tracking the events in sequence of time. It follows Rosie from the summer before her senior year into her young adulthood and entrance into the workforce. Being used to books that time hop, this was a new way of story telling for me. I’m not sure I care for it, but that’s a personal preference with no bearing on the book. The pacing drags for most of the book, to the point where I almost gave up before the big reveal of Annelise’s true identity and reason for her integration into the friend group. I wish there had been a faster pace to the point and more time to examine that plot line.

I couldn’t connect with the characters in this one. Rosie felt very one dimensional and naive, and the friend group felt underdeveloped and weak. The only interesting character for me was Annelise. Cloaked in mystery, I was excited to see where her story took her. But I wasn’t thrilled by that ending. There was a lot to be desired regarding characters. Which was unfortunate in such a character driven book.

The plot of the book was okay, but felt a little undeveloped and unsatisfying. There was a lot of potential here that just wasn’t quite met for me. I enjoyed that tarot aspect and what it added to the novel, likewise with the equestrian team and the use of and knowledge of horses. The examination of wealth and class disparity in this one became almost grating with how heavily it was focused on. I wish it had been a slightly more subtle examination.

I would hesitate to recommend this one. Neutral 3 stars. Didn't love, but didn't hate either.

Tarot and equestrians, what an unexpected surprise! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and will be picking this up to have on my shelf. There were a few twists that I did not expect. If you enjoy rich people drama, be sure to pick this up. The riding portion was done well and was not at all cringy. As a reader you can tell the author has experience with horses. 4.5 stars Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and the author for a copy of this e-arc.

The complicated relationships, the different class levels and all set in high society. I learned so much about the high stakes world of equestrian and the class levels associated with the people involved. The pace in the first part of the book was really slow paced but by the second half it felt to fast.


Overall this book just did not do it for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins press for providing me an ARC to review.

We’re all looking for meaning in our lives and this book gives us a hint of what can happen with tarot card readings, friends with money and a chance of making a difference in this world.

A group of five university students from Yale are sharing the rent as they ponder what their future will bring. Cressida acts like a beautiful queen with a father that manages a billion-dollar hedge fund. Andra is studying to be a writer and Lila wants to star in films. Rosie loves finance and hopes to be like Cressida’s father someday. And then there’s Annelise who transferred from Stanford with an equestrian gift. She tries to help everyone with her tarot readings. It makes me wonder how many readers will be searching for someone that can read their cards as well.

The tarot takes center stage around this original plot with layers of work ethics, charitable giving, great wealth and some who are scrambling to pay the bills. There are unexpected twists that makes you think about what an advantage it is to have money in this world…or not. It also shows the author’s love of dogs and horses. The tarot guides with wisdom and each person’s life evolves in ways that may not be expected. The end wraps up everything with a complete satisfaction.

The book was fast, fun and filled with a glimpse of reality for each character. I hope Rachel Kapelke-Dale will consider including her love of art history next…in Paris.

My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of February 13, 2024.