Pub date: 2/13/24
Genre: dark academia, books about friends
Quick summary: Rosie is ready for senior year with her wealthy Yale equestrian friends - until she realizes she's been replaced by the charming Annelise Tattinger. After Rosie and Annelise become friends, the whole group's secrets threaten to come out and destroy them all.

This was a quick and immersive read, and I loved the dark academia meets horse world meets tarot vibes. The complexities of female friendship and class differences were well explored by the author, and I loved following Rosie's perspective as she tried to keep her place in the group. There's also a second, future timeline where Rosie unpacks what happened in college, and it was nice to see how she interpreted the events of the past with a little more life experience under her belt.

If you enjoy dark academia, this is a fun ride!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel Kalpelke-Dale’s latest suspense highlights both the elite college equestrian world and the occult through tarot readings. She does a nice job of blending both topics to create unique, quirky characters. I enjoyed the college setting and the descriptions of the students and all of their foibles. This was an original and interesting read with a great deal of suspense and a twisty ending.

The Fortune Seller by Rachel Kapelke-Dale explores the complex dynamics of female friendships, the influence of wealth and class, and the desires that shape our lives. The story follows Rosie Macalister, a middle-class student striving to fit into the elite world of the Yale equestrian team. When mysterious tarot reader Annelise Tattinger infiltrates the group, Rosie's newfound confidence is tested, leading to devastating consequences as the friends turn against each other.

Kapelke-Dale's character is simply superb. Having read her novel “The Ballerinas” I was happy to see that she yet again created a cast of strong female characters that are incredibly likable and undeniably flawed. The narrative is propelled by smooth pacing, offering a page-turning quality that keeps the reader engaged. The quality of writing is impeccable, with a lovely, immersing readers in a world that feels like a blend of "The Clique" and “Gilmore Girls”, plus the mystique of tarot card readings.

The artistry of the story is evident in its themes of class, wealth, and the role of luck in shaping our lives. The emotional impact is poignant, evoking a haunting reflection on relationships, money, and societal status.

This book is a perfect fit for hot girls especially those who enjoy character-driven narratives with rich (both figuratively and literally) characters. While the plot occasionally flirted with predictability, the overall engagement and surprises kept me invested. The Fortune Seller is a magical, entertaining drama that doesn't neatly tie up its narrative, leaving readers with a lingering sense of the weight of the characters’ choices.

Sensitive content includes murder and some instances of animal abuse. The story's tone is best described as magical, character-driven, and super entertaining. I would confidently rate this book 4.5 stars for its compelling storytelling and thought-provoking exploration of societal dynamics.

The Fortune Seller
Rachel Kapelke-Dale (Author)
(This review was based on an ARC sent to me by NetGalley)
Middle-class Rosie Macalister struggles to fit in with her rich friends while a student at Yale and finds being on the Equestrian team makes this situation worse.
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.
Annalise introduces Rosie to the Tarot card and its’ story telling which inspire ideas and perspectives.
The author uses a different Tarot card to introduce each chapter.
However, when money starts missing from one of the groups bank accounts, all suspicions point to Annelise. As the girls turn against each other this leads to devasting consequences.
Ateer graduation Rosie gets a job at a Hedge fund she finds out Annelise identity and her rightful place in the Yale group.
This novel examines class, ambition and how ruthless girls can be to obtain their ambitions.

Wow, what a totally unexpected delight of a book!! I thoroughly enjoyed this and was enthralled from the very beginning.

Rosie comes home from her study abroad program expecting to pick up where she left off with her friends, but quickly finds that the addition of their new friend, Annelise, has changed everything. Rosie suspects that Annelise isn’t what she seems, so she’s slow to warm up to her, but later becomes her greatest supporter even when the rest of the girls have turned against Annelise. When tragedy strikes… who is really responsible? And why?


Thank you to @netgalley for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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thank you st martin's for the review copy of The Fortune Seller by Rachel Kapelke-Dale. I am a fan of this author, I like her moody take on ballet and the ballerina world in The Ballerinas and loved the storytelling in The Ingenue. For the Fortune Seller I was all in for the plot, the elite college setting and focus on competitive equestrian life and for a theme of messy female friendships, competition, privilege and college life. I was completely drawn in for the first 50-75% of the story, I liked the pacing and the moody storytelling, the complexity of the female dynamics and power and privilege. I did though find the last part of the book a little less engaging, perhaps because the story unfolded with a little more predictability than I was expecting. That being said, predictability can be a let down not because it's not good storytelling but because it mirrors real world outcomes and sometimes the real world is a let down.

If you liked Girls and Their Horses earlier this year this one might be for you! Also a good option for literary fans who like examinations of elite lives, privilege, and/or college settings.

Recommended! Definitely a book worthy of some book club discussion in particular.

Thank you to St Martins Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I will happily leave a review for this when the racist remarks by one of their employees is addressed. I want to support the author, but also want to know they don’t support this behavior.

On its face, this sounded interesting:

✅ Horse girlies = wealth.
✅ Our main character didn’t grow up with that same wealth.
✅ Another girl who introduces the group to tarot and our main character discovers some secrets about her over time.

But it took way too long to get to the action and by that point, I didn’t have enough connection to the characters to be wowed by the twists.

In the book’s defense, I did read this on my kindle before going to sleep each night so it took me longer to read than it would have if I read it during the day.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy!

I have absolutely loved Rachel Kapelke-Dale's past books. They portray complex female characters in such a nuanced way. This one was absolutely gripping, and I loved the plot, but the characters felt a little bit more one-note than I have come to expect. A few reviews mentioned the book being too horsey, but I didn't fidn that.

The Fortune Seller is a hard one for me to classify it has some mystery elements but wouldn't call it a thriller or suspense more of a drama about women's relationships. I really did like this book and found it easy to read and found myself genuinely interested in what would happen to the characters involved. I liked the tarot card elements and found the equestrian themes interesting but not usually something I would be into. The ending I was a little disappointed in and felt like somethings were not totally resolved and somethings were a little to easily wrapped up. All in all I liked this novel and would rate it 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars and would recommend. I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel Kapelke-Dale's latest offering immerses us in a world she is familiar with, of horse riding competitions, set amidst trials and tribulations of a Yale University student equestrian team, giving us a glimpse into the rarified and exclusive picture that the rich and powerful inhabit. Rosie Macalister is not from that milieur, she is a scholarship girl from a significantly more ordinary background, endeavouring to befriend and fit in with the others on the team. She returns from abroad to an altered scenario, there is a new girl, Anneliese, who she is sharing a room with. Anneliese is different, she is a very able and skilful member of their equestrian team.

Additionally, Anneliese is uniquely gifted in the art of Tarot, interpreting the cards for those drawn to seek answers within them. She is also less than forthcoming about her opaque background, often leaving for New York, leaving room for others to wonder about her secretiveness. Initially, all is well, with Rosie becoming close to Anneliese, but this does not last long as events conspire to raise the level suspicions and tensions. The team and their friendships and trust in each other begins to fragment as they fall apart leading to deadly and tragic consequences. Upon graduation, Rosie goes on to be employed at a hedge fund, unable to forget the past, feeling the need for answers

This is compelling storytelling from the author, of class inequalities, an insight into the insidious temptations, power and glamour of wealthy circles, the dysfunctions, the ambitions, the secrets the team hold, of change and justice. What engaged me were the complicated nature of the relationships between the different Yale equestrian team members, their actions and behaviour, and not all the characters are relatable or likeable. This will likely appeal to those who are drawn to dark academia and coming of age novels. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

The Fortune Seller is the story of Rosie, a middle class equestrian who finds herself at Yale trying to keep up with her group of (more well off) friends after a year abroad.
Well written and fast paced, the story quickly takes off and by the mid way point my jaw was on the ground.
The story follows these friends through their final year at yale into their life after school.
Mixing academia, athletics and mysticism - this story will be a favorite of many readers in the new year.
Please check out my more in depth, spoiler free review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN-VKWieiRM

Title: The Fortune Seller
Author: Rachel Kapilke-Dale
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Pub Date: February 13, 2024
My Rating: 3.2 Stars
Pages: 320

I was drawn to this story because of the author ~ I read and enjoyed "The Ballerinas".]
When I was young I took dance lessons which included tap, jazz and ballet.
In fact, I still love to dance but never reached the status of ballerina – but so wanted to be one! Especially after watching Margaret O’Brien in the movie “Unfinished Dance”!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y1MTfU9H2Y&list=PLuznTzCTalYrAAfrlB48crDsT_Pzjw47U
(Hmmm hoping there is someone who likes vintage “Old” movies and I am not the only one!)

In this story we follow the Yale University female student Equestrian team.

Rosie is a scholarship student and not the typical equestrian. She rooms with three other undergraduate coeds
Rosie is fortunate to go aboard to Argentina the end of her Junior year and when she return to Yale in the fall for her fourth year she finds a fifth teammate, Annelise, Rosie soon discovers that Annelise has a talent of reading Tarot cards.

I wasn’t into this story as much as the other but did love that it was at Yale. In fact, would have enjoyed more of the college scene.

I love the Epilogue. Enjoyed the author’s Acknowledgements and it was no surprise that she was on the Equestrian team but at another Ivy League school ~ Brown. She tells us that her EQ experience was nothing like the team described in her story. Stated her team was hard-working supportive riders.

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for February 13 , 2024.

This is one of those rare books where I sensed the plot twist coming, but was entirely unbothered by having figured things out before the ending because the writing was just so damn good that I wanted to see how the author was going to pull it off. And the way Rachel Kapelke-Dale pulled it off was by constructing an engrossing story populated by characters I loved, and characters I loved to hate. I fell headlong into this intoxicating world and was sorry to reach the last page, and now I'm adding her back catalog to my reading list and pushing this new book on everyone I know who craves a dark and twisty story in the dead of winter.

Rosie Macalister does her best to fit in with the elite at Yale. She is part of the equestrian team and lives with her best, incredibly wealthy friends. When she returns from a year abroad however, a newcomer has joined the group and she is unsure what to think.

Heavy on the horse language and conversation. Wasn't expecting that (but who really is). I guess I should have read closer that this had a big competitive equestrian team storyline.

That aside, Rachel Kapelke-Dale knows how to write complicated female relationships. Furthermore, she really takes an old trope (regular kid among the rich) and gives it a fresh paranormal and 21st-century facelift.

There are books that are story-heavy and books that are character-driven. The characters run the show in The Fortune Seller and since Rachel does so well with it, the book is hard to put down.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Rosie is a fourth year student at Yale, comes from a middle class background and is by far, the poorest of her friend group. When she arrives at her fall apartment she shares with her friends, she discovers that she is room sharing with a newcomer, Annelise, who she does not know. Annelise has an exceptional talent reading tarot cards. Rosie and her friends are all on the Yale equestrian team which is how they met and what they all have in common.

Then an accident occurs and slowly begins to change Rosie’s view of her goals and life choices, all of which is accelerated by working for Cressida’s father. When Rosie gets a real look at the world the rich inhabit, she must decide whether its the world she wants to be in. Revelations force Rosie to confront who these people are that she's put on a pedestal and her own ethics. She ignores the red flags for as long as possible, until she realizes there's a line she can't cross or ignore any more.

I really enjoyed the writing and the story as a whole. There are so many different themes underlying the story but the gap between the middle class and the 1% upper class was spot on. Fast paced womens lit that I highly recommend!!

Rosie is used to a small town world, where there’s just enough money to get by but not enough to get any further. So she makes a plan to get herself to an Ivy League school and major in economics so she can have the opportunity to improve her circumstances and help support her parents, a pair of veterinarians. Her equestrian skills lead to her forming friendships with other women that are out of her league financially, including Cressida Tate, the richest of them all, and the daughter of the man Rosie idolized growing up. But when another young woman named Annelise joins their group, Rosie connects with her and is reminded of just how different she is from the other women. The other women do too, and the household gets increasingly tense until an accident occurs and slowly begins to change Rosie’s view of her goals and life choices, something accelerated by working for Cressida’s father. When Rosie gets a real look at the world the rich inhabit, is it really the world she wants to be in? There were points in this book that felt like they got drawn out a little too much, and other pieces that I felt were underdeveloped, like Rosie learning tarot readings from Annelise. It’s a solid book on the haves versus the have-nots that explores ethics and the desire to belong to something that feels unattainable. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.5 Stars: The Fortune Seller begins with the return of Rosie and her friends for their senior year at Yale. The four of them are on the Equestrian team and plan to share a house this year. Rosie is at Yale on financial aid, but her friends are all from wealthy families. Rosie spent her junior year abroad, in Argentina working on a horse farm, and has realized that she can be her own person with her own opinions, and not just a mirror of her friends.

Upon arriving back at Yale she learns that there is a 5th girl, Annelise, that has not only become part of the group, but her roommate. At first Rosie is resentful, but as she and Annelise get to know one another, they become very close. Annelise is a very talented equestrienne as well as a tarot card reader, which increases her popularity. As the year goes on, they all start seeing that none of them are quite as they seem, and this is when the doubts and betrayals begin to surface.

The complicated relationships between the girls, is a huge part of what makes this book so good. They are rich, complex characters, that you can't help but sympathize with even when they are being harsh and unlikeable. I liked that this book did not try to wrap up every story line in a neat little bow, but let them feel more like real life. I enjoyed the author's writing so much that i immediately grabbed another of her books to read! I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

“In My Dreams I Hold a Knife” meets the horsey version of “If We Were Villains”, minus the plot twists.

I'm aware of how that sounds - unnecessary mean -, but I consider Dark Academia a very serious genre that sometimes includes stories far from being worthy of this label.
So yes, if you have some comprehensive skills you'll probably figure out the whats and the whos and the whys, but I also tell you this: you'll keep going and won't stop until the very last page, probably all of that in about a couple of days, and it’d become your new obsession.

For the horse talks - if that's your thing - or for the tarot world, Rachel Kapelke-Dale is gonna drag you into this story with the illusion, when it'll be over, that you'll know the answers you're looking about what do to, what to expect, what's your purpose.
But before, as gently as she can, knowing you’re already hooked, like if you have a choice, she's gonna ask: “Do you really want to know?”.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.