"The Fortune Seller" starts as a story about a group of equestrian friends in an elite college, where one day a new girl gets added to the mix. She is quirky, different, reads your fortune in the cards and probably the best rider of all of them.

I personally enjoyed the college-years and the elements of their complex/competitive friend group getting a bit of a shake up. I also thought Kapelke-Dale was starting to do something pretty cool with the fortune and tarot card aspect. HOWEVER, she lost me in the second half (post-college ~figuring things out~). She completely threw away the fortune, equestrian and friendship aspects of the story leaving us with the mostly bland life of a girl in a big city.

I think Rachel Kapelke-Dale tried to mix too many different elements, plotlines and stories into one. It unfortunately lost its steam and I was disappointed.

Thank you Macmillian Audio and Rachel Kapelke-Dale for this fabulous book. I was sucked in immediately with the characters and the writing. You nailed it. The way you described situations I could imagine being there, I could imagine being with the characters and watching from the outside of these Yale college students from different backgrounds room together. I enjoyed Annelise s tarro readings, I enjoyed the relationship between Annelise & Rosie and I hated the way the Tates had so much and how entitled they were.

Then the question what would it take to be happy? I just loved the way she took control and followed her dreams and how people got what they deserved at the end of this book in so many different ways. I can't wait for your next book.

Rosie is solidly middle class but years for more. Especially since all her friends at Yale, fellow equestrian team members, are wealthy. Right before her senior year, Annelise is invited to live with them. Annelise is an enigma with her rich clothes, tarot-reading habits, and beautiful riding. Then, friendships begin to splinter until a tragedy threatens the entire group.

While working for a hedge fund right out of college, Rosie unearths more than she bargained for about Annelise and her friends. Can she set things right?

This is a beautiful coming-of-age story set in the early 2000s. I loved the atmosphere, the tension between the haves and have-nots, and the examination of desire and ambition. The audiobook was exceptionally well done.

i was not fond of this book. i did find the bits about the tarot cards interesting, i dabble in them and really some of the information was new.

I did not feel anything for the girls in the story, i felt they were dry and at times petty . I also did not realize the horses would be such a large part of the story. yes, i realized they were there but it was a bigger part of the story than i expected and i found myself getting bored with it

. The narrator was excellent, she had a calming voice that was easy to listen to

3.5⭐️ I felt like this book had some good parts and was interesting enough to follow but I also didn’t feel like it was anything special. Some of the plot points seemed random and just there to move the story along. The narrator did a great job though.

Enjoyed this book immensely although I am not sure the storyline will capture everyone's interest

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“Nobody ever asks the one right question. Not the fortune tellers, not the querents…the question before the question, ‘Do you really want to know?’”

It’s 2005 and middle class midwesterner Rosie Macalister returns to Yale and the equestrian team for her senior year to find the dynamics have changed. A new rider Annelise Tattinger has entered their orbit which sends the competition both in and out of the ring, into a tailspin. Rosie is navigating guilt and frustration, as she is surrounded by her ultra wealthy teammates, when tragedy strikes. The following year Rosie is in New York City, trying to make it in the hedge fund world as she continues to attempt to unravel the mystery.

Having read and enjoyed Ms. Kapelke-Dale’s previous two novels, I had high hopes for this one. I was confident that the chapter structure and artistic elements of those books could translate to the equine world and the tarot reading themes of this new work. It’s disappointing to admit that this did not work for me. The shallow, privileged characters were laced with cliches and while realistic, were unappealing to this reader. I was rooting for Rosie and read on as I grasped for retribution for her but the continued reverting back to themes of entitlement became tedious.

I did appreciate the excellent narration by Stephanie Cannon and found her performance nuanced and compelling.
Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the early copy in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book! There are a lot of books out now about tarot but this one didn't focus so much on it. I don't know that the Title suits the story. I would recommend this book.

This novel was underwhelming. I found the narration pretty irritating, which is to say, spot on for the character and tone.

If Mean Girls and The Heathers had a baby and that baby went to Yale and was part of an equestrian team… I give you The Fortune Seller.

I was drawn to this book from the use of tarot throughout and the promise of a surprising turn of events. The author did an excellent job character building. I was able to easily envision the friend group’s dynamic. They also did a great job bringing an air of mystery to the group newcomer, Annalise.

What I was not expecting was the amount of equestrian term/talk that persisted in the story. I understood most of the language since I grew up around horses, but some might find it weighs the story down a little.

I think this book had lots of potential but it fell slightly short for me and I can’t put my finger on it. Maybe I expected a darker ending?

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me privilege to review this book in advance!

This book just didn't do it for me. I saw a review on Goodreads that said, "Fortune Seller lures you in with a summary that promises mystery and social commentary, but it ends up letting you down in both respects." And that sums it up perfectly.

The description of this book made it sound incredibly intriguing, but the follow-through was weak. The book was.... eh. I hate to say "not good" because that just sounds so rude, and I never want to insult an author who worked hard on a book and then put it out in the world for others to judge.

Unfortunately, though, (in my opinion) this book just WASN'T good. The characters were unrelatable and - at times - totally unbelievable. And the book's outcome was just.... unrealistic in the extreme. There are deaths and murders with no investigations and no consequences, and the attitude of some of the central characters are just really ridiculous.

In truth, the book reads like it was written by a 17-year-old mean girl. It seems as though the author has had no real life experiences yet beyond what she's learned from her private school life. (Note: I'm not saying that is accurate at all. I know nothing about this author. That's just how the book reads.)

So yeah, as much as I hate to give any book a bad rating (for the author's sake), this one just wasn't for me. The narrator was excellent, though. She is easily worth the two stars I gave the book. She needs to narrate more things.

by Rachel Kapelke-Dale narrated by Stephanie Cannon

Audiobook publication date: Feb 13, 2024


For the most part, I liked the book. However, at times the pacing was a little too slow for me. An audiobook this length would normally take me a day or two at max to get finished. I kept finding myself pausing and it ended up taking me about 4 days to finish.

I loved how each chapter was started with a card from the tarot deck and its meaning. I have loved the tarot since I was young. The "theme" of what was happening in each chapter then revolved around the meaning of the card.

I also don't feel like there was much tension built up to the big reveal. When it came down to it, it was just put out there. But the story along the way was interesting enough to keep me listening.

Would I listen to another book by this author? I am really not sure. Like I said, the story was interesting, but I didn't find myself invested enough to want to keep reading instead of going to bed.

I would like to thank NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for providing me with an advanced review copy in exchange for my open and honest review of this audiobook.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
The Fortune Seller gave me Pretty Little Liars vibes, with Rosie being the one in the group that stood out from the rest. Annelise and her secrets cast a mysterious feeling over the friend group, eventually destroying the group altogether, making this a total page-turner, and I found myself dying to listen more and more (hence why I finished the book in just two sittings). I loved the pacing, especially getting to spend time with all of the characters before any major plot points.
Without spoiling anything, this book gets WILD. I’m usually a fantasy reader, I like the lore and world-building and escapism, but I absolutely devoured this book because of the amount of drama and twists and turns!
The narrator, Stephanie Cannon, also deserves a huge round of applause. It is so easy to over or underdo a book like this, but she did a great job portraying the different characters to make it easy to follow without it being distracting. I tend to listen at 1.75 or 2.0 speed and her voice was still perfectly clear.

**Initial Reaction**: 9

**Characters:** 9

**Setting:** 7

**Plot:** 9

**Pace:** 8

**Style:** 8

**Ending:** 10

**Enjoyment:** 9

69 / 16 = 4.3125

Rounded Rating = 4.25

Rosie has come back from her junior year abroad with new confidence that is needed to help her fit in with her Yale riding team friends but finds a stranger in her room. Newest to the group, Annelise is unlike anyone Rosie has ever met before, a gifted rider and a tarot card reader. But as jealousy forms among the group tensions rise and accidents happen.

This was an exceptional telling of the story done by the narrator. I really enjoyed the depth to the emotions she gave to characters as she read. An equestrian tale of friendship and self-discovering told with the most thrilling of twists. I definite recommend for multiple audiences who love a good mystery but also a strong female lead made stronger with friendships.

I alternated between reading the egalley and listening to the audiobook. The story itself was amazing; narrative and characters drew me in from the beginning and kept me engaged throughout.
The audiobook is a perfect fit -- the narrator has just the right tone, depth of feeling came through, but with no over the top affect. Her voice even has a bit of hypnotic feel, which only added to the mystical aspect. HIghly recommended.

This was kind of like "The It Girl" with horses. A lot of horses. I was invested in the characters at first, and I did want to find out what happened to him. Near the end, though, the events just felt unrealistic, especially the way the characters confronted each other. And there was a lot of horse talk, so if you're not into horses, you might not be into it. I can appreciate the way the author writes and weaves the tale, but I just wish the end felt more realistic. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Fortune Seller took me a bit by surprise in how much I enjoyed the story in its entirety. Set in the early 2000s, I found Rosie’s backstory to attend a prestigious college with no real thought of career path and/or debt after attaining a degree, incredibly relatable. This may present extremely surface level thinking for younger/older generations, but at that time the focus was entirely different. Unfortunately, everyone wanted to attend a prestigious college and no one spoke about the looming college debt that would come after.

Rosie Macalister grew up decidedly middle-class with a few well-placed opportunities and scholarships that allowed her to attend Yale and join the equestrian team. The other girls on the team are not like Rosie, instead growing up in the most prestigious households where money was never a concern. Returning from a year-abroad, Rosie finds that she has a new roommate, Annelise.

Annelise is equal parts ethereal tarot card reader and superb equestrian rider. EVERYONE loves Annelise and Rosie quickly begins to like her as well…until everyone else begins to turn away from her. Throughout the first and second parts of the novel, Rosie struggles over and over again with finding her voice, fitting in, and understanding who her true friends really are. If this type of girl drama annoys you, this book definitely would not be your cup of tea. The worst of it comes after Annelise’s death and Rosie’s mild acceptance of it.

There are a couple of well-placed twists in the novel, though I did not find them very surprising. Who Annelise really was and how she died become incredibly obvious and yet that did not deter from the point of the story; with wealth and privilege there is always an expectation that the law unfortunately does not apply.

The epilogue comes with a neat little bow on top, officially concluding the novel. This seemed a bit trivial and yet I got it. This novel will absolutely not be for everyone, and at no point does Rosie examine her own set of privileges and opportunities; instead continuing to wallow in her middle-classness until the very end. Despite this, I found the story held my interest throughout. The audio production was absolutely superb and made the references to tarot reading and equestrian riding easier to follow along with.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this audiobook, narrated by Stephanie Cannon.

For those who have never experienced the lives of the super-rich in 21st century America, and that’s most of us, what happens in this novel will seem fantastical. How could a group of unspeakably privileged girls, Yale students and equestriennes, whose fashionably ripped jeans cost their maids’ weekly salary, be just so mean? It doesn’t take enormous psychological insight to come to the same conclusion as the author: it’s what they are. Or what they have been made, in a society where wealth is power. Even a Yale degree, a highly coveted goal that even many of the most intelligent of the middle class can’t attain, just does not matter as much as your family wealth.

The main characters are 3 self-obsessed and truly awful rich girls, Cressida (Cress), Lila and Andra. Cress is the richest, meanest, least self-reflecting, and consequently most powerful of the group of roommates and equestrian team members. The other two, Rosie and Annaliese, are middle-class, in a setting where that means ‘poor’ and excluded. Annaliese, in fact, barely makes that class level, as the daughter of a single mother who raised her alone. Both are ground down by the costs of everything in their new circle, especially the riding they love.

The rich girls pass their time engaging in casual cruelty and wanton excess, in their fancy rental digs and among their equally privileged peer group. They allow Rosie and Annaliese, to share a bedroom under their roof, and usually treat them ‘nicely,’ like it’s their duty to perform charitable acts toward their lessers while constantly reminding them how inferior they are. The bluntest, and least embarrassed, about their behaviour is Cressida, who likes to remind her ‘friends’ that ‘you’re not one of us,’ in case they missed the message.

The author reveals their tragedy through the developing relationship between Rosie and Annaliese. The enigmatic Annaliese is slowly revealed, as much through the tarot readings she does for Rosie, as through their growing trust and closeness. When her secret is fully revealed, Rosie finally understands that, in that caste of society, personal ambition trumps even friendship and greed trumps all. A tarot reading had brought her and Annaliese to the conclusion that secrets can protect, but they can also corrode, and that proves to be true for all of them.

The author has created a believable set of characters, steering clear of making this a story of ‘rich/bad’ and ‘poor/good.’ By making the poor girls especially forgiving of and compassionate toward Cressida, she avoids casting her as irredeemable monster. For me, however, she is. I hated her at the start, and even more at the end. She doesn’t get nearly what she deserves.

Although the story begins a bit slowly as the setting and characters are established, and the equestrian detail (for me) is a little too much, this is a suspense-filled novel that really looks at the ‘top 1 percent’ through their young, and possibly even more sickening, members. These are the future leaders. It’s a scary story.

I really like the tarot element to this book. The trope is age old and kind of over used, poor scholarship kid goes to Yale with a bunch of rich kids. But this is presented a little different with the addition of the tarot and a few supporting characters. There’s also a large element of horse racing and horse riding which plays a major role in the book, unexpectedly. Another thing I noted was that young readers would likely not understand several of the MCs references, such as Lucille Ball and Laverne and Shirley, I found this a little odd since those are old shows for me as an adult. This is a clean book for young adults but it wasn’t boring. It kept my interest throughout. Would recommend!

Thank you to @netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the chance to review The Fortune Seller by Rachel Kapelke-Dale. I LOVED this book - just could not put it down. Set at Yale in the early 2000s, Rosie is a firmly middle-class girl trying to make friends with her wealthy equestrian teammates. Then, a new stranger enters the group. Annalise was a storyteller and tarot expert - and a wonderful person. Then, money went missing…. This was a twisty novel with late teenage angst, cliques, and a touch of the mystic. Rosie’s arc was so fun to read. The narration was excellent! #akolesarreads