3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️.✨ This was such a heartwarming story filled with found family and adventure. You really feel for Libby as you follow her and her early onset dementia. I absolutely adored Peanut and the complete story arc was great! A little repetitive at times and I think I wanted just a little bit more about Libby and HER story but overall I would recommend. Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC :)

The premise of this book drew me in and I thoroughly enjoyed the balance of heaviness and tenderness in its pages. It was different than I was expecting it to be yet still unique and unlike most I’ve ever read. If the premise appeals to you, I encourage you to pick it up.

Conflicted. It's a unique premise with an unreliable narrator, even to herself. I rather enjoyed the slight magical realism threaded into the story, but felt like it did nothing with it. Much of the book is spent laying the foundation for so many parallels between the children's book and Peanut's life, only to go nowhere. This could have been so much more, and like many other reviewers, the ending was a disappointment.

I really loved this book, but it also was heartbreaking and bittersweet. I’m so glad I read it during this time of year because I think it’s a perfect cozy winter read! I look forward to handselling it!

Libby Weeks is the very successful author of a series of fantasy children's books about the Falling Children, using the pseudonym F. T. Goldhero. She can't seem to complete the final book in the series. She has just been given a diagnosis of early onset dementia, and she is frozen with the thought of abandoning the children.
Peanut Bixton is an 11 year old who adores the books. She writes to F.T. Goldhero, and offers her help to finish the book series. Libby is desperate, so she travels to CO to meet Peanut, planning to steal her ideas. But, what happens is a delightful story of family, love, trust, and hope.

I should have realized, but didn't, that this book was told through the voice and point of view of an 11-year-old. Books narrated by children can be hard for me to not find annoying or saccharin and unfortunately this was no different. I almost DNF'd it a few times, but was hoping it would redeem itself at some point. There's a book within a book, which I found to be a bit tedious and took me out of the actual story – this definitely impacted my enjoyment and desire to pick it up. I don't think I was the target audience for this one.

This was lovely. Sad, sweet, funny…and a love letter to the books that shaped our childhood (I’m looking at you, Nancy Drew!). Despite a couple of choppy chapter transitions…a few details seemed to be missing…this was a very charming story.

Libby Weeks has written the best selling children's fantasy series called "The Falling Children". Now she is under contract to finish the last installment in the series. Her publish, editor and most importantly, her fans are getting impatient as Libby misses one deadline after the other. But Libby is a mess

Here's what you need to know about Libby: She writes under the pseudonym FT Goldhero so nobody knows who she is. Libby has also just been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's. Compounded by her anxiety and stress, Libby know she has little time to finish the series but her brain is a mess and her place is littered with reminders everywhere.

So when an 11 year old fan writes to her offering her help with the last book, Libby decides to go for it, setting forth a series of events that have unintended consequences.

It took me awhile to get into this book and I admit I skimmed through the sections of the novel which had excerpts of her book. The story was definitely a stretch when it comes to being believable but I did enjoy the characters and the personal secrets they each had buried inside. Once I was invested in the characters, the book went pretty fast and I definitely liked the conclusion.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for an early digital review copy of this novel.

I managed to complete this book, exactly hours before its expiry date.
I gave this book 4 stars, because it kept me curious and waiting throughout the book, however it might be a three star actually. I have to admit that I was expecting a different twist and ending, but this is what we get. For sure, the ending could have been a bit different, as the current one does feel forced and rushed. I still think that SPOILER!!! having an 11 year old announced as a writer does spoil the reading experience for me. end of SPOILER!!!
My heart ached for Libby during almost the entire book. She has always been a very private person, but struggling with dementia has made this privacy frightful and dangerous to the extent that Libby gets out of her comfort zone for an almost comical and unbelievable reason. Having one's mind out of control sounds scary and the author has described this process so well that I read with an elephant sitting on my chest almost every sentence relating to Libby. It must feel foggy and dark and gloomy and rainy in a mind once clear as sky, so sad really.
All the remaining story of Peanut, Buss, Jessie, Orson (what was this about visiting an old and abandoned house and this visit having no effect on the entire book at all), all the unexplained coincidences (I did expect that Libby would turn out to be the grown up version of Peanut, but it did not), which again had no effect on the ending and everything in between.

In Libby Lost and Found, Stephanie Booth pens an emotionally resonant exploration of memory, identity, and the impact of stories on our lives. At the heart of the novel is Libby Weeks, a successful fantasy author whose world begins to unravel when she is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. Known to her millions of fans as the mysterious "F.T. Goldhero," Libby has spent years concealing her true identity while crafting the beloved The Falling Children series. But as the disease rapidly progresses, Libby finds herself not only losing her grip on the world around her but also on the very thing that has defined her—her books.

The novel grapples with the profound effects of dementia on both the person experiencing it and those around them. Libby’s struggle is heartbreaking, but it’s also a poignant meditation on how we define ourselves through the stories we tell. Once a successful author able to control the narrative of her fictional worlds, Libby now faces a reality where her own story is slipping away from her. The pressure mounts when her final manuscript is overdue and she must find someone—anyone—to help her finish it.

Enter Peanut Bixton, an eleven-year-old superfan who knows The Falling Children books better than Libby herself. Peanut is an endearing character—smart, intense, and deeply empathetic—yet also grappling with her own trauma and secrets. The relationship between Libby and Peanut becomes the emotional core of the story as they work together to finish the last book. However, as Libby's dementia worsens, their bond becomes fraught with tension, forcing both women to confront their personal demons, regrets, and what it means to truly be "lost" and "found."

Booth’s writing is lyrical and evocative, capturing the fragile nature of memory and the deep connection that can exist between authors and their readers. The book also tackles themes of legacy, creative fulfillment, and the sometimes painful truth that we can't always control how our stories end. The dynamic between Libby and Peanut, two people from different generations yet tied by their shared love of stories, is beautifully rendered and forms the heart of the novel. Their journey together is one of learning to cope with loss, understanding the complexities of one another’s worlds, and ultimately finding a sense of closure.

Libby Lost and Found is a novel for readers who understand the powerful, sometimes transformative role books can play in our lives. It is a tender and thought-provoking exploration of the way stories shape who we are, how they can offer solace in moments of crisis, and how they can sometimes also hold us captive to our past.

Libby Lost and Found by Stephanie Booth. Dementia, Grief, and Heartfelt.

I rated this book 3 stars.

Libby is a children’s fantasy author, who has been diagnosed with early on-set dementia at the age of 40. She is now unable to finish her series and no one knows that she is the author of these books. Libby finds 11 year old, Peanut Bixton, her biggest fan, hoping she can help her complete the story.

The premise of this story sounded good and promising but I felt like there was a lot of unanswered questions (ex. Peanut’s childhood trauma), and some issues that deserved to be discussed further.

Thank you, NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This is a difficult book to describe, rate and even read at times. Yet I'm glad that I did. What happens when the best-selling author of a beloved children's book series develops early dementia and can't satisfy the public with an end to the story? Libby Lost and Found explores some heavy themes, so it is not an easy read. Yet I was invested in the characters and wanted the right ending for them. I did find the story within the story a little difficult to follow, but it didn't detract from the main plot.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #RBMedia for a free copy of #LibbyLostAndFound by Stephanie Booth. All opinions are my own.

Don't really know what to think of this book. Enjoyed for what it was, like the idea of a book within a book, but the ending was not my favorite.

This book is so well written and I fear it will be overlooked and missed because the topic isn't exciting or sexy. Stephanie Booth wrote a main character that felt so real it was uncomfortable to read. I hated being lost in Libby's mind. It was anxiety inducing to feel her panic as her memories slipped away. While that made it uncomfortable to read, it showed me how well written it was.
I loved all of the connections Booth tied together to make the Falling Children books seem more real and alive.
Even though I didn't love how they tied up the ending, I still enjoyed the journey to get there.

Thank you to the publisher for my arc!

Sadly i didn't enjoy this. the story seemed super boring and i didn't care about the characters.

Title: Libby Lost and Found
Author: Stephanie Booth
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 2.50
Pub Date: October 15, 2024

I received complimentary eARC and ALC copies from SourceBooks and RBmedia respectively via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted

T H R E E • W O R D S

Heartfelt • Imaginative • Dizzying

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Meet Libby Weeks, author of the mega-best-selling fantasy series, The Falling Children -written as "F.T. Goldhero" to maintain her privacy. When the last manuscript is already months overdue to her publisher and rabid fans around the world are growing impatient, Libby is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. Already suffering from crippling anxiety, Libby's symptoms quickly accelerate. After she forgets her dog at the park one day -then almost discloses her identity to the journalist who finds him -Libby has to admit it: she needs help finishing the last book.

Desperately, she turns to eleven-year-old superfan Peanut Bixton, who knows the books even better than she does but harbors her own dark secrets. Tensions mount as Libby's dementia deepens -until both Peanut and Libby swirl into an inevitable but bone-shocking conclusion.

💭 T H O U G H T S

The premise for Stephanie Booth's debut novel Libby Lost and Found sounded fantastic, with so many of my favourite themes. Additionally, the marketing team compared Libby Lost and Found to Lessons in Chemistry and Remarkably Bright Creatures (two books I enjoyed) so there was no denying I had incredibly high hopes going in. Unfortunately, it just didn't work for me.

Libby is the ultimate unreliable narrator. The way in which this book is structured and written makes it incredibly difficult to discern between the present, the past, and the fictional world of the books. What started out strong eventually becomes a dizzying and repetitive narrative. I would say throughout the majority of the book, it felt like something I'd read before (i.e. The Wishing Game vibes). It was as though the author spent time choosing elements from several other novels and just threw them together into her own book.

I typically love stories with intergenerational friendships in them. However, here that friendship isn't the central focus, rather more of a working in parallel situation. And I honestly didn't know if it was real or part of the series. Additionally, the romance was absolutely unnecessary to the plot and took away from Libby's character.

Mia Barron who narrates the audiobook delivers a solid performance. She switches up her voice and tone to distinguish between characters. I started out alternating between reading the digital copy with my eyeballs and listening to the audio, but around the two-thirds mark I switched to the audio because the story was more engaging that way

Before picking up Libby Lost and Found I'd predicted it would be a 5-star read for me since it included so many themes and elements I love (found family, intergenerational relationships, the world of books, etc.) That was definitely not the case and I was left feeling very disappointed. In my opinion, this was not the story it was marketed to be and as a result, it will struggle to find its audience. What started out strong, somewhere along the way it took a wrong turn and got lost. While it was not the book for me, I have no doubts anyone with a taste for more fantastical elements will enjoy it more.

📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• middle aged MCs
• book within a book plots
• stories about the underdog

⚠️ CW: dementia, panic attacks/disorders, anxiety, depression, bullying, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, overdose, child abuse, toxic relationship, abandonment, pregnancy

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"Everyone has their own shit. Just in different flavors."

I don’t know what I just read…this book was all over the place. I understand that the author was diagnosed with dementia (not Alzheimer’s as the synopsis said) and she was having a hard time finishing the last book in her series, but it going back and forth between Peanut and her and with some snippets of her book, made it really confusing. This book was just meh for me…

Libby lives a pretty solitary life writing the world famous children’s fantasy series “The Falling Children” under the name F.T.Goldhero. The internet is blowing up wondering who this author is and when the final book in the series will be released. Unbeknownst to the world, and her publisher, Libby has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers and writing is next to impossible.
Through a series of events, she travels to meet an extremely precocious 11 yo. fan who believes the finale’ of the story will tell her who her birth mother is. I read middle-grade books so the frequent reference to what occurs in “The Falling Children” is SOP for me though some adult readers may have difficulty with the fantasy references. That said, the book is extremely compelling and, as you might imagine, heartbreaking and I recommend it highly.

Libby Lost and Found" by Stephanie Booth is an emotional and enchanting tale that captures friendship, love, family, and a touch of magic. From the first page to the last, I was drawn into its world.

Libby Weeks, the reclusive author behind the beloved "The Falling Children" series, faces an early-onset Alzheimer's diagnosis just as her final manuscript is overdue. Enter Peanut Bixton, an eleven-year-old superfan with her own secrets, who joins Libby in an unexpected journey to finish the series. Their bond, formed through shared stories and personal struggles, is the heart of this narrative.

Booth beautifully navigates themes of identity, loss, and resilience. Her portrayal of Libby's diminishing memory is poignant yet compassionate, and Peanut's determination resonates with anyone who has ever found solace in a story. The epistolary touches add a unique depth, making the characters feel real and relatable.

This book is a testament to the power of stories and the connections they forge. I highly recommend it for readers looking for a heartfelt, imaginative, and inspiring read

In a time where I was having a hard time with books capturing my attention, this one was such a treat. This is the perfect escapist read for anyone looking for one.