I wishhhhhhhhhhh I enjoyed this book more! I just felt the overall premise rather jarring and really hard to believe.

Libby is diagnosed with early stages of dementia and as a writer who is in the middle of writing a very popular book series- this is very bad news. The story follows Libby developing an unlikely friendship with her biggest fans to leads to self discovery, healing, and found family.

My review of this will not be posted on Instagram except for a link to my review on Goodreads should people want to follow it. I usually wait 2 weeks after a book is published to share my thoughts if I didn't enjoy it, just to give the book a chance.

Thank you again to Netgalley for this ARC!

This was sweet and fun. I'll confess I only requested this book because of the title. I had no idea what to expect from it, and I was surprised in a good way.
The main character reads in a very realistic way and Booth's writing style is engaging enough to hold my attention.
I only wish I had listened to the audiobook, though. There were moments I thought this book dragged a little, so the audiobook would help me go through it easily.

This was a hard read for me.
I was unable to make the distinction from the present, the past, or from the book.
The fantasy aspect was not for me. At one point or another, I just wanted to give the story a chance.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
I enjoyed the first few chapters of the book but got bored about 20% in to the story. I did like the narrator (Mia Barron) and I thought she had a wonderful voice.
Many thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

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Libby is a mega-best-selling author of a popular fantasy series, but no one knows it. As her publishers, and the world, wait for the highly anticipated next book, Libby is diagnosed with early-onset dementia. Unable to finish the story, she turns to an eleven year old superfan.

This is a treasure of a story that fans of books about books will love! It’s fun, sentimental, and a touch of sad, but the addition of the fantasy series adds a touch of whimsy and magic. The characters make the story, as they are unique and just absolute fun to read about. You’ll end this one with tears in your eyes, but unsure if they are happy or sad; most likely a mix of both!

“Everyone has their own sh*t. Just in different flavors.”

Libby Lost and Found comes out 10/13.

Debut author, Stephanie Booth, will be an author to watch out for. Libby Lost and Found is about a famous children's book author who is writing under a pen name, suddenly experiencing early onset dementia while writing the last book in the series. She seeks help from an avid fan who is only 11 years old, Peanut.
This book is for diehard fans of beloved book series who want that fictional world to go on forever. It is heartwarming, heartbreaking, and at times, real.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

i would say this one was a solid 3,75/5 rounded to 4 read.


It's a story about Libby. Libby is a very popular author of children's books and she has a really big fanbase (like the kids love her). But Libby also recently found out that she is sick. and now she can't write. Characters from her stories are now trapped in the world she created - but even if she tries really, really hard - she can't write anything to help them.
The only solution (what she thinks) is to ask some of her fans for help - and this is how she meets Peanut (i loved that name) who really want her to finish the series.


It is a story about a diagnosis changing Libby's life - and how she tries to deal with it.
I really enjoyed it, it is such a great and fresh idea to write about something like that - it shows, that even if you think everything is fine now, it doesn't mean it will always be that way. And you have to accept it.
I am always scared ob being diagnosed with something like that - i cannot imagine going through something like this - or worse, seeing one of my beloved ones like that.





i received this book via Netgalley, so thank you so much!

all of my opinions are my own.

This book is an emotional dive into memory, identity, and the love for storytelling. Libby’s struggle with dementia and her bond with a young fan bring warmth and depth to the story. While some parts feel over-the-top, the real magic lies in how it explores the blurry line between fiction and reality. It's a moving tale about connection and loss, with plenty of heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed Libby's story so much! It was beautifully written and really dove into the scary diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer's. Not many books talk about this where the main character is of a young age. She goes through a tough journey as an author and dealing with the life altering diagnosis. I laughed, I cried, and I couldn't put the book down. I would highly recommend this book! Thank you for allowing me to read this wonderful book early.

Libby Lost and Found is a heartbreakingly touching read. I found the dual main characters of Libby and Peanut to be vivid and multilayered as characters and was immediately invested in what would happen to them both. Booth does an excellent job of portraying the difficulties Libby has with daily function as she is diagnosed with early onset dementia. Her attachment to the characters in her bestselling novel series is both sweet, funny and also an excellent way of showing just how isolated and lonely Libby has become even before showing signs of dementia. While Peanut is an avid fan of the series who prefers to live in the fantasy world of the Falling Children in Libby's books rather than face growing up and coming to terms with who her real parents might be. As the two characters came together halfway through the book though, I found Peanut's determination to live out the stories a bit annoying. I also got a little aggravated with some of the secondary characters in terms of how they treated Libby even after knowing how compromised her cognitive function was and how vulnerable that made her. Some of them were still ready to turn her out on her own to go back home rather than having the compassion to help her. It seemed more than a little implausible that a doctor of all things would recommend having someone in that condition travel alone across country without assistance of some kind. But aside from those elements of the story, I really enjoyed this novel and I was satisfied with how it all wrapped up in the end. I will be interested in reading more by Stephanie Booth. I am thankful to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for giving me the opportunity to read a free eARC of this novel in return for this honest review.

“Everyone has their own shit, just in different flavors”
Before she can stop herself, Libby recites, “Black licorice. Pig slop. Bitter melon. Blood.
“Let me guess, the Falling Children?”
“No, it’s from me-the taste grief leaves in your mouth. Every book, I add it in and my publishers cuts it. She thinks it’s too sad.”

Libby is the infamous author of The Falling Children series. Infamous because nobody knows who she is. The author FT Goldhero is a true mystery, but everyone is beginning to lose their patience as they wait for the final book. Meanwhile Libby has recently gotten a horrifying diagnosis, she is in the early stages of dementia. She knows she needs to save the children though, so she calls on one of her biggest fans, 11 year old Peanut to help her finish the book.

This book was so fun, but also really sad at the same time! I had to remind myself several times that the main people dealing with Libby were kids, which would be why they didn’t understand that she was sick. I kept feeling like omg why don’t they notice the dementia? But they were so young how would they know? I just felt so much for Libby throughout the book because she understood that she couldn’t remember, but also just couldn’t remember. It really broke my heart, especially as my Grandma is beginning to become a bit forgetful and it kills me to see her that way. I really loved Peanut and the relationship she built with Libby was so sweet. Overall that is the best way to describe this book..so dang sweet!

Thank you to @bookedmarked for my gifted copy of this book!

I loved this book, which was so different than anything else I have read in the past few years. It crossed genres in the best of ways. Libby needed to finish the final volume in her Harry Potter series, yet, due to the beginnings of early onset Alzheimer’s, she was having a hard time. She desperately decided to go across the country, to the home of a 12 year-old who helps her, and writes the last book for her.

Here, in this synopsis, it sounds crazy, but it works. It’s funny and poignant, a story about family and hope and fantasy and Alzheimer’s rolled into one book. Genius, really. Loved it!

Sadly I simply couldn’t make a “go” of this book. It was confusing, it was repetitive and the characters just never came alive for me.

I hope it will be a winner with others.

I appreciate the ARC from Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to @SourcebooksLandmark and #NetGalley for the digital ARC of #LibbyLostAndFound. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Libby Weeks is the reclusive author (using a pseudonym) of the Falling Children series. Libby is an anxious person who experiences the world through her writing and her characters. She's missed the deadlines for the final book in the series and her publisher and her fans are ratcheting up the pressure. Libby knows her characters are in trouble, but she can't seem to help them. When she's diagnosed with Alzheimer's, Libby turns to a young superfan to help her finish the book.

The depiction of early on-set Alzheimer's felt authentic and frankly, terrifying. I enjoyed this book, but the scenes of Libby venturing far from home with her impaired cognitive abilities made me anxious. In real life, the consequences could be so different.

Libby Weeks is a 40-year-old woman with anxiety levels so high it’s a miracle she’s able to do anything. Her paranoia keeps her in a cage that prevents her from actually living her life. She has no one, except for her dog Rolf. She’s awkward. She’s quiet. And she was also just diagnosed with Early-Onset Alzheimers. To make matters worse, she is also the illustrious F. T. Goldhero: beloved author of the world-famous children’s series The Falling Children (think Lemony Snicket/A Series of Unfortunate Events). The manuscript for the final book is months overdue, and Libby has written the Children into a dangerous corner with no obvious way to save them. After opening a fan letter from Peanut Bixton, the Children’s biggest fan, Libby makes the dubious decision to pack up and go to Big Sky, Colorado to pay Peanut a visit and see if she know what to do next in the story.

As Libby’s memory deteriorates more and more, she becomes entrenched in Peanut’s life, which weirdly mirrors her own novels. Meanwhile, the fans of The Falling Children have grown impatient for the last book in the series, and are turning against F. T. Goldhero. A billionaire from Texas has even put a bounty on her head – one million dollars to whomever unmasks the author. Libby keeps slipping up and doing things that could reveal her secret identity as the stakes get higher and higher – culminating in a Falling Children rally in Big Sky, hosted by Peanut’s nemesis. Will Libby be unmasked as Goldhero? Will she be able to save the Children from the danger she’s written them into? Will Libby get to actually live her life instead of letting her fears hold her back?

Booth has a wonderful way with words, and this book is sprinkled with humor throughout. Her writing is smart and you’re immediately endeared to Libby and the struggles she’s facing with the loss of her memory. Libby goes on an almost cross-country adventure because her desire to save what she views as HER children outweighs her fears and anxieties – illness be damned. You keep seeing her make mistakes because she just can’t remember, and it adds a lot of needed tension – there were several moments I had to set the book down because I was stressed out about her making things worse for herself.

If you don’t know me, I’m a cancer survivor (2 years in remission baybeeee!!!). I know what it’s like to get a big diagnosis that could be fatal. I know what it’s like when your brain stops working like it’s supposed to (chemo brain is the gift that keeps on giving if you didn’t know). I LOVE that this book isn’t all sad or overly schmaltzy about illness. It means a lot to me that Libby is still Libby, even though she’s got A Lot Going On Now. Libby is ultimately not a victim here – she hasn’t let her illness take her agency away from her. Her illness actually forces her to let go of her control so that she can experience life instead of frightfully playing it safe. She’s dating and traveling and connecting with people and trying. Libby is finally LIVING, in spite of being told she’s dying. And that’s the biggest “fuck you” you can give to an illness.

A word of warning: I was about a third of the way through the book when I became CONVINCED that I knew what the bigger picture was and what was happening. This caused me to read the book in a certain way, which made it less enjoyable for me as I ended up being wrong in my assumptions. This is a book that I’ll have to go back and read again so I can get a full appreciation of it, so I give this warning so you know to read it with a more open mind than I did. Libby Lost and Found is a wonderful story about life, family, loss, and hope. If you are a fan of any serial children’s stories, I think you’ll especially enjoy this read.

Libby Weeks, the secret author of the wildly popular “The Falling Children” series, has developed early onset Alzheimer’s and is unable to finish the final novel in the series. So, she enlists the help of one of her very best fans, Peanut Bixton, a very precocious 11-year-old girl who knows the series inside and out. The storyline progresses as Libby’s condition worsens and Peanut’s help increases. Although the overall story is a charming one, it is really slow going through most of the novel. Additionally, the second half of the novel meandered quite a bit and was confusing at times, and the ending seemed somewhat rushed (although all was nicely resolved). All in all, this was a good read.

Libby Lost and Found is for all book lovers and those who love found family stories.

Libby is a 40 year old woman who writes a wildly popular children’s magical series under the name F. T Goldhero. She lives alone, is an orphan and has no friends. No one knows she is the mysterious author. Libby has been struggling to finish the final book in the series because she was recently diagnosed with early onset dementia. She is stressed and looking for a way to complete the series before her editors, publishing company and fans find out what is really happening.

The story takes us on Libby’s journey as she flies out of town to secretly meet a child super fan who she thinks will help her finish the series, and the events develop from hereThe story struggles with how early onset dementia, alters a person’s mindset and life. A fantastical element of the “Falling Children Series” is also woven through the actual story.

I loved Libby and her superfan, Peanut. I struggled with some of the fantastical elements of the story and felt we got stuck in the middle. The writing was excellent and overall a very enjoyable read.

A complementary copy was provided by publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I haven't read such an emotionally heartwarming story since "A Man Called Ova." While the premise and the writing are nothing like Fredrik Backman's books, the heart of the story grabbed me the same way. Fully developed, endearing characters, a well paced plot and unexpected twists kept me reading almost straight through. Highly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advanced reader copy

Libby Lost and Found
by Stephanie Booth
Pub Date: Oct 15 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Libby Lost and Found is a book for people who don't know who they are without the books they love. It's about the stories we tell ourselves and the chapters of our lives we regret. Most importantly, it's about the endings we write for ourselves.
A heartbreaker of a story with wonderful broken characters who, along with Libby, fit like perfect puzzle pieces so beautifully. All those obsessive Harry Potter fans might be looking into a mirror and it touches on how high we place some authors atop a pedestal they can't help but fall off of. For book fans of THE WISHING GAME, LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY and the tragic characters of ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK - this is your kind of book.
I loved this story~

While not quite what I expected, I was enthralled with this novel and how the pieces of LIbby's dementia and the town of Blue Skies (and those living there) slowly pieced together, Highly recommend.