"Libby Lost and Found" is a touching story about a famous author with Alzheimer’s trying to finish her last book. With the help of a young fan who knows her stories inside out, Libby faces the challenge of her memory slipping away and learns about the impact of the stories we tell ourselves. I would highly recommend this to my patrons at the library.

Thanks to the publisher, author and NetGalley for early access to this beautiful book. The cover alone caught my attention. This is such a heartwarming story that I don’t want to put down. It made me smile and cry at the same time ❤️

Honestly loved this book. Its a romance novel but for YOU. Libby is an author and gets a diagnosis that significantly changes her life. The way she encompasses her journey made me laugh, it made me cry, and IT MADE ME WANT TO READ. This is just an adorable read. I would absolutely recommend. Also, thank you so much to the publishers an Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review :) an amazing worthwhile read! Can't wait to read more of this authors work!

In LIBBY LOST AND FOUND, Libby Weeks is the real-life author of the hugely famous F.T. Goldhero, author of a wildly successful children's fantasy series. After receiving a dementia diagnosis, Libby finds her memories slipping away from her, which Booth skillfully incorporates into the story and draws readers into the experience that Libby is going through. The final book in the series is due, but Libby struggles to write it. She finds help in Peanut, an 11-year-old superfan who has ideas for the series. As the story progresses, the line between fiction and reality begins to blur, creating a mysterious thread throughout. Booth also effectively uses mixed media to build the narrative and the world around F.T. Goldhero's popularity. This was imaginative and touching.

One of the best books I've read in 2024, so glad to have found this gem!!
It was different from what I was expecting but amazing nonetheless.

The premise of this book was great, but I found it so hard to follow. Very slow pace and the second half was tedious for me to read. The children’s book series Libby wrote didn’t make any sense to me and I skipped over most of those parts.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Though there were plenty of moments of trauma, sadness, and hardship faced by the characters, there was also hope, coping, and some humour sprinkled in. The concept of this story was thoroughly unique. It gave me a nostalgic ache for the books I obsessed over as a kid and reminded me that I still have those stories close to my heart, despite growing up.

My only critique was the ending. It wasn't quite as satisfying as I was hoping it would be, but I will spare the spoilers.

I look forward to the final published edition this October!

I was really hoping to like this book because I thought that it would be a great delve into the sadness that is dementia. I thought it might shed some light on the illness while still being enjoyable and not too sad. I found this book interesting at first but very hard to follow as the book continued. I wasn't sure at times what point the book was trying to make. I enjoyed a few of the characters, like Peanut, but some others were strange and hard to get a feel for.

Overall it was an interesting book that seemed a bit long and hard to follow due to the story within a story and dementia element. It was also a bit unbelievable.

LIBBY LOST AND FOUND by Stephanie Booth

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC of this read.

*Possible spoilers*

3.5 rounded up to 4⭐️

A whimsical story set in a small town in Colorado, where a young girl named, Peanut Bixton, lives with her family. Peanut is enthralled with a fantasy series of books called, The Falling Children, written by F.T. Goldhero. The author and her books are famously known throughout the world. Libby Weeks, the author that goes by, F.T. Goldhero, has the last book to write for the series, and is struggling because of having anxiety issues, as well as, the onset of early dementia. Libby eventually turns to eleven-year-old Peanut Bixton, a devoted fan of hers to help her write her last book of the series. Peanut harbors dark secrets of her own and finds eerie similarities between her town in Colorado and the world in Libby’s books. Peanut also finds similarities in the characters of the book, to her own life.

I think this is geared more toward mature YA’s, but did enjoy reading it. Peanut is a precocious young girl with a vivid imagination and her parts are often very humorous. It is heartbreaking to see Libby worsening with her dementia. There are a few plot threads that I thought were unresolved and confusing. At one point, I thought perhaps the similarities between the town in Libby’s books and where Peanut lives, would somehow tie Libby and Peanut together in other ways than just the devoted fan. Some of the things in the book weren’t meshing for me or perhaps I wasn’t grasping it all. Not sure. I do look forward to what this author does next.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to review this arc!

Incredibly intriguing premise, but moved so very slowly for me. Because of this the writing got tedious at times. The plot picks up at around the 40% mark. Unfortunately I hate the 'cant stand up for myself' characters so I wasn't a massive fan of Libby even tho the depiction of her as a dementia patient was probably very accurate. Instead of charming, I found Peanut incredibly annoying. If you told me a six or seven year old was acting like this I would believe you but she ELEVEN. If was as delusional as peanut my parents would have had me admitted into the psych ward.

I did enjoy how everything was tied up very nicely in the ending, that was really satisfying.

This book was just ok for me. Maybe the fantasy aspect of her book writing wasnt for me. I think if you are a HP fan you will enjoy this book.

3.5 Stars


An ode to books, to the stories we love, those that remain with us even as the years pass.

This story revolves around Libby, a best selling author whose series of children’s books are revered by those who follow this elusive author, who prefers not to be revealed to the public. She prefers to remain unknown to the public, her only true companion is her dog. The general consensus is that this author is a man, which makes it somewhat easier. She is currently working on her latest in the series when her doctor advises her that she has early onset dementia.

When a young girl, who claims to be her biggest fan, comes into her life, the girl offers to help her with this book, to find the best way for it to end. After her doctor’s diagnosis, Libby is still reeling, desperate to bring this series to the perfect ending while she still has time, and so she goes to visit this girl and her father, and therein lies another form of magic.

There’s a sprinkling of some semi-dark moments, but overall this was a story with a lot of charm.


Pub Date: 15 Oct 2024


Many thanks for the ARC provided by SOURCEBOOKS LANDMARK / Sourcebooks Landmark

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of Libby Lost and Found by Stephanie Booth.
This is a book I didn’t know I needed in my life until I started reading it. It is magical, heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time. This is a novel that I did not want to stop reading, yet I didn’t want it to end. I absolutely adore Libby and Peanut and had such a fun time hanging out with them. This is a definite must read and I have already pre-ordered a copy for my library. I cannot wait to see what Stephanie writes for us to enjoy next!

"Libby Lost and Found" completely captured my heart. The story follows Libby Weeks, the brilliant yet reclusive author of a best-selling fantasy series, who is grappling with early-onset Alzheimer’s while trying to finish her final book. Yes, there were clichés, and sure, it asked me to suspend my disbelief a bit, but isn't that part of the magic of a good book? Despite its imperfections, this story made me feel, and that's why I love reading.

Libby herself was incredibly lovable, and every character seemed perfectly placed to complement her journey. Peanut, the spirited eleven-year-old superfan who becomes Libby's unlikely ally, brought an authenticity that worked so well for the story. With all her preteen sass and obliviousness, she added a layer of charm that felt just right. The ending may have been a little far-fetched, but it was also beautifully done, pulling all the right emotional strings.

I loved it all—every single bit of it.

Sourcebooks LandmarkThis book was soooo strange and ended up being way different than I thought it would be. It’s so much more about the wacky storytelling and Peanut’s character than Libby, which I didn’t expect. I also felt that Libby never really went through any character growth around her dementia, it was all just resolved nicely in the end. This story did intrigue me, but I don’t think I would necessarily recommend it to anyone. 3.5 rounded down!

🌈Queer rep: Secondary nonbinary character

I like the premise of the book with the main character dealing with a very important issue with age and/or early onset Alzheimer’s.

A very famous children’s series author Libby Weeks, who writes under the pen name of F. T. Goldhero, is unable to finish the last book in the “The Falling Children” series. Readers and fans are getting rather anxious and angry.

Libby gets desperate and turns to eleven year old fan Peanut.

This is their story helping each other out of their darkest secrets. Hopefully other readers like the ending and the big reveal towards the end.

I find the writing a bit repetitive in most parts and the second half a bit tedious for me to enjoy.

I love the cover and the characters so much!

Thank you, Sourcebooks Landmark, for the advance reading copy.

It took me a hot minute to fully get into the book. I was into it at first and then the Peanut chapters just seemed out of place? The changing POVs kept getting me lost but then I kept getting angry at Libby, and you realize oh hey this is the frustration and tough part of dealing with people with dementia, so it was meant to come.

Definitely a read for anyone who read the Harry Potter series as there are so many parallels, same with A Wishing Game.

3.5 rounded

This is so heartbreakingly nostalgic. If you’re the kid that stayed up on release night reading the entire HP book in one sitting this is for you. My heart broke for Peanut, a kindred spirit 😭 outcast clinging to a book series she loves finding a magical home within its pages. I had to sit it down and cry and stop reading for a day at one point.

Libby, oh Libby. You know how sometimes you can’t figure out why the hell a book is titled what it is? That’s not this. Libby finds herself in the depths of despair (you’ll get that even more after you finish) and she comes out with the best found family 🥹


While I do think there are several plot holes it’s still worth the read if you have ever felt alone and found a home within the pages of a book 🩷



**SPOILERS**
I’m not sure if I missed something along the way or misinterpreted a plot point? But this got extremely confusing. I was under the impression that Libby was from Blue Skies? How was the Fallen Children a copy paste of Peanuts story? Did I misunderstand the plot of that book or was it just the way Peanut inflated her own story because it was the way she found a home within the books?

Thank you for the copy. Sadly it didn't work for me mainly because I couldn't connect with the main character and the writing style. It might work for you if too much telling isn't a problem for you.

Thanks to NetGalley for allolwing me to receive this book for an honest review.

I am sorry to say this book wasn't for me. I thought it was completely different.