"A book for people who don't know who they are without the books they love"

Libby Weeks is introverted, shy, meek, and enjoys her seclusion with her dog, Rolf. Libby also has a couple secrets.

Behind closed doors, Libby is best-selling author of "The Falling Children", F.T. Goldhero. She has also been diagnosed with early onset dementia during the midst of her finishing the final book in "The Falling Children" series. Unable to pick up the story where she left off, and with the fanbase and her publisher growing more and more impatient, she responds to a dedicated fan who believes she can help F.T. Goldhero finish the story.

This book is for anyone who wishes they could bottle up the feeling you had while reading your favorite childhood book series, for anyone who adores the found family trope, for anyone who has been faced with difficult challenges but chooses to persist, and anyone who needs a boost of hope. This book is equal parts nostalgia, love, hope, misery, depression and strength and a book that I will continue to think about.

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review

ARC REVEW!! I think it is more of a 3.75 but i rounded up! Libby is an author of a beloved children’s series. it has been awhile since she’s written her last book. she wants so hard to continue her writing, but she was recently diagnosed with dementia, making it hard to get in touch with her characters. Peanut is an 11 year old super fan who wants nothing more than to live amongst the falling children, but she’ll settle for helping coauthor the books. With found family themes and heavy topics, the brixton crew will capture your heart. I think the plot could have been a bit more concise and flowed a bit better. I liked all of he plot points and actually found Buzz’s and Libby lil relationship cute. As someone who has watched someone develop dementia and eventually Alzheimer’s, the representation wasn’t the best but I liked that it was being talked about. I think that the author could have gone a bit deeper into that area.

Libby Weeks is an author of a major best selling children's series (think Harry Potter, with all the craze and merchandising that goes with it) who writes under her pen name F.T. Goldhero. When Libby meets many of her deadlines, her fans start to go crazy, and there is even a million dollar reward offered for whoever can discover who the author really is. Luckily, most people think Goldhero is an Englishman, not a 40 year old reclusive woman who lives with her dog and rarely goes out. There is a good reason for the missed deadline, however, Libby has been diagnosed with early onset dementia, and with her reclusive lifestyle, she has no one to help her. That changes, however when she decides to meet up an 11 year old mega fans who has offered to share her story ideas.

I have mixed feelings about this debut novel. I loved the concept, and felt the dementia representation was done accurately and with respect. I liked the part of the book that was grounded in the real life story of Libby and Pandora (Peanut) the child she meets up with and her family, and what ultimately turned out to be a bit of a found family story. What didn't work for me was the story within the story, which was the fantasy children's story that needed finishing by Libby. I still gave the book 4 stars, however, as I am thinking that may very well just be because I am not a children's fantasy reader.

Thank you to net galley and the publisher for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Libby Lost and Found by Stephanie Booth takes readers on a journey they’ll never want to forget. Libby is the world-famous novelist of The Falling Children, a best-selling book series for children that has taken the world by storm…but nobody knows it’s her. They think it’s written by F.T. Goldhero and Libby likes it that way. But when early-onset Alzheimer’s threatens to leave the Falling Children stuck in a world where Libby can’t reach them, she takes matters into her own hands and befriends a loyal and devoted fan who thinks she can help. What happens next is filled with new experiences, new relationships, big secrets and the progression of Libby’s disease. This novel so beautifully captures the intersections between Libby and Peanut, both who have something the other desperately needs. It’s a book for book lovers, for dreamers, for those who have gone or are going through hard things and for those touched by Alzheimers and dementia. I’ll be holding onto this book in my reading heart for a long while.

If you've ever been obsessed with a book series and its characters you will love and relate to the characters this book! I personally wasn't able to make this connection, but people who feel a deep sense of attachment to literary characters will really enjoy this book.

I was hoping for more of a focus on Libby and her dementia diagnoses, but her feelings towards it were hardly mentioned at all, which I found strange. Yes, she was forgetful, but the life changing diagnosis was rarely mentioned. Instead, a huge focus was on the plot and characters of the book that LIbby was trying to write. The plot of this children's book felt confusing and overbearing; I didn't enjoy reading those sections, which lessened my overall reading experience of this book.

With that being said, this is a unique and well written book that specific readers are going to LOVE. I think fans of "The Wishing Game" by Meg Shaffer will like this book. And those who LOVE fantasy series like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, etc will find "Libby Lost and Found" to be a relatable read. One of those instances where the book is not for me, but I can fully understand how it WILL be for many others!

Libby is the author (under a pseudonym) of a famous children's book series. She finds out she has dementia at the age of 40 as she is trying to finish her final book. The children in her story are lost in the woods and she doesn't know how to save them and reaches out to one of her biggest fans to assist her as her cognitive state rapidly declines. This was good but confusing. Peanut (the young fan) has a life and family and hometown that often parallel those in Libby's stories. SORT OF SPOILER ALERT. I expected maybe they'd somehow all be tied together and something they wrote in the story would save Libby from her dementia. Or maybe Peanut and her family were all a part of Libby's imagination. Or something. I didn't love the actual ending and didn't think it made a ton of sense, especially with all those parallels. 3.5 stars rounded to 3

It's not very often I come across a book that stops me in my tracks, occupies my mind throughout the day and makes me react out loud. This is one of those books.

Libby is the author of a beloved series of fantasy novels about the Falling Children. Nobody knows she's the author and she lives quietly in her little flat with her dog Rolf. When we meet her, she has nearly completed the final instalment in the series; the Falling Children are trapped in the Depths of Despair, but she can't figure out how to rescue them. For Libby has been diagnosed with early-onset Dementia and her mind isn't working the way she needs it to.

Libby Lost and Found is a story of love and redemption, and an amazing adventure too. It's a journey inside the mind of someone with dementia, and the reader feels all the anguish and frustration that Libby experiences as she navigates her new reality and tries to save The Children before she can no longer remember who they are. Along the way she meets others who can help her, but who are also on their own journeys of love and redemption. Can they find the courage to take the OtherWay and achieve their happiness? You'll just have to read the book and find out.

I sighed with satisfaction at the completion of this novel. I dearly hope Stephanie Booth has other novels coming, because I can't wait to read them (kinda like the FaChi family)

This is a fantasy book for everyone. Written from the perspective of both an 11-year-old girl named Peanut and Libby, 41-year-old author of the most famous book series in the world, the back and forth narratives are enchanting and fascinating. When Libby is diagnosed with dementia, she struggles to finish the final installment of her final book in her book series. Can an 11-year-old be the answer?

Libby Lost and Found, by Stephanie Booth is one of the most unique stories I have ever read in all the best ways. The characters were so original, and I found myself hooked immediately, it took me on a rollercoaster, and I devoured it in one sitting.

Unfortunately not for me. I imagine we will end up with a copy, though, as it looks like it's getting popular in the "book" sphere.

When Libby Weeks, a beloved Author who writes under the name “F.T. Goldhero”, is diagnosed with Dementia, her world turns upside down. Libby is the writer of the Falling Children series. A series that rivals the craze of Harry Potter and has created quite a borderline rabid fanbase. Libby is expected to finish the last book in her series when her mind really starts to unravel. She’s at a loss on how to finish, when her desperation leads her to reach out to her biggest fan in the hopes that she can help give the children the ending they deserve.

It’s not that I didn’t like this story, I didn’t really like the story within the story. After reading so many good reviews of this book, I was so disappointed that I didn’t love it as much as everyone else. Based on the Cover and synopsis, I expected something totally different. Though I love a bit of whimsy, I wasn’t expecting it to be so fantasy-heavy. So much of the book was parts of the Falling Children series, and sadly, I didn’t enjoy these parts that much.

However, I did really enjoy Libby’s story, her adventure to find Peanut, and Peanuts backstory. This part of the book truly shined in my opinion. All of the characters felt so real and had such excellent development throughout the book. And Stephanie Booth’s writing is pretty fantastic. Even though a huge portion of the book wasn’t really my cup of tea, it’s truly an impressive debut novel. And I adored the ending!

Overall, I liked most of the book enough to feel that it deserves 4 stars. If you like whimsical fantasy writing, you will love this! If you don’t, I still think it’s worth checking out!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review. I hope to read more by Stephanie Booth in the future!

*Libby Lost and Found* by Stephanie Booth is a heartfelt and uplifting story about self-discovery and resilience. Booth's engaging writing and relatable characters make this a charming and inspiring read. It's a beautifully told journey of finding strength and hope in unexpected places.

Oh my. This book is so much. Life death- everything . Im not even sure how to describe it. Its about feeling invisible. About soaring imagination and possibility lost and found.
Libby is the 40 year old writer of a series of wildly popular children’s books- about a trio of orphans in a magical world aka Harry Potter. She writes under a pseudonym F.T. Goldhero because she is painfully shy and signed a shite contract that benefits her minimally while the extraordinary riches of her work flow elsewhere. This story has grade school themes- supporting character 11 year old superfan Peanut struggles in middle school with frenemys, young adult themes - Peanuts older sister Jesse is stuck in a dead end job, and 26 year old brother Buzz was seriously injured in a skateboarding accident and is struggling to find purpose. All this is mixed in with very adult themes -Libby’s early onset dementia, foul language and sex.
My favorite plot device is the unreliable narrator and here we have two suspects- a child with a wild imagination and a woman suffering from apparent dementia whose whole world was built upon the lives of fictional characters from her imagination.
I don’t want to give too much more away other than to say peeling back the layers was part of the fun. I loved this book. Highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.

Started out a bit slow but once I got into it I couldn't put it down thus will be a page turner very witty

what convinced me to read this book was the quote “for people who don’t know how to be themselves without the books they love”. and it is the best description of " Libby Lost and Found".

As a millennial reader I've adored this book. I laughed, cried and made a connection with the main characters, Libby and Peanut. They are just amazing and will be kept in my heart for a long time.
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Highly recommend!

"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.