She’s a Lamb is an intense look at obsession, set against the cutthroat world of theatre.

The writing style has been compared to Mona Awad, but I think this was done better. It has that same conversational, unhinged tone, but I found it more engaging and less self-indulgent. There aren’t any particularly likeable characters, and at first, the narrator is hard to connect with - she comes across as delusional and bitter. But as the story unfolds and you see how people (especially men) have treated her, it starts to make sense. Her perfectionism and instability don’t just come from nowhere; they stem from a lack of genuine relationships, deep-seated insecurity, and past trauma. The world of theatre only amplifies this, rewarding obsession and calling it dedication.

I really enjoyed the book, but as the narrator’s descent into madness snowballed, the plot didn’t quite keep up. By the end, I wanted more - the ending felt a little underwhelming compared to the buildup. Still, it’s a compelling, intense read with a fascinating character study at its core.

An unhinged woman scorned makes for a thrillingly funny novel! If Ottesah Moshfegh wrote more direct comedy, you'd have She's a Lamb. I would recommend to most anyone, but especially the theatre kids who understand just how dramatic life really can be.

This was a very interesting read that I enjoyed. At times you have to laugh and others you are really questioning what’s going on. Best way to describe this book is delusional. Similar reads are Death Valley and anything Mona Awad.

Oh. She’s quirky. This is a weird girl book in the best way possible. This book shows the unraveling of Jessamyn, our unreliable narrator. We as the reader have no clue what is real. I really enjoyed this aspect. I personally was hoping for the book to take a darker route towards the end, but that was mainly personal preference. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC!

was instantly enthralled by the story and wanted to know more. I read it in one sitting
If you’ve ever done any kind of theatrical role, you’ll understand the heightened emotions that are brought out by the experience of putting together a performance , these are perfectly described in this story . Of course it’s exaggerated it’s a story after all and you have to allow that and go with it and that’s half the fun
The ending is very exciting and really brought back some nightmares that I’ve personally had related to the theatre
The author has a witty way of writing her prose style is clear and easily red. This novel really was an enjoyable read it had me gripped from the beginning. I was reading the story as if from behind the sofa watching Doctor Who is obvious what’s going to happen but the child and he doesn’t want to see it happen.
The story is sat in a provincial Canadian town mostly around the local theatre, there is enough similarity with British theatrical life to make the experiences easily transferable
I can’t immediately think of a novel to compare it with but did you like black comedy and fast moving stories particularly set in theatrical environment and I think you’ll love this book.

I think the book would make a fantastic Netflix series. I hope the rights are brought up quickly
I read an only copy of the novel on NetGalley UK. The book is published in the UK on the 8th of April 2025 by ECW press
This review will appear on NetGalley UK, Goodreads, StoryGraph, and my book blog bionicSarahSbooks.wordpress.com.
After publication, it will also appear on Amazon UK

3.5 ⭐

She's a Lamb! is a literary thriller about a woman who is convinced she is destined for stardom and it's everyone else's fault that she hasn't achieved it. When she is assigned as the babysitter on a production of The Sound of Music, she believes she is secretly the understudy and is just one day (or accident) away from achieving her starring debut as Maria.

This book is a great study on where confidence becomes delusions of grandeur. Jessamyn as the main character is so unlikeable, but written so well that you cannot look away from her self-destructive behaviour. The atmosphere of the theatre and the production felt very realistic and intriguing. Prefacing this with "I usually read horror", I found the book slow at times as it focused more on Jessamyn as a character, rather than on the events happening around her. The ending also was a bit tamer than I would prefer. Overall, I think this was well-written and enjoyable, especially to thriller fans who prefer character study over gore. I would recommend this to fans of Mona Awad and Melissa Broder as the focus on a woman becoming unhinged and mix of egotism and self-doubt felt very similar.

Wow I hated being in the mind of Jessamyn St. Germain and love a good spiral, so I think this book accomplished what it set out to do. Seeing the world through Jessamyn's eyes and experiencing her delusions of grandeur was a trainwreck I couldn't look away from

I did have a difficult time getting stuck into this book because the first half was repetitive and meandering. Once things started to ramp up at around 50%, I couldn't get enough and I completely devoured the second half in a couple hours

Thank you to Netgalley and ECW for the ARC 🫶🏼

DNF at 25%

I had a hard time caring about the main character. She just whined the entire time. I genuinely didn't care about her acting career or her relationships. It was just bad.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of this!

5 ⭐️. A STANDING OVATION. my, oh my. This book blew me out of the water. I LOVE a women on the edge and Jessamyn St. Germain is a woman on the tiniest sliver of an edge. She was such a complicated, messy character (that somehow I was still rooting for even at the very end?). This was a WONDER of a read.

I enjoyed the book in the beginning - Hambrock has created a detailed, fully realized character. Sadly, she was very difficult to spend time with. I began to dread living in her unreliable narration. There wasn't a break from her.
The middle sometimes seemed repetitive and the ending seemed really rushed.

Wow! This was brilliant. A very messy descent into madness and I loved it. Jessamyn is a struggling actress who auditions for the part of Maria, the Sound of Music, at a low budget, small theatre, and will do anything and everything to get what she perceives as, the ultimate role that will make her a STAR.

I was completely invested in this story’, following Jessamyn as she just gunned for that role at any cost but not realising how insane she was being.

Brilliant. Loved it. 4.5 stars easily.

Many thanks to NetGalley and EWC press for this ARC.

_She’s a Lamb!_ by Meredith Hambrock is a mix of horror and thriller about a struggling actor trying to find the stardom she believes she deserves. Jessamyn St. Germain is an unlikeable narrator living in Vancouver and working at a small theater as an usher, where she also auditions for the productions. When she auditions for the part of Maria in _The Sound of Music_, she thinks she unquestionably has the part. Instead her rival gets Maria, and Jessamyn is asked to be the glorified babysitter for the child actors in the play. As her personal life crumbles and her mental state continues to worsen, she still believes she will get the part and shoot to stardom. Suspense and dark humor make this book an entertaining read.

Absolutely unhinged and I loved it. Unlikeable characters are some of my favorite to read and this book delivers THAT. The hardest part of this book was putting it down when I would inevitabely get interrupted. Highly addictive read and one that flew by quickly. I can't wait to recommend this book during reader advisory sessions at the library I work at.

Absolutely amazing book, I loved it! Devoured it in half a day. A perfectly done unlikable narrator, beautifully written, such good ending. Highly recommend this one!

4.5 stars, rounded up

Unlikable female protagonist, stream-of-consciousness style, first person present tense: these particular choices tend to be divisive but I can't get enough of them! She's a Lamb! continually ramps up the pace and suspense as it nears the climax, and the ending doesn't disappoint.

What I love about She's a Lamb! is that while the main character is delusional and unpleasant, the societal issues that are satirised here are legitimate and the two things aren't mutually exclusive. Hambrock got the balance of these aspects just right, such that Jessamyn becomes a complex character who deserves some sympathy even though her actions are unjustified.

One for fans of Mona Awad, Ottessa Moshfegh's My Year of Rest and Relaxation, and Eliza Clark's Boy Parts.

This one was a lot of fun. A deeply unhinged, unreliable female narrator, the cut-throat world of local theatre, bizarre daddy issues all rolled into one book. Jessamyn is so narcissistic and delusional, I loved watching her get deeper and deeper into her web of lies and manipulation. I absolutely tore through it so quickly because it was so readable and the prose flowed well. It’s a testament to the author to make such an unhinged and self centred protagonist kind of sympathetic and likeable! A great read.

She's a Lamb! gave me a lot of secondhand embarrassment and anxiety in the funniest way. I had to keep reminding myself that Jessamyn was a fictional character and that I was not involved in a regional theatre company in any way. Hambrock slayed these characters and I'll read anything she writes!

A completely bonkers, addictive and darkly funny novel about a musical theatre actress who can’t seem to catch a break, until she gets a role in her local theatre’s production of The Sound of Music, but not in the lead role she thinks she deserves…

Cue a Yellowface meets Black Swan nose dive into friendship, art, rivalry, delusion and the fu*king patriarchy.

This book had me at the edge of my seat (theatre pun intended!) I absolutely loved the narrator, which when considering her mental state and choices is maybe a little concerning! Her voice was sharp, funny, unsettling and unreliable.

All of the characters in this novel were fleshed out beautifully, even those that were secondary, which made all of the relationships and interactions highly readable and enjoyable.

However, what I found really engaging was the way the author presented multiple opportunities for the narrator to make a different decision or interpret a situation in a different way, that would have actually impacted her life for the better. She was so close to achieving good things, but couldn’t quite get there, which made her unravelling all the more sad and tragic. She was both a psychotic and empathetic character, which was gripping.

I also just loved the descent of the book’s narrative as things gradually got darker and more chaotic. The author didn’t miss a beat. Overall, it was a very entertaining, enraging and emotional 5 star read!

Thanks to @netgalley and the amazing @ecwpress for the e-arc.

She's a Lamb followss Jessamyn, a 26-year old woman who is determined to make it on broadway. She has an audition for the role of Maria in Sound of Music and is determined to get the role at any cost. However, she ends up getting asked to do child-minding for the children of the musical instead of being offered a role in the cast. Jessamyn is sure this means the director wants her to be the unofficial understudy for the role (as the theater is running out of money and can't hire understudies, even though aren't they supposed to be cast members anyway.... i digress).

This is a story of obsession that i think feels like its deeper than it is. Additionally, most of the book is a darkly comedic drama, and the last 20% are more thriller/horror but it never goes deep enough into the darkness to feel worth those labels.
The other issue I have is that Jessamyn is an awful perspective to be in the brain of. Not because she's unlikable (but omg she is unlikable) but because her brain is just....exhausting to be in. I am not rooting for her to succeed (which is intentional) but i'm also just wishing she would shut up. I'm annoyed. which is NOT an emotion i enjoy while reading.

This is compared to All's Well and Yellowface, and while i do agree those are good comp titles --this ultimately is a lesser version of both novels.
ultimately this cover is cooler than the book. It was fine, but i wanted it to be deeper or scarier or both.

very all's well in a very interesting way. the main char, jessamyn, is an unhinged narcissist. but yet you can still sympathize with her consistently almost all the way through. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.