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.

The narrator did a nice job.

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

4.5 stars.

Meet Libby Weeks, author of the mega-best-selling fantasy series, The Falling Children—written as “F.T. Goldhero” to maintain her privacy. Her last manuscript is already months overdue and rabid fans around the world are growing impatient. When Libby is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, she has to admit that 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.

Ok, I picked this up on a whim based on the cover and title alone! I’m glad I did because I ended up really enjoying this book.

Any book with a plot involving dementia or Alzheimer’s just hit my heart differently. This was no exception. I really felt for Libby when she was ‘lost’. By the way, I loved the fact that Libby was such a kind-hearted, accomplished woman. We need more heroines like her in books.

Peanut, of course, stole my heart. Strong-willed and cheeky, I really wanted her to be happy. I wish we could have a sequel! The audiobook was a delight, and delivered the story really well. Great narration, voicing both Libby and Peanut who greatly differed in age.

Libby Lost and Found by Stephanie Booth is a poignant and thought-provoking novel perfect for readers who define themselves by the books they love. It’s a story about identity, regret, and the narratives we create—both in fiction and in our own lives. With an incredibly intriguing premise, Booth explores the devastating effects of early-onset Alzheimer’s through the lens of Libby Weeks, a famous fantasy author whose private and public worlds collide as her memory slips away.

From the very first page, there wasn’t a single dull moment. Booth masterfully intertwines Libby’s real life with the fictional world of The Falling Children, creating fascinating parallels between Libby’s crumbling reality and her beloved stories. This “story within a story” structure is both captivating and intense, particularly as the lines blur between Libby’s experiences and the eerie echoes of her fantasy world in the life of eleven-year-old Peanut Bixton.

Libby and Peanut are unlike any characters I’ve ever encountered. Libby’s struggle with her diagnosis and her desperation to complete her series make her a deeply vulnerable protagonist. Meanwhile, Peanut—despite her youth—carries a maturity and darkness that is startling and profound. Their dynamic is at the heart of the novel, and watching their relationship unfold was as heartbreaking as it was compelling.

However, the novel does stumble in places. As much as I loved the beginning, the story became harder to track as it progressed. Some transitions felt confusing, particularly when the fantasy elements began to bleed into the main narrative. This creative approach was bold, but at times it left me feeling unmoored. Additionally, while the book often felt like it could belong in the YA genre, certain scenes pushed the boundaries, making it less accessible for younger readers.

Despite these challenges, Libby Lost and Found is a truly unique read. Booth does a remarkable job of capturing the bittersweet relationship between authors, their stories, and their fans. It’s a deeply creative and emotional exploration of memory, identity, and the ways stories shape our lives.

If you’re looking for a novel that is as moving as it is imaginative, Libby Lost and Found will resonate deeply—especially for those of us who can’t imagine ourselves without the books we hold dear.

Rating: 4/5

I adored this story. I know it won't be for everyone, but I found myself fully immersed in it.

Whilst the main story is about children's author Libby, her dementia and the little superfan girl, Peanut, Libby's own book series, The Falling Children, is heavily laced throughout. Her book is like a combination of Harry Potter, Goosebumps and Choose Your Own Adventure. (I really want that book series written. It sounds absolutely kookie and amazing.) As the stories blend and Libby's dementia worsens, it's up to Peanut and her somewhat broken family to save the day (and Save the Children).

There are so many layers to the story, to the story within the story and to Peanuts family history. I did at one point think it would all tie in another way, but I was off course (perhaps that's another red herring thrown in by the author?). You need to go along for a ride and enjoy the crazy, enjoy the hype that so many book series gather now and enjoy that feeling of loving something so much you'll do anything to save it.

I listened to this on audio and the narrator, Mia Barron, was simply amazing.

Libby is a 40-something recluse who doesn’t have any family or friends. She lives alone with her dog and The Children, a bunch of characters she once imagined, then wrote into a best-selling fantasy series called "The Falling Children". Having been diagnosed with dementia, Libby finds herself struggling to finish the last book of the series and fears that she might lose her writing abilities before she comes up with the ending her beloved characters deserve. Libby convinces herself that Peanut, an eccentric little girl who proclaims herself as the biggest fan of The Falling Children, can help her "save them". Libby decides to go meet the little girl in her small town, but things don't really go as planned ...

Libby Lost and Found addresses a number of interesting themes such as loneliness, finding/losing one's purpose, living with a mental/ terminal illness, abandoned children, fan culture and more. The author demonstrates a deep understanding of these themes, she also successfully created complex main characters whom you can’t help but root for. I liked the narrative techniques and the glimpses and references we had of The Falling Children's books, that were essential in helping us understand the vastness of Libby's imagination, what made her the one of greatest authors alive and the importance that those stories had in her life and the lives of her readers.

My experience with this book is mostly positive, my only "criticism" is that I feel like this book should've had more of a bitter sweet ending, I also feel like the romance was unnecessary.

🎧 Audiobook : 4.5/5 Great performance by Mia Barron.

Thank you RB Media and NetGalley for providing this audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

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."

This was a solid debut novel! I enjoyed the characters in this story, and the story-within-a-story feel. I liked the writing and I appreciated the fantasy element. That said, I felt like the final Falling Children story lands flat and lacking in meaning. I appreciated the experiences of dementia portrayed throughout the novel, but there were gaps in terms of why Libby was such a recluse and a deeper understanding of Peanut's childhood. Also, the instalove felt a bit forced, in my opinion. Overall, I found this a charming novel and will read future works by Stephanie Booth.

I missed listening to this book on Netgalley (sorry!) but was able to catch it on Everand. This is such a heartwarming and endearing story of a secret best selling author, who is slowly losing her memories and a child who happens to be her "biggest fan". I loved it, I loved the narration and the way this story was written, I wish I read it sooner. I am looking for more stories from this author.

This is a tricky one to rate! I listened on audio, and while I did enjoy the story overall, I did have trouble with it.

Having a main character that suffers from early dementia, was very challenging. I appreciated feeling a small part of what that might feel like- the confusion, the anxiousness, the grief, the frustration. However, it did make it challenging at times to keep up with the plot or quite know what was going on. Especially when the MC would mix up words or forget things, and I’d constantly be wondering what was true or not.

The tandem story- the fictional “Falling Children” children’s book that the MC is author of, is written in long passages throughout the story. I found that tricky as well, to keep up with the plot of the children’s book… while trying to feel invested in that plot or care about it.

I did like the characters- Libby, Buzz, Peanut, Jesse, the Doctor- and I did want to see the outcome, and hoped for the best for all these flawed characters.

Thank you to Net Galley for the copy to listen to!

Have you ever finished a book, sighed audibly, scratched your head, and asked yourself, “Ummm, did I even like this book?” That’s exactly what happened to me after finishing LIBBY LOST AND FOUND by Stephanie Booth. I whispered to myself, “This book is not for me.” multiple times while listening, but I didn’t dislike it enough to DNF it. Something was still holding my interest, so I carried on. This book is a little odd. It’s very different, and not at all something that I’d normally read. But I always tell myself that stepping out of your comfort zone every now and then is a good thing.

Libby is the famous author of a popular fantasy series, The Falling Children. Her fans are desperately waiting for the last book in the series, but there’s a bit of a problem. Libby has just been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, and is struggling to get the sentences down. She scours the online fan pages and asks an eleven-year-old super fan to help her finish the series. Cute premise, right? I was definitely intrigued from start to finish.

The reader receives small excepts from The Falling Children books, so it’s essentially a book within a book, or what I like to call two stories for the price of one! It’s a fantasy series, and is what I assume the Harry Potter series is like. Please keep in mind that I haven’t read Harry Potter or even watched the movies, so I could be totally wrong. The fantasy genre just isn’t my cup of tea, so these excerpts weren’t my favorite. With that said, I did enjoy the real life parts, the dementia storyline, the writer lifestyle, and the well-developed characters. The writing was really impressive too. It was occasionally dark and heavy, but sweet and charming at the same time. I’m still not entirely sure if I actually liked this book, but I obviously found it entertaining enough to finish. I just wasn’t the target audience is all.

LIBBY LOST AND FOUND is available now, and I give it 3.5/5 stars! (I think…)

The premise of this book was great, and I had high hopes for it, but it ended up not being my cup of tea. I both read and listened to Libby Lost and Found trying to find my way, but each left me wanting in some way. I truly enjoyed the character of Libby as she works her way through the effects of early onset dementia as she tries to finish her last book, as well as 11-year-old Peanut who is a hoot and has her own struggles with her life and health. There were parts that I really enjoyed but also the story within the story never grabbed me and I’m torn about the ending. Thank you to Recorded books, Sourcebooks, and NetGalley for the early access in exchange for my honest opinion.

Libby Lost and Found is a fun, yet deep book that explores complex topics like loneliness and early-onset dementia. You might be wondering why I called this a fun book with such dark topics? Well, our main character Libby Weeks has created an entire world of fiction akin to Harry Potter lore, with an immense fan base. The kicker? She's anonymous and no one knows who truly writes the The Falling Children book series. This premise sets itself up for delightful hijinks that lighten the mood to the darker topics of Libby's disease and the sad reality of her life. As Libby loses so much in her life, she finds an equal, if not greater amount along the way.

Thank you NetGalley and RBmedia for the ARC of this audiobook for my honest review

Wow this was amazing, it’s very hard to do a review without spoilers but let’s just say to figure this one out on why it’s so good you have to read it for yourself. Absolutely beautifully written, I felt transported into the worlds within this book and it was just the best worlds possible. Just an emotional and beautiful book, a great way to look at very difficult subjects. I’m definitely going to recommend this book to a lot of people and get myself a physical copy.

I'll be publishing my review on Goodreads and StoryGraph 14th November and on Tik tok most likely will add to a monthly wrap up post with review the beginning of December.

I absolutely loved this story. It was really giving Meg Shafer vibes. There were parts of un-certainty, but I feel it went with the theme of the story. A younger lady dealing with dementia. I absolutely loved Peanut and really, she made me smile like no other. Thank You NetGalley for the audio version of Libby Lost and Found. The narrator, Mia Barron was perfect and elevated this story to another level.

What would an author of a beloved, unfinished children’s book series do if she discovered she was diagnosed with dementia? This is the strong premise that introduces the story of Libby Weeks.

The story pulls us straight into Libby’s struggle to come to terms with her diagnosis and the turmoil it brings, especially as it impacts her work—the "The Falling Children" book series she’s poured her heart and soul into. When she arrives in Blue Sky, Colorado, she meets the Bixton family, who, although sometimes a bit stereotypical, intense and frustrating, bring a warmth to the story and offer her much-needed support. I particularly enjoyed the first half of the novel, where Libby’s emotions and personal journey are at the center of the action.

However, the second half of the novel feels somewhat scattered: constant references to Libby’s imaginary series, while intended to deepen the story, often pulled me out of the narrative, sacrificing moments that could have had more impact. I would have loved to see more development in Libby’s relationship with Peanut, exploring both their real-life interactions and the bond that grows between them.

Three cheers for this entertaining debut! I found "Libby Lost and Found" to be one part whimsy, one part tragedy, one part satisfying second chance — and wholly engaging throughout.

Secretly, Libby is the best-selling author of a global phenomenon, a children's fantasy series so popular that some are willing to pay thousands to learn her identity. Thankfully, that secret is locked tight — until Libby's own mind begins to crumble. Experiencing the first struggles of early-onset dementia, Libby finds herself no longer able to craft new adventures for her beloved characters, despite high demand for the long-overdue final book. With no support network in sight, Libby finds herself traveling to the hometown of her biggest fan, eleven-year-old Peanut, hoping that she can help her finish the story.

I appreciated all of the characters in this story, along with the light mystery it contains (who are Peanut's biological parents). While there is a story-within-a-story feel, it's just a touch, as the final Falling Children story lands with too little context or character development to be meaningful. I am a big fan of anything that humanizes the experience of dementia, so walking in Libby's shoes and feeling her confusion was a big win for me. That said, I did feel that there was a little too much background left unaddressed — the trauma of Peanut's childhood, Libby's reasons for her reclusivity, and the pull of the instalove. There's an incident with Peanut towards the end of the book that really did not receive the weight and response it deserved; it felt the characters glossed over it and moved on in a way that's not beneficial to future readers who may face similar struggles.

All in all, a very strong debut effort, and I look forward to reading more from Booth in the future. Mia Barron had a solid performance on narration, with multiple voices that felt convincing. Thank you to RBMedia, NetGalley, and Stephanie Booth for providing an advance copy for honest review.

Libby lost and Found by Stephanie Booth

I am going to take a moment to just remember how this story impacted me because it gave me the worst book hangover I have ever had.

Peanut is waiting for the last installment of her favorite book series, The Falling Children. Her whole life is wrapped up in the characters but the book is way past when it was supposed to be released and her frantic emails to the author go unanswered. Trouble is the author, Libby, has dementia and can’t complete the book. No one knows she is the author but she reaches out to Peanut in hopes of finding the right ending for her book… If only she could remember how to do the basic things in life…

Oh man, I have never read a book like this one. We are drawn into a world with Peanut who views everything in her small town as things that actually happen in the book. She doesn’t care about anything else. Helping her idol is a dream come true but trying to work out a new ending to her favorite series is so daunting when she sees what’s been written so far.

The writing is phenomenal. The characters are well balanced, fully formed people and I felt like I was getting to know them all. I now want to read the book series haha I know it's not real but Peanuts enthusiasm was so infectious! I like how dementia was treated with dignity in the book. I loved the plot, it felt a little fantastical in nature even though it isn’t a fantasy book and I loved the charm of the small town.

Amazing book. The narration was on point and I felt a little bereft when it ended.

5 stars just doesn’t seem enough…..

This book took me in from the beginning. When an author is struggling to complete a very popular book series she looks to her #1 fan for help.
Very much loved Libby and Peanut, and was invested in their outcomes. The story had a depth to it which was pleasantly satisfying and surprising.

I listened to the audiobook and found the narrator to draw me in from the get go.

Libby Lost and Found is a delightful book for young and old alike. The story follows Libby Weeks, a children's author, who writes under a secret name. After she develops early on set Alzheimers, she seeks help from a superman named Peanut.

Libby and Peanut have a unique bond and they each learn things from each other.

This book is for readers young and old alike.

Libby Lost and Found by Stephanie Booth

This book was definitely different than I expected but I still found it incredibly unique. While it’s not really fantasy, the story within a story gives it a magical, fantastical feel. I thought it had a good balance between the heavy and the heartwarming. I’ve seen a lot of great reviews for this one floating around and while it won’t be a standout favorite for me this year, I’d recommend picking it up if the premise sounds interesting to you.