Thank you NetGalley for the ARC opportunity!

Man, this book really surprised me. It was so good! Girly was so delusional and actually mentally ill. We are front row and center to her downward spiral into trying to be the star she always wanted to be, and along the way, we find out that pretty much every way she sees herself is a lie.

This definitely wouldnt be for everyone but it was a mess (on purpose, and in a good way!) that i couldnt look away from.

If Pearl was a delusional, struggling actress in regional Canadian theatre, you'd get Jessamine in She's a Lamb!

Jessamine believes she is a star. She deserves to be Maria in The Sound of Music - it's a role she was born to play, and it's the role that will skyrocket her to the Broadway fame she knows she deserves. But when her rival gets the role instead, Jessamine isn't discouraged. She knows this is a test of her dedication, commitment to the part, and willingness to work harder than anyone else.

This was yet another unhinged woman book, but finally one that worked a bit better than my other recent flops. Jessamine was a highly believable, complex character - despite her clear delusions, you feel for her, understand her trauma, and might even root for her at points. The escalation was wild, desperate, and even a little fun. Even so, I felt the plot was messy and certainly too drawn out, and some of the side characters could have been trimmed to neaten up the narrative a bit.

This was FANTASTIC. I genuinely couldn’t stop listening to the audiobook. The narrator and author do such a great job of sending you into this spiraling panic.

Was definitely pulled in to this being sold as in the same vein as All's Well which is one of my favourite by Mona Awad - a book I can still viscerally remember reading - and this is sort of approaching that territory. It never gets as discombobulating as Awad gets and I found the delusion quite easy to see, whether that was because of the writing or the narrator I'm not sure. I think if you think you'll like it you will but I wouldn't use it as a way to explore this genre.

By now, if there’s one thing I stan for, is supporting both women’s right and wrong 😅 And it is one of the reasons you’d find me reading books about unhinged women just like in the case of this book.

She's a Lamb! follows the story of Jessamyn an ambitious and self-delusion character whose quest for a better life teetered between determination and obsession.

You know when someone is trying their best to succeed at all costs, but along the line, they are making terrible choices but somehow, you are still wishing the best for them, that was the case for me and the main character. And it was funny because she was an unlikeable character.

I also liked how the book critiques the challenges women face in the entertainment industry.

Although this novel is said to be dark, which it kinda was, it was a 2/10 level of dark for me.

If you like books with unhinged characters, you should check this out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for granting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An episode of Glee if Lea Michele played herself. 10/10

Jessamyn, you poor delusional baby!! What a wild ride! Unhinged and delusional, a main character you will love to hate and hate to love. Jessamyn was so well fleshed out. I absolutely adore her. To be in her head was like being on a theme park wheel spinning round and round, going to puke any moment, but hold it in, waiting to explode.. The narrator Stephanie Willing was amazing, she didn’t narrate, she was living in that role. As I’ve listened to the audiobook, I could feel the self-humiliation and it was so painful. I truly think this is one of the best audiobooks I’ve listened to. I haven’t listen to many, because I usually don’t enjoy them, but this first person narrative works miracles for the book. Highly recommend it. It was a bit predictable, of course, but still more realistic and obsessive than you would imagine. 4.5 starts.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing me with the ALC.

i'm a simple girl. if a book has a delusional female lead, i'm going to read.

"she's a lamb!" is for the perfectionists. the girls who love "pearl". rip pearl, you would've loved this book. i'm usually not one for the "just vibes, little-to-no plot" books, but this one... i'll make an exception. jessamyn was such an amusing character to follow-- her inner monologue cracked me up. she is so deep in her delusion, her magical thinking, that it's comical. not many books make me audibly chuckle, but this one succeeded. the audiobook narrator nailed her character; i would listen to her read a grocery list, honestly.

it was shy from being a five star simply because i think it would have been better with more horror elements. not to mention the last five percent dragged a bit with not much payoff. the ride of the storyline was great. the destination the ride took me... meh! that's what tends to happen with lit fic novels for me.

Listening to this characters insane delusions spiral out of control is the most fun I have had with someone so intolerable in a long long time. Jessamyne is Rachel Berry meets Cher Horowitz. She’s hot and she knows it, she knows how desirable she is and uses it to her advantage, she’s cunning, competitive, malicious, deluded, delightful, destructive, charismatic and clueless. She is both victim and perpetrator, her internalised misogyny doesn’t protect her from patriarchal abuse, no matter how much she believes she would never “put herself in that situation.” Her story is funny and tragic, both joyful and disturbing. I can’t wait to know what everyone thinks of this book when it is published.

REVIEW FOR SHE’S A LAMB
Thank you NetGalley and DreamScape Media for this arc. My rating for She’s A Lamb is 3.5 rounded up to 4.
For those who want to go in with very little information: She’s a Lamb is about an aspiring theatre artist who gets a part in a regional production of the Sound of Music as a child-minder. However, she believes she deserves to be the star of the show and plans to sabotage the girl playing the lead.
Positives
1. The voice actor is fantastic - absolutely nailed the unlikable protagonist. And there’s a scene toward the end where she voices another character giving an emotional speech - her performance was so good, I teared up. Hoping to listen to more work from Stephanie Willing in the future.
2. Much like its comp Yellowface, She’s a Lamb is a very propulsive and easy read. Meredith Hambrock’s writing is so fun that you fly through the pages. In short: it’s the kind of book that gets you through a slump.
3. Because the main character is so unhinged and because it’s campy, the book is a lot of fun. Very entertaining.
Negatives
1. I do understand that the writer tried to emulate June from Yellowface but some of the writing is too close to the original. For example, in Yellowface there’s a sentence that goes like this: Publishing picks a winner, someone attractive enough, someone cool and young, and oh, we’re all thinking it, diverse enough. In She’s a Lamb, there’s a very similar sentence, structured exactly the same way. I feel the writer/editor should have noticed and removed this, because it does not bode well for the author to have such a close resemblance to the comp text.
2. The lead character is not at all self-aware, so much so that it becomes comical and absurd. June in Yellowface was a terrible person but we’re allowed into her psyche so that at least when June justifies her actions to herself, we understand where she’s coming from. Jessamyn, on the other hand, is too delusional to stay a realistic character. And unlike in Yellowface, the POC character who plays the lead in the show is not fleshed out enough for us to root for her either.
3. Even though Jessamyn is fun in the beginning, she gets annoying after a point - I think the one way to work around this was by shortening the book. This was way too long, in my opinion. Definitely needed some tightening, not just in terms of scenes and subplots but also on a line level.

I’ve read a lot of books with delusional female main characters, but this one definitely takes the crown.

Jessamyn’s goal in life is to become big and famous and one day end up on Broadway. So far it isn’t going as successful as she’s hoped but Jessamyn is nothing if not determined.

It took me a little to get into this. The book starts off strong, the delusion is cracked up to level 100 without letting the reader get used to it, and it made me struggle to connect with the main character at first. As the story progressed, I understood her delusion more and more until I honestly kind of loved her for it. You can’t say she didn’t put her all into this.

The level of delusion never let up, and because of that, I felt that there was always a bit of character depth that I couldn’t quite reach. I wished I could have felt that more, but overall, I really enjoyed this one.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for the e-arc!

It's been a while since I've read a book that scratched the itch for my favorite genre, unhinged girlypop books. This one, though, hit the spot. We love a delulu queen.

3.75 stars

Jessamyn is destined for the limelight, and it seems she is the only one who knows it.

Following this delusional romp into the Vancouver theater world was an absolute blast- I loved
being on this journey with the FMC as she struggles for a place as the lead in "The Sound of Music."
The audiobook narrator is compelling and does a wonderful job of bringing the reader into the madness of Jessamyn's mind.

While I do think this narrative is very entertaining, it lacks the multidimensional aspect I tend to love in this kind of storytelling. What you see is what you get, and there's not much below the surface. In effect, I feel the conclusion of the book suffers because there isn't a very strong resolution or discovery. I found it a little deflating.

I would still recommend this book to someone who likes unreliable narrators and unhinged energy- it's an undeniably fun journey.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advance e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

🍌She's <s>a Lamb</s> cuckoo bananas 🍌

Thank you so much to Dreamscape Media, Meredith Hambrock + NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an ALC of She's a Lamb before it's released! This is my third audiobook narrated by Stephanie Willing and it's a joy to see her name as the narrator. Her voice sparks joy when I hear it. so I clicked request on She's a Lamb instantaneously! 5 stars.

Jessamyn St. Germain is a star!! Or at least she wants to be! I was enamoured with Jessamyn from the get-go, you know - when you can't help but watch when you should look away. I devour unhinged, unreliable female narrators and She's a Lamb was no exception. The story is fast-paced as you are thrust into Jessamyn's world in the Vancouver amateur theatre scene and everything that comes with it. 4.75 stars.

If you get the chance to listen to listen to the audiobook - do it! The paperback needs a moment though because that cover is *chef's kiss* That book cover is art and my bookshelf will be better when it has a copy on it. *swoons*

She's a Lamb is out on 8th April 2025!!

I really liked the first half of this book, but it didn't quite come in for a landing with me. I thought it was an entertaining read, and I appreciate an author who can make characters that you love to hate. This was unreliable narrator done right.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review. Stephanie Willing does a stellar job narrating this story and making it come to life!

Holy crap this is a crazy fun book! Jessamyn is a deeply disturbed, musical theatre wanna-be that is very self-absorbed, neurotic, and a terrible person and yet she’s also sharp, hilarious, and impossible to look away from! When the local Vancouver theater has open auditions for The Sound of Music, Jessamyn knows this is her time to shine and she's the perfect Maria! The only problem is everyone else has a hard time seeing her star power.

This is a very well written, fast paced, suspenseful read! The build up of the character's delusion and the progression of the story was so well done! At times I felt myself sucked into Jessamyn's vortex and believing her! The narration really brought this one to life! I consumed this one in a day!!! Highly recommend!!!

AHHHH THIS IS SUCH A GEM! I initially gave this a 4/5 because in terms of some other 5 star ratings this wouldn't hold up on paper—but the vibesssss ugh I loved literally every sec. I feel like I lived it. Stephanie Willing, you are a friggin treasure & I hope to hear much much more from you in these genres.

I was laughing out loud, smirking along with Meredith and reaching for my meds to make sure my mania never brings me anywhere near this point.

I joke because of the extreme measures taken here, but truly—this is an extremely accurate depiction of mania &/or delusions of grandeur in my experience. I'm no doctor, but I sure do go to a bunch of em ;)

I highly highly recommend this to fans of satirical fiction. And if you loved High School Musical, too?? Just stop what you're doing rn and go get She's a Lamb! already.

{Thank you bunches to ECW, Meredith Hambrock, Stephanie Willing, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the DRC & ALC in exchange for my honest review!}

What a wild listening experience! This novel is campy, and our narrator is truly delusional. The parts I enjoyed were really intriguing, however enough of the story felt “meh” that I dropped my rating. Totally a fun listen though and I overall enjoyed it! If you’re a fan of the movie Pearl, this might work well for you. Thanks to NetGallery for my ARC!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Audio Review: I would highly recommend the audio of She's a Lamb! The narrator brought this story and satire to live in ways I don't think my internal monologue would have been capable of doing.

Review: I requested this book on a whim thinking "hmm that sounds somewhat interesting," and omg I loved this. You get exactly what you're promised and more. First and foremost, this story is satire. You are going to hate/love the MC and you're supposed to. Please know that going in. I think the author did a profound job of telling this story. There's humor, wit, important topics discussed, it was just all around so good. I will read this authors next work.

I don't really have any complaints, I loved that the MC was humanized, real, riddled with personality and mistakes, just an awful delight to spend time with. Not a ton left to say in this review. I was surprised and really enjoyed this.

Jessamyn St Germain is a star. No one else wants to admit it.

This was a wild ride, taking you from magical manifesting to pure delusion. Well written in a way that makes you hate Jessamyn initially until you learn more about her and it all clicks into place, all of the missing pieces. When Jessamyn finally starts to peek through her haze of delusion, the wild ride starts.