- Libby Lost And Found by Stephanie Booth
- Published on October 15th, 2024 by Sourcebooks Landmark
- Genres: Fiction, Adult, Contemporary, Friendship, Serious Illness
- Tropes: Unreliable Narrator, Mental Health Struggles, Secret Identity, Life Imitating Art
- Spice Level: <🌶️
- Anne’s Rating: 7 out of 10
Libby Weeks is a 40-year-old woman with anxiety levels so high it’s a miracle she’s able to do anything. Her paranoia keeps her in a cage that prevents her from actually living her life. She has no one, except for her dog Rolf. She’s awkward. She’s quiet. And she was also just diagnosed with Early-Onset Alzheimers. To make matters worse, she is also the illustrious F. T. Goldhero: beloved author of the world-famous children’s series The Falling Children (think Lemony Snicket/A Series of Unfortunate Events). The manuscript for the final book is months overdue, and Libby has written the Children into a dangerous corner with no obvious way to save them. After opening a fan letter from Peanut Bixton, the Children’s biggest fan, Libby makes the dubious decision to pack up and go to Big Sky, Colorado to pay Peanut a visit and see if she know what to do next in the story.
As Libby’s memory deteriorates more and more, she becomes entrenched in Peanut’s life, which weirdly mirrors her own novels. Meanwhile, the fans of The Falling Children have grown impatient for the last book in the series, and are turning against F. T. Goldhero. A billionaire from Texas has even put a bounty on her head – one million dollars to whomever unmasks the author. Libby keeps slipping up and doing things that could reveal her secret identity as the stakes get higher and higher – culminating in a Falling Children rally in Big Sky, hosted by Peanut’s nemesis. Will Libby be unmasked as Goldhero? Will she be able to save the Children from the danger she’s written them into? Will Libby get to actually live her life instead of letting her fears hold her back?
Booth has a wonderful way with words, and this book is sprinkled with humor throughout. Her writing is smart and you’re immediately endeared to Libby and the struggles she’s facing with the loss of her memory. Libby goes on an almost cross-country adventure because her desire to save what she views as HER children outweighs her fears and anxieties – illness be damned. You keep seeing her make mistakes because she just can’t remember, and it adds a lot of needed tension – there were several moments I had to set the book down because I was stressed out about her making things worse for herself.
If you don’t know me, I’m a cancer survivor (2 years in remission baybeeee!!!). I know what it’s like to get a big diagnosis that could be fatal. I know what it’s like when your brain stops working like it’s supposed to (chemo brain is the gift that keeps on giving if you didn’t know). I LOVE that this book isn’t all sad or overly schmaltzy about illness. It means a lot to me that Libby is still Libby, even though she’s got A Lot Going On Now. Libby is ultimately not a victim here – she hasn’t let her illness take her agency away from her. Her illness actually forces her to let go of her control so that she can experience life instead of frightfully playing it safe. She’s dating and traveling and connecting with people and trying. Libby is finally LIVING, in spite of being told she’s dying. And that’s the biggest “fuck you” you can give to an illness.
A word of warning: I was about a third of the way through the book when I became CONVINCED that I knew what the bigger picture was and what was happening. This caused me to read the book in a certain way, which made it less enjoyable for me as I ended up being wrong in my assumptions. This is a book that I’ll have to go back and read again so I can get a full appreciation of it, so I give this warning so you know to read it with a more open mind than I did. Libby Lost and Found is a wonderful story about life, family, loss, and hope. If you are a fan of any serial children’s stories, I think you’ll especially enjoy this read.
Your Bookish Besties 