Book Review: Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth

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Mad Mabel  by Sally Hepworth  is a domestic thriller about the youngest person convicted of murder in Australia, Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick. Now 81 years old, Elsie is living on Kenny Lane and has been for the past sixty years. When a mother named Roxanne moves into Mabel's neighborhood with her seven year old daughter, an unlikely friendship forms between Elsie and the seven year old child named Persephone. As Elsie's secrets come to light, her world comes crashing down.  Having read quite a few novels by Sally Hepworth, I requested an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Mad Mabel  without reading the synopsis of the story. I was thrilled when NetGalley and St. Martin's Press approved my request. The expected publication date of the book is April 21, 2026. Not knowing anything about the storyline before I started reading Mad Mabel  made the story much more interesting to me as I had no preconceived ideas. The tale was told from Mabel's perspective in alternating timeli...
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Book Review: Let Her Be (Hush, #6) by Lisa Unger

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Prime Reading Short Story Book Review of Let Her Be (Hush, #6) by Lisa UngerLet Her Be (Hush, #6) by Lisa Unger is a short story that opens with the main character attempting suicide and going through a treatment plan to get better. When his ex-girlfriend disappears, he elicits the help of their mutual friend Emily to find out what happened.

I decided to read this story without reading the synopsis because it is written by one of my favorite authors. Had I realized the story included domestic abuse and attempted suicide, I might have passed on it. However, I persevered and wanted to find out what happened to the ex-girlfriend. 

There were some red herrings that completely threw me, and the person who I thought was involved wasn't involved. I have to say I was shocked by the ending and didn't care for the revelation. As for the characters, there weren't many in the story, but I have to say I didn't care for the main character. The rest of the characters were likable.

Four out of five stars is what I gave Let Her Be (Hush, #6) by Lisa Unger. It's well written and many people will love it, but it was just a little too dark for me. This short story is available for purchase or to borrow from Amazon with their Prime Reading program.

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