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: The Surprise Party (Fear Street, #2) by R.L. Stine

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YA Horror Book Review of The Surprise Party (Fear Street, #2) by R.L. Stine
The Surprise Party (Fear Street, #2) by R.L. Stine.  After Evan died in the Fear Street woods, everyone changed, and Ellen moved away. When Meg Dalton heard Ellen was coming for a visit, she thought it would be a great idea to throw Ellen a surprise party. With party plans under way, Meg begins receiving threats to cancel the party. Who would go to such drastic extremes?

As a part of rereading my way through my childhood, the Fear Street books by R.L. Stine were a must read for me, and The Surprise Party (Fear Street, #2) brought back some great memories for me. Mentions of trapper keepers, Molly Ringwald, Daryl Hannah, and Esprit clothing gave me all the feels. I wonder if kids today even know what a trapper keeper is and have ever heard of the Esprit clothing line?

I only vaguely remembered the storyline of The Surprise Party and thought I had the "bad guy" figured out from the get go only to find out I was wrong. How can I be so wrong about the whodunnit even as an adult? 

What I loved about this book, other than the nostalgia, were all of the twists and turns that R.L Stine provided and the red herrings. For a YA Novel in the horror genre, I thought it was exceptionally well written and was enjoyable even as an adult. I loved that several of the characters from The New Girl (Fear Street, #1) made cameos in this edition of Fear Street.

I gave The Surprise Party (Fear Street, #2) five out five stars, and I'd definitely recommend it to tweens and teens. I'd even recommend it to adults for nostalgia. 

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