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: Girl on Pointe by Chloe Lukasiak

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Non-Fiction Autobiography of Girl on Pointe by Chloe LukasiakSeveral years ago, I saw a commercial on the Lifetime Channel advertising a reality show about dancers and their moms called Dance Moms, and I was intrigued by it. So, I made sure to watch it when it came on, and I loved the show. I didn't even realize at first that I was watching the second season! (That's what I get for not having cable for a couple of years.) Chloe Lukasiak became my favorite dancer on the show because she was the underdog, and her mom, Christy Lukasiak was one of my favorite moms; the other moms that were my favorites were Holly Frazier and Jessalyn Siwa.

Fast forward to 2018 . . . I heard that Chloe had published her first book called Girl on Pointe. Since I loved Dance Moms so much, I decided to support Chloe by buying her book, especially since I felt like she was the underdog on the show. I finally made time to read her book this year.

I enjoyed reading Girl on Pointe because it gave some insight to Chloe's time on Dance Moms that I might not have read elsewhere. The fact that she kept those parts as positive as she could shows a lot of maturity for a young adult. It's also filled with little tidbits of her life and short stories and poems that she's written. What I enjoyed the most is that Chloe seems to be very grounded and hasn't let fame go to her head. She always seemed like a sweet girl on the show, and this book solidified that for me. Based on the book, I think Chloe's parents have done a really good job in raising her. She is definitely a good role model for other kids.

Four out of five stars is what I gave Girl on Pointe by Chloe Lukasiak. It's a perfect book for fans of the reality show Dance Moms. I definitely recommend it for kids, tweens, and teens.

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