The Running Bibliophile

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...

Darling Girls  by Sally Hepworth is a  story of love and secrets and what family will do to protect each other.  Jessica, Norah, and Alicia have been told over and over how lucky they are to be placed in such a loving foster home.  People on the outside don't realize that Miss Fairchild, their foster mother, is an absolute nightmare. Thank you, NetGalley, for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth.  Hepworth is one of my favorite authors, so I was ecstatic to be approved to read this book.  I received it for free in exchange for my honest review. Hepworth’s latest novel is an intriguing story told from multiple perspectives and alternating timelines between the past and present. I found myself enjoying the “past” chapters more than the “present” ones because they give readers a deeper look into who the main characters were as children and how those experiences shaped the people they eventually became. The shifting viewpoints and...

The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth opens with Pippa and Gabe living in their dream home on a beach.  The only drawback are the people who come to jump off the cliffs behind their house to commit suicide.  Every time someone comes to jump, Gabe rushes out and talks them out of it.  However, one night, Gabe is unsuccessful, and the woman jumps.  When Pippa finds out that Gabe knew her, their life starts to unravel.  With an expected publication date of April 4, 2023 in the United States, this is a novel you don't want to miss. I'd like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth.  Having read The Mother-in-Law by the same author, I knew that this newest book would be worth the time to read, and I was thrilled when my request to read this book for free in exchange for my honest review was approved.  I was not disappointed in the least. Words cannot describe how engrossing The So...

Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens. Sara Gallagher's life is going the way she wants. She is engaged to a wonderful man named Evan and has a six year old daughter name Ally. To top things off, Sara's antique furniture restoration business is finally taking off. But, the only thing missing from her life is knowing who her birth parents are. When she sets out to find them, Sara is taken on the ride of her life when she finds out she's the product of her mother being raped by a serial killer. This is the second book written by Chevy Stevens and surpassed her debut novel of Still Missing in wow factor. How does this author keep churning out these fabulous stories? From page one, I was automatically drawn into the story of Never Knowing , and the story never let up. I found the main character, Sara Gallagher, to be very relatable, and with all that she's going through in the story, who could blame her for being a hot mess, especially when she doesn't fully feel like she i...

The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth opens with Lucy finding out that her mother-in-law, Diana, has died. Narrated from varying characters perspectives, the story alternates between the present and the past and weaves a twisted story between Lucy, Diana, and the rest of the family. I didn't know what to expect because I chose to read The Mother-in-Law based on all the rave reviews I heard about it, and I wasn't sure what was going to play out. But, wow . . . this book was AMAZING!    Twists and turns, oh my! There were so many that I was kept guessing throughout the entire book, and I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. And, I loved the fact that the author kept me guessing as to who the killer was because red herring after red herring kept materializing. The character development and backstories were spectacular. By the end of the book, we really got to see what made Diana tick and made her who she was. Once you know her backstory, Diana actually becomes a likable char...