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The Fortune Seller
Middle-class Rosie Macalister has worked for years to fit in with her wealthy friends on the Yale equestrian team, but when she comes back from her junior year abroad with newfound confidence, she finds the group has been infiltrated by the mysterious Annelise Tattinger.
A talented tarot reader and a brilliant rider, the Annelise is unlike anyone Rosie has ever met--but when one of their friends notices money disappearing from her bank account, Annelise's place in the circle is thrown into question. As the women turn against each other, the group’s unspoken tensions and assumptions lead to devastating consequences.
It's only after graduation, when Rosie begins a job at a Manhattan hedge fund, that she begins to uncover Annelise's true identity--and how her place in their elite Yale set was no accident. Is it too late for Rosie to make right what went wrong, or does everyone's luck run out at some point? Set in the heady days of the early aughts, The Fortune Seller is a haunting examination of class, ambition, and the desires that shape our lives.
A talented tarot reader and a brilliant rider, the Annelise is unlike anyone Rosie has ever met--but when one of their friends notices money disappearing from her bank account, Annelise's place in the circle is thrown into question. As the women turn against each other, the group’s unspoken tensions and assumptions lead to devastating consequences.
It's only after graduation, when Rosie begins a job at a Manhattan hedge fund, that she begins to uncover Annelise's true identity--and how her place in their elite Yale set was no accident. Is it too late for Rosie to make right what went wrong, or does everyone's luck run out at some point? Set in the heady days of the early aughts, The Fortune Seller is a haunting examination of class, ambition, and the desires that shape our lives.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published February 13, 2024
About the author
Rachel Kapelke-Dale
7 books467 followersAmerican novelist living in Paris. Obsessed with ballet, books, and dogs. THE FORTUNE SELLER is out 2/13/24; THE INGENUE (2022) and THE BALLERINAS (2021) are already out, all with St. Martin's Press!
My first book, GRADUATES IN WONDERLAND, is a memoir I co-wrote with Jessica Pan about our post-graduation years. It's out now!
My first book, GRADUATES IN WONDERLAND, is a memoir I co-wrote with Jessica Pan about our post-graduation years. It's out now!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 543 reviews
February 13, 2024
Happy publication day to Rachel Kapelke-Dale’s The Fortune Seller!!
In My Dreams I Hold a Knife meets the horsey version of If We Were Villains, minus the plot twists.
I'm aware of how that sounds - unnecessary mean -, but I consider Dark Academia a very serious genre that sometimes includes stories far from being worthy of this label.
So yes, if you have some comprehensive skills you'll probably figure out the whats and the whos and the whys, but I’ll also tell you this: you'll keep going and won't stop until the very last page, probably all of that in about a couple of days, and it’d become your new obsession.
With the horse talk - if that's your thing - or for the tarot world, RKD is gonna drag you into this story with the illusion, when it'll be over, that you'll know the answers you're looking about what do to, what to expect, what's your purpose.
But before, as gently as she can, knowing you’re already hooked, like if you have a choice, she's gonna ask: “Do you really want to know?”.
↠ 4.5 stars
Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
In My Dreams I Hold a Knife meets the horsey version of If We Were Villains, minus the plot twists.
I'm aware of how that sounds - unnecessary mean -, but I consider Dark Academia a very serious genre that sometimes includes stories far from being worthy of this label.
So yes, if you have some comprehensive skills you'll probably figure out the whats and the whos and the whys, but I’ll also tell you this: you'll keep going and won't stop until the very last page, probably all of that in about a couple of days, and it’d become your new obsession.
With the horse talk - if that's your thing - or for the tarot world, RKD is gonna drag you into this story with the illusion, when it'll be over, that you'll know the answers you're looking about what do to, what to expect, what's your purpose.
But before, as gently as she can, knowing you’re already hooked, like if you have a choice, she's gonna ask: “Do you really want to know?”.
↠ 4.5 stars
Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
January 13, 2024
After reading The Ballerinas, and The Ingenue by this author- I was super excited to read this latest release. While I did enjoy this story and the creativity of it, I unfortunately can’t say that I enjoyed it as much as the other two previous books. I felt that this book was rather “wordy”, and it seemed to be much lengthier than it should have been.
This story centers around Rosie Macalister. Rosie is a middle class student at Yale, who is definitely considered poor next to her roommates and “best friend” Cressida (Cress) Tate. While Rosie is accepted, and they all ride horses together- Rosie never expects to have another friend join their group- and be a better rider?
The new friend to the group is Annelise. Annelise is a tarot card reader and loves to read cards for her friends and at parties. Rosie and Annelise become close, as they they share a room together and are often snubbed by their fellow roommates. Things start to get complicated and out of control among the group, and Rosie tries to make things right- even after they have moved on from college.
While this book was interesting and had some good moments, I just felt like it dragged on too long in some parts. I will say that the most redeeming quality of this book was that each chapter had the title of a Tarot Card and its full description, which I thought was absolutely awesome!
(3.5 stars, rounded up).
Many thanks to Goodreads and St. Martin’s Press for my advanced copy of this book, which I had the pleasure of reading. Publication date: February 13, 2024.
This story centers around Rosie Macalister. Rosie is a middle class student at Yale, who is definitely considered poor next to her roommates and “best friend” Cressida (Cress) Tate. While Rosie is accepted, and they all ride horses together- Rosie never expects to have another friend join their group- and be a better rider?
The new friend to the group is Annelise. Annelise is a tarot card reader and loves to read cards for her friends and at parties. Rosie and Annelise become close, as they they share a room together and are often snubbed by their fellow roommates. Things start to get complicated and out of control among the group, and Rosie tries to make things right- even after they have moved on from college.
While this book was interesting and had some good moments, I just felt like it dragged on too long in some parts. I will say that the most redeeming quality of this book was that each chapter had the title of a Tarot Card and its full description, which I thought was absolutely awesome!
(3.5 stars, rounded up).
Many thanks to Goodreads and St. Martin’s Press for my advanced copy of this book, which I had the pleasure of reading. Publication date: February 13, 2024.
January 31, 2024
2.5 Stars
I like the idea and overall message, but I was not a fan of the pacing
In the first half of the novel, the author sets the stage for the rest of the story. However, the reader should be aware that horseback riding and fortune-telling are discussed frequently. If those topics do not interest you, then you may want to consider skipping this novel. The second half of the book is where the plot thickens. Rosie uncovers the truth behind Annelise's accident and finally realizes her true desires in life.
I thought the story had a great idea of examining how the wealthy interact with those from a lower class. However, I personally found the pacing to be too slow, and the MC a little flat. Overall, not for me.
***Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel Kapelke-Dale, and Macmillan Audio for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***
I like the idea and overall message, but I was not a fan of the pacing
In the first half of the novel, the author sets the stage for the rest of the story. However, the reader should be aware that horseback riding and fortune-telling are discussed frequently. If those topics do not interest you, then you may want to consider skipping this novel. The second half of the book is where the plot thickens. Rosie uncovers the truth behind Annelise's accident and finally realizes her true desires in life.
I thought the story had a great idea of examining how the wealthy interact with those from a lower class. However, I personally found the pacing to be too slow, and the MC a little flat. Overall, not for me.
***Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel Kapelke-Dale, and Macmillan Audio for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***
August 10, 2023
This book is very, very horse-y. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I was absolutely not expecting all the horse talk. If you dislike horses, well … you've been forewarned.
Horses aside, The Fortune Seller was an interesting read that focuses on the class divide in the United States. It's an old trope – a poor(ish) girl goes to a fancy school with the spoiled children of the one percent and struggles to fit in – but Rachel Kapelke-Dale manages to write about it in a fresh and original manner.
The story starts out as a slow burn but picks up speed around the 50% mark. The relationships between the characters were well-written and believable, and I particularly enjoyed “watching” as Rosie and Annelise's friendship blossomed. That's not to imply that the characters are all likable, however - some of them are downright awful and their actions appalling.
There are really two mysteries in this book: who is Annelise and what happened to Annelise? The answer to the first question surprised me – I never saw it coming at all and enjoyed the related plot twist. The second question doesn't really come into play until over halfway through the novel, and I felt as if the answer was pretty obvious from the beginning. Still, the suspense kept me reading well into the night (it's currently 3:30 a.m. as I write this) and I really enjoyed the twists along the way.
The ending is both refreshing (I've read so many novels that end with depressing cliff-hangers lately) and my biggest complaint about this book. It's almost like things were wrapped up a little too well? Everyone got a big dose of karma, there's a cute dog, the end.
Overall, The Fortune Seller was an intriguing and horse-filled read. Final rating:3.75 3.49 stars, rounded up down. Edit 8/10/23: After mulling this book over for a day or so, I've decided to round down my rating for this one to three stars. It's still a book worth reading, but I just didn't enjoy it as much as my other four star reads. I really wish we had half-star options on Goodreads - a 3.5 would be perfect.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.
Horses aside, The Fortune Seller was an interesting read that focuses on the class divide in the United States. It's an old trope – a poor(ish) girl goes to a fancy school with the spoiled children of the one percent and struggles to fit in – but Rachel Kapelke-Dale manages to write about it in a fresh and original manner.
The story starts out as a slow burn but picks up speed around the 50% mark. The relationships between the characters were well-written and believable, and I particularly enjoyed “watching” as Rosie and Annelise's friendship blossomed. That's not to imply that the characters are all likable, however - some of them are downright awful and their actions appalling.
There are really two mysteries in this book: who is Annelise and what happened to Annelise? The answer to the first question surprised me – I never saw it coming at all and enjoyed the related plot twist. The second question doesn't really come into play until over halfway through the novel, and I felt as if the answer was pretty obvious from the beginning. Still, the suspense kept me reading well into the night (it's currently 3:30 a.m. as I write this) and I really enjoyed the twists along the way.
The ending is both refreshing (I've read so many novels that end with depressing cliff-hangers lately) and my biggest complaint about this book. It's almost like things were wrapped up a little too well? Everyone got a big dose of karma, there's a cute dog, the end.
Overall, The Fortune Seller was an intriguing and horse-filled read. Final rating:
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.
March 10, 2024
Dark academia… Mean girls… Rich people behaving badly… What is not to love?? 🤷♀️🖤 I have loved all of @rachelkapelkedale’s books but.. WOW.. this is definitely my favorite!! 🐎 Thank you SO much to @stmartinspress for my gorgeous gifted copy!! 🥰🥰🥰 I loved every.. single… minute of this..
Okay guys… I am a horse 🐎 show girl… 👱♀️… I spent a huge part of my life training, showing… it was my life. I was SO competitive… and so are these girls…😉
Yale… The equestrian team… 🐎… seems innocent 😇 enough.. right?! 😬 Well if you are familiar with @rachelkapelkedale ‘s previous books… you know it’s going to get dark and twisted.. 😉
These girls lived together.. rode together and were BFF’s 👯♀️… more like frenemies 😬… Rosie did her best to keep up with her fancy pants 👖 Yale girls… struggling to make ends meet… she was enamored 🤩 with her new BFF who seemed to have it all.. 🤩
OMG this took such a sinister direction that I NEVER saw coming!! It seriously 😳 was a dark academia at it’s finest…. 😍…I had so many questions… Who is this mysterious new roommate?? Why are they under Cressida Tates spell?? Ohh and the tarot cards 🎴…
I absolutely loved this book!! I was right in my element.
Okay guys… I am a horse 🐎 show girl… 👱♀️… I spent a huge part of my life training, showing… it was my life. I was SO competitive… and so are these girls…😉
Yale… The equestrian team… 🐎… seems innocent 😇 enough.. right?! 😬 Well if you are familiar with @rachelkapelkedale ‘s previous books… you know it’s going to get dark and twisted.. 😉
These girls lived together.. rode together and were BFF’s 👯♀️… more like frenemies 😬… Rosie did her best to keep up with her fancy pants 👖 Yale girls… struggling to make ends meet… she was enamored 🤩 with her new BFF who seemed to have it all.. 🤩
OMG this took such a sinister direction that I NEVER saw coming!! It seriously 😳 was a dark academia at it’s finest…. 😍…I had so many questions… Who is this mysterious new roommate?? Why are they under Cressida Tates spell?? Ohh and the tarot cards 🎴…
I absolutely loved this book!! I was right in my element.
December 25, 2023
Fortune Seller lures you in with a summary that promises mystery and social commentary, but it ends up letting you down in both respects. Rosie Macalister is a middle-class white girl desperate to escape her financial situation. At Yale, she tries to fit in with her filthy rich friends but can't quite play the part of a socialite. When a new girl with a mysterious background infiltrates the friend group senior year, the other girls love and mistrust her in equal turns.
2 stars for the narrator. She did a fantastic job of bringing to life the characters and making it an engaging read, despite the lackluster content she had to work with.
I struggle to have empathy for a pretty, middle-class white chick who got into Yale and constantly calls herself poor despite having a home, food, clothes, and shoes. Rosie's able to afford horseback gear, even though she complains about having to save up for it. While I understand her want for financial security, she doesn't see that she already has that. She is unable to be grateful.
I was expecting more discussion around the widening gap between the middle class and the wealthy, but it was touched on in such a shallow way. Rosie's worldview is so limited. Sure, you see what you see because you are where you are. But to call yourself poor and victimize yourself when there are people across the globe who die from lack of food and unclean water, is laughable. Sorry you can't afford designer clothes, but most of the world can't. Also, how are you going to discuss wealth and not even acknowledge the role race and ethnicity have to play? Not one person of color or a truly poor background is introduced to balance Rosie's worldview.
Rosie's solution to financial woes is just as awful as her attitude. She has the idea that because she got into Yale she deserves to be rich. That a degree will automatically equal wealth. Those who are self-made usually worked their butts off to get there. Rosie sends off some half-hearted emails for a job and calls it a day.
The "mystery" was bland and predictable. I'm not usually disappointed when I figure out a plot twist before it happens, but I guessed the whole thing a few chapters in. It wouldn't be so noticeable if the commentary had been able to pull its weight.
I don't recommend this one. There are much better mysteries and books that dissect wealth from multiple perspectives.
Thank you to NetGalley Macmillan Audio for the advance audio! All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
2 stars for the narrator. She did a fantastic job of bringing to life the characters and making it an engaging read, despite the lackluster content she had to work with.
I struggle to have empathy for a pretty, middle-class white chick who got into Yale and constantly calls herself poor despite having a home, food, clothes, and shoes. Rosie's able to afford horseback gear, even though she complains about having to save up for it. While I understand her want for financial security, she doesn't see that she already has that. She is unable to be grateful.
I was expecting more discussion around the widening gap between the middle class and the wealthy, but it was touched on in such a shallow way. Rosie's worldview is so limited. Sure, you see what you see because you are where you are. But to call yourself poor and victimize yourself when there are people across the globe who die from lack of food and unclean water, is laughable. Sorry you can't afford designer clothes, but most of the world can't. Also, how are you going to discuss wealth and not even acknowledge the role race and ethnicity have to play? Not one person of color or a truly poor background is introduced to balance Rosie's worldview.
Rosie's solution to financial woes is just as awful as her attitude. She has the idea that because she got into Yale she deserves to be rich. That a degree will automatically equal wealth. Those who are self-made usually worked their butts off to get there. Rosie sends off some half-hearted emails for a job and calls it a day.
The "mystery" was bland and predictable. I'm not usually disappointed when I figure out a plot twist before it happens, but I guessed the whole thing a few chapters in. It wouldn't be so noticeable if the commentary had been able to pull its weight.
I don't recommend this one. There are much better mysteries and books that dissect wealth from multiple perspectives.
Thank you to NetGalley Macmillan Audio for the advance audio! All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
February 22, 2024
Rosie Macalister has tried for years to fit in with her wealthy friends on the Yale equestrian team, but when she comes back from her junior year abroad, she finds the mysterious Annelise Tattinger has joined the group. Annelise is not only a gifted rider but is also a talented tarot reader.
I don't know a lot about Yale and I definitely didn't know that they have an equestrian team. So that's two things I learned from this book. The other is the reader's (meaning the tarot card reader's) interpretation of many of the tarot cards as set out at the beginning of each chapter. I also don't know a lot about competitive horseback riding and/or showing but found the glimpses of equestrian life in this book to be very interesting.
Even though I've said that I'm tired of books about academia, dark or otherwise, this one was different than usual and I enjoyed it a great deal. The characters were an interesting mix and afforded us a glimpse into the lifestyles of the rich and not-so-rich. Revelations of who Annelise really is came as a bit of a surprise although it was obvious from early on that there was something secretive about her.
This is the third book by Rachel Kapelke-Dale that I've read and I think it's my favourite so far.
TW: Quite a few f-bombs, not excessive imo but more than necessary.
I won a copy of The Fortune Seller in a Goodreads giveaway so my thanks to them and to the publisher, St. Martin's Press.
Publication Date: February 13, 2024
I don't know a lot about Yale and I definitely didn't know that they have an equestrian team. So that's two things I learned from this book. The other is the reader's (meaning the tarot card reader's) interpretation of many of the tarot cards as set out at the beginning of each chapter. I also don't know a lot about competitive horseback riding and/or showing but found the glimpses of equestrian life in this book to be very interesting.
Even though I've said that I'm tired of books about academia, dark or otherwise, this one was different than usual and I enjoyed it a great deal. The characters were an interesting mix and afforded us a glimpse into the lifestyles of the rich and not-so-rich. Revelations of who Annelise really is came as a bit of a surprise although it was obvious from early on that there was something secretive about her.
This is the third book by Rachel Kapelke-Dale that I've read and I think it's my favourite so far.
TW: Quite a few f-bombs, not excessive imo but more than necessary.
I won a copy of The Fortune Seller in a Goodreads giveaway so my thanks to them and to the publisher, St. Martin's Press.
Publication Date: February 13, 2024
April 25, 2024
This book was all over my Goodreads feed so I decided to give it a go! For me it was a 3.5 star and I rounded up. The story was good and the characters were good. I feel like it could have easily been two books and the stories extended with more twists and shocking reveals. It’s not a book that I am likely to recommend to many people.
January 27, 2024
The Fortune Seller by Rachael Kapelke-Dale
Release date 2/13/2024
Audio Arc review
There were many things that made this book an enjoyable listen for me. I loved, loved the tie in with the Tarot cards and how well this was woven into this coming of age story. It is all wrapped around a dark Ivy academia plot with some shadings of equestrian sport (who knew Yale had an Equestrian team, not me). All in all I find it a propulsive listen, one that kept me listening far into the night when I should have been sleeping.
It is contemporary fiction set in the early 2000’s and begins when four Yale women, close friends, return for their senior year. Three of these friends have meet through their involvement in the equestrian team. A new girl, Annelise, an exceptional rider has been accepted into their tight circle and has moved into the house the girls have rented for this last year. The story line is linear told by Rosie, who feels herself a little outside her rich friends, hardly able to afford the current living situation and works hard to keep this fact hidden and be one of the group. She is called on to share a room with Annelise and while at first she resents this, the two women become close friends. Rosie finds Annelise different from anyone she has previously known, a little of a hippie and while very private about her life appears to Rosie to be from a working class family. Annelise is a tarot card reader and loves to read the cards for her new friends.
The author uses this element of the Tarot deck to highlight the story. Each chapter begins with an explanation of a card in the deck and how it might be interpreted. It sets the tone for the chapter and moves the plot forward in most interesting ways. It gave an extra facet to what might otherwise been a predictable story and kept me listening. (I also went back to the library to get a book on the Tarot so I could see the cards as well as listen to what they might represent). I found that device fascinating and so well used.
As can be guessed all does not go well for this group, Annelise or the friendship. Rosie finds her loyalties divided and tragedy strikes. Rosie begins to question her own values and all she believed to be true or is it? And who really is Annelise?
It was a good mystery but less complex than I would have liked. I wanted more from it. At its end I felt a little let down. What could have been a 5 star read dropped to 4. Predictable and it stretched believability at times. Two much black and white, not enough shades of gray in the characterizations. I did love much about it, the Tarot tie in, the propulsive plot, the mystery of Annelise but Rosie felt a little too naive for an Ivy graduate in finance. Too often she felt like little girl lost without the gumption that got her from parochial beginnings to a Ivy school in the first place.
The audio was a great listen. Narrated by Stephanie Cannon who was a perfect voice for Rosie and with just enough inflection and change that the voice of Annelise was perfect as well. She really did an incredible job. While there are several characters I never had any problems knowing who was speaking or where I was in the story, not easy to do by one narrator with an all female cast of characters. Would highly recommend this format but I still wished at times I had the print, mostly so I could read faster as I was so hooked and intrigued wanting to know who Annelise is and that reveal I knew was coming.
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the Audio ARC
Release date 2/13/2024
Audio Arc review
There were many things that made this book an enjoyable listen for me. I loved, loved the tie in with the Tarot cards and how well this was woven into this coming of age story. It is all wrapped around a dark Ivy academia plot with some shadings of equestrian sport (who knew Yale had an Equestrian team, not me). All in all I find it a propulsive listen, one that kept me listening far into the night when I should have been sleeping.
It is contemporary fiction set in the early 2000’s and begins when four Yale women, close friends, return for their senior year. Three of these friends have meet through their involvement in the equestrian team. A new girl, Annelise, an exceptional rider has been accepted into their tight circle and has moved into the house the girls have rented for this last year. The story line is linear told by Rosie, who feels herself a little outside her rich friends, hardly able to afford the current living situation and works hard to keep this fact hidden and be one of the group. She is called on to share a room with Annelise and while at first she resents this, the two women become close friends. Rosie finds Annelise different from anyone she has previously known, a little of a hippie and while very private about her life appears to Rosie to be from a working class family. Annelise is a tarot card reader and loves to read the cards for her new friends.
The author uses this element of the Tarot deck to highlight the story. Each chapter begins with an explanation of a card in the deck and how it might be interpreted. It sets the tone for the chapter and moves the plot forward in most interesting ways. It gave an extra facet to what might otherwise been a predictable story and kept me listening. (I also went back to the library to get a book on the Tarot so I could see the cards as well as listen to what they might represent). I found that device fascinating and so well used.
As can be guessed all does not go well for this group, Annelise or the friendship. Rosie finds her loyalties divided and tragedy strikes. Rosie begins to question her own values and all she believed to be true or is it? And who really is Annelise?
It was a good mystery but less complex than I would have liked. I wanted more from it. At its end I felt a little let down. What could have been a 5 star read dropped to 4. Predictable and it stretched believability at times. Two much black and white, not enough shades of gray in the characterizations. I did love much about it, the Tarot tie in, the propulsive plot, the mystery of Annelise but Rosie felt a little too naive for an Ivy graduate in finance. Too often she felt like little girl lost without the gumption that got her from parochial beginnings to a Ivy school in the first place.
The audio was a great listen. Narrated by Stephanie Cannon who was a perfect voice for Rosie and with just enough inflection and change that the voice of Annelise was perfect as well. She really did an incredible job. While there are several characters I never had any problems knowing who was speaking or where I was in the story, not easy to do by one narrator with an all female cast of characters. Would highly recommend this format but I still wished at times I had the print, mostly so I could read faster as I was so hooked and intrigued wanting to know who Annelise is and that reveal I knew was coming.
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the Audio ARC
February 12, 2024
When Rosie Macalister returns to Yale and her spot on the equestrian team after a year away, she finds out she is rooming with Annelise Tattinger, who turns out to be a very talented rider who reads tarot cards for the other girls in her spare time. Rosie has fought very hard for her place in the team's inner circle, which is no easy feat since she is from a middle-class background. At first, she is resentful of the idea of having a roommate, but she soon becomes friends with Annelise and realizes there is a lot more going on than meets the eye.
This is a very realistic look at class differences and how the upper elite class treats everyone else. The attitude that the rules don't apply to the rich comes across very strongly. There were some hidden secrets that I didn't see coming, and the characterization of the very rich and entitled Cressida is well done. The old cliche that money doesn't buy happiness rings very true in this book, but would be better defined as "too much money doesn't buy happiness." While some of the characters use their trust funds to sink deeper into despair, others just want enough money to fulfill their dreams.
Each chapter was headed with the description of a tarot card, which was not my cup of tea at all. But the relationships and class differences and the way this affected the characters made this book shine. Honest, sobering, sad, and heartbreaking, this book shines a light on the elite class and on struggling to belong in a world that is only set up for a few to succeed.
I received a free copy of this book from St. Martin's Press. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
This is a very realistic look at class differences and how the upper elite class treats everyone else. The attitude that the rules don't apply to the rich comes across very strongly. There were some hidden secrets that I didn't see coming, and the characterization of the very rich and entitled Cressida is well done. The old cliche that money doesn't buy happiness rings very true in this book, but would be better defined as "too much money doesn't buy happiness." While some of the characters use their trust funds to sink deeper into despair, others just want enough money to fulfill their dreams.
Each chapter was headed with the description of a tarot card, which was not my cup of tea at all. But the relationships and class differences and the way this affected the characters made this book shine. Honest, sobering, sad, and heartbreaking, this book shines a light on the elite class and on struggling to belong in a world that is only set up for a few to succeed.
I received a free copy of this book from St. Martin's Press. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
May 7, 2024
I was such a big fan of her first book, The Ballerinas, was pretty disappointed in her follow up, The Ingenue, and The Fortune Seller lands somewhere in the middle.
I like learning about new things when I read, but there was too much in this novel. Tarot cards and their meanings, details about how to read them were in there, which I enjoyed, but we were also explained at length about equestrians, and horses, and competing. At the end of the day, it ended up being too much.
I liked the story and the characters, though the big twist was pretty easy to figure out. The second half of the book I felt was better than the first. 3.75 stars rounded up
I like learning about new things when I read, but there was too much in this novel. Tarot cards and their meanings, details about how to read them were in there, which I enjoyed, but we were also explained at length about equestrians, and horses, and competing. At the end of the day, it ended up being too much.
I liked the story and the characters, though the big twist was pretty easy to figure out. The second half of the book I felt was better than the first. 3.75 stars rounded up
February 8, 2024
Set in the early 2000s, The Fortune Seller takes us to Yale, where middle-class Rosie Macalister lives with her much wealthier friends. As members of the Yale equestrian team, Rosie and her friends are a tight-knit group, so Rosie is surprised to return from a year abroad to find a new girl sharing her room. Annelise, with her talent for reading tarot cards and phenomenal riding skills, is unlike anyone Rosie has ever met. It isn't long before Rosie and Annelise become close. But amongst their larger group of friends, shifting alliances, secrets, and betrayals are creating unbearable tension -- with devastating, irreversible consequences.
In The Fortune Seller, Rachel Kapelke-Dale delves into issues surrounding class, wealth and privilege, ambition, and the complexities of female friendships. Kapelke-Dale's writing is nuanced and sinuous as she explores the co-dependent and sometimes destructive nature of early adult relationships, and I think she perfectly captured the feelings of her characters, with all their presumed invincibility and desperation. There's lots of interesting commentary about fate and destiny and the role that luck plays in one's good fortune or circumstances. Each chapter begins with the description of a tarot card that serves as foreshadowing for events to come, and I thought that was such a brilliant way to add texture to the narrative.
I do think, however, that some of Kapelke-Dale's observations, specifically surrounding the power that comes with wealth in the later half of the book, were a bit too on the nose. Her characters are for the most part well-developed, but they all fall solidly into either a "good person" or "bad person" category, which makes them less interesting than they could have been. Rosie herself is frustrating because she is the type of character that just lets things happen to her, rather than going out and making things happen. Who gets into Yale and, hoping to eventually work for an investment firm, fails to secure a single internship before her senior year? That, to me, seems like a form of the entitlement that Rosie herself rails against in her friends. Rosie grew up quite privileged herself, which is something she barely acknowledges as she strives for more and better, which only added to my frustration with her character.
I would have liked more atmosphere outside of the characters' immediate world -- a stronger sense of place with the equestrian competitions, some context about life on Yale's campus. The book is also oddly-plotted, with a major event happening at the 50% mark before the narrative slows way, way down. And I appreciate the twists that the narrative took, but I definitely predicted them well before and spent most of the second half of the book just waiting for Rosie to catch up.
I listened to The Fortune Seller as an audiobook read by Stephanie Cannon, whose voice has a mesmerizing quality that kept me engaged even through the slower parts of the narrative. I always look forward to new release by Rachel Kapelke-Dale, whose plots and prose have reminded me for three books now of Megan Abbott (and I can't really pay a higher compliment than that). The Fortune Seller wasn't my favorite of her novels, but I still can't wait for the next one.
In The Fortune Seller, Rachel Kapelke-Dale delves into issues surrounding class, wealth and privilege, ambition, and the complexities of female friendships. Kapelke-Dale's writing is nuanced and sinuous as she explores the co-dependent and sometimes destructive nature of early adult relationships, and I think she perfectly captured the feelings of her characters, with all their presumed invincibility and desperation. There's lots of interesting commentary about fate and destiny and the role that luck plays in one's good fortune or circumstances. Each chapter begins with the description of a tarot card that serves as foreshadowing for events to come, and I thought that was such a brilliant way to add texture to the narrative.
I do think, however, that some of Kapelke-Dale's observations, specifically surrounding the power that comes with wealth in the later half of the book, were a bit too on the nose. Her characters are for the most part well-developed, but they all fall solidly into either a "good person" or "bad person" category, which makes them less interesting than they could have been. Rosie herself is frustrating because she is the type of character that just lets things happen to her, rather than going out and making things happen. Who gets into Yale and, hoping to eventually work for an investment firm, fails to secure a single internship before her senior year? That, to me, seems like a form of the entitlement that Rosie herself rails against in her friends. Rosie grew up quite privileged herself, which is something she barely acknowledges as she strives for more and better, which only added to my frustration with her character.
I would have liked more atmosphere outside of the characters' immediate world -- a stronger sense of place with the equestrian competitions, some context about life on Yale's campus. The book is also oddly-plotted, with a major event happening at the 50% mark before the narrative slows way, way down. And I appreciate the twists that the narrative took, but I definitely predicted them well before and spent most of the second half of the book just waiting for Rosie to catch up.
I listened to The Fortune Seller as an audiobook read by Stephanie Cannon, whose voice has a mesmerizing quality that kept me engaged even through the slower parts of the narrative. I always look forward to new release by Rachel Kapelke-Dale, whose plots and prose have reminded me for three books now of Megan Abbott (and I can't really pay a higher compliment than that). The Fortune Seller wasn't my favorite of her novels, but I still can't wait for the next one.
February 4, 2024
"I don't believe in a fate that will fall on us no matter what we do. I do believe in a fate that will fall on us if we do nothing." -- Ronald Reagan
With all its whimsical vibe around tarot, I am surely hitched to the plot, elements and mystery. I never thought a thriller could make such a wonderful impression on a fantasy lover like me - but the magic worked!
The storyline follows our protagonist(Rosie) working hard to fit in with her rich besties at Yale, but the following year a new Girl (Annelise) enters their circle and Rosie is both gravitated and unhinged by Annelie's mysterious life. With changing dynamics in the group and the dirty powerplay of money in their world, the bonds are getting strenuously closer to a cliff. Post their graduation, life takes a flipping turn for them all and hidden secrets are only going to bring a devastating turn that may forever haunt them.
The role money plays in society and to what levels humans stoop around it is discussed brilliantly through the characters. The frienemy vibe, dipped with a coming-of-age girl drama intertwines well into a story that is narrated from the backfront of a tarot reader. Plus the narrator did a solid job with all the elite accents.
Thank you @macmillan.audio and @rachelkapelkedale for the Audio ARC.
Genre: #contemporary #fiction
Rating: 4.5/5 star
P.S: The book has also pushed me to do a little to research the interpretation of these cards 🃏
With all its whimsical vibe around tarot, I am surely hitched to the plot, elements and mystery. I never thought a thriller could make such a wonderful impression on a fantasy lover like me - but the magic worked!
The storyline follows our protagonist(Rosie) working hard to fit in with her rich besties at Yale, but the following year a new Girl (Annelise) enters their circle and Rosie is both gravitated and unhinged by Annelie's mysterious life. With changing dynamics in the group and the dirty powerplay of money in their world, the bonds are getting strenuously closer to a cliff. Post their graduation, life takes a flipping turn for them all and hidden secrets are only going to bring a devastating turn that may forever haunt them.
The role money plays in society and to what levels humans stoop around it is discussed brilliantly through the characters. The frienemy vibe, dipped with a coming-of-age girl drama intertwines well into a story that is narrated from the backfront of a tarot reader. Plus the narrator did a solid job with all the elite accents.
Thank you @macmillan.audio and @rachelkapelkedale for the Audio ARC.
Genre: #contemporary #fiction
Rating: 4.5/5 star
P.S: The book has also pushed me to do a little to research the interpretation of these cards 🃏
January 11, 2024
Such a tragic and terrible tale. I hated the premise of it but it was written well and kept me interested, that’s for sure. I just hated that it felt like the rich folks still got everything they wanted and not enough people had to answer for the death that they caused.
🌀Synopsis
Rosie is just trying to fit into a rich kid’s world. As a student at Yale she falls in with a group of girls that have no money issues, like she does. Except, that is, for Annelise. It takes awhile for the truth to come out but she finds out that Annelise is also trying to make her own money to get through school. The house is full of drama and it all comes to a roaring head when hazing goes wrong and causes the death of a roommate. Rosie is devastated and withdraws from all activity just trying to get by.
When she graduates she takes a job in the city with a friend’s dad. When she finds out he’s been doing shady things under his foundation, she calls him on it and he commits suicide that same day. Their world is forever changed.
Rosie decides to change her path and go back to school, this time to be a vet. She’s been through terrible things but, in the end, she’s truly happy with where she ended up.
🌀Synopsis
Rosie is just trying to fit into a rich kid’s world. As a student at Yale she falls in with a group of girls that have no money issues, like she does. Except, that is, for Annelise. It takes awhile for the truth to come out but she finds out that Annelise is also trying to make her own money to get through school. The house is full of drama and it all comes to a roaring head when hazing goes wrong and causes the death of a roommate. Rosie is devastated and withdraws from all activity just trying to get by.
When she graduates she takes a job in the city with a friend’s dad. When she finds out he’s been doing shady things under his foundation, she calls him on it and he commits suicide that same day. Their world is forever changed.
Rosie decides to change her path and go back to school, this time to be a vet. She’s been through terrible things but, in the end, she’s truly happy with where she ended up.
December 7, 2023
Rachel Kalpelke-Dale’s latest suspense highlights both the elite college equestrian world and the occult through tarot readings. She does a nice job of blending both topics to create unique, quirky characters. I enjoyed the college setting and the descriptions of the students and all of their foibles. This was an original and interesting read with a great deal of suspense and a twisty ending.
Many thanks to Netgalley, Edelweiss, St.Martin’s Press and Rachel Kalpelke-Dale for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Many thanks to Netgalley, Edelweiss, St.Martin’s Press and Rachel Kalpelke-Dale for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
July 14, 2023
I knew going into The Fortune Seller how well Rachel Kapelke Dale writes complicated female relationships and that’s on full display here. I loved her previous novels The Ballerinas and The Ingenue so my expectations were high.
This novel starts in 2005 with Rosie and her friends who are on the Yale Equestrian team. After being abroad for her junior year, Rosie is excited to reunite with her friends only to learn that a new girl named Annelise has joined their clique and will be her roommate. Annelise is an excellent equestrian rider who appears to have many talents and one of them is her tarot card reading. Although Rosie finds herself charmed by Annelise, something seems off. All of the girls are keeping secrets and after a series of events, they start to turn on one another and there are tragic consequences. We then follow Rosie after graduation when she starts working for a hedge fund company. Events from the past continue to haunt her as she searches for answers.
I loved the dark academia feel to the story and the writing is as beautiful as I expected it would be. The tarot card interpretation and foreshadowing at the start of each chapter was a brilliant touch. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and the author for an advance digital copy of The Fortune Seller. It exceeded my high expectations!
Pub date: February 13, 2024
Pages: 320
This novel starts in 2005 with Rosie and her friends who are on the Yale Equestrian team. After being abroad for her junior year, Rosie is excited to reunite with her friends only to learn that a new girl named Annelise has joined their clique and will be her roommate. Annelise is an excellent equestrian rider who appears to have many talents and one of them is her tarot card reading. Although Rosie finds herself charmed by Annelise, something seems off. All of the girls are keeping secrets and after a series of events, they start to turn on one another and there are tragic consequences. We then follow Rosie after graduation when she starts working for a hedge fund company. Events from the past continue to haunt her as she searches for answers.
I loved the dark academia feel to the story and the writing is as beautiful as I expected it would be. The tarot card interpretation and foreshadowing at the start of each chapter was a brilliant touch. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and the author for an advance digital copy of The Fortune Seller. It exceeded my high expectations!
Pub date: February 13, 2024
Pages: 320
August 14, 2023
Rosie Macalister does her best to fit in with the elite at Yale. She is part of the equestrian team and lives with her best, incredibly wealthy friends. When she returns from a year abroad however, a newcomer has joined the group and she is unsure what to think. Annelise Tattinger, is mysterious, athletic and a tarot card reader. She quickly moves up in the equestrian team but disappears frequently to travel to New York City.
What are her secrets? What is her plan? As Rosie becomes close to her, she realizes all is not what it seems. Mostly a story about the elite playing students at Yale and workers in New York, this novel is more coming of age than thriller. Rosie is a character you are not soon to forget, especially if you too, have tired sometimes to pass.
If you love stories about wealthy friends, family secrets and coming of age you will love The Fortune Seller!
#StMartinsPress #StMartins #TheFortuneSeller #RachelKapelkeDale
What are her secrets? What is her plan? As Rosie becomes close to her, she realizes all is not what it seems. Mostly a story about the elite playing students at Yale and workers in New York, this novel is more coming of age than thriller. Rosie is a character you are not soon to forget, especially if you too, have tired sometimes to pass.
If you love stories about wealthy friends, family secrets and coming of age you will love The Fortune Seller!
#StMartinsPress #StMartins #TheFortuneSeller #RachelKapelkeDale
January 20, 2024
This book just didn't do it for me. I saw a review on Goodreads that said, "Fortune Seller lures you in with a summary that promises mystery and social commentary, but it ends up letting you down in both respects." And that sums it up perfectly.
The description of this book made it sound incredibly intriguing, but the follow-through was weak. The book was.... eh. I hate to say "not good" because that just sounds so rude, and I never want to insult an author who worked hard on a book and then put it out in the world for others to judge.
Unfortunately, though, (in my opinion) this book just WASN'T good. The characters were unrelatable and - at times - totally unbelievable. And the book's outcome was just.... unrealistic in the extreme. There are deaths and murders with no investigations and no consequences, and the attitude of some of the central characters are just really ridiculous.
In truth, the book reads like it was written by a 17-year-old mean girl. It seems as though the author has had no real life experiences yet beyond what she's learned from her private school life. (Note: I'm not saying that is accurate at all. I know nothing about this author. That's just how the book reads.)
So yeah, as much as I hate to give any book a bad rating (for the author's sake), this one just wasn't for me. The narrator was excellent, though. She is easily worth the two stars I gave the book. She needs to narrate more things.
The description of this book made it sound incredibly intriguing, but the follow-through was weak. The book was.... eh. I hate to say "not good" because that just sounds so rude, and I never want to insult an author who worked hard on a book and then put it out in the world for others to judge.
Unfortunately, though, (in my opinion) this book just WASN'T good. The characters were unrelatable and - at times - totally unbelievable. And the book's outcome was just.... unrealistic in the extreme. There are deaths and murders with no investigations and no consequences, and the attitude of some of the central characters are just really ridiculous.
In truth, the book reads like it was written by a 17-year-old mean girl. It seems as though the author has had no real life experiences yet beyond what she's learned from her private school life. (Note: I'm not saying that is accurate at all. I know nothing about this author. That's just how the book reads.)
So yeah, as much as I hate to give any book a bad rating (for the author's sake), this one just wasn't for me. The narrator was excellent, though. She is easily worth the two stars I gave the book. She needs to narrate more things.
January 24, 2024
Set in the heady days of the early aughts, The Fortune Seller is a haunting examination of class, ambition, and the desires that shape our lives.
Thank you Macmillan Audio & Netgalley for sending me a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I was reading this book and I decided to DNF it at 60%. I liked the Equestrian theme of this book and I liked that this book has Tarot in it. I didn’t like any of the characters. I found them annoying. The only character I liked was Annelise. I thought she was really interesting and I liked her friendship with the main character Rosie. I feel like I would have enjoyed this book more if it had focused more on Annelise and if it had more horseback riding and competing in shows. It has a little bit of horseback riding and it mentions 1 horse show but it doesn’t have much of an Equestrian theme in the first half of the book. I feel like it focused too much on the drama between the other girls and I didn’t like that.
Thank you Macmillan Audio & Netgalley for sending me a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I was reading this book and I decided to DNF it at 60%. I liked the Equestrian theme of this book and I liked that this book has Tarot in it. I didn’t like any of the characters. I found them annoying. The only character I liked was Annelise. I thought she was really interesting and I liked her friendship with the main character Rosie. I feel like I would have enjoyed this book more if it had focused more on Annelise and if it had more horseback riding and competing in shows. It has a little bit of horseback riding and it mentions 1 horse show but it doesn’t have much of an Equestrian theme in the first half of the book. I feel like it focused too much on the drama between the other girls and I didn’t like that.
February 5, 2024
When Rosie Macalister returns to Yale and her spot on the equestrian team after a year away, she finds out she is rooming with Annelise Tattinger, who turns out to be a very talented rider who reads tarot cards for the other girls in her spare time. Rosie has fought very hard for her place in the team's inner circle, which is no easy feat since she is from a middle-class background. At first, she is resentful of the idea of having a roommate, but she soon becomes friends with Annelise and realizes there is a lot more going on than meets the eye.
This is a very realistic look at class differences and how the upper elite class treats everyone else. The attitude that the rules don't apply to the rich comes across very strongly. There were some hidden secrets that I didn't see coming, and the characterization of the very rich and entitled Cressida is well done. The old cliche that money doesn't buy happiness rings very true in this book, but would be better defined as "too much money doesn't buy happiness." While some of the characters use their trust funds to sink deeper into despair, others just want enough money to fulfill their dreams.
Each chapter was headed with the description of a tarot card, which was not my cup of tea at all. But the relationships and class differences and the way this affected the characters made this book shine. Honest, sobering, sad, and heartbreaking, this book shines a light on the elite class and on struggling to belong in a world that is only set up for a few to succeed.
The audiobook, read by Stephanie Cannon, is well done and completely captures the personalities of each character.
I received a free copy of this audiobook from Macmillan Audio. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
This is a very realistic look at class differences and how the upper elite class treats everyone else. The attitude that the rules don't apply to the rich comes across very strongly. There were some hidden secrets that I didn't see coming, and the characterization of the very rich and entitled Cressida is well done. The old cliche that money doesn't buy happiness rings very true in this book, but would be better defined as "too much money doesn't buy happiness." While some of the characters use their trust funds to sink deeper into despair, others just want enough money to fulfill their dreams.
Each chapter was headed with the description of a tarot card, which was not my cup of tea at all. But the relationships and class differences and the way this affected the characters made this book shine. Honest, sobering, sad, and heartbreaking, this book shines a light on the elite class and on struggling to belong in a world that is only set up for a few to succeed.
The audiobook, read by Stephanie Cannon, is well done and completely captures the personalities of each character.
I received a free copy of this audiobook from Macmillan Audio. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
June 19, 2024
This was guilty pleasure entertainment full of appealing yet scary things like thoroughbred horses, tarot cards, and, scariest of all, a surprising abundance of student loan and housing payment references. I thought the first Yale and equestrian-oriented half was much better than the second NYC hedge fund employment portion, which was a bit trashier and felt way more like trope-filled genre than realistic or literary fiction, but still enjoyably enough so. There is a sort-of mystery element that you will likely guess early on, but it doesn’t really matter. I wish this had stayed darker and more like The Secret History and Gilmore Girls instead of turning a more Pretty Little Liars or Gossip Girl direction, but the horse and tarot-heavy parts were very fun while they lasted. Would like a follow-up novel about a rural vet advised by a friendly tarot-reading ghost in a rehabbed Victorian mansion clinic.
July 4, 2023
There are some really interesting aspects of The Fortune Seller — the tarot, of course, and Rosie's description of animals, particularly the horses — but outside of that, I wasn't incredibly drawn to the story. The outsider with wealthy friends is a common trope, and while Rosie was a character I rooted for, the book didn't stand out to me.
One other thing I want to note — the description is somewhat misleading. I assumed the bulk of the book would be her post-college years, when in reality, the majority of it took place before either of the mysterious deaths occurred. This might seem like a small thing, but really changed the shape of the narrative and what drove it.
One other thing I want to note — the description is somewhat misleading. I assumed the bulk of the book would be her post-college years, when in reality, the majority of it took place before either of the mysterious deaths occurred. This might seem like a small thing, but really changed the shape of the narrative and what drove it.
July 18, 2023
WOW!!! I seriously loved this book and adored how real the characters were! I could almost see Rosie and Annalise being friends of mine. She perfected the story of excess culture, richness, and how the 1% live in impermeable ivory towers above the rest of us. I absolutely adored the twists that made karma look like a lightweight! Can’t wait to read more from her, her writing grips you and doesn’t let go!
July 4, 2023
Heavier than “women’s fiction” but still a page turner. Regular kid among the rich at Yale but with a fresh paranormal twist. Brings the old trope into the 21st-century.
March 11, 2024
First off, many thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this book as an audio ARC! I greatly appreciate it!
I don't like giving one-star reviews, especially to books that haven't even come out yet, but man. This was not good. The writing was lovely, and that makes it even worse, because then you know the author is capable of writing well. But the characters! And the plot!
On the characters: Our main girl (I literally had to check the description because I forgot her name, apparently it's Rosie, though I may have just forgotten because first-person POV), spends the whole story complaining about being poor even though she has a fancy place to live and nice clothes. Yes, she has to save up for expensive things, but so does everyone else. Suck it up, princess. Then there's Annelise, who's kinda fun, but really just a generic modern hippie. I did like her, though despite the mystery of who she is, we never learn much about her outside of that. Cressida was interesting, at least. Horrible, but interesting.
The plot is the worst part. Nearly three-quarters through the book, this goes from being a really interesting story about a girl who's obviously into this weird, mystical girl to being about a girl who has a thing with a guy she met one time before because he has a cute puppy? It feels like the author got sick of the original story and decided to write a new one instead of finishing the first one. I've never been this disappointed and frustrated by the direction a book took. Shaking my head, man.
I don't like giving one-star reviews, especially to books that haven't even come out yet, but man. This was not good. The writing was lovely, and that makes it even worse, because then you know the author is capable of writing well. But the characters! And the plot!
On the characters: Our main girl (I literally had to check the description because I forgot her name, apparently it's Rosie, though I may have just forgotten because first-person POV), spends the whole story complaining about being poor even though she has a fancy place to live and nice clothes. Yes, she has to save up for expensive things, but so does everyone else. Suck it up, princess. Then there's Annelise, who's kinda fun, but really just a generic modern hippie. I did like her, though despite the mystery of who she is, we never learn much about her outside of that. Cressida was interesting, at least. Horrible, but interesting.
The plot is the worst part. Nearly three-quarters through the book, this goes from being a really interesting story about a girl who's obviously into this weird, mystical girl to being about a girl who has a thing with a guy she met one time before because he has a cute puppy? It feels like the author got sick of the original story and decided to write a new one instead of finishing the first one. I've never been this disappointed and frustrated by the direction a book took. Shaking my head, man.
February 25, 2024
Fortune Seller is focused on a group of girls attending Yale — all on the equestrian team. The girls are very wealthy with the exception of the main character, Rosie, who is middle class. (Note: despite being middle class, Rosie carries on throughout the book as if she’s poverty-stricken.) The last member to join the group is mysterious horse girl/tarot expert Annelise.
The story has two main themes: horses and tarot — an odd combination, to state the obvious. The underlying theme is the rich vs poor dynamic, which exists primarily in Rosie’s head.
This book is very horse-y from the start. The horsiness is easier to digest as the book progresses. Tarot is used primarily as a vehicle to move the story along.
Though the author is set up to fail with this disjointed jumble of themes, she somehow makes it work…but it takes a while before things start to flow. I began to enjoy it about 1/3 of the way in.
Still not quite sure if this is adult or YA…it’s somewhere in the middle I guess? If you’re a horse girl, this one’s for you. If not, it’s still worth the read so long as you can get through the very horse-forward beginning.
3.6 stars rounded up to 4.
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC.
The story has two main themes: horses and tarot — an odd combination, to state the obvious. The underlying theme is the rich vs poor dynamic, which exists primarily in Rosie’s head.
This book is very horse-y from the start. The horsiness is easier to digest as the book progresses. Tarot is used primarily as a vehicle to move the story along.
Though the author is set up to fail with this disjointed jumble of themes, she somehow makes it work…but it takes a while before things start to flow. I began to enjoy it about 1/3 of the way in.
Still not quite sure if this is adult or YA…it’s somewhere in the middle I guess? If you’re a horse girl, this one’s for you. If not, it’s still worth the read so long as you can get through the very horse-forward beginning.
3.6 stars rounded up to 4.
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC.
June 6, 2024
4.5 stars
March 18, 2024
A little slow but the last 100 pages are so good!!!
April 4, 2024
3.75⭐️
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April 3, 2024I am withholding my review and rating until St Martin’s Press addresses the demands of the boycott
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