Book Chatter

Mad Mabel
By Sally Hepworth
St. Martin’s Press, April 2026, 352pp.

The Short of It:

Witty and sharp.

The Rest of It:

“Meet Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick: eighty-one years old, gloriously grumpy, fiercely independent, and never without a hot cup of tea—or a cutting remark. She minds her own business in her quiet Melbourne suburb, until a neighbor turns up dead and the whispers start flying.” ~from the publisher

There’s so much more going on here. For one, Elsie is also known as Mad Mabel. She was institutionalized for one murder at fifteen and accused of another, and her quiet suburban neighborhood hasn’t forgotten it. Every so often, it comes back to the surface, especially when a neighbor turns up dead. Fingers start pointing again and honestly, can you blame them? They know what they know. Elsie, for her part, is kind of over it.

Enter Persephone. Seven years old and far wiser than she should be, she ignores the whispers and shows up at Elsie’s door like it’s the most natural thing in the world. She lives next door with her mom, Roxanne, and even though Elsie is not looking for friends, especially not a child who lets herself in unannounced and immediately wants to play games, she can’t help but soften once she realizes Roxanne is dealing with her own darkness.

This book hits a really satisfying balance between humor and mystery. You keep wondering what actually happened all those years ago, and how anyone moves forward from something like that without carrying resentment or doubt.

Friends? Who needs them? Apparently Elsie does. Even when her interactions with the neighbors start with irritation, she finds herself enjoying conversation again, lingering over tea, even getting pulled into Persephone’s games.

I’m always drawn to stories that put older and younger characters together like this. There’s something about the blunt honesty of kids that gets under your skin. Persephone leaves a mark, whether Elsie wants her to or not. Watching Elsie try to process that is half the fun. She’s adorably flustered most of the time, but still sharp and fierce when it counts, especially when the people she’s come to care about are at risk.

Highly recommend.

Source: Review Copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

Once and Again
By Rebecca Serle
Atria, March 2026, 256pp.

The Short of It:

Getting a “do-over” in life sounds like a dream come true, but is it?

The Rest of It:

Lauren and Leo are married and, for the most part, happy. The one thing they want most just doesn’t seem to be in the cards. Infertility, and the costly treatments that come with it, begin to wear them down piece by piece. You can’t help but wonder if their marriage will survive the strain.

In the back of her mind, Lauren knows she’s been given a gift. The women in her family inherit a single, extraordinary chance to go back in time. It can be used to fix a mistake, undo a tragedy, even prevent a death. She’s never considered using it. Not seriously. But after one terrible moment, she is forced to choose.

How do you live with that kind of power? Knowing you only get one chance. Do you fix what’s right in front of you, or hold onto it in case something worse comes later? It’s the kind of pressure that would paralyze most people. I’m not sure I’d ever use it at all.

That tension sits at the heart of Lauren’s story. Choices are made. Secrets surface. And through it all, she wrestles with whether to stay with Leo despite the uncertainty surrounding their future, or return to what feels safe. A past love. A familiar life. The beach house that still feels like home.

Serle handles these questions with care and emotional clarity. The story invites you to sit with every possibility and feel the weight of each one. Yes, there is a way out, but it comes at a cost. What happens to the good memories? Can they ever be recreated, or does one decision shift everything that follows?

It’s a thoughtful, empathetic exploration of love, loss, and the choices that define a life.

I enjoyed this one and the questions it raised about life and what makes a home a home.

Recommend.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

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