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Lost Lambs
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3 copies available
U.S. only
Rippling with humor, warmth, and style,
Lost Lambs
is a new vision of the charms and pitfalls of family dysfunction.
The Flynn family is coming undone. Catherine and Bud's open marriage has reached its breaking point as their daughters spiral in their own chaotic Abigail, the eldest, is dating a man in his twenties nicknamed War Crime Wes; Louise, the middle child, maintains a secret correspondence with an online terrorist; the brilliant youngest, Harper, is being sent to wilderness reform camp due to her insistence that someone—or something—is monitoring the town’s citizens.
Casting a shadow across their lives, and their small coastal town, is Paul Alabaster, a billionaire shipping magnate. Rumors of corruption circulate, but no one dares dig too deep. No one except Harper, whose obsession with a mysterious shipping container sends the family hurtling into a criminal conspiracy—one that may just bring them closer together.
Irreverent and addictive, pinging between the voices of the Flynn family and those of the panorama of characters around them, Madeline Cash’s Lost Lambs is a debut novel of quick-witted observation and surprising tenderness. With Lost Lambs, Cash has crafted a family saga for the twenty-first century, all held together with crazy glue.
The Flynn family is coming undone. Catherine and Bud's open marriage has reached its breaking point as their daughters spiral in their own chaotic Abigail, the eldest, is dating a man in his twenties nicknamed War Crime Wes; Louise, the middle child, maintains a secret correspondence with an online terrorist; the brilliant youngest, Harper, is being sent to wilderness reform camp due to her insistence that someone—or something—is monitoring the town’s citizens.
Casting a shadow across their lives, and their small coastal town, is Paul Alabaster, a billionaire shipping magnate. Rumors of corruption circulate, but no one dares dig too deep. No one except Harper, whose obsession with a mysterious shipping container sends the family hurtling into a criminal conspiracy—one that may just bring them closer together.
Irreverent and addictive, pinging between the voices of the Flynn family and those of the panorama of characters around them, Madeline Cash’s Lost Lambs is a debut novel of quick-witted observation and surprising tenderness. With Lost Lambs, Cash has crafted a family saga for the twenty-first century, all held together with crazy glue.
336 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication January 13, 2026
8290 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 144 reviews
October 18, 2025
i love madeline cash!
yes, i knew this coming out of her short story collection. but this book is just as absurd and funny, dysfunctional and funny, and oddly tender… and funny!
lost lambs is a family saga where the whole family is as endearing as they are eccentric. (what more could you want?) and yet, it manages to be a lot more than a family saga where the whole family is as endearing as they are eccentric, bordering on being downright brilliant.
i mean, the story is practically an all witty, modern-day surrealist’s dream. (i ask again: what more could you want?) one that, i think, you could only make work in a lit fic novel written by madeline cash. and—oh! does she make it work!
but back to the characters. yes, the flynn family is all sorts of fun to bear witness to, what’s more is the cast of side characters are all superb in the same way. like: imagine opening twitter and everybody was always funny and right, and nobody was ever stupid and wrong. but also, when they were stupid and wrong they were still funny and right—save for all the millionaires, billionaires, and trillionaires, gnaturally. (get it?)
basically: this is a really, really, really good character-driven novel. and i’m left on the prowl for more books with continuous phonetic spelling humor.
(thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the arc!)
yes, i knew this coming out of her short story collection. but this book is just as absurd and funny, dysfunctional and funny, and oddly tender… and funny!
lost lambs is a family saga where the whole family is as endearing as they are eccentric. (what more could you want?) and yet, it manages to be a lot more than a family saga where the whole family is as endearing as they are eccentric, bordering on being downright brilliant.
i mean, the story is practically an all witty, modern-day surrealist’s dream. (i ask again: what more could you want?) one that, i think, you could only make work in a lit fic novel written by madeline cash. and—oh! does she make it work!
but back to the characters. yes, the flynn family is all sorts of fun to bear witness to, what’s more is the cast of side characters are all superb in the same way. like: imagine opening twitter and everybody was always funny and right, and nobody was ever stupid and wrong. but also, when they were stupid and wrong they were still funny and right—save for all the millionaires, billionaires, and trillionaires, gnaturally. (get it?)
basically: this is a really, really, really good character-driven novel. and i’m left on the prowl for more books with continuous phonetic spelling humor.
(thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the arc!)
October 13, 2025
Okay y'all, hear me out... Did you ever play The Simpsons: Hit & Run as a kid? This book is giving that. I loved it.
It's absurdist, so stupid (complimentary), and made me laugh out loud several times. Each member of the family has a compelling arc that culminates in them working together in some amateur vigilante sting operation to take down a corrupt billionaire. It doesn't try to be profound or sentimental, which was much appreciated as a reprieve between heavier reads.
The ending has some loose ends I would have liked to see resolved, but honestly, this was so fun and so hard to put down that it deserves a five-star rating. If you enjoyed the family dynamics of The Bee Sting with an absurdist, campy tone (like Sky Daddy, Mood Swings or Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead) then I think you'll really enjoy this. I can see this being divisive, but I'm a believer that Cash has struck some true genius in this debut!
Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the ARC! Lost Lambs releases January 13th, 2026!
It's absurdist, so stupid (complimentary), and made me laugh out loud several times. Each member of the family has a compelling arc that culminates in them working together in some amateur vigilante sting operation to take down a corrupt billionaire. It doesn't try to be profound or sentimental, which was much appreciated as a reprieve between heavier reads.
The ending has some loose ends I would have liked to see resolved, but honestly, this was so fun and so hard to put down that it deserves a five-star rating. If you enjoyed the family dynamics of The Bee Sting with an absurdist, campy tone (like Sky Daddy, Mood Swings or Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead) then I think you'll really enjoy this. I can see this being divisive, but I'm a believer that Cash has struck some true genius in this debut!
Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the ARC! Lost Lambs releases January 13th, 2026!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Very funny. Slightly crazy plot. Great characters.
The Flynn family are going through some radical changes - the youngest girl, Harper who is convinced that someone is using a sculpture to spy on them; Louise who is so lonely that she has taken to the Internet to converse with a man calling himself Yours Truly who seems to want her to do some rather strange things for "the cause"; Abigail who has fallen for a soldier nicknamed War Crimes Wes; mother, Catherine, who is bored with her marriage and father Bud who is trying to keep a lid on his entire family's craziness even as he tries to work out what is going on at his job at Alabaster Harbour (owned by tech billionaire, Paul Alabaster).
I loved this family (Harper, with her dry wit and intelligence, obviously being my favourite) and the plot is suitably insane. From a gnat infestation in the church to the Lost Lambs programme that Bud becomes involved with to find some meaning, not leaving out Louise's fight with her speech impediment or the neighbour's peculiar hobby. It is all brilliantly mad and extremely funny.
I highly recommend this novel. If you like the work of Chris Brookmyre, Antti Tuomainen or Carl Hiaasen you will love this. Even if you never heard of those guys, if you just like a clever and funny book with great characters you will love this. Read it! I'm just hoping Madeline Cash writes more novels.
Thankyou very much to Netgalley and Random House, Transworld Publishers for the advance review copy. Much appreciated.
The Flynn family are going through some radical changes - the youngest girl, Harper who is convinced that someone is using a sculpture to spy on them; Louise who is so lonely that she has taken to the Internet to converse with a man calling himself Yours Truly who seems to want her to do some rather strange things for "the cause"; Abigail who has fallen for a soldier nicknamed War Crimes Wes; mother, Catherine, who is bored with her marriage and father Bud who is trying to keep a lid on his entire family's craziness even as he tries to work out what is going on at his job at Alabaster Harbour (owned by tech billionaire, Paul Alabaster).
I loved this family (Harper, with her dry wit and intelligence, obviously being my favourite) and the plot is suitably insane. From a gnat infestation in the church to the Lost Lambs programme that Bud becomes involved with to find some meaning, not leaving out Louise's fight with her speech impediment or the neighbour's peculiar hobby. It is all brilliantly mad and extremely funny.
I highly recommend this novel. If you like the work of Chris Brookmyre, Antti Tuomainen or Carl Hiaasen you will love this. Even if you never heard of those guys, if you just like a clever and funny book with great characters you will love this. Read it! I'm just hoping Madeline Cash writes more novels.
Thankyou very much to Netgalley and Random House, Transworld Publishers for the advance review copy. Much appreciated.
November 28, 2025
✰ 3.25 stars ✰
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade, or rather bitter makes it better is the story of the Flynn family: the patriarch, Bud, living out in his car, helpless victim to a non-consensual non-monogamous spell, who finds comfort in the arms with the lady who runs his work-mandated self-help Church group, when his wife, Catherine decides the only way to save their two decade long marriage is to have an affair with their neighbor. 😒
Plus their three daughters; 17 yo, Abigail, the beauty with an impenetrable heart, who adored being the sole recipient of 23 yo War Crime Wes' attention, 13 yo, Harper, the brain, plagued with ennui and restlessness, and 15yo, Louise, suffering from middle child complex (I know the feeling!) who simply craved unconditional acceptance.
“Life was worth living because things needed to be done.”
For is that not what we're all searching for. a place to matter and belong. To be seen and feel loved? 🥺 It is that quandary of absurdity that this already dysfunctional family unwittingly find themselves caught up in, when as accounts and systems manager to the Alabaster Group, Bud discovers a discrepancy in the business, thus leading to a culmination of dirty dealings and chaotic findings that strangely enough helps them find a way to become a real family - in a strange but oddly endearing way. 🫂
The writing was its strong suite. Witty, sharp, with biting humor, with that take or leave it attitude that just was strangely addictive in how I was either chuckling or shaking my head - in our situation, you have to have a sense of humor. There was a nice balance to the serious tone to the more flitting, fleeting nature of the grave situation they'd stumbled into.
“As a soldier, you didn't choose your battles. they were something into which you were thrust.”
The multi-pov of each respective perspective, it isn't just what you see. 🤫 It's what you plan to do about it was immersive. The rapport between the cast was relatable; a bit quirky, but still - it can be real, if you choose to believe. As in, the truth hurts, but we sometimes have to look at it through colored lenses, or in this case, with a sense of humor to see that the morbid and mercurial somehow go hand in hand. 🤝
And sometimes that's what we need to survive. To poke fun at what brings us down in order to lift ourselves up and be united in the face of adversity to strengthen the bonds that had been lost to them. 🥲 Each member of the Flynn family was bereft, Lost Lambs, floundering before they finally found a place to belong, even if it is weirdly enough, amongst themselves. 🐑🧑🧑🧒🧒🐑
I did not expect one of the characters to hide their duplicitous nature; I wish it hadn't been that way, since his smart, dry candor was fun. I also felt the ending lost some of its charm, where the character growth was overshadowed by plot development with a crazy incredulous premise; which was unfortunate. 😕 There is also some crass dialogue with crude innuendo and scenes of, imo, unnecessary sexual dalliances, which, I understand how it was meant to show the derangement of society, but it can also be seen as offensive by some.
“Think about life as a fence. And each time we transgress, each time we hurt one another, we must tap a nail into that fence... The fence is still standing. the light can shine through.”
In spite of that, from the strange and bizarre, to a gnat infestation to marital challenges, it was the little things that lingered that left me - not entirely satisfied, but slightly pleased with what an odd, but surprisingly read it was how it drew me in. 👍🏻 With a bit of a strange start, there was a straightforward honesty tinged with a snarky touch that worked well enough for me.
I also want to add that there was a moment where I found a spelling error that threw me off; but when it occurred again and again and again, I caught on to what it was the author was aiming for. 😏 A bit of an inserted tongue-in-cheek kind of humor that, well, poked fun at the unfortunate (haha! - iykyk) plight, but it was a special touch that brought a bit of life and character to the writing to make it their own. And that was different and I can appreciate that. 🦗
*Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
“When a lamb strays, it's usually lost to wolves, vulnerable without its flock. But sometimes, just sometimes, if its lucky, it finds a new one.”
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade, or rather bitter makes it better is the story of the Flynn family: the patriarch, Bud, living out in his car, helpless victim to a non-consensual non-monogamous spell, who finds comfort in the arms with the lady who runs his work-mandated self-help Church group, when his wife, Catherine decides the only way to save their two decade long marriage is to have an affair with their neighbor. 😒
Plus their three daughters; 17 yo, Abigail, the beauty with an impenetrable heart, who adored being the sole recipient of 23 yo War Crime Wes' attention, 13 yo, Harper, the brain, plagued with ennui and restlessness, and 15yo, Louise, suffering from middle child complex (I know the feeling!) who simply craved unconditional acceptance.
“Life was worth living because things needed to be done.”
For is that not what we're all searching for. a place to matter and belong. To be seen and feel loved? 🥺 It is that quandary of absurdity that this already dysfunctional family unwittingly find themselves caught up in, when as accounts and systems manager to the Alabaster Group, Bud discovers a discrepancy in the business, thus leading to a culmination of dirty dealings and chaotic findings that strangely enough helps them find a way to become a real family - in a strange but oddly endearing way. 🫂
The writing was its strong suite. Witty, sharp, with biting humor, with that take or leave it attitude that just was strangely addictive in how I was either chuckling or shaking my head - in our situation, you have to have a sense of humor. There was a nice balance to the serious tone to the more flitting, fleeting nature of the grave situation they'd stumbled into.
“As a soldier, you didn't choose your battles. they were something into which you were thrust.”
The multi-pov of each respective perspective, it isn't just what you see. 🤫 It's what you plan to do about it was immersive. The rapport between the cast was relatable; a bit quirky, but still - it can be real, if you choose to believe. As in, the truth hurts, but we sometimes have to look at it through colored lenses, or in this case, with a sense of humor to see that the morbid and mercurial somehow go hand in hand. 🤝
And sometimes that's what we need to survive. To poke fun at what brings us down in order to lift ourselves up and be united in the face of adversity to strengthen the bonds that had been lost to them. 🥲 Each member of the Flynn family was bereft, Lost Lambs, floundering before they finally found a place to belong, even if it is weirdly enough, amongst themselves. 🐑🧑🧑🧒🧒🐑
I did not expect one of the characters to hide their duplicitous nature; I wish it hadn't been that way, since his smart, dry candor was fun. I also felt the ending lost some of its charm, where the character growth was overshadowed by plot development with a crazy incredulous premise; which was unfortunate. 😕 There is also some crass dialogue with crude innuendo and scenes of, imo, unnecessary sexual dalliances, which, I understand how it was meant to show the derangement of society, but it can also be seen as offensive by some.
“Think about life as a fence. And each time we transgress, each time we hurt one another, we must tap a nail into that fence... The fence is still standing. the light can shine through.”
In spite of that, from the strange and bizarre, to a gnat infestation to marital challenges, it was the little things that lingered that left me - not entirely satisfied, but slightly pleased with what an odd, but surprisingly read it was how it drew me in. 👍🏻 With a bit of a strange start, there was a straightforward honesty tinged with a snarky touch that worked well enough for me.
I also want to add that there was a moment where I found a spelling error that threw me off; but when it occurred again and again and again, I caught on to what it was the author was aiming for. 😏 A bit of an inserted tongue-in-cheek kind of humor that, well, poked fun at the unfortunate (haha! - iykyk) plight, but it was a special touch that brought a bit of life and character to the writing to make it their own. And that was different and I can appreciate that. 🦗
*Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Read
December 23, 2025Major thanks to NetGalley and FSG for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts:
"𝘐𝘧 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦/𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘴. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘮 𝘬𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯…𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩’𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺."
what a ROMP! the best way to start your reading year for 2026. a laugh on every page. absurd. warm. a prolonged buzz from an espresso martini, but if you’re smart enough, you’ll soon realize it’s just a guinness, but you’re having too much time to really care, really realize that we’re all here for a good time, not a long time so then it’s all the same, and all our little worries are the same, our loves too, our ways of understanding each other, putting up with each other, and, really, tolerating each other just enough to make an ounce of sense of this life, really look at it, laugh at it, and sail on.
"𝘐𝘧 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦/𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘴. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘮 𝘬𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯…𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩’𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺."
what a ROMP! the best way to start your reading year for 2026. a laugh on every page. absurd. warm. a prolonged buzz from an espresso martini, but if you’re smart enough, you’ll soon realize it’s just a guinness, but you’re having too much time to really care, really realize that we’re all here for a good time, not a long time so then it’s all the same, and all our little worries are the same, our loves too, our ways of understanding each other, putting up with each other, and, really, tolerating each other just enough to make an ounce of sense of this life, really look at it, laugh at it, and sail on.
December 22, 2025
Oh, what a freakin' hoot! I absolutely loved this. While it had been on my radar, I really had no plans to read it until I was desperate for an audiobook to get me through my holiday crafting projects. Shout out to LibroFM for having this one on this month's ALC list.
The story and characters that Cash has created are absurd, but what makes it all work and keeps it from feeling overly quirky is that it's still so real and human. Even though middle-child Louise keeps falling victim to religious conversions in the name of love, the truth underlying her new penchant for Islamic fundamentalism is her need to feel seen. Oldest daughter Abigail's consistent pushing of boundaries is all normal teenage behavior, even if the consequences here are taken to laughable lengths. Each character is going through it, but there's a kernel of truth in every trial and tribulation they face.
This book is hilarious. I was consistently laughing at the dryly delivered one-liners, it is dripping with nonchalant wit. The next time you need to take a breather from heavy or contemplative reads, please give this one a go--the hype is real!
Big-hearted and outrageous, I had a blast.
The story and characters that Cash has created are absurd, but what makes it all work and keeps it from feeling overly quirky is that it's still so real and human. Even though middle-child Louise keeps falling victim to religious conversions in the name of love, the truth underlying her new penchant for Islamic fundamentalism is her need to feel seen. Oldest daughter Abigail's consistent pushing of boundaries is all normal teenage behavior, even if the consequences here are taken to laughable lengths. Each character is going through it, but there's a kernel of truth in every trial and tribulation they face.
This book is hilarious. I was consistently laughing at the dryly delivered one-liners, it is dripping with nonchalant wit. The next time you need to take a breather from heavy or contemplative reads, please give this one a go--the hype is real!
Big-hearted and outrageous, I had a blast.
October 25, 2025
Hilarious, weird, original and addictive!
November 28, 2025
Lost Lambs is a raw and unobscured look at the Flynn family; each dealing with their own vices, struggles, insecurities, and desires.
This is a wonderfully human novel that is original, funny, engaging, and remarkably well written with a cast of characters that display layers of complexity. It’s a search for connection, understanding, and ultimately love.
One of the great examples of literary fiction that’s a joy to read physically and audibly from narrator Christine Lakin. Thank you Macmillan and Farrar, Straus, and Giroux for the early copies. Pub date Jan 13 2026
This is a wonderfully human novel that is original, funny, engaging, and remarkably well written with a cast of characters that display layers of complexity. It’s a search for connection, understanding, and ultimately love.
One of the great examples of literary fiction that’s a joy to read physically and audibly from narrator Christine Lakin. Thank you Macmillan and Farrar, Straus, and Giroux for the early copies. Pub date Jan 13 2026
Read
December 14, 2025EYES WIDE SHUT meets THE BEE STING and BIRNAM WOOD, yah I said it
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Thanks to FSG Books for the ARC
Is there a Franzen-sized hole in your heart waiting to be filled by the next book in the Crossroads trilogy (when is this happening btw)? Maybe Franzen isn’t warm, absurd, or comedic enough for you? Or maybe you wished there was more of an Eyes Wide Shut vibe in his novels? Do you just want to have fun reading a book (a crazy concept I know)?
Can I offer you some Lost Lambs in these trying times?
In all seriousness, this book hit perfectly for me and I had high expectations after loving her collection Earth Angels. I’ve been ‘saving’ it since receiving the ARC this summer, an emotional support ARC if you will, waiting for the need for a madcap, dysfunctional family saga to arise. You know how that happens right?
Cash created a novel that is both sweet and tender, while having this darkness run throughout. It’s about how the nuclear family is falling apart while we all have a desire for connection. It’s about girlhood (and womanhood) and all the positive and scary things that come along with it. It’s how a lot of time, when we’re feeling lost living through these uncertain, and frankly weird, times we reach out for something that ends up being spirituality or God. YMMV on that one btw. It's about how the tech billionaires are up to no good and that conspiracy in your town may be true after all. What makes it fresh is its wit, the absurdist tone, and word play (those damn gnats that I thought were typos at first!) that thankfully comes together in an optimistic ending. You really are rooting for everyone and maybe that weird neighbor kid won’t turn into an incel after all!
The best way I can describe Cash’s style is pacey and visual (I fear I’ve used up my ‘absurdist’ allotment) with some of the best dry humor around - how does she manage to write dialogue that can be both unhinged and affecting? I think coming from a short story background, Cash is able to switch things quickly, create little twists here and there, and can handle a large cast of characters as they come in and out of scenes, and just have it all work.
How many ways can I say that I LOVED this? and what would you all do if I called this the Zillennials answer to The Corrections, or how I may actually learn to love earnestness?
Is there a Franzen-sized hole in your heart waiting to be filled by the next book in the Crossroads trilogy (when is this happening btw)? Maybe Franzen isn’t warm, absurd, or comedic enough for you? Or maybe you wished there was more of an Eyes Wide Shut vibe in his novels? Do you just want to have fun reading a book (a crazy concept I know)?
Can I offer you some Lost Lambs in these trying times?
In all seriousness, this book hit perfectly for me and I had high expectations after loving her collection Earth Angels. I’ve been ‘saving’ it since receiving the ARC this summer, an emotional support ARC if you will, waiting for the need for a madcap, dysfunctional family saga to arise. You know how that happens right?
Cash created a novel that is both sweet and tender, while having this darkness run throughout. It’s about how the nuclear family is falling apart while we all have a desire for connection. It’s about girlhood (and womanhood) and all the positive and scary things that come along with it. It’s how a lot of time, when we’re feeling lost living through these uncertain, and frankly weird, times we reach out for something that ends up being spirituality or God. YMMV on that one btw. It's about how the tech billionaires are up to no good and that conspiracy in your town may be true after all. What makes it fresh is its wit, the absurdist tone, and word play (those damn gnats that I thought were typos at first!) that thankfully comes together in an optimistic ending. You really are rooting for everyone and maybe that weird neighbor kid won’t turn into an incel after all!
The best way I can describe Cash’s style is pacey and visual (I fear I’ve used up my ‘absurdist’ allotment) with some of the best dry humor around - how does she manage to write dialogue that can be both unhinged and affecting? I think coming from a short story background, Cash is able to switch things quickly, create little twists here and there, and can handle a large cast of characters as they come in and out of scenes, and just have it all work.
How many ways can I say that I LOVED this? and what would you all do if I called this the Zillennials answer to The Corrections, or how I may actually learn to love earnestness?
September 29, 2025
Sometimes it's easy to dismiss these overhyped buzzy debuts, but Lost Lambs totally surpassed my expectations! Jesus, can Madeline Cash write.
Lost Lambs is the story of the Flynn family. The three sisters - Abigail (the eldest and most beautiful but who only has eyes for her new beau who goes by the name of War Crimes Wes), Louise (typical middle child syndrome, doesn't really know herself and starts getting pulled into a relationship with an online terrorist), and finally Harper (young and fearless, digging deep for the truth of what's really going on in this town). Then there's their parents - Catherine and Bud, who are just beginning to open up their marriage and find themselves, whatever that means.
You might think this sounds somewhere between a Jonathan Franzen novel by way of The Virgin Suicides (clear influences on Cash's novel without a doubt), but wait - there's more. Because this novel is effin' bananas, from the church plagued by gnats, to the Lost Lambs support group run by Mrs Winkle, to the local billionaire with more money than sense, and the neighbour next door who.... no, wait - I'll let you discover that one for yourselves! ;) is it too bonkers? Sometimes. I was having so much fun with the characters and exploring their lives, that I actually was less interested in the *big stuff* building in the background.
Think Eleanor Catton's Birnam Wood, mixed with Miranda July's All Fours, by way of Franzen and Eugenides, and Paul Murray's The Bee Sting.
I genuinely laughed out loud and scoffed at so many lines in this. Madeline Cash is a voice to look out for.
Lost Lambs is the story of the Flynn family. The three sisters - Abigail (the eldest and most beautiful but who only has eyes for her new beau who goes by the name of War Crimes Wes), Louise (typical middle child syndrome, doesn't really know herself and starts getting pulled into a relationship with an online terrorist), and finally Harper (young and fearless, digging deep for the truth of what's really going on in this town). Then there's their parents - Catherine and Bud, who are just beginning to open up their marriage and find themselves, whatever that means.
You might think this sounds somewhere between a Jonathan Franzen novel by way of The Virgin Suicides (clear influences on Cash's novel without a doubt), but wait - there's more. Because this novel is effin' bananas, from the church plagued by gnats, to the Lost Lambs support group run by Mrs Winkle, to the local billionaire with more money than sense, and the neighbour next door who.... no, wait - I'll let you discover that one for yourselves! ;) is it too bonkers? Sometimes. I was having so much fun with the characters and exploring their lives, that I actually was less interested in the *big stuff* building in the background.
Think Eleanor Catton's Birnam Wood, mixed with Miranda July's All Fours, by way of Franzen and Eugenides, and Paul Murray's The Bee Sting.
I genuinely laughed out loud and scoffed at so many lines in this. Madeline Cash is a voice to look out for.
November 24, 2025
4.5 stars
spectacular give me 14 of them right now!!! wow, it would be easier to tell you what this book offers but shorter if i tell you what it doesn't. What this book offers: everything and every one(i'll elaborate later). what this nook doesn't offer: nothing.
This book was about the flynn family, but there were so many other characters being described and introduced as well. Everyone of them is detailed in away that is not too much or too less, it's a perfect balance. in here, you get to see women with a disabled child running a church support group, you get to see parents with three daughters,a dysfunctional family, you get to see husband and wife who are having troubles with their marriage and are trying to broaden their horizon and are thinking about starting an open relationship, you get to see that eldest daughter child who thinks she is nothing more than a beauty in everyone's eyes, you get to see a typical middle child who thinks of herself as someone un-loveable and someone nobody ever thinks about and never acknowledges which ends in her dating online and long distance with a terrorist... than we also have the youngest child who is quite literally a multilingual prodigy at 12 but is titled as the troubled child, you also get to see a billionaire Tech Businessman who has a lot of money like I cannot even fathom how one can have this much money, a priest who's part of a cult. and a few more characters.
I think this is the 3rd time this month that I have ended up reading about cults, like I did not know that any of them were going to have the cult aspects, but here we are. There are a lot of things going on when you are reading this but everything is so funny. The writing style is also very good like you will be reading a paragraph and it will be like 'xy character wanted to open the pool', "I want to jump in pool said xy" like this was kind of funny to me and there were also parts with short one word dialogues that i absolutely loved. A book very amazing and mind blowing at the same time and so many people, different groups, different life stories, with different social and economic statuses. and like it's so amazing, I don't know how to explain more, just read it, it's really funny and absurd and thought provoking at the same time.
spectacular give me 14 of them right now!!! wow, it would be easier to tell you what this book offers but shorter if i tell you what it doesn't. What this book offers: everything and every one(i'll elaborate later). what this nook doesn't offer: nothing.
This book was about the flynn family, but there were so many other characters being described and introduced as well. Everyone of them is detailed in away that is not too much or too less, it's a perfect balance. in here, you get to see women with a disabled child running a church support group, you get to see parents with three daughters,a dysfunctional family, you get to see husband and wife who are having troubles with their marriage and are trying to broaden their horizon and are thinking about starting an open relationship, you get to see that eldest daughter child who thinks she is nothing more than a beauty in everyone's eyes, you get to see a typical middle child who thinks of herself as someone un-loveable and someone nobody ever thinks about and never acknowledges which ends in her dating online and long distance with a terrorist... than we also have the youngest child who is quite literally a multilingual prodigy at 12 but is titled as the troubled child, you also get to see a billionaire Tech Businessman who has a lot of money like I cannot even fathom how one can have this much money, a priest who's part of a cult. and a few more characters.
I think this is the 3rd time this month that I have ended up reading about cults, like I did not know that any of them were going to have the cult aspects, but here we are. There are a lot of things going on when you are reading this but everything is so funny. The writing style is also very good like you will be reading a paragraph and it will be like 'xy character wanted to open the pool', "I want to jump in pool said xy" like this was kind of funny to me and there were also parts with short one word dialogues that i absolutely loved. A book very amazing and mind blowing at the same time and so many people, different groups, different life stories, with different social and economic statuses. and like it's so amazing, I don't know how to explain more, just read it, it's really funny and absurd and thought provoking at the same time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 10, 2025
A brilliant novel about a truly dysfunctional family. Catherine and Bud Flynn’s marriage is in serious trouble. Trapped in a conventional life with a stable job in accounts for Bud, three children and a house funded by Catherine’s parents, their lives are far from what they dreamed of when they were young. A gradual descent into mundanity has taken its toll and they’ve decided to open up their marriage. There’s no doubt that the three Flynn children are at their most vulnerable in this evolving situation - beautiful and rebellious Abigail, child genius Harper and middle child Louise whose loneliness makes her a target for online radicalisation.
I found this novel appallingly fascinating. While none of the members of the Flynn family were especially likeable, their actions and the decisions that they made for better or worse felt profoundly human. Catherine, for example, had a strong desire to re-discover the person that she felt she once was. She didn’t just want to be an artist, she wanted to feel seen as an artist. Yet all decisions have consequences and in pursuing something of importance to her, she neglects her family.
Lost Lambs just got better and better as I kept reading. As the plot pivoted in unexpected directions, I often found myself wondering what was going to happen next. The writing style was so engaging that I’m still thinking about what the future holds for the Flynn family now that I’ve finished the novel. This is a five-star read which tackles complex family dynamics head-on and is certainly a book I’d recommend.
Thank you so much to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and NetGalley for sharing this eARC with me in exchange for an honest review.
I found this novel appallingly fascinating. While none of the members of the Flynn family were especially likeable, their actions and the decisions that they made for better or worse felt profoundly human. Catherine, for example, had a strong desire to re-discover the person that she felt she once was. She didn’t just want to be an artist, she wanted to feel seen as an artist. Yet all decisions have consequences and in pursuing something of importance to her, she neglects her family.
Lost Lambs just got better and better as I kept reading. As the plot pivoted in unexpected directions, I often found myself wondering what was going to happen next. The writing style was so engaging that I’m still thinking about what the future holds for the Flynn family now that I’ve finished the novel. This is a five-star read which tackles complex family dynamics head-on and is certainly a book I’d recommend.
Thank you so much to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and NetGalley for sharing this eARC with me in exchange for an honest review.
June 29, 2025
I absolutely sped through this funny, weird and twisty novel in two days. Goodbye reading slump!
This is a multi-pov story where we get to live inside the heads of all members of the dysfunctional Flynn family; Catherine and Bud and their three daughters. All of the characters are flawed, unique and often unlikable but you end up rooting for them all.
Things start to unravel for the Flynn family once Catherine proposes they open their marriage. As the parents start to go their separate ways, a sinister plot by the local Billionaire starts to make its way into the family’s lives, bringing the family together.
I can see this book being a big hit!
(I need it to be released so I can discuss the gnat situation with someone)
Thanks so much to doubleday for sending me a free advanced copy.
This is a multi-pov story where we get to live inside the heads of all members of the dysfunctional Flynn family; Catherine and Bud and their three daughters. All of the characters are flawed, unique and often unlikable but you end up rooting for them all.
Things start to unravel for the Flynn family once Catherine proposes they open their marriage. As the parents start to go their separate ways, a sinister plot by the local Billionaire starts to make its way into the family’s lives, bringing the family together.
I can see this book being a big hit!
(I need it to be released so I can discuss the gnat situation with someone)
Thanks so much to doubleday for sending me a free advanced copy.
December 12, 2025
“Darling, sweetheart, light of my life, fruit of my loins, please refrain from going into my work email.”
I feel like Lost Lambs read to me like how Rue narrates in Euphoria, but I’ll stop you there, this is NOTHING like Euphoria 🤚🏾 I loved the storytelling of the Rippling family in multi-POV. This was SO funny, I was literally laughing out loud throughout. It felt like a surrealists dream. Absurd. So many moments reading this felt like Virgin Suicides to American Beauty then would drift away to what Lost Lambs was written to be, from those few influences. It’s also not just about the Flynn family but heavily about so many of the side characters too.
If you love lit fic, weird lit fic, and character driven novels! Or you may also have a little religious trauma, or not. I can also see this being hit or miss for people, or even having to be in the right mood for it. Lost Lambs is original and human, even twisty.
I am a very pleased early reader and might I add, it’s one of my favorite book covers, ever! I felt a lot of warmth from the book and the end solidified it. Loved the last page :)
I feel like Lost Lambs read to me like how Rue narrates in Euphoria, but I’ll stop you there, this is NOTHING like Euphoria 🤚🏾 I loved the storytelling of the Rippling family in multi-POV. This was SO funny, I was literally laughing out loud throughout. It felt like a surrealists dream. Absurd. So many moments reading this felt like Virgin Suicides to American Beauty then would drift away to what Lost Lambs was written to be, from those few influences. It’s also not just about the Flynn family but heavily about so many of the side characters too.
If you love lit fic, weird lit fic, and character driven novels! Or you may also have a little religious trauma, or not. I can also see this being hit or miss for people, or even having to be in the right mood for it. Lost Lambs is original and human, even twisty.
I am a very pleased early reader and might I add, it’s one of my favorite book covers, ever! I felt a lot of warmth from the book and the end solidified it. Loved the last page :)
December 23, 2025
You think your family is dysfunctional? Meet the Flynns. Madeline Cash has created a family comedy unlike anything I’ve ever read. I don’t even know how to explain it in a paragraph or two. But it is beautiful.
Regarding the audiobook specifically, Christine Lakin narrates the hell out of this book. I can’t stop thinking about and talking about how great she is. It’s like she crawled inside the brain of each one of these very wild but very different characters and played them perfectly. She has jumped right up there among my favorites.
Thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Macmillan Audio, Madeline Cash (author), Edelweiss, and Libro.fm for providing an advance digital review copy and an advance listening copy (narrated by Christine Lakin) of Lost Lambs. Their generosity does not influence my reviews in any way.
Regarding the audiobook specifically, Christine Lakin narrates the hell out of this book. I can’t stop thinking about and talking about how great she is. It’s like she crawled inside the brain of each one of these very wild but very different characters and played them perfectly. She has jumped right up there among my favorites.
Thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Macmillan Audio, Madeline Cash (author), Edelweiss, and Libro.fm for providing an advance digital review copy and an advance listening copy (narrated by Christine Lakin) of Lost Lambs. Their generosity does not influence my reviews in any way.
November 28, 2025
Boy do I love a dysfunctional family, especially when one tells their story with such wit and hilarity as Cash does in Lost Lambs.
The Flynn family is falling apart in both ordinary and extraordinary ways. The beautiful eldest is seeing a much older man (possible war criminal?), the middle child is seeking attention from an online terrorist, and the youngest is concerned about a secretive mass surveillance plot in her neighborhood. The parents would consider tending to these issues if it weren't for their own extramarital affairs as they have recently - and somewhat reluctantly - opened up their marriage in order to avoid addressing any underlying issues. The cast of characters surrounding the Flynn family is also colorful including, but not limited to, an evil billionaire.
I adored this book and highly recommend to fans of The Bee Sting, as it scratches that same hilarious/dysfunctional itch.
The Flynn family is falling apart in both ordinary and extraordinary ways. The beautiful eldest is seeing a much older man (possible war criminal?), the middle child is seeking attention from an online terrorist, and the youngest is concerned about a secretive mass surveillance plot in her neighborhood. The parents would consider tending to these issues if it weren't for their own extramarital affairs as they have recently - and somewhat reluctantly - opened up their marriage in order to avoid addressing any underlying issues. The cast of characters surrounding the Flynn family is also colorful including, but not limited to, an evil billionaire.
I adored this book and highly recommend to fans of The Bee Sting, as it scratches that same hilarious/dysfunctional itch.
June 26, 2025
Hooked from the first page. "The gnat situation in the church was getting out of hand. It was Miss Winkle's fault...and this was unforgivable"
I loved the eccentric Flynn family situated in small town America written in such a visual way that I was carried along with them scene by scene. Thwarted artist inveigling her husband into an open marriage, three teenage daughters degenerating in their own ways. Add the magnate on the hill with masked male parties with young female guests, a veritable cliche of a priest along with being sentenced to attend The Lost Lambs group when you actually do the job you are paid for, auditing and questioning dodgy accounts and you have laugh out loud dark humour.
I absolutely loved this picture of a knotty US told through the lens of this idiosyncratic family.
With many thanks to #NetGalley and #RandomHouseUK for the opportunity to read and review
I loved the eccentric Flynn family situated in small town America written in such a visual way that I was carried along with them scene by scene. Thwarted artist inveigling her husband into an open marriage, three teenage daughters degenerating in their own ways. Add the magnate on the hill with masked male parties with young female guests, a veritable cliche of a priest along with being sentenced to attend The Lost Lambs group when you actually do the job you are paid for, auditing and questioning dodgy accounts and you have laugh out loud dark humour.
I absolutely loved this picture of a knotty US told through the lens of this idiosyncratic family.
With many thanks to #NetGalley and #RandomHouseUK for the opportunity to read and review
August 26, 2025
hilarious and earnest and weird and wonderful
December 21, 2025
I was cautiously optimistic when I started reading this book but boy was I blown away! This was an incredibly funny, bizarre, touching, and reflective novel about self, family, and our place in our big bad world. The Flynn family was the perfect vessel for the message that author was trying to achieve. Unique? Check ✔️ Flawed? Very ✔️ Loveable? Absolutely ✔️ The Flynn family were giving slightly alternate universe Belcher (a la Bob's Burgers) vibes and I loved it!
I could not stop telling my friends about this book and I cannot wait to share it with everyone else I can find to listen!
Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing my with a free ARC.
I could not stop telling my friends about this book and I cannot wait to share it with everyone else I can find to listen!
Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing my with a free ARC.
August 27, 2025
“Lost Lambs” by Madeline Cash is a story about a wildly unhinged and dysfunctional family. We are thrown into the chaotic lives of each of the weird and troubled family members. Aspects of this story, like the parents failing open marriage, the daughter who gets caught up with a terrorist on line, and a daughter who is dating a guy accused of war crimes did become a bit much for me. However, for those who like dark family dramas with characters who are flawed and lost, this well written book is for you!
Thank you NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
November 25, 2025
Lost Lambs by Madeline Cline took me by surprise in the best way. The blurb perfectly describes it as “a debut novel of quick-witted observation and surprising tenderness”. I went in expecting a comedic novel featuring a dysfunctional family, but it turned into so much more.
The novel features the 5 members of the Flynn family: mom Catherine and dad Bud, who decide to open up their marriage instead of divorce, beautiful 17-year old Abigail who is dating a man named War Crimes Wes, neglected 15-year old Louise who is pen pals with an online terrorist, and brilliant 12-year old Harper who is obsessed with conspiracy theories. The dialogue is laugh out loud hilarious at times, occasionally unhinged, and also surprisingly poignant. It was easy to be distracted by the characters’ over the topic antics, while the author skillfully added insightful social commentary.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for an advanced listener copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. The audiobook features engaging narrator Christine Lakin who was able to capture the dry humor and heart of this story.
Add this pleasant surprise to your January 2026 TBR list! 4/5⭐️
The novel features the 5 members of the Flynn family: mom Catherine and dad Bud, who decide to open up their marriage instead of divorce, beautiful 17-year old Abigail who is dating a man named War Crimes Wes, neglected 15-year old Louise who is pen pals with an online terrorist, and brilliant 12-year old Harper who is obsessed with conspiracy theories. The dialogue is laugh out loud hilarious at times, occasionally unhinged, and also surprisingly poignant. It was easy to be distracted by the characters’ over the topic antics, while the author skillfully added insightful social commentary.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for an advanced listener copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. The audiobook features engaging narrator Christine Lakin who was able to capture the dry humor and heart of this story.
Add this pleasant surprise to your January 2026 TBR list! 4/5⭐️
December 9, 2025
Each member of the Flynn family is going through an absurd and messy few months over the course of this extraordinarily funny and strange gem of a novel. The Flynn family’s various foibles shocked me and made me laugh, and I was left feeling so much love for each of them, despite or maybe because of all their unique flaws. At no point could I have predicted any of their decisions or fates, and I would happily have read 300 more pages of chaotic misadventures. I was particularly fond of precocious and strange little Harper.
Perfect for fans of the frenetic dysfunction and surprising tenderness of The Bee Sting, this buzzy title comes out in January 2026 and I hope to see it get all the attention and love it deserves.
Thank you to NetGalley and Farrah, Straus, and Giroux for the opportunity to be an early reader of this title!
Perfect for fans of the frenetic dysfunction and surprising tenderness of The Bee Sting, this buzzy title comes out in January 2026 and I hope to see it get all the attention and love it deserves.
Thank you to NetGalley and Farrah, Straus, and Giroux for the opportunity to be an early reader of this title!
December 17, 2025
This was so chaotic. Loved.
July 22, 2025
I’ve not read anything like this before, what a joy of a story. The writing was incredibly engaging and had me laughing and smiling to myself, Cash writes with a clever undertone that makes the entire book feel flippant and funny. The multiple POVs really draws you in and makes this book impossible to put down, while I initially loved the sisters’ chapters, I grew to love Bud’s too. The plot was so crazy and completely unbelievable but I loved it. The final chapter was a surprisingly emotional one, but still a perfect summary of this story. A weird, topsy turvey, unconventional story!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #LostLambs #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #LostLambs #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
September 14, 2025
arc provided by the publisher n netgalley… really wanted more from this… it was fine! parts of it were funny, parts were weird, but nothing ever dug any deeper than the surface. wished that instead of cramming the book with a variety of subplots, the author would have gone deeper on the more pressing ones that existed throughout the story. fun read tho
December 16, 2025
Lost Lambs is a darkly comic debut that explores the unraveling of a modern family. Catherine and Bud Flynn’s open marriage is nearing collapse as their three daughters spiral in increasingly dangerous directions: Abigail dates a man in his twenties known as War Crime Wes, Louise secretly corresponds with an online terrorist, and the youngest, Harper, is sent to a wilderness reform camp after insisting the town is under surveillance. Looming over their coastal community is Paul Alabaster, a powerful shipping magnate no one dares question. When Harper fixates on a mysterious shipping container, the Flynn family is drawn into a criminal conspiracy that forces them to confront both corruption and each other, discovering connection amid chaos.
Cash has a way with words, and she lets dysfunction be funny, ugly, and human all at once. I laughed, I was intrigued, and then I felt the storyline lost its way at times. The overarching plot was often overshadowed by subplots, some of which felt clever but distracting. The final portion of the book managed to get back on track for me. Christine Lakin’s narration drew me into the story, and I’ll be looking for other work she takes on. Lost Lambs is best suited for readers who enjoy irreverent humor and stories about families ultimately coming together.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audiobooks for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.
3.5 ⭐️
Cash has a way with words, and she lets dysfunction be funny, ugly, and human all at once. I laughed, I was intrigued, and then I felt the storyline lost its way at times. The overarching plot was often overshadowed by subplots, some of which felt clever but distracting. The final portion of the book managed to get back on track for me. Christine Lakin’s narration drew me into the story, and I’ll be looking for other work she takes on. Lost Lambs is best suited for readers who enjoy irreverent humor and stories about families ultimately coming together.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audiobooks for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.
3.5 ⭐️
December 18, 2025
So I have this weird thing that I don’t include past year books or upcoming in my favorite of the year lists, however if I did this book coming out January 13th would be on it. Short story writer Madeline Cash makes her novel debut in what was one of the funniest books I’ve read this year. Similar to Catherine Newman’s Wreck, I tested the infinite patience of my husband as I read him line after line from a book he had no idea about plot or character, but the fact that he laughed right along with me, is testament to Cash’s sharply drawn characters and inky black wit.
Meet the Flynn family. Husband and wife Bud and Catherine are at odds in their marriage with Catherine pushing for the idea of opening the relationship up, or as she termed it, ‘the arrangement’:
“I think this will increase our chances of survival”, Catherine had explained.
“Food, water, and shelter will increase our chances of survival”, said Bud. “Not f*cking the neighbor.”
Add to this their three daughters are finding their way in the world, the oldest dating a man in his mid twenties who is known as War Crime Wes and works in private security. The middle daughter Louise, has begun an intense correspondence with a man who seems to have a bent towards terrorism and the youngest, Harper (my personal favorite) is brilliant and wise beyond on her years, a girl who is pushing to take Korean as an elective because the offered Spanish is “so provincial”
The family dynamic is a story unto itself but Cash has bigger plans and soon something that begins at Bud’s work, is discovered by Harper, and through a series of circumstances manages to involve the whole hilarious clan. There is a moment as the book hurtles towards its climax I thought the wheels might come off the bus, but it really doesn’t and the story lands with a bounty of heart amidst the chaos. Put this on your TBRs now. I’m sure you’ll be hearing about it alot. Thanks to fsg books for the ARC.
Meet the Flynn family. Husband and wife Bud and Catherine are at odds in their marriage with Catherine pushing for the idea of opening the relationship up, or as she termed it, ‘the arrangement’:
“I think this will increase our chances of survival”, Catherine had explained.
“Food, water, and shelter will increase our chances of survival”, said Bud. “Not f*cking the neighbor.”
Add to this their three daughters are finding their way in the world, the oldest dating a man in his mid twenties who is known as War Crime Wes and works in private security. The middle daughter Louise, has begun an intense correspondence with a man who seems to have a bent towards terrorism and the youngest, Harper (my personal favorite) is brilliant and wise beyond on her years, a girl who is pushing to take Korean as an elective because the offered Spanish is “so provincial”
The family dynamic is a story unto itself but Cash has bigger plans and soon something that begins at Bud’s work, is discovered by Harper, and through a series of circumstances manages to involve the whole hilarious clan. There is a moment as the book hurtles towards its climax I thought the wheels might come off the bus, but it really doesn’t and the story lands with a bounty of heart amidst the chaos. Put this on your TBRs now. I’m sure you’ll be hearing about it alot. Thanks to fsg books for the ARC.
November 13, 2025
I’ve had my eye on Madeline Cash for a while. The cover of her short story collection, Earth Angel, is completely my aesthetic, but I’m usually not a short-story girlie because I need time to bond with characters. I want to sit with their mess for a while.
So when I saw Cash was releasing a full novel, I practically sprinted to grab the audiobook early. Thank you to Macmillan for the advance copy.
And wow. Lost Lambs did not disappoint. Cash writes like Emily Austin and Brittany Newell somehow teamed up and birthed a fully feral, fully literary child. The voice is unique, dysfunctional, quirky, and exactly the chaotic energy I needed to break out of my reading slump.
If this is what her long-form writing is like, I might just have to give her short story collection a real chance after all.
So when I saw Cash was releasing a full novel, I practically sprinted to grab the audiobook early. Thank you to Macmillan for the advance copy.
And wow. Lost Lambs did not disappoint. Cash writes like Emily Austin and Brittany Newell somehow teamed up and birthed a fully feral, fully literary child. The voice is unique, dysfunctional, quirky, and exactly the chaotic energy I needed to break out of my reading slump.
If this is what her long-form writing is like, I might just have to give her short story collection a real chance after all.
June 11, 2025
A stonker of a debut from Madeline Cash, Lost Lambs is a story of The Flynn family, Bud, Catherine, Abigail, Louise and Harper - none of whom are likeable. Still, you find yourself rooting for them nonetheless. I knew from the blurb that this was my kind of book, it packed so much into its sub 250 page count. I knew from page 1 that this would be a 5-star read. Dear reader, I was not disappointed!
It will come as no surprise to hear that I devoured Lost Lambs in one sitting. The story jumps from one Flynn family member to another with a web of interconnected side characters that make for a raucous read (I was snorting and chuckling away immediately!) The lack of chapters (this may be due to the ARC formatting or it may be down to a clever choice by Cash) meant that I just wanted to know what happened next with X or I got sucked into picking back up with someone else's story. There was no way I was putting this book down until I hit the acknowledgements.
Packed full of unexpected twists and turns that you don't see coming, and even a clever linguistic device sprinkled into the text that had me applauding out loud when I clocked it. Lost Lambs is the best kind of book, IMHO. I won't be forgetting this anytime soon. Similar multiple-POV-fiction reads that I can’t stop thinking about similar to Lost Lambs would be: The Hole We're In, At the Table, Hope, How to Sleep at Night and The Bee Sting.
I wish I could read this for the first time all over again, but I will make do with listening to the audiobook for the first time when it's released next year. Thank you so much to Transworld Publishers, Doubleday, Random House UK, Madeline Cash and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Lost Lambs before it's published on 5th February 2026! I can't wait for everyone to read this! Off to preorder my copy now! And Madeline Cash I can't wait to see what you write next, I will be buying no matter what!
It will come as no surprise to hear that I devoured Lost Lambs in one sitting. The story jumps from one Flynn family member to another with a web of interconnected side characters that make for a raucous read (I was snorting and chuckling away immediately!) The lack of chapters (this may be due to the ARC formatting or it may be down to a clever choice by Cash) meant that I just wanted to know what happened next with X or I got sucked into picking back up with someone else's story. There was no way I was putting this book down until I hit the acknowledgements.
Packed full of unexpected twists and turns that you don't see coming, and even a clever linguistic device sprinkled into the text that had me applauding out loud when I clocked it. Lost Lambs is the best kind of book, IMHO. I won't be forgetting this anytime soon. Similar multiple-POV-fiction reads that I can’t stop thinking about similar to Lost Lambs would be: The Hole We're In, At the Table, Hope, How to Sleep at Night and The Bee Sting.
I wish I could read this for the first time all over again, but I will make do with listening to the audiobook for the first time when it's released next year. Thank you so much to Transworld Publishers, Doubleday, Random House UK, Madeline Cash and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Lost Lambs before it's published on 5th February 2026! I can't wait for everyone to read this! Off to preorder my copy now! And Madeline Cash I can't wait to see what you write next, I will be buying no matter what!
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