Liabilities

by Rachel Erin

Meanwhile, in Draycott...

Ivy’s best friend has disappeared. She was one of the few people left in this world that she cared about. But grieving Lucina is only the start to a cruel and unforgiving summer.

Ivy’s life comes crumbling down around her, falling apart to fast for her to keep up. Her scholarship is at stake, her late grandmother’s legacy is slipping through her fingers, and her uncle—driven by vengeance and old debts—will do anything he can to keep her under his thumb.

Bending her morals to stay afloat and barely dodging disaster at every turn, the only thing she can’t seem to outrun are her mounting feeling for Lucina’s brother, Jude. He becomes the only constant in the chaos, and the last good thing she has. But letting him into her vacant heart is dangerous, because losing him would mean losing everything.

Losing him would mean war.

And Ivy would wage it. No matter the cost.

174 pages, Paperback

Published October 31, 2025

Reviews

[S.J. Allen]

♾️ ⭐️

There are not enough stars for this book! The way Rachel has with words, the skill she has, needs to be bottled and studied.
Rachel is an automatic buy author of mine… she could write a weather report, I don’t care I’m buying it. The description, the imagery, the relationships. You feel everything so deeply. I should have learned from Anomalies that Rachel would take me on an emotional roller coaster and yet I was still surprised when I was sobbing 4% in and then immediately pissed off on the next page.
The fact that this series hasn’t been traditionally published blows my mind!
Rachel- Don’t ever stop what you are doing, you have such a gift and as a reader I am honoured that you chose to share it with the world.
Now if you’ll excuse me I am off to scream some more about the series that has invaded my brain so heavily since Throne Of Glass.

[Heather Altundağ]

4.5 ⭐️

This book is such a great companion novella to Anomalies. In this book, we get to follow two characters we only see briefly in the beginning of Anomalies as they navigate the grief and hardships after “losing” their sister/best friend. We see our FMC and MMC go through their summer in search of answers of their friend’s disappearance, and along the way there is blackmailing, prison time, fights, a best friend’s brother relationship 😏, and so much more. It was so nice to see these characters again in this book and it just helped complete the story and plot that was started in book 1. I’m hoping we get to see more of these characters in the future of this series. Overall a fantastic novella and I absolutely ATE IT UP!!! ☺️

[Calista Presti]

This is book 1.5 after Anomalies. I did the tandem. And I 100% recommend doing it that way. I would NOT skip this.

This is about everything happening in the life that Lucina left behind but there are very key points in this book.

Ivy & Jude?? I’m obsessed with them and how insanely in-love that man is with her. I enjoyed reading their POVs.

[Valerie Berthelette]

this was sooo cute and fun!!! I loved Ivy and Jude and I hope we'll see them again🥹

[Kyla Honey]

Ivy and Judeeeee . ✨

I hope they end up being in the series more!!! I really really love them 💅

[Jessica Scott]

Wish my dumbarse read this novella before book 2 cause it would have made it even better 🤣🤦‍♀️
Ivy & Jude loved we got to see their story!
🩷

"You walked in that door, and for the first time in all those years that I’d suffered there, it wasn’t so dark anymore. I think whatever evil lurked in that house feared you.” His growing smile makes my stupid heart skip again. “You chased the shadows away, Ivy.”

“I don’t feel the way that most people do,” I whisper. “I feel in extremes. I feel too much or nothing at all. So, it scares me…to love…because it consumes me. It burns its way through me. And then it leaves me.”

“Everyone I’ve ever loved is gone. But you…” Despite the heaviness of my words, a soft smile raises my tear-soaked cheeks. “You make me want to love again."

[Neeley Grisham]

Jude and Ivy. Ivy and Jude.

You wouldn’t have Anomalies without these fuckers. Like at the end of the day they’re the originals that kept Lucina going.

This book made me cry🙂‍↔️. And that takes a lot.

I had the honor to “edit” this novella. Aka fix like half of a fourth of a sixteenth of a millionth of a sentence, then be dazzled by the rest. Genuinely Rachel never fails to impress me. Never making me cringe. Never making me pissed off in a bad way. Never doing me wrong.

If you want a dive deep into Lucinas favorites with some twists, turns, smooches, and punches?? Of course you do.

Read this or you’re a raging idiot.


5 stars. Easy.

[Amber Young]

Omg! So glad we got Ivy and Jude’s story and the gaps filled in! This sets up book 2 so well! I love Jude and Ivy’s love story and while they said the “L” word quickly, their shared history was already laid out in book 1 and they weee driven closer together over their shared grief so it actually wasn’t a quick fall. He has been in love with her forever which was apparent in the first book and she was fighting it. I love how crazy she is as well. We also got a missing scene from book 1 that gives new perspective and some easter eggs that will bridge book 1 and what I’m sure will be significant in book 2. Don’t skip this, you must read it before book 2!

[Whitney Lehman]

This novella was so fun to read! It really followed along with the beginning events of Anomalies - but from a completely different point of view (Ivy & Jude). It is incredible that Rachel was able to describe their lives without Lucina - effectively creating two new lead charters, in their own story line, but connected to Anomalies so beautifully. I can't wait to see how she weaves them back into Anomalies!

[Valerie]

I enjoyed this story very much, I loved Ivy, her character is very complex and contradictory. I enjoyed how Lucina was present throughout the story even though she wasn't there. The prose was good, some parts pinched my chest in the best way. I felt for Ivy, trully. The only reason it's a 4 star for me, and not 5, is because my greatest pet peeve as a reader is over-explanation, and this book had some of it going on. But the overall experience was good. Can't wait to read the third book!

[Alexis]

A Novella of finding a new path and accepting the love that’s always been there.
She’s brilliant and not willing to follow the norm. He’s looking for a way to break out of the life he hasn’t chosen.

I’m predicting that we will see these characters again 👀I also feel like one of the characters might have magic..

One note, I just wish there was a little bit more context of some characters actions. For instance with Jude’s mom towards the end.

A series that I would recommend!

[Akano Samuel]

We were introduced to Liabilities: An Anomalies Novella through the Lexington Book Festival, and we are so glad we discovered it. Rachel Erin does a wonderful job creating a story filled with emotion, tension, and unforgettable characters. Ivy’s struggles, determination, and complicated relationships kept us interested from beginning to end. It is a beautifully written book with plenty of heart, and we genuinely loved reading it.

by a. k sammy

[Chelsea Bracegirdle]

Thanks to the Lexington Book Festival for introducing us to Rachel Erin and Liabilities. This book was such a wonderful surprise. The story draws you in with Ivy’s difficult circumstances and keeps you turning the pages as everything around her begins to unravel. We really enjoyed the emotional depth, strong characters, and suspense throughout the novella. Definitely a book we are happy to have discovered.

with chelsea

[Ellie Collins]

This is what I want from a novella!!! Introduced briefly to the side characters in book 1 & I just knew I’d love them & then we get nothing more really than 200 pages of them causing nothing but chaos!!! I’m so here them!!! Cannot wait for book 3 now eeeeek

[Emma Bonner]

The best novella I’ve read and probably the only one that’s actually had me hooked!

[Lynzey Smith]

I loved getting an Ivy and Jude story! I am hopeful they will make their way into future books in the series! A perfect companion novella to Anomalies!

[Kasia]

3.5 ⭐️

[Laura]

loved it

I’m so happy I found this series. I’m so excited for the next book. I read both books this weekend and I can’t wait til the next book comes out next weekend.

[Chalene Smith]

Wasn’t super keen to read this initially but I can now see it’s going to be valuable and look forward to things tying together in the 2nd book. Read this in a day. So quick easy read

[Mabulous]

so down bad for Ivy and Jude!! I actually wish they were the main characters

[Rachele Stiglitz]

Love these characters. Ivy is great and I cannot wait to get more of her in the rest of the series.

[Sam Stakenburg]

I love that we got this wee insight as to what was happening at home.

Regardless of the end, Topher is a dick.

[Madi Ritzow]

such a beautiful story ivy and jude click so perfectly I LOVED THIS

[Laine Ryerson]

I think this story is so special and added so much to the plot of Anomalies. The first time I read Anomalies I was curious about what happened to Ivy and Jude, since they were obviously still important to Lucina. I love that we got to see so much deeper into these characters and understand more about them. It also made me think so much about what’s going to happen to them moving forward and I have soooo many theories about Ivy now. I also chose to re read it as a tandem read before Fallacies, and I have to say this is a tandem I 100% am in support of. I feel like I picked up on so many more easter eggs reading it this way. Safe to say I am so excited (and terrified) to read Fallacies!