The Lost Spectacular

by Zoé Duhaime

Both magical fable and a tender love story, The Night Circus meets The Midnight Library in this dazzling ode to the life-changing power of books, as childhood loves-turned-rivals chase each other through the stories that shaped them, leaping through classic literature and famous paintings and private letters and family dinners, until all that’s left is to confront the grief they’ve been running from...and decide whether they might face it together, instead.

Everything you love must leave you.

Noon Bonaventure and Munro Forrest weren’t always rivals chasing each other through the pages of books. They grew up listening to stories from Munro’s grandmother and arguing over their favorites. But then one night, they discovered the Spectacular, a mysterious, ever-changing festival glittering with everything lone pearl earrings and apple orchards, abandoned first drafts and shipwrecks, a skyful of umbrellas. This Spectacular, found only by invitation or in the pages of misprints, is the most precious thing in the world. In its wake, stories settle. Noon has always been the sort to move on with grace, and Munro goes into the business of never letting go—their divide starker than ever after a misstep abruptly closes the door on what could have been.

Now long estranged yet forever drawn to one another, Noon and Munro’s differences have defined their ways of life. Munro, an ambitious museum curator, vows his next exhibit will trap the Spectacular and return its lost treasures, while Noon, queen of cat-and-mouse, has been chosen as the next captain of the show.

As opening night for Munro’s exhibit draws closer, he and Noon will have to stop running and finally agree on how their story ends—and perhaps, find a way to start again.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Books About Books, Science Fiction Fantasy

336 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication September 29, 2026

About the author

author and reader in Montreal; occasional illustrator, handspinner, and purveyor of sweet dreams

Reviews

[hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay this book is COMPLICATED! I truly had no idea what the heck was going on, until I read reviews. There was no significant discussion and introduction to this world. Please, read the reviews prior to reading!

Noon Bonaventure has inherited her father’s bookshop after his passing. She has grown up to be a major fan of reading, particularly of old books. Growing up, her parents (Arial & Elizabeth) lived above Munro Forrest, and his moms Anjali & Esperanza, and Esperanza’s mom, Millie Forrest. Millie owned the bookstore & sold it to Arial.

The Spectacular is like an art exhibit, a museum of sorts. The troupe are all immortal, and when they are not in a library performing, they live in books, wherever the person in charge takes them. They skip from book to book utilizing magic that is never truly fleshed out.

There you go, lol. There’s your starting point!

Now, once I understand what the heck was going on, I actually really enjoyed this story. I don’t necessarily think the author wanted to have a set-in-stone understanding of this book. It was lyrical, wacky, and felt like, well, an amalgamation of a million different books in one. I loved the idea of recreating how a child falls in love with reading, the different worlds you are transported to, and how adulthood doesn’t need to be without the magic of books. Heck, that’s why I’m posting all these Goodreads reviews and setting reading goals for myself. There is MAGIC in reading and for that, this book gets four stars from me.

Read the reviews, acquaint yourself with the world, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it enough to continue reading. It’s beautiful, despite the longer road it takes to arrive at that conclusion.

[Erin Mendoza · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love books about books. But for some reason, I just didn't love this book.
It was a bit too surreal for my tastes. I never felt like I got a good sense of what was happening. I prefer a bit more world building.
I feel like this was a beautiful story. I feel like Munro showed a lot of character growth. But... I'm not sure. Because I'm not sure what happened 😬
If you are a fan of books like The Starless Sea or The Night Circus, this might be the book for you.

Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for an early copy for review.

[The Dragon Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

The lost spectacular

You know that strange sensation, when you are having an amazing dream and everything makes complete sense when you are in the dream, but you wake and try and tell someone else about the dream and suddenly nothing makes sense.

That’s how I feel about The Lost Spectacular it both made sense and didn’t make any sense at the same time.

I found the reading hard work, like walking through a dream in real time. If that was a deliberate style choice of the author then I applaud them, mission accomplished.

I am rating this one 3 stars, thank you NetGalley and Zoe Duhaime for the opportunity to read this ARC

[Jessica (Readingdiaries_)]

Thank you, Solaris, for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this book because of the summary - it sounded so good with a mysterious circus, two childhood friends turned strangers, and with Night Circus vibes.

I really liked the idea of the book, with characters and objects stolen from people and stories, all gathered in a mysterious Circus that appears and disappears. It's such a cool concept, but sadly, the book did not quite hit the mark for me. The concept of two childhood friends linked by a bookstore and a mysterious circus was super interesting, especially the idea of following them as they reconnected. However, from the first chapter, I really struggled with the writing - it was confusing, and I barely understood 80% of what I was reading. The writing was too flowery and disjointed for my liking, with so many places and people mentioned (without us knowing who they were and without being introduced to them in any shape or form). I thought it would get better, but it only became more and more confusing, and I lost interest in the story and the characters.

In the end, I understand what the author was trying to do and the mysterious, mystical atmosphere they were trying to build, but it didn't work for me. I am giving it three stars because I can imagine that some people would love this type of book, but it did not deliver for me.

[Hana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even though this book didn't quite live up to my initial expectations, it was still a really great read. When I first read the synopsis, I was incredibly hyped—it sounded exactly like my kind of book! However, once I started, I found myself pretty confused and felt like things didn't connect with each other. We aren't really introduced to the characters upfront; instead, we just have to figure them out as the story goes along, which made some of the plot twists feel like they came out of nowhere.

​I also felt the book was a bit too long and could have been more balanced. The synopsis really sold me on the show itself ("The Spectacular"), but the actual story focused way more on the characters' individual backstories. That said, the writing style was absolutely beautiful—lyrical, whimsical, and flowery. It heavily reminded me of Stephanie Garber’s Caraval series, which I absolutely love.

​Ultimately, what saved the book a bit for me were the two main characters, Noon and Munro. The most important thing for me when reading is that I don't hate the characters, and these two had such unique, distinct personalities. The moments where we actually got to dive into "The Spectacular" were fascinating. While the middle dragged enough that I had to skim a bit, the mystery of how it would all wrap up kept me turning pages until the very end.

Thank you to netgalley and the publiaher for providing an ARC in excahnge for an Honest review.

[Kassyreadsalot]

I Have DNF this book at 10% I’m sorry I like the whole concept for this book and the writing! But I find myself confused with what is going on in the story and that is on me. The whole concept sounds amazing but I’m not enjoying this but I know there are people that will love it!

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc!

[Will Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This is an…interesting book. A love letter to literature and storytelling, friends to rivals, and intertwining narratives. All pieces I love. At the same time, the magic is very blurry and unclear, while the ending was drawn out and yet abrupt. The prose itself was flowery; I enjoyed it, but it will not be for everyone. I also thought the cover gave YA vibes, but this is definitely an adult novel.

[Narrative Khaos · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I rarely DNF books. In fact, I usually finish everything I start because I always hope a story will eventually click for me🙏🏻

Unfortunately, The Lost Spectacular and I never found each other😔

This is clearly a beautifully written book. You can feel the author’s knowledge, care, and literary talent on every page. The prose is rich and thoughtful, and there is no denying the craftsmanship behind it.

But as a reader, I felt completely lost. I kept waiting for the story, themes, or characters to come together in a way that made sense to me, and it simply never happened. Instead of feeling intrigued, I found myself increasingly disconnected from the narrative and struggling to understand what the book was trying to give me.

Which is disappointing because I usually love books about books, readers, and literary worlds📚

This is one of those cases where I can appreciate the quality of the writing while also recognizing that the book was not for me. Other readers may find meaning and beauty in it, but unfortunately I never managed to connect with it.

A spectacular miss for me, though I can absolutely respect the effort and talent behind it💜

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reading copy.

This book is special - the creativity and lore, and the beautifully polished writing caught me off guard and this was my favorite read in a long time. This author clearly has a lifelong, deep passion for books and her reference base alone was astounding aside from the main story. It was a surreal and whimsical read, and I viscerally felt the conflict the conflict between the main characters.

Noon is a great lover and curator of books at the shop which she inherited from her father. She is brought up in a complex compound family with her childhood best friend and first love Munro, who matches her knack for special editions and unique reads. When the shop closes and Noon gets the opportunity to run the mysterious and mythical Spectacular, Munro's jealousy fuels him on a chase of her through countless lost stories.

[Marie Adams]

I found the writing too abstract; all too frequently, I had no idea what was happening so could not emotionally connect to the characters or plot.

[Arien Skye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this!

The vibes of this novel are great. The prose was lush and the umbrella ☂️ story line was adorable.

But as far as plot, I was a little confused. This is great for people who like to read based on the way a book makes them feel more than structure. I wish the author the best of luck and look forward to reading any future novels they publish!

[Kelsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I severely struggled with this one…was expecting for this to be similar to other books I’ve read and yet I was left feeling nothing but confusion after reading this one…the writing style wasn’t it for me as it was a little repetitive and generic, and I never truly felt connected to any of characters during any point of the book. A little disappointed as I was looking forward to this book as the plot intrigued me, but this may have just not been a solid pick for myself and may work out for someone else.

[Dora | ThePedestalBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Publishing and Zoé Duhaime for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Available Sep 29 2026.

THE LOST SPECTACULAR is a lot of things. It's a circus that exists in and travels through stories. It's Noon Bonaventure and Munro Forrest, childhood friends who had lost their connection after an unfortunate conversation during an important event. It's also The City Not-Unlike Montreal, a museum, and a bookshop, all of which feel as if they were characters as well. And in the end, it's family.

We follow Noon, a young woman who decides to drop her real-life worries to exist at the helm of a magical circus, where she becomes as untouchable as a storybook character. We also follow Munro, the head curator of a museum he opened with his friends, who is desperate to find the very circus Noon gave herself up to. When they were young, and still friends, they followed Munro's grandma into the magical circus, and where Noon was rather indifferent towards the magic of it, Munro became consumed by it. Several familial tragedies later that their friendship could not survive, Noon and Munro find themselves on opposing sides as Munro chases her through stories, and she keeps running further away.

Zoé Duhaime has a distinct writing style, one that had me laughing, crying, and marvelling at the words on the page at the same time. The magic of travelling through stories in a literal sense, characters embedding themselves into other stories' narratives, is the very core of the novel, and it is every bit as ethereal as you would imagine. The Spectacular, which is the name of the circus, is made of umbrellas stolen by the man in the charcoal cloak, whom you get to know through the story itself, but even better through the short inserts of his thievery of umbrellas at the beginning of each chapter. It is also the place where all the lost and forgotten things go, and the crew uses them to create unforgettable experiences for their patrons.

The concept itself is marvellous. The story draws you in with its promises of a magical experience and a love story that will span across years and borrowed narratives, and it does exactly that, with its last third being arguably the strongest. It is a story worth reading in full.

It is not, however, a story that will make doing so easy.

I hate to admit to having bad experiences with books, especially ones that I had so much hope and excitement for. THE LOST SPECTACULAR drags in the middle, or maybe it simply didn't capture me as much as the first third did, and I found myself actively talking myself into continuing to read it. It felt slow - it felt as if nothing was happening. I felt bored. There were many characters mentioned, some popping up for the first time at the halfway point, and at the part where the magic system became important as Munro chased Noon through books, I didn't understand how everything worked. There was a joke, at the beginning, about the author's decision not to explain how everything works - sadly, that is precisely why I couldn't get into something I couldn't wrap my head around.

I haven't read THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY so I can't comment on that, but if you read this expecting it to be similar to THE NIGHT CIRCUS, you will mostly be left disappointed. They share the concept of a circus built on magic and two characters whose love spans through years, working against each other, but that is all. The comparison does a disservice to THE LOST SPECTACULAR, as it sets expectations that it simply does not meet, whereas without them, for all its faults, it makes a fine book on its own.

I would recommend this to those who would like a story built on vibes and a semi-explained magic system, where literary references are a key ingredient to the narrative.

[Alli · Rating 2 out of 5]

A circus hidden in misprinted books. Two hearts still trapped in unfinished chapters.

Rating: 2.5 ★

Synopsis:
In a City Not-Unlike-Montreal, a home on Boulevard Sainte-Luthier had three floors and three doors. Noon Bonaventure and Munro Forrest grew up there, spending their days on Grandma Forrest's emerald green couch, getting lost in stories and the magic tucked between their pages. Until one fateful night led them to the Spectacular, a magical circus hidden within misprinted books, where lost things go and forgotten stories thrive.

But everything you love must leave you.

Years later, tragedy has turned the childhood friends into strangers. Munro has built a career preserving the past and is determined to capture the elusive Spectacular for his next museum exhibit. Noon, owner of the neighborhood bookshop, has been chosen as the Spectacular's new captain and charged with protecting its secrets. As an old chase is reignited, the two find themselves drawn once more through the stories that shaped them and the grief that drove them apart.

Some people learn how to let go. Others spend their lives searching for what was lost. And somewhere between the pages, Noon and Munro may finally discover how to forgive the past and perhaps, each other.

My Review:
This is a story about a magical circus filled with lost things, where forgotten treasures and lost souls find a place to belong. It's about two children who grew up together; One a thief, the other a curator, though neither can quite agree on which is which. The story is whimsical, lyrical, and never entirely concrete, always drifting through the spaces between words and worlds. But beneath all that magic is a story about grief, family, forgiveness, and learning how to live with the past without letting it define your future.

I really wanted to love this book. The premise is beautiful, and its message about loss and healing was genuinely touching! Sadly though I struggled to connect with both the writing and the characters. The writing leans HEAVILY into the whimsical and abstract, adding references to old childhood favorites and medias lost to time. While I did enjoy some moments, it made it really hard for me to understand what was happening, and I had to stop and reread which pulled me out of the story.

Noon and Munro are the main characters and have a complicated history. Once inseparable, they were driven apart by grief and the very different ways they chose to carry it. Much of the story centers on revisiting old wounds, confronting regrets, and finding a path back to one another. At its heart, this is a story about reconciliation, forgiveness, and falling in love within the margins of a shared past. I especially loved the family dynamics, which felt both cold and warm, callous and tender, and full of honesty and heart. Their romance also had a fun push and pull, both battling between anger and love. Still, because I never fully connected with the writing style, it was hard to really connect with them.

This is one of those books I wish had worked better for me! It has a lovely message and some very unique writing. I think I admire what the story was trying to do, even if it took me a super long time to get through, and sadly it was not a story I could fully connect with.

[Aislinn Neale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, effervescent, and experiential. I felt every sentence of this novel under my skin, and I saw every lovingly and deliberately described scene.

Any lover of books will feel the kindred spirit of the author's deep, lifelong love of books, and anyone who has grieved anything, whether it is person or object or even a place or space in time, will resonate with this poignant portrayal of loss.

Everything you love must leave you

My top ten favourite things about this book, in no particular order:

1. Montréal. What can I say, I'm partial to my own city. And I'm extremely partial to this version of my city, which both exists and doesn't at the same time. And I'm a sucker for a love letter to the places where we live and love. What a delight!

2. The homage to the childhood readers, to those of us who devoured books in the hundreds from infancy. To the connections we made between stories, to the ways in which we desperately wanted to live inside them. Every perfect reference to every treasured story world that I adored in my childhood, and that has shaped me into the person I am today. And the acknowledgement that that shaping is important and that the stories we loved as children mean something crucial about our characters as adults.

3. The messy, imperfect, loving tangle of family life and how we resist with every fiber of our being the changes that come with growing older and watching those we love grow older too.

4. Every perfect chapter title, every beginning of chapter umbrella theft, and the dedication.

5. The dreamy museum, and every perfect invented exhibit, and God how I wish they were real.

6. The achingly desperate love and loss of it all. And how sometimes the two things are the same, and how unfair that is.

7. Emerald green. That is all.

8. The yearning. Thrilling, sexy, frustrating and romantic just how I like it :)

9. The language. It's not often that you come across an author who is also a true artist. Every sentence is so perfect I just want to kiss it. Every time I read a novel this impeccably written my conviction is renewed that having a good idea and a good plot is one thing, but writing should be beautiful as well. Every paragraph drips with imagery so luscious I can see it.

10. Noon & Munro. And how everyone has been one or the other of them, or both at different times in a lifetime. Two sides of the same coin, yin & yang, enemies and lovers and friends and two halves of one heart forever and ever.

I can't wait for everyone to get to read this in September!

[Virginia Easthome · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is like watching Moulin Rouge for the first time - you're dunked into a world filled with color and lyrical prose and you splash around until you've got your bearings and then you realize you are in the most beautiful world, and continue to bask in the poetry of it all for the next several hundred pages.

I love a book whose world building immerses you into it - you can picture each place you're drawn into, visualize so clearly the rooms and the people and the action, and even hear the sounds - that's how vivid Duhaime's writing is, and I felt as if I'd sunk into a pool of story and was surrounded by it. It absolutely feels as if it belongs to another time.

This is a love letter to every reader who devoured books as a child, enjoyed university reading for the sake of the words, and continues on in the same manner as an adult. It absolutely reads this way, pulling bits and pieces from here and there, gathering and layering emotional arcs and plot points.

Noon and Munro are heart-rending, honestly, they're both so desperately seeking the way into the person and life they believe they're supposed to lead, the grief they want to escape, and future they want to attain, that you can't help but root for them (even though they want opposite things so much of the time). I'd get so excited to see which story they'd jump into next, or to know what they'd abscond with, and found the push and pull of one caring about the disappearances and the other absolutely unable to let it go so brilliantly executed. And the overall themes of families - ones that are biological and ones that you create, are so fiercely poignant, especially when the love is extended over those who make very different life decisions from your own. Their patterns of chase and competition are established so well and early on, and I loved experiencing the Spectacular from the POV of them as children, growing up, and <> - but suffice to say, I loved the ending.

I will also say that I am EXACTLY the audience for this book - I love lyrical prose and immersive world building, and I can already tell that if a reader does not prefer poetry in narrative form, this one won't be for you, but I hope you give it a chance because it's brilliant and beautiful.

*Thanks to Kensington Publishing (Erewhon Books) via NetGalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

[RUTH GUCKIEAN · Rating 3 out of 5]

okay so imagine someone described a book to you as "the night circus meets the midnight library" and then it actually tried to be both of those things at the same time. that's kind of where we're at.

let me start with what works: the VIBES. the lost spectacular is dripping in atmosphere. a mysterious festival that collects lost things—lone earrings, abandoned manuscripts, shipwrecks, a sky full of umbrellas? that is a MOOD BOARD. that is a candle line waiting to happen. duhaime is clearly operating on a level of imagination that i genuinely admire, and when this book is just letting you wander through its world and soak in the aesthetic, it's beautiful.

noon and munro as childhood loves turned rivals chasing each other through the pages of literal books and paintings is such a gorgeous conceit. the idea that stories settle in the wake of the spectacular, that lost things have a place they gather—there's something really tender underneath all the whimsy and i think duhaime's heart is absolutely in the right place with this one.

here's my issue: the whimsy is HEAVY. like, load-bearing-wall heavy. the writing style leans so far into magical fable territory that it sometimes tips past enchanting and into overwrought. i found myself wanting the prose to breathe a little more, to trust the reader to feel the wonder without being told every five pages that this is, in fact, wondrous. there were moments where i was fully transported and then a particularly ornate sentence would pull me right back out.

and the magic system—look. if you are someone who reads fantasy with your analytical brain turned off and your vibes brain turned all the way up, you will have a great time. if you are someone who at any point thinks "wait, but how does that actually work?"—do not pull that thread. it will not hold. the spectacular operates on dream logic and that's either going to charm you or frustrate you and i landed somewhere in the middle.

the love story between noon and munro has genuinely lovely bones. the grief at the center of their estrangement gives the story real emotional stakes. i just wished the book had trusted those quieter, human moments as much as it trusted the spectacle.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Tiffanydian · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Reviewed from NetGally Arc**

To be completely honest, I had no idea what was going on at first, and it wasn’t until I read other reviews that everything really clicked into place for me. The world-building is somewhat lacking, so I highly recommend reading a few spoiler-free reviews before diving in to give yourself some helpful context!

To give you a quick starting point: Noon Bonaventure has inherited her late father’s bookshop. Having grown up above the shop, she is a massive fan of reading, especially old books. Her parents, Arial and Elizabeth, lived above Munro Forrest and his mothers, Anjali and Esperanza (along with Esperanza's mother, Millie). Millie originally owned the bookstore before selling it to Arial. There’s a few other really good reviews on here that dive deeper into the premise, but this is a good starting ground.

Once the story truly gets underway, we are introduced to "The Spectacular," which feels less like a traditional theater and more like a living, breathing art exhibit or an immersive museum. The members of this performance troupe are entirely immortal. When they aren't putting on a show in a library, they actually reside inside the pages of the books themselves, traveling wherever their leader guides them. They skip from story to story using a captivating magic system that was easily my favorite element of the book, though it left me wishing the author had fleshed it out just a little bit more.

As soon as I found my footing in this unconventional world, the narrative completely won me over. Rather than tethering the plot to strict logic, the author delivers a dreamy, wonderfully surreal experience. The writing is inherently poetic yet beautifully bizarre, echoing the sensation of falling into a kaleidoscopic blend of a million different stories at once. My favorite aspect was how beautifully it mirrors the pure joy of discovering books as a child and the effortless escape to distant realms and the comforting truth that adulthood can still hold space for literary enchantment. Capturing that elusive feeling is precisely what inspires me to track my reading goals and write these reviews. There is profound magic hidden between these pages, and it easily earns a well-deserved four stars.

Thank you again NetGalley for the opportunity to read this❤️

[Jo Kerr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quirky. That’s my one word precis. But of course, you want more than that so here goes…

The things I enjoyed;
- what a fantastic premise for a story. The ability to enter stories, texts, and paintings via magic… Unusual, interesting and yes - quirky
- Some unusual, evocative writing.(‘Apollonie was starlight in a dish’)
- The odd little, inconsistent, asides from the narrator. I wish this had been more consistent throughout.

However… It’s a good job I had read the book summary before starting to read, otherwise I wouldn’t have had the foggiest what was going on!

The story follows Noon and Munro, once close childhood friends, now grown up (and apart). Their lives are entwined with The Spectacular, a strange paranormal circus where lost things end up. How they view it is completely at odds with each other and this drives the story to a final confrontation, where the magic of the spectacular has them careering from story to story.

So what didn’t resonate so much for me?
- There are a few weird turns of phrase that meant I had to re-read sentences at times eg ‘he had been many late nights spent in his own library…’ or ‘Under her care, there had a faint spaghetti-western atmosphere’
- On occasion it is simply impenetrable, especially at the beginning. I think more clarity about what was going on is required earlier in the story.
- I would have got more out of the overwhelming amount of book scenes quoted if I had read the books referenced. Instead, I felt like I was missing out on an inside joke and it resulted in me feeling a bit disengaged with the story.

So, I had struggles which resulted in me taking a while to get through it. I do wonder if this fantastic idea would be better as a short story or novella, focussed on the section of the pursuit.

As a novel it was too long, the heavy descriptions dragging the pace down, and the lack of clarity about the storyline creating frustration rather than intrigue as it went along.

In conclusion, I wouldn’t read it again, though I would give another book by this author a chance.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Rebellion for the e-Arc.

Overall 2.5 stars, rounded to 3 for GoodReads.

[Elly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, it’s whimsical, but kind of in an overbearing way, smashing it into your face. It’s difficult to get into (you can’t fall into it, it’s a bit more like, climbing, carefully, with diligence and perseverance), because the language is a lot, and it asks much of the reader. There was one point where I genuinely assumed our protagonist had mental health issues, rather than believing in the magic of the book. It’s not a book that eases you in gently.

But once it got going? It was less about mystery and more about punching you in the face with the themes of it all. There’s a segment about the stories we tell ourselves, and just in case you didn’t get it, there’s a line “and her elevator pitch kept her good company even on the worst of days” which is then hammered home with emphasis, two pages later in the paired line “or such was the story he told himself.” It’s like the author doesn’t think we’re capable of understanding their themes, or following the plot.

And okay, yes, there is whimsy. Lion cubs sneaking out behind you, our protagonists slipping between stories, in and out of paintings, letters, dreams, pilfering a little here and there for an idea, a narrative. It’s a bit like a children’s fort, propped up with wide open umbrellas with a blanket thrown over the top, with fairy lights on the inside. Held together with a wish and a bucket of delight in the moment.

But then it gets a bit dark, because adults aren’t children, and they’re trying to one up each other rather than admit their truths, be a bit vulnerable and have a grown up conversation like adults. They’re also really mad at each other, and hurt, too. Misunderstood and feeling wretched about it.

The end, where there was vulnerability, a forgiveness, I think (hard to tell, it stopped a beat early and I think were meant to imagine the ending), and everything got a bit meta, reminding us again of the circular stories, how it’s all intertwined together.

Also, awkwardly, I don’t think the spectacular was ever lost?

I don’t know. It was a cute read, but I found it overly heavy handed.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC.

[Anita Kumaran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: The Lost Spectacular by Zoé Duhaime 🎪☂️
My rating: 5 / 5 🌟
.
Munro Forrest and Noon Bonaventure loved winding down with a good story at the end of the night with Grandma Forrest. They always were two sides of the same coin; equally competitive and equally book loving yet very different in their own ways. Their world as they knew it was flipped upside down one night when they secretly followed Grandma Forrest to the elusive Spectacular, a dazzling festival and show rolled into one, with all the missing things in the world gathered under a sky full of stolen umbrellas. One can only find Spectacular strictly by invitation or by finding it in rare pages of misprints 📖
.
Once childhood best friends turned sweethearts, Munro and Noon’s diverged paths merge once again in adulthood. Now a successful museum curator with the singular mission of trapping the Spectacular, Munro finds his match in Noon who he deems has taken everything that was rightfully his… Grandma Forrest’s bookshop and now the Spectacular.
.
This book was an absolute visual treat and whimsical down to every last word! I have been craving for something as magical as The Night Circus since I read it ages ago and this was it! It also has a the Midnight Library vibes. The world building was enchanting and all that book jumping was amazing to picture in my mind! Yes, they were literally leaping between different fantasy worlds and I wanted in on it so bad 😂😭
It was trippy in all the best ways!

I loved the friends to lovers to enemies vibe of this book and the angst was angsting alright! 🤌🏾😏✨
Deep within the story, we find the heart- the true reason they were estranged. This story celebrates family, friendship and deals with grief and grievances.
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As a lifelong Narnia fan, it was a delight to find all the Narnia references within the pages! (And even more of a delight to find the illustrations tattooed on Munro’s body) 😌
I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to savour every page! I would absolutely ADORE a physical copy of this book! 🥹📖
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To all my whimsy loving friends, I cannot recommend this book enough! 📖☂️✨

[ruhee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a magical, ethereal, slow-burn ride. This book is unlike anything I've ever read before. It is whimsical, self-referential, meta, and built on the bones of fantasy. It is a celebration of books and fiction and literature. And it is a meditation on grief and the art of losing. It may not resonate with every reader, but I felt so deeply seen by Duhaime. I loved the writing style - it was so gorgeous and lyrical and full of esoteric humour, idioms and references. The narrative itself was perhaps not the easiest to follow - but I think that was fine. The magic and fantasy were in the abstract and if you thought about it too hard you felt confused. But that was the point for me. Reading is magical and I can't really trace how it impacts me, yet I know it does and I know it makes me feel so much and I know it takes me from world to world. Yet, I cannot put into words how this happens - and that is exactly what Duhaime achieves through this work.

The characters were fine - I was fascinated by the intimate bond between Noon and Munro and how books facilitated their relationship. Yet, I felt distant from them as well - at times I thought I understood them and their motivations, but then they'd act differently than I imagined and my understanding of them would fall through. The narrative was definitely hard to follow and the magic of this world was very vague - which might impact readability. The writing was quirky and referential - which was my favourite part! I loved the writing SO much, it felt like a love letter to books and to literature. The Spectacular was hard to pin down and make sense of - but I didn't really mind that! It captured the flimsiness of loss so well - you can't fully verbalise how loss feels but you know it when you see it.

I guess this is my long-winded way of saying that I really liked this book and I think Duhaime has undertaken a commendable job in conceiving of this world and bringing it to life. This story might not immediately resonate with every reader, but there will be readers that see themselves so starkly in these pages and this book will find a home in their hearts for ages to come.

[Addison &#x1f380; · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 ⭐️

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting concept and one that I would typically really enjoy, especially since it gave me some similar vibes to The Book Witch by Meg Schaefer. However, I had a harder time connecting with this story than I expected.

The biggest challenge for me was the writing style. I often found myself needing to reread passages because things didn’t feel clearly explained, and at times the story came across as either too vague or a bit rushed. Because of this, it was difficult to fully immerse myself in the world or feel grounded in what was happening.

The shifting points of view also added to my confusion. While multiple POVs can work really well, here they sometimes felt disorienting, and I had trouble keeping track of the narrative flow. This made it harder to stay engaged with both the plot and the characters.

Speaking of characters, I didn’t find myself particularly attached to them, which made it difficult to feel invested in their journeys. I also struggled with the magic system—it had potential, but I didn’t feel like it was explained in a way that made it easy to follow.

Another small thing that pulled me out of the story was the frequent mention of many different books. While I understand the intention behind it, it felt a bit excessive at times and distracted from the overall narrative.

While this book didn’t fully work for me, I can definitely see it appealing to readers who enjoy more atmospheric and layered storytelling.

That said, this isn’t a bad book by any means. There were elements I appreciated, and I can see how it might work well for other readers. For me personally, though, the combination of writing style, pacing, and structure made it difficult to fully connect. The ending also felt somewhat abrupt, which left me wanting a bit more resolution.

The Lost Spectacular was an enjoyable enough read in the moment, but not one that I see myself thinking about much in the future.

[Christian Nonnenbroich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading Zoé Duhaime's "The Lost Spectacular" was an absolute roller-coaster, and... I don't mean that in a thoroughly possible way. I was drawn to this mostly by the title and the short blurb about two estranged maybe-once-lovers duking it out in and between the pages of the books that they loved growing up, and... I think that maybe this is in here somewhere, but I can't really say for sure.

I absolutely hated it in the beginning. Duhaime feels very comfortable in the world she created, and describes it with verve and poise, but maybe she has a bit too much of that, because I just felt lost in her meandering descriptions. Maybe it's because I'm not a native speaker, and therefore some subtleties eluded me, but large swaths of this just felt like total gibberish to me. And it didn't help that I felt basically no connection to any of the characters in this. Maybe that's also a symptom of the former problem, that it's hard to care about characters inhabiting a world that you fundamentally don't get.

It became better. I can't really say why, maybe at some point I just resigned myself to the feeling that I wouldn't understand what was actually going on here, and just mechanically read the words, trying to extract meaning from them, and... I think I got something out of it in the end. The thing is, what I got out of it wasn't especially exciting, maybe not even super unusual. It struck me as a relatively mundane story, just expressed in a way that didn't really make it any more enticing, and yeah, the characters also didn't become any more likeable, or at the very least interesting. And then it ended in a way that mostly made me go "So what?".

Still... it has some interesting ideas, and yeah, it has that verve and poise, and while that repelled me in the beginning, the more I read, the more did I begrudgingly admire Duhaime for keeping that energy up for the not-that-long, but definitely long-feeling whole of the book. I didn't necessarily like it, but I respect it. So at the end of the day, I'm giving it's getting a middling rating from me. I don't think I'd recommend it to anyone (at least I don't know who I could recommend it to), but I also wouldn't feel comfortable calling it bad. So if you think that that's a pretty useless verdict... yeah, same.

[Terri Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75*
No spice
Lots of references to classic books

(A funny aside before we start: I had started with a couple of thoughts in my notes as I was reading. I forgot that I had done that and was going to start with, “At no point did I know what was happening or where the story was going” which is especially funny considering that my notes began with the following…..)

…..I started out confused and I continued to be confused for quite some time. I’ve seen other references to the book being reminiscent of “The Book Witch.” I can definitely see those similarities. I felt like Alice in Wonderland; down the rabbit hole but completely entranced by the time I got to the end.

It’s not a particularly easy book to read–it’s complicated. You’ll need to be dialed in while you’re reading but keep going. I think you’ll feel a little warm and cozy at the end.

What I wish I’d known before I read it, without spoilers:

Noon, who lives in a City-Not-Unlike-Montreal, has inherited a bookshop (from her father, through Munro’s grandmother) and has a deep and abiding love for all books. Growing up, she lived above Munro Forrest and his family (important).

The Spectacular is part art exhibit and part museum. The “players” (for lack of a better term) are immortal. If they are not performing at a library, they live in books chosen by the person in charge, currently the man in the charcoal cloak. The twist is that if the players are living in the books in a way that isn’t strictly in the book, the text and illustrations can become….blurry. I’m a sucker for a good quote and this one is definitely giving: {Readers may assume the blurriness could mean they} “think they needed glasses, or had stayed up too late, or maybe that they should go to church.” 100/10. :D

Going much further would spoil it so I’ll stop there and advise you to give it a shot if you are ready for a committed read that is relatively short, pretty complicated, but also strangely beautiful and ethereal.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of the e-book.

[Amanda’s Reading Corner · Rating 3 out of 5]

The description and the cover of this book intially drew me in. I thought, oooh, maybe it has some Caraval vibes given the them of this travelling circus. Honestly, the similarities stopped there and I was here for it. It did have this whimsy to it. Like seriously, Noon is living a book girls dream! Travelling through stories and collecting things (lost things, things for her room, what have you) is my absolute idea of a good time. Even the hardship she faced with her family and her father's bookstore, I both felt for her and was happy she was finding her place.

But, there are some things to talk about. I did have difficulty reading this book. I found myself re-reading a whole paragraphs to figure out what they meant because everyone talked with either context we don't have or anecdotally and I was looking for meaning that wasn't provided. It meant I could read it maybe 5 mins at a time and had an incredibly hard time wanting to pick it back up. In the end, I am not even sure I understood what happened in the book. This is hard to admit given the thorough notes I am know to take on books! I think the story was there and there were parts I absolutely enjoyed, especially when Munro figured out what was happening, but at the same time, spent more time than not confused.

Now that said, Munro just made me incredibly angry and frustrated. He was willing to burn every line he had because of his obession with the Spetacular. Honestly, his poor friends. He didn't seem to loose that and it made him insufferable. If there was character development, I didn't see it.

I think this book can easily be for someone looking for whimsy, for that fantastical element. It just wasn't me.

Thank you so much Kensington Publishing for allowing me the chance to read The Lost Spetacular!

[Hannah Rowan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always like to start off my reviews on a positive note. I think this author has talent and can write beautifully. This is a whimsical, light fantasy for book lovers. The cover and description may lead you to believe “The Spectacular” is a circus, but it is more like a travelling art exhibit or museum. I really loved that the characters travelled through books, paintings, and other forms of media. The idea of lost things being on exhibit was really interesting. I liked how the fourth wall was broken throughout the story. The whole concept of this book was brilliant but it ultimately fell flat for me. I agree with other reviews that you should read some reviews before reading (normally I don’t condone this but it helped me understand the plot better). The world building was unclear. I didn’t have much of an understanding till about 25 percent into the book. I think the book would’ve benefited from a clear introduction to the characters and world. The book was more enjoyable once I kind of got an idea of what was happening. However, in all honestly I was unsure of the plot even after finishing. I kept reading for the whimsy and the idea of The Spectacular. I couldn’t tell you what this book is about or really the point or conflict in it. I felt like the only issue was miscommunication and if the characters just talked to one another everything could’ve been solved. I believe this is an adult novel but the characters and their immaturity read more YA. This has been compared to The Night Circus, which nothing can compare to in my opinion. I see some similarities, but ultimately there are just a few minor similarities.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!*

[Fedythereader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to the author and the publisher, Kensington Publishing, for sharing an ARC of this book with me on NetGalley !!!

“Everything you love must leave you”

“All good stories are portals, all good books are an event”

If I could give this a thousand stars … I would. This book is a constant reminder that poetic writing exists and we should pursue it more !! This book was a story inside another story. It was intricate. It was compelling. It was beautiful. It was fantastic. It was magical. It was sad and happy and hopeful. It was grieving. It was healing. I loved it. Deeply. Imagine how crazy it would be, being able to jump into books. Jump into stories. Whether they are on a written page or in a portrait form. Imagine being desperately in love and hopelessly tied to your childhood best friends with whom you have had really rough times. Imagine creating a whole new magical world of art and exhibition called the Spectacular that reflects you and art. How wonderful. How tragic. How beautiful human this book was. How real and how raw. This story brings you into a marvellous universe of potential. You could be anywhere, everywhere all at once. But you can’t be there forever. You can escape there all you want, but your life and the people around you will try and catch up with you, soon enough. They won’t let you go. And they will follow you till forever !! And that’s exactly Noon and Murno’s story is like !! If you’ve loved the Midnight Library and you have ever wandered what the potential deep and complicated story of Caraval would have been liked this book is for you !!!

“We all must decide ho close we want stories to look like our lives”

“There is no good ending; there are only the stories we tell ourselves”

[eliza_s_diary · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Thank you to Netgalley, Erewhon Books, and Kensington Publishing for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Lost Spectacular.

If you were the kind of kid who loved to curl up with classic children's books on a rainy day, then I believe you will find something to love in this book. This was a story written by someone who loved diving into classics and wished they could jump in alongside their favorite characters (I mean, what reader doesn't feel that way lol).

One of the comp titles for this book is The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, and I can see why it is compared to it. The Lost Spectacular is very lyrical in its writing and does demand some surrender. However, I don't think this whimsical writing style is as well-written as The Night Circus, so it does take some getting used to and some digging in if you really want to continue.

This sounds nitpicky, I know, but the author calls the cities "a city not unlike Montreal" or "a city like New York (but with better traffic)" instead of creating new names for the cities or simply using them as the setting. It felt like an attempt to make the story more whimsical, but it honestly just took me out of it. I also think the kind of time- and setting-jumping, along with very little exposition about the magic, led to a feeling that the writing was jumbled.

I do think there is a solid story here that I really enjoyed, but you have to surrender to it a bit and accept that you may not fully understand what is going on at times. I know that is not something every reader wants to do, and that is very fair. I had a good time and I do think others will also, but there are some issues with the writing that I feel could turn off readers who don't want to push through a story.

[ash k · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC!*

Okay, I really, really wanted to love this one. A secret festival made of everything the world has ever lost, hidden inside the pages of misprinted books, and two childhood friends turned rivals chasing each other through stories? Sign me up. On paper this is exactly my kind of book, and I went in so ready to be swept away.

But unfortunately, I just never quite got there. My main problem was that I spent most of the book genuinely confused about how the magic worked. It stays so hazy the whole way through that I kept waiting for the moment it would click into place, and it never really did. I don't need everything spelled out, but when the magic is basically the whole point, I wanted *something* to hold onto, and instead I just felt a little lost the entire time.

The writing didn't help me here either. It's beautiful, I won't pretend otherwise. But it leans SO hard into the dreamy, whimsical, floaty style that I kept bouncing off it. Every time I started to settle in with the characters, the prose would drift off somewhere. I'd lose the thread, and lose my connection to them right along with it. By the end, I felt like I kept admiring it from the outside instead of feeling it.

That said, I can absolutely appreciate the ambition and the love that clearly went into building this world. The concept is special and the author is clearly talented. It simply wasn't the right fit for me. If you're a reader who adores lush, atmospheric, intentionally dreamlike fantasy, you may well love this far more than I did. I'd happily recommend it to that reader, I just wasn't one of them.