I really enjoyed reading this book, it had that humor element that I was looking for and still have that sense of danger. The plot worked with what I was expecting and thought the characters had that feel that I wanted. Jessamyn was a great character to follow and I enjoyed going on this journey with her and the rest of the characters. Meredith Hambrock wrote this in a way that was charming and worked.

She's a Lamb! by Meredith Hambrock is about the pursuit of fame and success and a flawed character's ambition and lengths she will go to to reach it.

The story follows an unreliable narrator with dreams of Broadway but doesn’t even have the talent for regional theater. Jessamyn is on a mission of self determination that leads to self destruction. Someone dies in the end! The end of the novel was abrupt which I didn’t appreciate so the story doesn’t wrap up nicely. Thank you ECW Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own!

What a toxic, twisted gem this is. Really loved Meredith Hambrock’s writing style and the way she crafted her main character, Jessamyn St. Germain (the name!). I was really dazzled by the way Hambrock made Jessamyn a mildly demented, narcissistic, vapid woman, but also allowed her to make sharp, extremely valid and true statements about the inherent misogyny in the entertainment industry, and in society in general. The book was funny and propulsive and I could not stop reading once I started. Also, what a cover!

She’s a Lamb! by Meredith Hambrock is a dark, suspenseful dive into ambition, delusion, and the often grotesque pursuit of dreams in the performing arts world. Hambrock paints a vivid picture of a woman consumed by her pursuit of fame. The novel strikes a chord with its sharp satire and biting humor, offering an incisive commentary on the lengths one woman will go to achieve what she feels is her birthright... stardom. Jessamyn’s downward spiral into obsession is tense and unsettling, and fans of psychological thrillers like 'The Girl on the Train' and 'Yellowface' may find this portrayal gripping.

While the novel’s dark humor and sharp commentary are undeniable, I found it difficult to connect with Jessamyn, whose increasingly erratic behavior made her hard (for me) to sympathize with. The narrative’s focus on her delusions also left me feeling somewhat disconnected from the story as a whole. Despite my personal reservations, readers who enjoy deeply flawed protagonists and social critique may appreciate She’s a Lamb! for its satirical take on ambition and self-deception.

Thank you to ECW Press, NetGalley, and Meredith Hambrock for providing an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

She’s a Lamb follows Jessamyn St. Germain who believes she is meant to be a star. Jess has been stuck doing TV commercials and being an usher at a small theatre. Jessamyn desperately wants the role of Maria in the upcoming production of The Sound of Music. She ends up being the childminder for the kids playing the Von Trapp children but will stop at nothing for the lead role.

Just by looking at this cover I thought this was going to be an unhinged sad girl novel and in many ways it is. Jessamyn’s inner monologue is over the top and pretty silly. I enjoyed this for what it was but it wasn’t a new favourite.

There is so much I want to say about this book but I’ll try to be concise. As an actor and overall theatre nerd, I was drawn to this book, especially as it was compared with one of my all time favorite books, All’s Well by Mona Awad. Like Awad’s novel, this is a glorious unhinged woman story with a staged twist. And what Meredith Hambrock has done is create a character study of the worst, most entitled narcissist you’d ever meet and still make her sympathetic and complex. That’s hard to do, and it’s a testament to Hembrock’s talent as an author. I love a story where you see someone’s entire persona fall apart piece by piece, going past the point of “how could this get worse” and making the story absolutely bonkers in the best way. All I know is that if this ever gets optioned for a film, I’m gonna pull a Trisha Paytas and gun for the role. In the meantime, I’ll just be forcing every actor I know to read this. Oh, and the Singin’ in the Rain homage in the climax? Perfectly executed. Five stars, no notes.