The Fortune Seller by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

Title: The Fortune Seller

Author: Rachel Kapelke-Dale

Expected publication date: February 13, 2024

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

When Rosie returns from time abroad to realize that a new girl has made a position in her friend group, she's a little uneasy. She doesn't know anything about Annelise. And now she has to share a room with her. What's even more strange is that the girls in her friend group don't know much about her either. She's a great equestrian. She fits right in on the team. But where did she come from? How does she afford Yale tuition and the lifestyle that comes with being friends with rich girls? Who is Annelise?

In a classic tale of class and ambition, Rosie has to figure out what everybody in her friend group is after, and which of them will stop at nothing to get it.

--

I loved everything about this novel. The way that Kapelke-Dale engrosses readers in atmospheres and how well she develops relationships has never disappointed me, and it didn't let me down here. Just like in The Ballerinas and The Ingenue, I felt completely engrossed in the story unfolding in my mind.

I love the way that her writing captures complicated female relationships and I love the way the tension and pressure builds until it all boils over in a stunning climax. I loved the quiet ending. The way that through everything that happens, there is also space for moving on. How there has to be space for moving on, if you want to keep growing into the person that you are meant to be.

I think as long as Kapelke-Dale is writing anything, I'll be a fan of it. I would probably read her grocery list if it was all I could get my hands on, and as always, even though this novel isn't even published yet, I will be eagerly awaiting her next release. 

Teaser Tuesday (22): The Fortune Seller by Rachel Kapelke Dale

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB of Should be Reading. Anyone can participate in Teaser Tuesdays. Just do the following:• Grab your read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers!
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

For this week's Teaser Tuesday, I'm sharing teasers from The Fortune Seller by Rachel Kapelke-Dale.

Goodreads synopsis

Middle-class Rosie Macalister has worked for years to fit in with her wealthy friends on the Yale equestrian team. But when she comes back from her junior year abroad with newfound confidence, she finds that the group has been infiltrated by a mysterious Annelise Tattinger.

A talented tarot reader and a brilliant rider, the enigmatic Annelise is unlike anyone Rosie has ever met. But when one of their friends notices money disappearing from her bank account, Annelise's place in the circle is thrown into question. As the girls turn against each other, the group’s unspoken tensions and assumptions lead to devastating consequences.

It's only after graduation, when Rosie begins a job at a Manhattan hedge fund, that she begins to uncover Annelise's true identity––and how her place in their elite Yale set was no accident. Is it too late for Rosie to put right what went wrong, or does everyone's luck run out at some point? Set in the heady days of the early aughts, The Fortune Seller is a haunting examination of class, ambition, and the desires that shape our lives.

My teasers

"I just want things to go back to the way they were.

I wanted it, too. I wanted it for her, and I wanted it for myself."

"The dynamics of the house had changed forever, and the only thing I could think was: we’ve got to get out of here."

--

The Fortune Seller is expected to release on February 13, 2024, and you can add it to your Goodreads TBR here!

First Line Friday (18): The Fortune Seller by Rachel Kapelke Dale

First Line Friday is a bookish tag hosted over at Abstract Books that is used to showcase your favourite first lines of books.

There really is something to be said about a good first line, and I'm going to be using this tag from now on to showcase my current read's first lines.

My current read this week is The Fortune Seller by Rachel Kapelke-Dale.

The thing about the Fool? He’s excited. But he’s also scared. It’s like . . . he knows there’s an adventure in front of him. But he doesn’t know what it will bring. And he doesn’t know if he’s ready.

Goodreads synopsis

Middle-class Rosie Macalister has worked for years to fit in with her wealthy friends on the Yale equestrian team. But when she comes back from her junior year abroad with newfound confidence, she finds that the group has been infiltrated by a mysterious Annelise Tattinger.

A talented tarot reader and a brilliant rider, the enigmatic Annelise is unlike anyone Rosie has ever met. But when one of their friends notices money disappearing from her bank account, Annelise's place in the circle is thrown into question. As the girls turn against each other, the group’s unspoken tensions and assumptions lead to devastating consequences.

It's only after graduation, when Rosie begins a job at a Manhattan hedge fund, that she begins to uncover Annelise's true identity––and how her place in their elite Yale set was no accident. Is it too late for Rosie to put right what went wrong, or does everyone's luck run out at some point? Set in the heady days of the early aughts, The Fortune Seller is a haunting examination of class, ambition, and the desires that shape our lives.

--

The Fortune Seller will be available on February 13, 2024, and you can add it to your TBR here

Waiting on Wednesday (15) The Fortune Seller by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

Waiting on Wednesday's is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. *It appears that Breaking the Spine hasn't been active since 2016, but I still want to credit them as the creators.

For this week's Waiting on Wednesday I'm spotlighting The Fortune Seller by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

Release date: February 13 2024

Goodreads Synopsis

Middle-class Rosie Macalister has worked for years to fit in with her wealthy friends on the Yale equestrian team. But when she comes back from her junior year abroad with newfound confidence, she finds that the group has been infiltrated by a mysterious Annelise Tattinger.

A talented tarot reader and a brilliant rider, the enigmatic Annelise is unlike anyone Rosie has ever met. But when one of their friends notices money disappearing from her bank account, Annelise's place in the circle is thrown into question. As the girls turn against each other, the group’s unspoken tensions and assumptions lead to devastating consequences.

It's only after graduation, when Rosie begins a job at a Manhattan hedge fund, that she begins to uncover Annelise's true identity––and how her place in their elite Yale set was no accident. Is it too late for Rosie to put right what went wrong, or does everyone's luck run out at some point? Set in the heady days of the early aughts, The Fortune Seller is a haunting examination of class, ambition, and the desires that shape our lives.

--

Since reading The Ballerinas in 2021 I have been obsessed with Rachel Kapelke-Dale's writing, and have eagerly awaited each release, so I am beyond excited to get my hands on the Fortune Seller.

You can add The Fortune Seller to your TBR here!

Quick Review: The Ingenue by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

Title: The Ingenue

Author: Rachel Kapelke-Dale

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Publication date: December 6, 2022

Goodreads Synopsis

My Dark Vanessa meets The Queen's Gambit in this new novel of suspense about the bonds of family, the limits of talent, the risks of ambition, and the rewards of revenge.

When former piano prodigy Saskia Kreis returns home to Milwaukee after her mother's unexpected death, she expects to inherit the family estate, the Elf House. But with the discovery that her mother's will bequeathed the Elf House to a man that Saskia shares a complicated history with, she is forced to reexamine her own past--and the romantic relationship that changed the course of her life--for answers. Can she find a way to claim her heritage while keeping her secrets buried, or will the fallout from digging too deep destroy her?

Set against a post #MeToo landscape, The Ingenue delves into mother-daughter relationships, the expectations of talent, the stories we tell ourselves, and what happens when the things that once made you special are taken from you. Moving between Saskia's childhood and the present day, this dark, contemporary fairy tale pulses with desire, longing, and uncertainty, as it builds to its spectacular, shocking climax.

Quick Thoughts

I really enjoyed this novel. For the second time, Kapelke-Dale has delivered a wonderfully haunting contemporary story that I couldn't get enough of. I loved reading the way Saskia's story unfolded both in her present life, and the way she's still intertwined with her past, like all of us are, even if she's tried to shake it. 

It took a little while for the story to get going and really hook me, but just like in Kapelke-Dale's previous novel, The Ballerinas, the story unfolded like a movie in my head, and I was invested from the start all the way to the climax. 

Overall, I am so glad that I got the chance to read Ingenue and I just know I will be eagerly awaiting the author's next work.

Music Monday (2): The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

Welcome to my not-so-weekly weekly feature Music Monday, where I make a short list of music I think fits the book I'm currently reading. This feature is far from weekly because I can't always picture music that would compliment the book that I'm currently reading. However, this week I want to spotlight The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale for a couple of reasons, the first being that I am totally obsessed with this book and I wouldn't dream of missing a chance to post about it, and the second being that the author mentions quite a few songs throughout this book, usually when Delphine, the protagonist is in the process of choreographing. I thought that it would be nice to make a list of a few of the songs that she mentions in the book so that the reader can immerse themselves farther in the story, by way of knowing the songs that are mentioned.

So, without further ado, here is a (very brief) list of some of the songs mentioned in The Ballerinas, for your convenience.

Tristan und Isolde - Richard Wagner. In the book, the part being used isn't mentioned, only that it its an excerpt of Tristan und Isolde, so I chose the prelude to link here.

   

La Boheme - Puccini. This, like the above is mentioned as Delphine is choreographing Tsarina.

These next few are from later in the novel, when Delphine is mapping out her Janis Joplin inspired piece, so the next few are all by - you guessed it - Janis Joplin.

Mercedes Benz

Cry Baby

Piece of my Heart

Little Girl Blue

Maybe

And that's it for this week's Music Monday! Look out for the Ballerinas release on December 7, 2021 and when you do come back and visit this post so you can listen to the music while you read!

First Line Friday (10): The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

First Line Friday is a bookish tag hosted over at Abstract Books that is used to showcase your favourite first lines of books.

There really is something to be said about a good first line, and I'm going to be using this tag from now on to showcase my current read's first lines.

For this week's First Line Friday I have the first line from The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

"You start out as potential energy and then you fall.
       

Before Nathalie emailed and offered to take me back, before I killed anyone, I saw variations of the same quotation everywhere: Paris is always a good idea. On mugs, on throw pillows, on Instagram. Always attributed to Audrey Hepburn, always in pink. I couldn’t escape it; everywhere I went, there were those fucking words."

I love this first line, it's a bold attention grabber. 

At the time of writing this I'm only about 13% through this book but so far I am in love with the writing and I can't wait to see how the story develops.

Teaser Tuesday (17): The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB of Should be Reading. Anyone can participate in Teaser Tuesdays. Just do the following:
• Grab your read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers!
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers.

This week my teasers are coming from The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale.

"English words echoed through my head as I raced down the Rue des Francs-Bourgeois: Lindsay, I'm about to give you everything you ever wanted."

"From afar, the blonde and brunette sitting in the booth sent a shock of adrenaline to my heart. Thirteen years since we’d seen each other;"

Page 24.

Waiting on Wednesday (7): The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

Waiting on Wednesday's is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. *It appears that Breaking the Spine hasn't been active since 2016, but I still want to credit them as the creators.

For my 7th Waiting on Wednesday, I want to Spotlight The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale 

Expected publication date: December 7, 2021

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Goodreads Synopsis

Dare Me meets Black Swan and Luckiest Girl Alive in a captivating, voice-driven debut novel about a trio of ballerinas who meet as students at the Paris Opera Ballet School.

Fourteen years ago, Delphine abandoned her prestigious soloist spot at the Paris Opera Ballet for a new life in St. Petersburg––taking with her a secret that could upend the lives of her best friends, fellow dancers Lindsay and Margaux. Now 36 years old, Delphine has returned to her former home and to the legendary Palais Garnier Opera House, to choreograph the ballet that will kickstart the next phase of her career––and, she hopes, finally make things right with her former friends. But Delphine quickly discovers that things have changed while she's been away...and some secrets can't stay buried forever.

Moving between the trio's adolescent years and the present day, The Ballerinas explores the complexities of female friendship, the dark drive towards physical perfection in the name of artistic expression, the double-edged sword of ambition and passion, and the sublimated rage that so many women hold inside––all culminating in a twist you won't see coming, with magnetic characters you won't soon forget.

Why I Can't Wait

The first sentence of the synopsis from Goodreads compares it to Dare Me and Black Swan, and I am a huge fan of both of those, so immediately after reading that, I was intrigued. This book is also classified as adult general fiction, which is different than my usual realm of YA but it's always good to expand your horizons, and I am looking forward to doing just that with this book once it is released