Mad Mabel was a delight! I was hopeful because I loved the cover and I’ve enjoyed other books by Sally Hepworth. I was not disappointed.

The side characters from her aunt and her neighbors were a lot of fun. They all felt fully fleshed out and just odd enough to be interesting but not too kooky. I wish we could have a sequel about this fun neighborhood.

Mabel took us on a ride from childhood to elder hood that kept me reading. There was one twist I was suspected and I was correct about but it was still fun.

The flashbacks to her childhood were well developed and gave me a peek into a time in Australia I had not seen before. You couldn’t help but feel for Mabel who did her best but never could quite fit in.

It was a reminder that evil men and horrible boys are always with us and always have been.