Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash

Lost Lambs is the debut novel from American author and founder of Forever Magazine, Madeline Cash. This novel has been hotly tipped as a must-read of 2026; unsuprising with quotes such as Lena Dunham’s “A voice like no other” on the cover. But can it live up to the hype? Let’s find out.

 

Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash summary

The Flynn family are falling apart. Catherine and Bud’s relationship is on the rocks, so they (well, mostly her to begin with) decide to try an open marriage. While they’re caught up in potential new relationships, their three daughters are each struggling with their own challenges. Oldest daughter Abigail is beautiful enough to catch the eye of the worst person in the room, and has just started dating an older man, a former soldier nicknamed ‘War Crimes Wes’. Middle child Louise is desperate for connection. Sadly, the one she finds is with an online terrorist who doesn’t have the best motives. Last but not least, there’s Harper, a young genius with all the smarts but no friends.

As the family drifts apart, focused on their own dramas, they each get drawn into the world of local billionaire Paul Alabaster. While none of them thought he was good, none of them could predict the twisted crime they would uncover.

 

Lost Lamb quotes

“Shove that shit down. So deep down it’s out of sight. Don’t spend another moment on it. Make it go from a reality to a memory to a feeling you sometimes get on winter days. Then let that feeling drive you to do somethin’ great.”

“Late capitalism did its job of convincing Catherine that she was insufficient, an empty void, and thus needed to slowly fill that void with products that made her face smell like parsley or coconuts.”

“Control what people do and you’re a king. Control how people think and you’re a god.”

 

Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash review

Lost Lambs is an incredibly fun read, brought to life by its vivid, heart-warming characters. My favourite was easily Harper; she’s so smart and so curious. While she seems to fit into the world the least, she’s the one taking it all in. Less focused on herself, she’s the one pointing out the problems, but no one wants to hear her. While Abigail can be a bit vapid and Louise is fickle for attention, they all have hearts of gold.

Madeline Cash’s writing is whipsmart; she switches between sarcastic humour and touching moments, to a disturbing scene between husband and wife with ease.

I imagine that ending a novel is possibly one of the hardest parts, but I adored the last chapter of Lost Lambs. I won’t spoiler anything, but their unconventional family is judged by two onlookers. One with hate and one with jealousy. The opportunity to see the family from an external perspective and highlight their perceived highs and lows ultimately showcases just how special they are. It makes for a really impactful outro and is a lovely hug at the end of the book.

 

Is Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash worth reading?

Lost Lambs is absolutely worth reading. Or, as I did, listening to, because the audiobook is great. The Flynn family make great company, and their journey from division to crime-solving and reuniting as something new is a joy to read. This was rumoured to be one of the best debut novels of the year, and it’s easy to see why. Laugh-out-loud funny with a heart of gold, this is the type of escapism the world needs right now.

 

Buy your copy of Lost Lambs now.

If you like the sound of this, you’ll love Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis in my Top Entertainment of 2025.