Bookseller Reviews
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A fun and fresh read
Witty, cut throat humour, but simmering underneath are serious themes explored through the lives of the dysfunctional and unconventional Flynn family (reli... READ MORE
Utter genius
'Lost Lambs' was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and, Madeline Cash, you did not disappoint! This portrait of a family in crisis was so astute... READ MORE
Hilarious without trying to be
Lost Lambs follows an incredibly dysfunctional family as they try and navigate everyday life. One daughter has a boyfriend called 'War Crimes Wes', one is ... READ MORE
Favourite book of the year
I loved this book so much and it truly took me by surprise. I had no idea what to expect going in but after just two or three pages I knew it was for me. T... READ MORE
A deviously funny and irreverent debut
Madeline Cash writes in that rare way you come across when you least expect it - intimate, captivating, infinitely funny but not overbearing. Her prose is ... READ MORE
An exciting read
What a ride this book was. Especially once I got to the part featuring Billionaires trafficking young girls….. definitely an interesting time to be reading... READ MORE
Charming and very, very funny
I received a copy of this from the publisher for review and I really, really enjoyed it! Following an incredibly dysfunctional family as they navigate the ... READ MORE
left me feeling optimistic
Loved it. The verging on absurd. Everyone’s conspiracy theories turning out to be true. So good at comic line delivery without it becoming too ridiculous. ... READ MORE
Can’t get better than this
Lost Lambs completely won me over from the very first page. It’s the first book I’ve read in 2026 and honestly, I can’t imagine anything topping it. Madeli... READ MORE
I LOVED this book
This is absolutely nothing like my normal cup of tea, but I don’t think I’d change anything about this story. The characters were ridiculous and funny and ... READ MORE
Funny, surreal, and captivating
I received a copy of Lost Lambs from the publisher to review, and I was absolutely blown away. I don't know what I expected going in, but what I found was... READ MORE
Kooky fun with real substance
So funny and smart and warm and wholly bizarre! Will be a hit with fans of big swiss, greta and valdin, margo’s got money troubles etc etc
Fell off for me... READ MORE
Funny and Fast-paced!
This novel is an absolute riot from start to finish, I couldn't tear my eyes away from what was about to happen to the characters.The Flynn family are made... READ MORE
Filled to the brim with charm
This has EASILY been one of my most favourite books of the year!!
Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash is just a joy to read.
I enjoyed every second of this, it... READ MORE
Quite crazy but a fun read
Tolstoy said "All happy families are alike, every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way". This is not Tolstoy but it is a darkly comic tale of family di... READ MORE
Darkly funny
A brilliant family saga. Some dark themes, absurd and hilarious. For fans of The Bee Sting. I could not put this down.
dysfunctional, chaotic and wholesome
I didn’t know what to expect going into this book and if id have guessed I’d have definitely been wrong! I really enjoyed the story, it felt like I was wat... READ MORE
What a Ride!
Really enjoyed reading about the quirky and dysfunctional Flynn family. Lost Lambs reads rather like a contemporary Dodie Smith novel but with added bite; ... READ MORE
The Fine Art of Ignoring the Problem
Let’s be real: becoming a parent doesn’t magically grant you a brain or a sudden influx of maturity. It’s just a title, not a gold medal in emotional intel... READ MORE
Absolutely fangnatistic!
I was excited to receive a proof of Madeleine Cash's upcoming debut and boy was it a ride and a half!
I devoured it a couple days with my colleagues const... READ MORE
Surreal but moving
This is such a quirky and compelling read, written by Madeline Cash with such wry humour but subtly dealing with some difficult themes, along with ones wit... READ MORE
A wild ride unlike anything you've read before
This is such a weird book! The writing style is so unique and bizarre in the best possible way, I don't think I've ever read anything quite like this?
I... READ MORE
Beware the gnats!
Lost Lambs tells the story of a highly dysfunctional family. ‘Bud’ and Catherine the parents are trialling polyamory, Abigail (17) their eldest is dating ‘... READ MORE
A little mad, a little dark, very funny
Off beat and weirdly relatable. I devoured this story of family disfunction, cults, love, loss and connection. Darkly funny and compulsively readable.
Synopsis
SHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE 2026
‘EXTREMELY SMART, IMPOSSIBLY FUNNY, AND JUST PLAIN FUN TO READ’ CARO CLAIRE BURKE, AUTHOR OF YESTERYEAR
‘A VOICE LIKE NO OTHER’ LENA DUNHAM
Think your family is dysfunctional? Meet the Flynns.
For the three Flynn daughters, it’s been disastrous since their parents opened up their marriage. Abigail, the eldest, is dating an ex-soldier several years her senior nicknamed ‘War Crimes Wes’. Louise, the middle child, maintains a secret correspondence with an online terrorist. And the brilliant youngest, Harper, is being sent to a wilderness reform camp due to her insistence that someone – or something – is monitoring the town’s citizens.
Casting a shadow across their lives is Paul Alabaster, a nefarious local billionaire. Rumours of corruption circulate, but no one dares dig too deep. No one except Harper, whose obsession with Alabaster’s machinations sends the family hurtling into a criminal conspiracy – one that may just, finally, bring them closer together.
The instantSunday Timesbestseller
‘THE MOST WILDLY ORIGINAL BOOK OF THE YEAR’ HARPER’S BAZAAR
‘THE DEBUT NOVEL FOR 2026 THAT HAS UNDOUBTEDLY BEEN THE MOST SHOUTED ABOUT’ THE SUNDAY TIMES STYLE
‘A DARKLY FUNNY FAMILY SAGA’ BUSTLE
‘AN INSTANT CLASSIC’ SHORTLIST
Readers love LOST LAMBS
‘What a ROMP!’ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
‘The hype is real!’ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
‘Hilarious, weird, original and addictive!’ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
‘If Wes Anderson wrote Little Women.’ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
‘I’m shouting it from every rooftop: THIS IS THE BOOK OF THE YEAR!’ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
‘Perhaps the funniest book I’ve ever read.’ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Publisher information
- Publisher: Transworld Publishers Ltd
- ISBN: 9781804996133
- Number of pages: 240
- Dimensions: 198 x 127 x 16 mm
- Weight: 170g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allA hilarious fast paced debut..
Welcome to Flynn family household. They are going through some radical changes, that would be an understatement. The Flynn’s are unconventional by any stre... READ MORE
Lamb-tastic!
Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash is described online as ‘funny’ and ‘rippling with humour’ - and it lives up to the blurb (so often ‘hilarious’ books don’t). Th... READ MORE
Ridiculous but fun!
This was a really interesting book, quite unlike anything I've ever read.
Each of the characters was flawed, funny and in some way relatable.
You're pu... READ MORE
A crazy read about a very dysfunctional family! Full of dark humour!
This is the story of a very dysfunctional family! There's real dark humour at the heart of this book and I loved it for that! It didn't sugar coat family i... READ MORE
Funny and a bit crazy. Read it!
Very funny. Slightly crazy plot. Great characters.
The Flynn family are going through some radical changes - the youngest girl, Harper who is convinced ... READ MORE
A favourite read of 2025
No, I absolutely loved this book. One of my favourite reads in 2025, it’s so cleverly funny.The Flynn family are dysfunctional. After the Mum of the family... READ MORE
Hooked from the first page
Hooked from the first page. "The gnat situation in the church was getting out of hand. It was Miss Winkle's fault...and this was unforgivable"
I loved t... READ MORE
Dysfunctional family with a lot of laughs
Lost Lambs was laugh out loud funny at times! The characters are complicated and mostly unlikeable
Bananas
Thanks so much to Random House UK and NetGalley for this ARC, which was simply bananas. It tells the story of the extremely chaotic Flynn family, in which ... READ MORE
Humour, darkness, family
Meet the Flyns, Dad Bud, Mum Catherine, daughters Abigail, Louise and Harper, your typical American family or are they?
I was hoping not and that is exac... READ MORE
Totally original and great fun
This book is quite mad, but in the best way. The Flynn family is a brilliant creation, each member hyper real but somehow also believable. I actually sno... READ MORE
I want more of this family!
Initially I wasn’t sure I’d enjoy this but stuck with it and really enjoyed it. The most amazing dysfunctional family, I want more of them!
Thanks to N... READ MORE
Sit back and enjoy the ride
Every single member of the Flynn family is going through a rough time. Marriage problems, boyfriend problems, trouble at school, loneliness and a general s... READ MORE
Darkly comic family drama
Recommended for fans of darkly comic family dramas, offbeat literary fiction, and things spirally spectacularly out of control.
If you think your family... READ MORE
Dysfunction Never Looked This Fun
I cannot remember the last time a book kept me so thoroughly entertained from start to finish. Lost Lambs is a wonderfully messy portrait of a family teete... READ MORE
The cost of freedom, paid in daughters
Lost Lambs is contemporary literary fiction with a dark, cultural edge that is clever, uncomfortable, and sharply of-the-moment.
When a mother announces... READ MORE
3.5 Stars - Good book but something missing
I’m not quite sure what to write about this book. It’s well written and I like the premise of the story and the characters but it didn’t grip or entertain ... READ MORE
The Misfit Family Advantures
I read a review of this book that said ‘If Wes Anderson wrote Little Women’ and I think that sums it up perfectly. It’s a story about a family of misfits w... READ MORE
Every character in this book is unforgettable!
This was a pretty wild ride, a lot going on. I loved the Flynn family! Every member was a treat to follow along with, as well as the supporting cast in thi... READ MORE
Loved this book
Loved,loved,loved this book. So very funny but heartwarming and poignant at the same time. The characters were magnificently drawn. I particularly loved Ha... READ MORE
A thoroughly original debut from an author to watch!
In one word, Lost Lambs is zany.
What a thoroughly original debut. I love a story centred on a family in disarray, and Lost Lambs provides that straigh... READ MORE
Unhinged — but fun!
This was just slightly unhinged and I loved it, a bit of breath of fresh, crazy air. Every single member of the Flynn family is a little weirdo but in a re... READ MORE
Unique!
Thank you to the publishers for this early review copy.
My question is could this be the 'marmite' book of 2026? I think it could divide the readers.
It ... READ MORE
Great fun
This book is quite mad, but in the best way. The Flynn family is a brilliant creation, each member hyper real but somehow also believable. I actually sno... READ MORE
The grass is not always greener
The Flynn family is quite dysfunctional. After marrying young when Catherine fell pregnant, she and Bud have drifted apart after having their three girls.... READ MORE
Great read, great characters
Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.
4.5.
I enjoyed this, I particularly liked Bud and the multilingual, knowledg... READ MORE
Delightfully dark, humorous and heartwarming.
It’s been a weird time for the Flynn family ever since Catherine informed Bud she was opening up their marriage. Forget meals not being cooked, laundry not... READ MORE
This book made me laugh so many times.
After deciding she wants more from life, Catherine suggests an open marriage. This has the effect of breaking the family apart. However, the actions of the... READ MORE
LOST Lambs
This played out like a soap, it's so funny, multi layered and evolved. A family for whom the word weird is the norm, a drama of sorts on every page but abo... READ MORE
Interesting family dynamics
The Flynn family is quite dysfunctional. After marrying young when Catherine fell pregnant, she and Bud have drifted apart after having their three girls.... READ MORE
Excellent book
I thought this book was so brilliantly plotted and humorous. I couldn't put it down.
We’re all going to fall in love with The Flynn’s in 2026
Whenever I read a book and love it and then find out it’s a debut, I am in awe!
It’s official, I love The Flynn’s.
Meet Catherine who is so bored in h... READ MORE
Probably will end up being my fave book of 2026
I think I may have just read what will be my favourite book of 2026 and it's only January! From the very first page I was completely absorbed by this book,... READ MORE
Wild, warm and well worth reading
Gloriously eccentric and hilarious, the author leads the reader on a wild dance with this dysfunctional family. Compassion, loyalty, drama ensue after the ... READ MORE