She's a Lamb! by Meredith Hambrock (ARC Review)

Title: She’s a Lamb!
Author: Meredith Hambrock
Type: Fiction
Genre: Adult, Horror
Publisher: ECW Press
Date published: April 8, 2025

A complimentary physical copy of this book was kindly provided by ECW Press in exchange for an honest review.

Jessamyn St. Germain is meant to be a star. Not an actor who occasionally books yogurt commercials and certainly not a lowly usher at one of Vancouver’s smallest regional theaters. No, she is bound for greatness, and that’s why the part of Maria in the theater’s upcoming production of The Sound of Music is hers. Or it’s going to be.

Jessamyn may have been relegated to the position of childminder for the little brats playing the von Trapp children, but it’s so obvious she’s there for a different reason — the director wants her close to the role so when Samantha, the lead, inevitably fails, Jessamyn will be there to take her place in the spotlight.

This must be it. Because if it isn’t, well, then every skipped meal, every brutal rehearsal, every inch won against a man attempting to drag her down will have all been for nothing.

Sharp, relentless, and darkly funny, She’s a Lamb! is a cutting satire about the grotesque pall patriarchy casts over one woman’s delusional quest to achieve her dreams and the depths she will sink to for a chance at the life she’s convinced she deserves.

⤖ My Review ⬻

She’s a Lamb! was one of my most-anticipated horror books of the year (and I was super stoked that it’s CanLit too)! Going in, I could tell that the main character, Jessamyn, was somewhat unhinged, so I strapped in for quite the ride—I had no idea what she might be capable of! Right from the start, I was curious (and a little nervous) to see where her choices would take the story.

As I made my way through She’s a Lamb!, I flipflopped between rooting for Jessamyn and completely hating her guts (and I think that might have been the point? But I’m not entirely sure. You’re talking to the person who felt bad for Hannibal Lector in his Hannibal Rising…yes I even cried for him). Moving on… I enjoyed how Meredith Hambrock’s writing unfolded the story—how it built and eventually came to a head. The pace wasn’t too quick or too slow. It was just the right speed to build my anticipation while also not leaving me bored.

I was on the edge of my seat, simultaneously hoping Jessamyn would keep it together and that she’d completely lose it and go ballistic on the rest of the characters—tell me you’re a horror movie fan when! I audiobooked portions of this book (times when I had to run errands but I couldn’t stop thinking about what might happen next) and the narrator did a great job in portraying both Jessamyn and the book’s overall atmosphere.

All in all, I did enjoy She’s a Lamb! I expected more of something (can’t say without spoilers) but I also know that my threshold might be higher than that of other readers due to my movie and reading habits. I’ll be keeping an eye on this author!