What are people saying about The Daphne Project?
5 Stars
Reviewed by Divine Zape for Readers’ Favorite
In The Daphne Project by Jacqui Lents, Daphne Patterson, a thirty-something librarian, faces her lowest point. She is betrayed by the man she thought would be forever; she is unemployed, and she is living with her overbearing mother. She needs a new start. But how can she start from rock bottom? Her desperation for change finds the perfect answer when she learns that she has inherited a house in Cobb, Maine, left to her by her great-aunt Florence. She plans to sell the house and start her life anew somewhere else, but all her plans end when she steps into the house. She is flooded with memories of a summer there, and as secrets about her enigmatic aunt begin to surface, Daphne is shocked by another discovery. Her aunt’s suicide might have been murder. Follow her as she connects with townsfolk, probes into the mystery, and even finds romance.
The Daphne Project is a story of a woman rising from the ashes, and her grit and determination to change her life were inspiring. Jacqui Lents’ characters are realistic, and apart from Daphne, who is flawed and utterly likable, I enjoyed characters like Phil. The fishing date was exceptionally written, and I found myself asking questions about a possible future between Phil and Daphne, which kept the suspense consistent in the story. The connection between Fitzy and Daphne is also emotionally rich, infusing the writing with suspense. The mystery about the death of Aunt Florence keeps you turning the pages, wondering if Daphne will find answers. This well-plotted, fast-paced story is the perfect read, and I will be looking out for more stories from this author.
Available Novels
The Daphne Project
Daphne Patterson hasn’t just hit rock bottom—she’s faceplanted. At thirty, she’s an unemployed librarian, betrayed by her fiancé, and stuck living with her overbearing mother. To say she needs a fresh start is an understatement. When she unexpectedly inherits a house from her long-lost great-aunt Florence in the quaint town of Cobb, Maine, she sees her chance. The plan? Settle the will, sell the house, and rebuild her life—far away from her family.
But Cobb has other ideas. As Daphne settles into Florence’s home, memories of the one summer they spent together resurface—books, to-do lists, and crackling vinyl records. The more she uncovers, the more she realizes how little she knew about her great-aunt, especially when a mysterious clue makes her question Florence’s supposed suicide.
Between eccentric townsfolk, unexpected discoveries, and a mystery she can’t ignore, Daphne’s plans take an unforeseen turn. With the help of new friends, plenty of coffee, and a few surprises, she just might find the belonging she’s been searching for. But if she stays lost in stories instead of writing her own, she might miss out on the real-life happy ending waiting for her in Cobb.
Review of The Daphne Project
5 Stars - Highly Recommended
Reviewed by Diana Coyle for Reader Views (01/2026)
Thirty-year-old Daphne Peterson is having one tough time of it in her life in The Daphne Project by Jacqui Lents. She’s not only an unemployed librarian, but her engagement fell apart, and she is living with her overbearing mother. Nothing seems to be going right for her right now. So when she inherits a house unexpectedly in Cobb, Maine, from her great-aunt Florence, she jumps at a fresh start to everything in her life. The course she plans for herself is to sell the house and use the money to move far away from her family.
But once she moves into her inherited house, things start taking on a new plan of its own for her. She begins reliving the old memories she had in her great aunt’s house one summer, and she longs for that happiness again. She also realizes that she truly didn’t know her great-aunt as well as she thought she did. So Daphne sets out on a mission to find out more information about her great-aunt and if she truly died of a suicide as was told to her. Does Daphne find out if her great-aunt truly took her own life? What else does she find while living in Cobb?
This was one of those stories that is jammed packed with so much fun, you just can’t put the book down. I truly felt bad for Daphne and it seemed if something could go wrong for her, it did. She lost her librarian job at the age of thirty, her engagement fell apart because her fiancé betrayed her, and to make matters even worse, she was living with such an overbearing mother that I truly hoped things started turning out better for her as soon as possible. It was a blessing in disguise when she found out that her great-aunt Florence left Daphne her house in Cobb, Maine. It truly felt that this was the turn of events that Daphne needed to move on with her life and start fresh again.
The fact that Daphne was told that great-aunt Florence committed suicide threw this reviewer a bit for a loop, because I thought it was a bit crazy that an older woman would take her own life. I was so happy that Daphne decided to start looking into the situation for herself to gain the answers she had a right to know. This was a light mystery, but one that was truly enjoyable to unfold as I turned the pages. I wanted to know as much as Daphne why great-aunt Florence would go to such extremes by taking her own life.
The setting in Cobb, Maine, was expertly described by Jacqui Lents. The storyline was so detailed in not only unfolding the mystery of great-aunt Florence, but all the details describing Cobb, Maine, made me feel as if I was in this quaint little town, seeing it through my eyes. I fell in love with the town, so much so that I wish it truly existed to go visit it myself.
One other important detail worth mentioning was that the characters felt like real people the readers were getting to know as soon as they started to read this book. They could easily start developing feelings while they were investing their time getting to know them. They truly felt like neighbors and town folks that you wanted to be friends with, which made this story even more enjoyable for me.
The Daphne Project by Jacqui Lents is one story that has a mix of coming of age, a light mystery, and a desire to travel to quaint Cobb, Maine to experience small town life for yourself. It’s one you will easily find yourself engrossed in and hate when it comes to an end. Not to mention that the characters are so believable you’ll feel like they are real people you are getting to know. This is one book that comes highly recommended. Well done, Ms. Lents!
The Betty Project
It’s official: Daphne’s best friend, Elizabeth “Betty” Bennet, is getting her own book! Betty and the rest of Cobb will be back in my next feel-good women’s fiction novel. For this next installment in The Cobb Projects series, think Legally Blonde meets Murder, She Wrote: charm, wit, small-town surprises, and a mystery that stays on the cozy side.
Estimated publication date: Summer 2027.
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Where can I order The Daphne Project?
The Print Version
The print book can be found at these *independent booksellers (you can purchase online or in person)
*Pages and Peonies pagesandpeonies.com 2751 Alpine Ave NW, Suite 3 Grand Rapids, MI 49544
*Calliope Bookshelf calliopebookshelf.com 66870 Van Dyke Ave, Washington, MI 48095
Barnes & Noble (Shelby Township location) Town Center, 14165 Hall Rd, Shelby Township, MI 48315
*Mockingbird Bookshop mockingbirdbookshop.com 74 Front St, Bath, ME 04530 +1 207-389-4084
*Sherman's Maine Coast Book Shop www.shermans.com Bar Harbor 56 Main St, Bar Harbor, ME 04609 +1 207-288-3161. Also has locations in Damariscotta, Boothbay Harbor, Freeport, Rockland, Topsham, Windham, Falmouth, and Portland. The Damariscotta store also features the "Barn Door Baking Company Café"
You can request The Daphne Project at most bookshops, and they will order a copy for you.
The print book can be purchased online at
Bookshop.org, which supports independent bookstores and authors. Please use my affiliate link, THEDAPHNEPROJECT, when making a purchase. Please note: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org, and I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
The Ebook Version
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Review of The Daphne Project
If you’re looking for your next coming-of-age novel and want to travel through the pages to the coast of Maine, The Daphne Project is exactly what you need. It’s a delightful story layered with familial tensions and the complexities of friendship, capturing the emotional push and pull of growing up and finding your place. Jacqui Lents weaves in a charming small-town atmosphere. Plus, there’s a light mystery threaded throughout that adds a fun whodunit twist. It was everything I wanted in a book - heartfelt, immersive, and wholly satisfying.
KARA INFANTE
Host of award-nominated podcast, Bookish Flights
The Daphne Project is a treasure! It is a delightfully humorous and charming tale of a bookish, yet confused, young lady searching for truth. As Daphne searches for answers in her treasured Aunt Flo's passing, she not only learns the unknown stories of her aunt's life, but also the truths of her own. This book strums the heart strings while tickling the funny bone all at the same time. A cute, relatable, and quirky self-discovery jam-packed with friendship, community, calamity, and love.
Review of The Daphne Project
Sonia Moore
BookTuber of the channel @Soniawithani
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