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1821: Elias Roch has ghastly luck with women. He met Josephine De Clare once and penned dozens of letters hoping to find her again.
2021: Josie De Clare has questionable taste in boyfriends. The last one nearly ruined her relationship with her best friend.
Now, in the wake of her father's death, Josie finds Elias's letters. Suddenly she's falling in love with a guy who lived two hundred years ago. And star-crossed doesn't even begin to cover it . . .
Loved- The feels. Oh my goodness. I don't think there are enough words to describe how I feel about this story. Just a disclaimer: I went into this basically expecting a gushy, flowery Regency romance (like Edenbrooke), and initially I was a little disappointed. But only for like 10 seconds. Because what I got was a deep, emotional, moving story about finding joy where you are and being vulnerable during heartache. This story just gives you its heart- fully and without reservation. As both Elias and Josie process death, disappointment, depression, and loneliness, we feel every emotion with them and hurt, cry and ache along side them.
- The writing. Naturally, to be able to hurt with these characters, the writing has to be vibrant, believable, and seamless- which Caroline George completely nailed. The beginning of the story takes some getting used to because everything is written in either emails, texts, letters, or a manuscript. But this format gives a flexibility and depth to the thought processes and emotions of the characters that a regular narrative might not allow. This unique format also gave the plot a fun and fast pacing as it breaks up the story.
- Regency AND Contemporary settings. I've always been a sucker for Regency romances, and occasionally I really enjoy a cute contemporary rom-com type book. This cleverly written plot gives us the best of both worlds! We get an adorable Edenbrooke type of love story with social class differences, arranged marriages, scandal- all the the elements we want from a Regency romance. Plus we get a witty, hilarious story of a girl in 2021 riddled with fun pop culture references and completely relatable awkward experiences. I am head over heels for the two worlds we get to experience here and now I'm going to feel robbed in every other book for only getting one world ;)
- The characters! Josie is my best friend I'm pretty sure. She's so relatable in her awkwardness and uncertainty of how to deal with big emotions, attractive boys, and broken relationships. She is witty, genuine, and likable in a way that makes us want to be her best friend. Elias and Oliver are also quite witty in their own right and adorable in their own ways- Elias the broody, reserved Mr. Darcy type, and Oliver the dreamy, rom-com next door neighbor. Both are selfless, playful, clever, and completely endearing with their love for Josephine/Josie. The secondary characters are also so lovable and I just wish I could be part of Josie's world to be surrounded by so many quirky and wonderful people.
- The ending! I won't spoil, but this ending was perfect. It was not what I was expecting at all, and at first I was disappointed with it. But after thinking about it, I realized the ending was exactly what had to happen, and it was so much more believable and realistic. The message of the book is also very uplifting and applicable- that joy and love can be found right around you, and always looking for idealized relationships and people will bring you disappointment and missed opportunities.
- The feels. Oh my goodness. I don't think there are enough words to describe how I feel about this story. Just a disclaimer: I went into this basically expecting a gushy, flowery Regency romance (like Edenbrooke), and initially I was a little disappointed. But only for like 10 seconds. Because what I got was a deep, emotional, moving story about finding joy where you are and being vulnerable during heartache. This story just gives you its heart- fully and without reservation. As both Elias and Josie process death, disappointment, depression, and loneliness, we feel every emotion with them and hurt, cry and ache along side them.
- The writing. Naturally, to be able to hurt with these characters, the writing has to be vibrant, believable, and seamless- which Caroline George completely nailed. The beginning of the story takes some getting used to because everything is written in either emails, texts, letters, or a manuscript. But this format gives a flexibility and depth to the thought processes and emotions of the characters that a regular narrative might not allow. This unique format also gave the plot a fun and fast pacing as it breaks up the story.
- Regency AND Contemporary settings. I've always been a sucker for Regency romances, and occasionally I really enjoy a cute contemporary rom-com type book. This cleverly written plot gives us the best of both worlds! We get an adorable Edenbrooke type of love story with social class differences, arranged marriages, scandal- all the the elements we want from a Regency romance. Plus we get a witty, hilarious story of a girl in 2021 riddled with fun pop culture references and completely relatable awkward experiences. I am head over heels for the two worlds we get to experience here and now I'm going to feel robbed in every other book for only getting one world ;)
- The characters! Josie is my best friend I'm pretty sure. She's so relatable in her awkwardness and uncertainty of how to deal with big emotions, attractive boys, and broken relationships. She is witty, genuine, and likable in a way that makes us want to be her best friend. Elias and Oliver are also quite witty in their own right and adorable in their own ways- Elias the broody, reserved Mr. Darcy type, and Oliver the dreamy, rom-com next door neighbor. Both are selfless, playful, clever, and completely endearing with their love for Josephine/Josie. The secondary characters are also so lovable and I just wish I could be part of Josie's world to be surrounded by so many quirky and wonderful people.
- The ending! I won't spoil, but this ending was perfect. It was not what I was expecting at all, and at first I was disappointed with it. But after thinking about it, I realized the ending was exactly what had to happen, and it was so much more believable and realistic. The message of the book is also very uplifting and applicable- that joy and love can be found right around you, and always looking for idealized relationships and people will bring you disappointment and missed opportunities.
Didn't Love
- I wouldn't change a single word of this book except that I wish there was MORE! The more I think about this story the more I completely adore it and just want to eat it up and have it be a part of me. It's just perfect. That's all.
Content
Content
- Language:
- No language.
- Sexual content:
- A few kisses, hardly anything described.
- One scandal where a character walks in on two characters kissing who are betrothed to other people and very different in age.
- Violence
- No violence.
- Other themes:
- A few mentions of drinking beer and playing drinking games.
- The main characters are both grieving losses of parents- lots of processing grief and disappointment.
- No language.
- A few kisses, hardly anything described.
- One scandal where a character walks in on two characters kissing who are betrothed to other people and very different in age.
- No violence.
- A few mentions of drinking beer and playing drinking games.
- The main characters are both grieving losses of parents- lots of processing grief and disappointment.
Overall Thoughts
I wish I could express all that I feel about this gem of a story! As I said, initially I was disappointed with the ending of this story and I was a little upset about it. But after a few minutes, and now after processing the story for several days, I love it more and more every minute. This story gives you alllll the feels- from processing grief, to depression, to disillusionment, to feeling unconditional love from unexpected people. This is much more than just a contemporary chick flick story or a Regency romance, this is a story that is stripped bare and vulnerable, giving itself to you unreservedly to love, grow from, and relate to. This story will not only make you giddy with adorable love stories, but it will weave its way into your heart and keep you feeling all the feels long after you close the book. Please treat yourself to this wonderful gem!
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