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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
I waited months and months for the release of this book and let me just say it was worth every minute of the wait! Dearest Josephine is so cleverly written and the characters are so real that it was impossible to not get pulled into the story. I read it in one sitting and wanted to read it all over again. I highly recommend this unique love story!!
Two particular facts point to the special connection I have with this book. 1) One time I was drinking Earl Grey while reading it, and Josie was drinking Earl Grey too. 2) The theme of this book is powerful and exactly what I've been needing to hear.
Absolutely beautiful book and so gorgeously written. 5 GOLDEN STARS!
This story follows Josephine, a University student who is grieving for the loss of her father. Josephine finds out her father bought a gothic mansion to renovate before he passed away. She decides to go live there and restore the house in his honor when she finds letters addressed to her from the 1800s!!
What a gem! This book is absolutely gorgeous!
I loved that the whole story was written through texts, emails, letters, and a manuscript and that the characters were so well rounded despite the way the story was told. I also liked the fact that the story setting was in an old gothic mansion, making me always question what was happening. It is not a gothic novel however, it’s a romance!
The insta-love between Josephine and Elias (which I think is the most popular criticism for this book) did not bother me, because I saw it as their way of coping and grieving their fathers
I found the pace to be good as well, although I found it a bit long at times with the manuscript parts, but it didn't lessen my enjoyment too much. I loved Josephine’s character and her story of grieving and finding herself after the loss of her father. I found she was a funny and genuine character, trying to figure out where she fits in this world. I also really liked Oliver’s character because he’s so sweet and caring. . I didn’t really care for Faith’s character, Josephine’s friend in the States, but again it didn't lessen my enjoyment because the interaction of Faith and Josephine told me a lot more of Josephine's character and her relationship with her father.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. *
This story follows Josephine, a University student who is grieving for the loss of her father. Josephine finds out her father bought a gothic mansion to renovate before he passed away. She decides to go live there and restore the house in his honor when she finds letters addressed to her from the 1800s!!
What a gem! This book is absolutely gorgeous!
I loved that the whole story was written through texts, emails, letters, and a manuscript and that the characters were so well rounded despite the way the story was told. I also liked the fact that the story setting was in an old gothic mansion, making me always question what was happening. It is not a gothic novel however, it’s a romance!
The insta-love between Josephine and Elias (which I think is the most popular criticism for this book) did not bother me, because I saw it as their way of coping and grieving their fathers
I found the pace to be good as well, although I found it a bit long at times with the manuscript parts, but it didn't lessen my enjoyment too much. I loved Josephine’s character and her story of grieving and finding herself after the loss of her father. I found she was a funny and genuine character, trying to figure out where she fits in this world. I also really liked Oliver’s character because he’s so sweet and caring. . I didn’t really care for Faith’s character, Josephine’s friend in the States, but again it didn't lessen my enjoyment because the interaction of Faith and Josephine told me a lot more of Josephine's character and her relationship with her father.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. *
DNF'd just shy of 100 pages. Couldn't get into the style of it, and didn't find Elias sufficiently compelling. The two main contemporary characters coming from extreme wealth (A Chelsea Townhouse?????) and playing it off like the two of them were in any way relatable didn't sit well with me either. There was also the weird americanisms that kept popping up- made the whole thing feel like it hadn't had a thorough edit.
lighthearted
medium-paced
This novel is such a lovely read. The romance is definitely smeared all over the pages. I love how this story is not just about romance (even though that’s the majority) but it’s also about moving forward in life when we are presented with things beyond our control. I also love how two people from two different time periods actually help each other grow. The ending was just the right amount. It didn’t end with some magic time travel or anything remotely fantastical. Additionally, I do believe the read was quite long (almost 400 pages) and I felt like some parts were not necessary and caused the story to drag in the middle. Overall I recommend it.
Thank you Net Galley and Thomas Nelson for a copy of this book.
Thank you Net Galley and Thomas Nelson for a copy of this book.
Thank you Harper360ya for a free copy of this ebook, in exchange with an honest review!
This was one of the fastest reads I've had in a while, and it was exactly what I needed to relax and spend 2 amazing days off at home! I was reading it constantly, playing some classical music on the background and it was such a lovely experience!
I loved the format, because the emails, texts and letters all made the plot so direct, like it was happening right in front of my eyes! Another favourite element of this book for me, was the friendship between Faith and Josie, even though they were miles apart you could really feel that they shared a strong bond and friendships in books are always so heartwarming!
Elias's chapters were very interesting as well, mostly because I loved how he wrote and the expressions he used. He painted such a brilliant image of Josephine, that she ended up being my favourite character, even though she wasn't as much of a prominent character as the others. One thing that kind of bothered me though, was that even though Elias was constantly expressing his love for her, he did absolutely nothing to pursue her. He ended up settling for someone else, which for me is a show of cowardice on his part.
Something else I really wanted to comment on is that I didn't really see Josie falling in love with Elias. I do understand how she must have felt discovering that many similarities with Josephine, but other than that, her sentiments towards his didn't really feel genuine.
Overall, I did enjoy reading this book, it was a very relaxing read with a nice writing style, a book that will definitely keep you company on a cold winter weekend!
This was one of the fastest reads I've had in a while, and it was exactly what I needed to relax and spend 2 amazing days off at home! I was reading it constantly, playing some classical music on the background and it was such a lovely experience!
I loved the format, because the emails, texts and letters all made the plot so direct, like it was happening right in front of my eyes! Another favourite element of this book for me, was the friendship between Faith and Josie, even though they were miles apart you could really feel that they shared a strong bond and friendships in books are always so heartwarming!
Elias's chapters were very interesting as well, mostly because I loved how he wrote and the expressions he used. He painted such a brilliant image of Josephine, that she ended up being my favourite character, even though she wasn't as much of a prominent character as the others. One thing that kind of bothered me though, was that even though Elias was constantly expressing his love for her, he did absolutely nothing to pursue her. He ended up settling for someone else, which for me is a show of cowardice on his part.
Something else I really wanted to comment on is that I didn't really see Josie falling in love with Elias. I do understand how she must have felt discovering that many similarities with Josephine, but other than that, her sentiments towards his didn't really feel genuine.
Overall, I did enjoy reading this book, it was a very relaxing read with a nice writing style, a book that will definitely keep you company on a cold winter weekend!
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book will leave you in tears. This story follows two people who are perfect for each other, the only problem is that they live 200 years apart. Present day Josie is staying at her late father's estate, taking time to grieve is death when she discovers letters addressed to her. Thinking her after left them for her, she opens them to discover a young man who lived at the estate 200 years ago wad writhing to someone with her name. The young man being Elias Roch. He took up residence at the estate to also greive his father's death. He also searches for a young woman he met at a party and fell in love with. Along with writhing letters that he hopes to send as soon as he gets her address. The format of this book can be a little confusing as you only get Josie's narration from e-mails she is sending to her best friend, Elias's narration from the letters he is writing to Josephine, and there is also another story happening while the others unfold.
I received this book as a free advanced reading copy from the author and publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Oh to be loved by Elias! This book was one of my favourites reads this year. I love the premise and different writing formats in the book such as texting, letters, e-mails and novels. It was a well thought out and propelled book with so much feeling and emotion written in it. I felt deeply for the characters which was Caroline George's intention and clear success.
Josie grows as a person in the book and she handles grief in unexpected ways through unexpected people in her life. I love the setting of the english manor and the mysteries letters she finds that help heal her heart.
I definitely recommend this book as it is a book for lovers of classics and lovers of words.
Oh to be loved by Elias! This book was one of my favourites reads this year. I love the premise and different writing formats in the book such as texting, letters, e-mails and novels. It was a well thought out and propelled book with so much feeling and emotion written in it. I felt deeply for the characters which was Caroline George's intention and clear success.
Josie grows as a person in the book and she handles grief in unexpected ways through unexpected people in her life. I love the setting of the english manor and the mysteries letters she finds that help heal her heart.
I definitely recommend this book as it is a book for lovers of classics and lovers of words.
***** Read if you:
- Enjoy Jane Austen novels
- Love regency-era romance
- Like literary mysteries
- Enjoy epistolaries (novels written in document form -- emails, letters, texts, etc.) Or at least don’t mind them!
***** Proceed with caution if:
- You don’t like epistolaries. As a reader/audiobook listener, I do struggle with this format. It’s harder for me to keep track of timing, at a minimum. At maximum, I can’t keep track of characters, plot, etc.
Overall:
Thankfully, I didn’t lose track of the characters. I did lose track of the setting/times while reading. The novel has three different settings/times going on - one is the Regency-era, one is modern times, and one is a fictional novel written in the Regency-era, penned by a main character, that is based on real-life characters.
So sometimes I forgot where I was and had to go back to the chapter headline and determine if I was in an ‘Elias’ chapter or a ‘The Novel’ chapter.
The writing is beautiful, with quotes that are gems. I like how the author describes grief and how it can manifest.
***** What could be improved upon
If ‘The Novel’ chapters were read by a different narrator whose voice was not similar to the present narrator, that would provide enough of a differentiation to avoid confusion.
I wish text messages hadn’t been interspersed throughout the ‘Elias’ and ‘The Novel’ chapters as often as they were. The intrusion in audioform was a bit of an annoyance, as text messages were delineated by not one, but two different alert sounds. One would have been less obtrusive.
Thank you, Netgalley, for the chance to listen to and review this audiobook. These are my honest thoughts.
- Enjoy Jane Austen novels
- Love regency-era romance
- Like literary mysteries
- Enjoy epistolaries (novels written in document form -- emails, letters, texts, etc.) Or at least don’t mind them!
***** Proceed with caution if:
- You don’t like epistolaries. As a reader/audiobook listener, I do struggle with this format. It’s harder for me to keep track of timing, at a minimum. At maximum, I can’t keep track of characters, plot, etc.
Overall:
Thankfully, I didn’t lose track of the characters. I did lose track of the setting/times while reading. The novel has three different settings/times going on - one is the Regency-era, one is modern times, and one is a fictional novel written in the Regency-era, penned by a main character, that is based on real-life characters.
So sometimes I forgot where I was and had to go back to the chapter headline and determine if I was in an ‘Elias’ chapter or a ‘The Novel’ chapter.
The writing is beautiful, with quotes that are gems. I like how the author describes grief and how it can manifest.
***** What could be improved upon
If ‘The Novel’ chapters were read by a different narrator whose voice was not similar to the present narrator, that would provide enough of a differentiation to avoid confusion.
I wish text messages hadn’t been interspersed throughout the ‘Elias’ and ‘The Novel’ chapters as often as they were. The intrusion in audioform was a bit of an annoyance, as text messages were delineated by not one, but two different alert sounds. One would have been less obtrusive.
Thank you, Netgalley, for the chance to listen to and review this audiobook. These are my honest thoughts.