You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.16 AVERAGE
3.16 AVERAGE
Would give this 3.5 stars if that existed on Goodreads! Cute and quire Bridgerton-esque
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
I was never exactly bored, but also didn't find much new in this light Regency romance. It ticks all the boxes for Regency staples -- entertaining, but not essential.
funny
lighthearted
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:
Yes
I received an ARC from Edelweiss and Berkley Publishing.
It felt like a YA novel that was a fanfiction of Pride and Prejudice that rearranged the plot. I find historical romances an excellent easy breezy read that I usually finish in one sitting or at least evening or a day; they should not be a struggle. This one was a struggle for me; I would put it down and brought myself back to it a week later and still didn't enjoy it.
There was a lot of telling but not showing reader emotion and setting, no drawing me into the story. It was "this and then." Then I realized the author is a screenwriter, so that made sense, and once I learned that tidbit, I understand the writing style.
I saw the 10 minutes of the beginning of the supposed movie of this, and I noticed it takes a more satire approach, which is what I did when I read this.
It felt like a YA novel that was a fanfiction of Pride and Prejudice that rearranged the plot. I find historical romances an excellent easy breezy read that I usually finish in one sitting or at least evening or a day; they should not be a struggle. This one was a struggle for me; I would put it down and brought myself back to it a week later and still didn't enjoy it.
There was a lot of telling but not showing reader emotion and setting, no drawing me into the story. It was "this and then." Then I realized the author is a screenwriter, so that made sense, and once I learned that tidbit, I understand the writing style.
I saw the 10 minutes of the beginning of the supposed movie of this, and I noticed it takes a more satire approach, which is what I did when I read this.
Do I understand why this book has such a low rating here on Goodreads? Yes, totally. It's one-dimensional, moves way to fast to lay any real groundwork or development, has characters that do frustrating things and act out in the dumbest ways, and uses a lot of tropes that have just been beaten to death.
But for me...as a lighthearted, fast-paced, sometimes even...dare I say...swoonworthy read that actually made me giggle sometimes, this book did exactly what I needed it to do, and if I ever get in a reading rut, I would totally read it again. I'm not much for romance, but I am one for humor, and I would say that this book delivered on both points, and made me realize that a good regency rom is just what a girl needs every now and then.
And did it just so work out that I've been reading this along with Jane Austen's "Persuasion"? In the most perfect way it did. (And I needed a regency read that was written in simple English. Austen is dense
But for me...as a lighthearted, fast-paced, sometimes even...dare I say...swoonworthy read that actually made me giggle sometimes, this book did exactly what I needed it to do, and if I ever get in a reading rut, I would totally read it again. I'm not much for romance, but I am one for humor, and I would say that this book delivered on both points, and made me realize that a good regency rom is just what a girl needs every now and then.
And did it just so work out that I've been reading this along with Jane Austen's "Persuasion"? In the most perfect way it did. (And I needed a regency read that was written in simple English. Austen is dense
Pretty fun, a good light read, but drags a bit towards the ending
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was absolutely thrilled with Mr. Malcom's List in the first half of the book, which slowly morphed into a feeling of "really enjoyed," then "hmm what?" and finally to "well that was . . . unsatisfying."
What started out as a quirky regency-era romance written in a Jane Austen voice really went downhill to me. The Austenian voice was lost somewhere along the way, the main characters turned immature and the plot devolved into physical comedy and temper tantrums. It was quite disappointing, actually, and I found myself rather hopeful that the likable protagonist would just say "screw this" and nope out of the whole situation.
I'll be honest, I'll probably put Mr. Malcom's List onto a bookshelf and maybe read it again once I've forgotten it's spiral of dissatisfaction and maybe enjoy it more. 3 stars for the really excellent beginning and the fact that I can see myself reading it again.
What started out as a quirky regency-era romance written in a Jane Austen voice really went downhill to me. The Austenian voice was lost somewhere along the way, the main characters turned immature and the plot devolved into physical comedy and temper tantrums. It was quite disappointing, actually, and I found myself rather hopeful that the likable protagonist would just say "screw this" and nope out of the whole situation.
I'll be honest, I'll probably put Mr. Malcom's List onto a bookshelf and maybe read it again once I've forgotten it's spiral of dissatisfaction and maybe enjoy it more. 3 stars for the really excellent beginning and the fact that I can see myself reading it again.
If an AI was given every Regency novel ever written to first study before writing one itself, it would come up with something like this novel. This was just a patchwork of every Regency trope out there written in the most robotic format possible. There were bits and pieces of humor in the story. I particularly liked Malcolm's mother and Selina but they were not enough to save this book.
There's absolutely no flow from one plot point to the next. You're jerked from one scene to another with very little to tie things in between them, and no logical conclusions to things. The main heroine is angry at the hero, she's suddenly not angry at all, then she's angry again. There are no resolutions to any emotions that make logical sense. Which is partly why I say this could have been written by an AI that understands Regency tropes but doesn't know how to resolve all of these messy human feelings that are needed to make the reader feel connected to the story.
There's absolutely no flow from one plot point to the next. You're jerked from one scene to another with very little to tie things in between them, and no logical conclusions to things. The main heroine is angry at the hero, she's suddenly not angry at all, then she's angry again. There are no resolutions to any emotions that make logical sense. Which is partly why I say this could have been written by an AI that understands Regency tropes but doesn't know how to resolve all of these messy human feelings that are needed to make the reader feel connected to the story.