Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.

This was a good retelling of Rebecca, but I've read two others lately that I preferred to this one. It was overall a decent read, though.

Manderley (Mandy) Maxwell has always been the dependable one her father and siblings leaned upon. When an unfortunate accident claims their father’s life, they discover the estate is submerged in debt. Luckily, their mama left Mandy a sizable inheritance to help stave off the wolves. When sisters’ neediness gets a little overwhelming, Mandy decides to take a work-cation from her problems heads to the Cannes Festival with her best friend and boss. A chance of fate introduces Mandy to the mysterious Monsieur X. Monsieur X who we soon learn is Xavier de Malort, courts Mandy with a vengeance, convincing her she is the one for him. But there was a first Madame de Maloret and no one knows exactly what happened to her. Did she leave of her own free will? Or was it something more sinister? Mandy decides to find out what happened to the first wife…before something happens to her.

Dreaming of Manderley is Leah Marie Brown’s homage of Daphne du Marner’s Rebecca. A lightweight romance that amuses but does not contain the atmosphere or the weight one might expect.. A rather cute opening line…“Last night I dreamt of Jake Gyllenhaal again, “ introduces our heroine and leaving me curious to see how Brown would choose to frame this story. Set in the present, the story stays modern with a few character quirks that Brown tries to convince us are quaint when really they are just odd. The first couple of chapters lay the foundation, setting the romance in motion and alerting us to it faint similarities with Rebecca while Brown attempts to stamp her own personality on the story.

Mandy is the personal assistant to a famous screenwriter who’s also her best friend. She has two younger siblings whom she acts as pseudo mother to. While walking the cliffs for privacy and almost falling, Mandy meets a handsome yet elusive Frenchman, Xavier de Maloret, who thinks she is suicidal and jumps to her rescue. As the weeks pass, Xavier and Mandy spend more time together with Xavier rescuing her from various emotional and physical calamities. She may feel his mercurial personality is a bit overpowering, but his debonair attitude and sweet kisses slowly win her over and they marry. He takes her to their new home, she meets his odd housekeeper, hears all the gossip over his first wife, and decides to discover the truth by facing her greatest fear, forcing Xavier to rescue her for the umpteenth time, rather than just asking him.

And that my lovelies is the end. There s no grand reveal, no hidden agenda, no real meat to sink your teeth into. This is the Disney version of a classic. Pretty, shiny and scrubbed down.

Regardless of its cotton candy like substance, the story has it’s moments with strong characterization, amusing narrative, and an sub-storyline that focuses on friendship and family. Mandy’s relationship with her bestie, Olivia, and her sisters, Tara and Emma, is overflowing with wit, charm, some pretty astute insights, and endless text messages.

“Why am I Honey Ryder? I would rather be Vesper Lynd. She was clever.”

“Vesper Lynd was cold. You are not cold, Manderley.”

“But Honey Ryder was merely boobs in a bikini.”

“Honey Ryder was MORE than boobs in a bikini. She was a beautiful, mysterious, sexually liberated woman!”

[…]

“Still…I’d rather be Vesper Lynd.”

“Fine! But you know she betrayed Bond and then died, prompting him to speak one of the cruelest lines ever uttered, ‘The bitch is dead.’”

Mandy is the poster girl for what romancelandia likes to call the Mary Sue. Low self confidence, innocent, naive, clumsy with a light stutter to boot. She is one who lives to serve others and its here we see just how ingrained that attitude is and why. When Mandy’s mother died, Mandy’s father made her the one they all turned to. She raised her sisters, took care of their father, and essentially set aside her life for theirs. Even now she plays mommy while taking care of Olivia. There is a rather sobering scene where Mandy gives her opinion on women, men, and society that is quite antiquated yet only furthers serves to show us how much she longs for someone to love and care for only her. I did like that none of these women were made villains of the piece in order to elicit sympathy for our heroine.

The romance moves pretty fast for how cautiously Mandy is written but again, she’s subconsciously looking for a savior and once she finds him, she’s not letting go. Xavier is the perfect match for Mandy but we really go to know him well. Brown writes him as the ultimate hero. Dashing, heroic, commanding, handsome, rich, and mysterious. He sees the real Mandy and lavishes her with the affection and attention she’s always wanted but never felt she deserved. Yet, it’s all very superficial. He is written to elevate the heroine. As the main protagonist, Mandy is far more developed and it shows.

Dreaming of Manderley promises more than is delivered but has potential. The adaptation of Rebecca, in my opinion, doesn’t work but the secondary characters and additional storylines help to keep the book from stuttering to an uninspired finish. There are two more sisters and I have a feeling their stories will also be modeled after a classic.

Grade: C

A 2017 update to Rebecca, which arguably needs no update at all. That said, this is funny, and, if you let go and just enjoy it as a rom-com, it's pretty entertaining. Mandy is a nicely drawn character who you will find sympathetic- especially when she's dealing with those sisters! Xavier, the wealthy and mysterious man she meets in Cannes- well he's an interesting one. No spoilers but this is quite a bit lighter than DuMaurier (that's an understatement). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a quick, entertaining read.

Dreaming of Manderley
The contemporary retelling of Du Maurier's Rebecca is a nod to the famous classic. With forced and stilted dialog, and the setting of the story, it is more of a celebrity studded piece of work. So we have the heroine, whose name is Manderley Maxwell, a naive young woman who works as a Personal Assistant to a high profile screenwriter. We have Xavier de Maloret, the hero. He is wealthy, suave with plenty of French essence. Therein sets the story...with Xavier somehow appearing whenever the damsel in distress needs him, coming to her rescue. So, who wouldn't fall head over heels in love? After a month, they marry, with Mandy not really knowing anything about him. And yes, as in Rebecca, he was married before. Unfortunately, it did not work for me. Chic lit may be endearing to those looking for a simple, easy read and while I sometimes enjoy a change of pace, this was not it. Thanks to NegGalley for providing this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve been a fan of Leah Marie Brown for a while and when I heard about her new Maxwell Sisters series, I was thrilled.

In the first book, DREAMING OF MANDERLEY, Brown channels her inner Daphne Du Maurier to tell the story of oldest sister Manderley “Mandy” Maxwell. And just like the classic du Maurier REBECCA, this book is chockablock full of romantic suspense, secrets, and sexy guy who just might be more than he seems.

But it’s not just one more retelling of a classic with a modern spin: It’s a book full of the trademark Leah Marie Brown sass, snark, pop culture references, comedy and heart.

Mandy’s in Cannes with her bestie Olivia – a Hollywood screen writer - when she’s robbed while walking along the pier. Enter the dashing hero Xavier. Tall, suave and French, Xavier flirts, Mandy responds, and the duo have an innocent little foreign fling. Mandy falls hard. HARD. So hard that when Xavier asks her to marry him after only knowing her a month, she agrees.

What does she really know about her new guy, though? And what about all those rumors circling around him? Is he a con artist? A murderer? A philanderer?

I hate spoilers so you’ll have to read this fab book to discover those answers, and I highly recommend read it, you should!

5 well deserved stars to another Leah Marie Brown gem.
I was graciously allowed to read an ARC from Kensington via Netgalley for an honest opinion of this work. My honest opinion? It’s well worth the read!

This is a modern take on Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. The first half of the book feels too long and full of angst. The second half is much better and entertaining (but you have to struggle with the first half first). If the first half could be edited and shortened it would make for a much better book.