This book blew my mind! Like, it’s been a while since I finished reading it, and I still can’t completely wrap my head around it. It was vastly different than what I had expected, and I mean that in the best way possible.

First off, let me start with the format of the novel. I love epistolary novels, and this book offers us this in multiple forms, from emails, to text messages, to letters dating back over 200 years ago. I love the way this book was written; it was just perfect for this type of story.

There was so much depth to this story. While it is marketed as YA, it doesn’t necessarily read as a young adult novel. Yes, there is a coming of age vibe, but the book goes so far beyond that. The writing is so sophisticated, making it more appealing than most YA lit. There are so many layers to the story that it roots in your heart and causes you to really think. About time and your life and the lives that came before you.

And the setting. Be still my heart. I absolutely adore books set in the moors of Northern England. But when you add an old castle–that may or may not have a ghost or two haunting it–to the mix, then I am so excited I can hardly think straight! That kind of Gothic flair lends such atmosphere to the setting and is just perfect for this story.

All these elements combined made this book so hard for me to put down. Dearest Josephine is a book that I will most certainly be recommending to others, as well as a book I see myself returning to in the future.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I was very disappointed in this book. I was throughly confused. I normally enjoy time slip plots but not this one. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and Netgalley and this is my unbiased review.

I can’t put to words what this book did to me. It stabbed my heart, mended it, and then stabbed it again, mercilessly. That’s the only way to describe it. The book blurb of Dearest Josephine doesn’t even begin to do justice to the story at all. But, really, does any book blurb do justice to rare unicorns like this? I don’t think so. *wipes tear*

How to even describe this book? Magical. The way Caroline weaves this story is incredible, incredible, incredible. The book is told with letters, texts, emails, and even a ‘‘novel’’ within the book. It’s the most ingenious book I’ve ever read.

First things first, the characters.

For me, sometimes it’s a little hard to relate to historical fiction characters, it requires a lot of skill to make them relatable and believable. Some authors tend to go a little too far with etiquette and all the classy things of the time, that they forget to show us the human side of characters leaving us with nice but non-relatable ones.

Well, this is not the case. Even though Caroline's characters were everything they should be in terms of society and expectations, there was a raw and human side to them I can’t explain. They were not just there; they were alive. They craved for the same things we now crave; they were quirky and honest and true to themselves. They built forts and drank hot chocolate; they rolled down hills and ate snowflakes. They were young people fighting to be who they truly were while dancing to society’s expectations and rules. Guys in this book cried, laughed, were silly boys, and some days mature adults. They had their highs and lows, and I loved that so much. The book depicts the war raging inside young people’s hearts and how they dealt with it, for better or for worse.

I won’t even begin talking about Caroline's writing style and voice because I won’t stop ranting and this review will get too long. Reading Dearest Josephine felt like snowflakes and sunshine, summer storms and cozy fires, roses, and thorns- an eclipse of bittersweet goodness.

I’ll just say, Caroline, you have become one of my fav authors and Dearest Josephine is by far my favorite read of 2021 <3

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

Content:

-The word bas*ard is used throughout the book

-There is casual drinking (not glorified)

-Quick mention of a character having committed adultery in the past (nothing descriptive)

-Kissing (non-descriptive)

Dual timelines? Check! Epistolary fiction? Check! In Dearest Josephine by Caroline George, 1820 and 2020 don’t seem so many years apart, not when an incomplete manuscript, a collection of unsent letters, and a secluded manor in Northern England transcend the ages to hint at a star-crossed would-have-been romance.

The life and times of the 1800s differ greatly from those of the 2000s, but author Caroline George writes both periods with realism and accessibility. In these two time-separated worlds, characters find commonalities and connections. They find the spaces where their stories intersect as they navigate life in a remote estate and a love that cannot be. Dearest Josephine is complicated in terms of time and setting, and yet it is written so effectively that these things are as clear and simple as can be. Undoubtedly, the epistolary form plays an important role in making this story easy to read despite its triple plot (keep track of what’s then, what’s now, and what’s the imagination of a nobleman’s son in love).

In two-hundred-year-old letters and a novel left behind, ever-romantic Elias Roch details his experiences of life during Regency period and of his insta-love fall for the mysterious Josephine de Clare. Meanwhile, present-day Josie de Clare arrived at a manor to find herself, instead finding Elias’s letters and manuscript, which leave her wondering if it is possible, even after all these years, that she could be Elias’s elusive love.

Present-day Josie soon finds herself falling for Elias. Communicating her experiences through emails with her best friend, Faith, and text messages to local boy Oliver, Josie shares lessons learned from Elias, from the seclusion of her new life at the manor, and from the impossibility of a love that defies the constraints of logic and time.

Dearest Josephine is unique and innovative—something new on the YA scene. If you like atypical story arcs and writing styles, this one is for you!

After losing her father, Josie travels to an estate he bought secretly where she discovers a stack of letters addressed to a Josephine by a 19th-century gentleman who once owned the manor. The more the girl reads the letters, the more she is convinced that SHE is the intended recepient of the letters.

The premise of the book sounded really intriguing so I didn't think twice about requesting it. Elias' letters and his novel were very much to my liking though the same can't be said about the modern-day parts. I didn't particularly like Josie to care about her and was rather disappointed by the open ending (not a fan of those).

In general, it was a rather lovely book to read despite my personal dislikes.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free e-copy of the novel.

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.

The writing is absolutely gorgeous! I read almost the entire book in a day and highlighted so many beautifully written sentences. I loved the format (emails, texts, letters, AND novel). I know some readers find different formats distracting, but I personally love it. It feels fun.

I loved the whole cast of characters. Well, almost the whole cast of characters. The ones I didn’t like I wasn’t supposed to like, so it all worked out. And the storytelling was so intriguing that I couldn’t put the book down because I had no idea how the author was going to pull this off.

The story is beautiful and emotional and romantic. And though I found it a little frustrating because of my emotional cheese puff heart, this book is good. There’s a deeper message that comes through and I would recommend this book on the merit of the writing craft alone.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. All expressed opinions belong to me.

I love this delightful, gripping, and fun novel that has the characters come to life in surprising ways. This was a wonderful escape into the life of Josie who is at a English cottage mourning the loss of her father. I loved how the author seamlessly and uniquely tethers the characters back and forth between present and past in a charming blend of letters, emails, texts, and novel manuscripts. This is a creative and entertaining way of introducing characters and giving the story a rich depth.

When Elias Roch meets the woman of his dreams, Josephine DeClare he falls hard. It reminded me of the prince in Cinderella except there was a glass slipper left behind to track her down. Elias searches high and low for his love with no success. In the meantime, he starts to write her letters, in hopes of sending them to her eventually.

Josie DeClare’s present day timeline is shown through emails and texts which involve messages with her BFF, Faith, who has recently reconnected with Josie, and then there is Oliver, the handsome and charming boy next door, who helps readers see the landscape and get to know the English cottage and Josie better. And last but not least Josie’s mother helping her navigate the ups and downs of grief.

Josie starts to look around the house and stumbles upon a stack of unusual letters written to Josie DeClare by Elias Roch. They are from the regency era and written to a mystery woman Elisa Roch met at a masquerade party. Crazy thing about the letters, they bare Josie’s exact name. When she reads them, she feels as if Elias Roch is writing to her.

I liked learning how the author came up with the idea for this story, She says, “Years ago, I read the book Guernsey Literary…gripped by its epistolary format…For me, the experience was intimate and immersive, a canvas permitting my imagination to fill in the gaps…Fast forward to 2019, when I got the idea for Dearest Josephine, I realized the story needed to be told in letters, and not just letters—I wanted to use modern forms of communication to show we’re all living stories. Our words are important. They survive centuries. They leave a legacy…Dearest Josephine, at its core, is a love letter to the written word. For that reason, I could see no other way to tell Josie and Elias’s story than to bring them together with words. They needed to connect and find themselves both on and off the page.”

I enjoyed this intriguing ride with Josie and friends. This is the first book I have read by this author it will not be the last. This book would be a hoot to discuss at your next book club meeting. It’s so much fun.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have received a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher through NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins!
The Book Club Network blog www.bookfun.org

I started off really enjoying this book and the unique way its written. I like the emails, texts and letters and with the novel it really worked but sometimes I felt like I was missing information or there was big jumps in information. I really enjoyed this book but wanted it to be a bit more fast paced, saying that I really liked all of the characters and how they learnt from each other.

Dearest Josephine by Caroline George is by a new to me author. In fact, this may be her debut novel. I'm not certain. But, what I am certain of is this is a wonderful romantic story. I enjoyed it so much. If you like epistolary style novels, then you will like this book. This book is told in three different types of communication. One is modern day text messaging and emails, the other is through handwritten letters written 200 years ago and also a novel. It has the best ending too. It is just precious. Sigh and swoon!!
*I was given a copy by Thomas Nelson publishers and this is my honest opinion.

Will she understand the hidden message behind this timeless discussion...

I confess I put forward my reading because of earlier reviews.
Yet despite the unusual setting of this book, an epistolary novel mixing past and modern days means of communication plus a novel in the novel, I was immediately sucked in it. The heroine Josie was fun, she recognized her own flaws and tries to apologize for them.
More than a romance, this is a coming of age tale, of what we must let go to become one own self.
And while the narrative jumped from Josie emailing/texting her friend Faith or her caretaker Norman or his grandson Oliver then to Elias’ letters or novel, never did I felt lost.
It was even more entertaining to read the modern discussion intermingling with the past prose.
Josie the more she digs in Elias’ one sided correspondence, the more she wants to see similarities, that the Josephine from the past is in fact herself. That despite time, it is to her and her only he is writing.
And while she sinks in this charade, she also learns again how to live. She makes friends, she gets a job, she learns a craft, she in fact makes peace with her past.
She can’t erase everything but with the people around her who care for her, she might find a new path if she is willing to open truly her heart and face the heartaches that can come with it.
Elias too, from his side of time shows her with his own mistakes and hard learned lessons what counts truly in life, that by loosing you can gain too. Because there are many ways to love as « 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑛𝑜 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑒. »

« 𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑦. 𝑆𝑜, 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑛’𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑡. 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 ℎ𝑢𝑟𝑡𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚. 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑤 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟. »

It was a much enjoyable and lovely read as the modern characters are lively and spirited and the ones from the past demonstrate that love could too find a way even when it was not a praised feeling.

The historical romance reader in just wonder how an out of wedlock born boy can inherit a title?! I checked and it was impossible. He could have inherited his father’s non entailed assets but never his title.

4.5 stars as I forgive this lapse as it was not the main subject.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 some kisses

I have been granted an advance copy by the publisher Thomas Nelson. Here is my true and unbiased opinion.

Caroline George's novel, Dearest Josephine, is a story about the present learning of the past that that seemed to know about the present, told in emails, old letters, and a novel. Is a perfect description of our main character by someone from 200 years ago a coincidence? Can a current relationship ever compare to one of the past? Interesting concept, and even though it is not the most thought-provoking, deep novel, it is certainly worth the read. Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for giving me an ARC ebook version of this book in exchange for my honest review.

In 2020, Josie De Clare is having a rough time. Her father has passed away, her mother is absent, and her best friend is on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. But when Josie spends some time at her father's estate in the country, she uncovers letters and book chapters from a boy who seems to know her, to love her even. The only problem? He lives in 1820.

In 1820, Elias Roch is an aspiring novelist and illegitimate son of a nobleman. Sent to the country to learn about his role in society, Elias spends most of his time in his own head, reading, writing, and dreaming of Miss Josephine De Clare, a girl he met at a party and then promptly disappeared.

Spanning two eras and told through a series of emails, letters, texts, and book chapters, Dearest Josephine is a beautifully-written tale about finding love in the present, and being present with the ones we love.

I absolutely adored both Josie and Elias. Both characters were raw and real, clawing their way out of their situations and learning how to live (and love) in the moment. I especially loved that Elias isn't your typical, brooding YA male. Elias wasn't shy about his feelings, especially for a time when feelings made men weak by society's standards. In fact, Elias's character has some of the most beautiful, swoon-worthy, quotable lines I've read in a long time. These two flawed characters are so perfect in their own ways, and author Caroline George did such amazing work with them both. The star-crossed lovers trope is easily overdone, but George refreshed the trope with intrigue and several centuries separating Josie and Elias. Needing to know how it was all possible, I found Dearest Josephine unputdownable and a must-read from February's releases.

Dearest Josephine is truly unlike anything I'd ever read before, and I ended up adoring it. I've long been a fan of both timeslip novels, and the epistolary writing style, and I loved that this beautiful story is both of those things. Told in two different time periods through letters, emails, and a novel manuscript, I found myself barely able to put this one down once I picked it up.

I adored Josephine, Faith and Elias all as characters, and I loved how brilliantly described the English setting is, especially the historic manor. Perhaps what really makes this one stand out though, besides the unique way in which it's told, is the supporting cast of characters that truly helped bring the story to life. Dearest Josephine is basically a star-crossed lovers tale, with quite a bit left to the reader as to how they choose to interpret everything.

I had an idea in my mind as to how everything was going to come together, and I was pleasantly surprised when I was proven wrong. Caroline George is a master storyteller, and I'm definitely interested in looking forward to reading more of her books in the future.

I was also pleasantly surprised that this one is fairly clean, with only a couple of minor content concerns including a certain term being used for Elias being an illegitimate child, and Faith being obsessed with the Kardashians of all people. The only other minor complaint I ended up having was that I thought some of the way everything wrapped up didn't really explain some of the questions I'd developed while reading it, but that didn't affect my enjoyment of the story, and I really ended up enjoying this one.

Final Rating: 4/5.

Thanks so much to Thomas Nelson for allowing me to read and review this!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel from the publisher (Thomas Nelson) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not required to give a positive review.

I started Dearest Josephine yesterday with absolutely no intention of spending my entire day reading....but there was something about the juxtaposition of Josie's emails and texts with Elias's letters and novel that made me not want to put it down. I'm not a hopeless romantic and usually shy away from any type of romance but something about this Austen-like romance drew me in and refused to let me go until the end. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Dearest Josephine. Maybe it's time for me to start picking up more novels like this.

Having lost her father to cancer, Josie is struggling with her grief. When her father’s will reveals a family-owned property in Northern England, Josie leaves London to live in the house. Yet during her stay, she discovers love letters written 200 years ago, by an elusive novelist, all addressed to someone named Josephine. When she discovers a novel, in which it seems she is the heroine, Josie’s world is turned upside down. It soon becomes evident to her, that in 1820, novelist Elias Roch, the bastard son of a nobleman, finds himself in love with a woman, Josephine De Clare, Josie’s namesake, a woman he can never be with. Convinced Josie is his soulmate, Elias writes letters to her, all of which divulge the tragedy and trials of his personal life. Soon fiction blurs with reality and Josie and Elias find themselves trying to make sense of their situation.
This is a clever storyline and I enjoyed the link between the present and the events of 1820. The link between the two time periods was cleverly done, and I also found myself enjoying the use of emails and text messages, to tell the modern-day story. Without revealing too much, the characters of Josie and Elias are further brought to life with the secondary characters. The romance is delightful and the witty conversation, particularly from Elias, were thoroughly enjoyable.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

“Cadwallader Manor will provide sanctuary while I toil to recover myself. From where I sit, the moors do not seem as desolate a place. Sheep graze across their slopes. Mist skirts the ridges and ravines. Yes, I shall endeavour to find peace here.”

Oh, how I loved the scenery and the descriptions in this dear book. Cadwallader Manor does a nod at “Jane Eyre” and I kept waiting for Mr Rochester to make his appearance. I could imagine myself right there with Josie De Clare. I loved the writing style...so refreshing, heartfelt and sweet. This is not a light read as Josie is grieving over the death of her father, breaking up with her boyfriend and in the midst of being on pause in her life. However, the story of Josie De Clare’s journey was captivating.

“Loss changes our perspective of the world, exposes its instability, and leaves us to gather the pieces of our broken selves and stick them back together.”

This is a metafiction story… Which basically means contemporary meets history in this story within a story. So that may sound confusing, but it made for a refreshing read that was filled with heart, longing and pure magic in writing. The story bounces around a lot because of the different time periods and viewpoints. However, similarities between the characters, both dealing with grief in different ways was intriguing and inviting. I did find myself slowing down about midway through, but once I delved back in I was caught up again. Some things will drive you nuts, like why is a girl caught up in a romance from years ago with Sir Elias Roch. However, once you understand how well they relate and the mutual struggles with grief, I think, like me you will be captured by Josie’s transformation. The romance was beautiful and captivating, too.

“So many people waste time waiting for good things to happen to them. But sometimes we need to make good things happen. And when we finally start doing that, we often see there were good things in our lives all along.”

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Unfortunately, the format this book was written in just wasn't for me. Had I known it would be written in a series of emails, text messages, and letters, I wouldn't have requested it. I prefer my books to be written in a more traditional format. Not to mention there are multiple perspectives the story is told in, which I can find confusing. Nothing against the author or the book, I'm sure it's a great story for the right reader.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved how atmospheric it was and how unique the storytelling was! I think that it was very interesting slowly seeing all of the pieces come together each chapter we read. I also really like how although it’s told 3 different ways, emails, letters, and a book, that it was easy to read no matter which format we were in. I really connected to the characters at the end. My only complaint is that the book definitely could’ve been more diverse.

Dearest Josephine was a combination of reading over someones shoulder as they wrote emails and living in a Jane Austen novel. I loved it!

First off, I started this book as an ebook and then at about 43% was gifted the audiobook and finished it that way for no other reason than I LOVE audio and can get to it faster. I loved both options. I enjoyed the combinations of texts, emails, a found novel, and love letters to tell a story. The author combined them in a masterful way and told a story that you wouldn't have expected at the onset.

I really liked Elias. *heart eyes* I mean, he was a bit mood at times, but for good reason. And I very much enjoyed his own novel creation as well as the insight into his real life that we got through his letters.

As many reviewers have mentioned, there was some 'insta-love' but, while at times I found the basis for his vast and undying love to be a bit suspect, I think it was cleared up well at the end as to why that was the case. And, in all honesty, I'm a romantic and love the notion of falling so madly in love with someone you just KNOW that they are 'the one' even after one meeting.

I thought the texts/emails might be limiting at first, wondering how the story would progress or feel 'full' but it worked out so well! Sure, Josie is maybe a little more verbose than any of us might be in email form, but then again...maybe not. I write LONG emails so I get it ;-)

And lastly, the ending. *SIGH* I won't ruin it here but it was perfect for this story. Just what I wanted and hoped it would be. And there was a point where I was talking to the book wondering: HOW? How will this work out? And then the end came and I nodded, smiling as I said: "this is perfect."

I'd definitely recommend this to lovers of Jane Austen fiction but also to those who enjoy a good love story told in a slightly different format than what they are used to. You'll find romance, friendship, struggles, and successes between the pages of Dearest Josephine.

My rating: 4.5*

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for gifting me an advanced copy in both ebook and audio.