This book was a rollercoaster of emotions. It took a minute for me to get into it, because of the format, but it was so compelling. This would honestly make a great movie. I loved Josie! She always had me laughing. She was so relatable. This book is teeming with swoon-worthy prose, adorable humor, and an expert delivery of “ Will they end up together?” I guarantee you’ll be burning the midnight candle to a stub to get answers. Step aside Pride and Prejudice, there’s a new romance on the English moors.

The story is described from three separate perspectives in this book. And the vast majority of it is communicated via letters or email. Josie, a present girl, is one of the views; another is Ellias, a lad from 200 years ago; and the novel, which implies that this isn't happening through letters or emails.

Josie Ellias' letters to a girl named Josephine can be seen here. Josie quickly discovers that she and Josephine have a lot in common, thus the letters and Ellias appeal to her. She is enamored with these letters and talks about them with her best friend on a regular basis. She instantly realizes that Elias is talking about her.



This book has one-of-a-kind content.

"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 story takes place through letters dated 200 years ago, through modern texts and emails. It brings two people together who share same grief and help them in their loneliness in such a breathtaking manner. It had so much depth to make you want to live it.

"Forgetting to savour life's details, such as the taste of fresh scones or the scent of books opened for the first time, is our greatest deprivation."

Caroline George's writing is magical, beautiful and rich. I am in love with her words and their flawless flow. The quotes, they will just make you want to remember them. She has written well built characters and developed them to their fullest. I want to meet Elias Roch, Josephine De Clare. Faith is a best friend you will want and Oliver he is a sweetheart. He will have a special place by the end of the book.

"My father told me that... to live, one doesn't need to be strong and courageous, just awake."

This book is plot, characters and so much more. It is about finding love in various forms, same yet different. It is about shaping our future and fighting for it. Talking more about this will be giving away the story, so you have to experience the feel of these beautiful words and let me know your thoughts.

This book was actually quite a shock for me. I went into this book not knowing much about it, like I did not read the synopsis nor did I know anything about the author. So I went into this book completely blind.

This book is told in three different perspectives And most of it is told through letters or email exchanges. One of the perspectives is Josie, a modern girl, another perspective is Ellias, a boy from 200 years prior, and the novel, which basically just means this is not happening in letters or emails.

Josie Find letters from Ellias to a girl named Josephine. Josie soon realizes that her and Josephine have a lot in common so she is automatically drawn to the letters and Ellias. She is consumed by these letters and often talks with her best friend about these letters. She soon begins to believe that Elias is actually talking about her.

The writing in this is very unique, I think the author did a great job when they decided to do this in three different perspectives. It really added to the overall story and made the reader stay interested in the storyline. I was nervous at the ending to this book was going to be rather cheesy, however, it surpassed expectations.

Overall this book was a fun read. I highly suggest listening to the audiobook, the narrator is really good. And it’s just a feel-good story At the end.

An interesting read (or listen!) While there were a few times where I had to push myself to continue, I found the ending to be very sweet and heartfelt. The story itself was an interesting one, and while it was quite unique I can honestly say I did not quite know where it was going to go. It is one that I would like to read again in the future, as some points were a bit convoluted and hard to follow; I find this sometimes to be the case when books use entries/emails/messages between characters as chapters.

i enjoyed this story! the back-and-forth between the past and the present was a nice form of storytelling it was done well here.
thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Reviewed: 4/6/21
Pub Date: 2/2/21

Overall, I really enjoyed the story. The premise was interesting and I love the fact that it jumped from the present to the past. I think it would have been more enjoyable in print, as the audio at times got a little confusing. It was such a unique idea that I would definitely recommend to my 7th grade students.

Dearest Josephine is a completely unique reading experience blending epistolary correspondence in contemporary times and the Regency era, along with a serialized novel interspersed throughout. All three concepts are intricately tied together and unite themes of hope, longing, LOVE, and acceptance.

My favorite part of reading this novel is how it respects and acknowledges the power of story and a reader’s connection to fictional characters. I experienced this connection to the story personally and through the character Josie’s eyes as she discovered the serialized novel and its mysterious ties to her life. Twists, turns, and unpredictable surprises lay ahead for Josie and the reader.

With the slightest hints of mystery and an absolutely endearing cast of characters, everything from modern humor, a nosy knitting club, society and setting of the Regency era, and layers of friendship and connection are depicted vibrantly and with skill. I’m looking forward to whatever Caroline George pens next, and I dearly hope she returns to the YA genre again!

I listened to the audiobook version of this novel and was delighted with the accents of the characters and unique audio cues for instant messages. ❤

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the review copy. This is my honest review.

For better and worse, Dearest Josephine was unlike any book I have ever read.

Dearest Josephine split into three different plots.
The first follows Josie of 2020 via emails and messages she exchanges with her friends, mother, and her ex. We learn the Josie has lost her father and moved into a mansion he has acquired. She then finds a pack of letters from Elias who lived 200 years ago and had written to a Josephine Declare. The plot revolved around Josie's journey as she tries to move on, and re-find herself.
The second plot follows Elias of 1820 via letters he has written to Josephine Declare (of 1820). Elias is a bastard who inherited his father's name and property, and through his letters we see him grow and overcome obstacles. Josephine of 202o reads his letters
The third plot follows an imaginary Elias and Josephine via a novel that Elias of 1820, has written about an imaginary him and the Josephine that he has met. Josephine of 2020 reads this novel.

I have very conflicted thoughts about this novel.
On one hand, the writing was great, and I thoroughly enjoyed following Elias, Josephin, and their Imaginary duals, as well as the other side characters. Caroline has created some very flawed and realistic main characters, but she also some interesting side ones.
However this book didn't really deliver on its promise, and I didn't buy the "romance" that was supposed to bloom between the real Josie and Elias.
Josie fell in love with a character, not a real person. It's as if you read a journal of someone, and fall in love with the person in the journal. But she didn't truly fell in love with Elias.
Then there is Elias, who met an 1820 Josephine Declare ONCE, and decided that he was in love with her. But honestly, he was in love with the idea of her. He met her once and then built her in his mind. He created her personality, and thus she became his perfect\dream girl because she was exactly that. A dream. An Idea. But not a real person.
The main reason I still enjoyed the book, even though it didn't deliver on its promise, is that the novel gave me the romance that I craved, while Elisa and Josephine gave me an interesting and realistic story.

Overall I do think it was a very compelling book, and I'd love to read more from Caroline George. However, I do wish that the premise was different and I was a bit disappointed at the end.

In Caroline George's "Dearest Josephine," Josie has to come to terms with her father's death, her estranged mother's lack of interest in her, and her topsy-turvy relationship with her best friend. When she moves in to her father's townhome, she finds the writings of Elias Roch, a former resident of the estate. His writings show that he was in love with a woman, also named Josephine De Clare, and she finds that her connection with Elias is unmistakeable.

In the beginning of this book, was a little difficult to get through, but once the story was set it was a very captivating story.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for my audiobook copy of Dearest Josephine by Caroline George Narrated by Nathalie Pownall in exchange for an honest review. It published February 2, 2021.
This was a sweet book with multiple story lines. I enjoyed the multi-formatted style. I enjoyed that it was mostly epistolary, and that it used so many mediums. I think it was well-done and fresh. The story itself was sweet, and gentle, not going for shock-value, or push the envelope. Refreshing!
I think this is a sweet book, and worth your while. Also, the narration was done well, I appreciated the different accents for different characters, such talent!

“That was all he wanted to be- the boy who saw a girl and never stopped loving her, the boy’s who love never went stagnant.” This quote resonated with me in so many ways. I finished Dearest Josephine last and am still comprehending and contemplating what I read. I have found myself in the shoes of both Elias and Oliver over the same girl oddly enough. One where we serendipitously meet and then run into each other and as Oliver the guy who would go above and beyond for that girl. It struck a lot chords for me. I guess you can say that I can understand how both Elias and Oliver would feel at various points of the novel.
It was an addicting read that I struggled to put down. I’m already planning a reread once I get the physical copy. It was beautifully paced and loved the integration of the texts and e-mails between Faith, Josie, Oliver. It made it feel more as if you were watching it unfold on screen rather than in words. The wording painted such a visual picture of the events of the book and made all the harder to put down. In the end, I didn’t want to see it come to an end.

I was given access to the eARC of this audiobook thanks to the authors, the publisher, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Josie de Clare inherits a family property in Northern England following the loss of her father. At the estate, Josie finds some love letters addressed to 'Josephine' - her namesake - that are 200 years old, and an old manuscript that seems to be written about her. Across these 200 years, Josie becomes attached to Elias, and so begins a unique love story.

First, the cover of this book / audiobook is stunning and really caught my eye.

Listening to <i>Dearest Josephine </i> was an interesting experience given the story structure told across what is really three timelines and through letters, emails, texts and a manuscript. I found the audiobook narration excellent, and the sound alerts indicating the arrival of text messages were fun. What wasn't so fun was the constant email address and time and date repetition read out loud. Reading this rather than listening to it might have been easier, but it was distracting to the flow of the narration, in my opinion.

Now to the story. I actually found the storyline sweet, with some mild mystery and intrigue and a little romance. But, even though this is a YA novel, I found the writing quite juvenile, and died a little inside at some of the quotes used. I wasn't as enamoured with Elias as other reviewers have been, and found it difficult to fully engage with the characters. I'm not sure if this was due to the book's structure told through texts and emails, letters and manuscripts, or audio book narration.

3 stars

I enjoyed Dearest Josephine much more than I expected!
Josie De Clare’s father recently passed away, and she’s still reeling from his loss. After finding out about a house he bought to renovate, Josie retreats to the secluded manor to try to fix it up and figure out her next steps.
The story unfolds through emails, texts, letters, and excerpts from a novel by one of the manor’s previous tenants. Not my favorite format for a book, so it’s extra impressive that I enjoyed it!
Throughout the book, Josie is working her way through grief. She’s fixing the house, reconnecting with her friend Faith, making new friends, and falling in love with a man who lived 200 years ago. Did she have the healthiest coping mechanisms? No. Were they heartfelt and authentic? Yes.
I was most invested in Josie and Faith’s relationship and the rocky path of mending it again because that was the relationship I could relate to the most.
Did I swoon at some of Elias’s letters? Yes, yes, I did. I adored the Pride & Prejudice references, and the beautiful, pure emotion of the letters got to me a little more than I expected (even considering they were written to a woman that he only knew for a few hours). Honestly, I can’t blame Josie for falling in love with him because I would have too.
I enjoyed the little bit of mystery, as well: is there actually time travel? Do they somehow end up together? How does Elias know so much about Josie?
Audiobook Review: I enjoyed the narrator! She did a great job considering the book’s format, which seems like it would be awkward for this format. I liked the addition of text chimes, which helped differentiate the communication type as you’re listening.
My only complaint is Faith’s emails. The American accent was just not quite right. It sounded Australian most of the time and “Emma Watson in Perks of Being a Wallflower” the rest of the time.
Second Complaint: The over-emphasis of LOL. It always felt very forceful, plus I tend to make fun of people who say it out loud, not to mention if they pronounce it as “lull” instead of saying the letters – that’s probably more of a personal nitpick though.

This book couldn't keep my attention no matter what I've done. It was a lot of long lost letters and some romance, but I was half listening as I got really bored every time i tried to listen to it.

This was a fun book told through a different perspective. I liked the combination of letters, emails, texts, and the novel; although it did take some getting used to while listening to it. The audiobook did a great job with the sound alerts to let you know when texts were coming in. Sometimes it was a little tedious to hear the full email address every time one was read but I understand it has to be done to include all of the book.
I had forgotten what category I had requested this book from so I was a little sad there wasn't more of a sci-fi/fantasy twist at the end. Although the way the plot was moving I didn't want that as much towards the end.
I really liked the full cast of characters in this one and how everyone actually developed and grew throughout the novel. It had great elements of romance and mystery and it had me constantly thinking about how it was going to end.

This one took me a while to get into. While the narration was good, this is one time where following the different story threads would’ve been nice to do with a text available. I was also put off by the constant repetition of the email addresses. I know. It’s such a little thing that has nothing to do with the actual text. This novel has a strong & engaging premise, but it wore thin after a while. I’m pleased with how all of the loose ends were knotted up neatly, but it took so long to get to that point. Maybe it’s because I didn’t particularly fully like many of the characters? I was out off by their indecisiveness and selfishness. That’s reality, sure, but it felt one-dimensional sometimes. I can, however, appreciate a solid read & this was one of those.

An endearing audiobook. It took a few chapters to get the cadence because it is written through texts, emails, and letters, but then I experienced full immersion. This is YA read that is packed full of deeply profound truths. Josie is a young woman grieving the loss of her father. She goes to Northern England to finish the restoration of an estate her father left her. While there, she finds letters addressed to her, except they were written by Elias over 200 years ago! Intriguing. This is a story about true love and how it crosses all boundaries of time and logic. There is a degree to which you cannot try to make sense of it; you will lose the magic and sense of wonder if you try to dissect it. There are three POVs, but they blend together nicely to create a captivating tale. The narrator did a good job of capturing each of the characters without repetition or overlap. The moods, expressions and experiences were conveyed perfectly. I honestly think some of the impact would have been lost if I had only read the book. I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own, freely given.

Fantastically written. The characters were good and their unique individuality showed through those letters. Didn't really enjoy the narration though.

This book was just perfect. It felt into my arms at a perfect time: right after I finished Bridgerton on Netflix. So I was still in that Regency Era romance mood.

The story is told through texts, emails, letters and a novel. I was scared that It would be really difficult to understand, since I was listening to audiobook. To my surprise, the narrator did a really good job and I did not feel confused at all.

Synopsis:
This is a story about Josie, who lost her father to cancer. Not being able to find her place and support from her mother she leaves to an estate her father secretly owned. There she finds a stash of really old letters from Elias, which are addressed to... her! Who is this mysterious Elias? And how could he write those letters to her living two centuries ago?
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What I loved about this book:
Like anyone who lost someone, Josie is looking for a comfort and an escape from reality. She is looking for a place, an object that will make her feel close to her passed father. These letters from Elias were what she truly needed. Josie needed a distraction, a shoulder to cry on or a soul who would understand her pain. And to her luck Elias is the perfect person. She falls in love with this ghost from the past.
I believe there is a hidden message in this book: when we are heartbroken, hurt or vulnerable, we need to find something to help us move on. Josie found Elias and his letters. Because, who knows? If she found the letters when her father was still alive, maybe they wouldn’t have any effect on her? Everything has its own time and purpose.

This book kept me guessing and wanted to know the end. It is full of love, mysteries, grief and relationships... it was just a wonderful novel to read.