Thank you @netgalley and @wednesdaybooks for this review copy!

Overall this story was okay. It went by quickly and I did want to see how it ended but there were a couple random plots that I felt didn’t add anything to the story or were very underdeveloped. I wanted more from Hazel & Jack (but did love the ending!🤯)

I loved the little history bits - this takes place in the 19th century so it was fascinating learning about medicine in that time. (Did you know surgeons were considered of “lower social status” back then?) I really enjoyed reading about grave diggers and medicine during that turn! I also loved that the MC, Hazel, wanted to defy what the norm was then and become a surgeon during a time most women did… well.. nothing.

TLDR: cool story that ended up a little underdeveloped. Fans of The Lost Apothecary and female empowerment in a man’s world will enjoy this one!

I absolutely adored this book! The original premise was what drew me in, its the gothic tone, the city, the love story, absolutely everything that set the foundation for this book is appealing. The only thing I didn't enjoy was how rushed the resolution felt at the end of the book. It felt as though the entire build up came short because of the rushed ending. The execution however was near flawless.

Dana Schwartz’s Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz.

With her father off being a soldier and her mother wrapped up in her grief for her oldest son Hazel is left to her own devices - spending time with her father's books and a longing to become a surgeon. She, along with Jack stumble upon more than they bargained for when seeking out bodies for Hazel to learn anatomy.

This book would be well paired with Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce books or Mindy McGinnis' Madness So Discreet. All are historical fiction featuring intelligent young women that use their curiosity and scientific knowledge to help others while dealing with being a woman in a man-centered world.

Highly recommend.

A thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

This book had a fairly unique premise, and a cover that matched. In some ways it reminded me of the Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy, with the female lead whose passion in life is anatomy, surgery, being a doctor, etc. Where that book leaned toward humor and madcap adventure, this one leaned hard into the gothic and macabre.

There's a lot of blood, a lot of cutting up bodies complete with odors and squelching of organs and... well. You can probably imagine. There's also many, many decaying corpses -- and an ill-advised kiss *inside a grave, complete with maggots.* *shudders*

while the cover is clever and very appropriate for the title, the subtitle "A Love Story" felt misleading. The romance is actually minimal here - at 40% Hazel and Jack had hardly met and were still separated by plot.

This book was also a bit uneven overall. There were definitely passages that were quite beautifully written, and chapters that had me glued to the page. While Hazel's ambition was relatable, it felt like that was all there was to her character. Jack felt unfinished, and their love story went from 0 to 60 in seconds. But in addition to the minimal and uneven romance, the sinister villains never faced any consequences. The focus of Hazel's life for most of the book is forgotten toward the end. And the end itself is rather abrupt. While in some ways I like what Dana Schwartz is trying to do with that ending, I definitely felt unsatisfied overall.

I would probably recommend it to fans of Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy, especially those who don't mind a little -- ok a lot -- of blood and gore. Not to those with weak stomachs, though.

I thought the audiobook narrator did a decent job, though it was sometimes difficult to tell which character was speaking. Her voice was pleasant to listen to and overall it was an enjoyable listen, though I did end up switching back to the e-book to read a fair bit of it.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and Macmillan Audio for providing an e-arc and audiobook for review.

This was a really good story! After a somewhat slow start, it really picks up the pace. What I loved the most was the stalking jack the ripper vibes the entire book gave off. While, this one does the girl power part a bit less cliche than Maniscalco's book I do feel it was even less historically accurate in the way that the main character constantly was able to run off without any sort of escort or expectation. Overall, I really enjoyed the story and it had some good anatomical parts.

This is an entertaining and slightly creepy story about a girl named Hazel who wants to become a doctor, but unfortunately, it's the early 1800s and she's from a wealthy family, so she is expected to get married instead. Of course, she doesn't accept that as her only path, so she figures out ways to study medicine and the human body (most of them involve sneaking around dark streets at night, hiding her identity, some casual grave robbing, etc.). She does a lot of this with the help of supportive side characters, most notably a guy named Jack who knows how and where to steal bodies.

Hazel is a fantastic main character and very easy to cheer for. I really appreciated that she kept pursuing her dream of practicing medicine even when the romance plot started- her love interest didn't overtake her original goals. In fact, the romance aspect of this book was less of a focus than I expected it to be. That made me care less about whether or not the characters would get a happily ever after, but on the other hand, it allowed more time for the more interesting grave-robbing-feminist-doctor parts.

I loved how dark and eerie the setting of this book was, and the writing was light and easy to read. Anatomy is definitely a young adult book, but I still enjoyed it and would recommend it to those who want a short historical read with a little bit of a romance and a lot of graveyards.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC to read and review.

First off, thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Anatomy is the story of death, life, love, and transformation, set in early 19th-century Edinburgh. Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and Schwartz transports the reader so easily into the city. Beyond the setting and incredible worldbuilding, the story itself has creative twists and turns that keep the reader guessing, with just enough foreshadowing to feel earned.

My only complaint with this book is that I wish there was more since the book weighs in at a comparatively short 352 pages. Schwartz's characters and style are so compelling that I ended up finishing the book in one day, and it's a great read for any historical fiction, ya, or romance fan.

I really enjoyed the concept of this book! Hazel, a young female, is trying to become a surgeon despite all the societal barriers against her in 1817 Scotland. Not only is her family against the idea of her being interested in medicine as anything more than a very strange hobby, but as a woman, it is almost impossible to study surgery. She is a super strong character that is quite capable of overcoming the odds.

The resurrection men (because it's not grave robbing if you're only stealing the body!) were an interesting part of history. Some parts are a bit dark and squeamish, especially if you are disturbed by corpses or too much medical detail. The book definitely focuses more on Hazel than it does on Jack, the main resurrection man who procures bodies for Hazel to study. I did enjoy their interactions together, and although their relationship felt a bit rushed, I was rooting for him much more than her obnoxious fiancée since birth. I also found it a little hard to believe a 16 year old was left to her own devices to such an extreme, especially an upper class girl in a time of chaperones for all outings.

Overall it was a book that kept my attention and was a fast-paced read! I enjoyed the ending, and although it was abrupt, I assume it is setting up for another book. I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley for my opinions.

The first time I read Frankenstein, it felt like a spooky, macabre tale that one would tell around a campfire. After finishing Anatomy: A Love Story, I had the same feeling: the unsettling dread, the shock at some of the plot reveals. This novel is definitely one that I won’t soon forget.

Anatomy is focused on Hazel, a young woman of the nobility who wants to be a doctor, and Jack, a young resurrection man with romantic dreams. The unlikely duo join forces after Hazel’s gender bars her from participating in body examinations. But as Jack helps Hazel solve her problem by supplying bodies for her to study, he’s faced with one of his own: the disappearance of his friends and acquaintances. With many blaming the return of Roman Fever, Jack and Hazel begin to suspect that something darker is afoot.

I really enjoyed this! I’m honestly kind of surprised at how Anatomy’s vibe is very similar to classic gothic tells (such as Frankenstein). The atmosphere of this novel was definitely curl-up-in-bed-spooky with a dash of hope. The main characters were fantastic! I loved how Hazel and Jack balanced each other out! It was also pretty neat seeing a male lead have some romantic whimsy.

The plot of Anatomy is fascinating and I love how all the elements come together. There’s a seemingly unrelated prologue that ties in wonderfully and there’s news articles & medical passages littered throughout the novel that really add to the story. It’s really incredible how this book is constructed.

All in all, this was a wonderfully dark & macabre read that is perfect for anyone who wants a new gothic tale.

Special thanks to NetGalley & Wednesday Books for the eARC! I really appreciate it!

Who doesn't love when a badass woman bucks the system? I sure love it! And a woman choosing to pursue medicine in the early nineteenth century, at any cost, seems extra awesome to me. Hazel has always been quite fascinated by medicine and the human body and such, and she's far less enamored by the life that her parents have planned for her, which is to marry her cousin (yeah my reaction too) and basically just be arm candy and a baby factory. Sounds awful to me, too.

But society in those days was even more trash than it is today, so of course women's weak constitutions could not possibly handle doctoring (insert a million eyerolls here). So Hazel grabs some boys' clothes and goes to class. (Yes, I am oversimplifying, shh.) Turns out, there is far more going on behind closed doors in the Scottish medical community than Hazel could have imagined.

And look- Hazel is definitely quite privileged to be able to run around doctoring, even if what she is doing is noble. I love that this is addressed, too! Because honestly, a lot of women would have neither the means nor the opportunities to do so, and Hazel has them in abundance- as well as not having too worry too much about what will happen to her if she is caught.

The story gets rather exciting as we start to delve into the messiness of some of the "doctors" Hazel comes into contact with. Add to it that people have resorted to literally stealing bodies to study on, and throw in a plague, and things are certainly dicey! Makes the stakes high, and the book very readable! The vibe and tone of the story are also very on point, as you can feel the gothic undertones and the sinister nature of the situation.

As for the "love story" part? I mean, if we're talking Hazel's love story with medicine, then absolutely! Because while there is some romance, it hardly takes center stage, so be aware of that going in. (Also, luckily, it isn't with the creepy cousin.)

Bottom Line: Atmospheric with a great heroine, I found this a very readable and exciting historical fiction.

Hazel, a teen in 1817 Edinburgh, wants to be a doctor, and she’ll do whatever it takes to make her dream a reality. As her younger brother is the heir to the family estate, she is expected to marry, safe cousin Bernard. Unfortunately, Bernard isn’t as exciting a match as penniless grave robbing resurrection man Jack.

While I was intrigued with the premise, the writing style with use of passive voice, affinity for exclamation points, slow pacing, fluid point of view/head hopping, and backstory-heavy dialogue made the book a struggle for me to finish. One of the main twists of the story seemed to come out of nowhere. Hazel came across to me as a rather unlikeable and pompous character, but I admired her tenacity and single mindedness of her desire to become a doctor. Antisocial personality is prevalent in those who thrive as surgeons and CEOs, so perhaps someone like Hazel would need to be a bit cold hearted to forge a path to practice medicine in the 1800s. At one point, the option of becoming a midwife is mentioned, and I found it odd that she never explored that path, at least initially.

I enjoyed Jack’s perspective, and I can see how the gothic feel and historical settling of the novel could appeal to a number of readers. Jack was a sympathetic character. I can understand Jack’s attraction to Hazel due to their common interests and desire to help the downtrodden, but felt stumped as to why Bernard continued to pursue her when he had other options.

The book describes resurrection men as vampires feeding medical students dead bodies for study, which I think nicely can be used to show my overall feeling for the book. While vampires, resurrection men, and dead bodies all work well with the themes of the book, the metaphor itself doesn’t stand up to close scrutiny, even with the additional descriptor of the resurrection men disappearing in sunlight.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to Wednesday Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group, for providing an Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley.

i fell in love with this cover before anything else, but the story exceeded my expectations. there was everything in here from a bit of a thriller to illicit romance and everything in between. well written and a great female lead. i'd be interested ion reading a sequel for sure!

Title: Anatomy: A Love Story
Author: Dana Schwartz
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Edinburgh, 1817.

Hazel Sinnett is a lady who wants to be a surgeon more than she wants to marry.

Jack Currer is a resurrection man who’s just trying to survive in a city where it’s too easy to die.

When the two of them have a chance encounter outside the Edinburgh Anatomist’s Society, Hazel thinks nothing of it at first. But after she gets kicked out of renowned surgeon Dr. Beecham’s lectures for being the wrong gender, she realizes that her new acquaintance might be more helpful than she first thought. Because Hazel has made a deal with Dr. Beecham: if she can pass the medical examination on her own, the university will allow her to enroll. Without official lessons, though, Hazel will need more than just her books – she’ll need bodies to study, corpses to dissect.

Lucky that she’s made the acquaintance of someone who digs them up for a living, then.

But Jack has his own problems: strange men have been seen skulking around cemeteries, his friends are disappearing off the streets. Hazel and Jack work together to uncover the secrets buried not just in unmarked graves, but in the very heart of Edinburgh society.

I was a little bit disappointed in the last section of this (not just the ending). For the entire novel, Hazel is determined to do the right thing for people and in the end she just sort of slowly caves? Eh. That was disappointing. For most of the book, I really enjoyed her determination, but then she just kind of chickened out, which was disappointing.

Dana Schwartz lives in L.A. Anatomy: A Love Story is her new novel.


(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

I am absolutely in love with the cover design for this book! It is going to easily draw readers to it. Historical fiction with a slow start, you're pushed into the world right away and intrigued but then it slows way down. We have our main character, Hazel, who wants to become a surgeon but because of misogyny wouldn't be allowed. She gets around it by dressing up as a boy in order to attend classes. While trying to sneak in she meets Jack who is going to change her life in more ways than one. Great for gothic horror lovers with a bit of romance (not the main focus) and paranormal happenings.

Anatomy: A Love Story
By Dana Schwartz
4 out of 5 Stars

Frankenstein meets Stalking Jack the Ripper. This book pulled me into the grimy world of Victorian Edinburgh and kept me reeling in the horrific delights it offered. Hazel Sinnett, our main character, wants to be a surgeon in a time before that was a viable option for a woman, let alone a gently breed one. However, she is not one to be denied her dream. She collects books, and dead animals before finally sneaking into the Anatomist’s Society to learn how to cut open cadavers. She even goes as far as dressing as a man and signing up for classes. After she gets kicked out of school for being a woman, she strikes up a deal that could allow her to be a surgeon and open the door for women behind her. She just has to pass a test on her own. For that she will need access to bodies.

Luckily, she has already met a local resurrection man named Jack Currer. Their plans for their future and survival are hindered when resurrection men start going missing and poor people end up with body parts removed. Hazel and Jack must work together to help the people of Edinburgh and try to make a future for themselves.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, it was just gross enough to make it interesting, but it was not so bad that I struggled to read through it. Hazel is an interesting female lead. She is strong and smart, but she also struggles with the limitations set on her. She feels like a real person and despite everything you want her to succeed.

The romance in this book takes a back seat to the mystery portion of the book. Most of the romance occurs off page so they go from acquaintances to being in love quickly and without a lot of on page time.

There was also something off with the pacing of the book that made me feel like we either needed more to happen or one of the subplots needed to be removed or condensed. There was a portion of the book that started to get very long and that pulled me out of the story. It definitely stuck the landing with the ending though. I was not expecting the twist and it made some things that happened in the book seem more worth it.

The Story: Set in Edinburgh 1817 during a time where women are not allowed to be surgeons, seventeen year old, Hazel Sinnett is determined to pursue her dream as a surgeon and she needs corpses to study. Jack Currer is a resurrection man who is just trying to survive. They soon cross path, and while working together, they both discover something sinister is going on when bodies begin to pile up and resurrection men go missing.

My thoughts: I loved historical fiction with medicine/science theme especially one that is about grave robbing/body snatchers. I find it fascinating and disturbing at the same time. So I really liked that this story centers around that!

Hazel is an endearing character and I loved her passion in becoming a surgeon, and how she wants to find a cure for the disease that is slowly killing a lot of people. Heads up - there were some gory details on the disease and surgeries.

This story has a bit of everything - mystery, romance and magical realism. So, there are so many parts I liked, and there are parts I wish for more depth. Honestly, I do not think this is a love story since the romance element was not a lot in the story. It was more about Hazel's life, passion and how both her and Jack are trying to solve the mystery.

Overall, I still think this was a pretty good story and I liked the engaging writing.


Pub. Date: Jan 18th, 2022

***Thank you St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for this gifted review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.***

There are some really interesting elements to this story about a young woman pursuing a medical career in a time and place when that really wasn't an option for women -- but the tone skews younger than I'd expected, and the focus on romance and a thriller aspect take away some of the impact.

Anatomy : A Love Story by Dana Schwartz is a YA historical fiction. It follows Lady Hazel Sinnett as she finds away to study her love of medicine against all odds. Whether that is dressing as a man to attend lectures or buying bodies stolen from the grave to further her knowledge of anatomy. There's a plague spreading and people going missing and reappearing with less body parts than they began with. Amongst this, she falls in love with an unconventional boy and takes a hold of the future others had planned out for her.

Overall, this was a decent YA historical. The main plot was a bit tired though, it didn't really bring anything original to the genre. Our leading heroine Hazel was very likeable but not stand out amongst the other YA heroines of the time period trying to study medicine in a man's world. Jack on the other hand I really liked. Yeah he stole bodies from graveyards in order to make enough money to survive, but he was charming and had a handful of quality sonnets of love towards Hazel that with make you swoon. The romance between them was sweet and innocent. I do wish the ending of their romance had been more satisfying, it left you with the HEA potentially, but it was a bit disappointing.

2 stars, a promising start let down by a lackluster ending

If you follow author Dana Schwartz on Twitter (and you should), you'll know she has quite a few broad interests including medical history, noble society in the 18th and 19th centuries, feminism, literature, humor, and so on. This book synthesizes a lot of those interests into the story of Hazel Sinnett, niece of a respected viscount who would much rather become the first female surgeon in 1800s Edinburgh than marry her cousin to inherit the family estate. See, Anatomy: A Love Story is a play on words. The love story is, at least at first, about Hazel's love for the study of anatomy and only after she meets the body snatcher, Jack Currer, does it begin transitioning into a romantic love story.

First off, credit where it's due, the time period felt especially well researched and vividly realized. Schwartz does a great job bringing Edinburgh of the early 19th century to life complete with disgusting smells, ignored underclasses, and all the prejudices you'd expect from the landed gentry. On top of this, the main characters are quite engaging and Hazel's struggle in particular is easy to get invested in. And lastly, there is a well maintained tone of mystery and dark happenings that is carried through successfully to the end.

But there are also a ton of weaknesses here. A major one is that I personally didn't think Jack and Hazel had much romantic chemistry and their relationship progressed from friendship to romance far too quickly. I believe there is a line where Hazel decides to kiss him and the narrator says something to the effect of "she didn't know why she did that" and I'm with the narrator, I thought it was rather abrupt and unmotivated. If this was the only weakness though, the book would have more than just the two stars. The far bigger weakness is that the novel juggles a half dozen big plot lines and drops the ball on just about all of them by the end. Hazel's struggle to become the first female surgeon? Not resolved at the end of this book. Does Hazel end up with Jack or her cousin? Unresolved at the end of this book. Hazel's attempt to find a cure for the mysterious illness sweeping Edinburgh? Unresolved at the end of this book. The lack of conventional resolution for basically all of the plot is quite frustrating. My understanding is that there will be a sequel to this book so I wasn't expecting everything to be wrapped up but the novel feels like nothing has wrapped up by the end. Worse yet, Hazel's decision to just sit around and wait to see what happens next is rather disappointing compared to how active she was through the rest of the book.

All in all, I don't think it's a bad novel and it's quite possible the sequel could address most of my concerns. But as it stands now, this book feels like a novel-length set up for a story that has barely begun and the main sequel hook teases that the follow up will be most invested in the plotline that I personally felt was weakest.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing mem with an ARC to review.

First off, I absolutely have to talk about how completely gorgeous this cover is! Honestly, if I had it as a print I would absolutely frame it. It's such a unique concept and it fits the book perfectly. I'm in love!

The second thing I want to address before I go into how much I enjoyed this book, is that I would not categorize it as a romance. It is a love story, yes, and there is romance in it, but it has an HFN (question mark???? I use 'happily for now' very loosely) cliffhanger. That doesn't mean I didn't find the love story absolutely beautiful, but I just think labeling it as a romance genre book with that ending is not accurate.

Now all of that said, I really did love this book! It was incredibly gothic and almost as much a love story about anatomy as it was a love story between two teenagers. I will say if you're at all squeamish, read with a bit of caution because it does go into some graphic descriptions of dead bodies and surgery, which I found absolutely delightful! But I know not everyone will find a kiss in a grave romantic. Both Hazel and Jack felt authentic, and while their love was a little on the instant side, it was still so sweet and genuine! I absolutely loved the little moments between them. Hazel wants to study to become a surgeon and needs bodies to practice on, while Jack is a resurrection man. It's a match made in Victorian Edinburgh!

The one thing I wish had been different was the ending. And actually, the more that I think about it, I wish that either there hadn't been a fantasy aspect to this story, or that it had leaned way more into being a fantasy. When it came to the end, I had to ask myself "wait, is it really going to go this way?" because I had forgotten there was even supposed to be a supernatural aspect to it. I feel as though there was absolutely a way this story could have been carried out as just an incredibly gothic YA romance without needing any fantasy elements to it, and it probably would have been a perfect read for me. But because it leaned slightly into fantasy, it made the ending feel incredibly rushed and unsatisfying. I actually can't remember another book that I've loved so much and been so frustrated by the last 15% of the story.

Even so, I thought this was incredibly well written and I'm going to keep my fingers crossed for a sequel because I need to know more!