I must say this absolutely stunning cover is what drew me to this one at first. Set in the early 19th century in Edinburgh, Hazel wants nothing more than to study medicine - a thing while not explicitly forbidden is certainly not encouraged. But absent parents and being related to the local viscount (her uncle - and it is assumed that she will marry his heir, her cousin), has given her more freedom than other young women of her age and class. the other main character, Jack Currer, is a resurrection man - he spirits away the dead for doctors and medical students to study.

Hazel, bookish and intelligent, makes for a likable heroine. And though the time period feels authentic, the book reveals itself to be more fantastical than historical. The ending is rather open to interpretation and it concludes without resolution or any sense of justice being meted out. I suppose in that way, this will lead to lively discussions amongst readers, but detracted for me. The odd plague, the doctor and Hazel's futures are all left dangling...

The central romance is sweet but not exactly unexpected. It's a quick read, though, and certainly entertaining. I just wish that the conclusion had been more satisfying.

Holy crap. This book was amazing. It yanked me right out of a reading slump and had me devouring it nearly entirely in one day. I could NOT walk away.

A bit of Frankenstein, a bit Dickens, a bit Sherlock Holmes, Anatomy is just a mesmerizing narrative that had me captivated from the beginning. Gothic, Victorian, and mysterious with a strong female protagonist. It has things that just get me excited to read.

The writing is excellent and the pacing just flies. The narrative is gritty and awesome, reflecting on the female situation in the early 19th century and the misogyny that strongly existed in this era with regard to employment, social standing, and the worth of opinion. Hazel is a badass female character and I freaking adored her.

The medical aspect of the book was awesome and I loved it so much. Not for the squeamish, but so freaking good otherwise. Just enough dark and weird to whet my appetite and I am chomping at the bit for more. There is some indication from the author that there may be a follow-up novel coming in the future and I could go ahead and take that right now thank you.

The ending is a bit rushed and there is something of an ambivalent ending, but if there is to be a continuation of this as a series...all good. I'm down for more. Let's do this thing.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

I didn't know if I could meet the deadline to read Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz and write a review. I needn't have worried. The pages flew by, and I was not ready for the end when it arrived.

I've written extensively about Frankenstein in the past, and the ol' "hanging out at Bath" trope is one with which I've been familiar since the first time I read Austen a quarter-century ago. What I'm trying to say is that, though Schwartz and I have had very different lives and experiences, the love for the literature and the history is something we have in common. It would have been all too easy to create a historical romance during this time period full of anachronisms, one that didn't ring true. However, Schwartz struck no false notes in her attempt to ground this love story in a world where Sense & Sensibility is the hot new release.

Hazel Sinnett would likely get along well with Elinor Dashwood, although she'd roll her eyes at Elinor every now and then. They'd definitely have a lot to talk about as women whose greatest value (and greatest burden) is their marriage eligibility. The Austen heroine who I always wished for (and the one I suspect Austen wanted to write) is the one that refused to buy into marriage, instead seeking a life of her own making. Hazel wants to be a physician, but--of course--that isn't an acceptable role for a woman.

Jack Currer, on the other hand, is a character who crawled out of a Dickens novel and into a grave a la Victor Frankenstein. He calls himself a resurrection man because, when you take pride in your work (and don't steal the clothes), it isn't just "grave robbing."

These building blocks could have been the basis of multiple novels, but the one that Schwartz writes is a romance. There are some conventions of the genre with which Schwartz plays fast and loose. On the fantastic side of things, Schwartz succeeds more fully; she uses the authentic feeling of the time period to create space for a little Victor Frankenstein "science"--that is, magic in all but name. Overall, Anatomy is a fast-spaced, fantastic "what-if?" story that kept me on the hook to the very end.

I tried reading this and realized it just isn't for me. I'm not a huge romance fan and the mystery just didn't interest me.

This was one of my favorite YA's of the entire year - Anatomy was gripping and spooky and I fell in love with Hazel as a main character. I wanted to live in this book forever. Already refreshing my feed for a book two?! Dana Schwartz is a master at dialogue and historical details.

A gorgeously written gothic story that is both nostalgic and fresh, romantic and horrifying. Dana’s prose is impossible to resist and I found myself flying through the pages, desperate to find out what happened next!

Our heroine is easy to relate to as she strives to do and be more; helping people is what she does best, yet given the time she lives in it seems unlikely she’ll ever be able to pursue her dream.

The love interest and secondary point of view is endearing and a polar opposite to Hazel, in the best way. Their dynamic is easy to enjoy and hard not to root for.

My biggest qualm is that there’s not more of it! The ending came about so quickly and I desperately wish to follow these characters for even a chapter longer, but that is a sign of a good book.

Thank you netgalley for the free ARC in return for an honest review.

Lady Hazel Sinnet wagers with the esteemed surgeon Dr. Beecher that if she passes the physician's test, he will allow females into his anatomy course and he will get her a position as a doctor. Hazel is as resourceful as she is smartand will do almost anything, including buying dead bodies to learn hands-on the anatomy of the human body. She works with resurrectionist (body snatcher) Jack Currer to get specimens and falls in love with him. Hazel is a unique character in this macabre, Victorian set novel.

What a delightful, lovely, sweet novel! Maybe that seems odd at first glance considering the topics of resurrection men, plague-ridden Edinburgh, social constraints on women, and a host of other dastardly things but it's true. What makes this story a joy in the middle of all that darkness is Hazel and Jack, both as individuals and in the love that grows between them.

They are the kind of characters that are impossible not to fall in love with. Hazel is so headstrong and brilliant but she still is soft inside. Jack similarly has retained his heart despite having a cruel hand dealt to him in life. Their personalities truly shine and I just adore them so much I'm sad that I'm finished reading their story. Their love story is just wonderful.

The atmosphere of this book is done so well. You can feel the grim and mist on your skin as you read. It's visceral without being heavy-handed and the prose retains a lightness that the subject matter makes difficult to keep. I'm so impressed by the author in this and am looking forward to reading more from them because the hard work in this story is clear.

There are plenty of great secondary characters, the plot keeps rolling without being too fast, and there's a fantastical element that surprised and delighted me. I could go on but it's all to say that I'd absolutely recommend this novel to any reader. It's such a great story, I think there's something here for everyone.

Note: I received a free electronic edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank them, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to do so.

A beautiful, dark, deeply romantic gothic story set in Edinburgh. This book was a whole bloody vibe and it was truly a stunning work of debut art.

🔊Song Pairing: Welcome to the Black Parade - My Chemical Romance

💭What I thought would happen:

I had not the slightest clue. I thought perhaps an exploration of anatomy, it’s YA so I didn’t think it would get too steamy…holy cannoli was I super wrong

🗯Thoughts:

This novel is From Hell meets Sleepy Hollow. So basically Johnny Depp must be in film adaptation.

What I love about hazel is her longing to be a surgeon in the early 19th century when science lead men to believe that women were inferior due to a smaller brain and hysterics. Goodbye to those guys

I related to Hazel hard because she feels as if bringing one book is not enough, using
the argument what If I spill tea on it and have nothing to read! Calamity! Don’t even want to think about being without a book! #soulmate

This book ended and I was like WAIT! WHAT! NOOOOOO!! Do I want more? Yes. Am I also content with the ending. I think so.

Again, in the yellow sticker I trust. This was a truly original story. I loved every bit of it. Each page carried a unique perspective.

Very solid YA historical/light horror book! Very much in the realm of Stalking Jack the Ripper and A Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy, but the most compelling storyline of the bunch in my opinion. The main character is likeable yet we can clearly see the places where her privilege rubs up against the discrimination she faces from being a woman when woman had no power. The part I probably liked best about this book though was the total immersion in the setting and the time period. I felt totally transported. I will definitely have my eyes open for more from this author, because I absolutely flew through this book! Thank you to Neygalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much @NetGalley and @wednesdaybooks for gifting me a copy of Anatomy: A Love Story in exchange for an honest review.

🪦 Mini Review🫀
The moment I saw this cover I had to have it, it is gorgeous 😍😍 After reading the synopsis I knew I was going to love it. And love it I did. I def got some SJTR and Monstrumologist vibes.

I abosolutly loved this book. Once I got into it I couldn’t put it down. Anatomy takes place in Edinburgh, 1817. We follow Hazel, who is a lady that has been betrothed since birth. Although her mother insists that she get married Hazel wants to be a surgeon. She has studied all the text and can tell you how to perform almost anything, but what she lacks is experience.

Our second POV is Jack. He is a ressurection man, which is a person who digs up bodies and sells them to surgeons. He does pretty well for himself but unexplainable things have been happening to the ressurection men in the area. They’ve been going missing and one of them is his closest friend.

Hazel gets a chance to sit under the lectures of renowned surgeon Dr. Beecham and get some hands on experience but after a few classes she gets kicked out since she is a girl. Thankfully she met Jack not too long ago and knows what kind of man he is and realizes how helpful he will be. She has money and he can get bodies for her to practice on. If she can pass the medical examination coming up she will be able to work under Beecham and live her dream. But things aren’t always as easy as we think.

This book kept me up till 1am because I had to finish it. I love the characters but most of all I loved the story. I loved the little historical fiction we got in this as well. There was one instance in the story that I wasn’t a fan of, which is why I didn’t give it 5 stars.

I seriously recommend this book to those who love gothic stories and don’t mind some graphic details. I gave this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

3.75
Who knew that you could fit a love story, grave digging, and anatomy classes all into one book? Dana Schwartz has done it and was able to through some mystery in there for a little extra fun.

It is 1817 in Edinburgh and Hazel Sinnett has wanted nothing more than to be a surgeon. She has spent her life reading books and doing her own experiments and has decided that she is going to take classes from the world-renowned Dr. Beecham. Shortly after the beginning of classes, she is kicked out for being a woman. She makes a deal with Dr. Beecham that if she can pass the medical exam on her own then the university will allow her to enroll.

Jack Currer is a resurrection man (grave robber) just trying to survive. After a chance encounter with Hazel, she realizes that she is going to need bodies to study and that Jack is just the person to help her.

At this same time, the Roman plague is going around and killing tons of people that society doesn't think matters...poor people. There are also resurrection men going missing. Hazel and Jack also decide to take on these mysteries.

I enjoyed this book. I was not bowled over by this book. It is a very slow burn. Not much in the way of real mystery or intrigue until the last 40% of the book. The characters were likeable, but I was a bit disappointed that we didn't get more of a back story on Jack.

I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

1.5 stars. This was a major disappointment. I’ve been a fan of the author’s "Noble Blood" podcast since the beginning and had such high expectations for her literary debut.

For a book that literally has the promise "LOVE STORY" in the title, the love story only takes up the last half of the book, and is therefore half-baked and underwhelming.

I can't get over how insufferably naive and "not-like-other-girls" Hazel is. For someone who's supposedly smart, she's absolutely idiotic and can barely think her way out of most situations. She gets kicked out of a guest lecture that takes place once or twice out of the five scheduled lectures a week, and she spends the entire rest of the day, night, and morning after crying in her bed and then smashing things around her room that leads to cuts on her legs instead of thinking up ways around her ban. Instead, Hazel creates more work for the only maid (besides the scullery girl) left in the estate, bless her, even if Hazel promised to clean up and tend to her own cuts.

Why not just skip that sexist surgeon’s lectures, she wasn’t kicked out of the main professor's classes???

Don't get me started on how she converted her house into a hospital without a license, or at the very least, completing her studies/exam (a consequence of one of her many stupid choices). Even if the Edinburgh Anatomist’s Society rejects her on the basis of her gender, having passed the exam is credible proof for her and her patients that she has completed the necessary theoretical and practical training, and is therefore qualified to perform this kind of important work.

She basically endangered her staff by bringing in patients with infectious diseases into her castle and endangered her patients by practicing medical procedures and administering treatments on them that she has no confirmation will work. I cannot stress enough how heinously she breached ethical standards by treating her patients as guinea pigs for her own untested medical theories and her staff as potential collateral damage not worth protecting—and all to fulfill her fantasy of becoming renowned rather than, I don't know, helping people stay alive and healthy without expecting a huge personal reward? But of course, her main character privilege affords her the luxury of ~being right all along~.

The narrative is so adamant about her being oppressed as a woman (and just sweeps the fact that she is rich, titled, white, cis, straight, able-bodied, and conventionally attractive under the rug) that it contrives to create situations that demonstrate just how much she is at a disadvantage - even though the situations don’t make sense! A constable of the land her family is in charge of talks down to her despite the fact he literally owes his livelihood and home to her family, on top of the fact that she is his social superior. A guest lecturing surgeon tells her she’s incapable of surgery because he believes women have smaller brains. All because she’s a *girl.*

I’m not saying being a Western woman in centuries past was a walk in the park or that their struggles don’t exist - they did and still do. But so many amateur historical fiction writers emphasize how miserable it was to be a woman before the feminist movements of the later 20th century, and that it wasn't possible for women to find anything to love, to take joy and pride in as women. And honestly, that attitude is just as misogynistic as any society these girls who are supposedly “ahead of their time” are stuck in.

For a book that supposedly tackles feminist themes, we only have about four actual named female characters, including Hazel, none of whom are particularly inspiring or at least well-developed, and no queer or PoC characters.

As for Jack, we could basically swap him with one of the corpses he digs up and it would have the same personality and function in the story as he did.

Plus, I can’t be the only reader who found the descriptions of clothing like crinolines, “corsets” instead of stays, and other such articles more Victorian than Regency?

That one passage about her being too hot in her thickly-layered dress in the summer particularly infuriated me. The Neoclassical movement of 1795-1820 shifted toward lighter fabrics, such as muslin and cotton, and slimmer silhouettes and therefore less layers—what is there for Hazel to complain about?

Clearly more research was needed to ground the characters and story more firmly in the time period instead of wasting pages pushing the lifeless romance between the two stale leads. Furthermore, people back then knew how to dress for the weather, knew and used seasonally-appropriate textiles and styles. Let’s give the people of the past some credit for knowing how to dress and how to survive the elements, because if they didn’t, we wouldn’t be here to read this disappointing mess, would we?

SPOILER
What is with that twist about alchemy in the end??? Nothing about the narrative and themes led up to an alchemical pursuit and achievement of immortality, so how can immortality be the logical narrative solution? Sure, we got that one not-so-subtle hint about Professor Beecham never taking off his gloves, but that's it.
END SPOILER

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I’ve read two previous books by Dana Schwartz, Choose Your Own Disaster and The White Man’s Guide to White Male Writers of the Western Canon. Both were non-fiction(ish?) – the first a memoir with a “Choose Your Own Adventure” conceit and the second a satirical look at famous authors from the persona of Schwartz’ @GuyInYourMFA twitter account. I also enjoy her podcast Noble Blood, though I am waaay behind on it (it’s a mystery to me how people manage to make time in their lives for podcasts).

Anyway, when I heard she had a young adult book coming out and read the blurb, I was excited. Even moreso when I saw the beautiful cover. Suffice to say, I was jazzed to read this.

Aforementioned blurb:

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, Beecham will allow her to continue her medical career. Without official lessons, though, Hazel will need more than just her books – she’ll need corpses to study.

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, and the dreaded Roman Fever, which wiped out thousands a few years ago, is back with a vengeance. Nobody important cares – until Hazel.

Now, Hazel and Jack must work together to uncover the secrets buried not just in unmarked graves, but in the very heart of Edinburgh society.

So, Hazel is a lady; I think she’s about 19. She’s engaged-to-be-engaged to marry a cousin, who is appropriately boorish (but could probably be worse as far as boorish cousins/fiances go; I’ve read so many). When we first meet Hazel she is attempting to reanimate a dead frog. She has always been interested in medical matters and has longed to have the opportunity to study to be a doctor, but her gender and her class present considerable barriers.

Hazel lives with her mother and younger brother in a castle near Edinburgh; her father is off guarding Napoleon on St. Helena for the Royal Navy. Her beloved older brother died from the same “Roman Fever” that Hazel recovered from, and ever since her mother has been super-protective of Hazel’s younger brother and neglectful of Hazel (presumably her gender makes her not worth worrying about).

A note on the “Roman Fever”: the internet mostly points me to the Edith Wharton story of the same name, and other references suggest it’s another name for either malaria or pneumonia. In the course of this story, it seems like perhaps a fictitious ailment somewhat similar to bubonic plague.

When we first meet Jack, he’s robbing a grave. It’s distasteful work (more on that in a bit), and I had to give some thought to the moral implications. As presented in the story, the graverobbers strip the bodies because if they take anything *other* than the body they can be charged with theft, which is a more serious charge than just graverobbing. Families of the recently deceased do take measures to prevent the desecration of their loved ones’ remains (putting a concrete slab over the coffin was one popular option).

I guess I kind of disapprove of graverobbing on the grounds that you’re potentially giving pain to the recently bereaved. While I find it very yucky (again, more on that), I don’t think it really matters to the person who is dead. And: 1) doctors and students did need bodies to learn from that were well nigh impossible to get at that time and 2) graverobbers needed money to survive.

Whereas I had previously, if ever gave it any thought, felt that graverobbers of past centuries were Not Good People, I am willing to aver that the truth is more complicated. For the purposes of the story, Jack is really quite decent and not even all that hardened given the circumstances of his life. He is also about 19.

So, the story: as blurbed, Hazel and Jack meet and then meet again, and she starts using him to provide bodies. She has first started to attend Dr. Beecham’s lectures disguised as a male, but is found out fairly quickly. Hazel and Jack develop a friendship and when his gravedigging partner mysteriously disappears (dun-dun-dun!), Hazel even accompanies Jack on his nocturnal missions.

All this stretches credulity quite a bit – not that Hazel is intent on becoming a doctor, because history serves up plenty of examples of women ahead of their time. But it seems unlikely that she’d be left to her own devices to such a degree as she is (her mother, spooked by the return of the fever to Edinburgh, whisks Hazel’s brother to Bath, leaving Hazel alone). Even though she lives in a castle, the only staff appear to be Hazel’s maid and one footman, both of whom abet Hazel when she starts bringing stiffs into the castle’s dungeon (!) and cutting them up.

Ultimately, my bigger issue with this book was really my own fault – I didn’t really think about how squeamish I am. I find the subject matter interesting but I have probably too faint a heart for the nitty gritty – sights and smells are described in a fair amount of detail. I ended up feeling somewhat alienated from Hazel as a character because I didn’t *understand* how she wasn’t grossed out by it all (I judged Jack less harshly because it wasn’t like he got into dealing with dead bodies because he wanted to).

I mean it when I say – this was my issue. I fully acknowledge that the world needs people willing to do all sorts of things that I find gross. But I do wish I’d understood Hazel better – maybe I needed more background on how and why she became so fascinated with human anatomy. I didn’t dislike Hazel, but I found Jack both more likable and relatable.

My last complaint is that there are unexpected fantastical elements introduced late in the story that I really wasn’t expecting and didn’t feel were necessary to the story. I think there may be a sequel, and these elements do intrigue me in regards to what direction the story will take. But I wish the turn into fantasy/sci-fi (sort of? I don’t really know what to call it) had been better telegraphed. In retrospect, there were a couple of things that didn’t really make sense for a story grounded in reality, but these were too subtle for me.

This is one of those books/reviews where I have more to say about the things I didn’t like than the things I did, making it sound like I *really* didn’t like the book, which isn’t quite the case. Complaints aside, this was well written and the setting and characters interested me. I enjoyed Anatomy: A Love Story enough to give it a B grade, and I will very likely pick up the sequel; I think knowing about some of the things that bothered me in this book will make me less likely to be bothered in the next one.

3 stars!
ty to netgalley and st. martin's press for the digital arc :)

'anatomy: a love story" follows hazel and jack. hazel is a female surgeon, which isn't accepted in society at the time. after getting kicked out of her class (which she attended disguised as a boy), she enlists the help of jack - who is a resurrection man - to gain the proper experience to be certified as a surgeon. the two soon work together to help figure out the secrets that shroud them.

i think this was a decent book. reminded me a lot of stalking jack the ripper and i believe fans of that particular book would enjoy it. i do want to say that i don't really view it as a love story? didn't really feel a lot of chemistry between the characters. it's a bit on the slower-paced spectrum of books but not too bad that you end up falling asleep. not a fave but not bad either.

Anatomy: A Love Story is about Hazel who live in the late 1800s in Edinburgh. Hazel wants to be a surgeon, in a time before female physicians. After Hazel sneaks into a physicians class and is exposed as a woman she makes a bet with the residing doctor that she can pass the exam without his class. She soon realizes though she can't learn it all from book, cue Jack the resurrection man to help provide her with bodies. And why are the poor in Edinburgh showing up with missing pieces of their bodies?

I listen to Schwartz' Noble Blood podcast, and she continues her electrifying writing style in this book. I could not put this book down. I was thoroughly invested in the plot and characters. Hazel and Jack's chemistry was undeniable. Also the B plot hits you like a ton of bricks at the end and I'm just sitting with my book screaming "Wait what? Huh? WHAT!" So highly recommend.

I love Dana Schwartz's podcast, and was definitely not disappointed by this book! It was such an eerie book, which some incredible twists. I grew to love all of the characters!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC.

Hazel desperately wants to learn anatomy by dissecting things. We first meet her when she stumbles onto a lucky find: a dead frog to anatomize. It's the early 19th century in Edinburgh, and Hazel is a girl, so options for studying anatomy, even as a woman of wealth, are non-existent. But when Hazel finds out that a renowned anatomist will be starting a course, she is determined to find a way.

This was charming. I loved how Hazel Sinnett is odd but not in a "shucks, this lady likes BOOKS and wears glasses" sort of way. Hazel wants to cut things up to learn and will happily cross dress to do so. And she finds the perfect man to help her! While there is a love story here, I was most focused on seeing Hazel evolve, channeling that quest to learn to helping those most in need. Refreshing.

I've enjoyed Data Schwartz's podcast Noble Blood and many guest appearances on Stuff You're Wrong About. If you haven't listened to those yet, highly recommended.

Anatomy was amazing! This story’s main character did what Kerri Maniscalco couldn’t do with Audrey Rose. I loved this so much and I can totally see why this was chosen as a Reese Witherspoon book club pick!