An enjoyable read.
Well described characters and an entertaining storyline. Everything a good book needs.

It seems that "down on her luck city girl moves to falling-down mansion in the British countryside" is my new favorite rom com trope. Maddie is a newly-unemployed journalist who inherits a pastoral estate from a cousin she's never met. To make ends meet, she agrees to take in a boarder, who happens to be a curmudgeonly-but-handsome novelist with whom she's already developed an antagonism.

The outcome of this situation is predictable - Maddie becomes involved in village life, and with the novelist - but it's good fun getting there. What Would Jane Austen Do is a sweet, low-angst romance and an entertaining read, complete with kooky side characters, a family mystery, a local literary festival, and a lovable dog.

Still, I found myself not fully committed to the story, and I think it's because the story didn't feel fully committed to itself. I was drawn to the Jane Austen-related title, but I didn't feel like the Austen theme was thoroughly-developed. Neither were Maddie's professional struggles, or her family dynamics, her friendships, or the house's upkeep. Maintaining all these threads did keep the novel balanced and light, but I would have found it more compelling with a more focused plot.

Linda Corbett’s What Would Jane Austen Do? makes great use of its Austen source material, spinning out this romance between an “agony aunt” (an advice columnist) who writes a “Dear Jane” column and a suspense novelist who’s a total Darcy when they first meet.

Maddy Shaw meets Cameron Massey on the day she’s fired—via email—from her column, when they’re scheduled to do a radio interview together. This is not a meet cute. Massey immediately gets under her skin with his scorn for Austen and, really, romances in general.

Maddy plans never to see him again, and then an unexpected inheritance from a disgraced and distant family member she never met requires her to live in a small English village for a year before she can sell. So, jobless, she moves from London to the country to wait out her twelve-month sentence.

But she doesn’t the move as much as she’d anticipated, coming to recognize the charms of life in a small village, even as she’s pulled into running the literary festival that her relative began. And then Cameron shows up . . .

This is a sweet, closed-door romance that centers on friendship as much as love, on making one’s own judgments about those around us, and on the virtues of carving out one’s own path. I devoured it!

Jane Austen herself would absolutely love this book as it is charming and captures all the essence of a good Victorian novel! Maddy is fired from her "Dear Jane" column just as she inherits a huge home from her dad's cousin, Nigel whom she's never met. The only stipulation is she must live there for a year, leaving behind...well, not much! Once in the English countryside, she is astounded at its size as well as the expectation that she will chair the yearly Literary Festival at her new home. To add to the burden, she runs into Cameron, a bestselling author she locked horns with during an on-air broadcast. And we're off! Utterly absorbing and delightful, this novel catapults us into Maddy's world and the action never lets up!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

I liked the cover, the references to Jane Austen,the country setting of the story and the first meeting-clash between the main characters.The love story itself did not engage me.

This was a great combo of mystery and romance...it puked me in from the start and kept me captivated the whole ride. I immediately could picture the characters, a true sign of a well written book. I loved the interplay between Luke and Maddy, and the town characters added another level of fun to the story. It was quick movining and delightful. I recommend it!

Loved it. Romance/chick lit is a a valuable genre. This story is fun and funny. What do you do when a notorious relative you thought was dead leaves you a house? There are conditions attached that make life interesting. Enjoy I did.
Romance is not just a money maker for publishers it's a genuine story by hard working authors see

What Would Jane Austen do? by Linda Corbett

Thank you netgalley, One More Chapter and Linda Corbett for giving me an eARC of this book.

This was such an easy read. It made me feel warm inside. Such a cosy read, full with Jane Austen references.

We have our main girl, Maddy who has an encounter with a grumpy author at a podcast interview and they have a heated debate on romance novels.

Inheriting a house in the countryside, and having to live there for year as a condition left by her uncle, she doesn't expect to run into the previous mentioned author.

I really enjoyed the vibes. We have this big house, the lovely countryside community and a dog. I love Buster, he is so sweet.

I fully recommend this book, especially if you love Jane Austen and a cosy piece of literature.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The best thing about this gentle romantic comedy is the characters. I love the two main characters Maddy and Luke, and all the tropes are here: eccentric elderly villagers, a bossy matron wanting to exert control over the annual literary festival, the sweet heroine coming fresh from a romance gone wrong and the loss of her job in the big city to a mysterious inheritance from an unknown black sheep of the family. The handling of all these elements is light and fun, and the antagonism between arrogant bestselling mystery novelist Luke and former advice columnist Maddy sparks humor and an appealing romance. The elements of a mysterious death long ago in America and a ghost hunter interested in Maddy's newly-inherited derelict mansion help propel the action forward. The Jane Austen references throughout the story make an entertaining touch. This is an easy-to-read and engaging story that's a lot of fun to while away a summer's day with.

So the romance was tangential to the main plot, such as it was, and the Jane Austen link was tenuous at best, and yet somehow I still really enjoyed it!? Highly recommend if you've got a nasty virus and feel sorry for yourself and just want something cosy and soothing, which may sound like faint praise but it's actually really hard to accomplish!

I loved the initial banter between Cameron/Logan and Maddy, and would have liked to see more. This is an, easygoing, mild case of enemies to lovers story with many nods to Jane Austen. That said, the title doesn't represent Maddy's mantra. It would have made more sense if Maddy kept her advice column job and worked remotely from the inherited house. Sometimes the Jane Austen references seemed forced and sometimes they were on point. At times my attention strayed as the story simmers along through to the end. I would have liked the blip of conflict near the end to be more fleshed out as it felt abrupt, as did the resolution. That said, this is one of my favorite genres and settings, so overall this was an enjoyable read for me.

Thank you #NetGalley and #HarperCollins for the ARC e-book.

Good. Perfect for fans of Jane Austen. Even though this a purely romance story there is a subplot of a family mystery that has you gripped to the very end. Loved the characters as they were so real and enjoyable to read.

While it was a cute story I was a tad let down. I thought with the title it would be more of a love letter to Jane Austen but there were a few loose connecting threads throughout the story that honestly didn't even need to be there.

Not just a romance! What Would Jane Austen Do involves a fun little mystery, walks in the English countryside, and, yes, romance. I really enjoyed this one! Great summer read.

This was a delightful read from beginning to end. I loved the characters, and the setting of a quiet little town. There are lots of fun Jane Austen quotes thrown in and a great story to keep you entertained. This is a great read for any Jane Austen fan.

What would Jane Austen do after reading this book?
I think she'd smile and say, "Bravo, Linda Corbett - you've written another brilliant read bursting with romance and humour. I love the mystery running through the tale - and Buster the dog is the most glorious creation. Can't wait to read your next book..."
I totally agree with Jane Austen.

Loved it! I was engaged with the story the entire time. I liked the pacing and the flow of the story and the characters were well written. I will read more from this author.

Any sign of Jane Austen and I’m there - and I have no regrets when it comes to snapping up the chance to read this book! Whilst there are plenty of Jane Austen quotes and references (which I loved) this is definitely one to read even if you’re not a fan - I promise you don’t need to be to enjoy this book.

This was top tier grumpy vs sunshine trope and I loved the debates between Maddy and Luke, neither of them afraid to defend their views and speak their minds which is evident when they first meet. And Buster? An absolute sweetheart. Every book should have a mischievous dog. Beyond the romance, the book has a fantastic and vibrant cast of characters as well as a mystery to be unravelled by Maddy, one which kept me guessing throughout. I would have liked a little more chemistry between Maddy and Luke and to see their relationship after the romance began as there wasn’t much interaction between them beyond that point. However, this was a completely delightful book and I’d definitely recommend it!

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

This book is a great inherited country house, grumpy lodger, romance that anyone would enjoy. Jane Austen fans, in particular, will love it! Great Austen quotes throughout and wonderful Darcy mirroring. It's not a modernization of P&P but there are hints. I personally fell head-over-heels in love with Buster, the dog.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

What Would Jane Austen Do is a fun, contemporary romantic comedy where our MMC is a crime writer and our FMC is a former columnist writer. Maddy is a Jane Austen lover, and early in the story, she inherits a house in the English countryside from an estranged family member. As a result of inheriting the house, Maddy also inherits the responsibility of running the local literary festival. We follow Maddy as she grows accustomed to the small town.

This book really gave me cozy and warm vibes. There's a cute dog named Buster, an enemies(ish) to lovers to trope, and a cute small town. There's also a mystery to be solved - Who was Cousin Nigel, really? Maddy had heard her family's take on him, but when she starts to clear out the house and talks to the townspeople, she discovers that there's more to Cousin Nigel than her family thought.

Overall, this one was really enjoyable for a lighthearted romance with a side twist. Thank you to the author, and Harper Collins for an advanced copy! All opinions are my own.