I would just like to thank Netgalley and the author, Linda Corbett, for giving me the opportunity to read this book. It was funny, witty and gave a very respectable 'nod' to Jane Austen.
I can't believe that this is the first book of Corbetts books that I have read...don't worry though, I'll be checking out her other books too. As I genuinely feel that I've been missing out.

The story centers around a former agony aunt, Maddy, and a moody brooding Mr Darcy-esque crime writing author, Luke (aka Cameron). When Maddy receives a surprise inheritance from an estranged family member, just at a low point in her life - following her dismissal from her beloved job. She finds herself in a situation that can change her life forever. Bequested to her by her infamous Cousin Nigel, Maddy finds herself the proud owner of her very own country "mansion", Meadowhall, conditions included, Maddy is thrown into country life, with kooky fun-loving county folk, a cute little dog and of course the brooding Luke. Circumstances end up bringing the two together, thanks to the lovable hound Buster, some humerous encounters, soul searching and the odd streaking event, resulting in the obligitory and metaphorical 'sparks flying'

This book is well written and the appropriate Austen references/links and quotes at the beginning of each chapter just adds to the overall concept. The characters all have their own little stories that make you like them more...especially Luke, who has a lot more to him than first meets the eye, and of course Cousin Nigel...what a dark horse he was.
Overall, this was an enjoyable, unputdownable book,. It made me chuckle and gasp out loud, but don't take my word for it, give it a read and form your own opinion....you won't be disappointed.

A copy of my review for this book is also available on Goodreads via Lisa

I received a free copy of, What Would Jane Austen Do, by Linda Corbett, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Maddy just lost her job and has to move out of London, but fate steps in when her cousin Nigel leaves her a place to stay his country house, but of course there is a stipulation she has to help with the annual literary festival. This is a great job for Maddy, except for Luke, who is not her cup of tea, or is he? An enjoyable read, set in an idyllic English village.

Not your everyday, things go wrong, girl meets boy or rags to riches type of easy read! Although the premise is the same this is elevated by the Austen quotes and the literary setting. The characters are believable, charming and for me any story that includes a lovely dog is a bonus. I particularly enjoyed the way in which our heroine was able to use her writing talents even though she had lost her writing job ( careers advice always find another way to use your talents if necessary!)
Thank you Netgalley, publisher and author for my ARC as I had a very enjoyable afternoon reading in my garden!

This was ok, like other reviewers said it didn’t set my world on fire and I felt I had to plod on to get it finished, rather than being desperate to read it. The plot had traditional romcom premise with inheriting this grand house but it felt very odd that her old life just disappears, bar a few phone calls with her parents and one friend. She did nothing about losing her old job and just makes new best friends with everyone in the village and cleans and tidies the house all day!
Her friendship/relationship with Luke plays out and has a few ups and downs. I did finish the book and enjoyed bits of it, just didn’t love it.

I also would have liked the idea behind the plot quite a bit, except that Luke and Maddy had zero chemistry, in my opinion, and their interactions most of the time made no sense. He then is an adult with spoiled child-like behaviors who just needed to start banging his feet on the ground. In short, it's not that I particularly liked it as a book, although all chapters began with a Jane Austen quote and that pulled the level of the novel up quite a bit.

L'idea alla base della trama mi sarebbe anche piaciuta parecchio, se non fosse che Luke e Maddy avevano zero chimica, secondo me, e le loro interazioni la maggior parte delle volte non avevano senso. Lui poi é un adulto con dei comportamenti da bambino viziato a cui mancava soltanto di cominciare a sbattere i piedi per terra. Insomma, non é che mi sia piaciuto particolarmente come libro, anche se tutti capitoli cominciavano con una citazione di Jane Austen e che tirava parecchio su il livello del romanzo.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

What Would Jane Austen Do is a fairly straightforward and predictable novel about a recently fired Agony Aunt who moves into her dead cousin's sprawling countryside estate and falls for the town & her neighbor, a reclusive author with a pen name.

My main issue here was how everything felt so surface. Maddy loses her job and soon finds out it was for nefarious reasons, but somehow she just never follows up on this? Maddy's uncle was in possession of integral information about a famous rock band, but after the mystery is unveiled it's dropped?? Luke, the erstwhile Cameron Massey, has a very messy broken engagement in his past, but somehow we just accept it as "stuff that happens in England" and move on??? Also - what was with the local funeral goer who literally could not stop herself from attending funerals?? Did we ever close that loop?

All in all, this book uses Jane Austen's name but has none of the Jane Austen charm. It's a cheap ploy that worked on me, but I wish I hadn't fallen for it. Two stars. Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC.

An easy read and full of humour, this is one of those book that I didn't want to end. I loved the quotes from Jane Austen as ex agony aunt Maddy, who found herself in quite implausible situations, often found an answer to her problems by referencing her favourite author. Well worth a read.

This book was so fun! I opened this one because of the title and the synopsis seemed like an interesting plot. Going in with little to no expectations, I was pleasantly surprised! It was funny, had things I loved like a grumpy author, a writing theme, and a bunch of other great things too.

It was a clean romance and had cute references to Jane Austen’s works. Overall, super cute read and I’m so glad I signed up for an arc!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

What Would Jane Austen Do? is a good concept story set out with thoughtful Jane Austen quotes to start each chapter. Mandy comes into good fortune inheriting a large house in the country on the condition that she has to live it in for a year, leaving behind her friends, family and city life. Along the way she meets Cameron Massey and his dog and takes an instant dislike to him. I found the story kept me turning the pages and overall it was enjoyable. However, I would say that Cameron’s behaviour and reactions seemed too grumpy and childlike to get over and find attractive.

Rating: 3.75/5
Spice: 0 (one make-out scene and a fade-to-black)
Publishing date: 16 June, 2023

This was absolutely adorable, yet for some reason it kind of feels as though I wanted more...? I don't even know if I can properly explain it.

The story follows Maddy, a Jane-Austen lover, who has inherited an estate in the English countryside from a family member she doesn't even know. She travels out from her home in London to live at the estate for the stipulated year before she wants to up and sell the property. Can the town and it's inhabitants win her over? If she's judging by the surly author who she's had a falling out with, surely not?

I loved reading about Maddy finding her feet in this absolutely gorgeous-sounding estate in the English countryside (can I please move there?). She doesn't have the money to keep the place running and since she doesn't even know anyone there, she's almost at a loss and ready to give up.
But then Myra, one of the village elderly ladies and runner of the local Literary Festival, gives Maddy the idea and the right person to take as a lodger. If only she'd known it was the author she had a falling out with.

Soon they start growing towards each other and the atmosphere turns pleasant between the two. During the story we're getting plenty of opportunities for belly-laughs at the rest of the friends Maddy makes, adorable moments with the lodger's dog, and the growing romance between Maddy and the Author.

The writing is wildly comfortable and it's so easy to sink into the story. I actually had to pace myself while I was reading. Linda has founds a wonderful way to incorporate the wisdoms of Jane Austen into a modern day novel that is great for a sunny day spent reading in the garden.

After all this, can I explain what it is that had me wanting more? No, I can't even put my finger on why I'm left feeling a little unsatisfied with the ending (even though the third-act breakup was resolved). I guess we'll never know!

The novel What Would Jane Austen Do? will appeal to everyone who likes a nice romance with a dash of old mysteries, quirky neighbors, beautiful countryside, dogs, cupcakes, and literature.

Maddy Shaw is forced to go outside of the London rental market after learning that her Dear Jane column has been terminated. She finds out about the death of long-lost cousin Nigel, the family's black sheep, and learns that his gorgeous country home was given to her in his will.

There is, of course, a condition, she has to live one full year in a house. Maddy is appointed chair of the committee for the yearly literary festival in her community, and now she also has to put up with bestselling mystery writer and skeptic of romance Cameron Massey as a new neighbor.

Sparks flare both on and off the page when Maddy challenges Cameron to write love fiction, which he believes is so simple to do.

Engaging and fun, Corbett's writing captures the spirit of Austen while giving it a contemporary spin (of Pride and Prejudice). The pace is steady, with a good mixture of humorous passages, romantic tension, and literary allusions that keep readers interested throughout.

The several Jane Austen quotations that were included at the beginning of each chapter are nice additional touch to the novel.

A cozy and heart-warming read.

A genre book, entertaining, fast and predictable. A good beach read for this summer or for a lazy afternoon sitting in the shade. Thanks for the opportunity to read.

Mandy is a young journalist, and Jane Austin fan, who losses her job as an agony aunt. Worried about how she can afford to live in London with no income she receives unexpected news about the death of a distant relative and a surprise inheritance. She has been left a country house but there is a catch as she can’t sell it but must live there for a year.

Shortly after moving in she has a lodger imposed on her; he is a bestselling mystery author who she previously disagreed with during a radio interview over the value of romance in mystery novels. Mandy soon has other obligations thrust on her, one being to organise the local literary festival. The planning for the festival, a ghost hunt and trying to uncover more about the past of her dead relative, provide the setting for some amusing events.

The main characters are pleasantly quirky. Overall a delightful read with an engaging and amusing storyline.

Was a bit disappointed with this one. The writing style felt quite amateurish, great concept but poor execution.

A really sweet story thats part love letter to Austen but it is its own story. I enjoyed the setting up of the characters meeting. The cottage and village was dreamy. The romance was sweet but I think it lacked a little depth. I also found some of the revelations about her cousins history a bit lack lustre. Overall a nice time

When Maddy finds out her cousin Nigel (technically, her father's cousin Nigel), the black sheep of the family, has left her a house, she's...well, confused would be a mild way to put it. She's never met cousin Nigel and doesn't know why he would leave her a house.
But she just lost her job, so she plans on taking a quick look at the house and putting it on the market...until she finds out that she has to live in the house for at least a year to inherit it. The house is huge, and gorgeous, and spending the requisite year there so she can sell would set her up for life.
There's just one problem: the upkeep is expensive. And the lodger a local woman finds for her is none other than Cameron Massey, the insufferable crime writer. But she needs the money, and once he and his dog move in it turns out he's maybe not as bad as she initially thought.
Meanwhile, Maddy has been put in charge of running the annual Cotlington Literary Festival--something she knows nothing about and doesn't want to do. But as she befriends the locals and researches her cousin Nigel--the former chair of the Literary Festival committee--she begins to realize there's much more to The Family Disappointment than she ever could have imagined.

What Would Jane Austen do is fun and sweet, with a little thread of mystery at the center, and I loved every minute of it!

My only issue is that, as an American, I wish the American characters had sounded a bit more American, but it was a minor annoyance--not enough to drop a star for.

Sweet country romance inspired by the works of Jane Austen. This was a nice, if non-enthralling read for me. Nothing really dramatic, no big villain, a low-level of angst, no real steam - just a bit bland but i no way disagreeable. I did love the introduction to the term "agony aunt", which I was previously unfamiliar with.

This is the story of Maddy and Luke (aka Cameron Massey). The two fall in love quietly - I did not feel any strong passion or chemistry between them but I also didn't see them NOT being together. The reveal about how Nigel got his money was fraught with legal loopholes, but not enough to really stir up doubt in the reader. Just a nice, sweet, easy read.

3 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary ARC of this book. The opinions herein are my own.

This was a nice, pleasant book about Maddy, a former "agony aunt", who inherits a home in a small village outside of London, along with a few other amusing responsibilities when an estranged family member passes away and surprisingly leaves her these things in his will. There was nothing too earth-shattering about the book, and I enjoyed a few pleasant afternoons reading this. I enjoyed that each chapter had a quote from one of Jane Austen’s work at the start. I recommend to anyone who enjoys Jane Austen and romance.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for the advanced reader copy of “What Would Jane Austen Do?” I am a huge lifelong fan of Jane Austen and believe some of the best advice on life are in her witticisms. I enjoyed seeing some of them at the beginning of each chapter-it was a really nice touch. The plot starts out fun and cute and while the author developed some of the characters, I felt like I still didn’t know much about the female and male main characters 40% into the book. I couldn’t picture what either looked like, feel any real tension, and while some of the comparisons to characters in Jane Austen’s beloved novels were funny, it wasn’t enough. There was a lot of tell versus show and so I didn’t have the chance to infer anything or feel much. Unfortunately I DND at 42%. It just didn’t hold my attention. I feel this book could have been edited better and it would have tightened the story line.

Linda Corbett's "What Would Jane Austen Do?" is a charming and delightful romantic comedy that will warm the hearts of Jane Austen fans and lovers of light-hearted fiction. Maddy Shaw, a journalist and Austen enthusiast, finds herself living next door to the cynical and handsome crime writer, Cameron Massey, after an unexpected inheritance.

Corbett skillfully weaves together humor, romance, and literary references, creating a delightful and entertaining story. The witty banter between Maddy and Cameron sparks with chemistry, and readers will eagerly follow their journey as they navigate their differences and uncover unexpected connections.

The author's portrayal of the annual village literary festival and the committee dynamics adds a delightful backdrop to the romance. As Maddy challenges Cameron to write romantic fiction, the story takes on an additional layer of playful rivalry, resulting in both humorous and heartfelt moments.

Corbett's writing is engaging and light-hearted, capturing the essence of Austen's spirit while adding her own modern twist. The pacing is well-balanced, with a mix of lighthearted moments, romantic tension, and literary references that keep readers entertained throughout.

"What Would Jane Austen Do?" is a delightful escape into the world of love, literature, and unexpected connections. Linda Corbett's charming storytelling and lovable characters make this a perfect choice for anyone seeking a heartwarming and entertaining read.