Being a Jane Austen fan this book grabbed my attention. And in the first two chapters I meet a character that could be in an Austen novel and is in a situation like the novels. It's a effortless intriguing read. The pace is swift, not too fast (well except the mystery reveal) but enough not to be boring. I enjoyed the village and it's people just made for a lovely story.
I Love the mystery Maddie tries to uncover about cousin Nigel. Maddie is a likeable character and I'm jealous of her Jane Austen knowledge.

If you're an Austen fan I'm sure you'll enjoy this story with it's occasion homage to her novels. I love the idea of a Jane Austen agony aunt. I'd love to do a read a long with Maddie.
The romantic story could've been written by Jane Austen except without the formalities. I liked the way it went but I didn't always trust luke and it seemed to move quickly.
The end of the mystery didn't interest me as much as the mystery itself and I wondered if the end came too soon but I enjoyed this book. And would recommend it. I'd happily read a sequel.

Looking for a sweet Jane Austen inspired contemporary romance? Check out What Would Jane Austen Do by @lindacorbettauthor
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Grumpy/Sunshine trope
Adorable doggy companion
Small town/village vibes
Hidden secrets/past
Forced proximity
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Made me want to book a visit to a small English village! Cute romance read!

Thank you Linda Corbett for writing the story, What Would Jane Austen Do? The characters are wonderful - Happy Reading!

**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**

A brilliant read and one I really enjoyed. The characters are loveable and varied, the plot is one that is engaging and medium paced. I found myself completely drawn into the story and enjoyed the writing style.

Maddy Shaw is a journalist and a Jane Austen fangirl who writes the Dear Jane advice column. When we first meet her, she has learned her column is cancelled & that she’s going to have to find more affordable housing.

Before leaving London, Maddy attends one last interview and meets a famous but moody crime writer who also has a negative opinion about romance novels. During the interview, the two of them passionately debate the subject.

I fell in love with Maddy during that encounter. Her defense of the romance genre was so moving & I agreed with every word she said.

Maddy’s life takes another unexpected turn and it is this turn that drives the plot of the novel. She inherits a huge house in the English countryside from a cousin she never knew. While Maddy would love to sell the house, the will stipulates that she must live in it for twelve months first. Reluctantly, Maddy moves in, having no idea how truly life changing the entire experience will be.

I had such a fun time reading this book! The village where Maddy now lives is full of quirky, literature-loving neighbors committed to carrying on the literary festival that Maddy’s cousin hosted for years and that no one told Maddy she would now have to plan and host. Those same neighbors also help find her a roommate, who of course turns out to be none other than her least favorite grumpy crime writer, whose name is Luke, and his dog, Buster. Needless to say, there are plenty of laughs as Maddy awkwardly tries to navigate both the planning of the festival and how to live peacefully with Luke.

I will also say that this is a slow burn romance. Both characters are so well developed though that I enjoyed getting to know them, and I also enjoyed watching the dynamic between them shift as they got to know one another.

What Would Jane Austen Do? is a fun and heartwarming contemporary story that is sure to delight any Austen fan as well as anyone who loves a good romance!

This book is an enemies to lovers trope, and while I felt the dislike between Maddy and Luke I didn't feel the chemistry between them when they became lovers. I wasn't a fan of Luke in general, I found him spoilt and petulant like a teenager.
What I really loved about this book was the quirky supporting characters and the literary festival that Maddy helped organise.

I really enjoyed this rom com that is a sweet exploration. Mandy Shaw adores Jane Austen but her neighbor has no use for romance or Austen. She’s lost her job and inherited a home from an uncle she never met. Then a bestselling crime writer has to move in for a few months while his home is renovated. They can’t stand each other… or can they?

I loved the banter, the supporting characters, and the sweet unspooling tension. It was a trip to Britain in a book. It wasn't a complex plot or anything twisty. Instead, it was a sweet read at a time that was exactly what I was looking for. I'll definitely try other books by this author.

This book was delightful! I adore all things Jane Austen and just like Maddy will always defend and recommend her books. From the start I was smiling and laughing at the banter between Maddy and Cameron. Such a fun contemporary romance. Four stars

It's a truth often acknowledged that when a journalist and Jane Austen fan girl ends up living next door to a cynical but handsome crime writer, romantic sparks will fly!

This was a cozy, hallmarkesque look at a modern woman who looks to Jane Austen to help her navigate life and love.

It is a little lighter on romance than I expected, but it is a quaint look at how people are not always as they appear on the surface. There is a mystery weaved throughout about a recently deceased cousin, with an infamous family history, who leaves his dilapidated historical estate to a niece he never met. There's also a handsome, but jaded, crime writer and his adorable dog!

💚 Grumpy vs Sunshine
💚 Forced proximity
💚 One bed
💚 Found family

This is a "sweet" romance with mild kissing. Closed door.

Thank you to Austen Prose, One More Chapter (a division of HarperCollinsPublishersUK) and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read WHAT WOULD JANE AUSTEN DO? by Linda Corbett, a British author who is a new to me author.

Book Tour: It's a truth universally acknowledged that a Janeite journalist ends up living next door to a cynical but handsome crime writer, romantic sparks will fly!

This is a novel about Inheritance and the ramifications of the inheritance. When Maddy Shaw learns that she lost her job as a "Dear Agony Aunt" (similar to the Advice column in the USA), she knows that she cannot afford the rent in London, England. She contemplates moving back to live with her parents again. She wants to stay independent. Maddy is invited to a radio interview where she meets Cameron Massey, the crime writer. They banter about which is better - romances or mysteries. I laughed at their witty banter exchange.

To Maddy's surprise, she inherits an idyllic country house in Haxford, England from a cousin of her father's. This cousin was a "rebel" and estranged from his family. Maddy wonders why she got the house instead of her father.. And there is a codicil in the will. Maddy must live in the house for a year in order to inherit the house.

Loved the Jane Austen references. Thank you to Austen Prose for inviting me on this book tour. I loved this book so much that I want to buy copies of this book as Christmas gifts.

If you like Lost in Austen or AustenLand try this one!

Dear Reader,

I have just finished this delightful book as Advance Read and I would love to share my thoughts on it with you. If you love a book that brings the ideas of a Jane Austen book to life in our world and plays with the way we think of her and her book and the Georgian / Regency Era. That contrast between the world we want to believe in and the world we have always lived in creates such powerful comic moments for me. Movies like AustenLand or a TV Series like Lost in Austen are my rainy day and I feel blue, go tos and now I would add this book to that same list. This book is so grounded in our current moment that the popular culture references really speak with comic timing to those which reflect back on Jane’s world. This was a fun, relaxing, totally relatable rom com that is perfect for a weekend read.

When a romance and advice columnist who has her head and heart firmly set in the Regency Era, and uses Jane Austen as her life experience guru is fired from her job, she discovers that she has inherited a crumbling country estate from an eccentric cousin and moves there to make ends meet while she figures out “What Would Jane Do?”. But when, Maggie discovers that she has also inherited a tenant in the form of a very grumpy writer who is the embodiment of modern, visceral, crime writer she finds that she is playing Lizzie Bennet to Cameron’s Mr. Darcy. As you can guess, there are some wonderful grump v sunshine vibes, opposites attract, enemies to lovers in what I found to be a wonderful odd couple-esque romantic comedy that really marries the Now with the Then. Throw in some wonderful English Countryside Villagers along with a ton of Austen references and innuendos, and I was laughing into my tea cup as Maggie and Cameron learned about themselves and each other as they found a way to live and work under the same roof. Well written, with in-jokes to today’s world, a symphony of Jane Austen tropes and references, not to mention City Girl in the Country vibes, this is a book I can easily find myself re-reading next year.

If you are looking for a great feel good comedy, with romance, wit, snark & sarcasm, along with a little real world conflict thrown in then you have a winner here.

Best Regards and HAPPY READING

I enjoyed the love story and the buildup to the fetival but felt all the Jane Austen references were just tacked on and added little to the overall story. It would have worked well without them. A likeable heroine. A hero whose reasons for his behaviour and actions were not always clear or entirely believable. The various revelations fell a bit flat for me too. A nice read but not a book I fell in love with I'm afraid.

Maddie learns of the death of her black sheep of the family cousin and learns he's left his house to her. There is a catch however but having just lost her job, maybe this is a new start. She soon finds herself embroiled in village klife and the annual literary festival that she is now hosting. Maybe this is her new future.

Aww this was such a cute story and a fun quick read. Its a perfect lazing in the garden book. The plot is interesting and a must for any Jane Austen fan. I loved all the quotes at the start of each chapter. The ending was perfect for the book and i love how her story came together. The mystery of Nigel was an interesting addition to the story. Maddie is very likeable but of course she was outshone by Buster who was adorable. A brilliant read.

Clashing with a morose mystery writer on a Valentine’s Day podcast and losing her job as the Dear Jane advice columnist at a London publication is the start for Maddy’s life to get turned upside down. A curious requirement in her late Cousin Nigel’s will brings city girl, Maddy, to a darling old house and a personal journey driven by quest to know Nigel’s past and learn even more about herself. If there is a bit of romance sparking along the way, her inner Jane Austen voice is ready with the advice.



How could I pass up a book with a title like that? I enjoyed spotting the apropos Austen quotes at the beginning of each new chapter and I was immediately sympathetic with Maddy when she has her column quashed and puts on a stiff upper lip to carry on with the podcast interview where she first encounters dour Cameron Massey. A bad first impression had me eager for the next encounter between the dashing grumpy crime fiction writer and the die-hard romance lover.



I enjoyed the slow burn romance build as Maddy and Luke, who had a writer name for his mysteries, went from prickly to friends and slowly more as he trusts her with his real self and she shared something of her needs, too. Like with most enemies to lover romances of this softer nature, it was easy to see they started with a good dose of misunderstanding and needed close proximity to get past all that. I love it when authors really make the reader see a relationship build and grow as the characters grow.



Along with the romance, there is Maddy’s determination to learn more about her benefactor. She wasn’t in the village or that house long before she realized that what she’d always heard in the family was not even close to the man that was shown here. Nigel was something of a mystery and she put her journalism skills to work to get at the truth. Meanwhile, Luke is working on a new book and the Literary Festival committee keeps Maddy hopping.



In the end, I was well satisfied with this sweet, heartwarming and sometimes funny read. Booklovers will delight in all the book and author love going on as well as a light, soft English village romcom.

This book revolves around Maddy Shaw, a Jane Austen fan and journalist, who inherits a countryside home from her cousin Nigel. To keep the inheritance, she must chair the village literary festival committee and contend with her cynical neighbour, bestselling crime author Cameron Massey. Their clash of personalities and a challenge to write romantic fiction lead to sparks both on and off the page. The book captures the charm of a small village, its literary festival, and the intricate relationships within the community, offering a heartwarming tale of love and storytelling.

Happy Austen August! I’ve had a lot of fun reading Jane Austen’s novels and any that are inspired by or adaptations of her novels every August since 2020 with my friend Victoria. When I had the chance to take part in a blog tour this month for Linda Corbett’s new novel, What Would Jane Austen Do?, well, it felt like I had no choice but to jump at it! This novel was an absolute delight and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!

Here’s the book’s description:
It's a truth often acknowledged that when a journalist and Jane Austen fan girl ends up living next door to a cynical but handsome crime writer, romantic sparks will fly!
When Maddy Shaw is told her Dear Jane column has been cancelled she has no choice but to look outside of London’s rental market. That is until she’s left an idyllic country home by the black sheep of the family, long-not-so-lost Cousin Nigel.
But of course, there’s a stipulation… and not only is Maddy made chair of the committee for the annual village literary festival, she also has to put up with bestselling crime author –and romance sceptic – Cameron Massey as her new neighbor.
When Maddy challenges Cameron to write romantic fiction, which he claims is so easy to do, sparks fly both on and off the page…
There’s an argument to be made that Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was one of the first novels to employ the enemies to lovers trope. You may know it’s not a trope I love as I can’t always understand how the couple ends up being attracted to each other. Elizabeth and Darcy aren’t so much enemies as…two prejudiced individuals who don’t take the time to really get to know the other before forming a less than flattering opinion of them. Corbett has her characters acting in quite the same manner. Maddy and Cameron don’t really know each other so there’s no hate but they each assume things about the other based only on a short interaction. But the fun is in reading as they realize their misconceptions and work to actually get to know each other. And, surprise, fall in love!

The premise of this rom com was just bonkers enough to allow for drama and intrigue but not so far-fetched to have me rolling my eyes at the coincidence of it all. Or maybe I was extra indulgent because I read the book while on vacation. *shrugs* Whatever the reason, it was much fun to read as Maddy realized she had suddenly inherited a house - and a literary festival - from a cousin she had never met before.

I liked that Maddy was given a solid BFF in Alice, even though the pair spend the majority of the novel apart. It allowed the reader to know that Maddy had someone in her corner, rooting for her unconditionally, while also allowing her to get to know the folks in her new town. It’s a small thing but, thinking back, it was impactful. Having a best friend (or two) makes a world of difference in a girl’s life!

Speaking of Maddy’s new friends, the townsfolk of Cotlington were TOO FUN. They were a perfect mix of kind and quirky, each managing to steal the show during their scenes but without taking over the whole story. They, and the town, provided a wonderful burst of colour (sometimes literally with Sam and her love of pink) as Maddy worked to figure out what her life was going to look like.

I have a few minor quibbles with the book - mostly to do with how things were wrapped up, or not. There’s a storyline with a celebrity ghost hunter that I feel was fun and helped with the story but I’m left with a ton of questions. What happened with the payment and the deductions? Was Randall really going to just expose Cameron and then move on and present at the festival like nothing had happened? And what about Sam’s feelings for him and someone else’s feelings for Sam? I also wasn’t totally sold on Maddy’s journalistic leanings and how the story she did about Cameron was published. No journalist is going to allow the subject (or their agent) the chance to read the article before it is published. Or maybe they would with famous people. But the average journalist absolutely does not and I didn’t love that implication.

While this novel is not at all a retelling of any of Jane Austen’s novels, I liked that Corbett sprinkled the book with references to Austen’s books, including quotes at the start of each chapter. I loved Maddy’s love for the author - and definitely wish I had a few of her Austen-esque shirts!

What Would Jane Austen Do? was so incredibly fun to read. Linda Corbett’s novel is a must read for those who like sweet romances with a dash of Jane Austen, a sprinkling of small town charm, and a pinch of bookish adventures.

About the Author
Linda Corbett lives in Surrey with her husband Andrew and three permanently hungry guinea pigs. As well as being an author, Linda is treasurer and fundraiser for Shine Surrey – a volunteer-led charity that supports individuals and families living with spina bifida and hydrocephalus. For many years she also wrote a regular column for Link, a disability magazine, illustrating the humorous aspects of life with a complex disability and she is a passionate advocate of disability representation in fiction. Love You From A-Z was her first published novel.

Connect with the Author
Website * Twitter * Facebook * Instagram * Goodreads

*A copy of this novel was provided by Austenprose via NetGalley for the purpose of a review as part of a blog tour. All opinions are honest and my own.*

This book was provided to me by NetGalley as an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Jane Austen spin-offs or books inspired by her. So naturally I really like this book. The character had great chemistry and loads of development. Especially for the side character’s like Myra. Even though my absolute favourite character was Buster :). I really enjoyed the magical feel of the novel, with the classic English countryside.

There was a few things that I thought were kind of lacking. And it was the end. I felt like the whole book had a pace and then suddenly it started to rush when the ending neared. There was also a conflict with one character that I felt needed to be tied up more in the end. But all in all it was a really enjoyable book with all the cute and fluffy moments and a deep relationship at the same time.

I loved the marriage between contemporary and regency type, Jane Austen quotes. The story was just so delightful. It brought so many fun things together to present this great story! I feel for Maddy. I loved her story of a little lost, not sure what to do. But when a house is left to her, she has to keep it for a year, per the will. Out of a job, she jumps in and embraces it. When she meets and clashes with her new neighbor, they immediately hate each other. And my theory that Enemies to Lovers is really just so much romantic tension and not hate at all! They just don’t see what is right in front of them. And this story is beautifully told!

It is a truth universally acknowledged that many of the best love stories begin with two people who can’t stand each other. In What Would Jane Austen Do?, Linda Corbett gives us an addition to the genre of romance between a spirited heroine and a grumpy man who hate each other but end up falling in love. Not only does it have many of the best romance tropes – only one bed! a man who seemingly only loves his dog! forced proximity! – but our female main character is a huge Jane Austen fan, which makes it an even better read for fellow Austen fanatics.

Our heroine Maddy is an agony aunt, writing a “Dear Jane” column for a magazine in which people can address their queries to Jane Austen herself. She loves her job and her life in London, living in a flat with her best friend, until she’s suddenly fired. Luckily for her, she soon receives word that a relation she never knew, cousin Nigel, has passed away and left her his large house in the countryside.

She’s thrilled with her new inheritance but less thrilled to discover that, in the terms and conditions, she must live in the house for one year before she can sell it. However, it seems like good timing, thanks to her recently having been laid off. She’s in for yet another surprise – she has also inherited the title of chair of the literary festival of the small town, that her cousin Nigel used to run. Along with that comes an eclectic group of festival planners, none of whom seem to know how to throw the sort of festival that London-based Maddy expected.

And there’s one last wrench in all her plans. She ends up with a lodger in the house who needs a place to stay while his house is being renovated. It’s crime novelist Cameron Massey (real name: Luke), with whom she had a spat during a radio interview just before leaving London, over whether or not Jane Austen is still relevant and if romance novels are worthy literature. The pair are forced into close quarters, along with Luke’s adorable dog Buster, and must try to come to some sort of understanding between them.

Throw in a celebrity ghost hunter, a mistaken proposal, and Maddy’s growing love for village life, and you’ve got a very engaging romance read. I loved seeing Luke and Maddy come to understand each other better and especially enjoyed Maddy’s fervent defense of romance novels. The plot is perhaps somewhat predictable, as Maddy begins to reconsider whether she wants to sell the house at the end of the year and her and Luke slowly fall in love, but it’s a very enjoyable read.

The book gets its name from the fact that Maddy is a major Jane Austen fan and defender; she often wonders how Jane or one of her heroines would react to the situations in which she finds herself. Maddy and Luke’s romance also has faint elements of the beloved Elizabeth and Darcy love story, including her essentially telling him that he’s the last man in the world she could ever be prevailed upon to marry. It’s great fun for Austen fans to read, especially because each chapter starts with a quote from one of Jane’s books.

What Would Jane Austen Do? is an easy read, thanks to Corbett’s smooth writing. Despite utilizing many tropes of romance novels, she makes it all feel fresh and engaging – I really struggled to put this book down! I highly recommend the book to all fellow Jane Austen fans, and anyone who’s dreamed of suddenly inheriting a grand house in the English countryside.

such a cute story, I really enjoyed it!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and netgalley for this review copy.