This was such a fun, clever, and witchy read! I find Pride & Prejudice retellings to be so much fun and this one did not disappoint. It spins a deeper, more profound story for Lydia and gives a fresh face to some of Austen's barely mentioned characters. I enjoyed the growth that Lydia shows throughout the book and how it shows her to be so much more than just the "silly sister who makes of fool of herself and her family".

This historical fantasy is such a fun way to delve more into the Jane Austen universe and I really enjoyed it!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Melinda Taub for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch coming out October 3, 2023. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really loved Still Star-Crossed by this author so I wanted to check this one out. This isn’t quite what I was expecting. I’m obsessed with Jane Austen and I love books about witches, so I thought this would be the perfect combination. I really liked it. The writing was really great. I just felt it was a bit dry and long. I think there was a lot of repetition of dialogue and themes. I thought Lydia would be a little more likable. I think the timeline of events was also a little confusing for me. At times she was with Wickham and at times she was Miss Bennet. The first half of the book was a lot more interesting than the second half to me.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys Pride and Prejudice variations!

WOW. This is probably the top 5-star book for me this year and I read a lot of books.

The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch was well written and captivating. This paints a picture that is unlike Jane Austen's Lydia Bennet, yet somehow it entwines the story perfectly.

This magical telling actually lets me relate to Lydia, who let's be honest, comes across as almost the villain. In P & P she is selfish, and unthinking. This story paints her as so much more and Kitty, too.

I found myself turning page after page, not knowing where it was going and where it turned out was outside of what I might have guessed. This tale was full of imagination and spirit. There may be even a bit of goodwill for Wickham too in the end.

This magical side of a favorite story was brought to life and I enjoyed every minute. I found myself waiting with bated breath for the next twist to drop. This was twisty and turny and perfectly crafted. Just in time for spooky season.

I received and early copy from the publisher through NetGalley and this is my honest review.

As a major fan of Jane Austen, I was concerned that this book would read at best like fanfiction or at worst like a spin off of certain supernatural creature filled Austen remakes that shall not be named. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Melinda Taub does a phenomenal job of capturing Lydia Bennet's voice in a way that feels simultaneously true to the source material and fresh. Not only that, Lydia is shown to have a lot more autonomy than it may seem in the original book. Through the journey of learning about her magic and discovering that the magical community of Britain is a chaotic place, Lydia shows a lot of self-awareness and overall proves herself to be loyal, funny, and brave, not at all the brat that I for one always thought she was. The strength of this novel is in it's characters and I enjoyed seeing Lydia interact with Kitty, Aunt Phillips, Denny and even Wickham. I was also thoroughly surprised by the budding romance between Lydia and Wickham, who is maybe not so wicked as we were lead to believe. I would recommend this book for fans of Austen who also love fantasy and enemies-to-lovers.

A fun idea for a P&P retelling, but I sadly couldn’t get on board with the long-winded, and frankly, boring writing style. I also couldn’t see what direction this was going. I might eventually give this another try.

This is a delightful book, Austen for those who want another slant on the story of the Bennett family -- this one comes through the lively Lydia's eyes, and is a deeply satisfying, hilarious, and at times moving story of the youngest daughter.

Pride and Prejudice but from Lydia’a point of view- and oh yeah, Lydia is a witch and none of her sisters know. And one of her sisters is actually a cat, I truly enjoyed this expansion of the pride and prejudice “universe” it was so fun and true to the original characters while also being so new and a breath of fresh air. The beginning was a little confusing figuring out the time jumps but once you figured it out, it really was so enjoyable. Also, I LOVE georgianna darcy. she’s literally the most likable of them all and I just love her for it.

this really just was a love story about sisterhood, magic, and of course pride and prejudice. really a very cozy read that I truly think people will enjoy.

I'm not going to lie, as someone who has loved the 2005 remake of Pride & Prejudice since it was in theaters (yes, I know it's not the MOST faithful), I have never particularly liked Lydia Bennet and had no intentions of reading this book. But a colleague recommended it to me, and insisted I give it a try - bribing me with the hilarious fact that Kitty Bennet is, in fact, an actual cat in this version. And, what fun it proved to be. This epistolary account, follows the adventures of Lydia and Kitty as they get sucked into various nefarious goings on in the witchy underground, go on magical adventures, and fall in love, all while trying to navigate the social niceties of Meryton and Brighton. Taub does a beautiful job with this retelling, gently reshaping the world, but keeping all the original architecture and ethos of the P&P story we know and love. Perhaps it's greatest magic, though, is taking a character I didn't care for, and giving her voice to become someone I was delighted by and rooted for.

The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch is the magical, witchy Pride and Prejudice retelling I never knew I needed. I absolutely loved this novel!

The whole book is told in an epistolary style, the bulk of which is a long letter—basically a full-length autobiography—that Lydia is writing to a secret someone. (We don’t find out who until the end.) It’s not until the last four chapters of the book that we see the narrative shift to (normal length) letters written by Lydia and a few other characters in the story’s exciting climax.

Lydia’s voice may be the biggest standout of this novel. She has such a fun, strong personality, full of wit and humor and a self-centered air that is somehow charming. Throughout my reading, I took note of numerous sentences and full passages that made me laugh out loud. Her way of describing characters and scenarios is completely engaging and a joy to read. It’s also a wonderful chance to get to know this version of Lydia better, beyond the simple flirt shown in Pride and Prejudice. Here, we still see that spark of her character, but there’s more depth and nuance now. Lydia readily showcases her flaws and mistakes, but over time, we get to see her many virtues, too.

Characters like Kitty, Mr. Wickham, Georgiana Darcy, and Mr. Darcy also flourish here. Kitty isn’t actually one of the Bennet sisters; she’s a cat that Lydia made into her familiar! And unlike the forgettable filler character Kitty was in Pride and Prejudice, here she has so much more personality. With her unique state of being, Kitty has her own limitations and wishes, but is also even more closely tied up with Lydia. Mr. Wickham, too, is quite changed. The author somehow made this villain into a literal demon here… and he’s actually better for it. It was fun to read about him and surprising to see the way his relationship with Lydia evolved over time.

And of course, I’d be remiss not to talk about all the witchcraft going on in The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch! Lydia is a powerful witch regularly casting spells and paying the price, learning stronger spells, attending covens, and even battling witches, demons, and dragons. Her time in Brighton is actually a quest to save Kitty and herself, though who she can and can’t trust remains obscure. Especially with Wickham—a demon—hanging around. The author expands on lesser characters and adds entire new ones, some of whom prove to be instrumental to the whole story. Later, in the present, Lydia is spending time with the Darcys in an effort to save Georgiana from a nasty hex, and she’ll need every ounce of skill that she’s gained in the past year.

The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch is a must-read, whether you like Pride and Prejudice retellings, witches, or historical fantasy more generally. It’s a fun and utterly engrossing read full personality and imagination, with adventure and even some surprisingly welcome romance. I wouldn’t mind if this ended up being the first in a series… I’d love to see more of these characters and/or other witches! Regardless, I will absolutely read more from Melinda Taub, whatever she writes.

When one considers the power and repercussions of magic, is it any wonder that the last woman in the world people want possessing it is the youngest, most irrepressible and irresponsible of the Bennet sisters from Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice? But, indeed this is Lydia Bennet’s chronicle of what happens when fate’s twist makes her a witch of power. Lydia fumble-bumble’s her way through coming of age in this magical variation set in Jane Austen’s world told in a clever journal-style first person narrative.

The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch reads like a teenage girl’s diary. Fair enough, Lydia was just that when she puts pen to paper to share with an unknown reader how her life ended up the way it did starting from the first moment she understood she possessed magic. Melinda Taub does a fabulous job inviting the reader into the mind of Lydia and it feels completely authentic. So authentic, I wanted off the ride not long after starting and this feeling didn’t change for well over half the book. Lydia leaps from one thought to the next like a pinball shot into the game. First she’s in her present time, then she’s back in the past, then she’s off chasing a squirrel, back to the past, a stop in the present, and so on. There were times I wondered what the point in including some parts was.

But, I did a big hang in there and made it past the first half of the book. This is when the reader can look back into the earlier pages of Lydia’s thoughts and begin to see where those loose thoughts that meander on the long route of the plot start to show some ‘ooh, ah-hah’ moments.

In the first half, Lydia is learning just enough about magic from her sketchy Aunt Phillips to be dangerous and yep she lands into some deep trouble soon enough. But, her outlook is sanguine no matter how terrible the situation, the betrayals that stun her, and the unexpected support she receives along the way. It was hilarious getting her thoughts on her sisters, her parents, and all the other people and events that Jane Austen lovers are familiar with from other points of view. Lydia has her faults, but she’s rather clear-eyed about some people her pretty and smart older sisters are not. She knows they think little of her, but loves her family anyway.

I don’t want to spoiler, but there are some clever character decisions that give familiar characters a new role or even a slightly different storyline that would still fall within the perimeters of the original Pride & Prejudice plot trotting along in the distance while Lydia’s side of things is told. I will share one since it occurs in the first chapter. We all thought there were five Bennet sisters, right? Well, we would be wrong. In fact, Kitty is a true kitty- she’s Lydia’s familiar hidden behind an illusion spell.

That second half ratchets up the suspense and has some good action sequences, a few plot twists, and lead to a satisfying finish. I love what Melissa Taub did with her magical worldbuilding. I appreciated that she made magical power require sacrifice so that its no small thing to draw on it for a spell and there are consequences that must be considered when dealing with other magic users who often are not sweet, nice people.

All in all, I am glad to have picked this historical fantasy set in Austen’s world up and appreciate the author giving a fresh face to one- or rather, some- of Austen’s more colorful secondary characters. Whether a reader is new to Austen or not will not matter so do not hesitate if your looking for something a little creative and different for your fall spooky reading.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Alternate History, Historical Fantasy, Regency Fantasy
Spice Level: Medium (fade to black) & kissing!
Representation: BIPOC & LGBTQ (just touched on this one, but it's in there).

THE SCANDALOUS CONFESSIONS OF LYDIA BENNET, WITCH is a delightful surprise. Lydia has always been one
of my least favorite characters in literature. So, you might ask why I picked this up? It is P&P adjacent, so I had to.

There are moments in this book, where it feels like Lydia is talking directly to you as the reader. We get moments of fashion and gossip, much like the original Lydia.

In addition to this, we see Kitty in a new way—yes, she's a barn cat but there's more that makes this relationship even better.

And Wickham is a demon, but what else would you expect? I laughed so hard through moments of his interaction with Lydia.

And we get to see her other sisters through a new lens: one is boring, one is bossy, and one is boring and bossy. Lydia relates the most to her mom, which makes sense since they're both concerned with gossip and all the happenings. But, oh my goodness, her views made me laugh. There are so many surprises, and the characters are all amazing! There is even some thoughts inserted about the time period taking advantage of Blacks and slavery.

I'm so happy I read this book so that Lydia is no longer on my top ten list of unsavory/disliked characters.

Who is this book for?
You, fantasy readers, romance readers, Janeites, and anyone who loves historical magic and retellings. It's also for cat lovers!

I highly recommend this book!

Happy reading!

PS: I sincerely hope this one tickles you like it did me. Even now, I start smiling like a fool as I think about everything.

Are you reading any books for the Halloween season? I was happy to recently read The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub. It combined two of my favorite things – Halloween and Pride and Prejudice.

Lydia Bennet is the seventh daughter of the seventh daughter. She has powers that are not shared by the rest of her family, except for her Aunt Phillips who is able to guide her as she grows into a young witch. This novel tells Lydia’s background and then retells the story of Pride and Prejudice from her point of view.

I thought this novel was very fun. I loved that it was told from Lydia’s first-person narration through a manuscript she is writing to Lizzy to explain everything. It is very funny and in character for Lydia. I was delighted to find out that Kitty Bennet is actually a cat and George Wickham, is literally a handsome devil or demon. To me, it seemed like the entire novel was really about the love that Lydia had for her best friend and sister, Kitty, and the sacrifices that Lydia made to ensure her happiness. Taub really captures Lydia’s voice. A few of my favorite quotes:

“I suppose if this were a proper book, I’d begin it something like, ‘Miss Lydia Bennet, youngest of five daughters to a father hopefully entailed, had few advantages in life, but not too few to squander.’”

“La! Imagine what Lizzy would do if she knew I made that spot on her chin pop back out whenever she vexed me.”

“This is the part, I suppose, where the novel would wrap up with a tidy boring moral, so I will say this: Love your best friends. Forgive your worst friends. Remember, always, not to judge people too hastily, for everyone is living out the story of their own, and you only get to read the pages you appear on.”

I was delighted to find out in the author’s note that she used real history, myths, and folklore for the novel. I also loved that Miss Lamb from Sanditon is a character in this novel. I always find her an interesting character and love her addition to the story.

I laughed out loud when I read the first line of the acknowledgements, “Guys, I did so much damn research for this book. I could write a 10-page bibliography.”

Overall, I thought this was an inventive, unique, and fun retelling of Pride and Prejudice perfect for reading during the Halloween season.

Book Source: Review copy from Grand Central Publishing as part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour. Thank-you! Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

An unlikely mash up of Pride and Prejudice and this season's top thing- witches. Lydia Bennet was the youngest daughter and here you get her interior thoughts. While I had high hopes for this and appreciated the effort Taub put into replicating the style of the period, I found this over written and implausible in a way I didn't expect. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. I DNF and I expect I'll be the odd one out.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC!

I absolutely adored this! I have always been a huge fan of Pride and Prejudice and the subsequent retellings, so when I saw there was a witchy retelling from the perspective of Lydia I knew I had to pick it up. This was perfectly executed! The voice of Lydia is true to the source material and gives her a new life I couldn’t have imagined better. This is the perfect read for this upcoming fall!

This was such a fun spin on Pride and Prejudice. I definitely think it's more compelling than the many reworkings of the main storyline we have.

Give me Pride and Prejudice...but make it witchy! This book was delightful, wicked fun and the perfect fall read. I loved Lydia's blunt and often cutting, but always sincere voice as she gave us her secret side of events from the well-known story. The author wrote a truly creative spin and gave a burst of new life into an old tale. I loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for access to this arc.

I love all things Jane Austen, and think this is an interesting take on the youngest Bennett sister. Ultimately this didn’t keep my attention, and DNF’d around 13%

"A sparkling, witchy reimagining of Pride and Prejudice, told from the perspective of the troublesome and - according to her - much-maligned youngest Bennet sister, Lydia.

In this exuberant retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Lydia Bennet puts pen to paper to relate the real events and aftermath of the classic story. Some facts are well known: Mrs. Bennet suffers from her nerves, Mr. Bennet suffers from Mrs. Bennet, and all five daughters suffer from an estate that is entailed only to male heirs.

But Lydia also suffers from entirely different concerns: her best-loved sister Kitty is really a barn cat; Wickham is every bit as wicked as the world believes him to be, but what else would one expect from a demon? And if Mr. Darcy is uptight about etiquette, that's nothing compared to his feelings about magic. Most of all, Lydia has yet to learn that for a witch, promises have power...

Full of enchantment, intrigue, and boundless magic, The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch, has all the irreverent wit, strength, and romance of Pride and Prejudice - while offering a highly unexpected redemption for the wildest Bennet sister."

Oh my, I'm swooning, it's REGENCY MAGIC TIME! Also, Kitty is a barn cat. I can't stop laughing.

This was just not for me. I liked the characters, and I enjoyed the idea of reframing Lydia as the misunderstood witch of the family. But that was about all I liked. The writing was so tedious, and I was bored pretty early on. The plot had some great ideas behind it, but Lydia, as the narrator, is too scattered and the story drags because of it. She spends pages upon pages with irrelevant meandering thoughts, and it breaks up the story too much. If the writing had been tighter and there had been fewer asides, this could have been great. As it was, it was far too slow for me.

The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch is a retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice from Lydia's point of view.

To be honest I'm always a bit afraid of retellings, reimagined and parallel classics. To me after a certain time the classic, while fictional, is that character's truth, their history and in my mind I don't want someone to rip it all apart. The addition of witches, familiars, demons and magic did change the story some but at it's heart Melinda Taub did a wonderful job of keeping the original Pride and Prejudice threads recognizable.

Whether you liked Lydia in the original or not, she has been given a chance to tell her version of what happened.

Thank-you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

#TheScandalousConfessionsofLydiaBennetWitch #NetGalley