In Boston, 1865, Charlotte and Henrietta Stevenson, daughters of a Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice, have accomplished as much as women are allowed in those days. Chafing against those restrictions and inspired by the works of Jane Austen, they start a secret correspondence with Sir Francis Austen, her last surviving brother, now in his nineties. He sends them an original letter from his sister and invites them to come visit him in England. In Philadelphia, Nicholas & Haslett Nelson—bachelor brothers, veterans of the recent Civil War, and rare book dealers—are also in correspondence with Sir Francis Austen, who lures them, too, to England, with the promise of a never-before-seen, rare Austen artifact to be evaluated. The Stevenson sisters sneak away without a chaperone to sail to England. On their ship are the Nelson brothers, writer Louisa May Alcott, Sara-Beth Gleason—wealthy daughter of a Pennsylvania state senator with her eye on the Nelsons—and, a would-be last-minute chaperone to the Stevenson sisters, Justice Thomas Nash.

It's a voyage and trip that will dramatically change each of their lives in ways that are unforeseen, with the transformative spirit of the love of literature and that of Jane Austen herself. I thoroughly enjoyed this book as I have done with other Natalie Jenner books that I have read. Her characterizations are always well done. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for granting my request to read another book by this gifted author.

I was looking forward to reading Austen at Sea by Natalie Jenner. I have been on a quest to try different authors and genres this year. I wanted to like this story, but I could not get into it. I admit that I wanted to quit reading after the first chapter (I kept at it hoping the book would get better). There are too many characters, and it is challenging to keep track of them. There are odd storylines such as the sisters, Harriet and Charlotte, on board the ship putting on a Dickens play (which made no sense) with Louisa May Alcott and other acquaintances. While Louisa May Alcott is my favorite author, I do not believe she was needed in the story nor was the play. When Harriet makes a rash choice, it had me questioning her judgement and intelligence. I also wondered how concerned she really was for the rights of women. The legalese was too much (it was a helpful sleep aid). The story was too long, and it moved at a slow pace (snails in my garden move faster). Add in unlikeable characters and I was ready for this book to end. I wish there had been an author’s note at the end to explain if any of the details in her story were true or were they made up. Austen at Sea was not my cup of tea.

This was probably the slowest novel I have read so far in 2025. There were also a few too many characters to keep track of. None of which grabbed my attention and said, “hey focus on this person and how the story pushes them forward.” However, the addition of Louisa May Alcott was interesting. I do wish there had been more with her.

I liked the chapters where the gentlemen talked about Jane Austen’s novels. I know that what they were doing was deciding if the novel were appropriate for readers, but I enjoyed reading a male’s perspective at that time. Each character had their own personalities and opinions to which I enjoyed.

Overall, I rate this novel 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Charlotte and Henrietta befriend Jane Austen’s brother via mail and are invited to visit England.

Overall, I enjoyed this one, but it was a slow start. It was very easy to put down until about the last third when things started to pickup.

I wanted to love this book! I really wanted to. I could not finish it. I promise myself that always give a book to page 100 before I give up but I could not get into this. It was boring… and I really tried.

Natalie Jenner’s Austen at Sea beautifully weaves history, literature, and romance into an enchanting voyage of discovery. Set in 1865, this novel follows two pairs of siblings—the ambitious Stevenson sisters from Boston and the Civil War veteran Nelson brothers from Philadelphia—who are brought together by their shared devotion to Jane Austen and an invitation from her last surviving brother, Sir Francis Austen.

Jenner masterfully captures the spirit of the era, blending historical detail with lively characters who each grapple with societal expectations and personal dreams. The story’s charm lies in its celebration of literature’s power to inspire change, connection, and courage, especially for women limited by their times.

The journey across the Atlantic is richly imagined, with a colorful cast including Louisa May Alcott adding layers of depth and warmth. Themes of family, love, and self-discovery unfold gracefully, making the novel a satisfying blend of historical fiction and gentle romance.

Though the pacing is occasionally leisurely and some subplots feel lightly sketched, the overall effect is a heartfelt tribute to Austen’s enduring influence and the transformative power of books. Austen at Sea is perfect for readers who enjoy character-driven stories with literary and historical flair.

This story starts in Boston in 1865. Charlotte and Henrietta Stevenson, the daughters of a Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice, start a correspondence with Frances Austen, Jane Austen's brother. Along with Nicholas and Haslett Nelson from Philadelphia, they head to England to meet with Jane Austen's brother.

As a lover of all things Jane Austen, I really enjoyed this story. There were numerous discussions about Jane Austen, her life, her beliefs, and her books among all of the characters. Even the Supreme Court justices had a book club discussing Austen's books. I enjoyed all of the characters, especially the girls Charlotte and Henrietta, as they navigated their lives, as well as society's expectations of them as women, woven in with Austen's stories. Also included was Louisa May Alcott, before she was a published author. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

Thanks to @stmartinspress, @netgalley, and the author for this arc.

Austen at Sea takes place in the late 1800’s between Boston and England. The characters are many in this book and at times, hard to follow who was who. I found the beginning slow and it was hard for me to understand everything going on, especially when they found themselves at sea. The being said, while there were many characters, they were all intriguing and even Louisa May Alcott made her way into this story (which felt a bit random actually). The way the story came to a conclusion felt random as well and I suppose this book just wasn’t for me.

That being said, I would definitely try another book by Natalie Jenner, especially The Austen Society which I’ve heard so much about.

Thank you NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for the ARC ebook. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

Austen at Sea by Natalie Jenner, author of the Jane Austen Society, is a historical fiction book set in the 1800s.

The story follows 2 sisters, Charlotte and Henrietta Stevenson and two brothers, Nicholas & Haslett Nelson, as the journey together on a ship headed to England.

Austen at Sea is so well written that you can imagine yourself on the ship with the Stevenson sisters and the Nelson brothers as they sail to meet Jane Austen’s last living sibling, Sir Francis Austen. There are many discussions of Austen books, and her life.

This is a must read for Jane Austen fans!

This is the third Natalie Jenner book I've read and simply put, I liked it. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as her first two books, but it was still enjoyable. Something about the plot just left me a little lacking. At times I was bored. I think one of my struggles was that I wasn't sure what the main plot point was for a long time. It also felt like I was juggling just one too many characters. Still a good read, just not one I see myself coming back to.

I was eager to jump into this book as I've enjoyed Natalie Jenner's previous books and adore all things Jane Austen. I wish I could say that I loved it, but I didn't. It was extremely hard to get into - I think a case of too much trying to be squeezed together. I almost abandoned several times. It was hard to keep track of the many different characters and figure out who the book was really all about. I must admit that I think the book club scenes could have been cut altogether to help with the character tracking.

Once we were finally on the boat to England, I thought the story would really start moving forward but instead we got a Dickens play and Louisa May Alcott- really made me want to read Dickens!- which felt distracting.

The plot did finally take off around 70%, and I was finally flipping through the pages quickly. I did enjoy one of the romances but did NOT see how the other romance could have overcome the conflict encountered so early in the marriage.

If you're here for the women's rights storyline, you will be very happy because it is a key theme.

Overall, I felt like this book wasn't quite what I'd expected, but I do want to read some Dickens now!

DNF - I was semi-enjoying this read but soon realized that I was not the target reader; I would not forgive the plot for its decisions to flounce around the topics, focusing on the male characters which lead the book to greatly resemble other stories that have seen their day. Ultimately, I cannot say that I disliked this book, leading me to DNF, but rather that I found myself at odds with the story itself.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I'm a fan of Jane Austen and am also interested in other stories that incorporate her or her books into the story. This one take place after the American Civil War following two sisters and two brothers all fans of Jane Austen as they cross the Atlantic to meet with Sir Francis Austen, Jane Austen's last surviving sibling, in England. Sir Francis has enticed both sets of siblings to come to England by sending the sisters an original Jane Austen letter and the brothers with the promise of evaluating a mysterious artifact. The sisters are not allowed to travel on their own so they sneak away onto the ship and meet the brothers as well as Louisa May Alcott and two other characters that will be prominent in the story. This story was a fun way to enjoy Jane Austen through characters that discuss her work and the impact of that work in that time. I enjoyed the characters discussions of her work the most as it was first time I've read a book that used this device to move the story along and learn more about the characters, and possibly what was true about the prominence and affect Jane Austen's work had at that time.

Did Not Finish @30%

I tried y'all. I really, really tried.

Look, I love this author. I read The Jane Austen Society because I absolutely L O V E D the cover [the covers of ALL her books, including this one have been so swoony and fantastic] and then, by chapter 2 I was completely hooked and I waited and then read each new book with the glee that only those who love books [and series books at that] can understand. So when this new book came up, I immediately requested it [and this is MY BAD; I really need to read even a general description of the book, even for authors I love] and jumped for joy when I got the ARC, and then the audiobook ARC [with the narration being done by an British actor that I absolutely adore].

And then, I started it. Sigh. Almost immediately I knew there was going to be issues because HOW many characters are there to keep track of? That was a bit disheartening. Then, the book really gets started and I went....what? Did I miss something? I went back and listened to the beginning and realized that no, I didn't miss anything, and that this was going to be a difficult read.

Y'all, this just didn't work for me. Besides the issue with the characters, the whole story was such a jumble; I mean, I read 30% and I had NO IDEA what was going on [beyond the basics] and then the sisters got on the ship and WE GOT MORE CHARACTERS [including for some odd reason, Louisa May Alcott] and I just shook my head and made the very tough choice to stop reading. I was not enjoying it, there was so little Austen in this I am confused over the title [and WHY when they are on the boat they are going to act out a DICKENS book and not a J A N E A U S T E N book; the title just flummoxed me], and I found, I just didn't care about ANY of the 2700 characters that were roaming through this book. I have been disappointed by books before as any reader has inevitably has, but this one particularly hurts. I wanted to L O V E this book, as I have her previous books, but it was just not going to happen, and I am, days later [its taken me awhile to figure out how to write this], still deeply disappointed. It is always tough when a book doesn't work for you [and I am cheering all the readers that this book DID work for], and even more so when its an author you have previously loved.

And now we come to the audiobook...
I adore Rupert Graves. I have since I first became aware of him in the show "Sherlock", and literally shrieked out loud when I saw he was the narrator for this book.
Unfortunately [sigh], he also didn't work for me for this book. He has such a lovely voice, but I struggled to figure out as to why they picked him for a book filled with women, why they picked someone who was British, as almost everyone is from New England [and his "Boston" was...interesting...], and why he didn't, in my opinion, just read the story and leave the accents and "voices" at home, so to speak. While I can recommend the book [because some people have better working brains than I do LOL], I am hesitant to recommend the audiobook, but again, some people are not nearly as particular [or sensitive] as I am; to each their own right?

Thank you to NetGalley, Natalie Jenner, Rupert Graves - Narrator, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for providing the eBook and audiobook ARC's in exchange for an honest review.

DNF. This was unfortunately not exactly what I expected. The plot was not quite what I expected, and it ended up not being for me.

There are others who loved this book, so I think it was a me problem this go around.

Thanks for the arc for review!

I've read all of Natalie Jenner's previous books and have enjoyed seeing how she developed new storylines for several of the characters from her first book, "The Jane Austen Society," into her subsequent novels, "Bloomsbury Girls" and "Every Time We Say Goodbye." Her latest, "Austen at Sea," is a departure for Jenner in that it situates a fresh cast of characters into a completely new time period and setting: America and England in 1865. The premise of the story is intriguing: the two well-educated and progressive daughters of a Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice have struck up an unexpected correspondence with Jane Austen's only surviving brother, Sir Francis Austen, who is now in his 90s and retired from the sea. He, in turn, has been corresponding with two bookselling brothers from Philadelphia, and invites them all to sail to his home in England for a visit that he hopes will lead to happily ever after for the four of them. His plan is complicated, however, by several potential suitors and rivals who also turn up on board the ship--and mayhem ensues.

Unfortunately, however, this one didn't work for me. It is obviously well-researched, but that is part of the problem--there's so much crammed into the book that some storylines get way too much development (the meetings of Jane Austen book club founded by the Massachusetts Supreme Court Justices, for example) and others (the Austen-esque romantic entanglements) are shortchanged, with much of the action occurring "offstage" and only presented to the reader afterwards. Because we don't see these storylines play out in the narrative, the plot keeps whipsawing in unpredictable (and often unbelievable) turns that prevented me from getting invested in the action. And while the inclusion of plotlines involving historical characters such as Louisa May Alcott and Charles Dickens was fun (the shipboard passengers, which include Alcott, stage a production of "Tale of Two Cities" during their Atlantic passage, reminiscent of the ill-fated play in "Mansfield Park") it ultimately prevented Jenner from having the time to fully flesh out her main story--which itself takes another unpredictable turn in the book's final act. There was still much to enjoy in "Austen at Sea" but ultimately I wished Jenner had resisted the temptation to load everything into this one book and instead took her cue from her earlier novels and developed these characters over a series of books.

Thank you to NetGalley and to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this title in return for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and Natalie Jenner for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love anything Jane Austen inspired and the fact that the events of this narrative are based on a true story only adds to the excitement. I loved the flair of the daughters of the Supreme Court justice they had a flair that reminded me of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. Also there's something about an all male Supreme Court discussing the works of Jane Austen that just hits different. I loved it. I wished that was something I learned about in my undergrad degree.

One star off because there were times I found myself a little bit confused/lost as certain chapters and passages felt a little bit long winded.

Natalie Jenner is a must read for me, and this delivered! I love the humanity she gives to her characters and the stories she weaves.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Natalie Jenner for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Austen at Sea coming out May 6, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I read by this author. I’m obsessed with Jane Austen. I really love books surrounding her and her stories. This wasn’t quite what I was picturing. I thought it was dry. I was expecting something different. But I will check out more books by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Calling all Austen fans! This is the perfect historical fiction for you, and would be a great book club choice.