If you are a naturally outgoing and socially adept person, the first part of the book may be painful for you as you try to understand and sympathize with how Mary handles social interactions. That being said, I really enjoyed this book. I loved watching her learn and grow. I felt the tension and injustice of her struggles. As a historical fiction romance, it works very well. It also succeeds as a Pride and Prejudice companion. The tone and subject matter feels like a Jane Austen novel, but less verbose and with less commentary from the omniscient narrator. You get to see some parts of Pride and Prejudice from Mary's perspective, but you also get to go beyond that and see further into the future. The characters from the original story feel like themselves, and it's lovely to hear about them after the happily ever afters.