This book had some really compelling narratives and information, but it was so oddly arranged. The structure felt random and I had a hard time reading more than one brief passage at a time because they weren't really connected to each other.

The leads definitely had chemistry, but I felt like there was sometimes a disappointing imbalance with telling and showing. I didn't realize these characters were from other books before I picked this one up; maybe that's why I felt like some were static, because their arcs could have been shown in earlier stories. I thought the story was sometimes hard to believe, but it was a fun time overall. 

I read this book in one quick sitting. It was mainly enjoyable as a light romance, but I didn't like how characters who were supposedly middle-aged were often so immature (throwing walnuts - really?). The daughter, Rose, seemed more mature. And the insta-love was extreme even where insta-love is concerned...I can't believe she actually asked another guy to kiss her just to see if it felt the same? 

This was a fine light read overall, but I didn't buy the Lady Sabrina-Harry dynamic (knitting, really?) because every obstacle was so easily overcome. I don't think everyone should be all bad or all good, with one person magically being able to switch because someone wants him to do so. 

I really enjoyed this (a LOT more than the first in the series). There were a lot of elements I liked: the realistic older and younger sister dynamic especially as compared to their husbands' friendship, the relationship founded on mutual honesty and authentic friendship, and each love interest having viable alternatives. There weren't many spots that I felt taken out of the story; in fact, I was usually nodding my head, recognizing that the scenes were written well. For example, Timothy and Peter's relationship and eventual conversation felt reasonable for two adult brothers.

This was a light obvious romance, sort of a lighter Jane Eyre where the first wife is dead and the rich titled gentleman doesn't get burned in a fire, but Julia was no Jane - she was absurdly pretty yet a spinster because she never felt like trying and just had randomly decided to be a governess even though she could've easily not done that. Also there's an uncle for the love interest that has a plot to get all his nieces and nephews "respectably" married, which naturally has to include girls of a good family who decide to be governesses when they don't need to. Because of course. To be honest, most of what bothered me was the emphasis on raising the dogs. Yes, part of that was personal, since I'm really not a dog person, but it was more than that: I felt like we got more description of the dogs' struggles than the human's, especially the little girls, who only did what was convenient for the plot. Amelia's character also vacillated wildly, and even in her perspective, we didn't get much insight beyond what was told about her in the other perspectives. I didn't hate this book while reading it, since it was a fine read, but I wasn't especially captivated. 

Overall, this was a fun read, a nice clean romance, with a cute piano-playing couple who work together to help a young girl learn to read and behave well. However, I was disappointed with the Lenora we got in this book compared to the first; I could NEVER picture socially anxious piano player Lenora dressing as a boy to go on walks at night for no reason. I also objected to the bad fiancée trope because I don't think it added much to the story, and it seemed particularly cruel that a formerly jilted girl would go along with that whole thing. 

Overall this was a light, predictable proper romance. I really liked how religion was so completely integrated into their lives, both in outward expression and in thought - it felt very realistic for the vicar's family, and we don't see a lot of that actually shown in historical fiction even though it was a huge part of so many people's lives. But I didn't always buy Cassie's parents' reactions or their version of forgiveness. In general, I thought the pacing was a little off, as they really did fall in love basically instantly and then the whole time just wonder if they really were, which felt pretty silly. Lenora's change also felt too convenient and abrupt - she was only gone for 2 months; it seems a little extreme that she'd be a completely different person with totally different ideas about her sister, her future, etc. It also seemed way too easy that

Evan's mom instantly liked Cassie.

Had to finish this in one sitting. The whole thing was unsettling, but the ending was disappointing - maybe that's the point, but I still wanted more of a resolution. The vibes of jealousy and comparison between the two "birthday twins" were my favorite part and felt reminiscent to me of the complicated feelings of Margot and Maggie about each other's lives in The New Girl by Harriet Walker (a much more enjoyable thriller, in my opinion). Overall, I was left with more questions than answers, and even though the format was entertaining, it also made it super easy for there to be no concrete truth for anyone. It's hard to show a character arc when we never have any idea what's real. (Like, are the daughters normal or not? I literally can't tell. Is the grandma lying about a lot? It's possible.)

I wanted to be obsessed but this writing or plot didn't captivate me like an Elliot (similarly on-the-nose narrator) or Collins (similarly crime written/set in 19th century England). It almost felt like a what-if where Bertha from Jane Eyre got to live live on her own terms, sort of, but instead of actually focusing on her, the main character is her husband's best friend. Robert was fine, but I really wanted more of Clara and honestly Alicia too - their characters felt so flat, and I understand that on some level they were both foils for Lady Audley, but still. I did enjoy the general vibe and there were interesting moments for sure.