I'm always up for a Regency romance, but this one had a lot of seemingly random elements - pirates, coffee shops, parrots, monkeys, tigers, etc. - that took away from the authenticity and flow. It was obvious who the protagonist would end up with from the beginning. I would've liked a more realistic relationship SHOWN for the twin characters rather than just every time it being "well, they're twins, so of course they're close." 

The tone, mood, and voice in this book were immaculate. Often a split POV has me caring about one storyline more than the other, but I was equally invested in Lucia and Rachel's stories separately and together. The ending was disappointingly incomplete without any attempt at a denouement. 

Maybe I was just expecting this to be Austenland, but it didn't deliver for me. For a book claiming to offer a realistic look at what a modern woman would think of Regency life, there were a lot of contrivances. The constant labor scare with the chaperone was especially too much. I cared more about the protagonist's relationship with her daughter than with her love interest, and the "big reveal" at the end cheapened the entire arc.

This book was well-written and engaging; I don't know much of anything about Jordan, overseas military assignments, embassy work, etc., but this felt very real, especially the jealousy aspect - but the characterization of the son, Mather, was annoyingly one-note. I didn't want to hate a baby, but it didn't seem like his parents particularly cared for him, and he never did anything cute or sweet.

This book definitely reads like the novelization of a Hallmark movie- enjoyable for what it is without being especially well written. It really annoyed me that most of the characters had themed last names. Many conversations felt contrived and plot points overly convenient.

Pacing wasn't quite right, but all the characters were interesting. I liked the George/Gemma relationship best.

This was a fascinating concept with some cool parts, but I wanted this to focus on the actual founders rather than lengthy passages about Lincoln and even RBG.

I didn't always understand or appreciate the organization of the information presented, but there were some good points. In general, we just need to be aware of different factors affecting a conversation for both parties and what they hear, say, internalize, understand, etc.

Some good reminders, but mainly trite.

This was overall a good read, although I wished the playlist was more incorporated, and I was more interested in Sloane becoming ready to find love than I was in reading about Jason's violent rocker tendencies. I didn't like how one-note the conversation was about having kids; it would've been nice if the best friend's family representation was more nuanced to show an alternative to the picture-perfect happiness that seemed too Instagram-able to be genuine.