Any time spent in Jane Austen's world is time well spent, and there were some intriguing moments here.

I couldn't put this book down! I was hooked right away, and had to keep reading even though the ending felt too convenient.

I've loved other books by Han, and maybe it's only because I'm past the target audience but this one didn't seem to be on the same level. Overall, my reading experience was just more detached. In particular, I didn't get connected to any of the male characters enough to care what happened romantically.

The thing I liked best about this thriller was the way that each of the characters felt MESSILY real. So often I see characters on some level reduced to caricatures, but these ones just felt like people. And people are sometimes contradictory.

Oh, another book about an author writing about authors...I expected this to be another one in a stack. Instead it was one of the most enjoyable reading experiences I've had in awhile! I anticipated some of the scenes but the way they were written was just so engrossing that I was spellbound anyway. Great pacing and prose for characters that are authentic and enjoyable to spend time with - the mother/daughter dynamic was my favorite to explore!

I was disappointed in this read. At first the premise was fine, but soon the "movies in her mind" device was so contrived that it was hard for me to take Charlie seriously as a narrator or as a character.

There was a lot to love about this book. I especially enjoyed the breathtaking descriptions of European cities scattered throughout. Kostova's ability to make literary research into an exciting story warmed my scholar heart - it was really amazing how she was able to weave together the disparate narratives through the epistolary form, even if it stretched plausibility at some points. But I wished the male characters had more depth - they fell flat in comparison to the rich and compelling women described. For such a long book, I expected to understand, or at least know, the characters much better than I feel I do.

The insta-love was predictable, but the portrayal of the protagonist's struggle felt authentic.

Great pacing and even many of the minor characters had defining features/desires that made them compelling.

Loved the depiction of AZ as real and raw.