Most Ardently Yours

by Freya Sampson

From USA Today Bestselling author Freya Sampson comes a swoon-worthy, laugh-out-loud romance inspired by Jane Austen's beloved Pride and Prejudice that begs the what if your book boyfriend jumped from the pages of their story and into your life?
Zoe Knight, a struggling romance writer, has sworn off men for good. At least…the ones in real life. Once a believer in a happily ever after, she now curbs her loneliness with the help of the best book boyfriends in literature – and there is no better man than Jane Austen's Mr. Darcy. So when she stumbles into a classic London bookshop and argues with the annoyingly attractive store owner, Nick, who refuses to sell romance novels, she decides to liberate him of a dusty copy of Pride & Prejudice abandoned on a top shelf.
But this is no ordinary book.
After reading from the pages, Zoe finds herself in a remarkable she has accidentally summoned the Mr. Darcy to the real world. Now, she's face-to-face with the man she's loved forever, and he's everything she dreamed he would be. Handsome? Check. Brooding? Check. Talks like he swallowed a thesaurus? Check and check. But even in all his regency perfection, can he ever be as good as in the novel? And if he's here, in her London apartment trying to figure out how to work a shower , what will happen to the literary world he came from? With Nick—the last man she could ever be prevailed upon to work with—urging her to send the fictional Darcy back to his own story, Zoe will have to decide what she really wants from a happy ending, before it's too late.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Books About Books

Audible Audio

First published July 7, 2026

About the author

Freya Sampson is the USA Today bestselling author of The Last Chance Library and The Lost Ticket/The Girl on the 88 Bus. She studied history at Cambridge University and worked in television as an executive producer, making documentaries about everything from the British royal family to neighbours from hell. She lives in London with her husband, children and cats. Nosy Neighbours is her third novel.

Reviews

[Shelley's Book Nook · Rating 3 out of 5]

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⭐⭐⭐
Most Ardently Yours
Freya Sampson
Publication Date: July 7th, 2026
Sourcebooks Landmark
320 Pages
Amazon | Bookshop.org
Genre: Romance | Women's Fiction

I really wanted to love this book as the author is a favourite of mine, but it just didn't work for me. Maybe because Jane Austen is my favourite author, and having one of her most famous characters come to life can't be easy (though my favourites are the Dashwood sisters from Sense and Sensibility).

The book is charming and romantic in its own way, with a touch of magical realism and comedy. I did like the main character, Zoe. She's a writer of romances who has had her fill of men and gets her romance from between the pages of books. She then gets into a fight with a bookstore owner (Nick) who refuses to put romance books on his shelves. When she finds a copy of Pride and Prejudice there, she is faced with Mr. Darcy in her apartment, and he is everything she imagined him to be. (Oh, be still my beating heart!)

Of course, if Darcy stays, the book might be ruined, and unsurprisingly, Nick has to come to the rescue to help Zoe figure out how to get Mr. Darcy back into the book. I'll admit the book was kinda fun, and I appreciated the whole take (literally or not) on the "book boyfriend" deal. The humour was typical "old-time guy has to figure out the modern world," and some of it was genuinely funny.

However, I wasn't into the repartee between Zoe and Nick—he was kind of an ass, if you ask me. (No one did.) The pacing of the story was also too slow for me after the initial appearance of Darcy, and the conflict dragged out far too long. I never fully understood how Darcy got into the real world; it was just "let's get him out of here," and I got lost in that part of the plot.

Ultimately, I found a lot of the book more frustrating than I expected to. If you like lighthearted books and have ever thought about having a book boyfriend, this would be a perfect book to pick up. It just wasn't anything that wowed me, even though I am a huge Austen fan. I would recommend the author's 2022 release, The Lost Ticket, much more than this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Liana Gold · Rating 3 out of 5]

3! Lots of thoughts on this book! FULL REVIEW TO FOLLOW!

What if your book boyfriend jumped from the pages of their story and into your life?

RHYSAND please come for me.



Many thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and the author, Freya Sampson for an early copy.

Publication date: July 7, 2026

[Dee (in the Desert) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars, rounded up for Mr. Darcy!🫶🏼 I really, really should have loved this one - I usually enjoy a rom-com with some magic realism and I'm def. an Austen gal, but this was just so very disappointing😩 I think it's down to a couple things, maybe? 🤷🏻‍♀️ 1) The "magic realism" was too much - way more fantasy and I felt it got a touch silly & OTT in the second half. (I like the concept of living inside a book, but Kate Quinn did it better in "Astral Library"!) 2) The FMC, Zoe, was a serious hot mess, so very immature & whiny and I just wanted to slap her selfish face 👋🏻 3) MMC, Nick, was okay, but it felt too "insta-love" & the HEA felt forced. 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨 Best part of this book for me was Mr. Darcy hanging with the landlady & watching RuPaul's Queens & Love Island!! ❤️‍🔥🏳️‍🌈 I will still be interested in the author's next as I've enjoyed a lot of her back-list

[Flo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of good ideas. It just needed a little polishing here and there to become Enchanted instead of just a guilty pleasure for Austen readers.

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most Ardently Yours by Freya Sampson
Contemporary romance, romantic comedy. Time slip. Multiple time lines.
Zoe Knignt loves a good romance book. She’d tried to write one herself, but her then boyfriend had only criticism for her writing. Now she keeps her romances to books. Zoe passes Baskerville Books often which is close to Trafalgar Square. It’s been in business for yesrs, but Zoe doesn’t know why they refuse to sell any romance. On a whim one day, she stops in and questions the owner. He declares the industry as providing false hope and dreams in romance books. Zoe finds a copy of Pride and Prejudice on top of a bookshelf and when he refuses to sell her the book, she runs out the door with it.
Suddenly there is a mystified Mr. Darcy outside her flat. He’s looking for a carriage and a town that only exists in fiction.
How the heck has this happened? Zoe teaches Mr. Darcy about life in current times. But he doesn’t belong here and only Nick Baskerville may be able to help.

🎧 I was able to alternate between an ebook and audiobook of this novel. The narration is performed by Florence Howard who does a superb job with the three main character voices, each distinct, as well as the emotions that are clearly heard. From Zoe and her passion for books and romance, to Mr. Darcy’s confusion and wonder at modern conventions to Nick’s worry and growing attachment to Zoe. The humor is clear, the confusion and anger is apparent.
The audiobooks brings the situation and characters to 3D life and I enjoyed it so much.

It was so wonderful of Nick to find a way to get to Zoe when needed. I wish she could have reciprocated sooner, but I am happy with the eventual ending.

Entertaining, thought provoking, a little bit of fantasy, and a growing love that made me swoon and laugh. A lesson in patience.
4.25

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and Sourcebooks Audio.

[Grapie Deltaco · Rating 1 out of 5]

Holy cornball, Batman!! I’m irritated as fuck!!!

The only reasons I didn’t DNF are 1. It’s Pride and Prejudice related. I simply must see it through and 2. I spent money on it and didn’t want it to go to waste.

Experiencing this book in any capacity was, unfortunately, doomed to always be a waste.

Our main character is so insufferable. What do you mean you insist on reducing the bookshop owner to being a misogynist because he doesn’t like romance novels?? He stocks work written by women. He explained his personal grievances for the genre. You KNOW it has nothing to do with being a woman-dominated genre but still he gets called a misogynist??? Do you even know what that word means????? Never mind the fact that his reason for hating the genre was also stupid from the jump but my God. Get real!

Also the level of pop culture references were agonizing. I don’t have an issue with a large volume of pop culture references in theory but when they’re so obviously just the author’s personal interests infused into needless dialogue it’s just irritating and Blegh.

At one point I needed to put the book down because I was so pissed off at how Nick was utilized to create easily avoidable conflict. “Bringing Mr. Darcy out of the book is dangerous! It’ll be destructive! We don’t have much time!!” But does he explain any of that in the same conversation where he’s issuing out warnings? Nope! Just vague, ominous warnings about time sensitive information. Cool. Awesome. Infuriating.

I just hate dumb characters that are presented as being knowledgeable or even normal.

And through the power of just believing in yourself, you too can wield magic I guess.

I liked when Mr. Darcy watched Drag Race and nothing else. Booooo

[Martha · Rating 2 out of 5]

As someone who has enjoyed Freya Sampson’s other work and always eagerly anticipates her upcoming books, I am sad to say that this book fell flat for me.

***SPOILERS AHEAD***

The premise of the book is cute: our beloved Mr. Darcy shows up in the real modern world! I was excited to see how he would navigate his surroundings while figuring out (with the help of the protagonist) how to get back to his own world in Pride and Prejudice.

But, unfortunately, the pacing of the book dragged on for too long. While this is a rom-com/magical realism book, it was riddled with plot holes and unrealistic plot lines.

Let’s start with how the FMC managed to get Mr. Darcy out of the Pride and Prejudice book and into the real world. By the end of the book, there still isn’t any clear-cut explanation of how she managed to do it. The MMC (who is NOT Mr. Darcy, just to be clear — the MMC is a bookstore owner) tells her that his female relatives were the only people to ever bring fictional characters into life — their powers skipped him because apparently only his female relatives have these magical abilities. No mention of witchcraft, no mention of other magical powers. Just the power of summoning fictional characters into real life without any explanation other than, “If someone has a specific problem they need help with, then my relatives magically will the characters out of the book and into that person’s life to help them resolve their issues.”

How did his relatives get these powers? What other things do they do? How is it that these are the only powers they seemingly have and nothing else? And is it only hereditary? Do other people have these powers? If it’s hereditary through the female bloodline, why does the FMC have these powers, then?

At the end of the book, the MMC suggests (per his mom’s theory) that the FMC must have summoned Mr. Darcy because she was totally in love with the MMC and therefore was able to “read Mr. Darcy out of the book.” The FMC then suggests that maybe she managed to summon Mr. Darcy so he could teach her that she didn’t need to have a romantic relationship with anyone in order to fulfill her life (or something like that — I still don’t get the whole reasoning behind it, to be honest). This still doesn’t explain how the MMC’s mom and relatives gained their own powers and what other things they can do so I’m still scratching my head over that.

The MMC also lets the FMC know that the reason their family secret (summoning characters out of books) never got out beyond the bookstore was because “readers are trusted to not leak the secret so they didn’t say anything.” Which makes no sense because we can’t just blindly trust strangers to not gossip about unusual things like summoning fictional characters out of books.

Then let’s get to Mr. Darcy. The beauty of Mr. Darcy (in my opinion) in Pride and Prejudice is that he’s this gruff, arrogant, yet sweet character, who stays quiet and observant throughout Jane Austen’s book and has a good head on his shoulders. Unfortunately, this book doesn’t really pay homage to his original characterization in Pride and Prejudice. I understand that he was set into a new world and was unsteady on his feet, but their interactions throughout the story were not anything like I understood Mr. Darcy in Jane Austen’s original work.

The plot also takes a sharp turn 60-70% into the book, when I thought the plot was close to resolved. (By this point, Mr. Darcy is already back in Pride and Prejudice.) Suddenly, the FMC got stuck in Mr. Darcy’s world where she meets the MMC’s mom (who is revealed to have been stuck there for years). Again, there’s no real explanation as to how she got into the book other than “she wished to visit Mr. Darcy in Netherfield.”

Then the MMC got sucked into their world to try to get both of them back out into their real world — by getting his nearly-dying aunt to somehow magically will him into it. How does a nearly-dying woman who is in hospice manage to do that? And again: How did the FMC gain these powers to begin with?? We then see the FMC will herself out of the Pride and Prejudice book but, for some reason, couldn’t get the MMC out, which there is no explanation for. This added plot line ended up dragging out the pacing for me, and by that time, I was checking how long it would take to finish the book.

The relationship between the FMC and MMC was unfortunately not very well flushed-out. Her scenes with Mr. Darcy and her confused feelings for him were so dragged out that they took place of all interactions she could’ve had with the MMC. We start with her and the MMC’s “meet-cute” (and I say this loosely) where she ends up hating him for no reason other than he doesn’t stock romance books in his bookstore. Then there are more scenes where she mistreats the MMC, and suddenly they have the hots for each other, while he helps her get Mr. Darcy back into the book, and then they get sucked into P&P where they make out. In other words, it was whiplash. I was baffled and had no idea when exactly they fell in love.

Overall, I do appreciate that the author attempted a romantic comedy for the first time. Like I said, I adore all of her other books! My favorite ones, personally, were The Last Chance Library and Nosy Neighbors. Both books had such great characterizations and plots which I was hoping to see in this book. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get past the plot holes. I’d have to suspend my disbelief completely in order to enjoy it.

That being said, I look forward to reading more of her work in the future and seeing how she improves her writing in the romantic comedy genre.

[Katie May]

DNF at 22%

This had really cool potential but I actually strongly disliked this. Right off the bat I got the ick from the FMC at their meet-ugly when she goes into the MMCs bookstore after it’s closed, gets everything wet, basically calls him a loser for not liking all kinds of books (specifically romance) and then decides stealing from him is warranted. I couldn’t tell you of the couple had any chemistry or banter because for 22% that’s the only scene they have together. The FMC continues to be annoying and unlikable for the duration of the book that I made it through and the MMC is not featured again in that time , just Mr. Darcy. She initially thinks Mr Darcy is someone “having an episode” and decides taking him home with her is best for everyone (I DNF shortly after).

If pride and prejudice is your favorite book, this is probably right up your alley but there were just too many red flags for me to keep my interest.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author/publisher for an early copy of this book in exhange for an honest review. Sorry this wasn’t for me.

[Mads · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF for using the word "fucktard." Don't even want to write a longer review, that should not have made it through rounds of editing.

Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley,a nd author for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Ioana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Freya Sampson just gave us a charming, heart‑warming rom‑com with characters who feel real and good banter. A soft, wholesome slow burn — perfect for romance readers who can definitely, at least once, had the same desire of materialising their favourite book boyfriend into reality 😅

This is a story that slowly warms you from the inside out.

While the first half leans gentle and steady, the action really picks up around the 70% mark, and that’s when I got completely hooked. This is why the book gets 4 ⭐ from my side - I wasn’t hooked from the beginning but it really grew on me and definitely the last 30% of the book won me over.

The writing is easy to follow, the supporting characters are greatly built and add a lot to the charm and wit of the story (Mrs Atallah being my favourite ❤️).

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Jessica (Odd and Bookish) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher for promotional purposes.

This was such an entertaining read! I practically read it in one day (I read 8 pages the first day and then finished it the following day).

This book gets a lot of mixed reviews. Personally, I loved it for what it was. It’s a fun romance with a magical realism twist. Does the main character make questionable decisions at times? Yes absolutely. But there wouldn’t be much of a story if she didn’t. A fair amount of suspension of disbelief is required. If you can do that, the book is enjoyable.

I loved the premise. The lead character, Zoe, accidentally summons Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice to the real world. As you can imagine, chaos and hilarity ensues.

I liked the magical realism element to it (the ability to read a character out of a book). Magical realism is often a hit or a miss for me, and for this book it was a hit. I enjoyed the references to other romance novels and famous book boyfriends. Additionally, I liked that the book focused not just on romance, but also believing in yourself.

The story was incredibly fast paced and there was never a dull moment. The chapters are short which made it easy to fly through the story. I could easily see this book being turned into a movie (I got a ton of Disney Enchanted vibes).

Overall, if you’re looking for something light, easy to read, and don’t mind a sometimes silly plot, check this one out!

[Leighann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most Ardently Yours by Freya Sampson will be released in the United States on July 7, 2026.
Zoe Knight is not quite living her dream as an aspiring writer. She’s given up on writing her own romance novel, but she still devours romance books all the time, even if she doesn’t feel confident enough to write them any longer. As the book begins, her a-hole ex-boyfriend is being celebrated for writing a literary novel. She spends her days as a waitress at a Great Expectations-literary-themed café, until some excitement enters her life the day she steals a mysterious copy of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice from a grumpy bookstore owner named Nick (yes, he also happens to be hot with misguided taste in literature). Zoe has no clue why Nick even had one of the best romantic novels of all time at his bookstore, when he said he refuses to sell romances and doesn’t believe in happily ever afters…
A hint of literary magic is sprinkled over Zoe’s life after she reads aloud from Pride and Prejudice, magical edition, and the next day, a man who claims to be Fitzwilliam Darcy, dressed in full Regency-era clothing, shows up at the café where she works. Intending to take him to the hospital, instead she can’t resist spending some time with him. Lots of funny hijinks ensue, including Darcy’s love affair with reality television. It seems like Zoe is trying to fall in love with Darcy, her literary crush since she was a teenager, but she can’t stop thinking about Nick Baskerville of Baskerville Books.
Things get even crazier when Darcy realizes he’s not meant to be in contemporary London, and let’s just say Zoe and Nick will have to team up and figure out how to harness some literary magic through an unorthodox tour of Longbourn and Pemberley.
Mixed Reviews, Just Go For It
Some readers mentioned they were not fans of the third act, because there are some curveballs there, plot-wise, but I just went along with it and had fun without thinking too hard about plot holes or anything. You have to suspend some disbelief and just go with the flow and then you’ll enjoy the book all the way through.
Bookalikes
Most Ardently Yours is for Pride and Prejudice fans and romance readers who like books set in bookstores, as well those who enjoyed A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston and Austenland by Shannon Hale.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Jo|Ruth Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

***Heads up: content outside closed door guidelines/content compatibility.

The premise of this book had a lot of potential, and honestly the synopsis really pulled me in. Unfortunately though, this one ended up falling outside my personal closed door preferences. The harsh language, innuendo, fade to black scene, and overall focus on intimacy made it difficult for me to fully connect with the story.

There is a bit of a love triangle vibe with two possible love interests, but unfortunately neither relationship felt especially believable to me, and I just didn’t personally buy the chemistry.

While this book is technically fade to black, other elements throughout the story still made it feel much steamier/spicier than what I typically read and recommend.

That said, for readers who enjoy bookish references and the Pride and Prejudice inspired elements woven throughout, this could still be a really fun read. It just ultimately wasn’t the best fit for me personally.

I received a complimentary copy. This review reflects my honest opinion.

[Sonja · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐

Cute novel, where Fitzwilliam Darcy magically gets transported from book to real life. The plot is quite a bit more involved than that, and as is, this novel is good. Seeing as there is more than 6 months until publication, I'm hoping for some oomph to be added during editing. The writing is fine, the plot is fine, but there is repetition throughout which could be replaced with more detailed scenes, and injected with actual humour. There was a scene between Zoe and Nick which had them laughing until they wept tears, but was not even remotely funny for the reader. I think this book can be a Hallmark movie of the week, but would rather it be punched up to become a Netflix rom-com.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

ABSOLUTELY my new favorite from Freya Sampson. This latest book is a magical realism story about a romance loving aspiring author who finds out she is able to read characters out of books and inexplicably finds herself living with the actual hero from Pride and Prejudice. What follows is a heartfelt enemies to lovers romance full of bookish content, aspirational writerly content that is both an homage to the romance genre and classic Jane Austen style book boyfriends. This was great on audio and perfect for fans of books like Falling for the protagonist by Beth Goos or Romantic Hero by Kristy Greenwood. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

[CindySR · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somehow a book peppered with profanity cheapens the characters of Darcy and Elizabeth. Strike one.
Darcy in 2026 world is not Darcy, acts nothing like I would expect him to act. Strike two.
Annoying main character. Strike three.
The only bright spots for me were Nick the hero and his mom! and Bianca, the best friend, and Mrs. Atallah the neighbor and Darcy babysitter.


In 2022 I started reading The Eyre Affair not realizing it was fantasy/sci-fi, two genres I avoided at the time. I think I will try again because it has to be better than this.

[Vivian · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book started off okay but the second half felt rushed and too predictable. I didn’t really care for the romance because there was no build up to it. Love Mr. Darcy but not in this book 🥴

[Ivy Withers Esterly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

A charming, enchanting story of Mr. Darcy coming into reality. Zoe Knight is a woman down on her luck, stuck in her day-to-day routine while feeling lonely and isolated. After happening upon a male-dominated bookshop lacking in romance titles, she steals a copy of Pride and Prejudice and manages to bring Mr. Darcy into the present day in front of her. She grows attached to her long-time favorite “book boyfriend”, but soon realizes that keeping Mr. Darcy may wipe Pride and Prejudice off the face of the Earth. A story of finding yourself and knowing your self worth, this is definitely a delightful read, perfect for Jane Austen fans and romance aficionados.

[☆Laura☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zoe Knight ha pasado años refugiándose en novelas románticas porque los libros han sido mucho más amables con ella que la vida real. Los personajes ficticios jamás rompen promesas, no abandonan a quienes aman y siempre saben qué decir en el momento correcto.

Después de un encuentro desastroso con un librero, Zoe cree que lo peor que puede pasarle ya ocurrió. Hasta que un suceso completamente inexplicable coloca a Fitzwilliam Darcy frente a ella y transforma sus días en algo tan absurdo que ni ella misma sabe cómo reaccionar.

De pronto, Zoe queda atrapada en una situación que desafía toda lógica y que amenaza con derrumbar la línea que separa la ficción de la realidad. Tiene que encontrar la manera de regresar a Darcy a su libro y tendrá que pedirle ayuda al librero con lo que se peleo.

___

La parte final decayó, sobre todo cuando ella logra salir del libro.



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

[Delaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I’m not really a fan of pride and prejudice, I enjoyed this story. It was charming, unique, and ever so slightly stressful. While didn’t fully buy the love story, I thought the adventure of Mr. Darcy coming into the year 2026 was hilarious and a fun time to read. Overall I think worth the read!

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted arc

[Zoë]

I read this solely because the mmc and fmc names are Nick and Zoe… coincidentally my name is Zoe and my boyfriend’s name is Nick, so it seemed meant to be.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved!!!

[Isabel Pasrod · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun literary romance filled with books, some well known characters from a beloved classic, and maybe a new favorite book boyfriend.

Zoe Knight is a passionate reader, a defender of romance novels and, particularly, a champion for Pride and Prejudice's Mr. Darcy. She's quite an endearing character, even though the reader knows perfectly well that what she's doing, the secret she's keeping, is wrong. But, seriously, wouldn't we all do the same if something like that happened to us? Anyway, I loved how fierce Zoe was when it came to books, especially romance novels.

I enjoyed the way it was written, it managed to keep my interest peeked at all times. The fact that it addressed the reader made it even more fun and engaging. Yes, Zoe, we are very curious spectators indeed.

This book surprised me in more ways than I had anticipated. First with its plot twists I didn't see coming and then with the warm, almost fuzzy feeling it left me after finishing it. And that feeling doesn't just come from the romance, which I absolutely enjoyed and would have liked a few more scenes between the characters, but from the message it very clearly conveys. We can easily forget why we do the things we love and let others influence us. And that's just wrong.

Aside from some very convenient coincidences and the short development of the romance, I had a great time reading Most Ardently Yours. It tought me and showed me to value romance books, to believe in myself and to never give up what makes me happy.

I'm so glad I read this book.

[Emilee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into this book expecting to roll my eyes at 90% of the content, but it truly blew me away. Between making awkward Darcy fit into 2026 culture, subtle nods and references to the plot of Pride & Prejudice, and the author’s obvious passion for the comfort that books can bring, this was just a fantastic novel. It felt like reading a late-90s, early-2000s rom-com, and genuinely brought me to tears by the end. Dare I say this is the best contemporary romance I have read?

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let's get this out of the way: I hate "the big lie" stories. Just COMMUNICATE ALREADY!
I have loved all of the other books I read by Freya Sampson, love magical realism, and I'm a fan of Austen retellings, which made this particularly disappointing. Things became convoluted when they didn't need to be. And what was up with that ending?
I did enjoy the characters, her writing style, and the basic premise. Delivery, not so much.

[Julia McDougald]

**DNF @ 23%...**

This book was not, in fact, *most ardently mine.*

The premise sounded so unique that I couldn't wait to pick it up—a romance reader unexpectedly finding herself responsible for the actual Mr. Darcy? Sign me up. Sadly, the execution just wasn't for me.

I felt like the FMC leaned a little too heavily into being the "book girl," and the constant references to current romance authors, book boyfriends, TikTok, and other pop culture pulled me out of the story rather than drawing me in. I can absolutely see this working for readers who enjoy contemporary romances full of quirky humor and self-aware references, but it just wasn't the type of storytelling that pulled me in.

I don't think I'm the right reader for this one, so rather than forcing myself through it, I decided it was best to DNF.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Bel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

This book was so good I finished it in a day. It had magical realism, book boyfriends and charming characters. And London as the background certainly did not hurt. Although some things were predictable (as in many romance novels, which I love) there were still elements of surprise. It's certainly perfect for Pride and Prejudice lovers!

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I need to start off by saying that this book will be exactly what someone is looking for. It was a really fun idea and Zoe's affection for book boyfriends is incredibly relatable to many readers. However, a couple things kept me from really loving this and I found I'd have to push myself to read it. Most of the things that kept me from a higher rating are actually things I've noticed in a lot of other books recently as well. It's hard to walk the line between successful trope/device execution (for me, this is when I get so lost in the book I don't even realize the author has laid out all the makings of their chosen tropes) and easy attention grab (for me, when it's very obvious why the author used certain things); these are the ones that stood out to me as I was reading:

As a regular romance reader, there's been a big uptick in MCs who are fans of romance and/or want to be an author themselves and gave it up for whatever reason; their return to writing typically follows the evolution of the plot and the romance development. It just tends to seem very meta and can keep me from fully getting into the character's story because I'll be wondering if it's the author's own experience. Which is totally fine! I'm just aware of it.

Again, in many new books, there's a lot of historical characters being pulled to present day. It's something that is always intriguing when reading the back cover but I think I need to stop falling for it; I struggle with the believability of it. It's such a fun thought experiment, but it's always up for such interpretation that leads to, again, being pulled out of the story itself and questioning the choices. In this case, choosing such a well known character like Mr. Darcy and having him clash with the forces of modernity was interesting but I really had to suspend my pre-conceived notions of him. I almost wonder if inventing a classic would've helped with this, simply because all characters would be original, but then there goes the whole focus of the book.

Additionally, something I notice across a lot of 'books for book people' is the name dropping of contemporary authors or titles. It makes sense in that of course this is a book about loving romance books, but when it's so many and so regular, it just feels like such blatant ingratiation. I, as a book lover, may just be reaching my limit of 'books written about books for book lovers.'

Lastly, and this was mentioned in some earlier reviews, the magic of the story seemed undercooked. The idea was brilliant, but the how just didn't ever actually compute for me. Like how the heck did Zoe end up with the power? It was never really explained super well. Soft magic doesn't need a huge world building explanation, but I wish that the whole thing would've been clearer. At one point it was alluding to the copy of the book being magical and I thought oh maybe one of the magical ancestors had this set of books that allowed so many visits until the magic was used up... but no.

Somewhat unrelated, I didn't quite understand "the Fear" either. Like I get its role, I just don't understand why it was characterized.

I did really like the cast of characters, they were all easy to follow and very unique. Additionally, the setting was fun and very apropos for the story. This idea has a lot of potential and I know that some people will absolutely love it, which makes me happy. There were just some things that really didn't click for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Ashley - The Tattered Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received from the Netgalley

🎧📖𝒜𝐿𝒞 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌📖🎧

𝑀𝑜𝓈𝓉 𝒜𝓇𝒹𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓁𝓎 𝒴𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈 ʙʏ ғʀᴇʏᴀ sᴀᴍᴘsᴏɴ

𝑅𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔: 🥀🥀🥀 ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ 𝟻 ᴇɴᴄʜᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ʀᴏsᴇs

𝒮𝓅𝒾𝒸𝑒 𝑅𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔: 🌶 ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ 𝟻

✨ 𝐻𝑜𝑜𝓀✨

ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ ᴢᴏᴇ ᴋɴɪɢʜᴛ ʜᴀs ɢɪᴠᴇɴ ᴜᴘ ᴏɴ ʟᴏᴠᴇ—ᴇxᴄᴇᴘᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴋɪɴᴅ sʜᴇ ғɪɴᴅs ɪɴ ʙᴏᴏᴋs. ʙᴜᴛ ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴀ ᴍᴀɢɪᴄᴀʟ ᴄᴏᴘʏ ᴏғ ᴘʀɪᴅᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘʀᴇᴊᴜᴅɪᴄᴇ ʙʀɪɴɢs ᴍʀ. ᴅᴀʀᴄʏ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ, ᴢᴏᴇ ᴍᴜsᴛ ᴄʜᴏᴏsᴇ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ғɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ᴍᴀɴ sʜᴇ's ᴀᴅᴏʀᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ʏᴇᴀʀs ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠᴇʀʏ ʀᴇᴀʟ ʙᴏᴏᴋsᴇʟʟᴇʀ ᴡʜᴏ's sʟᴏᴡʟʏ ʀᴇᴡʀɪᴛɪɴɢ ʜᴇʀ ᴅᴇғɪɴɪᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏғ ʜᴀᴘᴘɪʟʏ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ.

𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌:

ʜᴜɢᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ sᴏᴜʀᴄᴇʙᴏᴏᴋs ᴀᴜᴅɪᴏ & ʟɪʙʀᴏ ғᴏʀ ɢɪғᴛɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ ᴛʜɪs ᴀʟᴄ!

𝐼𝓂𝒶𝑔𝒾𝓃𝑒 𝒶𝒸𝒸𝒾𝒹𝑒𝓃𝓉𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝓈𝓊𝓂𝓂𝑜𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑀𝓇. 𝒟𝒶𝓇𝒸𝓎 𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝑜𝒹𝑒𝓇𝓃-𝒹𝒶𝓎 𝐿𝑜𝓃𝒹𝑜𝓃... 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓁𝒾𝓏𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓁-𝓁𝒾𝒻𝑒 𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓅𝓎 𝑒𝓃𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓂𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝒷𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊'𝓋𝑒 𝒶𝓁𝓌𝒶𝓎𝓈 𝒾𝓂𝒶𝑔𝒾𝓃𝑒𝒹.

ᴀs ᴀ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ, ᴛʜɪs ᴘʀᴇᴍɪsᴇ ʜᴀᴅ ᴍᴇ ɪᴍᴍᴇᴅɪᴀᴛᴇʟʏ sᴏʟᴅ—ᴀɴᴅ ɪᴛ ᴀʙsᴏʟᴜᴛᴇʟʏ ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀs ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ғᴜɴ.

ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜɪɴɢ ᴍʀ. ᴅᴀʀᴄʏ ᴛʀʏ ᴛᴏ sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ ᴍᴏᴅᴇʀɴ ʟᴏɴᴅᴏɴ ɪs ʜɪʟᴀʀɪᴏᴜs, ᴡʜᴏʟᴇsᴏᴍᴇ, ᴀɴᴅ sᴜʀᴘʀɪsɪɴɢʟʏ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛғᴇʟᴛ, ʙᴜᴛ ʙᴇɴᴇᴀᴛʜ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴜᴍᴏʀ ɪs ᴀ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛғᴜʟ sᴛᴏʀʏ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴜɴʀᴇᴀʟɪsᴛɪᴄ ᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴs, ʜᴇᴀʟɪɴɢ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙʀᴇᴀᴋ, ᴀɴᴅ ʟᴇᴀʀɴɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ sᴇᴘᴀʀᴀᴛᴇ ғᴀɴᴛᴀsʏ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ᴋɪɴᴅ ᴏғ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴀᴄᴛᴜᴀʟʟʏ ʟᴀsᴛs. ᴢᴏᴇ's ᴊᴏᴜʀɴᴇʏ ғᴇᴇʟs ʀᴇʟᴀᴛᴀʙʟᴇ, ᴇsᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟʟʏ ғᴏʀ ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ ᴡʜᴏsᴇ sᴛᴀɴᴅᴀʀᴅs ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ sʜᴀᴘᴇᴅ ʙʏ ғɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ʙᴏʏғʀɪᴇɴᴅs (ɢᴜɪʟᴛʏ 🙋🏻‍♀️).

ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴜɴғᴏʟᴅs ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴘʟᴇɴᴛʏ ᴏғ ᴡɪᴛᴛʏ ʙᴀɴᴛᴇʀ, ᴄᴏᴢʏ ʙᴏᴏᴋsʜᴏᴘ ᴠɪʙᴇs, ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛʟᴇss ɴᴏᴅs ᴛᴏ ᴘʀɪᴅᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘʀᴇᴊᴜᴅɪᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴀᴜsᴛᴇɴ ғᴀɴs ᴡɪʟʟ ᴀᴘᴘʀᴇᴄɪᴀᴛᴇ. ɪᴛ's sᴡᴇᴇᴛ, ᴄʟᴇᴠᴇʀ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴜʟᴛɪᴍᴀᴛᴇʟʏ ʀᴇᴍɪɴᴅs ᴜs ᴛʜᴀᴛ sᴏᴍᴇᴛɪᴍᴇs ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇsᴛ ʟᴏᴠᴇ sᴛᴏʀʏ ɪsɴ'ᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ʏᴏᴜ'ᴠᴇ ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴇᴅ—ɪᴛ's ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ.

🎙️𝒩𝒶𝓇𝓇𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃:
ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴜᴅɪᴏʙᴏᴏᴋ ɪs ᴀɴ ᴀʙsᴏʟᴜᴛᴇ ᴅᴇʟɪɢʜᴛ. ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴀʀʀᴀᴛᴏʀ ᴘᴇʀғᴇᴄᴛʟʏ ᴄᴀᴘᴛᴜʀᴇs ᴢᴏᴇ's ᴡɪᴛᴛʏ ɪɴɴᴇʀ ᴍᴏɴᴏʟᴏɢᴜᴇ, ᴅᴀʀᴄʏ's ᴡᴏɴᴅᴇʀғᴜʟʟʏ ғᴏʀᴍᴀʟ ʀᴇɢᴇɴᴄʏ ᴅɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀᴜɢʜ-ᴏᴜᴛ-ʟᴏᴜᴅ ᴀᴡᴋᴡᴀʀᴅɴᴇss ᴏғ ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜɪɴɢ ᴀ ɴɪɴᴇᴛᴇᴇɴᴛʜ-ᴄᴇɴᴛᴜʀʏ ɢᴇɴᴛʟᴇᴍᴀɴ ɴᴀᴠɪɢᴀᴛᴇ ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ-ғɪʀsᴛ-ᴄᴇɴᴛᴜʀʏ ʟɪғᴇ. ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ ғᴇᴇʟs ᴅɪsᴛɪɴᴄᴛ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴍᴏᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ sᴄᴇɴᴇs ʟᴀɴᴅ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴀs ᴡᴇʟʟ ᴀs ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴇᴅɪᴄ ᴏɴᴇs. ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ ᴄʜᴀʀᴍɪɴɢ, ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ-ᴅʀɪᴠᴇɴ ᴀᴜᴅɪᴏʙᴏᴏᴋs, ᴛʜɪs ᴏɴᴇ ɪs ɪɴᴄʀᴇᴅɪʙʟʏ ᴇᴀsʏ ᴛᴏ sɪɴᴋ ɪɴᴛᴏ.

𝒯𝓇𝑜𝓅𝑒𝓈 & 𝒱𝒾𝒷𝑒𝓈:
📖 ᴘʀɪᴅᴇ & ᴘʀᴇᴊᴜᴅɪᴄᴇ ɪɴsᴘɪʀᴇᴅ
❤️ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ʙᴏʏғʀɪᴇɴᴅ ᴄᴏᴍᴇs ᴛᴏ ʟɪғᴇ
📚 ʙᴏᴏᴋsᴛᴏʀᴇ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ
😂 ғɪsʜ-ᴏᴜᴛ-ᴏғ-ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ ᴄᴏᴍᴇᴅʏ
✨ ᴍᴀɢɪᴄᴀʟ ʀᴇᴀʟɪsᴍ
💕 ᴇɴᴇᴍɪᴇs-ᴛᴏ-ʟᴏᴠᴇʀs ᴠɪʙᴇs
☕ ᴄᴏᴢʏ ʟᴏɴᴅᴏɴ sᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢ
✍️ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇʀ ғᴍᴄ
💛 sʟᴏᴡ-ʙᴜʀɴ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ
📖 ʟᴏᴠᴇ ʟᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀs

𝑅𝑒𝒶𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒾𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒...
📖 ᴊᴀɴᴇ ᴀᴜsᴛᴇɴ ʀᴇᴛᴇʟʟɪɴɢs
☕ ᴄᴏᴢʏ ʙᴏᴏᴋsʜᴏᴘ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇs
❤️ ɢʀᴜᴍᴘʏ ʙᴏᴏᴋsᴇʟʟᴇʀs
✨ ᴍᴀɢɪᴄᴀʟ ʀᴇᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ
📚 ʙᴏᴏᴋs ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ʟᴏᴠᴇʀs
💕 ᴡɪᴛᴛʏ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴛɪᴄ ᴄᴏᴍᴇᴅɪᴇs
🌧️ ᴄʜᴀʀᴍɪɴɢ ʟᴏɴᴅᴏɴ sᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢs

🗣️ 𝒲𝑜𝓇𝒹 𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒮𝓉𝓇𝑒𝑒𝓉:
ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ʟᴏᴠɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴢʏ ᴀᴛᴍᴏsᴘʜᴇʀᴇ, ᴊᴀɴᴇ ᴀᴜsᴛᴇɴ ʀᴇғᴇʀᴇɴᴄᴇs, ᴀɴᴅ ʟᴀᴜɢʜ-ᴏᴜᴛ-ʟᴏᴜᴅ ᴘʀᴇᴍɪsᴇ, ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍᴀɴʏ ᴄᴀʟʟɪɴɢ ɪᴛ ᴀ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛғᴇʟᴛ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ʟᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀs. ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ᴏᴘɪɴɪᴏɴs ᴠᴀʀʏ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴛʀɪᴀɴɢʟᴇ, ᴍᴏsᴛ ᴀɢʀᴇᴇ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴏʀʏ ɪs ᴇǫᴜᴀʟ ᴘᴀʀᴛs ᴡʜɪᴍsɪᴄᴀʟ, ғᴜɴɴʏ, ᴀɴᴅ sᴜʀᴘʀɪsɪɴɢʟʏ ᴇᴍᴏᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ—ᴇsᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟʟʏ ғᴏʀ ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ ᴡʜᴏ's ᴇᴠᴇʀ ʜᴀᴅ ᴀ ғɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ᴄʀᴜsʜ.

𝐹𝒾𝓃𝒶𝓁 𝓋𝑒𝓇𝒹𝒾𝒸𝓉:
ᴀ ᴡᴀʀᴍ, ғᴜɴɴʏ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴜᴛᴛᴇʀʟʏ ᴄʜᴀʀᴍɪɴɢ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ's ᴛᴀɪʟᴏʀ-ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ғᴏʀ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ʟᴏᴠᴇʀs. 𝑀𝑜𝓈𝓉 𝒜𝓇𝒹𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓁𝓎 𝒴𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈 ᴄᴇʟᴇʙʀᴀᴛᴇs ᴡʜʏ ᴡᴇ ғᴀʟʟ ɪɴ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ғɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀs ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ɢᴇɴᴛʟʏ ʀᴇᴍɪɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴜs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʀᴇᴀʟ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ—ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ɪᴍᴘᴇʀғᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴs—ᴄᴀɴ ᴏғғᴇʀ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ʜᴀᴘᴘɪʟʏ-ᴇᴠᴇʀ-ᴀғᴛᴇʀs. ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ'ᴠᴇ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴡɪsʜᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ғᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ʙᴏʏғʀɪᴇɴᴅ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ sᴛᴇᴘ ᴏғғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀɢᴇ, ᴛʜɪs ɪs ᴏɴᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴍɪss.

ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ!
𝒜𝓈𝒽𝓁𝑒𝓎
ʙᴏᴏᴋsᴛᴀɢʀᴀᴍ: @ᴛʜᴇᴛᴀᴛᴛᴇʀᴇᴅᴘᴀɢᴇ

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[Lei · Rating 5 out of 5]

I requested this ARC because of the premise. I mean, what reader wouldn’t be intrigued by the idea of Mr. Darcy coming to life?

What I didn’t expect was how much I would love this book. This is easily one of my favorite reads of the year so far. The concept is fun and creative, but what really made this work for me was the execution. The story felt well thought out, the pacing kept me engaged, and I never found myself questioning the plot or looking for answers to things that didn’t make sense. I was simply enjoying the ride.

As someone who loves romance novels, I had so much fun catching references not only to Pride and Prejudice but also to other beloved fictional book boyfriends. It felt like a love letter to readers and romance fans.

I also loved Zoe’s journey. Beneath all the humor and magical elements, this is a story about rediscovering yourself, finding your confidence again, and learning to move forward after fear has held you back for too long. Watching Zoe find her way back to writing was one of my favorite parts of the book.

One thing this story made me think about is why readers fall in love with fictional characters. Maybe it’s because they represent perfection. Let’s be honest, many of them were written by women who know exactly what readers want. But this book asks whether perfection is really what we need.

I won’t spoil anything, but the ending left me smiling.

If you love books about books, bookstores, romance novels, literary references, magical realism, and stories that celebrate being a reader, I highly recommend this one.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.