Im really sad this was just okay for me. I did enjoy parts but I just didn’t connect with these characters. Of course the Anastasia retelling premise was going to suck me in and it did…initially but I kind of felt like it was anti-climatic. Josie’s singing dreams and the Broadway scenes were much more interesting and I felt like it was an either/or situation. Either we focus on the Anastasia drama or her singing but not both. Leo’s grovel was decent but I felt his redemption arc was a little abrupt and then there was just too much back and forth once he said his peace.

The first-person dual POV made the tone feel too modern for a historical. While I appreciated the emotional access to both characters, it pulled me out of the setting.

Still, the book had great pacing, the setup caught my attention and kept it regardless of the flaws, and there’s heart in the characters’ journeys. And the spicy scenes were delicious and thoughtful. Not my favorite Shupe but still a fun retelling!

I listened to part of this on audio (narrated by Eva Kaminsky and Aaron Shedlock) and thought the narration was overall clear and engaging. I’ve always enjoyed Eva’s narration, and she definitely captured Josie’s guileless charm. I guess between it being American combined with the first person POV it sounded so contemporary it was hard to stay in the historical mindset to the point I had to switch back and forth to reading to get back in the gilded age vibes.

Thank you to Netgalley, Avon and Harper Audio for the ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review.