What Would Jane Austen Do? by Linda Corbett is a light-hearted, easy-flowing read that is absolutely perfect for sitting outside in the shade with a cool drink in one hand and the book in the other.
Fans of Jane Austen, or of reading in general, will particularly enjoy this book. The two main characters are Maddy, a former advice columnist, and Luke, a best-selling mystery writer. While anyone familiar with the romance genre will expect, the relationship between the two grows and changes from adversaries to grudging respect to more. But knowing what to expect, as Maddy herself would stress, does not in the least detract from the enjoyment of reading the heart-warming tale. Adding to the fun is the mystery of Maddy's first-cousin's past, and why he left his house to her in his will.
An endearing cast of supporting characters, including an escape artist of a dog, rounds out the book nicely. It is a fun read that is sure to be a favourite of many readers this year.

Don't let the synopsis fool you, there isn't any good good JA as an agony aunt advice here, unfortunately. Further, while this mostly reads as cute everyone loses thier damn minds in the last 15 or so percent of the book and behave super erratically from that point on.

I absolutely demolished this book! Set in the most adorable country village, Maddy adapts from live in London to life in a rural English village with a wonderful balance between character and plot driven. I found this book witty and entertaining with well developed characters that I was genuinely invested in. If you love romance you’ll love this (whether you’re an Austen aficionado or not)!
Thank you to Netgalley and OneMoreChapter for the ARC in exchange for my feedback!

This is a cute little RomCom, I enjoyed the character dynamic and the meddling small town neighbors. Buster is just the bestest boy though.

Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter for giving me the chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely flew through this book. It had a very good blend between being character driven and plot driven which I adored and that aspect made it so much easier to get into. The multiple different plot points explored throughout kept the book interesting and kept me enthralled throughout the entire thing.
I loved the small town setting, the people and all the small town things sprinkled throughout.
Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for an eARC of this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and couldn’t put it down. What Would Jane Austen Do? Is about Mandy a journalist who writes advice columns who has just been let go from her job but a death in the family results in her being left a house. Coincidentally also living in the town is crime novelist Cameron Massey who Maddie has previously met before which was not an overly positive interaction. I highly recommend this book and it was easily 5/5 stars! This book is released June 16,2023. Thank you to Netgalley, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and Linda Corbett for a opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

This was a cute contemporary romance. The title leads one to expect that it will be a full-on homage to Jane Austen, but that isn't the case. The link is pretty tenuous, and honestly it's hard to tell why Jane Austen even needed to be referenced, as the main beats of this story stand on their own: the main character researches family secrets, settles in to new surroundings, and falls in love in an opposites-attract kind of way. I enjoyed parts of the story, but most of it didn't fully capture my attention.

Content note: There was a small amount of random bad language and a (closed-door, fade to black) bedroom scene, neither of which I was expecting and which tended to further decrease my interest in the story.

A perfect read for a day you need a pick me up. I really enjoyed this one, I was hesitant as first, as I seem to be one of those rare people who haven’t actually read any Jane Austen, I know it’s shocking, I have seen some of the films, but I always managed to avoid reading anything. I really enjoyed getting to know Cousin Nigel with Maddy, I loved how she wanted to get to know this mysterious benefactor. You could really lose yourself into this story, and just get wrapped up in Maddy and her lodger’s story. This is a great story to lose yourself in, all about how Maddy changes her life, she lost her job, but she didn’t lose hope thanks to Cousin Nigel, let’s all hope we can move to a village like Cotlington with all its lovely inhabitants.

Witty, funny, and well plotted. I thoroughly enjoyed it and had fun.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a great lightheaded read! I had so much fun and recommend it.

An uplifting humorous read, reminiscent of a modern day Jane Austen novel. I loved the Jane Austen quotes at the start of each chapter. I confess I have not read Jane Austen for a while but nevertheless this works perfectly as a standalone for a good, satisfying enjoyable read.

If you’re looking for a well-written fun read with an interesting plot featuring elements of mystery, romance and comedy (plus a cute dog), I can recommend What Would Jane Austen Do?
There’s so much to like about Linda Corbett’s new book but the main thing was it left me with a smile on my face. It's like the antidote to a bad day (which included the new washing machine arriving but the pipes leaking).
If you’re a Jane Austen fan (as I am) then you will really love the well-chosen quotes that start each chapter and spotting the wisdom included within.
There’s also a fantastic defence of romance as a genre which I would have applauded had the plumber not been in the next room.
All the characters, not just Maddy and Cameron/Luke, were well rounded, including poor Cousin Nigel in the end.
My only slight quibble was about an article Maddy wrote where (unless I’ve misunderstood) she used details from a previous private conversation along with the official interview. As a journalist I would never do that unless I’d asked for and received permission, no matter how good the intentions.
It’s a minor point in a fictional tale and didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of this lovely book.

Thanks to One More Chapter (via NetGalley) for the ARC.

You know when you read a book and want to start it all over to feel all the feels?
Well, that was my reaction to What Would Jane Austen Do?
I loved Linda Corbett's debut and was excited to get my teeth into this second novel, and I was not disappointed.
Maddy Shaw is reeling after losing her agony aunt column, Dear Jane, in a national magazine. She attends one last interview commitment, meeting an extremely moody crime writer with an extremely simple view of romance. (Topical since so many out there have been trying to rubbish our beloved romance genre!)
Life is not going her way, considering she may have to move out of her flatshare with her best friend in London since she has no income until an unexpected bequest in the will of a deceased relative leaves her with rather a lot more than she could ever have expected, considering she never met the infamous Cousin Nigel.
Armed with her meagre belongings, Maddy moves into Meadowhall, a large house, for the requisite twelve months, fully intending to sell up and leave when the year ends, but you know what? You never know what the future will hold...
I loved everything about this book, from the fantastically appropriate Jane Austen quotes that started each chapter to learning more about the lodger she ends up taking in to keep herself financially afloat. Luke has a lot more about him that I won't mention. You need to read about that yourself!
As the story unfolds, Cousin Nigel is also a dark horse, revealing secret after secret posthumously.
There is the literary festival, which I loved, ghost hunting, and a gorgeous canine hero who will steal your heart!
Many thanks to NetGalley, and Harper Collins, One More Chapter for an ARC.

This was a five out of five for me. While a lovely gentle story, the witty, observant writing lifts it above the ordinary. It includes a wonderful community of characters, who had me smiling all the way through and I loved the developing relationship between Maddie and Luke. There are lots of subtle nods to Jane Austen's writing and if you're a Janeite, this is a lovely ode to her work. I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful read and I look forward to reading more from Linda Corbett

At the very start of this, I found this a tad far fetched, unexpected dead relative and a grand house to live in. I was cynical. But on meeting Luke, and seeing the village dynamic, all of this seemed to just fall into place. Loved the Jane Austen quotes at the start of every chapter, and liked the backstory of Nigel as well as Maddy's story.

Playful, fun, and a love letter to Jane Austen and her wise words. Glorious.

The perfect book for Jane Austen fans! It's fun and witty while making connections to everyone's favorite classical author.