I freakin' love this book! And I am so sad it only took me two days to read it! I'm going to read it again, no doubt about it.

But onto the details first...

Sarah Henstra's MAD MISS MIMIC is about one Leonora Sommerville who lives in Hastings House with her sister and her doctor brother-in-law in Victorian era London. Leo, as she prefers to be called is seventeen and her older sister is desperately trying to marry her off despite the facts that she suffers from selective mutism, stuttering, and outbursts of mimicry. Naturally, Dr. and Mrs. Dewhurst decide the bad doctor's business partner, the future Lord Rosbury, is the perfect match for the unmarried sister - he needs a pretty wife who won't say much, after all.

This does not work out, for anyone.

As you might expect.

Dr. Dewhurst is perfecting the art of morphine, on the poor of London who suffer terribly at his hands, while keeping his wife dosed up on laudanum. The future Lord Rosbury is arguing for a ban on opium after getting very rich already on importing opium into England. Leo figures she really ought to get married to someone who doesn't mind her speech problems, of which her sister is absolutely horrible about, so she resigns herself to a life as Lady Rosbury.

But then...

Somebody keeps blowing things up in London and killing people, all related to the potential opium ban. And Leo begins to suspect that Dr. Dewhurst and her future husband isn't all it seems on the surface. So, with the help of Tom - the lockpick, pickpocket, mechanical genius who is working against the partnership already, she begins to investigate.

And the twist there? Tom loves Leo and Leo loves Tom.

All the wrong social circles, though, of course. 

But there is drama, there is suspense, there is medicine, there is mystery, there is history, there is romance, there is angst, there is love... and everybody should read this book!

(I received a copy of MAD MISS MIMIC through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest and original review. All thoughts are my own.)

Leo was born into a family with privilege and in 1870 she is short of nothing. Living with her wealthy sister, Leo seems to have the perfect life. But an intense speech impediment (stuttering) stops her from speaking, causing her to mimic her aunt's words in order to satisfy society's curiosity.

Thus causing suitors to stay away from her except adventurer Mr. Thornfax. But why would he want a woman like her? And is he connected to the terror attacks plaguing the city with victims are taken over by opium fever? Leo must find out the truth and find her true voice. 

What I enjoyed about this book was the original idea. A woman during the 1870s with a stuttering issues, and no about of doctor visits can solve the issue. I liked how the author brought a different light to the "perfect" woman (protagonist). But this was a hard read as there wasn't a whole lot of conversation due to obvious reasons. Therefore, the tone sounded the same for a majority of the book and that is a huge problem for me. 

I didn't have an issue with Leo as a character. But I did have an issue with her lack of personality. Although for some time she tried not to speak, I didn't think that was grounds for making her a bit lifeless. I wanted some kind of spark, rebellion from her not when she needed to find the truth but from the beginning. 

The pace of the novel was a bit slow. It takes a while for things to really happen and the beginning of the book doesn't really get you involved in the book. I wasn't sucked into this story at all, which is extremely unfortunate but it wasn't a bad book but it wasn't a great read either. 

Overall, 

2 Pickles

This is a very interesting novel not only because it deals with Leo and her speech issues but also because it wraps in a lot of history.  I know this is meant for the YA market but it's a pretty good read for an adult as well.  You'll learn a little bit about Victorian London (always interesting) and appreciate how things have changed, especially for women.  Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.  Recommend.

This book has been on my radar for about a year now when it was first released outside of the United States (I mean just look at that COVER). Unfortunately, I was disappointed in it. The book was described as “Jane Austen meets Arthur Conan Doyle” which is a bit misleading in my opinion. I absolutely love both authors and would not place this book in a category with either of them. I thought the premise was very promising and I had really high hopes. I don’t know if it would have been better if Leo had been able to control her mimicry or not, but I just felt that portion of the book was not as interesting as I thought it could have been. While it played a role in the plot, I feel that it didn’t play a large enough role or have as much of an impact as I might have imagined.

Leo herself was a fairly likable character if a little too concerned about finding herself a suitor. I think the author needed to make a stronger case for which kind of character Leo was. In some ways she was a strong female protagonist who was curious and impulsive. But then in other ways she was timid and almost self-effacing. Maybe that was the point? I just didn’t really get it and it made her a little confusing as a character. I also thought her relationship with Tom developed too quickly. Secondary characters had some depth, but were mostly pretty flat. I especially had a hard time with Leo’s sister. I didn’t feel like she was someone who I could sympathize with–mostly I just thought she was annoying.

The plot itself was fine. There was an adequate amount of suspense though I did find myself confused as to what was actually happening at times. It was kind of a mystery, but not in a way that the reader could have figured the case out on their own. And again, I feel like the plot really could have been elevated if Mimic had had a more key role.

Overall, I thought this book was just okay. I was expecting a lot from it but was ultimately disappointed. There are several other regency era mysteries that I would recommend before this one.

Overall Rating: 3
Language: None
Violence: Moderate
Smoking/Drinking: Heavy (a large part of this book focuses on drugs and drug testing though not in an explicit way)
Sexual Content: Mild

Note: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

To sum this up real quickly, this books wasn't completely terrible, but it wasn't terribly good either.

I was a bit hesitant about reading this book but I am glad that I did. I enjoyed the writing and the story was very interesting but my big issue with the book was that I did not connect with the main character. I think that many people will like this book but it just was not for me.

An interesting read, although part was a little confusing, especially in the beginning. Overall, I liked it.

This was an entertaining, quick read that kept me turning pages late into the night. The characters were well-fleshed and made the plot more interesting.  I really enjoyed how "Miss Mimic" slowly went from someone feared to someone that had a role to play in the lead character's life. Very good book, thank you for the opportunity to review this wonderful novel!

3.75 stars for this interesting historical fiction with a twist. Not at all what I expected....in a good way.

Mad Miss Mimic is the story of Leonora (Leo for short), a young woman living in 1870s London. Leo is somewhat of an oddity in society. She has a terrible stutter, and the only times she can speak clearly are when she mimics other people's voices, earning her the nickname of Mad Miss Mimic. Leo's sister, Christabel, is eager to marry her off, and has chosen her husband's business partner, Mr. Thornfax, for her to marry. Along with this plot, there are also several subplots worth noting: the desire for an opium ban in London (just as doctors are racing to find an injectable formula), Leo's desire to find who she really is as a person, and the Black Glove, a terrorist organization that keeps blowing up notable London sites.

With all of that in the plot, I expected to like this story more than I did. However, I didn't dislike it. The mystery aspect was an interesting addition to the story, though I will admit I'd pretty much figured it out way before Leo did, which leads me to my main point of consternation with the story. Leo is a likable character, but she doesn't come across as exceptionally intelligent. If I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt, I believe she's just very sheltered, which was hard for me as a reader to contend with. I was putting pieces of things together left and right, while she was still puzzling over many of them. However, she's not entirely annoying. She has typical thoughts of any young society girl of the time looking to wed, and the author does a good job of showing her anxieties. She's also independent and strong, as seen by her willingness to try and figure out what's happening to the poor of London, and her willingness to go out exploring on her own without a chaperone (GASP!). There were just a few parts where I wanted her to be a little quicker on the uptake.

I loved the aesthetic of this story. It has that Victorian gothic feel, and there are many interesting characters who aren't quite the norm. Leo and Christabel's aunt was one of my absolute favorite parts of the story. She's a widow who does what she wants when she wants and everyone else be damned and I loved that about her. I wish she would've been around more. There's also their journalist cousin, Archibald, who is covering the explosions caused by the Black Glove, and isn't altogether the norm for society either. I also loved the love story here. It was sappy and cute and I still loved it.

The story also kept me engaged. I did figure out the mystery fairly early on, but I had to keep reading to make sure I was right. There were also a few things I couldn't quite puzzle out, like why certain characters wanted certain things (trying not to spoil). Overall, this was a fun read. It wasn't quite what I was expecting from the description, but I still enjoyed it, read it quickly, and wish I could read more about the characters. I recommend it if you're a fan of recent Victorian style novels, like Jane Steele (though this isn't quite as violent). Also, if you like historical fiction, this is a good one, especially considering that I don't usually read historical fiction and genuinely enjoyed it.

Note: I received this book from Netgalley & the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book was simply not for me.. I DNF at 50% because I just couldn't continue which is a shame.
I love the Victorian era, and I never tire of books with this setting so I was excited to read this book! The beginning was intriguing as we learn more about Leo, our main character, and her stammer/the way she mimics others around her. That was the only interesting thing about her though? She felt incredibly flat to me which made it hard to connect with her. The other characters didn't help because I couldn't relate to any of them or root for their stories. Being set in this era, which at times felt well researched, but at times it didn't feel as realistic as I know it could've been.
Nothing really happens in the first half of this book. I don't even feel like I get to know these characters as well as I should have. The plot (just within the first half) is very predictable. I got confused a lot through the writing. Nothing seemed to capture my attention so I decided to not continue reading.. Which disappoints me, but I have to immediately connect with at least the world and that wasn't the case for this book. 
Just wasn't for me.

First, I have to say that I absolutely love the cover.
The story is well told. The pacing was good and the writing style enjoyable, with a level of detail that is just right. It is a bit of mystery, which when mixed with Victorian era courting is quite intriguing. 
I liked Leonora and her aunt Emmaline. 
This will definitely keep readers interested until the very end.

What first drew me to Mad Miss Mimic was its gorgeous cover--which is something I would frame, title and all. I never heard much about it--until I read Jen at Pop! Goes the Reader's review, which had me convinced that Mad Miss Mimic was something I very much wanted--and even yearned--to read. When I saw the book--okay, the cover--on Netgalley, I immediately slapped down the request button and hoped for the best. The best did happen, and I got the book--which is not, unfortunately, the best.

Mad Miss Mimic started out extremely well in its first few chapters. The first page alone had me feeling that it could be a contender, and if not an utter favorite of the year then something I would cherish for its beautiful, lovely use of words and those ensuing feels. However, all that soon waned off and the feelings were gone. I think the big issue here is that the story was lost, or that it was never really clear. There's just so much going on, and it's hard to discern what the actual focus is: Leonora's speech impediment, Leonora's romances and future, the Black Glove attacks, the use of opium and the politics resulting from that, the sense that something is amiss. A lot is happening here, and the result is something messy and hard to invest in, and the loss of magic that can be felt when reading a historical novel.

I do believe I should make note of two things, the first being the newspaper articles scattered throughout the novel about the Black Glove attacks. They were completely messed up and illegible in my eARC, and that made understanding and following that part of the story extremely difficult--I always felt like I was missing something. Secondly, Mad Miss Mimic may have fallen victim to not being properly read (at least for me), if that makes even a cent of sense. I should have read this in fewer sittings--and not tried to read it when I was in a very daydreamy mood--so that I could properly absorb and appreciate it. I'm not saying that changing these would have made much a difference for Mad Miss Mimic's sake, but again--I just felt like they may have been worth noting.

Now that I think about it, where Mad Miss Mimic fell so unsuccessful was in its plot: there's just too much of it, yet not enough, and clarity is lacking. Instead of having four or five branches of the story, it would have been more successful with just two. Or, it could've worked if each branch had leaves and flesh. Leonora's speech impediment had a good chunk of flesh, but it could've used more to really put the reader in her shoes and bring that impediment--her constant stuttering and actual mimicking of how other people speak--to life on the page. The romance had so, so much potential, but it needed more time and interaction and sweetness to really make it strong. The Black Glove attacks and opium issues felt too separate from each other; they weren't cohesive. Sure, one coincided with the other, but they didn't feel like parts of the story, and not together. Just give it flesh--we want branches filled with leaves, not branches that are bare.

It really is a shame that Mad Miss Mimic wasn't as lovely as I hoped it would be, and not just because of that cover. If it would've been like those first few chapters, then perhaps it would've been more successful. Instead it's a historical novel with broken potential lost amidst muddled romance, a disability, city politics, and opium. It was too much, and yet also not enough. The only thing I really care to mimic from Mad Miss Mimic is its cover, and that's a shame.

3.5 stars
Mad Miss Mimic is definitely a unique story, following a girl who stutters but also has the ability of mimicking voices. I definitely had not read anything like it, and for that alone, I'd recommend it.
However, I felt like the story fell short, and where it started interesting and engaging, it didn't excel at the end. The dialogue became awkward once the author needed to tie things up, give people motives, etc. There were times where the dialogue was spot on, though, and made me laugh or happy sigh. Overall, this book was entertaining, but not grand.
This book is pitched as Jane Austen meets Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I think it's more Doyle than Austen, and I felt misled. While there is romance, it's not a focus and felt kind of added into the story.
If historical stories are your thing, I'd recommend for you to give it a try. If you're looking for a love story, I'd pass this one up.

I really enjoyed this fast-paced mystery. I thought this was a very fun and quick read. I really liked Leonora and I loved Aunt Emmaline! This is a great historical fiction with action and adventure and a nice love story thrown in.

I’ve always been a fan of the Victorian world; it’s one of my favorite eras in history, so naturally I was drawn to Mad Miss Mimic because of its setting and premise. Now, of course, this also means my opinion is that of someone who has a lot of familiarity with novels set in Victorian England, which means I’ve seen a lot of stuff and it takes something special/new in a book set at this time to make me feel like I’m reading something worthwhile and not just the same story with a few tweaked details.

 Fortunately, Mad Miss Mimic did offer something new, and that came in the form of our heroine, Leonora. 

Things like speech impediments and other issues that inhibit a character in some way are rarely seen in sectors of YA fiction that don’t pertain specifically to the issue. Though the book does give ample time to this aspect of Leo’s personality, she is still more than just her stuttering and mimicry, and participates in a slew of events from falling in love to helping expose a criminal, and I liked how the thing that’s initially her biggest flaw gets turned into a strength at the end of the tale and helps in paving way to Leo’s future. She starts off as a pretty typical Victorian heiress in that she’s naïve, her life trapped in the constructs of society, her whole being judged and commanded and stifled for her status and speech problems, and her opinions start out more like parroted things she’s been told by members of her class, rather than things she’s found out for herself. But slowly Leo becomes more independent and her eyes are opened; the world is not so black and white and people are more complex than she originally believed. The person she immediately struck down as loathsome for being a thief turned out to be the best person she knew, the person she thought perfect in every way was a monster underneath, and the family members she trusted so much were actually cowardly and malicious. It’s a nice arc of growth to watch Leo’s eyes open and see how she transforms. 

Although the story’s major plot point surrounding The Black Glove and opium and whatnot was ultimately pretty simple and I had a pretty good idea of how it would unfold, since I’m no stranger to the thread of thought that went into constructing the mystery, since it revolves around wealth and power, I think for the target YA audience this would still make a pretty great little mystery novel with a Victorian atmosphere. The pacing was fast and the writing engaging. I finished the book rather quickly, though since this only tops off at about 270+ pages it’s naturally a pretty quick read. I liked the dash of romance added in, though I definitely would have liked to see more of it. 

As for the historical accuracy, there were times when the author took some liberties to make her story work or used some classic plot devices to ensure things happened a certain way, but from what I read in the story and from the author’s note, I appreciated that research and effort went into making the tale realistic in as many aspects as it could afford. Although a lot of novels mention opium and morphine and drug addiction in passing, acknowledging their existence but not many pay it any more mind than that, so it was interesting to see a book that took us straight into the heart of a major problem of the Victorian world. I would have liked to have seen more detail added, but this story isn’t concerned with giving its readers a crash course on all things Victorian, just giving it a believable air of accuracy for a work of fiction.

Though the short tale was, overall, a little too YA for my personal tastes, but was nonetheless an enticing little read that any young lover of Victorian history will get a kick out of. There’s nothing written explicitly in the book nor is there any extreme content, so it’d be appropriate for any teen to read. There’s no swearing outside of “damn” and nothing physically intimate outside of kissing. I give it a solid 4 for its intended audience, though my personal rating would be a little lower just because from where I stand the idea could have been expanded upon with more emotion, detail, and complexity. But keeping in mind the target audience and the fact that this is the author’s first book, 4 stars is in order.

*I received a copy of this title for free from Net Galley, but in no way does that affect my opinions!*

A fantastic Victorian era mystery that will keep you on your toes
Leo, or Leonora, is surprisingly easy to relate to. She is fun, quirky, and full of an entertaining spark reminiscent of Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice. Oh, and she also has a speech impediment which enables her to perfectly mimic people but stutter in her own voice.
Full of twists and turns. I, personally, did not expect this book to be a Victorian-era drug bust esque sort of thing. Henstra totally rocks it.
The plot is very complex, in a good way. It's just enough to keep you intrigued and make you think - not too much, not too little. 
The characters with their failings and strengths are complex, believable, and a real treat to delve into. Leo, Francis Thornfax (DUDE, HIS NAME), Tom... all of them. They all have such a vibrant spirit - that's the only way I can describe it.
The plot itself is amazing. It is a giant, tastefully crafted melting pot of terrorism in retaliation for banning drugs, romance, mystery, and the perfect bursts of humor. It's dark, intense, and delightful.

I had a hard time with this one... There were parts I loved & others where it seemed like nothing happened forever. Rosbury was horrible, the character development of him was great. You could tell there was bad there, but didn't quite know how. I LOVED the ending... A new beginning. ❤