This book had an interesting premise, but in my opinion, it was ruined by the writing style.

There were numerous pop culture references that made no sense, not only did they not fit the tone of the books, but there wasn’t context in that time period. It kept taking me out of the story.

Maybe some very young teens, or pre-teens might appreciate the writing style, but then they would be so young that I doubt they would understand the references.

Also, some of the story elements seemed very trite and childish. I was disappointed when things would happen that had no build-up, or foreshadowing. It just came across as lazy or cheesy.

I always hate to leave a negative review, but I cannot recommend this book.

This was such a fun ride! My Contrary Mary tied in really nicely with My Lady Jane (my personal favorite), since we are back to the world of ethians once again. I loved the royal drama and the political intrigue, and I really enjoyed the light heartedness of this story. As always, there was lots of confusion and jokes, and all the characters were sweet and lovable. It was particularly interesting just how stubborn and arrogant Mary could be at times, but she was still very likable and you'll definitely be rooting for her.
Overall, it was a catchy story that I kept thinking about, and I enjoyed it. I didn't find it quite as funny as the other Lady Janie stories, but that could have been because of the audiobook format as well (it's a little hard to get the emphasis quite right when listening).

I loved this book. It was way better than the last Jane book because it had way more pop culture references and jokes. The story of Mary and Frances was sweet and the story line of Ari could have been skipped tho. I will be reading the other books in this series...

Such a fun and hilarious book! I love these authors' previous series—the Lady Janies—and am so happy they are continuing with the Marys. Perfect for both fans of the previous series and those who want a historical YA that will make them laugh.

I absolutely loved the Lady Jaines series and was so excited for this one! Granted, the format for this (a digitized audio copy) leaves a little to be desired - such as inflection and the awesome narrators voices for character etc. I don't take that into consideration in this review. It's strictly about the book.

I think for me, while I enjoyed this one more than I did Calamity Jane, I didn't love love it like I did the My Lady Jane. There was something about that book that just caught me and wouldn't let me go.

For this book, I enjoyed the diversion to a new focus - the Mary's - and how it was very similar in their humor (breaking the 4th wall etc) and drawing us in as readers to a time we may not be as familiar with custom wise etc. I personally felt like the plot was...kind of all over the place? Not in a bad way, just there was a lot going on and perhaps too many Mary's (there were like 5) but yet the focus was only on maybe 2 of them and it started to feel a little crowded.

I also was not maybe 100% sold on the romance aspects of it. There are two and both felt...lackluster. One is a friends to lovers scenario and the other felt very insta-love to me. Again, my own judgment.

I suppose I just didn't connect with this story like I thought I would, though I am glad I read it. If you've been a fan of all of their books you will likely really enjoy this one (even if it wasn't maybe my favorite). I think the final audiobook will also be really awesome so that's something to look forward to!

I also did enjoy the crossover from their first book to this new series - it was a fun surprise ;)

My rating: 3.5-4*

Thanks to HarperCollins for an advanced listening copy of this.

I have been reading the works of the Lady Janies ever since My Plain Jane released, and the Mary trilogy is just as charming as its predecessor. Full of masterful writing and hilarious pop culture references, My Contrary Mary takes the historical story of Mary, Queen of Scots and gives it the Hamilton treatment. I could not give this book a stronger recommendation!

I did not finish it at around 30%. Seems like a lovely book but it was a bit too childish for my tastes. Would be great for middle school children interested in historical fiction.

My Contrary Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows is the first in a new series focusing on famous Marys throughout history and the authors doing their best to right what they see as wrongs and bring about a happy ending. Similar to their first novel, My Lady Jane, My Contrary Mary (MCM going forward) includes loads of pop culture references, phrasing and slang and is a fun twist on a famous lady and her life.

My Contrary Mary follows Mary, Queen of Scots and her life in the French Court where she's been engaged to the Dauphin (Crown Prince of France, Francis since she was a toddler MCM is set in the same world as My Lady Jane and it includes the Eðian (humans who can transform into animals) and humans as they fight for control of Scotland, France and the world. Famous figures such as Nostradamus, his daughter, Catherine de Medici, Mary of Guise and others also make an appearance.

If you like history, fantastical storylines and more than a few bits of pop culture, then this is the series for you. It's fun, light-hearted and inclusive in ways that the real historical record was decidedly not. While I did find some of the sections were a bit repetitive, especially if you've read other books in the Janies series, it was an overall fun romp into history.

Note: I received a copy from Netgalley in response for my honest review.

I read “My Lady Jane” earlier this year, and fell in love with the Lady Janies. “My Contrary Mary” is the perfect follow-up to the first Jane book, because it is part of the same fantastic world. These stories are full of humor and wit, and the stories and characters are a lot of fun. These are historical fiction tales with alternate fantasy endings and modern pop culture references.
I especially love to listen to these books on audio. Thanks to Harper Audio and NetGalley I received an advance copy of the audiobook, which is narrated by a surprisingly realistic synthesized voice. I know it will be even better with a real voice actor.

Mary has a confidant in her betrothed, Francis. But after the king meets a suspicious end, things at the gilded court take a treacherous turn. Thrust onto the throne, Mary and Francis are forced to navigate a viper's nest of conspiracies......
The characters were fun and their adventures made a very entertaining story. The plot was an interesting and fun take on Mary, Queen of Scots....no much fun!!!!!

In the new series by the trio of hilarious and talented authors who wrote the Janies trilogy, My Contrary Mary follows Mary Queen of Scots and her relationship with Prince Francis of France. As with all of the books these three authors have penned, it was full of funny jokes, great contemporary references, and tongue-in-cheek remarks. One thing I love so much about their books is just how clever and funny they are. In this tale, we focus on three perspectives: Mary, Francis, and Ari, the daughter of Nostradomus. We follow them at the beginning where Mary and Francis are engaged to be married and Ari is sent by Queen Catherine of France to be a spy on Mary and act as her Lady in Waiting. The drama picks up very quickly with the wedding of Francis and Mary moving up to just five days after the start of the book. Soon the trio realizes there are lies and deceit everywhere they turn in the castle and that some of the people betraying them are closer than they realize. People turning into animals and secret deals happening behind closed doors, this book has it all. It was a pleasure to read and such a quick one since I didn't want to put the book down. I highly recommend this to people who don't mind history being messed with (they acknowledge just how badly they mess with history at the start of the novel), people who love a bit (or a lot) of drama, and people who love humorous books. I can honestly say that this definitely put a pep in my step and I'm so happy that I got the chance to read it early.

I love these books! It was unfortunate that this audio was a digital reading, as the narrator is always what takes this book up an extra notch. Having said that, I can only imagine how great this story will be once it has the right voice. This is the "origin" story of Mary, Queen of Scotts. I really enjoyed this one. The comedy is great and the paranormal that is always found in these stories just brings an even brighter joy to what could be the otherwise dull historical account. There is also a fun connection to one of the previous "Jane" books, so keep an eye/ear out for it! Always a lark to listen to these and I'll always recommend them when asked! Thanks for another enjoyable listen. I'll probably listen again once I can get the actual narrator.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received this audiobook from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion and review. I really enjoyed the Lady Janies, series, so I was super excited to hear that there was going to be another series featuring Marys! I thoroughly enjoyed this novel too. I liked all the different characters and the story line. These ladies never disappoint!

If I needed to describe this book/audiobook in one word it would be: fun.
I was lucky enough to get this as an audiobook before its release date. I give it a 3.5 because it was entertaining, while not being something too heavy to listen to. The synthetic voice was better than I thought it would be.
I have listened to the other series by these authors and I enjoyed them. This was no different. I may have even liked this story more. No complaints coming from me. I cannot wait to see what other stories these talented ladies come out with.
Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for providing me with this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I was lucky to have received an ARC copy from the publisher. I really enjoyed My Lady Jane and thought My Plain Jane was alright. I was excited to know the authors were stilling writing these books.
I have been interested in Mary Queen of Scots for a long time, especially after watching the tv show Reign. This book had some very similar things to the tv show. This book is similar to the first book My Lady Jane as well, as we go back to the same world. I have not been as impressed as I was with that first book.
I rate and review purely on enjoyment while reading. I did enjoy myself while reading this, but I wanted more from the story. I felt like it has been done before with My Lady Jane and Reign. It did not feel very original.
The characters did not have a lot of depth. I liked the humor in the first book, but it is feeling over done and not original anymore. The book dragged in places and felt rushed in others. The ending seemed too easy to me. It would have been cool to see more conflict before we got the ending that we did.
This is all my personal opinion. This is not a bad book and I did enjoy myself while reading it. I think people will like it, especially if you enjoyed the other ones. I am giving My Contrary Mary four out of five stars.

I have always been fascinated with the British monarchy and British history. It is rather violent and bizzare. The twists and turns of history make fiction look tame at times. I am a huge fan of Philippa Gregory. If you are too, this series is for you (yes, this is the first of a new series that I am pretty excited about). This historical fiction tells the tale of Mary Queen of Scots. I did look up some of the timeline and story line for Mary Queen of Scots and this novel stays pretty faithful to real life, but adds in a bit of magical realism and a few twists (I can't say I am sad about one of the major twists in which a character survives who technically dies in real life).

Mary is adored by her soon to be husband: Francis. She's surrounded by a retinue of Marys who would give their lives for her. But she was a BIG secret that she's hiding and using to snoop around the palace. But for all her snooping, she still misses out on the scandals and plots right in front of her. Mary lives in a kitty cat world and what can a poor mouse do? Read on to find out!

I love the addition of Nostradamus and his daughter. I love the narrator notes and the bit of pop-cultural references snuck into the story.

Lies, scandals, hypocrisy, conspiracies to take over thrones, love, magic, shape shifting, fortune telling.

I love the different points of view chapter by chapter. The various characters share their stories in different chapters: Francis, Mary, Ari.... It's unique to get a glimpse into the various character's heads throughout the main story.

3.5 stars. It was fun, I had a good time, but I do have a few critiques and I don't think I liked it as much as My Calamity Jane or My Lady Jane, but more than My Plain Jane.
Rep: Lesbian mc (Ari), wlw with a happy ending.
TW: none
I absolutely loved My Lady Jane, so I was really excited to be back in the eðian world from that book, and it was still a ton of fun. Books like this series and the Jane series wouldn't usually be my type, with their present day references, breaking of the fourth wall, and a focus on humor, but I've found they're really enjoyable when you just want a fun fantasy story that's not too serious. They are quite funny, and these authors are really fantastic at writing characters and relationships, which was no different in this book. Overall, it was fun, enjoyable, and I will continue reading this series as it progresses. Also, I loved the cameos from Jane, Edward, and G (characters in My Lady Jane) because I knew the books were set in the same universe, but I didn't realize they were set at the same time because I refuse to pay attention to dates, so that was a pleasant surprise.
Some things I liked less: As much as I usually like the characters in these books, I didn't love Francis, and only kind of enjoyed his relationship with Mary, especially in the middle of the book. Also, an issue I continue to have with these books is that there are little to no characters of color, disabled characters, ND characters, or any characters with mental illness/chronic illness. They've only added in queer characters in the last two books, and granted, in both cases it was a sapphic main character, a love interest, with a happy ending, but there have been no other queer characters. And before anybody brings up historical accuracy in regards to diverse characters and representation, first of all: real life has always been diverse and these people have always existed. Secondly: even if that weren't the case, the whole basis of these books is that they put a fantastical and anachronistic twist on history. It wouldn't have been hard to include more representation.

Hand, Ashton and Meadows were hysterically funny and very creative with the Jane series. Back with a new series, now working on Marys, there is much potential.

I enjoyed it. I did. However, the book seemed to go on a bit too long and some of the references which provide the comedy to the story seemed a bit contrived – even for them. It was funny, but by the end I found myself questioning if I would want to read the next one.

The version I am reviewing was supposed to be an audiobook. It was, technically an audio presentation, but not done by a human. Truly, what is the point? In reviewing an audiobook, one would expect to review the presentation as well as the story. That was not possible because it was a computer-generated voice. The voice was well done – good technology – but cannot replace the engagement and inflection of a living person. As an audiobook, this is a failure – not a horrible failure, but a failure none the less.

So overall, I would not recommend anyone to purchase the product I received for review. The story was entertaining but taxing and the recording was unreal.

dnf at 16%

I just could not get into this audiobook with a computerized narrator. The narrator of My Lady Jane and My Plain Jane were both amazing and brought the story to life, and I just could not get used to the robotic sound of this narration. Also, Netgalley's audio features need to be fixed, other audiobook services don't have this issue, but anytime the book is sped up past 1.5x it gets very shaky and strange sounding, which it made even worse with a computerized narration.

I won't give this one star, since I'm sure the actual content of the book is fine. I enjoyed the Lady Janies' other work and I will probably try this novel out again either as a physical copy, or wait until they make one with a narrator.

*Thank you to Netgalley & Harper Audio for approving my access to an early audio of My Contrary Mary in exchange for an honest review*

Mary Queen of Scots has lived in France since she was a young girl and she always knew she'd marry Francis. There is one secret she has been keeping from him and the rest of Court, not only for her safety but for the safety of her people as well. Mary is an Eðian. Her spirit animal is a mouse and when Francis tells her that her uncles are scheming against her she decides to use her ability to find out the truth. This gets her in a bit of hot water and after she weds Francis she sneaks away to Scotland to seek advice from her mother. This is when the adventure begins and not only for Mary. Francis finds himself on a separate journey with Ari Nostradamus which leads him to uncovering more plots against them all.

It was so good to be back in the world filled with Eðian! My Lady Jane was so much fun and when I heard that My Contrary Mary was going to be set in the same time and world I was so excited! I will have to admit that this one is my favorite of their works (minus Calamity Jane because I haven't read it yet, which I plan on to remedy very soon)!

My absolute favorite part of this book were all the subtle pop culture references and they were all over the place. If you're not paying attention you may miss the references to Titanic, Terminator, Braveheart, and Princess Bride just to name a few. I found myself giggling out loud quite often.

Although the audio is a bit shaky on the Netgalley Shelf app, I thought it was well done. If you've loved the Janies than you'll definitely need to pick this one up! I can't wait to read about more Mary's in the future!