“That was all he wanted to be- the boy who saw a girl and never stopped loving her, the boy’s who love never went stagnant.” This quote resonated with me in so many ways. I finished Dearest Josephine last and am still comprehending and contemplating what I read.  I have found myself in the shoes of both Elias and Oliver over the same girl oddly enough. One where we serendipitously meet and then run into each other and as Oliver the guy who would go above and beyond for that girl. It struck a lot chords for me. I guess you can say that I can understand how both Elias and Oliver would feel at various points of the novel.  
It was an addicting read that I struggled to put down. I’m already planning a reread once I get the physical copy. It was beautifully paced and loved the integration of the texts and e-mails between Faith, Josie, Oliver. It made it feel more as if you were watching it unfold on screen rather than in words.  The wording painted such a visual picture of the events of the book and made all the harder to put down.  In the end, I didn’t want to see it come to an end.

I was given access to the eARC of this audiobook thanks to the authors, the publisher, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Josie de Clare inherits a family property in Northern England following the loss of her father. At the estate, Josie finds some love letters addressed to 'Josephine' - her namesake - that are 200 years old, and an old manuscript that seems to be written about her. Across these 200 years, Josie becomes attached to Elias, and so begins a unique love story.

First, the cover of this book / audiobook is stunning and really caught my eye. 

Listening to <i>Dearest Josephine </i> was an interesting experience given the story structure told across what is really three timelines and through letters, emails, texts and a manuscript. I found the audiobook narration excellent, and the sound alerts indicating the arrival of text messages were fun. What wasn't so fun was the constant email address and time and date repetition read out loud. Reading this rather than listening to it might have been easier, but it was distracting to the flow of the narration, in my opinion. 

 Now to the story.  I actually found the storyline sweet, with some mild mystery and intrigue and a little romance.  But, even though this is a YA novel, I found the writing quite juvenile, and died a little inside at some of the quotes used. I wasn't as enamoured with Elias as other reviewers have been, and found it difficult to fully engage with the characters.  I'm not sure if this was due to the book's structure told through texts and emails, letters and manuscripts, or audio book narration. 

3 stars

I enjoyed Dearest Josephine much more than I expected!
Josie De Clare’s father recently passed away, and she’s still reeling from his loss. After finding out about a house he bought to renovate, Josie retreats to the secluded manor to try to fix it up and figure out her next steps. 
The story unfolds through emails, texts, letters, and excerpts from a novel by one of the manor’s previous tenants. Not my favorite format for a book, so it’s extra impressive that I enjoyed it!
Throughout the book, Josie is working her way through grief. She’s fixing the house, reconnecting with her friend Faith, making new friends, and falling in love with a man who lived 200 years ago. Did she have the healthiest coping mechanisms? No. Were they heartfelt and authentic? Yes.
I was most invested in Josie and Faith’s relationship and the rocky path of mending it again because that was the relationship I could relate to the most.
Did I swoon at some of Elias’s letters? Yes, yes, I did. I adored the Pride & Prejudice references, and the beautiful, pure emotion of the letters got to me a little more than I expected (even considering they were written to a woman that he only knew for a few hours). Honestly, I can’t blame Josie for falling in love with him because I would have too.
I enjoyed the little bit of mystery, as well: is there actually time travel? Do they somehow end up together? How does Elias know so much about Josie?
Audiobook Review: I enjoyed the narrator! She did a great job considering the book’s format, which seems like it would be awkward for this format. I liked the addition of text chimes, which helped differentiate the communication type as you’re listening.
My only complaint is Faith’s emails. The American accent was just not quite right. It sounded Australian most of the time and “Emma Watson in Perks of Being a Wallflower” the rest of the time.
Second Complaint: The over-emphasis of LOL. It always felt very forceful, plus I tend to make fun of people who say it out loud, not to mention if they pronounce it as “lull” instead of saying the letters – that’s probably more of a personal nitpick though.

This book couldn't keep my attention no matter what I've done. It was a lot of long lost letters and some romance, but I was half listening as I got really bored every time i tried to listen to it.

This was a fun book told through a different perspective. I liked the combination of letters, emails, texts, and the novel; although it did take some getting used to while listening to it. The audiobook did a great job with the sound alerts to let you know when texts were coming in. Sometimes it was a little tedious to hear the full email address every time one was read but I understand it has to be done to include all of the book.
I had forgotten what category I had requested this book from so I was a little sad there wasn't more of a sci-fi/fantasy twist at the end. Although the way the plot was moving I didn't want that as much towards the end.
I really liked the full cast of characters in this one and how everyone actually developed and grew throughout the novel. It had great elements of romance and mystery and it had me constantly thinking about how it was going to end.

George captivated her audience with a love story that spans centuries. After the death of her father, Josie De Clare inherits a family property in Northern England. While exploring her née estate, Josie discovers love letters addressed to Josephine dating back two hundred years. The letters transport Josie back in time to the world of Elias Roch, who loves a women he can never have. Separated through time, Josie forms a bond with Elias that can only be broken by the man who loves her. George’s ability to weave together varying storylines, in varying forms (letters, emails, novels, etc) was very impressive! This story had it all: love, friendship, grief and lots of emotions, check it out! 

Thank you to NetGalley for a complimentary audiobook of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This one took me a while to get into. While the narration was good, this is one time where following the different story threads would’ve been nice to do with a text available. I was also put off by the constant repetition of the email addresses. I know. It’s such a little thing that has nothing to do with the actual text. This novel has a strong & engaging premise, but it wore thin after a while. I’m pleased with how all of the loose ends were knotted up neatly, but it took so long to get to that point. Maybe it’s because I didn’t particularly fully like  many of the characters? I was out off by their indecisiveness and selfishness. That’s reality, sure, but it felt one-dimensional sometimes. I can, however, appreciate a solid read & this was one of those.

An endearing audiobook. It took a few chapters to get the cadence because it is written through texts, emails, and letters, but then I experienced full immersion. This is YA read that is packed full of deeply profound truths. Josie is a young woman grieving the loss of her father. She goes to Northern England to finish the restoration of an estate her father left her. While there, she finds letters addressed to her, except they were written by Elias over 200 years ago! Intriguing. This is a story about true love and how it crosses all boundaries of time and logic. There is a degree to which you cannot try to make sense of it; you will lose the magic and sense of wonder if you try to dissect it. There are three POVs, but they blend together nicely to create a captivating tale. The narrator did a good job of capturing each of the characters without repetition or overlap. The moods, expressions and experiences were conveyed perfectly. I honestly think some of the impact would have been lost if I had only read the book. I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own, freely given.

Fantastically written. The characters were good and their unique individuality showed through those letters. Didn't really enjoy the narration though.

This book was just perfect. It felt into my arms at a perfect time: right after I finished Bridgerton on Netflix. So I was still in that Regency Era romance mood.

The story is told through texts, emails, letters and a novel. I was scared that It would be really difficult to understand, since I was listening to audiobook. To my surprise, the narrator did a really good job and I did not feel confused at all.

Synopsis:
This is a story about Josie, who lost her father to cancer. Not being able to find her place and support from her mother she leaves to an estate her father secretly owned. There she finds a stash of really old letters from Elias, which are addressed to... her! Who is this mysterious Elias? And how could he write those letters to her living two centuries ago?
•
What I loved about this book:
Like anyone who lost someone, Josie is looking for a comfort and an escape from reality. She is looking for a place, an object that will make her feel close to her passed father. These letters from Elias were what she truly needed. Josie needed a distraction, a shoulder to cry on or a soul who would understand her pain. And to her luck Elias is the perfect person. She falls in love with this ghost from the past.
I believe there is a hidden message in this book: when we are heartbroken, hurt or vulnerable, we need to find something to help us move on. Josie found Elias and his letters. Because, who knows? If she found the letters when her father was still alive, maybe they wouldn’t have any effect on her? Everything has its own time and purpose.

This book kept me guessing and wanted to know the end. It is full of love, mysteries, grief and relationships... it was just a wonderful novel to read.

Free ARC from Netgalley.

Dearest Josephine is three stories interwoven to one. Josephine finds some old letters addressed to "her" (same name), and an old manuscript written by the same boy 200 years ago. And it's like reading about herself! We also gets Elias's story from the letters, and what he imagined could happen in the book he wrote.

I loved the narrator! And it gave off good Victorian age vibes. But, it was a bit too much and hard to follow. Not bad tho, I enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed the different ways on which the story was told, through formats such as letters, emails, narrative and even texts, I thought that really stood out to me and appealed as it was not what I was expecting. The narrator did an excellent job with the text, it was beautifully smooth and flowed really well. I did unfortunately feel that there was something missing from the plot for me though, i'm not sure what but this has affected my rating, it just needed a little more depth to it. Many thanks to NetGalley and publishers for allowing me the chance to read and review this one.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to Thomas Nelson and Zondervan for providing me this arc(audiobook) via Netgalley!

I was beyond excited to hear this book, Dearest Josephine by Caroline George is a plot I have never heard or even dreamt of!  It's is a peculiar plot revolved around love, and grief through a series of letters, emails, and texts. The back and forth between the present and the past blends perfectly. 
Josie has just lost her father to cancer and she is angry but that anger and grief are diverted when she visits one of her father's old property and finds letters written over two hundred years ago, by Elias Roch to Josephine De Clare,  our Josie's namesake! Josie reads Elias's letters and journal and ends up falling for the genteel who lived 200 years ago.

Dearest Josephine is thought-provoking, delightful, epistolary novel on what it means to be human, to fall in love, have friendships, go though hurt and pain and anger and at the end, finding your happily ever after.  

The only reason why I didn't give this book 4 stars or higher, is because of the narration. I often found myself getting confused between the speakers, it was hard to keep up with the plot and the relationship between Faith and Josie sounded super dry and forced because of the narration.

I would be posting this review on my main account (https://www.instagram.com/bookwithru/) on 20th Feb.

This book was so cute! It was not exactly for me, but I loved the narrator and story line. This is a book I can easily recommend to my students, and I can't wait to do so. I, of course, LOVE the epistolary form, so this book was a hit!  I loved the break up of form and narrative in this book. What a great read!

I was interested in the premise of this book.  I am giving it 3 stars.  I liked the different ways the author told the story, narrative, letters, texts. emails and a "novel". However, there were 3 story lines and it was a little confusing.   Maybe it was because I was listening to it and I may have missed key things at the beginning of the chapter, or when I started and stopped and didn't remember if I was listening to the letters or the novel. I liked the premise of the star-crossed lovers, but I felt it fell flat.  I enjoyed the supporting characters and felt the author did a good job with them in the story.  I feel that the story lacked a certain something--I wanted more excitement or a bigger plot twist, or something.  
I received this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you to the author, publisher, and Net Galley.

The highlight of this audiobook was the narration by Nathalie Pownall. She has a beautiful, clear, melodious and engaging voice which made me like this book so much more. 

The story has three separate narrative threads: first a modern one told in a series of text messages and email correspondence between Josie de Clare with her best friend Faith, mother and the family who oversees her late father's estate, the second in the form of nearly 200 years old letters written by a Elias Roch to a Josephine de Clare which the modern Josie finds in one of the study rooms of her father's estate home and the third a novel manuscript written by the same Elias Roch. The author's smooth, beautiful and at times poetic writing style prevents any disjointedness in the flow of the story and effortlessly shifts from one narrative to the other which is further highlighted by the smooth, clear and emotive narration by the narrator.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Thomas Nelson and the author Caroline George for the audio ARC of the book. I had a lovely time listening to it! 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

You get three stories in one with this one. A regency novel. An 1800s story. A present day story. Told from letters, emails, and texts I was confused at first, but it comes together with  a fun twist at the end. The contemporary part is humorous at times and oh so British. I miss living in England after reading it, but it also had me remembering so much! Think a clean and maybe less crazy Bridget Jones. The writing is very poetic at times while keeping the wit. The novel is also everything you want in a regency novel. And the narrator on the audiobook is one of my favorites. She brought out the humor so well! 
This book is extremely unique and there is nothing like it that I know of, you should read it just for that reason. George creates an entirely new and modern genre with her style.

3.5 stars

I would like to thank netgalley and Thomas Nelson for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting premise, but a little confusing. There's no real recognition of the privilege of the characters.

This book has problems. Once again, I loved the premise: a young woman grieving her father's death moves to a manor she has inherited where she finds in a desk a stack of 200-year-old love letters written to someone with her exact name. Sounds fun and timey-wimey!

It's not, really. 

There are three separate narratives here and none of them communicate with each other. Correspondence between Josie and her friends/family via text and e-mail, the super old letters to "Dearest Josephine," and the fictional novel written by the letter writer. It's a device that's being used to poor effect because each plot feels incomplete. The e-mails and texts between Josie and everyone else are mostly about the letters. The letters are to someone who essentially doesn't exist. The novel is a fiction that has no bearing on reality.

There's no resolution either. Since there are no stakes and no inter-communication between each narratives, nothing really happens and we're not really given the time to love each of the characters. I like Oliver though, he's good stuff. 

Tiny bone I'm going to pick: the turducken was not invented until 1970. It would not have appeared at a dinner table in 1821.

The narrator of this audiobook is Nathalie Pownall, and she struggles a bit with accent consistency. It's not obnoxious but it is periodically confusing. I would definitely be willing to listen to her read a book again. 

I received a copy of this audiobook for free from NetGalley and Thomas Nelson in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

Name: Dearest Josephine
Author: Caroline George
Genre: Fiction, Romance
Rating: 3.5/5
Review:
Dearest Josephine is a wonderful story which is full of emotions and hope.
When Josie Declair moves to an old manor in North after her father's death, she finds a stack of old letters, each addressed to Josephine Declair. Elias letters are like solace and hope for Josie. 
Seperated by 200 years, Josie and Elias find solace and love in each other. The lines between fiction and reality blurs when Caroline George pulls out an amazing story, which sweep our hearts off the floor. 
The writing style is rave, while the plot is surprising and unique. The story is told from Josie's Point of View, while the story is divided into three parts, Josie's, Elias Letters and his Novel. The narrator was nice, but she could have done a better job, her voice did not express the Josie's feelings as it did! It is a book which will be enjoyed and loved by readers who enjoy reading parallel timel lovestory/parallel dimension love/parallel universe lovestory.