Dearest Josephine by Caroline George
Narrated by: Nathalie Pownall
Publication Date: February 2, 2021
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Description from NetGalley...
“Love arrives at the most unexpected time . . . 

1821: Elias Roch has ghastly luck with women. He met Josephine De Clare once and penned dozens of letters hoping to find her again.

2021: Josie De Clare has questionable taste in boyfriends. The last one nearly ruined her friendship with her best friend.

Now, in the wake of her father's death, Josie finds Elias's letters. Suddenly she's falling in love with a guy who lived two hundred years ago. And star-crossed doesn't even begin to cover it . . . “
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Thank you to @NetGalley @thomasnelson for the ALC in return for my honest review.
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My thoughts...
Let me straighten it out for you now so you will not get confused: this is a ya book that had three different POVs: the present, the past and “the novel.” The book was partly written through letters, emails and text messages. The narrator was great except for the “American” accent. I just told myself that since one of the characters was an American who studied in the UK, she soaked up some of the British accent. The story itself I really liked and enjoyed. It was really good to listen to, the romance was lovely and the theme was so interesting. I do think reading the book would be better because of some of the e-mail details. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this and I’m even fine with the fact the story didn’t end the way I wanted it to. 😁

Dearest reader of novels, 

You will be delighted by this cross-century romance told by letter, email, instant messenger, chapters from a lost manuscript and some narrative to fill in the spaces. I love how the old and new ways of communications are woven together. 

1820: Elias Roch is in love with Josephine de Clare. He fell fast and hard for her at a masked party (it was rather endearing that he wore a bag on his head to a masquerade party.) The issue is that she's engaged to another. Despite this engagement, Elias can't help his feelings. He writes her love letters even after everything falls apart and crumbles. (A juicy scandal occurs - you must read!)

2020: Josie de Clare's father has just passed. Her mission is to finish the restorations on his project house/mansion left to her in his will in Northern England. During her revamp of the estate, Josie finds Elias's love letters. Josie sees herself in Josephine and finds herself falling in love with a man from 200 years in the past. She finds herself, a lost friendship and a romance all in this old mansion. 

What I loved most about the audiobook: The narrator was amazing. There were actual pings when emails and instant messages came through. While listening to the audiobook, it did get a little annoying that the to and from emails were read each and every time that Claire and Faith emailed back and forth; however, it was still charming to have mixed media meshed together and have sound effects built in!

3.5 stars 

Dearest Josephine,

I predicted the ending pretty early on but I feel like it was all a big tease.  I really don't like when stories are told through email, text message (media) format.  It's just not my cup of tea. I think maybe that is why I'm not in love with this book. I think the plot line was fantastic but I just wish I know what the main cahracter was think and feeling. Not what they write about in their email summary of it. 

I want to thank NetGalley and the book's publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book before release. I just wish I could say I liked it more than I did. 

Sincerely, The Reader

Dearest Josephine by Caroline George has been a delight to listen too. The narrator does an amazing job of bringing the characters to life with her voice. The main story takes place in present day but there is a secondary story that somewhat correlates with the modern day Josephine. Josey is a young woman who’s dad has just past away. She has no idea what she wants to do but she’s determined to finish fixing up an estate that belong to her dad and was his last project. She had a friend named Faith that she communicated through via email and text. Upon starting the renovation she finds letters for another Josephine written by Elias. The amazing part is that the Josephine that Elias is writing to is exactly like the modern day Josephine down to her name. The story progresses with modern day Josephine falling in love with Elias who lived centuries prior. Will Josephine ever meet her Elias, will the ending of his novel give her clues to what happened to him. Such an interesting love story . Love the modern twist.

Unfortunately, I wanted to read and review this but apparently it's already archived before I even got the chance. 
So I've not requested the e-read copy and hopefully will have the chance to read it. 
Once, I'm approved I will provide feedback.
Thank you

I liked it. I wanted to love it. It seems right up my alley: Time crossed lovers. How amazing to come live in an old house and find letters from someone from another time that is addressed to you, and are written as if the author knows everything about you. I totally fell for this plot, but the dialogue back and forth was not very riveting, and it kind of lost me halfway through to where I just skimmed the rest of the book. I loved and hated the format of present-day email and letters from the past. I did think some parts were magical. This, like so many books, has so much promise, but the execution just falls short for me. I wanted it to be a book that I just could not put down, but alas, I was just ready to finish it after a while. I am happy to see my opinion is the minority as many absolutely loved this book. 

Thank you so much to NetGalley for this ARC for an honest review.

I loved this book! The narrator has an engaging voice. I was entranced by the narrative format of the two sets of letters being sent back and forth and the “book inside a book” premise. I don’t remember reading anything like it before and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The ending is not exactly what I expected; but it was everything that I needed. I fell in love with all the characters and especially identified with Josephine, the main character, who suffers from fictiophilia for Elias. I can’t wait to find this book in hardback!

2.5 stars
I wish I could like this book more. It was very promising and it started in a very intriguing way but then it dragged for a long while and only started picking up its pace again right before the end.
The characters sounded very obnoxious (I can’t tell if this was the way they were written or if it was the narrator or something else) and they didn’t get much better by the end (although there was an improvement). The end itself that I keep talking about, however, was pretty good and redeemed the dragging part of the story for the most part. But the characters and the inaccuracies of some scenes set in the past lowered the final rating.
I’d say this is a book better enjoyed in the written format because listening to an epistolary novel on audiobook took a while to get used to.

This book was so great! I had so much fun listening to the audio book version of Dearest Josephine by Caroline George. Apparently it is a young adult book, but the lessons in it are for people of any age. The narrator did a fantastic job and I look forward to hearting more books read by her. The story itself is about Josephine and Elias, two people who lived two hundred years apart but find hope in each other. Josephine's father recently passed and she inherited an old house that he was planning to restore. Elias lived in the house two hundred years before and penned dozens of letters to a girl named Josephine that he had only met once. The story is told through letters written by Elias to Josephine, through emails between current day Josephine and her best friend Faith, and a novel that Elias was writing during his lifetime. It deals with living with the pain of loss, with finding love, and with loving yourself, even when you are broken. The book will be out at the beginning of February, and if you see it, you should definitely pick it up! Looking forward to finding more by Caroline George. 
Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this story. I am grateful for the lessons and the smiles. 
#DearestJosephine #Bookstagram #all_the_pages

At first I was a little confused with the plot as we have here three diffident stories included - present, past and novel. But after a few chapters I got used to it and found the idea of this really refreshing.  
And each story is beautiful and intriguing and shows the way through grief, loss and finding new friendship and more.
The only minus of the narration was that due to the structure of the book that included messages, it felt a little weird when there was a lot of messages and I had to hear emails addresses, dates and time of messages again and again. I think reading physical book would me more enjoyable.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me copy of book in exchange for review. All opinions are my own.

I love the concept behind this book & was so excited to listen to a copy. I adored the characters & the flow between current day Josephine & the 200 year old letters. The audio was also very well done & easy to follow. I would definitely recommend this to everyone especially to those who are big fans of YA reads,

Imagine inheriting a manor home and discovering two-hundred-year-old love letters addressed to you. Would you assume it was fate leading you to the stranger’s words or something more?

Josie De Clare has had the worst year of her life. After losing her father, she is unsure what she is to do with her life. Feeling hollow, Josie ventures to Atteberry in Northern England to explore the estate her father left her in his will. Searching for ways to feel close to him again, Josie is surprised to find a stack of love letters in the study’s desk draw. Even more shocking, the letters are dated two hundred years prior, yet her name is attached, and all the details seem to make Josie think they are about her.

Elias Roch believes he has met the love of his life. Josephine De Clare captured his heart from the moment he laid eyes on her, but soon after their introduction, she disappears, and he is unable to find her. Determined to be reunited, he begins to write love letters to her in hopes that she will one day read them. Born a bastard, Elias struggles to understand his new role as lord of the estate; however, as fantasies of Josephine De Clare control his mind, the rest of the world seems to fade away. Nothing will be right until they are together, or that is at least what Elias believes.

Jumping from narration to letters, letters to emails, emails to texts, and texts to an unpublished manuscript, Dearest Josephine was initially a bit confusing to piece together. 

In the 21st Century, Josie must try to unravel the meaning of the letters and manuscript that have pulled her into their storyline. Could she really be the Josephine this Elias Roch writes about? 

Meanwhile, in the 19th century, Elias Roch must decide whether he will live within the dream of ‘what ifs’ or find peace in the present. Time separates the two lovers, but is it true love? How can one know for sure by just reading words on a page? 

Dearest Josephine was a clean romance that took us through the ages. Filled with mystery, love, friendship, grief, healing, and literature, it was a delight to read. I loved how Caroline George made it feel as though we were reading everything through Josie’s eyes, experiencing the agonizing time it takes to get through books when friends are messaging you and life calls for our attention. Grief has a way of swallowing people into its abyss in different ways, and this novel depicted the many forms of mourning we take on. 

While I found Josie’s infatuation with Elias a little much, I can understand the desire to feel connected to a person whose words seem to bring so much truth and honesty about who you are. It was entertaining to listen to Josie and her friends, Faith and Oliver, as they read through Elias’ letters and novel. Going between the three worlds made it feel like a soap opera. The drama, passion, mystery, and self-discovery made Dearest Josephine relatable. The characters were real, and the things they went through spoke to my heart. I think we all long to have friends like Faith and Oliver; through their love for Josie, they never let her feel alone and always told her the truth, even when she was too blind to see it. 

For an introduction to Caroline George, I was impressed with how she managed to fit three narratives into one, creating a seamless work that will entertain and leave readers wanting more. This is a great novel for teens, especially those searching for a heart-throb to drool over without needing to close your eyes on explicit scenes. I will say that the narrator was fantastic with her Northern accent, though her American could do with a bit of work. Nevertheless, she was wonderful to listen to and pulled me into the story with each word! 

Positive content: 4⭐️
Language: 1⭐️
Sexual content: 1⭐️
Violence: 1⭐️
Age: 15+

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a pre-release copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are entirely my own!*

I am not sure how to approach this book. I did not finish it, I end up DNFing it.
The premise was really good, but I did not manage to connect with it, and I was dragging to finish, so I decided to leave it alone. It was a shame because the audiobook is so good, the voices and the format really worked for me, but the content just did not appeal in the end. I guess because of the time travel aspect, I suppose there would be some fantasy to it and that did not happen, and that is totally on me.
I did like it overall, just could not connect to it, unfortunately.

Dearest Josephine was a combination of reading over someones shoulder as they wrote emails and living in a Jane Austen novel. I loved it! 

First off, I started this book as an ebook and then at about 43% was gifted the audiobook and finished it that way for no other reason than I LOVE audio and can get to it faster. I loved both options. I enjoyed the combinations of texts, emails, a found novel, and love letters to tell a story. The author combined them in a masterful way and told a story that you wouldn't have expected at the onset. 

I really liked Elias. *heart eyes* I mean, he was a bit mood at times, but for good reason. And I very much enjoyed his own novel creation as well as the insight into his real life that we got through his letters. 

As many reviewers have mentioned, there was some 'insta-love' but, while at times I found the basis for his vast and undying love to be a bit suspect, I think it was cleared up well at the end as to why that was the case. And, in all honesty, I'm a romantic and love the notion of falling so madly in love with someone you just KNOW that they are 'the one' even after one meeting. 

I thought the texts/emails might be limiting at first, wondering how the story would progress or feel 'full' but it worked out so well! Sure, Josie is maybe a little more verbose than any of us might be in email form, but then again...maybe not. I write LONG emails so I get it ;-) 

And lastly, the ending. *SIGH* I won't ruin it here but it was perfect for this story. Just what I wanted and hoped it would be. And there was a point where I was talking to the book wondering: HOW? How will this work out? And then the end came and I nodded, smiling as I said: "this is perfect." 

I'd definitely recommend this to lovers of Jane Austen fiction but also to those who enjoy a good love story told in a slightly different format than what they are used to. You'll find romance, friendship, struggles, and successes between the pages of Dearest Josephine. 

My rating: 4.5*

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for gifting me an advanced copy in both ebook and audio.

"Love just was".

This book is about seeing someone and never stop seeing. Through grief, uncertainty, separation.
So, yeah, Dearest Josephine is very romantic ;-) to the point that I rolled my eyes a few times :x
And I questioned the likelihood of some parts. Still, I was just enjoying the story.
And I wanted to get to the ending... and that confirmed what I had come to realize especially towards the end. Caroline George penned a thoughtful and heartfelt story that deeply tries to reflect on love, forgiveness, and things that last.

I was excited to read this novel as it was pushed as a historical mystery with a romantic pull. It sounded very intriguing and I was ready to jump in as soon as I was approved. At the end of the recording, I was a little loss for words. I had enjoyed the book, but was confused at times and didn’t feel that this story was completely finished.

The first thing to discuss would be the three stories that are taking place through the novel: the present day, 1821, and the novel written in 1821. These became confusing, especially between 1821 and the novel as the same names were used and I often was caught off guard as to whether this was the “real” timeline or the fictious one that Elias was writing. These were often interrupted with text messages in from the present day that were announced on the audio with appropriate sounds, but took away from the story being told and made it harder to get back into after. These three storylines were often told in the same voice and tone that never helped differentiate between them (this being both through writing style and audio narration). 

Even after that, I did think that each story was an interesting one and actually wanted so much more from each. I would have taken this in three separate books and been happy. I did like the characters and their reactions to the hard situations that lie before them. Personalities did come through and conversations were pretty fluid. The author did go deep into emotional impacts and feelings which can help a reader deal with their own problems that they may be dealing with.

I think that I will have readers that eat up the historical aspects of this novel and appreciate the romance in it as well. I will look for more from this author and hope that she continues to expand her stories into so much more. I think I will still to the paper version of this novel instead of purchasing the audio as it may have contributed to much of the confusion.

The story has three plots, Elias Rocks actual story from Georgian times, the novel that he wrote, and the modern day Josephine. A love affair crossing time, via letters, emails and text messages. The plots are good, however it drags with a lot of introspective meanderings that are repetitive and very long winded that really take away from the story in general.

Overall rating: 5/5

Plot: Some basic information about the story, I do want to avoid giving spoilers, is that the format of the book is a little different to traditional YA novels. It is written in the form of letter, texts, writing, etc. with each chapter focusing on one of the three characters. I have read other novels, not YA, in this structure and I have always been fond of this form of storytelling. It allows so much of the personality of each character to shine through without having to do much character building from the bottom up. It is a time saver and also an enjoyable way to fall in love with characters. The writing is beautiful and the insights to life are relatable and at times heart wrenching.

Final Thoughts: I’m not going to lie, the last 5 chapter of the book had me raving and crying and oscillating from anger to sympathy and sadness. It was not until the end of the book that I realize how badly I wanted the impossible storybook ending and the wave of emotions Josie, the main protagonist, goes through I went through with her. I was a crying mess at the end of the novel, but some books are meant to bring out strong emotional responses. I both loved and hated the ending because even though I know the ending is great and the message about love is beautiful there is a small part of me that still wishes for the impossible.

While the story is fun, I'm not in love with the audiobook. Because so much of the communication is through text and email, the constant reading of the email addresses, dates and times gets old really quickly. When reading, you can skim over this but when listening, it just feels like a lot and can make the plot hard to follow or concentrate on.

3.5/5

Dearest Josephine is a sweet, though drawn out love story. Josie is feeling lost after the death of her father and a breakup with her boyfriend. She finds out her father had been restoring a large estate prior to his death and decides to check it out which turns into a prolonged stay. Josie instantly falls in love with its charm and the feeling she gets within the house. And then she stumbles on a stack of letters which are addressed to her… though the author has written them almost 200 years prior.

The story is told in multiple formats. First and foremost, there are long emails between Josephine and her best friend Faith. There are also messages between Josephine and those close to her. Then there are the letters that Elias has written to his Josephine. Then there are excerpts from Elias’s novel. Confused yet? Somehow it worked but I was constantly having to check where I was “at” in the storyline.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel. Josie is a lovely narrator and protagonist. You cheer for her from the first sentence. However, I was constantly wondering what the book would really take off. Is she a time traveler? Are they two soulmates merely separated by time? Will Josie come to realize she is Josephine? And is Josie, actually Josephine?

The ending saved this book. It’s message is sweet and simple. I recommend checking out Dearest Josephine.