I am pretty much willing to give any fairy tale retelling a try and I was mostly delighted with this one.

In an effort to avoid an unwanted marriage, Celeste, Ana amateur naturalist with dreams of becoming a professional, fakes her death, escapes into a blizzard, and finds refuge in an abandoned manor with a very unusual Beast.

This was an absolutely fascinating historical & Sapphic reinterpretation of Beauty & the Beast.

One of this book’s strongest aspects was its twist on the curse. We all know the story of an enchantress cursing a spoiled and pampered prince. But this novels turns that whole frame on its head. I was actually trying to figure out the mystery of how it all worked out while also appreciating the historical detail, and Celeste’s character.

I really liked all the characters. The friendship and affection that grew between Celeste and the Beast was sweet and wonderfully depicted. I really believed that they had come to care for one another.

Pacing really slowed down in the middle, especially when the story almost came to a complete stop for a series of journal entries that gave us backstory that ultimately felt mostly unnecessary. And the very end was unsatisfactory for me with a lot loose threads that were unaddressed, but overall this was an enjoyable read.

Thank you to both NetGalley and Feed the Writer Press for this arc.

this had amazing vibes and it fit so well with my bridgeton obsession. would recommend if you re into stories that take places in big mansions or castles in the 1800 along with pretty dresses and an once of mystery and adventure

"You'll be magnificent. We'll be magnificent."

The Misadventures of an Amateur Naturalist is one of the most beautiful stories that I have had the pleasure of reading.

Once again, I am beyond mad at myself that I did not devour it immediately, allowing it to sit on my TBR list gathering dust much like the chateau.

A refreshing take on the classic Beauty and the Beast retelling with a heart-wrenching romance to rival the greats.

Finally, a good Beauty and the Beast retelling!

Like the best retellings of well known stories, this felt like its own unique thing for the majority of the book, but comes together in a way that mimics the original in the end.

Beauty and the Beast is one that hasn’t lent itself particularly successfully to most authors who have tried to reinterpret it, so this was a pleasant surprise.

The story is more focused on the protagonists’ desperate hopes to be accepted as they are than it is on romance which, to me, is what the bones of the original fairy tale are really about. Celeste and the beast are both intriguing characters who just want to live honestly as their authentic selves, and that makes for a great set up for this version of the story.

The setting is excellent, as are the supporting characters. My only gripe with this is what happens with the owl, which felt cruel and unnecessary and out of step with the spirit of the book. Otherwise this is a five star read, and a terrific reimagining of a classic fairy tale.

DNF at 43%

Beauty and the Beast is my absolute favorite fairy tale, so seeing a sapphic version of this story on NetGalley instantly intrigued me. However, I'm not the biggest fan of slow burns and this is the epitome of that for me. While I appreciate the representation immensely, I've decided to DNF this now rather than push through something that I am not enjoying.

Thank you to NetGalley and Feed the Writer Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

It took me a while to pick this up, because even though it sounded good, I don't think I quite knew what to expect. I tend to love Beauty and the Beast retellings though, and a sapphic one sounded right up my alley.

I really enjoyed this, but I also wish we had gotten to meet the Beast a little earlier on. The book was very well written and engaging, so I didn't mind too much and was definitely enjoying myself, but it took a long time for the story to actually get going, and I feel like the start of the story, before Celeste left her home, could have been more concise.

I did expect the book to have a little more romance, but it took a long time for Celeste to meet the Beast and then an even longer time for them to get to know each other (which I did enjoy a lot!). I do feel like there is a lot of potential for a sequel.

As it is, I did enjoy this, but it's not a new favourite for me. I might be interested in picking up a possible sequel though! I feel like the book could be better judged after reading that too.

Absolutely loved this beauty and the beast retelling. The characters were immediately lovable and the story sucked me in. The author did a great job of portraying the time period. I would definitely read more from this author.

Never got to finish, things got too draged on and I lost interest in the story. It seems nothing like the cover or the synopsys suggests.

I requested this from NetGalley mostly because it was historical fiction about a woman wanting to be a naturalist and I thought that sounded interesting enough. If I did know, I had completely forgotten about the fantastical elements and the romance which made them a delightful surprise for me.

Celeste is a teenage girl in small town France who is regarded as a little odd, wanting to spend all her time in the forest sketching creatures and collecting samples in order to be able to go to this Exhibition and possibly gain work with one of the naturalists she so admired. But then family events happen and she ends up trapped in a situation which saps her spirit and leaves her unable to be free like she was even without her dreams.

This book takes a while to get going and move to the main plot, it felt like the first 40% of so was building up the situation which Celeste found herself in and what led to her decision to leave. But then we got to the fantastical elements of the plot and I loved the practical side of things, both in terms of Celeste having to deal with the weather and her new diet, but also Celeste's reaction to the beast she wanted to study. As readers we know it's magical in some way but she approaches the whole thing like a scientist, which was so interesting to see. Like of course she's going to think mutation and something not yet discovered rather than magic, because that is the kind of person Celeste is. The characters as a whole are quite well-rounded but none as much as Celeste. We get a real sense of who she is and that continues through the book.

I enjoyed how they dealt with Etienne at the end. He wasn't made evil or turned bad because of rejection or anything like that, he was just the guy who fell in love with the wrong person. I also liked the conversation between Celeste and Etienne when the truth finally came out and I wish I could have seen Etienne's journey after that conversation, especially in regards to his mother.

The ending itself was slightly bittersweet in my eyes but I did love the romance and adventure of it all and I enjoyed Celeste getting what she deserved in the end. I'll definitely look at checking out more books by this author in the future.

4 stars!

This book is phenomenal! An lgbt retelling of beauty and the beast, I loved every second of it. The main character is so complex, and it can be argued she's not only the protagonist, but also a villain for her actions regarding Etienne.

I somehow had no idea that The Misadventures of an Amateur Naturalist was a Beauty and the Beast retelling going in - and still didn't realise until surprisingly far into the book! I adored how aspects of the story were gently tweaked to remove a lot of the more problematic aspects of the original (and, to be fair, a lot of the elements that I wouldn't have wanted to read - there's no horrific Gaston-figure here, although one character could have so easily fallen into that part, and no worrying imprisonment. Celeste ends up in nearly every situation she finds herself through her own choices and agency). The addition of some wonderful sapphic relationships was also greatly appreciated.
If I have one issue with the book, it's that it is slightly unevenly paced - and this led to me taking a long time to warm up to the characters or story. The second half of the book felt much stronger than the first to me - the last quarter, in particular, is utterly enchanting, and I can understand the multiple 5-star reviews, buoyed along by this feeling. Unfortunately, my rocky relationship with the book's beginning means this is a 3.5 rounded up to 4 star - but there were some 5-star moments nestled in there too.
A really enjoyable, if slightly uneven, read.

The Misadventures of an Amateur Naturalist is a unique, queer retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Going into it, I was a little worried that it wasn't going to be very original, as Beauty and the Beast is perhaps the most commonly retold fairytale, but this book changed enough details from the original text to make this a new and exciting story. All the changes in this book were welcome, and the characters were quite well written as well.

absolutely loved it! i've reread it since as it's a magical retelling. it’s the sapphic fairy tale that i just wish i had as a child, i know i’d have read it over and over dreaming of the day i could meet my own bridgette. thank you for making my little sapphic heart glow with your beautiful writing. it was perfectly crafted

it was a little slow paced at the start and so it took e a while to work out where it was going but once we were in the swing of it i was invested. my only other concern would be that the title isn't particularly memorable - i found myself having to double check it multiple times when adding it to goodreads, insta review etc! :)

The Misadventures of an Amateur Naturalist follows Celeste Rossan, a young woman in 19th century France as she dreams about escaping her small town to explore the world and become a renowned naturalist. However, a storm soon destroys her family's wealth and prospects and Celeste sees her dreams stolen from her. The afternoon before her wedding Celeste takes her fate into her own hands and leaves her home, feigning her own death and aims for Paris where she will dress as a man and find an apprenticeship.

I did not go into this book expecting a sapphic retelling of Beauty and the Beast but I am very happy that this is what I received! I adore fairytale retellings and this will be firmly on my favourites list. Celeste herself seems so vibrant and real whilst reading and I really did feel for her, especially when instead of her sister, Eetienne proposed to her. The Beast is a flawed yet lovable character and the ending definitely made my romance-loving heart happy. Understandably the plot is a bit predictable but in all honesty that's what I want from my fairytale retellings - the predictability leads to the charm. I don't want to spoil too much but learning about the past inhabitants of the chateau via journal entries and short answers from the Beast was fun and I only wish we had been able to see more about that time period.

My final thought is questioning how on earth this author and her wonderful book haven't been snapped up by publishing house?! I really was in shock when I read that Ceinwen is an independent author and I can't wait to see what other stories she comes up with.

Thank you to Netgalley and also to Ceinwen Langley for my review copy - I was not compensated for this review and all opinions are my own.

This book has two sections. Section one is about Celeste needing to seek after her fantasies about turning into a researcher, and her associations with her loved ones. I do need to clarify that the main half has a slower speed. This is about Celeste and her family and what they are going through. The book takes a turn I didn’t see coming, yet I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was completely invested in the story and the author’s composition. Section two is about Celeste at the estate/palace and her experience with the monster. Watching Celeste’s excursion with the monster, how her feelings change from dread to friendship and perhaps past, was all around done and pleasant to pursue.

The sentiment was slow, sweet, and somewhat on the lighter side, yet the story is excellent. One issue for me is that the readers don’t meet the monster until the second half of the book. This is a more slow-moving book that needs some persistence from the readers. What disturbed me was that the readers simply don’t get sufficient time with Celeste and the monster together. The author set aside the effort to develop this world and as a reader, I need more. The principal story feels wholesome, yet there are many little things let noticeable all around that the author could take and just run with for the continuation of the series. Besides, the connection between the main characters is simply starting and I am anticipating a sequel.

This is a truly pleasant sapphic Beauty and the Beast retelling. The author composes well and this retelling does justice to the original story while adding its remarkable twist to it. This is a decent book all alone, however, in case it is the beginning of a series like it seems. I would hardily recommend this book to fanatics of retellings and chronicled fiction books, as long as you like slow-paced books. I can hardly wait for book two.

A clever sapphic retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I found myself enthralled by the stories and characters that wove together as soon as I began and read this book in two sittings.

Oh gosh, where to start?
I loved this book. It was such a joyous read.

I was initially drawn to it because it is a sapphic Beauty and the Beast retelling, but I soon found out that it was just a part of the book. A great part of the story is, in fact, the character of Celeste, the amateur naturalist, determined in becoming a real one and doing everything in her power to achieve it and going to the Exposition Universelle.
It was so a great thing to see an objectively different retelling that, bacause of this, seemed more as a new book itself that anything else.

Thisi is one of the main reasons why I liked Celoeste a lot as a character; her passion, her wit and intellect, her curiosity and determination were present and could be felt in everything she did and dreamt about. The moments spent analysing the situations, making sketches of the animals around her, remembering the theories and stories of the great adventurers and naturalists before her, using her imagination but still with a scientific filter (so that the easiest solution to the Beast's mystery wouldn't cross her mind), gave all a clear and complete idea of her and made it easy to care for her and wonder if and how would she escape certain situations. But she is not just and amateur naturalist and adventurer, she still is a neo-eighteenth girl, and her love for sweets and adventure stories made her even more realistic and closer to the reader.

I also liked the frame narration expedient, by which we found out something more about Bridgette's story reading her journal, althogether with her character, her passions and her love. It was a good idea of giving those informations that the Beast could not speak about. and helped iddentifying more with the character since it was written in first person, just like the general narration.

There where little flaws, of course, no book is perfect.
I thought about some of them longer than for others, I would have liked a longer and deeper explanation of the curse or more described scenes when it was broken. I would also have liked to Celeste to see or at least connect with her family and friends once again, even tho I think she eventually did.
But despite everything, because of how much it intrigued me, how much I felt the characters close to me and how beautiful all the types of love portrayed in this book were, I cannot give it less than four stars.

Celeste Rossan, aspiring amateur naturalist, gets lost on the way to the 1867 Exposition Universelle. She finds shelter in an abandoned chateau only to realize that she is not alone there. The Misadventures of an Amateur Naturalist is a queer retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

<b>a great mix of academia x cottagecore vibes, with fantasy meeting science. sapphics set in 18th/19th century france! animal friends! what's not to love?</b>

It's been a while since a book gripped me this much!
It was a completely different plot from what i had imagined (more of the set-up to that plot), but i loved the story nonetheless, and i cannot wait for the rest of the series!!! I have fallen in love with these characters and i will be living vicariously through them, thank yew.
I think the story/writing is very atmospheric and i really enjoyed the pacing as well.
apparently (reading other reviews) everyone went into this counting on a "beauty and beast" retelling - but i did not; i only noticed halfway through - i would argue that it borrows many elements, but i don't know if it counts as a strict retelling - which i prefer, tbqh!
also if you love to piece together the mystery before the MC, this is perfect for you (get it together, celeste!!)
The biggest downside on this book, imo, is although the woman and queer representation is great, there is a lack of other types of rep. I hope this gets better in future installments of the series.

Representation: Sapphic characters, GNC characters, Achillean characters (mention).

CW: <spoiler> Gore, Blood, Animal death, Death in Childbirth, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Homophobia </spoiler>

This was a fun historical adventure through lush landscapes and with gorgeous backdrops. I loved the engaging characters, who felt genuine and had motives I could understand, which I love! I also really enjoyed the costume descriptions, and the storyline was very engaging, as I raced to finish before I had to stop reading! Overall, I really recommend this book