Thank you NetGalley for the eARc. This book brought all my favorite characters together in one book! I could not have been happier! I got to see the before and after of some of my favorite stories.! If you love Jane Austen you HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK

I love Jane Austen and when I saw that this book takes place in that same universe I was so excited. But sadly this story falls short.
I can’t connect with Susan at all. The dialogue is boring and the story not captivating.
Sadly, I didn’t like this book.

Susan, A Jane Austen Prequel by Alice McVeigh ended up being a pleasant surprise.

Initially, I almost gave up on this story. I was a little confused and I was not being pulled into the story. Things changed for me about 20% of the way through the book. I finally started grasping the different relationships and understanding the story better.

I loved all the different characters from Austen’s novels, especially the secondary ones, having this world where they all interacted with each other. There were different nods to events that happened in Austen’s novels which also made it fun.

I am not sure I see the exact progression though of McVeigh’s Susan to Austen’s Susan. I found McVeigh’s Susan was manipulative but not as aggressively or nastily as Austen’s. I feel she could have been a little shrewder and more callous. Even though she was young, I found McVeigh’s Susan a little too likeable for who I feel Susan is supposed to be. I would be interested to see if there is another book that bridges that gap a bit.

I also found McVeigh’s writing to be a very nice nod to Austen’s novels. As an Austen fan that made the book very enjoyable.

Overall, I think whether you have read Austen or not you will enjoy this book. Austen connoisseurs will enjoy all the nods of Austen. I think those that are not familiar with Austen will enjoy it for the entertaining story that it is.

I received an eARC from BooksGoSocial through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

Filled with humor, family and familiar characters. It really felt like a cozy get together with old friends. There were new characters that I came to really like and old characters that I still don't like. This is a definite read for fans of Jane Austen, So pleased I got the full version this time and not just a sampler

Loved it! Just the escape I needed during these uncertain times.

The novel follows Susan as she is dismissed from school thanks to her inappropriate behaviour. As a fan of Regency novels, I adored her! She was witty and hilarious in her opinions of others and her behaviour (while she breaks every rule she can) was totally endearing.

The Austen-esque romances and misunderstandings are all here in full force, as well as some well-rounded characters.
It wasn’t until I finished the novel that I realised she grows up to become the Lady Susan of Austen’s novel. In hindsight, the signs are all there but I feel this shows how good the novel is as an independent piece!

Great to see that this is the first in a series from this author - I can’t wait for more!

A mix of Regency Romance, touches of Persuasion, lots of Pride and Prejudice and you get a scintillating mix for the
Jane Austen fantasy.

A mixed bag of characters with the familiar Lady Catherine always hovering in the background, her daughter Lady Anne
being more assertive than ever before, Frank Churchill dying before his time and Alicia Collins and Susan the start of
the show.

The characters were nicely placed and I liked that Susan was not all that sweet and submissive and ladylike. On the
contrary she was scheming (not just for herself but for others as well), but with good intentions throughout, although
her manner of achieving her aims was not very conservative. Mr and Mrs Collins were very nicely portrayed, long suffering
and under obligation always.

The entire story with its romantic themes interwoven throughout was a good one.

Below, please find the pasted copy of my review, to be published on the Little Literary Moments blog on September 5.

Title: Susan: A Jane Austen Prequel

Author: Alice McVeigh

Rating: 3 ¾ stars

Favorite Quote: “Sometimes I think he would fancy himself every bit as well-off, were he all alone by some wild and dreary loch, with his pipe, his books and his dog!” Susan. Kindle ed., Warleigh Hall Press, 2021.

Review: I received a free e-ARC of this book from the publisher, Warleigh Hall Press, through the NetGalley platform, in exchange for an honest review.

I want to start off my saying I really, really enjoyed this book. For the first 75% or so, I was so drawn into the world of Jane Austen that I wanted to pick up the closest edition of Pride and Prejudice and just get lost in it again like I have so many times before. McVeigh masterfully captures Austen’s tone and Austen’s humor, and her novel, written in the twenty-first century, could easily be a product of Austen’s own time - at least for the first part of it.

Susan follows the protagonist, Susan, as she is banished from her boarding school and sent out of London in the hopes of avoiding scandal. Readers are re-introduced to some Pride and Prejudice characters, including the kind Charlotte and the overbearing (also, probably lots of other less-than-positive adjectives) Mr. Collins as they take in the wayward Susan.

Much of this book was the Regency era as Austen wrote of it...at least for the first part of it.

I have two primary complaints about the book, even though I overall thought the reading experience was pleasant. Both complaints involve spoilers, so be warned - SPOILERS AHEAD. My first complaint, that mostly centers around pacing, is that the plotline about the play seemed to drag on just a bit too long. About halfway through their preparations, I found my mind wandering at times, ready to get on to the next plot point. The purpose of this focus is revealed later (and in my second complaint), but even though it did lead to what might have been the climax, it still seemed like a bit too much build up.

My second complaint (SPOILER WARNING AGAIN) involved the death of one of the characters. I was so invested in the Austen-esque storyline that something so unexpected as a death was jarring - to the point that I was temporarily thrown out of the story. Given the context, I saw why the death was necessary to forward Susan’s storyline, but it was still a bit much. And it was really the only time in the novel that I felt like I wasn’t reading an Austen novel.

About that Quote: Despite its absence of an Oxford comma, my favorite form of punctuation, this quote is a favorite specifically because of how well it captures the Austen tone. A little bit humorous, a little bit critical. My favorite Austen moments are the ones where she is so artful in her critiques and judgments of others. And McVeigh captures that masterfully throughout the novel. This one just spoke to me a little bit more because I too wish I could spend my days alone with my cats, so I can understand the motivations of someone who wishes they could spend their days alone with their dogs.

Are you an Austen fan? Have you read Susan? Share your thoughts below!

The blog's main site (linked below) will be updated on 9/5 to feature this review. There will then be a post on Instagram that day, letting followers know the new blog post is up.

The included Instagram link (below) is from when I featured this book as one of my #littleliterarylunchbreak books.

This is Alice McVeigh's imagining of what Susan might have been like as a teen, before becoming the woman of "Lady Susan", Jane Austen's book. This Susan is young, just 16, and surprisingly innocent much of the time, developing her talent for manipulation into what will best serve herself and her cousin Alicia. She is sent to Kent and her uncle Collins (yes, that Collins) and here McVeigh weaves (usually) secondary characters of the Austen-verse into her narrative. Lady Catherine and Mr. Collins, Frank Churchill and Col. Fitzwilliam, all have roles to play here.
McVeigh does a good job of catching Austen's style of writing and dialogue. However, I found the book dragged for me once we reached Kent. Most of the book is focused on putting on a play (think "Mansfield Park") and the interactions of everyone around that. It allows Alicia and Henry Johnson to come together, although they seem far better matched than in Austen's version. Susan manipulated people for Alicia's sake and we see a kind heart involved when trying to help those who she really loves- which seems to be only herself and Alicia.

Overall, the book was ok and does better than many in the Austen fan fiction universe regarding Austen's original characters, but it dragged more than I expected and I rather wished the book had focused instead on Susan and her meeting her future husband and the manipulations involved with that which are only hinted at in the Austen's story.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Sheer brilliance! Absolutely 5 stars and hands down the best book I've read this year! I kept having to stop and remind myself that I wasn't reading actual Austen. I actually read each page twice, just enjoying the celebration of language and wit! Alice McVeigh is a genius and if you are even remotely an Austen fan this is the book for you.

Many, many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this advanced copy. My opinions are my own and never influenced by anyone. Ever.

Lovers of Jane Austen's novels, or Janeites as the most devout call themselves, are a fierce bunch and I commend author Alice McVeigh for fearlessly throwing herself to their mercy by writing a prequel about one of Austen's characters. I myself love Jane Austen's books, but I have never read Lady Susan, an epistolary novel of Austen's, and thus would be considered by Janeites as one not to be taken too seriously in my advice. In "Susan: A Jane Austen Prequel", the author examines the early years of said Lady Susan's life. Having never read this book, I was still totally able to enjoy the character for what she was, a rather precocious sixteen year old girl of humble circumstances but blessed with beauty, dependent on the bounty of her uncle Mr. Collins (yes, that Mr. Collins!)

The story followed familiar patterns to those who have immersed themselves in Austen's world: young women trying to secure their futures by getting the attention of eligible young men, and the twists and turns that love may throw in their paths. The writer was able to capture the nuances and flavor of Austen's novels, and I found the story delightful to read. Susan proved herself at a young age to be able to handle the challenges society threw at her, and I would love to see where her adventures lead her next. It was fun to have various characters from Austen's work make an appearance or get a mention.

Anyone who appreciates a Jane Austen novel should find much to admire in Alice McVeigh's work. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for allowing me to read this ARC.

What a novel and clever idea to write about one of Jane Austen’s characters and providing details of her history and life prior to her introduction by Jane Austen. The book is peopled by many of Austen’s characters, some of which are very familiar like Darcy, Frank Churchill and the Collins family and some which have been buried deep in my ‘reading’ history that I can no longer recollect.

Whatever the vagaries of my memory the writing style alone would have summoned thoughts of Jane Austen and how distant those thoughts are – I remember being excited by Pride and Prejudice, Emma and Mansfield Park (which I studied at degree level). Alas I cannot persuade my granddaughter to read any of them. A forgotten age, summoned between the pages of a book.

See how this book has influenced me – my writing style has completely changed as it settles back into familiar prose.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

Susan is a prequel of Lady Susan, a lesser known work of Jane Austen which I've always had a soft spot for, but it is also set five years after Pride and Prejudice and one year before Emma, and it features characters from these books as well, like Catherine de Bourgh, Frank Churchill and Mr Collins.

While I was excited to read this book, I was still pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The writing style was really good: I think the author did a good job trying to emulate Austen's witty style. The situations were also reminiscent of Austen's works, like the play the characters decide to set up. The setting in general, and how the original characters were connected to each other, was really well done.

I must say that Susan and especially Alicia are much less evil than they were in the original work, but it was understandable given their young age, and Susan's gift of manipulation and acting came across very well. I especially loved how she handled the terrible Catherine de Bourgh. And Alicia's romance with Henry was really sweet and I rooted for them the whole time.

Definitely worth a read if you are a fan of Jane Austen!

I didn't enjoy this book and found it all quite tortuous. It read to me like some overblown, try too hard fanfiction. I didn't believe in the protagonist Susan or the world created. It felt like reading a lot of "in" jokes in a "look how clever I'm being way." For example, on Frank Churchill the author writing as Susan says " He has been in love three or four times at least and often at the first instant, like a character in a novel" (ha, ha), She continues "I blushed when he told me and (for a time) forgot that I must be demure and quiet lest I be banished."

Susan has been expelled from school because a piano teacher kissed her hand, she is feisty and rebellious (of course). She is an orphan, her father died fighting a duel and she is living with her strict and parsimonius aunt but is about to launch upon "the season" in London. Not for me

An entertaining journey through Austen's world following a sixteen year old Susan, before she became the Lady Susan we love to hate.
Beautiful and clever, young Susan navigates her way through society using manipulation and charm to improve her circumstances.
We are treated to a variety of cameos from Austen characters, and Alison McVeigh delivers a believable extension to well known settings and characters. Her strong familiarity with Austen's writing is clearly evident.

A knowledge of Austen's characters will definitely enhance a reader's enjoyment of this story, but I feel like any fan of historical fiction and romance will find this a fun and diverting story.

Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an advanced copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Susan, A Jane Austen Prequel, is a delightful romp into the regency era, perfect for fans of Netflix's Bridgerton and Pride and Prejudice. After being dismissed from boarding school and banished to the countryside, our plucky heroine Susan gets herself into a series of scrapes involving familiar faces from Austen, such as Mr. Collins and Mr. Wickham. As a whole, I greatly enjoyed reading Susan, and am excited to read more in this upcoming romance series in the future,

I'm quite picky when it comes to Jane Austen pastiches, but this one was a nice surprise. I expected a straigthforward prequel to Lady Susan and what I got was an interesting take on an interwoven universe of Jane Austen's novels. Your enjoyment will likely depend on how many and how well do you know Jane Austen's books. I've read them all more than once, so I had no problem there. 3.5 stars

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

Susan is an orphan with no fortune but beauty and cunning to spare. After she befriends her uncle's benefactor, Lady Catherine (yes, that Lady Catherine), she is sent to live with Mr. Collins and Charlotte Lucas at Hunsford. There she is reunited with her sweet and unassuming cousin, who is also an orphan. Together, despite their uncle's sermonizing and their low social standing, they find friendship and possibly even love among the local set.

As a loyal Austenphile, I was excited to read this book, and it did not disappoint. The author's tone is strongly reminiscent of Austen's writing, and her acerbic wit is if anything more pointed. I loved seeing familiar characters in new settings, and the author was successful in creating new facets of the characters without treading on the original novels.

Susan differs in one noticeable aspect from Austen's works, especially her best-known ones. Its attitude toward female virtue is decidedly more modern. Susan (who is, later in her life, an Austen character) is far less morally upright than, for example, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, and her behavior is treated with more indulgence than I think Austen herself would have shown. But, two hundred years after the original works were written, Susan's awareness of the fundamental unfairness of her world, and her willingness to act in her own and her friends' best interests even at the risk of incurring societal censure, reads as appropriate.

This was such a warm and charming read! Filled with humor, family and familiar characters. It really felt like a cozy get together with old friends. There were new characters that I came to really like and old characters that I still don't like. This is a definite read for fans of Jane Austen, a lovely gentle read with comedy and rules and manners of the day. I definitely recommend it.

I greatly enjoyed this HF "mashup". Well, extemporisation from Jane Austin anyway. It achieved exactly what one would hope, in that it caught the spirit of JA and her characters as well as throwing in enticing details. I"m going to have to re read Emma now. (Slightly disappointed the odious and pompous Mr Collins still thrives, in this tale at least.) Well done.

Great story telling, a richness of characters, picturesque settngs, this book has everything to provide a perfect moment of entertainment. It is not necessary to be a specialist of Jane austen's books to read and enjoy the plot.
I truly enjoyed the different twists in the story, and I could remember perfectly well anything about the myriad of characters. This is for sure a sign of an excellent novel, with perfect pacing and structure.
All opinions are mine, I received the book from NetGalley.