The theme of so many of my 2023 reads is: "I regret waiting so long to pick this up." And that's absolutely true for this book. I don't know what took me so long, but once I dove into this one, I didn't come up for air until I was done. It was especially appropriate because I was on vacation in New Orleans when I read it and I'd just been to the pharmacy museum, which covered a lot of the same topics this book does.

This book centers around a young, wealthy woman in Edinburgh in the 1800s who is determined to become a surgeon, something unheard of for women in at the time. Through a series of shenanigans, she enrolls in a surgery course pretending to be a man and starts her journey (which is soon thwarted, but no spoilers here). At the same time, she befriends a "resurrection man" (aka someone who digs up corpses to sell to surgeons for cash) and of course, they fall for each other, despite the very gory and morbid backdrop of their relationship.

Some of Hazel's secrets are discovered -- and she discovers the secrets of some of Edinburgh's high society -- as she runs a charity hospital out of her massive estate and works to become the first female surgeon in Edinburgh.

I'm already on the wait list for the sequel!

This was such a unique perspective. I loved this book so much. It was also ahead of it's time. It got a little long in parts, but I will for sure be reading the next one. I can't wait to read what happens to the main character to see where life takes her since she is an up and coming WOMAN doctor during the time when a woman's only job was to have babies. Also the cover is amazing!

2.5/5 stars

I really enjoyed the start to this YA. It had so much promise with it's 'Frankenstein' retelling with 'The Alienist' feels, but the ending and overall story left me feeling underwhelmed.

Things I really loved:
- Samantha's passion for science, anatomy and surgery in a time when women weren't allowed in the profession.
- Possible love interest with a shady body snatching profession
- Bit of a mystery in a historical fiction setting

Things that weren't for me:
- Too many plots going on. It felt like this story couldn’t figure out what it wanted to be or what it wanted to tell the reader.
- The romance wasn't much and it was definitely left on a cliffhanger
- The story just ended. So many things were happening and then it just stopped. It was awkward.

Overall, I didn't enjoy this one as much as I would've hoped. The love story was not an actual romance and after all the plots stirring around slowly coming to a head, it made the ending seem very abrupt. I realize now that there is a sequel, but at the time of publishing there was no mention of a second story, which left me feeling frustrated as a reader.

It took me a little while to get into this one but I'm so glad I did! Hazel, a 17th century lady of Scotland, turns away from the idea of marriage in favor of studying the up-and-coming theories and practices of human anatomy, medicine, and surgery. To practice, she enlists the help of Jacob, a "resurrection man," to procure bodies to study. Part historical fiction, part love story, I loved this book more than I thought I would and am looking forward to getting into the sequel!

A little bit of a mystery and a little bit of a gothic classic feel with a few sprinkles of romance all wrapped into one. Hazel was quite an interesting character and I really enjoyed watching her not give up and keep on doing what she wanted to despite stupid men trying to convince her otherwise. Following her journey and Jack's come together was satisfying and quite a good read. I won't lie and say this book didn't give me a bit of the creeps but I feel that comes with any good gothic novel so I will give it a few extra points for that. Overall, greatly enjoyed and looking forward to reading book two soon!

Such a cool premise and a phenomenal read. I cannot wait to sink my teeth into the next - I'm not sure why, but I've always been fascinated with the gruesome history of medical science & practices. The more disturbing, the better. I loved the blossoming relationship between Hazel & Jack and I'm a sucker for female characters who give a big middle finger to societal norms and to anyone who tells them 'no' or that they can't do something. Hazel was ingenious in her plight to become a surgeon in the face of living in a time where women were expected to focus solely on marriage & families.

I also listened to the audio of this one and it was brilllllllllllllliant!! I enjoyed the narrator & author discussing how the book came about as well as a special after-read feature.

its very ‘stalking jack the ripper’ and ‘a ladys guide to petticoats and piracy,’ with the supernatural elements reminding me more of ‘a golden fury.’ if you love a strong female character who isnt going to let the world of men get in the way of doing what she wants mixed with a historical setting, then this is a book you will want to pick up.
I may have a soft spot for gothic young adult, as I got a similar high enjoyment from The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, and House of Hollow!

also, i want to make it clear that the love story referenced in the title is not a romantic love, but hazels love for medicine and passion for her subject. yes, there is a romantic love interest, but it is so minor that i think readers will feel duped if they go into this expecting romance.

but its a short and sweet story that delivers on fast pacing, purposeful plot, and interesting characters. so its such a shame the ending was such a let down for me. thank goodness it didnt ruin my reading experience completely.

I've been drifting away from YA lately but Anatomy drew me in with its cover and was definitely a YA book I did not regret picking up!

This one surprised me with how much I loved it. The main character, Hazel, is a strong female character with an inquiring mind who is definitely before her time. The historical aspects of medicine are cleverly woven into this gothic-like tale that has echoes of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. I struggled to put this book down to get on with my day - and I look forward to seeing what Hazel will get up to in the next book of the duology.

I wasn't sure what to think about this book when I first read the title. Anatomy and love? It did pique my interest though which is why I decided to read it and ended up really liking it...a lot. I enjoyed Hazel's character and her drive to learn about the body and how it works. I guess you could say she was ahead of her time since she entered a field not many women dared to venture. In fact, she would become the first, so watching her dedication and passion and drive to overcome all her obstacles really was inspiring. I also liked the chemistry between Hazel and Jack. What's not to love about this book?

I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a free eARC in exchange for my honest opinion which I have given.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for review and lost it in my Kindle until I received a copy of book 2. I ended up reading it in one day. I am not a fan of historical fiction but I really enjoyed this book. The mixture of medicine and mystery was fun. I did not know what to expect from this story and was delighted that Hazel found her way, maybe not exactly in the way she was hoping. The book ended with a bit of a cliffhanger so I am happy that I have book 2 lined up. Thank you for the opportunity to experience this book.

A slow burn of a novel, where we follow Hazel who is supposed to be prim and proper and preparing herself to be betrothed but instead wants to follow her dreams and become a doctor. I didn't exactly love the big reveal towards the end, but the book still drew me in enough that I plan on reading the sequel.

Simultaneously delightful and heartrending, this book was everything I hoped it would be. At turns realistic and fantastical, funny and frustrating. Always feminist, never boring. Also, contained quite possibly the most romantic line of dialogue I have ever read in my life. I have this book in my staff picks at the library, and recommend it whenever I can. Can't wait for the sequel!

Anatomy is a classic case of thinking the book will be one thing, then discovering that it is not. I am not, traditionally, a historical romance girl, but the promise of grave digging and dramatics drew me in. Historical fiction only ever compels me when something more interesting is happening, and I hoped that would be the case with Anatomy.

Sadly, it was not, as I was bogged down with the thick, historical fiction feel that permeated the text. It's a very well written book, and will no doubt be beloved by historical fiction fans. I do plan to recommend it to individuals who I think it would appeal to.

I was intrigued to pick this up due to the Edinburgh setting, the gothic atmosphere and a girl trying to become a surgeon in 1817 in a make dominated society. However it fell a bit flat for me. I loved the gothic atmosphere and the gory descriptions of the surgeries and autopsies but this was all that really worked for me. I figured out the ‘big bad’ pretty early on and I didn’t really feel connected to the characters. They felt a little one dimensional for me and I didn’t connect to the relationships of the main character. The romance felt too insta-lovey and I personally don’t like that the trope in my novels so I was not very invested in them. The ending, sadly, did not grip me enough to pick up the sequel.

Excellent YA historical fiction with a romance twist and LOTS of gory medical detail! What a refreshing read! Even though it's a story about a privileged young woman with a desire to be a surgeon in the early 19th century-this one could have appeal to guys as well, with the medical lessons, the grave robbing, the plague spreading... The romance is fairly predictable, but that could be another angle-readers who want a historical romance and get swept up in Hazel's desire to be independant and choose her own future.

a young woman who wants to be more than what is being presented to her and more than what her family and society wants her to be. I loved that the mc pushed those boundaries and I loved her love for science, finding the truth and pushing back on those stupid expectations.
Hazel is 17 years old and she know exactly what she wants and she plans on making her world better in the process. This was fun, cute, and something I would highly recommend to my students

A beautifully crafted love story set in nineteenth century Edinburgh. The city leapt from the page and I felt transported back into the historic cobblestone streets. The prose felt like poetry and the characters' motives, emotions, and personalities were and real and believable. This book is perfect for fans of historic fiction and romance.

I am glad I looked this up right before reading it, because I thought it was a standalone. It is not. And it ended on somewhat of a cliffhanger. It could have been a standalone and that would have been okay... but I would have been desperate for some answers.

This book was exactly what I was hoping it would be. A little spooky and fascinating. The love story was absolutely refreshing.

The hero wasn't described like the perfect man, which you see in most YA. My favorite part was his hook nose. I imagined him as lanky, but interesting looking. I was 100% here for the love story, but for a good half of the book the two barely interact. Which didn't really bother me (most of the time that would). I was too enthralled with the separate journeys the characters were going on to be concerned with their love story. Which is Ironic because their love story is so important that it's in the title.

But the romance was a secondary focus, because I was too busy concentrating on both of their struggles. Particularly Hazel. She is such an interesting main character. She was the definition of "I'm not like other girls" but it felt genuine. She wasn't playing a part. She was genuinely unique and enticing.

The book wasn't fast paced until the last 10%. But if you are looking for a fascinating read, definitely look here.

I'm a little late to the party, but now that the second book in this duology is about to be published I finally got around to reading Anatomy. This is a gothic romance with strong characters and an interesting story. Maybe I'm biased because I'm Scottish, but I loved it! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.