Mary has been living above her father’s bookstore, waiting for her opportunity to be whisked away. To get the ability to showcase the brilliant mind she inherited from her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft. She just needs a strike of brilliance to compose a work worthy of her parentage. And to maybe catch the eye of the handsome Percy Shelley.

Ada Lovelace is the daughter of Lord Byron, one of the most famous poets ever. But Ada doesn’t want to pursue poetry. She wants to pursue science. Specifically, through automatons. When Ada and Mary form a relationship and accidentally bring PAN, an automaton, to life with Fae magic, they suddenly find themselves in danger. From a scientist who won’t stop hunting them until he figures out their secret.

Thanks to HarperTeen and NetGalley for an advanced copy of My Imaginary Mary to review! There’s really nothing else like these books in YA, and they’re thoroughly entertaining each time you read one. I love the way these three authors reimagine history–giving more power to the women.

When I heard that this Mary book was going to be about Mary Shelley, I was super excited! I couldn’t wait to see what they did with her story, and I definitely wasn’t disappointed. My favorite thing about this particular installment was the friendship between Mary and Ada. It was fantastic. The way they both kind of defied what other people thought of them, found a kinship with each other. Seriously, I absolutely loved it.

These three authors are also really great at making unique character voices. They don’t blend together like some dual POV books can, which just adds to how entertaining these books are.

What I found a bit lacking was the magic system in this one. While the basic concept, I wanted it to be pushed a little further, I think. The overall plot also felt a bit uneven at times. But, outside of that, this book is full of humor, 1800s fun, and history. You’re sure to be entertained while reading it!

All in all, while this isn’t necessarily my favorite of the series, if you loved the other books, you are sure to enjoy this one as well!

Have loved all the Jane and Mary books in the series thus far and highly recommend them! However this one did not resonate with me and I struggled to finish. Felt slow and struggled to keep my attention. Felt it was too contrived and predictable, which is unfortunate as I so very much enjoy this series!

This is such a great addition to the Janes and the Mary books. I love how these books take a twist on history and add a bit of comedy. This book was so funny, and such a great read.

This book was a great read. I have enjoyed all of the Jane and Mary books so far. It’s always fun to think of how history could have come to be in a fun way. I love the humor in the books as well. This book had two strong female leads both with personality. I also really enjoyed Pan. Who knew he would be such a major character in the story.

These three authors never fail to delight! I have really enjoyed the other books in the "Janies" series and how they inventively re-imagine historical women. Mary and Ada are such full, rounded characters, and the added fantastical element only heightens the plotline. The humor is funny and also poignant, and the issues that the girls have not only with the legacies of their parents but with contemporary men rings all too true. I like that we can 'hear' the voices of the characters quite distinctly - the tone for each one is clear. I'm excited to consider teaching this in my adaptation course alongside Frankenstein!

My Imaginary Mary, written by a trio of very talented writers, is everything you could expect from this loosely connected series of historical fiction reimaginings.

I liked the magical aspect to the book; it absolutely made sense for Mary. I liked Ada as a character, especially her prickliness and her forthrightness. The writing was well-polished and fit the tone of the book well.

However, compared to other offerings in this authors' series, I felt as though the pacing was...off and I was never very engaged with the book. I think the other part of that might have been Mary's character. I have more critical feedback to give, but I'll leave it at that.

If you liked the other offerings from these authors, you'll like this latest installment, with their signature humor and fun with history :)

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the ebook ARC in exchange for my review. All opinions are mine alone.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was another excellent installment in the Lady Jane/Mary series from the Lady Janies. If you loved their previous works, you’ll love this one, too, as it’s very much in the same mode, except with fae magic replacing the shapeshifting.

If you’re looking for anything resembling historical accuracy, you’re going to want to look elsewhere. The subtle references to actual historical events are amusing, though. As are the references to things like The Princess Bride, Monty Python, Star Wars, and so on.

All in all, a very fun read.

Mary lives a boring life above her father’s bookstore, while pining for her true love, Percy Shelley. Ada Lovelace's passions lie in mechanical engineering. Together, these two women create PAN (Practical Automaton Number One), thus beginning a conflict that keeps this delightful story unfolding.

This novel continues in much the same way that the other novels in this series have: the three authors take a famous historical figure and add some magic. In this case, the heroine is Mary Shelley (née Godwin), along with Ada Lovelace, and the magic is that both young women are fae. Like the other books in the series, this is lovely, lighthearted fun.

As enjoyable as the others in the Mary and Janies series! What I liked about this one in particular is you didn’t need to read any of the other titles. In My Contrary Mary there was some crossover with one of the Janie books. I had read the other book but remembered almost none of the details. This was a fun, sweet read. Loved Pan.

I love this series/collection and this addition is brilliant! A hint of history with a whole lot of fantasy fit together so well with these authors writing it! The concept of Frankenstein within this story was wonderfully embedded and I actually like this version better than the original!

I hope there is more to come from these authors!

I LOVED THIS! The entire book, as well as the entire body of work of Hand, Ashton, and Meadows to date, is just fascinating and perfectly encapsulated by the novel's tagline: "because sometimes history needs a little help". This book is NOT 1,000% the exact history, to a tea - and this is something I myself never expected to believe - but that's ok! It is still hilarious, sharp, smart, and the pacing is terrific and unhesitatingly reels you in. Strikes me an excellent way to appeal to anyone who is reluctant to try a larger book, or to dive into the world of historical fiction (although I can't imagine the case!) I would consider this a must purchase for all collections.

Overall, this book was very enjoyable but would have been more enjoyable if I didn’t know the real history surrounding Mary Shelley, Ada Lovelace, and the rest of the characters. That being said, the authors did a great job of putting a new and exciting twist on Mary’s famous tale for a new audience that manages to keep all of the important details and messages.

I'll just start by saying that Pan was the absolute best. Mary and Ada were very fun to read about as well. As with all of the other books by the Lady Janies, this book reworked history, with humorous results. It answers the question...what if Ada Lovelace and Mary Shelley met and became friends? And also, what if they were fae and had magical powers? This was a fun adventure that fans of the authors will very likely enjoy.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an advance copy to read. I was so excited to read My Imaginary Mary, as I have really enjoyed the other titles by Hand, Ashton, and Meadows and I am fascinated by Mary Shelley and Ada Lovelace. However, what I imagined and what was did not match, and I had a great deal of trouble connecting with either Mary or Ada. I found myself skimming more than reading in the middle. Overall, I still love the other volumes by this trio, but this one just didn't work for me. As the fanbase for these titles is very niche in my school, I will probably purchase only if requested by a student.

These are cute books but the major historical inaccuracies really bug me. Mary would have been much older than Ada, but curiously they died within a couple of years of each other. If you are going to imagine that they met, have Mary as an adult mentor to young Ada.

My Imaginary Mary is the latest in the alternative history series by Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows, and Cynthia Hand. This entry tells the story of Ada Lovelace and Mary Wollstonecraft and it is quite a lot of fun. There are a lot of positive female friendships and occasions where women rescue themselves. As in all of the other books in the series, it is filled with humor and heart. Highly recommended.

For fans of the Jane books and the previous Mary book, this is another fun addition to the series. For me, although this isn't my favorite book in the series (I love My Lady Jane the most), it still checks a lot of the same boxes: famous historical people with a fantasy twist and a humorous tone.

Yet another fun reimagining of history. The mixing of Ada and Mary's stories made for a warm female friendship and the kindness and goodness of Pan just added to the wholesomeness.

The Lady Janies have done it again! This story was just a joy of recognizing important female figures in history, but at the same time playing with that history and creating some hilarious and tender by turns.