This debut YA gothic love story was part historical fiction, part murder mystery and a tiny part fantasy but 100 per cent entertaining! I loved the early 19th century Edinburgh setting and the focus on Hazel, a young lady of good breeding who wants to be a surgeon. At a time when women were not allowed any where near medical colleges, Hazel dresses up in disguise to attend lectures. She also befriends Jack, a grave robber who sells cadavers to the medical schools for a profit. The author does such an amazing job creating a world rich in historical detail with a creepy gothic atmosphere! Great on audio with two narrators and a bonus author interview at the end. I really enjoyed this one and definitely recommend it. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy.

This audiobook had me not want to stop listening. The narration paired with the author’s beautifully written words was a true masterpiece. A historical romance set in Scotland with a strong (and I mean strong!!) female lead is perfection.

With every bit of gore, there is a lot of love in this book. Get this book for your book obsessed valentine this year!

This book had a fairly unique premise, and a cover that matched. In some ways it reminded me of the Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy, with the female lead whose passion in life is anatomy, surgery, being a doctor, etc. Where that book leaned toward humor and madcap adventure, this one leaned hard into the gothic and macabre.

There's a lot of blood, a lot of cutting up bodies complete with odors and squelching of organs and... well. You can probably imagine. There's also many, many decaying corpses -- and an ill-advised kiss *inside a grave, complete with maggots.* *shudders*

while the cover is clever and very appropriate for the title, the subtitle "A Love Story" felt misleading. The romance is actually minimal here - at 40% Hazel and Jack had hardly met and were still separated by plot.

This book was also a bit uneven overall. There were definitely passages that were quite beautifully written, and chapters that had me glued to the page. While Hazel's ambition was relatable, it felt like that was all there was to her character. Jack felt unfinished, and their love story went from 0 to 60 in seconds. But in addition to the minimal and uneven romance, the sinister villains never faced any consequences. The focus of Hazel's life for most of the book is forgotten toward the end. And the end itself is rather abrupt. While in some ways I like what Dana Schwartz is trying to do with that ending, I definitely felt unsatisfied overall.

I would probably recommend it to fans of Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy, especially those who don't mind a little -- ok a lot -- of blood and gore. Not to those with weak stomachs, though.

I thought the audiobook narrator did a decent job, though it was sometimes difficult to tell which character was speaking. Her voice was pleasant to listen to and overall it was an enjoyable listen, though I did end up switching back to the e-book to read a fair bit of it.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and Macmillan Audio for providing an e-arc and audiobook for review.

I would give this 6 stars if I could. It doesn't matter if you like historical fiction or not, Anatomy: A Love Story is for EVERY ONE! You'd be daft not to read it. Audiobook is absolutely delightful.

Anatomy: A Love Story is a timeless tale about two star-crossed lovers, separated by social class and life itself. As their paths continue to cross, they will develop a trusting partnership based on foundation of awe and respect. The support and sacrifice they make for each other will forever change their lives. Everyone deserves to be a Hazel loved by a Jack and a Jack loved by a Hazel.

Set in Edinburgh, 1817, Hazel Sinnett is determined to be a surgeon. It doesn't matter that she's been engaged to a viscount's son since birth. It doesn't matter that ladies can't be surgeons. Hazel knows it's her destiny, and she knows she's skilled enough to do it.

Jack Currer's life is the exact opposite. He's lucky to even have a roof over his head. Yeah, living in the rafters of a theatre isn't a house per se, but it's better than the streets. Work is hard to come by, but Jack knows that doctor's need bodies and they're willing to pay.

This book will appeal to teens and adults. Especially well-suited for history and STEM enthusiasts, romance lovers, and those seeking a strong female protagonist.

I really enjoyed the dark, gothic atmosphere and tropes here. I think this title would be a great choice for teens who are looking for something with the vibes of Dracula or Frankenstein, but want something a little more modern and less intimidating. It's also a historical fiction title with an explicitly feminist focus and a very rich sense of place--the amount of description and background the reader gets makes the historical setting feel approachable and real. There's also the perfect amount of romance, mystery, and almost adventure to keep you turning the pages. The audiobook was very well-produced, though I think listeners who have a hard time listening to titles narrated with heavier accents should know that this audiobook does really lean on the Scottish accent here. There is an interview with the author and narrator at the end that was super interesting and fun to listen to. Something I will keep in mind when recommending this is that it is a bit slower paced than other YA titles; it takes a bit for the plot to really get moving and the ending felt a little drawn out as well. But I think plenty of readers will find a lot to love here.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an audio ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this book blind. I fell in love with the cover. The setting for this book was perfect, gothic feel Scotland In the late 1800s. I loved the strong female lead in Hazel, she knows what she wants and goes after it even though she is up against gender discrimination. She fights for herself. Hazel meets Jack who helps her on her mission to become a surgeon in a male dominated world, he provides the bodies in a unethical way for her to learn from. Jack and Hazel get caught up in a murder mystery and it’s a thrilling tale of discovery and secrets. Loved the writing style and adored the book.

Oh to be a woman with big surgeon dreams in the 1800s and to have all that shoved under the rug for an engagement to some dope. So that's Hazel, our heroine. Her whole world is uprooted with the help of dreamy resurrectionist aka grave robber, Jack. Can Hazel and Jack help Hazel pass the university entrance exam so she can finally achieve her dream of becoming a doctor? Will she have to marry that dope, Bernard, after all?

The atmosphere of this story was great, and I really liked the ending which I won't spoil here. I got total Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and steampunk vibes throughout, and I enjoyed that a lot. I didn't enjoy how super gory this was throughout. I'm a big fan of thriller horror and I don't much care for gore. That said, this book has a lot of gore. Too much for my tastes. Also, Hazel and Jack seemed a bit two-dimensional at times, and I had a hard time connecting with them as characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. Mhairi Morrison and Tim Campbell were fantastic narrators, really bringing the story to life.

This is YA done right. A smart, capable, strong heroine who knows what she wants, even if she doesn’t know how to get it, and who has a realistic approach to her position in life. Hazel wants to be a doctor in a time when women are expected to marry and stay home. She’s lucky that she’s in a position where she doesn’t need to work, all she must do is marry her cousin Bernard. She dresses as a man to learn to be a surgeon but is discovered. Luckily, she knows Jack, a resurrection man who can get her the specimens that she needs to learn anatomy. This is a gothic novel reminiscent of Frankenstein (which, remember, was written by a teenage woman such as Hazel herself). The plot is very solid. It’s not just Hazel’s road to knowledge and her budding romance with Jack, but also a mystery surrounding anatomists and body snatchers. My problem with YA is that the authors can confuse inexperience with stupidity, but Hazel is smarter than many grownups. Mhairi Morrison’s performance is relatable and heartbreaking. She portrays Hazel’s narration and disappointments in a consistent way and makes all the supporting characters distinctive and recognizable. Lastly, I loved that ending. It’s mature enough that it will please jaded old readers.
I chose to listen to this audiobook and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/#Macmillan Audio!

This was not really what I was expecting. It's not your typical love story between a man and woman, (there is that, and it nice). It's about a girl and her dream. Her dream about who she wants to be when she grows up.

In her world, it is not proper for a woman to be a doctor or even work. But she dares to dream of a life, unmarried and free to to what she wants.

I loved the dark, and gothic history the author writes about, taking us to Edingburgh, Scotland! This story has science, history, and a bit of romance!

The end was good enough for me and it is left as of there might be a sequel. 😁 I enjoyed this very much.

I don't usually do YAL because it tends to be shallow and cliched, but this was fantastic. Highly recommended.


Review copy provided by publisher.

Pros: Noble Blood is one of my favorite podcasts—it is well researched and entertaining—so I was very interested to read the author’s work of fiction. The cover art is eye catching, and I think some readers will read this book just because of the cover. This book contains many things I like: a gothic tale, set in Edinburgh, a castle, a girl from a noble family who wants an education and a career! The topics of plague and inoculation were very timely. My favorite part of this book was the ending, which I did not expect or predict!

I read the ebook version of this book several months ago, but I also wanted to listen to the audio version in hopes that the narrators would have Scottish accents. The narrators did not disappoint, and their performances added to the story.

Cons: Although I think the book was well done, it wasn’t really for me because YA romance is not my favorite genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this book! I've shared this review on Goodreads and StoryGraph.