Claudia Gray is so clever with Austen's material! I may not be a hardcore Austenite, but I think Gray manages this series in a way that honors Austen's characters and tone while also creating something entirely original.

Where The Murder of Mr. Wickham was a veritable smorgasbord of beloved main characters, this one narrows the field to the cast of Sense and Sensibility. What a joy to feel like I was revisiting old friends in Elinor, Mrs. Jennings, and Sir John Middleton! Elsewhere, I was pleased and frustrated in equal measure by the maddeningly slow burn between Juliet and Jonathan.

Unfortunately, the multiple POVs are not nearly so well managed here as they were in the previous book. Although I loved the continuation aspect in some characters' storylines, it came at the price of stagnating the investigation; I figured out the murderer and motive long before the reveal.

Still, this is a worthy follow-up and I'm looking forward to the promise of more!

This was such a fun reimagining of so many of Jane Austen's beloved stories, and I really loved the way they were all connected! I've read many Austen retellings, but never one that combines so many character plots in one story!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an arc of this story and allowing me the opportunity to read this early.

I requested this before finishing the first, and that was definitely my mistake. Upon completing the first, I realized that this story was not for me. I have never read any Jane Austen books, and as a result, I was unable to connect with or care about these characters. I understand that for most readers, the opportunity to solve a mystery with some of literature's most prominent characters would be appealing, but for me, it was just... boring.

I went into book two with not as open mind as I should have. I didn't care about Johnathon and Juliet in the first book, and unfortunately this didn't change that for me. I also felt like the side characters, again were too abundant, and even less influential than the first. Additionally, I thought this story was almost... predictable. I can say that I appreciate that it would be super easy to have made this a romance, and fit in with expectations, but the romance, while there, was more slow burn and not as in your face as it could have been- which is definitely something I appreciate, when non-romance books don't feel the need to make a central romance just for the sake of it.

Because I know now for certain that these stories are not for me, I am not going to post this review to my Goodreads because I hate to leave such a negative review on a book that I am sure it's intended audience will love.

What fun to see Jonathan Darcy and Juliey Tilney again! Once again, Claudia Gray sails over my sky-high bar for derivative works of Jane Austen. Just as The Murder of Mr. Wickham delighted many Janeites, The Late Mrs. Willoughby will have Austen fans eagerly following the charming duo of Jonathan and Juliet as they track down a murderer among the cast of Sense and Sensibility.

Juliet Tilney is visiting the Brandons, who she met at the house party in the book prior to this one. Jonathan's connection to this cast is through school.. He has been invited, along with two others, to Willoughby's newly inherited home. Jonathan accepts the invitation to please his parents, who are concerned about his lack of friends. Jonathan is neurodivergent and the young men continue to bully him as they did at school. It's great fun to see the classmates shocked as the Brandons and Juliet enthusiastically greet Jonathan when the groups come together at a party.

The writing here is true to the Austen style. The use of many points of view is effective and even funny at times, especially when we get narration of some scenes from secondary characters. Most of the time is spent with Jonathan and Juliet, who are clearly destined to be together, but are thwarted by societal structure and circumstances. They are staying in different houses and wind up having a "third wheel" in their investigation, which stunts their relationship development, but we get to see their internal feelings for each other evolve. There are touching scenes where Juliet shows acceptance and even appreciation for behaviors that are connected to Jonathan's neurodivergence.

Pastiche sometimes requires a reader to know the original work to understand what they are reading. While being familiar the characters from Sense and Sensibility adds to the enjoyment of this book, it is by no means necessary. The fact that the main characters of Jonathan and Juliet are Gray's creations helps with this.

Thank goodness the stage is set for a third book.!

The second book in this series proves to be just as enjoyable as the first!

Jonathan and Juliet strive to be the next Holmes and Watson. The two have undeniable chemistry that keeps me hooked on their adventures! I love love love their relationship and Juliet’s treatment of Jonathan’s behaviors. Yay for neurodivergent representation in novels!

Juliet’s perspective is so enjoyable to read from and I throughly enjoy her friendship with Mrs. Brandon.

I sincerely hope Gray plans to continue this series. I have grown to love the characters so much!

Thank you for allowing me to read this novel early via an eARC on NetGalley.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. Being a Jane Austen's fan, it was a nostalgic read for me and I loved the concept of all my favourite characters in one place. The mystery part was good but I enjoyed the first installment way more than this one. I couldn't connect really well with any of the side characters but still enjoyed reading it. Looking forward for the next one

Thanks to Netgalley and Vintage Anchor for this ARC

Thank you, thank you, thank you NetGalley for this eARC!

After reading the first book in this series, I fell totally in love with the concept of having all of the most loved (and hated) Jane Austen characters in one novel…and this one is no different. Such a great story! And although I guessed fairly early on ‘whodunnit’, there were plot twists and character backstories aplenty to keep readers engaged and interested! I LOVE the neurodivergent main character Jonathon Darcy….his dynamic with Juliet is so beautiful and sweet. The romance is soooooo slow-burn it’s almost non existent, which is why this book loses a star for me, EVEN though I know that’s probably the realistic scenario with neurodivergent characters. What can I say, I love a romance! However, romance aside, the story is wonderful, and getting to continue viewing the lives of Jane Austen’s beloved characters through a different lens is a privilege.

This was such a good sequel to the Murder of Mr. Wickham, it had what I was hoping for when reading this. It was a strong sequel and I enjoyed how well this had the same spark as the first book and still improved on it. The characters felt like the same characters and I enjoyed getting back to them. Claudia Gray does a great job in telling this story and I'm excited for her next book.

“There is a matter of the greatest delicacy I had wished to discuss with you,” Brandon said so intently that Jonathan wondered whether he was about to be asked to investigate the murder. Thus he was much surprised when the colonel continued, “You recall my ward, Beth Williams? The daughter of your late uncle Wickham?”

4.25/5 stars! I loved the first entry in this series so I was excited to read this book and get reacquainted with Juliet and Jonathan. This book did not disappoint. Juliet is as clever as always and Jonathan happy to chase after her. I didn't connect with the supporting characters in this book as much as the first, but I'm a big Darcy/Elizabeth fan, so that made sense. It was a fun little mystery to solve and I had a few chuckles along the way.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily