Great book for fans of Jane Eyre, classics that take place in England and queer individuals.

Sweet story, will be enjoyed by many!

CA Castle's The Manor House Governess dunks readers into a world of wealth and intrigue, of orphans and secrets, of past love and future romance. Our queer protagonist (and lover of all things Bronte), Bron, moves from his lonely boarding school life into an old estate in the even older city of Cambridge, where he serves as a tutor and companion for the precocious Ada Edwards. He is quickly accepted into the family, finding welcome from seemingly all but one: Darcy Edwards, the mysterious and alluring older brother of his ward. Amidst lavish parties, cricket games, house fires, and chance encounters, Bron finds himself in situations not unlike those of the heroines in his beloved period dramas. He must separate fact from fiction, and past from present, to uncover the truth.

Castle has done a fantastic job of setting the old against the new in this novel, writing a modern-day story in the style of Charlotte Bronte's gothic classic. The setting of Cambridge compliments this juxtaposition well. Castle is consistent, but not heavy-handed, with plot parallels to Jane Eyre; in my opinion, perfectly replicating the air of mystery and intrigue that drives Bronte's novel so well. Many character names and personalities provide less subtle nods to Eyre and other well-known works from the Regency and Victorian eras - the most blatant being Darcy Edwards, an amalgamation of Fitzwilliam Darcy and Edward Rochester. While these do stand out, I found them amusing and don't think they detract from the novel at all.

The Manor House Governess is an enthralling ode to Jane Eyre. This queer modern gothic romance is perfect for lovers of queer literature, lovers of the Bronte sisters, and lovers of the gothic genre.

An atmospheric and satisfying read. Very recommendable. I can’t say it was a favorite read but I fully respect the craft and skill of the author. Well-developed characters populate a carefully developed setting that almost works as its own character within this read.

If you like period dramas, Charlotte Brontë and Jane Austen, you will love this book! I especially liked Ada, she was such a sweet and funny character. And it was really cool to see a genderfluid character in a Brontë-like setting.

I genuinely loved this book in the beginning: the atmosphere, the writing, Bron's whimsical personality.

However, I'm sorry to report that it all got old very fast. The writing seemed great in the beginning because Bron wasn't interacting much with people: the dialogue is just odd.

There's this particular discordance within this book: all the language is very old fashioned which is somewhat jarring when all the modern elements make it into the book, like just mentions of actresses. I don't understand why it had to specifically be actresses names in discussion of a role. That's not a genuine criticism, that's a personal pet peeve.

The romance. It really felt forced? Like. They just didn't really seem to really understand each other? Both just kind of had preconceptions and that was it. Also, when Bron was crushing, he did this one thing that genuinely creeped me out really badly, so there's that.

The mystery was not a mystery. Or at least not really a well structured one. Mostly because Bron would make whatever choice would least develop the mystery. It was incredibly slow moving and kind of boring.

I enjoyed Bron, he was a distinct and interesting character although any discussion had about gender with anyone was somewhat one dimensional.

Overall, well. Not for me but I know many will love it

I definitely liked this book.

Pros:
The romance was nice. I like the way it was resolved. It was very sweet. At first I definitely wanted to strangle the love interest but that lines up perfectly with his name.
I like the way the mystery was handled. It did make sense why secrets were kept.
Character wise they were fleshed out and well written. They were frustrating at times and made sense.
This book handles so many topics well. It handles complex families, healing from bad reactions to coming out, and gender identity. It does it so well.

Cons:
This book was very slow. The mystery didn't start until the 40% mark and the parts before that were just too slow for my taste. . You definitely have to be ok with sitting through those slower parts.
This book talked about a lot of topics surrounding gender and it does it well. But on occasion it does feel like it repeats the same verbiage word for word on pages that are a little too close together to not use varying dialogue and verbiage.

The Manor House Governess is a charming read. The main character, Bron, is a feminine, queer orphan who is obsessed with Jane Eyre. After accepting a job as an in home tutor for a wealthy family, Bron is swept up in the mystery and intrigue of the manor in which he lives and the secret life of the oldest so , Darcy.

This book reads very much like a gothic novel. The setting here is just as important as each of the characters, and each character feels fully rounded. Even Ada, the eight year old girl Bron is meant to tutor was written in a very real way (something some authors struggle with when writing children). It was jarring in an interesting way to read a classic style prose and then have the characters reference something modern like Facebook or Netflix. I think this is to the books credit as it illustrates Bron’s state of mind, trapped in the past while living in the future.

This was a great read, especially for people who like gothic literature.

I was excited about the concept - a modern, gender-bendingish take on Jane Eyre/Pride & Prejudice; however, I couldn't ever really get into it. It reads like a fanfiction more concerned with making sure the reader gets their allusions and concepts but fails to develop their characters and settings on their own merits. For example, Darcy is Darcy, there's not much difference in the core of his character than the Darcy of Pride & Prejudice.

Overall, it's fine and I'm sure there will be those that like it much better. Just not for me.

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

*Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a free eARC

Brontë Ellis takes a job as a tutor to a young girl at Greenwood Manor. He is looking for an escape from his life at St Mary's and this could be the adventure he needs. The Edwards family welcomes Bron and both Mr. Edwards and his pupil, Ada, accept his gender fluidity without question. When a tragic accident happens, dark secrets seep out of the woodwork of Greenwood. As Bron tries to figure out who he is actually working for, his relationship with Darcy, the son, ebbs and flows in chaotic waves. Bron will have to channel his favorite literary heroines to untie this family's Gordian knot of lies and deception.

This is a slow, nostalgic read, which leans heavily on Jane Eyre and a little of Jane Austen's works. If you like how Jane Eyre slowly draws you in to the web of characters and plot points, this is the perfect book for you.
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I'm not joking when I said this book reminded me heavily of Jane Eyre. Bron is also an orphan, unwanted by his living relatives, and then takes a job posting being a live-in tutor. There are lies in the Manor he is at and the love interest, Darcy, reminded me a lot of Rochester.

Bron's gender fluidity is a main plot point in this book, obviously. A lot of the conflict stemmed around Bron wanting to feel normal and accepted by society and constantly feeling like he was being looked at, scrutinized. Darcy is the opposite of Bron, he is a closeted gay man with a lot of internalized homophobia. A majority of the book is spent in conflict with Darcy as Bron trying to justify his existence to him.

The romance between Darcy and Bron was fraught from the beginning. Darcy didn't want to be attracted to Bron, didn't want to be a gay man, out to society. But regardless, their attraction to one another slowly grew throughout the book. Darcy played up to his namesake by being rude and insulting Bron when he didn't mean to. It just felt like this relationship was unrealistic, both had some growing to do and I don't think I could see them together.

Ada and Mr. Edwards were a delight to read about. Both were such fun characters with loving, robust personalities that enveloped Bron into their home. Ada is so smart and bright for her age, she really helped Bron relax and accept his new found family.

Bron was living in the world through his comfort books, Jane Eyre and Pride & Prejudice. This often skewed his view of people and the world around him, making them out to be more dramatic/romantic that they actually were. Definitely a head in the clouds kind of vibe. Bron put people into boxes, the ones that fit neatly in his literary mind, but broke them down throughout the course of the book.

Overall this was enjoyable for me to read. I really enjoy Jane Eyre, so I liked how much Castle leaned on it to write this book. It was slow and sometimes the characters spoke like classic British literature. The switch between speaking like they were in the far past, combine with colloquial phrases, did confuse me. Also, Part 4 of the book goes through a tense shift which I also found quite jarring. The ending though, was so sweet. I'm glad Bron left to see the world on his own terms.

As a person who also loves Pride and Prejudice I really wanted to like this book, but the pace of the writing style really put a cramp in that for me. The characters themselves were interesting at times but the description and the actual book seemed to be a bit of a disconnect that left me confused for a good bit.
The LGBTQIA+ aspects of this story were interesting, but seemed to lean every heavily on the tropes associated with those stories. I think this would be the perfect book for someone but that wasn't me.

Sweet story about a dreamy, earnest, silly, lonely young person who takes a job as a governess just like his literary hero, Jane Eyre. Very compelling protagonist (one might even call him “plucky”!), a bit meandering, but with a *fantastic* ending. Recommended for people who love coming of age stories, the Brontës, and the gentle (but very detailed) skewering of English literature devotees.

Bron is an orphan without prospects (he didn’t get into university), alone in a world that is at best not particularly interested in him. He exists on a diet of classic English literature and Youtube eyeliner tutorials which I found frankly very realistic to a certain type of person, of which I have known and loved (and occasionally rolled my eyes at) a few… (Yes I went to college with a few Brons and the fact that you’re reading this review means there’s a higher than normal probability that you’re one too - love you guys! I’m more of a Rochester than a Jane to be quite frank lol, maybe that’s why I rooted for Bron even as he occasionally says and does some kinda dumb stuff on his quest for self-actualization + happily ever after.)

I loved the meta-take on Jane Eyre a lot, I think especially because so much of it is Bron making the connections to Jane Eyre himself even if they’re not necessarily there… and thematically his journey *is* very similar to Jane’s. I do think some of the characters aren’t quite as realized as Bron is - Darcy, for example, was hard to get a handle on as I think his voice needed to be more distinct - and the Agatha Christie turn the plot took for a bit there wasn’t as strong as it could have been for me. Much of this book is about what’s happening in the moment, and necessarily so, because Bron has no plans and no options for his future - he has to live in the present - but at some points in the book I did think the plot could have moved along a bit more quickly.

What really really really worked for me about this book was the ending. A great ending!! Sometimes it seems like they’re impossible to write and then you stumble across one like this! I was really wondering and anticipating how it would work out and for me, it was the perfect balance of elements - and I won’t say more because I don’t want to spoil it. All I will say is that this really is a coming of age story, and I was really happy for Bron in the end.

The Manor House Governess follows a gender-fluid person who just got a job as a tutor for a 9-year-old girl in a large, country manor near Cambridge. The main character loves classic literature such as Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. The way the novel is writted is very nostalgic of those novels. It is slow paced and focused on descriptions. The decription of the novel was misleading because it menions " dark secrets".that aren't even eluded to until halfway through. The main character was likeable most of the time, but had stalker-like tendencies that creeped me out at times. He was also could have used a little more development. His backstory was flimsy at best. The love interest is entirely unlikeable and mercurial. The authoer obviously was trying to emulate Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejusice, but fell short in making him endearing, Overall, it was great if you're in the mood for a slow paced, nostaligic read.

our protagonist brontë ellis leaves the cold familiarity of his all boys boarding school to be a live-in tutor amongst high society. after being stifled by gender norms all his life, bron is ready to set out and be his true, genderfluid self with courage he gathers from his favorite authors - jane austen & charlotte brontë.

a charming, delightful read! the descriptions and unexpected illustrations were lovely, especially those of bron's outfits 💅. it's very easy to fall in love with the characters, particularly the young tutoree, ada, and her bright spriteliness.

although i haven't read austen or brontë or seen the movie adaptations (deepest apologies to keira knightley), i still understood the source of bron's inspiration. loved and adored!

I appreciated the mysterious/gothic/academic atmosphere but stopped reading around 40% because there was not even a hint of a plot.

did not finish. i personally just could not get into this book. something about the writing style - the way it fluctuated so much, sometimes within the same sentence - just did not work for me. i'm sure another reader will enjoy it, though.

I wanted to like this book. However, I found it too reductionist in its themes around homophobia, transphobia, and gender fluidity. I also felt it was a bit overwritten with vocabulary and word choice errors.

I appreciate the plot and that the novel payed tribute to other classic novels throughout. Ultimately, though, this was not for me.

Read ARC for NetGalley. DNF. I love the concept of writing a mashup of fanfic-type novel, paying homage to an incredible variety of novels. However, the tone was modern and snarky in a way that was off putting and entirely out of joint from the novels it was paying tribute to. The author got too excited by her enthusiasm and lost focus on the threads of the story itself. That happens sometimes to young, untried writers.

boring and base.

as a nonbinary person (they/them) myself, this novel was just not doing it for me. it was essentially full of conversations with very basic acceptance of gender and sexuality. like “homophobia is bad” / “oh yes it’s so bad” etc. there is no revelation. there is no true advancement for gender nonconforming people in this novel. the main character, bron, made me so frustrated and angry. the romance was also strange, forced, and kind of icky.

when you write a gothic novel set in modern day, you don’t include internet slang. it doesn’t mesh well, it doesn’t work at all. from letters to texts, the tone is completely off. this novel was very predictable, and yet it was still confusing due to the gothic nature clashing with modern slang. i felt nothing for any of the characters. if they’re going to text like modern people, why don’t they talk like modern people? not to mention, the pretentious writing leads to misused words that make absolutely no sense in the context the author uses.

thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I might be a little biased, given that I wrote this book, but I'm immensely proud of it! I really hope you enjoy it.