The premise of this book kept reminding me of a few paintings from the 1800s that depict sad, young brides standing next to old men, their grooms. There’s also a painting of a young woman in a wedding gown bookended by two sisters who are consoling her as she looks completely blank at the viewer. A younger sister is trying on her floral crown behind them.

This book fulfills the voice inside us as modern women when we look at these paintings and think “run!”

Phoebe’s father stipulated in his will that his daughter would marry the elderly Earl of Cumberland. Phoebe’s brother sees no reason to give her a season as Phoebe’s future has been determined. She is desperate for the freedom and adventure that her brothers have in the four months before the wedding. So she runs.

Phoebe’s first adventure is short-lived, but it does introduce her to Alexander, a Viscount who becomes her love interest and nemesis when Phoebe and her sisters are sent to Bath for a little bit of a social season with an aunt. Phoebe gets caught up in some wild escapades, mostly because of her friendship with another debutante who has been engaged to Alexander since birth.

In addition to this main plot about Phoebe’s adventuring, we have her three sisters, Alexander’s two siblings, a love interest for Alexander’s brother, and look at how asthma was being treated in this time.

There are times when Alexander seems like a Darcy character and his brother seems like Bingley. They are the grumpy/sunshine brothers. Phoebe and her closest sister Sophie definitely seem like Elizabeth and Jane Bennet.

There’s a big reveal towards the end about that father’s will and why he wanted his first born daughter to marry the Earl of Cumberland. It’s maddening and sadly realistic.

Overall, this was a romcom, but it dealt with some really heavy themes. It was a fun and interesting read.

The Mismatch of the Season is like a Regency-set comedy-of-errors, with the main character, Phoebe, falling from one escapade to the next in pursuit of adventure before her unwanted marriage to an old Earl. Phoebe has three months until the wedding, and the timer is ticking with every chapter. It has an authentic, formal style to the writing that fans of classic Regency romances might really enjoy, combined with a young, chaotic main character in a story that I've definitely never seen before. The romance is clean/non-explicit.

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley but this is my voluntary and honest review.