In this book, we follow Bernadette Swift, a young copyeditor at Lenox & Park Publishing, who is determined to become the first female CEO in the publishing industry. But we are in the 1960s and first she will need to convince her sexist boss that she is as good as a male editor, while trying to keep her attraction for colleague Graham hidden.

This was a really fun read. This book is begging to be adapted into a film or TV show, as the writing is so visual and the author really captures the settings and the characters' clothing. I found myself rooting for the characters struggling to find their place in a man's world. The MMC was a little too perfect and the end of the book wrapped everything up neatly, which some may find annoying, but it did make it a feel-good book for me.

A recommended read for fans of Lessons in Chemistry.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

With a plentiful amount of humor and romance, this historical fiction novel is chock full of power…..the power of female friendships, the power of the fight for women’s workplace equality and the power of words.

Bernadette Swift, also known as “Queen B the Grammarian” works as a copy editor with dreams of becoming the first female CEO of a major publishing house. But it’s the 1960’s where working women, regardless of their position, were asked to make and serve the coffee while putting up with ridicule and unwanted sexual advances from their male bosses and coworkers. That is until Bernadette, a true bibliophile and logophile decided it was time for changes in the workplace. With a wonderful cast of women friends and Bernadette’s Great Dane Frank who narrates intermittent chapters with his delightful thoughts and love for “his girl Bernadette”, this is an entertaining and powerful story as we witness women reclaim their voice and courage as they break down workplace walls. In one beautiful word, this book was SPLENDIFEROUS!

Thank you NetGalley, SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and Elizabeth Knight for the delightful experience of being an early reader in exchange for my honest opinion.

“Confessions of a Grammar Queen” by Eliza Knight is an excellent new edition to the Women’s Fiction/Historical Fiction genre. I just finished reading Lessons in Chemistry and this book was giving very similar vibes. Like Lessons in Chemistry there chapters are even chapters narrated from the dogs perspective. I was very entertained throughout the whole story and had a good time reading it. Bernadette was a witty and fun protagonist.
Thank you to NetGallery and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This book was SOOO close to being great. It featured a fun, smart protaganist; her nearly perfect boyfriend (would have liked a slower burn though); a fun dog (who narrates alternative chapters though I'm not sure why); and colorful, descriptive details.

BUT....there were a handful of historical inaccuracies that just made me shake my head. After all, it's a book about a copy editor!! The terms "Girl Power" and "default parent" were not around in the 1960s. "Barista" was not used in English until 1992. Sloppy writing and editing in my opinion.

An entertaining, quick read but the problematic language were big distractions for me. Three stars.

Readers, watch out for Confessions of a Grammar Queen by Eliza Knight. It's out in just a few weeks and will be one you don't want to miss.

DNF at 15%. A weird contradiction. Parts of Bernadette’s chapters are overwritten and needlessly wordy. Then, there’s the dog’s POV, which while I might like in a different book, is hard to take seriously in this one,

What a fun read! The book was witty and well-balanced. I enjoyed the humor mixed with the historical aspects of what was going on during that time period (Vietnam.) The pacing on the story was excellent and I enjoyed Frank's chapters - even if they did seem unnecessary at points. The bits of romance were also super cute. Characters were well developed - even if I wanted to punch Mr. Wall in the more than a few times. He was the worst.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and think it will become a Summer book club hit!

A fast paced, light read that I really enjoyed. Bernadette had a goal and wasn’t going to stop until she reached it. I really admired her character and how driven and confident she was.
I also liked how the author touched on women’s rights and the struggles woman have faced in the work-force..

Clever, wordy and appealingly feminist, Confessions of a Grammar Queen is the story of a young woman finding herself, and finding her way in the midst of a misogynistic publishing house. Readers will be rooting for Bernadette’s success.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this ARC. Bernadette Swift is trying to make her way as a copyeditor in 1960's NYC. While it is an uphill climb, she has friends, including her Great Dane Frank that make the job easier. Not only is she fighting for her right to work but also fighting equality for women. Cute story with a little drama - easy read! Like the last book, Knight gave the queen's dog chapters to express his emotions, she did the same with this book and Frank. Though I found the first book a quirky read, it grows on you and the "Frank" chapters are super cute! #ConfessionsofaGrammarQueen #ElizaKnight #SourceBooksLandmark #June2025

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

Bernadette is such a strong female character you can't help champion and fall in love with. As she sets in to change the male-dominated publishing world, you are drawn into the expertly plotted and creative world of the author. Intriguing.

This book is a feminist dream. Bernadette is a sassy copy editor at a publishing company. She is a total boss. But I love the soft spots she has in her personal life. Fun read with so many odes to literary icons and words in general. Would recommend for the summer.

I really enjoyed this! It reminded me a lot of Lessons in Chemistry, in that there's a strong female lead trying to hold her own in a sexist, male-dominated workplace, a charming male coworker who actually wants to see her succeed, and a particularly perceptive dog who pops in now and then as a narrator.

Bernadette Swift knows her worth (as a woman and as a copy editor), and I loved how sure of herself she was, even with so many people trying to get in her way. I was rooting for her the whole time, and I’m glad the story ultimately had a happy ending. Given the time period, I’m not sure how realistic it is that someone like her boss would’ve actually faced any real consequences... but it was still satisfying to see it play out that way.

I also loved Bernadette’s circle of friends and their feminist book club. The way they showed up for each other was genuinely moving and made me want to find my own book club to join.

You do have to suspend your disbelief a little. Bernadette and some of the other women go through a lot at the hands of the men in their lives, and it felt like everyone’s stories wrapped up a little too neatly. Not a dealbreaker for me, just something that made the ending feel a bit more idealized.

The chapters from Bernadette’s dog Frank’s POV were extremely cute, but didn’t add much to the story for me. That said, they didn’t take anything away from it either IMO.

All in all, I liked this a lot. It was very readable, and I found myself just wanting to keep going to see how everything turned out. A solid 3.75–4 stars for that!

Thank you to NetGalley (and of course the publisher) for the ARC. All thoughts are my own.

I admit, I picked up this book for its cover and title, thinking it was a modern-day story set against the backdrop of NY publishing…something chicklit-y, maybe light and a bit snarky. This book is not that.

Set in the 1960s, the book is about a young female copyeditor making her way in the male-dominated world of publishing. Bernadette may be young, but she is the best grammarian the publishing house has and works the hardest, constantly being given an unreasonable number of manuscripts to edit each day...which she completes with speed and accuracy, turning twisted prose and error-filled passages into works of art. Against her is her abusive, angry, sexist boss and her team of male colleagues, who put her down and thwart her efforts even as she outperforms them. She stays the course and puts her head down despite the harassment because she has one goal in mind—to become to first female CEO in publishing history.

She finds an ally in a man in management, and support from the group of women she cultivates outside of her publishing job. When she is fired for rejecting her boss’s advances, she finds support she did not realize she had, and is able to break the first of many glass ceilings.

The Vietnam War rages on in the background of the book as Bernadette’s brother is fighting overseas, providing another layer of tension to her story. She inherits her brother’s dog, who also plays a role in the book, sometimes getting his own POV chapters that highlight his responsibility as a caretaker of Bernadette and everyone in their neighborhood.

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I sped through this one, it's a fun book but pretty surface-level "rah rah" pussy-hat feminism -- there is a character clearly based on Ruth Bader Ginsburg cheering the main character along -- but it definitely kept me entertained. I did enjoy the aspects about copy-editing that I wasn't previously aware of. The perspective of the main character's dog was a pretty silly addition, but I liked the plot points about her brother in Vietnam. Overall, I could take or leave this, but I'm not mad I read it.

I truly loved this book. As an ELA teacher and grammar fiend, it hit all the boxes for a book I'd enjoy. Fans of Lessons in Chemistry will enjoy this historical fiction, along with the playful insights from Frank the dog.

This is a story to embrace. It reminds us of the power of the 60s with the profound changes in our country.

Some of us remember the days when women were hired as secretaries pouring coffee for male workers. Even when they had comparable jobs, the pay wasn’t equal for years. Most men felt like women should be at home taking care of the children, cooking dinners and cleaning. They never thought women were smart and powerful enough to be in leading roles of companies.

This story took place in NYC with the publishing industry just six decades ago. All along, I was cheering for Bernadette who took risks at her copy-editing job to make an impact for equal rights for women. She used her knowledge of rarely-used words and strength with proofreading to show a superior intellect at her work place. In her free time, Bernadette encouraged women to attend a book club at the library with feminist literature.

The plot was fun and quirky with romance on the side. It was almost too peculiar with a big dog, Frank, who belonged to Bernadette. He had his own chapters and a voice for how he felt. I love dogs and it made me pause thinking about them. However, I felt like Frank took away from the importance of what the author was trying to convey.

The author also included historical presence at the time with the early military presence in South Vietnam. There were some inspiring quotes by Eleanor Roosevelt and a few others. At the end, readers were left with a positive note for the progress made by a few women for a lot of women.

My thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with the expected release date of June 10, 2025.

Enlightening historical fiction. Both empowering and romantic. Thoroughly enjoyed Bernadette’s plight at a time when women in the workplace were relegated to secretaries or receptionist positions. But she made her way through the ranks, bolstering her friends and finding romance along the way.

I enjoyed the storyline but felt it was slow at times. The characters were fun.

Thank you to netgalley for an advanced copy. My opinions are my own.