We all knew Charlotte from Pride And Prejudice was a late in life lesbian and finally someone wrote us the sapphic adaptation we’ve always deserved.

I am a massive Jane Austen fan so I'm incredibly picky with adaptations of her work. This book was everything I didn't know I needed! It was an absolute delight to watch Mary and Charlotte find a person who appreciates them after they both experienced a lifetime of being sidelined and underappreciated. The amount of yearning in this book was absolutely delicious. I ate it up. I went feral for the "friendly" hand holding and bed sharing and smelling each other perfumes. This story made my sapphic heart very happy and I believe many other Austen fans will be similarly delighted with what this adds to the Pride and Prejudice universe.

I'm so grateful to The Hive for access to the audiobook because that was the superior way to experience the book for sure. All the pining and humor were magnified in the narrator's voice. I had a marvelous time listening to her performance.

Mr Collins has died after only 4 years of marriage, leaving Charlotte Lucas Collins a widow with no real plan for her financial security. She's had four satisfying if not passionate years of marriage, taking solace in caring for her garden and running her small household. She can't call on her best friend Lizzie Bennet Darcy, but middle sister Mary Bennet is inclined to call instead. Charlotte accompanies Mary to Canterbury, where she meets a wide range of interesting people, including those who take alternative approaches to love, awakening something in Charlotte herself.

I really loved this beautiful, introspective queer awakening. Lindz McLeod stays true to the original characters we meet in Pride and Prejudice, but gives them new life through Charlotte's eyes. Charlotte has made herself smaller all her life to fit neatly into the expectations of others. Her blooming relationship with Mary allows her to take up more space - stretching her outside of her comfort zone - and imagining a bigger life. The people she encounters spanning different classes help her see alternative paths to living.

The prose is simply lovely, and I appreciated the choice to keep the book in Charlotte's POV the entire time. Ordinarily I want a limited omniscient narrator, but the third person single POV acts as a long form character sketch of a minor character from the original who steps into her main character role and falls for the oddest of the Bennet sisters.

As with all queer historical romances that I read, I look for a resolution that suits the characters, and I was immensely satisfied with this HEA for Charlotte and Mary. Because the story is entirely from Charlotte's perspective, we see her growth and understanding of herself, and it isn't until the end of the novel that she's ready to take happiness for herself.

Clare Corbett's narration brought warmth and charm to the story, and suits Charlotte's perspective well.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lindz McLeod, Harlequin, and Harlequin Audio for the e-arc and audio in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars

The audiobook is amazing. It was performed how I imagined it would be. The narrator, Clare Corbett, brought these characters to life. I look forward to listening to more books Clare Corbett has narrated and read more books written by Lindz McLeod. Please, give this audiobook a listen.

In The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet, Charlotte Lucas, now widowed and facing the loss of her home, unexpectedly finds companionship with Mary Bennet, who has transformed significantly since their last meeting. As they bond over botany and scientific pursuits, their friendship blossoms into a deeper connection that challenges societal expectations of love and identity, particularly in an era that shuns queer relationships.
As a devoted Jane Austen fan, I found this queer historical romance to be a perfect extension of Austen’s work, beautifully reflecting the essence of the original characters while exploring Charlotte's and Mary's lives through a queer lens. McLeod masterfully intertwines their journeys of self-discovery, highlighting the struggles they face in a restrictive society. The inclusion of nuanced queer side characters and subtle symbols, such as the language of flowers used by Charlotte to express her feelings, adds depth to the narrative and enhances the romantic tension.
Ultimately, The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet is a poignant exploration of love and acceptance amidst societal constraints. It’s a must-read for any Jane Austen admirer looking for a heartfelt and unconventional romance that navigates the complexities of identity, societal pressures, and the quest for personal happiness.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Audio, and of course Lindz McLeod for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

5/5 ⭐️
2/5 🌶️ A couple vanilla scenes.

As a huge Pride and Prejudice fan, I was really excited to get my hands on this! It’s more a continuation of the original story than a retelling. It’s set four years after the book ends, so think of this as like book 2 in a series of interconnected standalone romance books. The characters felt so well-developed—very much like older and wiser versions of themselves. It’s also just a cool idea to have fleshed out secondary characters.

Personally, as well, I really enjoyed that we got to see their relationship bloom in a relatively safe environment. Mary had really seemingly settled into a wonderful community of like-minded folks. Charlotte’s character arc was wonderfully written in the sense that it really showed the anxiety of discovering the possibility of living the life you want, but then the process of actually taking it for yourself. I can’t even imagine how scary that must have been for people back in that time period. The idea of that is crazy to me.

There are some things that bothered me, but I wouldn’t have changed them. There is…not miscommunication. I would say lack of communication? The timeline is very fast, but most of the conflict could have been avoided if they had both been upfront and honest about what they wanted. That’s always irritating, but I also think it’s a bit realistic in this instance because Charlotte is a bit of a mess if we’re being honest.

The audiobook narration was absolutely wonderful! I sometimes struggle with British narrators when they’re doing period accents—sometimes it seems like they’re exaggerated and it’s hard to understand. This was easy and an enjoyable listen.


Content warnings: classism, death of a loved (eh) one, homophobia, sexism, third act break up (LISTEN, it needs a warning)

Let's go, lesbians!

Thank you to the publishers for the e-ARC!

Y'all, I'm not even a diehard P&P fan. I watched the 2005 movie for the first time a few years ago and read the book 6 months ago. But I saw a queer wlw sequel up for grabs and I was HOOKED!

The entire novel comes from Charlotte's point of view as she deals with the death of poor Mr. Collins. While she certainly didn't love the man as Lizzie and Darcy do each other, she mourns him in her own way. Though that doesn't stop her from being plagued with guilt over not feeling as she 'ought' to about him. No great tears, no broken wails. When Lizzie can't make it to comfort Charlotte (her and Darcy's son is ill), she sends Mary over instead!

Mary and Charlotte click. The instantly become fast friends, but is there something more? Charlotte finds a love letter penned by a woman among Mary's things, along with a very salacious drawing of the female form... and cue many, many pages of Charlotte grappling with her lustful feelings towards women.

I loved the tender moments between Charlotte and Mary, and it was so funny as a reader to see Charlotte explain away interactions where Mary is clearly besotted. Charlotte's inner monologue goes 'certainly that is just what friends do,' as Mary does everything short of kissing her on the mouth. The flower language is another detail I really enjoyed! While trying to find an outlet for her feelings, Charlotte creates a bouquet that declares her feelings for Mary, then places it subtlety out of the way. Later, Mary, claiming to be ignorant of flower language, asks Charlotte to translate a bouquet she had made, which said 'message received, I feel the same.' I was giggling and kicking my feet as Charlotte completely disregarded this information and continued to pine.

I listened to this on audio, and was very happy with it! Consumed the whole thing in less than 12 hours! Highly recommend!

I LOVED THIS!!! I genuinely felt like it was Austen but for someone like me (queer) literally listened while crocheting and it was a VIBE💖✨

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Romance & Audio, and Lindz McLeod for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Listen-- if when you read (or watched..) Pride & Prejudice you wanted more for Charlotte Lucas
(Although she was 27, no money, no prospects & a burden, she found Mr.Collins, but that didn't seem like enough, did it?) and Mary Bennet (all miserable there on the pianoforte, surely there was more to her?) then look no further than this sapphic romance tale! Taking place 4 years after the end of P&P when Mr. Collins has suddenly passed!

This was such a well done story that, perhaps, shows us how queer people lived in the early 1800s, using a cast of beloved characters already so well known to us. It was an appropriate slow burn as Charlotte discovered about herself what Mary already knew.

I loved the narration, particularly when the narrator cover the correspondence pieces and did lovely inflections for each character! (Especially Mama & Papa Lucas' letter that alternated line by line!)

I received an advanced audio copy of this book for review. This is my own opinion.

Interestingly, I've not read any Pride and Prejudice continuations, though I've read several retellings. In this story, we find Charlotte Collins née Lucas on the death of her husband. Grappling with a series of complex feelings, Charlotte reaches out to Lizzy Bennet, but ends up having Mary as a visitor instead. Rather than the mousy Mary of P&P, we find a bookish woman who is far from the sort of person we saw her as through the eyes of her sister. Charlotte is intrigued by Mary's studies and interest in her own pursuits, gardening and the language of flowers. What follows is a beautiful friendship that blossoms to something more.

Written in Edwardian English ('Do not you love me?'), The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet evokes Austen but offers its own expansion to a familiar story. Charlotte and Mary's story is soft and sweet, as lovely as they flowers with which Charlotte loves to communicate.

I think the blurb compares this to Bridgerton, and while the time period is similar, I'm not sure I'd compare it, just because the focus isn't on gossip and scandal. If you like Bridgerton, you certainly may enjoy this, but it feels much less stressful than Bridgerton can be. It's quite cozy. I'd definitely recommend to fans of historical romance!

Thanks to Harlequin Audio and Netgalley for the ALC. 4.3/5 stars

I have to admit it: I always thought Charlotte Lucas was queer. So I jump at the opportunity to read this book and I’m not disappointed at all! This book is all I hoped. Charlotte’s fighter with the comphet was very well executed and I feel her pain and her difficulties a little too much.
The story is cute, not so original but warm and comfortable, in perfect Austen style, and the narrator was just perfect!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I love a Pride & Prejudice adjacent romance, and this book brings together two unlikely wallflowers, Mary Bennet and Charlotte Collins. Such a sweet Sapphic romance with heaps of tension and adorably awkward, yet tender love.