When a six-week engagement leads to a decade of misery for Francesca Thorne, the society woman decides to do the unthinkable, sue her philandering husband for divorce. As beautiful as she is headstrong, Francesca yearns only for the freedom to live her life as she sees fit, far from the domineering husband who wants her to be a meek, submissive wife. When Edward Thorne sends his oldest friend, James Standish, to visit his estranged wife in the hopes of bribing her to remain married, Francesca never dreamt that the brief meeting would tilt her world on its axis. As she feels herself growing closer to James, she risks putting her future, and her freedom at risk if she follows through with her heart's true desires.

"The Worst Woman in London" turns many traditional tropes on their head as we see a relationship flourish between a married woman and her husband's best friend. I also found it very interesting to see Francesca's divorce case move through the court system. I confess that I am completely ignorant of the workings of the divorce proceedings of Victorian England, but Julia Bennet does a great job of showing how brutally unfair the system was for women who wanted to escape an unhappy marriage.

Perfect for fans of Julia Quinn and Lisa Kleypas, "The Worst Woman in London" is a memorable romance that brings both heat and feeling to an era depicted by many as staid and cold. A light summer read for anyone who is a fan of the historical romance genre. Special thanks to NetGalley and to Union Square & Co. for providing an Advanced Reader's Copy of "The Worst Woman in London" in exchange for an unbiased review.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would! Francesca is everything I love in a regency FMC, defiant and unafraid to break society's mold, she seeks a divorce from her neglectful, spiteful, douche of a husband, Edward. She refuses to back down in when her family and most of the people she knows turns their back on her, but she is determined to live the life she wants and deserves and we love to see it! James is said douche's oldest friend and follows the rules set by society because he likes the comfort of his position in it. They are brought together and the spark is immediate and undeniable, this book was steamy and sensual. We get chapters from the two mains as well as her hopefully soon to be ex husband as well as a young debutante infatuated with him. It was an interesting choice to have them be the secondary romance in the book and I have mixed feelings. He was horrible to Fran through the whole book and not a good friend to Edward, so I hated him and wanted him to be miserable but by the end I actually rooted for him to get his HEA as well, props to Julia Bennet!!

✨ Publication date: May 9, 2024✨

Francesca Thorne has had enough! Her husband of nearly 10 years hasn’t really been a husband for at least 8 of them. His dalliances with London’s high and low society are well known. While her peers may sympathize with her, they also believe that a wife’s duty is to honor and obey her husband.

Francesca files for divorce. While it’s not as unheard of as it might have once been, She is shunned by her family and closest friends. She is no longer invited to the parties and balls she once was and while her husband parades his mistresses around, she is advised to keep a low profile or her case will be nearly impossible to win.

James Standish is one of Francesca’s husband’s oldest and dearest friends. So she is suspicious when he turns up at her house with an offer from her husband. Even though she turns down the generous offer, her and James have a connection neither can deny.

Can Francesca be rid of her philandering husband after all these years? Is there a happy ever after for her?

I loved the premise of this book! It was a bit slow plot wise but I enjoyed the banter between Francesca and James. This is a 3.5 star read for me!

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#NetGalley #Juliabennet #theworstwomaninlondon

I was captivated by this story of forbidden love that weaves scandal, drama, societal pressure, and the duties and obligations expected of Victorian women (and wives) so masterfully.

Francesca Lytton catches the eye of James Standish, though she marries his best friend Edward Thorne. She is young, and their engagement is a quick one. Years later, after they’ve been married almost a decade, and estranged for most of it – Fran is suing for a divorce. Which is absolutely not the thing in Victorian high society, and has already cost her some of her closest family – the aunt and uncle who raised her. Almost everyone around Fran seems to want to convince her that divorce is a terrible idea – including her husband, Edward Thorne, who sends James Standish to go and make his case.

James and Francesca have been distant friends for the most of their life, but as they spend more and more time together – first for James to fulfil his promise to Edward, and later for far less honourable reasons – they realise there is much, much more between them than friendship. But divorce in Victorian times is incredibly difficult – and a woman must prove she has a spotless reputation to be granted such a freedom – a reputation that any clandestine relationship with James Standish could destroy.

Fran must choose between her heart, and her freedom; whilst James is faced to make a choice between his love for Fran and the life of luxury he only recently thought he could never live without. Will they sacrifice it all for love?

Let me just say: I adored this novel. It enthralled me from start to finish and I really did not want to put it down. It felt like there was a twist around every corner, and you REALLY want the characters to be together even though you know there is such a huge risk – and so much to lose for the both of them. An excellent read!

Okay, this book was a wild ride! I honestly FLEW through it once I got into the meat of the novel. After a slow start, it really starts to pick up and you start to feel for and get to know the cast of characters. You hope and wish that Fran will find her freedom, you see James start to look at his life through a difference lens, and, also, for some reason you kind of feel bad for the "evil husband" of it all.

My emotions were all over the place! Let me tell you.

rating: 4 STARS
genre: historical romance
steam: open door, multiple scenes
release date: Out Now! (May 7, 2024)

In my opinion, this book kind of feels like it's filling the gap of "What happens AFTER the happily ever after?" The novel starts with our main characters meeting and getting married...but not to each other. Fran marries Edward, who thinks she's perfect in everyday - the ideal innocence wife...but when he soon realizes that's not who she truly is, their marriage begins to fall apart. You jump 10 years into the future, and witness what it's like for a woman in the ton who IS in a loveless marriage and, somewhat, a marriage of convenience and the POV of that not working out.

And I loved it! Because it gave space for James to peek his pretty little head in.

I highly recommend this book!

Read if you like:
- Bridgerton Vibes
- The Emma Woodhouse/Mr. Knightly banter dynamic
- Chaste but also well done spice
- Lots of personal development
- Multiple POV (there are at least 4 that I counted - the ARC made it a LITTLE difficult to tell when you were switching POVs)

The Worst Woman in London is a fantastic novel with a very unique premise; a woman wanting a divorce 10 years after her arranged marriage to a man she did not love in an era where women had no rights and rarely their own independance

James Standish is going to get married to a woman of innocence and standing in order to follow soceital expectations. Marry into money and pop out a few babies to carry on the name. However, that was the plan until he met Francesca Throne, the wife of his friend Edward, who not the most devoted of husbands for this strong-willed woman with her eyes on leaving the marriage.

Two people thrown together by circumstance must decide if they stay in their conventional lives, or emabrace the passion between them and take a leap of faith together

This was the first book I have read from Julia bennet and it was incredibly well researched and thought out. Great humour, wonderful narrative and oh so very unique.

Thank you to Netgalley, Union Square & Co. - A subsidiary of Sterling Publishing | Union Square & Co. and the author Julia Bennet for this highly entertaining ARC. My review is left voluntarily an all opinions are my own

I really wanted to like this book -- the concept was a good one, unfortunately the execution left much to be desired. I found the POVs of the characters odd, confusing, and not clearly delineated, in addition to not having a strong foundation for the reader to understand the relationships between each of the characters. A bit shocking, considering this is a republication, that there wasn't a stronger editorial hand in the writing.

I was completed swept up in this friends-to-lovers, star-crossed romance. This was my first Julia Bennet book but now I'm eager to read her back catalog. She has a great voice for historical romance.

So, the "worst woman in London" is just a lonely wife trying to rebuild her life. Fran is trying to get a divorce from her cheating husband Edward during a time in England when women were held to impossible standards while men were held to none. Yucky Edward sends in his friend James with a counteroffer, but James soon becomes more concerned with Fran's happiness than Edward's. It's a romance about timing, following your heart rather than your head even though it can make life harder, and second chances. James and Fran were so cute together, their chemistry came off the page and their banter was fantastic.

One thing I really wish was left out was Edward's storyline with his new lady. Number one - because his mistress was FAR more likeable and interesting and Number two - because he was the philandering villain and I feel like he didn't get his just desserts in the end.

I loved this book and thought the storyline was unique which is hard to do in the romance genre which typically features the same few plots.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my
The book was okay. Oppressed woman with intenlence gets out of her husband's condescending presence.
.
I do enjoy the fact that wr knew what we were getting from the book right away, Anand the characters were very distincky written. It was, however, a little slow at time.

3 1/2 stars.

This was an interesting story in that it's not a conventional Victorian romance. The story opens with the first chapter with James meeting his best friend's fiancée Francesca and realizing they are not suited to each other.
In the second chapter, it's ten years later and we see Francesca, how unhappy she is, and how she wants a divorce from her husband. He's unfaithful and doesn't care to hide his affairs, quite on the contrary, he flouts them.
Despite his behavior, society is against divorce and Francesca is shunned by society including her family. She is adamant in pursuing the divorce and Edward is not. James, as the best friend, is thrown in the middle when Edward asks him to present an offer to Francesca.
I liked that the story is not told in 1st person POV.

There are a lot of social issues in this story which made for an interesting read. It's incomprehensible to modern readers nowadays the way Francesca was shunned and condemned for petitioning a divorce while her husband paraded with his mistress in public and nobody condemned him.

Sexual content.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

Divorce in Victorian times

When James Standish first met his best friend’s fiancée he knew the relationship wouldn’t work. He recognised the streak of individuality Thorne’s beloved displayed, especially her humor, her way of laughing. His friend, Edward Thorne was oblivious. He thought of Francesca Heller as everything a wife should be. Gracious, womanly, taking her rightful place at his side gladly. (If anything he was to be shocked by her sensual advances.)
Francesca wasn’t like that and two years later Thorne left Hertfordshire for London leaving his wife with his mother, whilst he cavorted his way through London, setting up a string of mistresses.
Now eight years later Fran has come to London, opened up her own house and is suing for divorce. Shock and horror! Society is both titillated and outraged. Thorne is beside himself with righteous anger (the swine!) Fran is cut by many in society including her beloved uncle and aunt, the Lytton’s, who’d raised her from a child when she’d been orphaned.
Thorne asks James to talk Fran out of divorcing him. Of course one thing leads to another and Fran and James are in lust with each other—at this stage love is in neither’s vocabulary. Them trying to avoid detection by Thorne is fraught. It could cause problems with Fran securing a divorce.
The settling of the matter takes a strange turn. Somewhat puzzling is Thorne’s standards about a woman should be seems later to turned on it’s head.
An interesting comment on divorce in these times, the double standard of society with regard to the behavior of women and men, where women are often the unkindest critics of all.
I enjoyed the part when Fran met with Thorne’s mistress he’s been flaunting all over the place.
Maybe a bit too complex towards the end.

A Union Square-Sterling ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

As a lover of historical romances, I couldn't wait to see what this story had to offer. Especially that the title and the cover gave me feeling of something a little bit scandalous for Victorian era and I’m all for it!

The story follows Francesca Thorne, a Victorian wife trapped in a miserable marriage with a husband who is far from faithful. Francesca yearns for her freedom, especially when she falls in love with her husband's friend, a man who offers her escape. I have to say that I was really curious about the plot including the issue of divorce in Victorian society. It's not often that historical romances include such a taboo subject, so I was really curious to see how Bennet would handle it.

Francesca completely won me over. She was no hero, and she certainly wasn't perfect, but that's what made her so fascinating. It takes real courage to pursue your dreams and fight for your freedom, even if it means risking everything.

The strong bond between James and Fran, as well as James's noticeable character development, plays an important role in this book and is its highlight. I found it fascinating to witness James's growth, which was not only shaped by Fran's influence but also driven by his own motivations.

But as much as I wanted to love this book, there were a few things that made me feel a little... meh.
Like, sure, it's great to have complex characters, but I couldn't shake the feeling that we spent way too much time trying to redeem Francesca's husband. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm all for characters with layers, but his whole romantic subplot with another woman felt kinda forced and took away from Francesca's story.

"The Worst Woman in London" has its moments, but it didn't quite hit the mark for me. Still, I appreciate Bennet's efforts in tackling rather heavy topics, and I'm really curious to see what she writes next.

Is she, really?

Francesca is trying to divorce her husband in Victorian times. That sounded promising and intriguing. James is her husband's best friend and is tasked with dissuading her. James plans to marry well, meaning not a woman already married to his best friend. James was a bit of a let down and there wasn't so much turmoil, which I was ok without that drama. But I don't think she was the worst woman in London. Far from it. Just one trying to get out of a marriage that was at its end.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and author for the ebook.

The Worst Woman in London is a husband's best friend situation and I enjoyed it. I was going to DNF this book about 25% in because I was losing interest however, I kept reading and I absolutely enjoyed the last 50% of the book. I loved reading Fran and James love story.

The Worst Woman in London by Julia Bennett presents a promising premise for a historical romance, set against the backdrop of Victorian society and featuring a forbidden love affair between Francesca and her husband's best friend, James. While the novel touches upon several intriguing themes and plot elements, it ultimately fell short for me in delivering a fully engaging and satisfying reading experience.

One of the primary issues lies in the portrayal of the central romance between Francesca and James. Despite the potential for a passionate and tumultuous love story, their relationship often felt underdeveloped and lacking in genuine chemistry. The interactions between the characters, while significant for character growth, failed to evoke the depth of emotion expected in a romantic narrative. This disconnect between the characters' actions and my emotional investment detracted from the overall enjoyment of the book. It's a personal preference for a much more passionate take.

The narrative structure also presented challenges, with sporadic shifts in point-of-view and inconsistent character motivations. The frequent switches between perspectives, including those of Francesca, James, and even Francesca's husband Edward, can lead to confusion and disrupt the flow of the story. This lack of narrative cohesion hindered me to fully immerse myself in the characters' experiences and diminished the impact of key plot developments.

Additionally, while the character development for James is commendable, other aspects of the characterization did not resonate strongly with me. Edward, portrayed as a convincing antagonist, underwent a secondary romance subplot that felt forced or unnecessary, and detracted from the focus on Francesca and James' relationship. This narrative choice, coupled with inconsistent character behaviors, contributed to a sense of disjointedness within the story.

Furthermore, the execution of certain thematic elements, such as the exploration of Victorian divorce norms and societal expectations, while informative, may not be seamlessly integrated into the narrative. Or I just didn't feel the way it was incorporated. The balance between historical context and storytelling could be improved to create a more cohesive and immersive reading experience.

In conclusion, while The Worst Woman in London offered intriguing insights into Victorian society and featured moments of character growth, it struggled to deliver a compelling and emotionally resonant romance. The issues with character chemistry, narrative structure, and thematic execution detracted from my overall enjoyment of the book.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of 'The Worst Woman in London' in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fast read for me! I thought that Francesca seeking a divorce was a novel plot and I appreciated learning more about how divorce worked in this era. Bennet also fully fleshed out the women in this book and I was particularly glad to see Mrs. Kirkpatrick not stereotyped. I liked the shifting of perspectives as well. I did feel that Francesca's relationship with James could have taken some more time to develop; similarly, Edmund's character development felt a bit abrupt to me.

'best friend from your brother' trope? more like 'best friend form your husband'!

It was a decent read, althougt the main characters felt more like friends than lovers to me. It was lacking the swoonig i am used to in historical romances, but it was a fun read anyway. Now i am glad that we're living in the times where i would just divorce my husband if i wanted to (i do not want to divorce him, but it feels nice thinking that i could).

It didn't get me Bridgerton vibes, but i have a feeling that every historical romance book right now is called 'like Bridgerton' (and i will buy every book called that)


This book is about forbidden romance between to people, but the thing is, are their feelings strong enough for them to fight the whole society? Are they ready to become outsiders just because they are in love?


I am very grateful for the opportunity to get my hands on this book!

I enjoyed this one it was very cute regency romance

I wish it was longer tho i would ve liked that more

Thank you netgalley for the arc 🫶🏻🫶🏻

The Worst Woman in London by Julia Bennet is a captivating historical romance novel that tells the story of James Standish and Francesca Thorne. James is a respectable gentleman who knows how to play society's game. He's set to follow the rules and marry a virginal debutante to inherit a massive fortune. However, his plans change when he meets Francesca Thorne, who is already married to James's friend Edward.

Francesca is determined to divorce her philandering husband and flout convention. James is tasked with convincing her to abandon her dream of freedom, but he's unprepared for the passion that flares between them. As they're torn apart by conflicting desires, they must choose whether to keep chasing the lives they've always wanted or take a chance on a new and forbidden love.

The author has done an excellent job of bringing the characters to life and making them relatable to the readers. James and Francesca are well-developed, and their struggles are relatable. The world-building is excellent, and the descriptions of the setting and society are vivid.

The Worst Woman in London is a must-read for anyone who enjoys historical romance novels. The book is beautifully written, and the plot twists keep the readers engaged. The story is well-paced, and the characters are engaging and memorable. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a captivating read.

I got 25% into this book and I had to DNF. I couldn’t connect with the characters because of the 3rd person element. I also think I realized that historical fiction is just not my kind of read.