by Shannon Hale
First sentence: “
Release date: September 22, 2026
Review copy provided by the publisher
Others in the series: Austenland, Midnight in Austenland
Content: There is some mild swearing, and talk of abuse in a cult setting. It will be in the Romance section of the bookstore.

Perhaps I should start with this: when I learned that Hale had written another book set in Austenland, I was super excited. I love these books, I love the movie; it’s very much a comfort read/watch for me. What could be better, in this crap timeline we find ourselves in, than another silly romance set in a world where everything is mostly good and works out?

Reader, that is not what I got.

Kestrel is at Austenland because she won a dance contest (she danced the longest). She’s mostly trying to move beyond a 2-year-old breakup when her boyfriend left her high and dry. She wants to immerse herself in this world. Except, she can’t because of two reasons: Miss Charming’s ex-husband shows up and inserts himself into things (and he’s emotionally abusive), and Kestrel’s ex-boyfriend shows up, which throws Kestrel’s life into chaos.

Sounds delightful, yes? Except that it wasn’t. Partially because in alternating chapters, Hale gives Kestrel a tragic cult background that she has to escape from. It’s a completely different book, those chapters. And then, even worse, Hale spends too much time telling us how Kestrel feels. It was super annoying and just made for a boring book. I was so annoyed, I bailed halfway and then read the ending just to see. I am so disappointed. Maybe it’s because I expected too much from the book, built it up too much in my head.

But it’s not good. And that made me sad.