Miss Newbury's List

England, 1820

Rosalind Newbury loves her family and wants nothing more than to add to their legacy. So when an opportunity arises to marry a duke—a dream come true for her family—despite hardly knowing him, she quickly agrees.

But after rediscovering a childhood wish list, Ros realizes that she has dreams of her own and little time left to fulfill them. She recruits her dearest friend Liza and subsequently Liza’s handsome but wayward cousin Charlie—a gentleman turned rugged boxer—to help her complete her list before her wedding.

From boxing lessons to buried treasure, Charlie helps Ros experience a life and love that she’d never dreamed possible. Soon, Ros is faced with the very decision she’s been running from—to save her family’s future or her own.

My Review: 9/10

This book held an air of sadness for me as I was reading; it felt melancholy for Rosalind to be set up to fail from the beginning. She was being handed the world, but didn't appreciate it, deeply discontented with her past, present, and future. I disliked that it felt like a choice between herself and her family, and that it was a love story around a woman already engaged. The fact that she had only seen him once or twice and that it was treated as a mutually beneficial business arrangement did not remove the pit in my stomach that kept me from fully loving this story as much as I wanted to. I think the coming of age aspects and the love story itself could have been just as strong without the threat of being promised to someone else.

That said, the story was so well written. The romance was so sweet because it started with humble dislike, grew to a grudging respect, curiosity, friendship, appreciation, and eventual love. There was personal growth on each side. And I loved the way our hero restrained himself and respected the fact that she was engaged.

There were plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and I loved the family dynamics. The balance of wanting to please your parents, make your family proud, do your part, and protect your siblings, combined with knowing when to assert yourself (and when to sacrifice), and the changes that come with growing up and adult children forging their own paths... it was very well done. I especially loved Rosalind's and Ben's relationship (and Liza too).

Perhaps my favorite part was the writing itself. The novel reads like poetry sometimes in the beauty of its expression. Characters communicate their feelings privately or in dialogue admirably. There are plenty of wise one-liners, hard truths spoken in love, even pretty (and sincere) apologies, all with no realism sacrificed. Ah I just loved it. Megan Walker is a talented writer - she really just gets better and better. So I am already eagerly anticipating her next novel. Highly recommend.