Audrey settles into her corner behind the till in her dad’s small corner store. At 17, she is still in high school, but has helped out in the store ever since she can
remember. The city of Pittsburgh has changed around the store, but it remains the same as ever, with its loyal customers and a history she is part of.
Working in the store after high school seems a safe bet for Audrey. She had planned to attend Art School, but those plans fell apart when a relationship did. Two rejections from the two most important things in her life has left her smarting, uncertain about going out in the world after high school, and definitely wary of falling in love again.
The shop has many special customers and one of these is Mr Montgomery. He is almost part of the shop, coming in every day for coffee and a newspaper. Her father never charges him for them – never has. This elderly gentleman has seen Audrey grow up, and he tries to give her advice about her art and her heart. She won’t hear of it, until he makes her listen… She wakes up in a field in 1812.
Lucy can’t believe her eyes. The girl lying on the ground in front of her is wearing trousers! The cloth is strange and Lucy can actually see the girl’s skin showing on her body!
She helps her up and takes her back to her house. Luckily her strict father is away for the next few weeks, and she and her house maid Martha can find out where this strange girl is from. But the answer she seeks is preposterous. The year of 2023?!
Audrey quickly proves who she is, and all doubt is left behind as she speaks so strangely, is very confident and outspoken and doesn’t seem to have any etiquette training at all. Lucy is perplexed but fascinated at the same time in this stranger. While her father is away, Lucy and Audrey get to know each other. Lucy teaches Audrey all she needs to get by in Regency England, and Audrey slowly draws Lucy’s real personality out.
Lucy has been brought up by her father since her mother died. Her parent’s had a loveless marriage, and Lucy’s mother had wished for more for her only child. But Lucy’s father sees her only as a pawn to increase his wealth and standing in the county and business community. Lucy must marry a man much older and richer to cement her father’s aspirations.
Together, the girls begin to work out why Audrey has been thrown back in time, all the while becoming their true selves around each other. Does Audrey have to find love to return home to 2023? Can Lucy marry a man she doesn’t love? Can Audrey find her love of drawing again? Can Lucy admit the feelings she has for a girl?
As a huge fan of Pride and Prejudice, just the title of this YA novel was enough to dive in. It is told in two points of view. Audrey is 17, and lives in Pittsburgh USA in 2023. Lucy lives on her wealthy father’s estate in 1812.
Thrown together when Audrey travels back in time, the contrast between them is captivating. Both dealing with uncertain futures, it was wonderful to watch them unfurl on the page – slowly becoming themselves again after past hurts. Their growing attraction is almost painful to watch as they doubt themselves, then each other, and right before I just about couldn’t stand it a page longer, the plot shifts and I’m gripped again.
One of the best romance novels I’ve read in ages, with a fantastical time twist, finishing with a glimpse of their future together.
(Thank you Net Galley for my ARC of Pride and Prejudice and the City)
Author – Rachael Lippincott
Age – 14+
(2023, Simon & Schuster, Harper Collins, Romance, Regency, England, 1812, 2023, Love, Art, Drawing, Arranged Marriage, Friendship, Etiquette, Dancing, Attraction, Mystery, Time Travel, Secret, Betrayal, New Life, Understanding, True Self, Freedom, Historical, LGBTQ+, Queer)