A review by kailey_luminouslibro
Jane and the Year Without a Summer by Stephanie Barron

5.0

Jane and her sister Cassandra are visiting Cheltenham in Gloucestershire. They hope that by sampling the sulfurous waters, Jane's health might improve. They stay at a boarding house and are very curious about the other guests. One of the boarders is Miss Williams, a young lady confined to a wheelchair, who is constantly fussed over and spoiled by her faithful friend. A married couple are always complaining and making things unpleasant for everyone. Jane is surprised to find that her friend Raphael West appears to know another one of the boarders, Mrs. Smith, who works with a theater company. But when a murder occurs at a masquerade ball, Jane realizes there must be some connection to the people at their boardinghouse.

I really liked this story and the history behind it. There is quite a lot of real history woven into the story with Jane's family and her acquaintances, but of course the murder mystery and Jane's involvement in the investigation are entirely fictional. I loved learning more about the Regency Era!

I enjoyed seeing more of Jane's sister, Cassandra. Jane thinks it's hilarious how Cassandra pretends not to care about gossip, when really she is very eager and curious to know about people. It's really interesting to imagine what their family might have been like, how they might have talked with one another, and how they would have interacted.

The murder mystery is really good! I was completely fooled by the red herrings, and had no idea who the murderer could be right up until the big reveal at the end. I was totally surprised and shocked, but it all made sense.

I love the formal writing style that mimics the Regency era language. The dialogue is fairly close to what a real conversation might have been like in that time period. It really immerses you in the history.