Rich characters, an intriguing premise and an immersive read. I did love Mercy's story the best, but a thoroughly enjoyable story throughout.

Agnes is the landlady of a boarding house and unfortunately now has an opening she must fill. She has three candidates but doesn't know which one to choose. This novel then splits into three alternate timelines that each have different outcomes.

I really wanted to like this one but I just couldn't get into it. Maybe if it had been only two or it had criss-crossed between timelines instead of just presenting them one by one I would have enjoyed it more.

Every choice we make in our lives has consequences. Sometimes one small decision can be life changing. And for Agnes, the seemingly straightforward process of interviewing and choosing a new tenant for her house, will completely change her life and the life of her three candidates, Clara, Stephen and Mercy, as well has her existing tenants, the Smith family, frail Mr Gorski and mysterious Gilbert.

In this cleverly written sliding doors style story, Agnes chooses all three of the tenants, one by one.

I felt like I really knew these well developed characters and was completely invested in knowing what would become of them all. My only criticism is that the story became slow in parts, particularly in part 1 and I was keen for it to “get going”.

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Jenni Keer and Boldwood for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This book was an absolute JOY to read! An exciting 'Sliding Doors' type premise, lovable, quirky characters and happy endings. Such an interesting and 'really makes you think' page turner!
This story is set out in four parts and involves Miss Agnes, a kindly lady, letting out the rooms of her house to 3 prospective tenants. All the parts commence with Agnes having chosen one of the three. The other 2 tenants do weave themselves around the parts of the book as well. Some fateful events occur in all 4 timelines, although they may come about slightly differently.
A wonderful head scratcher that covers all types of topics ranging from sexuality to a sense of duty, scheming and gambling, forbidden love, long lost loves and secrets galore.
I'm off to stalk the author for other novels that I now have to read!
Thanks to Netgalley and the author and publisher for a temporary copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

In 23 Burlington Square Jenni Keer gives us three stories in one. They are 'what if' scenarios. The time is 1927 London. Agnes, an elderly spinster, has an apartment to let for which there are three applicants. Each vignette tells us what happens if each of the applicants is given the apartment and how this affects the other applicants lives. I found this an interesting read. I don't think I've ever read a book with this sliding door format before. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and especially loved the way it was all brought to a satisfactory conclusion (no spoilers). I would happily recommend it to others.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

A few years ago I read and enjoyed one of Jenni’s books and I don’t understand why I’ve missed the others. This book was a delight to read, as Jenni gave us three different versions of the same story, depending on which potential lodger was given the lodgings. Great characters, historical drama and so many secrets. Happy to recommend.

Another heartwarming book by Jenni Keer, No. 23 Burlington Square is not just a romance novel. It is about friendship and love. Not just in 1927, but even in this day and age, the world can be a difficult place so we need all the kindness we can get :)

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

With three prospective lodgers wanting a room at 23 Burlington Square the storyline tells of a sliding doors theory to find the right person.

My interest was piqued by the premise. The story starts with her showing one of the perspective tenants around then switches to her giving her neice the room. I didn’t like this character so I struggled to connect with the story.

I really wanted to enjoy this book but sadly, it wasn't for me

I had never heard of the Sliding Doors concept for books or movies but I absolutely adored this book. We follow Agnes who has to decide which of the 3 possible boarders she picks to live in No. 23 Burlington Square. The first part focuses on Clara, Agnes' niece. Clara is a complicated little character, it took a while to figure out why she needed room and board at aunt Ag but when we found out what happened you can't help but feel a little bad for her. I enjoyed that we got to see a '4 months later' for Clara's story and even more good news in the books epilogue.
In the second part the room is led to Mr. Stephen Thompson a banker with a secret. It turns out he isn't a banker but a lying piece of sh!t. I was frustrated by this part because it took a really long time to find out what Stephen was up to and we also never really learned what job or schemes he pursued. I liked that Clara and Mercy showed up in this story and that poor Jemima's story happened in this part (mostly for the sake of continuation)
The third part was about Mercy Mayweather, a young widow who has fled her life in the country to come to London for a fresh start. I am really happy to see that Mercy's own time line did not end with her being taken back to the farm like in the other two parts.

I also loved (well with the exception of Mr. Smith) all the other characters and residents of No. 23 Burlington Square. I loved that we learned different things about every one in the different parts. I also love the way everyone interacted with each other and how everyone had the ending that fitted them the best.

I also loved the way this book was written and how all stories build up to a natural ending and how the other stories started again. I liked the couple of chapters that were about Agnes herself because we learned so much about her and why she stayed in the house she grew up in and why she chose to rent out the rooms.

This is my second Jenni Keer novel and I am definitely reading more of their work in future.

Thank you NetGalley, Jenni Keer and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Remember the movie “Sliding Doors” or the book “Which Way?” by Theodora Benson? Well, this is yet another story which takes a look at different scenarios of what could have been, if only one small thing happened differently. In the film, it was all down to missing or catching a train. But in Benson’s novel, as Keer does here, a decision of our protagonist regarding three possible choices is what takes us on a journey of these different tales. Benson’s Claudia has to decide between three invitations. Here, our Agnes Humphries must decide between which of three people will get the vacant room after the untimely death of its previous tenant.

Okay, so… maybe I wasn’t reading very carefully when I saw that Boldwood Books was offering this ARC, because when I clicked on the widget, I thought this was going to be a cozy murder mystery. In fact, I kept wondering about Blandford’s death throughout the reading of the whole first half of this novel. I have to admit that it did bother me that the basic premise had an unsolved question, that wasn’t even addressed by the time I got half way through. I mean, if you ask me, if you’re going to give me a body of a man who died under what seemed like questionable circumstances, you really should put some energy into solving that mystery along the way, no? Or at least a clue or two; tiny breadcrumbs, maybe? However, Keer had something else in mind for her readers, and this only became apparent much later. (And I promise you, if you read this to the end, you will be well rewarded!)

I should mention that strewn within these timelines are little pieces which talk about the history of some of Agnes’ favorite objects that she keeps in her (very cluttered) home. You see, the building that she made into a boarding house was actually her childhood home. Being a sentimental type of woman, she is loath to get rid of anything about which she feels sentimental. This is obvious when the first of the applicants comes in and sees a top hat in the entrance, which Agnes explains was left there by someone several decades ago. She says that she kept it in case the owner decided to retrieve it someday. In this way, we not only get to know the three different renters of the vacant room, but also, we learn much about who Anges is and what she’s about. Admittedly, these were some of my favorite passages in this novel.

This doesn’t mean that the separate stories aren’t fascinating in their own right, because they are. In fact, if Keer had made it into just one novella with Claire at the center, this might have been enough (but I’m glad she didn’t). Plus, there was a clear advantage to the way Keer constructed this book. As the subsequent stories unfolded, we learned a little more about each of the three characters, as well as all the other residents of Agnes’ home. Truths are revealed, and lies are uncovered; it was almost a whole slew of mysteries all bundled into one! Plus, this is one way of solving the question of which ending to use.

Now, I’m not sure I’m explaining this properly, but leave it to say that I found this whole mechanic very refreshing and clever, despite my initial misgivings. Keer truly found an ingenious way to give new perspectives with each alternative, that was both engaging and charming. Obviously, until you’ve read them all, you won’t see how everything fits together, which also allows us to see how all these characters connect. For all this, I think it deserves to be highly recommended to anyone looking for a character driven story, that still has lots of plot, with some mystery mixed in, which is a bit out of the ordinary, but in the best way possible. If that's not good enough, I think my giving it 4.75 stars out of five should say the rest.

3 prospective boarders and 1 room but who will landlady Agnes Humphries choose to be the new tenant at 23 Burlington Square.
There is a sliding doors plot to the story as we read what will occur if each one of the 3 possible tenants took the room at 23 Burlington Square.
Clara Goodwin the niece of Agnes who has embarrassed her parents with her flagrantly outrageous lifestyle.
Stephen Thompson the bank clerk who is not all he appears to be and Mercy Mayweather a young war widow who has fled her farm home life to the bright lights of London.
Agnes is a forthright honest woman who deeply carers for her boarders and has had heartache and disappointment in her life.
We learn about each character; their lives, their secrets and their desires.
It is a truly engaging read and reminded me of the choose your own adventure books I read as a child but in No 23 Burlington Square we are gifted with the adventure in three character parts..

I went into this book totally blind which contributed to some very confusing moments. Jenni Keer wrote No. 23 Burlington Square in what is called a ‘sliding door concept’. The time is 1927 London and Miss Agnes Humphries must rent out three rooms of the elegant home she grew up in. She has one room to rent due to one of her tenants passing away. She has interviewed three possibilities who all have something positive about them. This is where the story changes as we are told a story of each applicant who are all a part of each other’s story.
If that sounds confusing, it was very much so to me. I came very close to giving up, but really don’t like to do that. I did not enjoy the divergent approach and didn’t care much about any of the characters. Release date is October 31, 2023.
Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for this e-arc to read and review. This review is entirely my opinion.
#BoldwoodBooks
#JenniKeer
#NetGalley

Jenni Keer has written a a warmhearted novel, told from multiple characters view points at No. 23 Burlington Square that quickly grew in my heart.
Even with the multiple characters, it was easy to keep them separated due to their relationships, interactions and viewpoints written. I became engaged with the story immediately and kept engaged to the very end.
I look forward to reading more from Jenni Keer.
#JenniKeer
#No.23BurlingtonSquare
#Netgalley

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What drew me to this book was the historical era and the "what if?"/sliding doors style plot, as three versions of the story unfold, depending on which person Agnes Humphries chooses to rent her open room. The concept was cute, and it was a nice light, palate cleanser book, after I'd finished some heavy novels recently. It was good, but had some bumpy spots. Each character is hiding a secret, which is fun, but those secrets are purposely not alluded to or revealed until fairly late in the characters' stories. This is obviously for effect, but since we're getting the characters' POVs, it doesn't make sense that they wouldn't voice some of these things earlier. Also, the first character, Clara, was a bit too frustrating for too long, and while she gets better, her growth seemed to happen very abruptly. That being said, if you like historical fiction and "sliding doors" type stories, this is a nice diverting comfort read. I didn't fall in love with any of the characters, but I did find everyone interesting in their own way.

Number 23 and Agnes has a room to rent. A fabulous sliding door book with three different but interlocking stories. The historical themes and issues that are discussed are dealt with beautifully and sensitively. I loved it.

This was such an interesting and intriguing read. It is 1927 and Agnes Humphries has rooms to rent out at No 23 Burlington Square. There are three individuals who she interviews for the rooms and each section of the book tells each of their stories. Firstly we meet her niece Clara Goodwin, then Stephen Thompson and lastly Mercy Mayweather. All of them have very different backgrounds and all three obviously have secrets. Along with the backgrounds of the other residents, we get to find out why they are looking and are in need of lodgings. This is a story written about human nature, friendships, what ifs and so much more. A real page turner that kept me totally hooked. Very cleverly written! Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

As ever Jenni has written another fabulous time slip story. I have enjoyed all of her previous books. It's an absolute page turner. I can imagine for those who enjoy the sliding doors type story, Who will get the room, 3 people, three different energies and lifestyles. An enjoyable read.

This was a lovely read. It was a well structured storyline using three alternative histories really well. This was based on a decision, who out of three applicants should I allow to rent a room? The characterisation was excellent. I loved the figure of Agnes, forthright, sentimental and kind. There were plenty of twists and turns as the three alternative histories were woven together. There were some good life lessons, not least the importance of love and friendship

An interesting premise of a woman with a room to rent and three very different candidates to choose from. The fun part is we get to see what would happen with each of those choices, as a story is created for each of the three candidates. The first story was, in my opinion, a little too long, but the other two made up for it. Different and original.

I received an ARC for free, but I gave my honest opinion voluntarily.

In 1927, Agnes Humphries is an unmarried lady who lets out rooms in her house.
When one of her rooms becomes vacant, she has three candidates for the room – her wayward niece Clara, a respectable bank clerk Stephen, and a young widow Mercy.
In Sliding Doors style, we see what would happen if she was to rent the room to each in turn.
As well as finding the back story to each character, we see how they interact with the other tenants, and also how Agnes has arrived at this point in her life.
It is a story of the power of kindness, faith and redemption, with Agnes, who has a habit of brutal honesty, believing in the best of people, and generally not being disappointed. This may sound overly saccharine, but it is balanced by some great sadness and cruelty.
A very engaging read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this book.