Based on the cover, I thought this was all historical fiction but is part that part contemporary. Overall, it was quite enjoyable and a very easy read. However, jumping feon the 1670s to the present made me get lost in the story quite a few times.

An enjoyable read set in two time frames - 1671 Nell Gwyn frolicking with Charles II and her sister Rose then present day with Jess Yates looking for work and asking for help from her glamorous celebrity sister Tavy. Obvious parallels and the stories of the two less glamorous sisters mesh together beautifully. A lovely old but somewhat dilapidated house, being "done up" (tastelessly) by Tavy, forms the common context - mysteries, secrets, ghosts, they're all there. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Despite only having only read one other Nicola Cornick novel before, I was quite excited to see The Other Gwyn Girl on Netgalley. I enjoyed the previous novel I had read and The Other Gwyn Girl has cemented the fact that Cornick is a gifted author. I love the elements of magical realism/otherworldliness that exist in these novels I have read, along with the historical aspects. I thoroughly enjoyed learning of the Gwyn sisters and their ties to the royal family and how they may have played a part in historical goings on.

I was unfamiliar with Nell Gwyn so enjoyed reading more about this family. I always enjoy an alternating timeline story and this delivered! Great for fans of historical fiction with a bit of mystery and intrigue added in.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

Wonderful! I am a big fan of Nicola Cornick's books. Her writing is so absorbing, I read this in two days (would have been one had I not started it late in the afternoon!). Could not put it down for long. I love how the two timelines flow captivatingly with the parallels between the characters of Rose and Jess. I only wish there were more pages, I cannot get enough from Nicola Cornick!

This was a joy to read, I love dual timeline novels and I particularly enjoyed this latest novel from Nicola Cornick.
I've read stories before about Nell Gwyn but it was really interesting to read about her older sister Rose and her life, and particularly how it seamlessly linked to the present day storyline. This was a fairly quick read for me as I couldn't put it down. Would love a sequel to expand the storyline more regarding the finding of horoscope

The Other Gwyn Girl by Nicola Cornick

I have loved all titles by this author , and she does the dual timeline genre as the best.
Nell Gwyn is a name known to lose but here we meet her sister Rose . I love the historical fact with the fiction.
We then , in the present day , are introduced to Jess , a librarian with her husband in prison , and a sister who is a law unto herself .
Great characters in both times , and a plot that brings the two together perfectly.

An excellent book. Well written and entertaining.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Other Gwyn Girl looks at the life of Rose Gwyn - the sister of Nell Gwyn, famous actress and mistress to King Charles II. The scene setting of Restoration England was great and I was quickly immersed in the sights and sounds of the less respectable parts of London at that time, as Nell & Rose's mother ended up impoverished due to the Civil War, her husband's gambling and subsequent death.

Learning more about Rose and her life as a thief, her doomed marriage and her difficult relationship with her sister and mother was interesting, and if it had just been this I think I personally would have enjoyed the story more. I also think Cornick's idea of writing about women 'from the footnotes of history' is a great one, and enjoyed the inclusion of local and family history in the book.

Unfortunately I couldn't get on board with the dual timeline and the aspects of the paranormal. I found the accompanying modern mystery storyline to be a little flat and inwardly groaned when I realised the two stories were parallels of each other - Jess is the overlooked sister of TV star Tavy and both Jess and Rose have awful ex-partners and flee to the same house (Becote Manor) for solace from difficult/tragic experiences.

The modern characters keep glimpsing ghosts or sensing the presence of their Restoration counterparts in and around the old Manor which I felt was unnecessary to the plot - the research that the modern characters did clearly pointed to Rose having lived there. A certain modern discovery made within the last pages of the book seemed very clear to me from about a third of the way in too, which was a shame.

All in all, the book was fine, I've realised dual-timelines aren't my thing - but I'm sure many other people will enjoy this book.

The publisher sent me an advanced reader copy of the book for review but all opinions are my own.

The Other Gwyn Girl by Nicola Cornick is a dual-timeline novel taking place in the present day and the early 1670s, offering an account of the life of The Other Gwyn Girl, Rose, as opposed to Nell, mistress of Charles II, although Nell does have a role in the book.

Beginning with events in the 1670s, the historical element of the story is well woven and told in a 1st person POV, taking in the theatre, London, the king, and indeed, the theft of the crown jewels as well as the delight of the Marshelsea prison. I was firmly invested in Rose's story and, as often with dual-timeline tales, felt a little resentful that the whole tale was not about Rose:)

That said, our modern timeline, told from a 3rd person POV, is still intriguing, encompassing the Bodleian Library, ancient letters, and a little bit of 'otherworldlyness'. The parallels between the two narratives, both 'the unfamous' sisters, worked well.

The narrative is certainly engaging, and I whipped through the book in only a few sittings, quite desperate to find out what would happen to Rose in the historical timeline.

A really enjoyable tale, well pieced together, and thrilling.

(I would have liked some historical notes at the back).

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my review copy.

The Other Gwyn Girl is a dual timeline story, with the first timeline taking place during the time of Charles II in the 1600s and featuring Rose, the sister of Charles II's famous mistress Nell Gwyn, and the second timeline taking place in the present day and telling the story of Jess, a librarian and historian living in the UK, who has just gotten out of a bad relationship with someone who defrauded people out of a lot of money. Jess's sister Tavy, a reality TV star, has purchased Beckett Hall and renamed it Fortune Hall, all the while filming the renovations for her fans. The two story lines are tied together by the historical Beckett Hall, or Becote Hall, as it was called in the 1600's. The story has likeable characters, a mystery and even some supernatural aspects. I got a big kick out of the appearances of Lizzie Kingdom, from Nicola Cornick's The Forgotten Sister and Lucy from last year's The Winter Garden in this novel. Highly recommend!

I read my first Nicola Cornick novel in 2020 after a recommendation from a dear friend and this makes the sixth novel of hers that I have read and just loved! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Nicola Cornick's novels are always a real treat. Her history is always accurate, but her research doesn't show - instead, you feel as if you're right there in the time period she's writing about.

In this dual timeline novel, the stories of Jess (present day) and Rose (1671) are intertwined tightly; I love the way Nicola reflects the past in the present, and vice versa. Jess and Rose both put their trust in the wrong man, and have to deal with the intrusiveness of having a 'celeb' sister, as well as having a difficult mum. And while neither of them believe in love any more, love has a way of finding them.

It was nice to read about a period that hasn't been covered by many novels in the last few years. I was fascinated to learn about Captain Blood and the failed heist of the Crown Jewels. (I did guess what happened to the missing jewels, but then again I write crime novels and it's how I would've written it!)

The scenes in the Marshalsea in the Restoration period are absolutely visceral, and a sharp contrast to the luxury of life as a court favourite. I particularly enjoyed the scenes at Ashdown House - a comeuppance most definitely deserved! The modern setting is fabulous, too - loved the ancient house, especially the library, and Jess's research into Rose's life.

Loved the characters, the two timelines were woven together well, there was plenty of historical colour and lots of dramatic tension. Definite five stars from me.

This was a very good historical book. It was very well researched and it transported me to the different time and I loved it so much!

A duel time line novel about Nell Gwyn's sister Rose and a present day librarian. It was written well, but lost the plot in places. Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy

What a glorious book! It is one of those books where you are quickly transported to a different time and place. Nicola Cornick's descriptions of London in 1671 are visceral, allowing the reader to feel the squalor and desperation of its people. You don't need any prior knowledge of the period to enjoy this novel because the characters are what make it work so brilliantly. Written in a dual-timeline, Rose Gwyn, older sister of the famous Nell, is the narrator for 1671. "Where survival was concerned, morality frequently went out the window." Life has been less than fair and more than unkind but Rose keeps getting back up. In the present-day timeline, there is Jess, older sister of the flashy celebrity/influencer Tavy. The sisters and the timelines are tied together through a centuries-old manor house, Fortune Hall.

I was enthralled by both storylines and completely surprised by the twists at the end of each of them. There were so many details that were pulled together in the final pages, bringing satisfying closure to the parallels between both sets of sisters. This engrossing story obviously required substantial research which is a challenge since women were not considered to be important to those who recorded history. Let's hope that times are changing but we can honor the women that came before us by reading books like this one. I loved it.

My thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the digital ARC. All opinions and the review are entirely my own.

I honestly loved this book! The story of “the other Gwyn girl” was captivating and endearing from the start. I actually ended up reading about Nell Gwyn and the seventeenth century history after finishing the book.

Based on a real person from the seventeenth century who was overlooked by historians. Rose Gwyn/Gwynne’s fictionalized story have the reader rooting for her from the moment she was a little girl. The supporting characters’ story of Jess and Ethan was equally interesting, intriguing and charming.

I have to remind myself at the end that the story was about Rose and Guy and not about Jess and Ethan. I thought that a few more chapters were needed to finish with their story but maybe, there is possible another book to follow with Jess and Ethan’s story? If there is not, then, I need to know what Rose’s horoscope says and what other historical adventures Jess and Ethan take later. Hopefully, the author will take that into consideration.

A fabulous book, I enjoyed reading about Nell Gwynn 's sister in the past and Jess in the present day. I intend to read more of this author's work judging by the excellent characters in this novel. Highly recommended and I would give it more than five stars if I could on the basis that it is a brilliant read.