I have not read great expectations so I didn’t get any references to it

It was a fun read
Not my normal kind of read but I did enjoy it

A great read although I definitely didn't catch all the Dickens' references, since I haven't read Great Expectations. I'm definitely interested in picking up the other novel by this author because I had a blast here!

Accidental Darlings is wonderfully queer and delightfully gothic with some slightly off-beat Dickensian humour! I had so much fun with this story and I always enjoy an unreliable narrator. Anastasia is rude, selfish, intelligent and ultimately a child with a rather standoffish and distant aunt. I absolutely adored the development of the relationship between Anastasia and her aunt, Dorothea.

I loved the separation of the two parts in this book and felt it helped create a solid division between Anastasia as a child and becoming an adult. I felt Anastasia was incredibly relatable and believable as a young character navigating her new environment. Seeing her attempt to unravel the mystery surrounding her aunt was such a delight.

Dorothea is truly the star of this book and I loved delving into a historical queer romance. The use of old letters and the writing of stories as a way to glimpse a life that could have been was beautiful and heartbreaking. The writing style is absolutely stunning. Crystal Jean creates such an atmospheric setting; I loved how close and almost claustrophobic this book could feel at times. The humour was also elite and the chosen family will always bring me so much joy!

Overall, I had so much fun with this and can’t wait to read more from this author. I would highly recommend this book!

I loved this raucous and wild book, which has such a fun energy and vibrancy throughout, whilst also being a story about storytelling. It takes historical fiction and its tropes, and plays with them beautifully.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book may be set in a similar era to the author's previous book, The Inverts, but I think it was much better. More likable characters (even with all their faults) and a storyline that was easier to believe (well, perhaps if you're a big debauched queer yourself).

I loved how Anastasia was desperate to discover the truth about her life and everyone in it - but then was horrified by almost every revelation and probably wanted to slap a lid back on Pandora's Box forever. I loved The Aunt and probably identified with her the most, but oh, how I loved Maude too. And the ending: sublime.

Much like Jeans previous work, Accidental Darlings is captivating, entertaining and hilarious. Crystal Jeans writing is fairly unique and descriptive, allowing the reader to feel immersed in the world, in this case a small down in 1920s England.
The characters are interesting and complex, and they are equally as cared about as the plot, which spans a decade.
The narrator grows with the book, starting at 10 years old, making the first part of the book heavy with childish whimsy and intrigue, which worked well, but as the book progresses, so does it’s worth when it comes to reading. Jeans paints a stunning people of the queer 20s/30s, honouring the history beautifully, giving light to the good and the bad.
Overall a good, easy, fun read despite the hard topics.

One final note though, I am a huge fan of The Outsiders, so I enjoy a good Great Expectations reference more than most, however … this was too much.

Thank you to HarperCollins and Netgalley for the ARC

After the first few chapters I was pretty sceptical about this book. It seemed a little anachronistic, the constant references to Great Expectations were jarring and I wasn’t particularly enamoured by the narrator. But once I settled into it, I honestly really enjoyed it!

The characters were all unique and weird, and I loved them all, even when I hated them. They all made mistake after mistake, and it made them even more interesting. I particularly enjoyed the tumultuous relationships between the Aunt and just about everyone else ever.

The queer elements were fun, and the small town energy made it feel realistic when some parts of the story absolutely weren’t. Honestly though, Anastasia should have been a bit faster to work out that something a bit gay was going on let’s be real.

The short chapters kept it snappy, I liked the occasional epistolary element, and the time jumps kept things moving too.

It was a little predictable at times, and I did feel that it all ended a little quickly, but on the whole, I actually really liked it, more than I anticipated I think.

Thanks NetGalley for giving me the arc for this!

Accidental Darlings is captivating and hilarious. Crystal Jeans writing is unique and transported me straight to the small English town in 1920s with all the smells, sounds and feelings. The characters are compelling and complex. The plot spreads out across a decade, starting with the narrator being 10 years old. The first part is whimsical and full of childlike curiousity, but it’s the second part which makes it worth reading. The fabulously painted queer scene of 1920s and 1930s, honouring the queer history with all its’ hardships and messy relationships, is very amusing and engrossing.
Overall, while dealing with some serious issues, it’s a funny and easy read. However, it could drop about 15 references of Great Expectations.

I loved this book! The evocative and funny writing had me gripped from the start. It is full of vivid descriptions and metaphors that made me feel like I was right there inside the story. The dialogues are engaging and had me laughing out loud on various occasions. The narrator is charming, spirited and full of personality. Characters are well developed and distinct - I felt like I wanted to be friends with them all!

The balance between funny/lighthearted events and sad/serious events, within the plot, is so well crafted and clever that the book ended up serving as escapism - at a time when I really needed it - despite dealing with difficult issues, such as grief. It is, on the whole, a hopeful and positive book.

Perhaps, my favourite thing about the book is that, at it’s core, it is an unflinching portrayal of both queer joy and queer sadness as well as an ode to the power of queer friendship and resilience.

I already owned The Inverts (also by Crystal Jeans) which I have not read yet, and I have now moved it to the top if my TBR pile. More of this, please!

The book is deeply evocative. Set in 1920s. Anastasia’s mother dies and she move in with her aunt. While she is oblivious to family secrets. The truth that her mother told her, isn’t the truth. Her Aunt is a bit cold and difficult. After some years when Anastasia grows up, she not only gets close to her Aunt but also learn the truth and discover the long buried secrets. The book is gloomy and full of secrets. I liked the execution and the author has taken us back to the past through letters and conversations. Some parts were so heartbreaking.

Thanks to the publisher and author

The Aunt smoked her cigarettes back-to-back and laughed with abandon. I hated her more than ever. She could have been this to me -- for me -- yet chose not to be. Which side of myself shall I show to this orphan henceforth? she'd thought. Jolly aunt or ice-pick aunt? Hmmm. [loc. 827]
The novel begins in the 1920s, just after Anastasia's mother dies: she never knew her father, though her mother told her of his heroic sacrifice in the Great War. In lieu of other family, Anastasia is packed off to the dubious comforts of life with 'the Aunt', a fearsome and stony figure who reminds Anastasia (a great reader) of Miss Havisham. The Aunt does not take kindly to this comparison, or to Anastasia poking around among her possessions and reading a series of lewd and explicit love letters, signed 'Big Willy'.

As Anastasia grows older, the two of them get along better. When friends of the Aunt arrive from London, the story really gets going -- and Anastasia learns about her Aunt's lurid history, her career as an author, and what really happened to her brother, Anastasia's father. She also discovers sex, and friendship, and how one can destroy the other. She and the Aunt learn a great deal from one another, and the flash-forward opening scene -- which seemed like a Gothic, or perhaps a Dickensian, tragedy -- becomes something considerably more hopeful.

I liked this much more than The Inverts, perhaps because of its narrator. The viewpoint character, Anastasia, is clever, naive and curious, and her maturing relationship with her aunt is awkward and painful: a confirmed spinster confronted with an angry, grieving, self-centred child, who grows into a likeable and amusing companion. I especially enjoyed the scenes of them working together on the Aunt's next novel, and there are some cutting observations on the literary scene.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance review copy, in exchange for this full honest review. UK Publication Date is 01 AUG 2024.

I found this to be a bit of a slow start but then when I got into it, it really came into its own. Good storyline., interesting subject matters and women's lives. Perhaps a tad too many Great Expectations references. I'm not sure any were needed but overall one I enjoyed.

If you loved Crystal Jeans’ ‘Inverts’ you will adore her latest offering. Told through the eyes of the recently orphaned Anastasia, we follow her as she’s sent to the countryside to live with her cold and eccentric aunt in a crumbling house filled with secrets and lies. With a child’s curiosity, we build a picture of the chequered family history that clarifies with the years as Stasia herself learns about love and loss.

The narrator is flawed and unreliable, but the characters are written with so much heart and I loved the exposures through letters and short stories from the past. I would recommend this to anyone looking for an adult queer book that stretches beyond romance, but is a relatively light and engaging read.

Accidental Darlings is another Crystal Jeans triumph - I'm quickly becoming a firm fan. I particularly enjoyed the careful balance between maintaining the historical accuracy of characters' behaviour whilst not deluging the reader with the horror of the lived realities of the period. The ending in particular felt positively gleeful, despite all of the dark Dickensian allusions beforehand (some of which I undoubtedly missed, as it's been a long while since I read Great Expectations). That said, Accidental Darlings was both emotionally resonant and made me cackle out loud a fair few times. I can't wait to read more of Crystal Jeans' work.