Well, this was a wild ride of a historical romance! It was pacy and fun but also beyond belief at times. Did I mind? Not a bit.

Unfortunately I did DNF this book, the premise of the book was promising, the plot seemed interesting and the writing style did intrigue me. This book was just not for me, I love a period drama but maybe I just love it when it’s a tv show/film. I may revisit this book at a later date and give it another go!

This Regency era romance was okay but overall disappointing. The premise sounded fun and the cover caught my eye, but I doubt this will be a memorable read for me. To be fair, I don't personally love the trope of messy FMC with a MMC who has to save her from herself and lecture her. I appreciated that the author was making a concerted effort to comment on women's limited freedoms in this era, but it was pretty heavy-handed and seemed contradictory when the FMC was saved by the MMC in every turn. It's a tough balancing act for modern authors to write historical romances without depressing repressive women narratives of the time while still writing historical romances. The mean girl antagonist of the story not being much more than The Mean Girl felt contradictory to the main theme of women making their own way and not giving her a redemption of some sort was a missed opportunity in my opinion. I didn't feel strongly for the FMC or MMC and preferred the FMC's sisters and MMC's brother. The FMC and MMC romance was fine and predictable, and they didn't much opportunity to develop their relationship beyond him saving the day and her being bitter about it.

The chapter epigraphs were helpful to signpost the timeline because it was hard to follow the plot with the uneven pacing. The prose itself was good, but some editing is necessary. Some of the overly repeated phrases (e.g. comparing FMC to an ox, calling everything 'droll') were very annoying to encounter constantly. The repetition was a major issue with this being single POV; if there was another POV, the repetition may not have been as obvious. The FMC's thoughts were very rambling and always circling back to the same conclusions and phrases. Every minor situation was revisited multiple times through the book in the thoughts of the FMC, even whole pieces of dialogue verbatim repeated for the FMC to obsess over.

I think the author has skill and a clear voice, and the core plot idea is good, but there were a few too many stumbling points for me. In any case, it'll be a quick and easy read for any historical romance reader.

Thank you, Harper Collins, for the arc!

This was a fine book. It wasn't great, it wasn't terrible. I liked that it was set in 1820! Still clinging onto the idea of Regency but at least there was clear reference to the change of King (if not really a change of reign but that's not really relevant). I didn't mind this book at all, I just thought the main characters lacked chemistry. I wasn't invested in their romance because they never had any fun, cute, flirty scenes. The narrative would've been greatly helped by a little more flirting!

I was intrigued by the synopsis so I hoped to like this novel, but sadly this wasn’t for me. I can’t say I really liked the main protagonist: I found her quite self-absorbed and, even though I could understand her refusal to marry an old man and her desire for equality between men and women, I didn’t find it necessary to be repeated every single page. Also, the story felt all over the place and I think there were quite a few historical inaccuracies.

1.5 stars

"The Mismatch of the Season" by Michelle Kenney promises a delightful Regency romance for fans of *Bridgerton* and Jane Austen. Miss Phoebe Fairfax, longing for the freedom her brothers enjoy, finds herself betrothed to an elderly, repugnant earl. Determined to escape her fate, she sets out on a bold adventure—only to cross paths with the insufferably handsome Viscount Damerel.

While the synopsis is intriguing, this book simply wasn’t for me. By the fourth chapter, I realized I wasn’t connecting with the story. The writing style and the introduction of the heroine failed to grab my attention, and despite my initial interest, I couldn’t immerse myself in the narrative. To avoid falling into a reading slump, I decided to set it aside altogether and bury it in my dnf graveyard.

If you’re drawn to Regency romance and enjoy tales of headstrong heroines defying societal norms, this might be worth a try. But for me, it was a mismatch.

The Mismatch for the Season is a fantastic read for those that love Jane Austen’s stories or are fans of the movie adaptations. While reading this story I was able to visualize every scene and I felt like I was watching a new movie or miniseries. I also like how this book had some elements of romance but was clean enough for a young teen to read. Even though there were some predictable moments in the story there were some modern elements intertwined that kept the reader engaged and wanting to read some more.

Miss Phoebe Fairfax is a very loveable character looking for adventure. The second she snuck out wearing her brother’s clothing, I knew she would be badass. This story felt like less of a romance and more of a story about Phoebe and her family, which is definitely not a bad thing. The slow burn between Phoebe and the viscount kept me coming back for more, I just wish it was a bigger part of the story.

I hope Michelle Kenney has plans to turn this into a series, because I loved Phoebe’s relationship with her sisters and would be interested in their stories.

This was a fun read!

Thanks to NetGalley, One More Chapter, and Michelle Kenney for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

I had a really hard time with this one for a few reasons, both with the author's writing techniques, and with the characters and story itself.

Let me start with the author/story as this one is the hardest for me. The author definitely has a solid idea and a strong writing style. However, the repetition starts to wear on a reader after awhile. For example (and out of sheer curiosity), I wonder how many times the words "bourgeois" and "droll" appear as it seems to me as though they were definitely overused.

Also, I get it. The highway man was disappointing, and Phoebe wishes she had the same freedom as her brothers. It did not need to be repeated over and over again. In addition to these instances, I also grew tired of reading the same passages over and over again. Seriously, there were several times throughout the novel where Phoebe (granted in her own thoughts) not only recounted all of her unfortunate adventures up until that point, but also remembered things that had been said to her by the Viscount, word-for-word. And while I will admit these things could have worked if they were used sparingly, they weren't. In fact, during a moment near the end of the book when all of Phoebe's attention should have been on what was happening in the moment, she was too busy remembering word-for-word, nearly every encounter she had ever had with the Viscount.

To be fair, I think it was the author's intention with that to show just how over time the Viscount had come to fall in love with Phoebe and vice versa, however, I never bought into it. The Viscount (aka Alexander) is so hot and cold with Phoebe that I found myself rooting for his brother over him. Seriously, most of the time he's berating her for her (admittedly) stupid choices, then he's nice to her, then he pretends she doesn't exist. It gave me whiplash to be honest. I had started to like him a little bit during the garden scene, but that was quickly ruined by their very next meeting when he was once again yelling at her instead of listening to her.

Moving on to the characters, I really didn't like any of the main ones (except maybe Alexander's brother Elliot, and the other Fairfax girls). As I said previously Alex gave me whiplash with his hot and cold behavior towards Phoebe, and she was just so darn stupid at times that I almost wished she would be ruined. Honestly, how many times do her plans have to go awry before she starts to realize that she is the problem?

Her brother Thomas was absolutely insufferable, never once questioning why his father wanted Phoebe to marry a man old enough to be her grandfather (and the reason was dumb to the point I literally rolled my eyes). He just forced his will upon everyone, which made him an easily dislikeable tyrant. Aurelia however (the resident society mean girl), was probably the biggest let down character wise as there were moments when you got a glimpse of the person she could be if only she would find a way to let go of all that mean spiritedness. I kept hoping there would be some sort of redemption for her, although I am curious what she thinks of her new arrangements that we are told of at the end of the story. Is she still claiming to be playing the game, or does she now see what Phoebe was trying to tell her all along?

Despite the issues I had with this one, I feel like this author has a lot of potential to become one of my favorites, so I would read more from them in the future.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

This had the potential to be really cute, but the plot and the pacing are all over the place. Every Regency reader knows that Pride and Prejudice was released before Persuasion or Frankenstein, so I’m not sure how that error got through. The writing style is delightful, but this book would benefit from a major developmental edit. I’m shocked that it’s traditionally published.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

If you’ve ever wished for the charm of Pride and Prejudice with the playful spirit of an early 2000s Regency movie, look no further than The Mismatch of the Season.

The main character, Phoebe Fairfax, is an absolute delight. She's humorous, spirited and endlessly entertaining! Her refusal to settle for a dusty, dreadful marriage arrangement leads to a cascade of misadventures, each more amusing than the last. Phoebe’s antics had me laughing out loud and rooting for her from the very first chapter.

While I enjoyed the bits of banter between Phoebe and Damarel, I think the romance element isn't super strong in the book. I found the true heart of the story was with the Fairfax sisters (and I'm totally ok with that!). Their camaraderie and unconditional support feel so genuine and rich, it’s impossible not to be charmed.

If you're a fan of Bridgerton or just need a good dose of Regency escapism, this book is a real winner!

A mashup of <i>Pride and Prejudice</i> and <i>Sense and Sensibility</i> - the movie more than the book - with a dollop of Lex Croucher's ahistorical attitude and Eloise Bridgerton's feminist stridency (again, screen more than page). Phoebe's madcap adventures were entertaining, and I loved how well-developed her sisters' characters were and how important those relationships were to Phoebe and to the story.

But Phoebe's desire for "heroism" and "adventure," while theoretically feminist and spunky, led her to make any number of choices that were more silly than brave. Her degree of naivete might have been sympathetic in a modern eighteen-year-old or a novel classified as YA, but read as selfish and immature in this adult regency romance. 3.5 stars.

I just can't with this book. The pacing is awful, the characters are boring, and historical inaccuracy is painful. I love regency romance books, but this just made me cringe and was hard to read due to it's poor writing.

The Mismatch of the Season is a clean historical romance that follows Phoebe as she attempts to have a last adventure before her marriage to a much older Earl. Alexander is the surly Viscount who always seems to be there to complicate her escapades.

This book was super fun and gave me the same feelings as watching an early 2000s regency movie. For me the romance was actually overshadowed by the family relationships (which I’m totally okay with because sisters before misters). The bond between the Phoebe and her sisters was hands down the best part of the book. However, the romance was still tension filled and delightful, as all historical romances should be (please stand six feet apart and yearn without touching thank you)!😌🫶🏻

There were a few issues with pacing and accuracy, but overall this was enjoyable and felt generally well researched. I wish that some of my favorite side characters got a bit more closure, but I’m a big fan of epilogues so I might be biased. Still had a great time so 4/5 ⭐️s!

Special thanks to One More Chapter and Harper Collins UK for the advance copy!

Wasn’t for me I’m afraid. Found the pacing lacking and there were inaccuracies throughout the book. It’s sad as this could have been so much better.

If you enjoy the Bridgerton series then you will enjoy this one, I had missed being within the Ton so I did enjoy this one.

This delightful Regency romance is a sparkling blend of wit, charm, and irresistible chemistry. The banter is sharp, the romance is electric, and the story sweeps you into a vividly realised Regency world that feels both fresh and familiar. It’s impossible not to root for Phoebe and her adventure into love and freedom. Utterly charming from start to finish!

This was a strong historical romance novel, it had that element that I was wanting from the description and thought the characters worked well overall. I was engaged with what was happening and enjoyed the feel of the world. Michelle Kenney wrote this perfectly and was glad everything worked in this time-period. It left me wanting to read more and was glad I got to read this.

This book had all the bridgerton vibes which i enjoyed. The story kept me intrigued throughout the entire book

The Mismatch Of The Season is such a light and easy read. I loved Phoebe and her antics. She was such a spirited young woman in a time when women were taught not to be. I love reading books where people defy societal norms. I really wish this book had given more character development into the Viscount and more banter between the 2 of them.