Friday, December 6, 2019

The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite book thoughts

The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite

Synopsis: As Lucy Muchelney watches her ex-lover’s sham of a wedding, she wishes herself anywhere else. It isn’t until she finds a letter from the Countess of Moth, looking for someone to translate a groundbreaking French astronomy text, that she knows where to go. Showing up at the Countess’ London home, she hoped to find a challenge, not a woman who takes her breath away.

Catherine St Day looks forward to a quiet widowhood once her late husband’s scientific legacy is fulfilled. She expected to hand off the translation and wash her hands of the project—instead, she is intrigued by the young woman who turns up at her door, begging to be allowed to do the work, and she agrees to let Lucy stay. But as Catherine finds herself longing for Lucy, everything she believes about herself and her life is tested.

While Lucy spends her days interpreting the complicated French text, she spends her nights falling in love with the alluring Catherine. But sabotage and old wounds threaten to sever the threads that bind them. Can Lucy and Catherine find the strength to stay together or are they doomed to be star-crossed lovers?

In a nutshell: A Sapphic historical romance taking place in the early 1800s.

Published: July 23rd, 2019
Format: Physical
Number of Pages: 322
Finished: December 2019
Rating: 5⭐
Diversity: Queer women MC's (not explicitly stated but I read Catherine as bi and Lucy as a lesbian personally), some queer side characters, poc side characters

My Thoughts

I freaking loved this! I adored the characters, especially Lucy. A very strong woman who knows what she wants and doesn't take crap. Don't get me wrong, she has her insecurities for sure, but she still has a strength within her than shines. Catherine has been hurt in the past and is very insecure in the beginning despite having the countess act down in public. She hides it well but she's hurting. I loved her character arc and seeing her grow stronger. Both women have their own interests and personalities that I really enjoyed getting to see. Both are interesting characters that I loved in their own rights. I also felt for Catherine with what she had been through and some stuff rang quite true for me too.

I definitely noticed the historical elements. I mean i'm not a history buff so I very well missed things (and probably did) but having recently read Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft & Mary Shelley by Charlotte Gordon among other things on Mary Shelley and her mother and about that time period I was happy to read this book, though fictional, set in that time period. There were quite a few "heck yes!" moments. Especially in regards to the Fellows of the Polite Science Society, which is a fictional group of scholar men that are sexist, which gets challenged and i'll leave it at that as I don't want to spoil things. I'll just say I loved how it all went!

There were some beautiful quotes having to do with science and art. I didn't mind the art or science talk at all. It was never confusing and my interest never wavered. It made me think, as well as feel inspired!

I enjoyed the steady plot, the themes, the romance, the strong and believable women...I enjoyed every bit of it. The romance was sweet, believable, not too angsty, not too fast. Had some nice steamy moments. It made me feel all the feels, and I mean ALL the feels! It also filled my heart with joy, pure queer joy, and I can't wait to read more by the author! There is a second book supposed to come out next year, The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows, and from the synopsis it sounds like a companion book with different characters. Which I am not mad about, as The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics reads as a full story to me and i'm excited to read more by Olivia Waite!

My Review on Goodreads

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