What Kitty Did Next by Carrie Kablean

What Kitty Did Next by Carrie Kablean ISBN-13: 9781910453612 Paperback: 416 pages Publisher: RedDoor Publishing Released: June 28, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
England, 1813. Nineteen-year-old Catherine Bennet lives in the shadow of her two eldest sisters, Elizabeth and Jane, who have both made excellent marriages. No one expects Kitty to amount to anything. Left at home in rural Hertfordshire with her neurotic and nagging mother, and a father who derides her as "silly and ignorant," Kitty is lonely, diffident and at a loss as to how to improve her situation.

When her world unexpectedly expands to London and the Darcy’s magnificent country estate in Derbyshire, she is overjoyed. Keen to impress this new society, and to change her family’s prejudice, Kitty does everything she can to improve her mind and manners—and for the first time feels liked and respected. However, one fateful night at Pemberley, a series of events and misunderstandings result in Kitty being sent home in shame...

Based on Jane Austen's much-loved characters, this is the story of one woman's struggle to overcome the obstacles of her time and place and truly find herself.


My Review:
What Kitty Did Next is a Regency romance set in 1813 in England. It starts about a year after Pride and Prejudice and is told from Kitty's viewpoint. Kitty knows that her family thinks very poorly of her, but she's not sure how to improve things. Jane takes pity on Kitty and invites her to London to see the sights and learn to mix in society. Then she's invited to Pemberley! Just when Kitty feels like she's proved herself to her family and that new friends have recognized her worth (including some potential suitors), things start to crumble as old prejudices combine with a misunderstanding, forcing Kitty to return home.

The author did an excellent job of capturing the personalities and tone of Jane Austen's novel. The characters' acted in ways that were consistent with their behavior in Pride and Prejudice, and the style of writing was similar to Austen's. The author did add more historical detail--things which help bring the setting and time period alive to the modern reader. This is the best Pride and Prejudice sequel that I've read.

It's an excellent novel on it's own, too. I enjoyed how Kitty grappled with how her family treated her and questions about her future. I liked how she grew as a person. While the romantic interest didn't have a lot of scenes with Kitty (as they weren't constantly together), they did have plenty of "off-screen" time to get to know each other better. He built up her confidence, and they shared interests. And the author has done her research. I enjoyed the little historical details that were woven into the action.

There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this story and I look forward to the author's future novels.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.