A victorian era romance novella that focuses on mental health?? I am here for it.

“This burden of yours—this sadness—I want you to leave it with me for a day or two.”

This felt like everything you would want in a classic chivalric victorian story. Thought it's not that long and is relatively light, it's very well written. I loved that mental health was given a huge focus without it being treated as a source of conflict. It's very victorian but also very modern with the themes it tackles. The romance was pure and wholesome (get you a man that reads books to you when you're down).

We really need to stop romanticizing toxic relationships and hype up the good non-toxic men ❤️ It was so easy to love the main characters and get lost in the writing that I am in the mood to go take a walk under trees while leaves are falling and daydream a while.

“It gives you pleasure doesn't it? The hours you spend in creating it? That alone makes it a thing of value.”

The various character relationships tied together so well in the end and if you're put off by the fact that the romance might get in the way of the brothers, trust me, Mimi Matthews will take care of it.

↣ Read for when you are craving a heart-warming short read that will make want to fall in love over letters to your best friend, lace handkerchiefs, and a fallen tree in the forest. It's that classique victoriance romance without all the scheming and annoying toxicity (among the main characters). Exactly everything I love bundled up in this neat little bow of a book. ↢

P.S. I thought he was a priest at first so I found it weird but thankfully it's not really what I thought.

— 4.5 —
⇢ content warnings// mental health stigma, domestic violence (off-page)
⇢ representation: main character w/ depression