It's always nice to read an 18th century period novel that was actually written in the 18th century to be reminded of how things really were, not re-cast with 21st century sensibilities. I also enjoy them because I have no idea what to expect from the plot twists, which is a wonderful escape from usually being able to predict a book's plot by halfway.

It's written in epistolary format, which is not my favorite - although it's nice when well-done and suits the story, as in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which I whole-heartedly recommend. However, the vast majority of the letters are written by the protagonist to a single recipient, so it's easy to read it nearly as a first-person narrative.

I do wish that I could know how accurate this was to it's time. There were moments when I did think "is this satire?" In some scenes, I couldn't be sure whether the author was exaggerating to make a point or whether it was written in earnest as a bit of a guidebook for young women of the era.