With all sorts of delightful Parent Trap-style identical twin hijinks, The Invention of Sophie Carter is the perfect light-and-sweet palate cleanser. 1851. Bounced from one home to another their whole lives, orphaned identical twins Sophie and Mariah Carter have always relied on each other for love and support, even though the sisters couldn’t be more different. Brash Sophie wants to be an … different.
Brash Sophie wants to be an inventor, and demure Mariah wants to be an artist. Both long to visit London for the summer–Sophie to see the Queen’s Great Exhibition and Mariah to study the world’s finest collection of paintings. But when their cantankerous aunt answers their letter pleading for a place to stay, she insists she only has time and room to spare for one of them.
So, Mariah and Sophie hatch a clever scheme: They will travel to London together and take turns playing the part of “Sophie”.
At first the plan runs like clockwork. But as the girls avoid getting caught by increasingly narrow margins and two handsome gentlemen–both of whom think they’re falling in love with the real Sophie Carter–enter the equation, the sisters find they don’t have the situation quite as under control as they thought.
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This Victorian YA romance was completely unputdownable.
Both sisters were so well developed and you couldnt help but get attached to them and to their male leads.
I had a particular soft spot for Sophie because she was the toughest and most determined of the twins, which reminded me a lot of my mother (also a twin).
Just as she did in THE LAST WORD, Samantha Hastings gives a cheery portrayal of Victorian life without shying away from the hardships women faced. Hastings’ enjoyment of 19th century literature is obvious, and if you’re also a fan, you’ll see it in everything from the Dickensian childhood of her main characters Sophie and Mariah, to the wit and romance of Austen peppered throughout. Definitely one of my favorite reads this year!
You must read this one! I had not read any books by Samantha Hastings before. But this book drug me into the story from the very first page. I couldn’t put it down. I read this book in less than 24 hours.
I loved Sophie and Mariah. Identicle twins in a historical romance. I had not seen that plot before. But the auhor did a great job with it. I loved the way these two pretended to be eachother. But they each got what they needed and what made them happiest in the end.
The prologue was kind of sad. With the woman that had raised them sending them away coldly. I really loved the way they were able to meet with her again later in life and come to terms with her and with their situation.
This book ends up being kind of a dual love story. And that made me happy. This book is great! Make sure to grab your own copy!
This book was a joy to read! I will definitely be reading more by this author. I already have her upcoming release pre-ordered!
Loved the book “The Invention of Sophie Carter”. It was described as a Victorian “Parent Trap” with identical twins switching places.
Sophie and Mariah Carter are orphaned twins living off the kindness -scratch that- ness of others. They were put to work at a young age and never had much affection except for each other. Sophie worked in a clock shop and wants to be an inventor. She hears about the “Great Expedition” where new inventions are shown and writes to her aunt to see if she would take her in -even though years ago this aunt wouldn’t. Surprisingly she agrees but only one twin, Sophie, can go.
They both go to London and take turns being Sophie Carter. It gets confusing for the gentlemen who they encounter too.
The extra goodies were if you pre-ordered the book and I love the illustration of the twins. Mariah is in white and Sophie is in black.
I liked how self-assure Sophie was with the direction of her life. I think she’s the kind of person who would never sit still – always doing something. Mariah went through the motions and did her best to please others and do what was asked. Now she finally could decide what she wanted to do.
I kind of hoped for more mixed up twin hijinx fun. You can tell that the author did great research about how clocks work naming all the parts, it was starting to get to be too much since I couldn’t relate to that and seemed a hindrance to name it all. The plot was predictable but enjoyable. The book seemed to focus on Sophie more and maybe that’s because she was the allowed twin to be there. Mariah grew somewhat but I would’ve liked to have seen more growth where she says more what she thinks.
I loved Samantha’s first book “The Last Word” and I think she’ll be a new auto-buy author and she’s coming out with a Christmas book too!! Pre-order it and she has bookish swag to go with that.
I’ve always loved stories with mistaken identities, and this did not disappoint! The sisters were each unique and well developed, and you can’t help but root for them. Plus, any time you can get two love stories in one book, I’m sold! I don’t read a lot of historical novels, but books by Samantha Hastings are the exception!
I seriously loved this book. I started it late at might and couldn’t put it down. Finally I couldn’t keep my eyes open so I had to quit at 4 am! As soon as I woke up I picked it right back up and finished it. It was that good! I loved the twist of the identical twins and I loved how positive the whole book was even though there were sad parts. Such a fun and original book.
Sophie Carter wants something more out of life at a time when women didn’t have many choices. I found with this book that there’s more than one story going on here. That means you get more for your money here. In a way it’s hard to read a historical fiction book because women had some many challenges to face. You may also feel lucky that we have so much to be thankful for.
I enjoyed getting to see what gave Sophie pleasure and getting to experience it through her eyes. We get to experience her adventures/trouble she gets into which may elicit a chuckle or two. She’s a young woman who is not someone who’s willing to conform to society just because it’s expected. Instead she wants what she desires.
For me, the romance was secondary to watching Sophie, and her sister, blossom. It’s about willing to take the chance to be what you want to be. You may be young but if you know what your life’s path is going to be than why not see where it takes you. If you have someone to share that passion with just makes it better. Make sure to read to the very end. The author writes a note to her readers about some of the historical aspects – I found it interesting. This book may be tagged as a young adult but I think that anyone from YA and up would enjoy reading it. I’ve discovered a new author and look forward to discovering more of her work.
I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
I love the way this author creates such strong female characters, and in this story we get double the fun! When an invitation for one is snatched up by both young ladies, you cannot help but turn the pages hoping that they have kept their secret one more day. I loved every minute of the story. Another triumph for Samantha Hastings.