Olivia Twist- Book Review

Hello everyone! I hope you had a good week. Mine was full of carnival rides, cotton candy, and many hours spent in the tractor.

Today on the blog I’m reviewing Olivia Twist by Lorie Langdon.

From Goodreads

 

Here’s what Goodreads has to say about it:

Olivia Brownlow is no damsel in distress. Born in a workhouse and raised as a boy among thieving London street gangs, she is as tough and cunning as they come. When she is taken in by her uncle after a caper gone wrong, her life goes from fighting and stealing on the streets to lavish dinners and soirees as a debutante in high society. But she can’t seem to escape her past … or forget the teeming slums where children just like her still scrabble to survive.

Jack MacCarron rose from his place in London’s East End to become the adopted “nephew” of a society matron. Little does society know that MacCarron is a false name for a boy once known among London gangs as the Artful Dodger, and that he and his “aunt” are robbing them blind every chance they get. When Jack encounters Olivia Brownlow in places he least expects, his curiosity is piqued. Why is a society girl helping a bunch of homeless orphan thieves? Even more intriguing, why does she remind him so much of someone he once knew? Jack finds himself wondering if going legit and risking it all might be worth it for love.

Olivia Twist is an innovative reimagining of Charles Dickens’ classic tale Oliver Twist, in which Olivia was forced to live as a boy for her own safety until she was rescued from the streets. Now eighteen, Olivia finds herself at a crossroads: revealed secrets threaten to destroy the “proper” life she has built for her herself, while newfound feelings for an arrogant young man she shouldn’t like could derail her carefully laid plans for the future.

 

My Rating: 5 Stars

My Review:

I love this book so much. It’s the first book I’ve read in several months now, and the first book I’ve read by this author, and I was not disappointed. It took me two days to read it, but it should have only taken one. My family thinks they need fed and interacted with. Entitled things that they are.

Everything from the characters, to the setting, to the spiritual theme was perfect.

I love the characters so much. Olivia is a firecracker leading female. She’s got spunk, and energy, and I love her motherly femininity, even as she masquerades as a boy.

Jack is my new fictional crush, and will probably remain on that list for many years. He is the perfect combination of danger, renegade, charming, and caring to create the perfect anti-hero, and I love his gradual character arc toward morality.

There is a whole slew of background characters that make this story that much better. Adorable little street boys, romantic rivalries, caring relatives, and a first rate vile villain.

The setting of this story really captivated me. Langdon perfectly captures the filthy, gritty side of Victorian London, while at the same time drawing out all the romanticized aspects that we tend to associate with it. All of the little details about furniture, clothing, and the city landmarks brought the time period to life.

I really enjoyed the spiritual/moral thread through this story. The author did a great job of weaving it into her story without coming off as preachy, and I loved how she really let her characters show her theme without spelling it out in black and white.

I’ve never read Oliver Twist (Its now on my To Be Read list), but the idea of Oliver being a girl in disguise, and this being the continuation of the story really fascinated me, and the plot has several exciting twists that I wasn’t expecting.

 

Content Caution: I really didn’t think there was much for content warnings in this book, but there were a few things I noticed that some people might want to know ahead of time.

There are a few mild cuss words in the story. I didn’t count them, but I’d guess no more than five. Please don’t kill me if you count them and I’m wrong. Most of the time they were just used in period slang like Hellhound, or gambling hell, so really not too vulgar.

There were also a couple mild innuendos, that imply Jack probably isn’t as pure as the wind driven snow, but nothing graphic at all, so probably wouldn’t pose a problem.

There are also a couple big kissing scenes, that don’t lead anywhere beyond that, but the author did describe them very well, so be warned if that’s something that you’d rather avoid.

 

Overall, I absolutely adored this book, and would definitely read again, and recommend to anyone.

 

What about you? Read any great books lately that I should know about? Have you read Olivia Twist yet? Do you have any plans for Father’s Day? Do tell!