Book Review & Blog Tour: Kitty & Mary by Julia Gray and Imogen Russell Williams
Kitty & Mary by Julia Gray and Imogen Russell Williams
Content Warnings:
TW: conversations about self-worth, illness, war, death. Readers 14+.
Publishing Date: September 10th, 2026
Publisher: Andersen Press
Genres: Young Adult // Historical, Romance
Quick Thoughts: I think that Kitty & Mary is one of the most beguiling and uplifting spins on Pride & Prejudice that I’ve come across. More than just relying on the classic, it spins a whole new tapestry that builds a world for the characters to truly shine and grow. It was bursting with heart, warmth and charm.
Rating:
Pride & Prejudice
Sisterhood
Regency-era
Young love
Elizabeth married Mr Darcy; Jane married Mr Bingley; Lydia married Mr Wickham. But what happened to the forgotten Bennet sisters?
Six months after Pride and Prejudice, Mary is stuck at home with her parents. So, when an opportunity arises that will take her to far away India, Mary jumps at the chance for independence and adventure.
Meanwhile, Kitty has been flitting between the estates of her sisters, searching for a suitable husband at every ball and dinner. When Mary sets off to India, Kitty’s disappointment at returning home is tempered by the revelation that a new tenant has come to Netherfield Park – handsome poet Mr Whittaker. He seems like the perfect husband for Kitty, but will he end up being everything she hoped?
Through letters and journals we learn to understand and love the forgotten Bennet sisters.
My Review
It has been an age since I read Pride & Prejudice, yet I have always felt such a strong connection to the characters, being that they are so widely beloved. Through time, producers, musicians and authors have created reimaginations of the stories, the events before and after, but where Kitty & Mary comes in is a fresh, unseen look at what happened to the forgotten Bennet sisters after Pride & Prejudice—the ones that all-too-frequently have been sidelined by their elder siblings. In this story, Kitty and Mary primarily write diary entries and letters to one another (or write them for when the other can read them) as their lives diverge into different paths away from the shadow of their sisters.
I must say that I have always been drawn to Kitty, even before this book. She is primarily the main forgotten sister of the entire family, seemingly always in the background, but with a rememberable flair for dramatics and a keen lean into playful chaos. Formerly staying around the Darcy residence for an extended period, she is sent back to Longbourn after Mary leaves for India, feeling stagnant without Lydia, yet knowing there’s more for her. Meanwhile Mary’s life takes her beyond what she thought was possible, to spend months at sea before reaching into the wide world of potential past the lines of what she thought possible for herself. The two of them are starkly different but are searching for such similar things in the world beyond marriage, searching for themselves, yet still leaning on one another through it all.
I think that Kitty & Mary is one of the most beguiling and uplifting spins on Pride & Prejudice that I’ve come across. More than just relying on the classic, it spins a whole new tapestry that builds a world for the characters to truly shine and grow. The thumping heartbeat of sisterhood is more than present in the story, but a huge driving force behind who the sisters are individually and together, for better and worse. It was bursting with heart, warmth and charm, a true coming-of-age story that doesn’t dull for a second, and pulls you into the history of the regency era, the places many Jane Austen fans will recognise and love, and the deep, unwavering courage of leaning into who you are and what you love. This feels like a classic in and of itself, and it’s one I know many historical romance readers are going to fall genuinely in love with.
Rating
purchase & Learn More
Let me know your thoughts in the comments or via social media to keep the conversation going. Please do also check out the other stops along the way of the Kitty & Mary Blog Tour!
Happy Reading!
