4.5⭐️s

A moving, enriching historical fiction tale weaving a complex tapestry of the social issues and themes prevalent at the time. This gifts a riveting story exploring female friendship and empowerment, societal expectations on women, and being your true self. There’s intrigue, mystery, possibility, and scandalous goings on – don’t hesitate to pick this one up!

Sheridan’s sumptuous and vibrant prose place us in Victorian Scotland. The time and place is perfectly captured and the setting comes alive as the reader feels they are there in the moment. It’s a fascinating world inhibited by such well crafted, nuanced characters. The slow pace enables the reader to take their time and really get to know the characters, we see their heart warming journeys and risks they take. The development arc they go on is amazing. I loved their distinct, authentic voices and astute observations as they trail blaze their own paths amidst an oppressive atmosphere.

Charlotte feels a bit lost and alone in the wake of tragedy. She has time to think about what’s important and a brave spirit that will not conform to others’ expectations. I loved her independence, both in terms of thinking and in how she lives her life, and the choices she makes. Will her reputation survive?

Ellory is a talented photographer not adhering to the restrictions placed on her in this male dominated world. She’s clever, ambitious and a wonderful innovator. Will her secrets cause a scandal?

As their worlds collide an unlikely bond is forged. Despite their different circumstances they have much in common. As they share confidences and support one another during difficult times the power of their friendship stands out, which was a delight to see.

I also enjoyed getting to know Murray and Jeremiah as they each fight their own battles. They are both strikingly brought to life, feeling like real people you know, adding much to the narrative and important themes covered.

The Secrets of Blythswood Square is a well researched story that’s highly entertaining. It has a terrific plot, memorable characters who draw the reader in, and holds a looking glass up to societal conventions at the time. It was a joy to read this beautifully written tale showing the power of acceptance and fighting for what you believe in.

With thanks to @AlainnaGeorgiou, @HodderBooks and @sarasheridan for my place on the Tour and copy of the book.

This is a wonderfully researched book set in 1840s Glasgow, rich in historical detail and full of interesting characters.

It is the story of two very different women, both in background and at first glance character, but equally strong and determined, whose paths cross as they battle to find their own way in the world and challenge societal expectations of the time.

Charlotte’s comfortable existence is turned upside down following the death of her father - faced with a much smaller inheritance than expected and having discovered her father’s secret collection of erotic art, she begins to question how well she knew him and must figure out how to dispose of the collection whilst not damaging her reputation. Ellory is a working class girl who takes the brave step of moving from Edinburgh to Glasgow to try and make a name for herself in the male-dominated world of photography. The women form an unlikely friendship and support each other as they deal with everything life throws at them.

Both Ellory and Charlotte are well drawn characters, as is the interesting Jeremiah who shines a light on the challenges faced by gay men at that time. Amongst the fictional characters Sheridan also weaves in a real life character, American abolitionist Frederick Douglass, which adds another interesting element to the story.

Sheridan really does make the period come alive - and it is clear from the author’s notes how much research has gone into the book - and tells a story that creates a wonderful read that I recommend to all lovers of historical fiction.

I've loved spending time in Georgian Glasgow with these beautifully vivid characters 💖

Glasgow, 1846 - Charlotte Nicholl stands to inherit a fortune following the death of her father, however she soon discovers he had quite a few murky secrets hidden away and must decide between pleasing the church and society or braving it on her own.

Ellory McHale is a young photographer who has made her way from Edinburgh to Glasgow to set up her own business, and sharing a solicitor with Charlotte, the two meet and become firm friends - both in their own way are unconventional and independent, hiding secrets that could ruin them.

This is a stunning tale of freedom - for women, enslaved people, gay men, from religion, intolerance and prejudice. I thoroughly enjoyed the relationships between these striking characters and would love to know what will be next for the newly married couple and those who left Glasgow to travel to London and beyond!

When Ellory Mann receives the opportunity of a life time, she leaves her post as an assistant photographer in Edinburgh to set up her own studio as the first and only female photographer in Glasgow. Charlotte Nicholls is an heiress, now in charge of her father’s house in Blythswood Square after his death. Linked by solicitor Murray Urquhart, the women embrace their independence to challenge societal expectations.

A great historical fiction that explores social attitudes towards women, class, religion, sexuality and art in the Victorian era. I found the themes of this book really interesting and I enjoyed learning about the characters. The book is well-written and I found the story flowed well. Without giving away any spoilers, I was only a little disappointed that it didn’t go on longer as I would have liked to find out more what happened to the characters and think some plot points could have been explored further.

This was surprisingly lighthearted and fun look at Victorian Glasgow. The worldbuilding here is fantastic, so rich that you feel fully immersed in the time. I found it slightly slow going at first but eventually it was full of twists and turns. There ends up being quite a lot happening here with a brilliant cast of characters.

Most of all it's packed with funny, fiery, wonderful women who I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know. Ellory and Charlotte are very different people with different lives but they both come fiercly with their own minds. Really enjoyed.

This is the second Sara Sheridan book I have read and this was as good as the last. The story of a young female photographer making her way in Glasgow in the early days of photography is fascinating. I must add that I also listened to the audio book and this to my mind was an even better way to enjoy the story as it is very clearly and well narrated.

This is my first book by Sara Sheridan, and I was truly impressed by the depth of her research in this compelling piece of Scottish Victorian historical fiction with its rich details of the period and great sense of location, along with the way it highlights the stresses and pressures faced by women, the norms, expectations and attitudes that flourished in what was a turbulent time. We are deftly immersed in the lives of 2 women from distinctly different backgrounds and circumstances, how their paths cross and the formation of a powerful friendship. In Glasgow, an ill equipped and grieving young Charlotte Nicholl has lost the only person who mattered, her father, and is now alone, having to negotiate an obstacle strewn path of restrictions, despite coming from a wealthy background and living in Blythswood Square, rumours abound and lives are heavily scrutinised and judged.

The courageous and ambitious Ellory comes from Edinburgh, attracted to and gifted in photography, a field dominated by men, nevertheless looking to succeed and keen to take advantage of the opportunity to establish herself in Glasgow. Charlotte is not drawn to the institution of marriage, which is expected of her, not even to her childhood friend and lawyer, Murray. She is facing financial pressures, and becomes aware of her father's secret that threatens to ruin her reputation as she stumbles across his collection of erotic art, and the problem it poses, how can she safely dispose of the art below the radar? Ellory is a woman with her own secrets, the 2 women are to find their way to establishing a great and supportive friendship with each other.

Sheridan's storytelling is atmospherically vibrant, she makes the historical period come alive, painting a picture of the issues and themes of the era, the poverty, photography, class nequalities, disability, sexuality, religion, and her characterisations are superb, feeling authentic, particularly Charlotte and Ellory, both admirable strong, determined, and independent women. She outlines how each woman develops, plus there is a cast of fascinating characters, such as the gay Jeremiah Catto, neighbourhood busybodies and more, including the inclusion of Frederick Douglass. The author goes on to give a detailed, illuminating, and insightful glimpse of what inspired her at the end of the book, plus there are explanations of some of the details and other aspects too. A brilliant read I recommend to those who love their historical fiction. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Initially set in Edinburgh moving swiftly to Glasgow in 1846, this nineteenth century historical fiction features an array of likeable characters, with the occasional not so nice busybodies.
Miss Ellory Mann is a photographer, both her and Miss Charlotte Nicholl a lady of wealth are the main female characters.
Featuring early photography as a living, and women facing the challenges of a male dominating era.
Moments of people in history featured too. As mentioned in the acknowledgements at the end of the book in further detail.

I found the book very interesting, its research by the author evident. It was one of those books I couldn’t put down for wanting to know what happened next.
This is the first book I have read from this author, and now I’d like to read her previous and future books.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for an advanced e-book copy. Opinions about the book are entirely my own.

While I was initially drawn to The Secrets of Blythswood Square because of its striking cover with those sumptuous flowers, I knew as soon as I read the publisher's blurb that I needed to read this book.
Set in Scotland in 1846 the book tells the story of two young women who despite growing up in very different circumstances will develop an enduring friendship. Charlotte Nicholl lives in the respectable area of Blythswood Square, surrounded by the families of rich business men. When her father dies she is struggling with the grief and frustration she feels, as well as the constraints and expectations that society places on her as a young single woman.. When it emerges that a large chunk of her inheritance is missing Charlotte fears losing the only home she knows, and the discovery of a hidden room filled with erotic art makes her question if she really knew her father at all. Getting rid of the collection is a priority but it is something that must be handled discreetly if Charlotte is not to destroy her reputation.
Ellory McHale has recently moved from Edinburgh to Glasgow to open her own photography studio, a brave move for a woman who grew up in relative poverty and now must face the challenges of trying to break into a career dominated by men. Determined to fight the odds and succeed she is willing to go further than she ever imagined even if it sometimes means engaging with the seedier side of the industry. It seems unlikely that she and Charlotte would ever cross paths but they do, and what follows is a book that centres strong female characters and the importance of friendship.
I loved this book, the attention to historical detail is excellent and having read the author's notes at the end of the book I can see how much time and attention she pored into the work. All of the characters feel strikingly real, and I found myself liking each of them, something which is rare in my experience and made me like the book all the more. While Charlotte and Ellory are the central characters, there is another , Jeremiah Catto, who added another perspective to the story by shining a light on life as a gay man in that era. While these characters are all fictional, it was interesting to see real life historical figures woven into the story, most notably Frederick Douglass the American abolitionist.
This was my first book by Sara Sheridan but I immediately want to read her earlier book "The Fair Botanists"
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗘𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗧𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗕𝗟𝗬𝗧𝗛𝗦𝗪𝗢𝗢𝗗 𝗦𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗥𝗘
—𝘀𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗻 | 𝟯.𝟳𝟱🌟

“𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘴.”

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲:
✨Historical fiction
✨Set in 1846 Glasgow
✨Celebrates female independence
✨Explores photography
✨Character driven

𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀:
In Blythswood Square, neighbours keenly look out for improper behaviour that they can condemn to feel righteously superior. And their eyes are trained on Charlotte Nicholl, recently bereaved daughter who has just lost her father; her only living relative. Now, Charlotte has to settle into the role of heiress and she is determined to do this independently with the support of old friend—and solicitor—Murray, and nee friend, Ellory, a working class female photographer.

𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:
In an era where wives were glorified housekeepers, Sara Sheridan has written a historical fiction book that 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗲𝘀 those 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀 and presents almost like a 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 of 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲.

The pacing of this character driven story is 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄, however, I feel that this is because the characters are so 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 and that even the side characters are given room to develop. I adored how both Charlotte and Ellory developed, for Ellory it seemed to happen quickly whereas Charlotte’s growth was more languid but no less 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹.

I have read lots of historical fiction, particularly centered around the treatment of women, but The Secrets of Blythswood Square struck me as 𝗮𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗳𝘂𝗹 into the Victorian era, the relevant topics, and societal attitudes and behaviours at that time. This book is an 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 of research compiled into a story that wants to unlock all the doors of Blythswood Square and unearth the skeletons in the closet. 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘁: there are many.

𝗞𝗮𝘆𝗹𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵 | 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗵 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘆

Another brilliant book from Sara Sheridan! So many twists and turns and wonderful characters. Sheridan brings Glasgow alive and tackles some really interesting themes.

Full review will be posted on www.instagram.com/thehistorybelles nearer publication date.

The Secrets of Blythswood Square is a story of success. The women within the novel are strong, heroic characters who are all trail blazers in their own way. I loved the setting; and look forward to learning more about Victorian Glasgow. The authors notes at the end of the novel were hugely enjoyable. The characters were rich and well developed, and I enjoyed following their journey.

As the much-anticipated latest novel of Sara Sheridan, author of Fair Botanists, The Secrets of Blythswood Square had a lot to live up to, and a big shadow to step out from. But this riveting novel rose to and exceeded the challenge.

The Secrets of Blythswood Square follows Charlotte Nicholl and Ellory Mann as they find their ways in Glasgow - one, a recent heiress who uncovered her late father’s dark secret, and the other, a photographer granted an unexpected chance at independence and success.

Sara Sheridan proves once again that she can write compelling and sympathetic stories for her characters, detailing aspects of life that are often overlooked. In Blythswood Square, Sheridan demonstrates her mastery of the craft.

I really enjoyed the cast of characters in this novel, particularly Jeremiah Catto and his inner monologue. Seeing our main characters, Ellory and Charlotte, step into themselves and their potential was immensely satisfying. This was a book that was very easy to get into, and very hard to put down!

Sheridan paid attention to issues contemporaneous to the novel, weaving the story of Frederick Douglass into her fictionalised Glasgow women’s lives and providing further reading at the end of the book.

All in all, this is yet another exceptional read from Sara Sheridan. I can’t wait to see what she publishes next!!!

Thank you to NetGalley UK and Holder & Staughton for their gratis copy.

Unfortunately, I ran out of time due to personal circumstances so was not able to read, really sorry for any inconvenience.

What goes on behind closed doors brings scandal and intrigue alive in Victorian Glasgow. Delve into the dark history of Blythswood Square in Glasgow that in reality did have a bleak reputation.
A well researched book with characters that come to life to depict a time of turbulence and change on many fronts socially, a story of ladies taking charge of their futures

A fun foray into Victorian Glasgow with strong willed woman at the centre pushing the boundaries of Victorian high society. I loved reading about how photography working at the time and became fully immersed in Victorian culture and the character’s lives.

3.5 stars 🌟

This was my first book by Sara Sheridan, but I'm now really intrigued about her other work! This was wonderfully written and the absolute depth of detail and research threaded throughout the story is immense. The worldbuilding is truly beautiful, and combined with the fact I've lived in Glasgow and know these streets (and always was in awe of the house on Blythswood Square) I was completely immersed. The attention to detail is so rich, and the characters are so realistic. They felt incredibly human.

The story, in the main, is about women taking charge of their lives and their wishes in a time where that was completely unacceptable - Sara doesn't shy away from this fact and the main characters encounter resistance, scrutiny and derision and still maintain their independence. The way this story weaves together a few different threads, and aligns different characters is masterful, and the ending was absolutely wonderful - really hopeful and positive as each of these women took their independence in their own way.

A wonderful read, and one I would definitely recommend for fans of historical fiction.

Book Review 📚
The secrets of Blythswood Square by Sara Sheridan - 4/5 ⭐

This is my first book by Sheridan and it certainly won't be by last. This was super easy to get into which then created the problem of choosing sleep over reading?! No trainer obviously, reading it is!

I was obsessed with the female characters in this book, Sheridan takes them and makes them these strong, independent, taking no crap from anyone kind of woman. Even more so, it's set in a time where women being independent just does not happen.

Their are several themes to follow throughout the story, but it doesn't become overwhelming. It's a nice paced, easy to read book. There was fantastic character developments, and that was a huge selling point for me, as well as impeccable world building.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for allowing me to read this ARC - this is an HONEST review from my own personal opinion.

3.5

This was beautifully written and I loved Charlotte and Ellory's stories, both separately and then together. The way every deserving character got a happy ending was a win in my eyes.

I did find it a little slow in places.

Thank you for the opportunity to give my honest opinion on this book.

I absolutely loved it, finished it within 2 days. A lighthearted and funny read. I enjoyed how it touched on the struggles of women, politics and social classes with out becoming too heavy or boring. The twists and scandals were easy to follow. Would happily recommend this book.