The Invention of Sophie Carter by Samantha Hastings Pages: 320
Published by Swoon Reads on July 14, 2020
Genres: Young Adult, contemporary, Romance
Source: Paperback ARC from Publisher
1851. Bounced from one begrudging relative 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 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.
With all sorts of delightful Parent Trap-style identical twin hijinks, The Invention of Sophie Carter is the perfect light-and-sweet palate cleanser.
The Invention of Sophie Carter is a young adult victorian era romance by Samantha Hastings. This novel was utterly adorable and completely lovable. It felt like a Victorian era parent trap, which was a ton of fun. Swoon Reads somehow manages to always pick the perfect books and perfect authors to release feel good romances that are sure to put a big smile on your face. And The Invention of Sophie Carter is no different. I loved this book and I had a blast reading it.
In The Invention of Sophie Carter we meet identical twins Sophie and Mariah Carter. The twins couldn’t be more different, but when their aunt tells them she only has space for one of them to live with her, they hatch an ingenious plan to both go and act as if they were one person. Nothing can possible go wrong there, right? This book was a delightful comedy of errors and happenstance that leads the twins to court different gentleman suitors, who each think they are courting Sophie Carter, and to each try and get the most out of their London experience. Sophie and Mariah are each delightful in their own right, and I love seeing their bond as sisters. It is clear that they love and look out for one another. Sophie is outspoken and loud and Mariah is much more reserved, and watching their personalities differences come through in the romance aspect of the story was excellent.
Which leads me to my next point. I loved the romances so much! Ethan and Charles were great, and watching some of the scenes play out between all of the characters actually had me genuinely laughing out loud. Art history enthusiasts will enjoy seeing references and visits to many famous pieces of artwork, as the Sophie’s visit London’s various art collections. That was a nice touch to the world building of the story that made the reading experience come alive even more for me.
Bottom line: If you are a fan of the Parent Trap, you will love The Invention of Sophie Carter. If you have never seen the Parent Trap, then The Invention of Sophie Carter will be perfect for fans of romantic comedies set in a historical setting. This book was adorable and completely hilarious, which is always a winning combination in my opinion. I can’t wait to read more by author Samantha Hastings. She has a real talent for writing a very satisfying story. The Invention of Sophie Carter was exactly what I was in the mood to read! I loved this book.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2020 New Release Challenge
- Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge 2020
adorable and completely hilarious would suit me just fine. thanks for the awesome review
sherry @ fundinmental