The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (Montague Siblings, 2)

I have to start by saying that I loved the previous book and was so excited for this one because Felicity was such a fun part of the Gentleman's Guide and I couldn't wait to see more of her and follow her on her journey. But unfortunately, this one just didn't have the same amount of of excitement and charm as the first.The biggest problem, it seemed to me, was Felicity herself and her inner monologue. It was just so repetitive. She wants to be a doctor. And she's a woman living in a man's world. We get it. So much of it just seemed to be hitting us over the head with her situation. We know. We live in this world too and don't need to be reminded over and over again that men are in charge and determine what we're allowed to do. I was hoping for more of an empowering character rather than someone whining all the time. But I do understand how frustrating her world is so there is that, I guess. But overall, I wanted her to take charge and so much of this book just seemed to be her either running from something or following someone else. She didn't ever really seem to be the one leading. And I was a little sad about that.We also seemed to lose some of her sass from the first book with being in her head so much. It still came out quite a bit when Monty and Percy were around, so those turned out to be some of the best scenes. But I also really enjoyed the ones with Sim and Joanna. Sim added a nice touch of adventure and danger and recklessness while Joanna gave us both a sense of Felicity's past as well as a balance to her idea of the "modern woman". Felicity has a built in belief that women who want a traditional role in life of motherhood and care about society and how they dress, etc. are somehow less than those who don't. It was nice to see Joanna give Felicity some of her own medicine and show her that women can be both mothers and traditional and still interesting and important. Plus, I love a book with female friendships and this had both new and old.One last thing, there isn't any romance and this book and I thougth the way Felicity explained her views on love and romance were done really well. She never does come outright and call herself asexual but those terms certainly didn't exist back then so it would be a little out of place. But she is firm in her belief that she doesn't want and doesn't need a romance or sexual relationship and I think this representation is going to be important to a lot of people. It's almost impossible to find YA books where the MC isn't involved or actively looking for a relationship so I think getting this out there in a way that explains the MCs feelings quite well is important.Overall, I enjoyed this book for it's relationships and representation but I didn't love it nearly as much as the first. I had hoped for more from Felicity and a little less repetition from her inner monologue. I still hope to read more from Mackenzi Lee!!

I adored this book because Felicity was allowed to shine and I now feel feminist AF."I didn't realize it would be so hard.""To study medicine?"Yes, I think, but also to be a woman alone in the world.The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy picks up after the events of The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue but this time we are treated to Felicity's point of view. I was honestly more excited about this novel than its predecessor. I went back and reread my review of Gentleman's Guide and I was surprised to see I only rated it 3 stars and that I actually had some valid reasons for it (valid to me at least). In Gentleman's Guide though, I loved Felicity from the start whereas it took me time to warm up to her brother Monty and his beau Percy. I will say though, this time around I liked Monty and Percy a whole lot more. Maybe because they weren't the main characters. Maybe because they had grown up. One may never know."You deserve to be here. You deserve to exist. You deserve to take up space in this world of men."Felicity Montague wants nothing more than to be allowed to study medicine and become a physician. It is no small feat for a woman in the 18th century trying to become a doctor in a field dominated by men though. When an opportunity to 'study' preventative medicine with her childhood idol Dr Alexander Platt presents itself Felicity finds herself crashing Dr Platt and his fiance Johanna's wedding. But, Johanna happens to be a childhood friend of Felicity's before a falling out. Shenanigans ensue and Felicity ends up on a journey to the ends of the earth - not with Dr Platt though, but with Johanna and Sim, who just happens to be a fierce lady pirate."Your beauty is not a tax you are required to pay to take up space in this world."This story tackled a lot of topics, such as: racism, homophobia, feminism, and many many more. I have never felt more empowered to venture out into the world with my best gal pals and try to make a name for myself.

I kept finding myself setting this book aside and turning to other books. I did finally finish it - it is a fun adventure and the historical notes at the end of the book referencing her research are quite worthwhile. But... I suppose I missed Monty and Percy. They showed up at the beginning and briefly at the end, but they are mostly absent. This is not their story at all. Maybe I missed romance. (The book has no romantic storyline). Felicity realizes that she is asexual, which I suppose is interesting for a protagonist. She pretty much said that in the first book and this book only confirms that.But it is a great story of female empowerment and the three women and their individual journeys. I just never quite connected with them. I was sympathetic but though there was a lot of running about and events, and personal issues between the girls - I was always looking through a window at people I didn't really know. Felicity has a constant stream of understandable angst and anger about being a woman in her age - but after a bit it became one note and predictable even if the plot events were wildly unpredictable and at times a little random and convenient. So, I kept setting the book down and picking up stories that were more gripping. But, I did eventually finish and I do not regret the time spent. It is a tall tale of fantastic exploits with three female protagonists. If you read the first book, it is interesting to see where the characters go.

Since reading The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, I’ve been looking forward to this companion novel focusing on Monty’s aro/ace sister who wants to be a doctor but is denied the kind of education she needs because she’s a woman.Following the events of their turbulent trip across Europe in The Gentleman’s Guide, Felicity has been working in a bakery in Edinburgh, a city renowned for its progress and education in medicine, and trying to convince various hospital boards to allow her to study. When the baker she’s working with proposes to her, Felicity decides to visit Monty and Percy in London to get away from a future of popping out babies.In London she once again tries to convince a hospital board to take her on, and again she is patronised and laughed at. One of the doctors takes pity on her and advises her to seek out Dr Alexander Platt, Felicity’s idol, who has travelled to Stuttgart to get married to an old childhood friend of Felicity’s. Though Monty tries to stop her, Felicity strikes a deal with a pirate, Sim, who agrees to take her to Stuttgart because there’s something there that she wants herself.What ensues is another romp, with a distinctly feminist feel and a science girl gang.Felicity is a very different protagonist to Monty, and while she doesn’t quite have his sense of humour she’s still wonderfully sarcastic and I laughed out loud several times while reading this book. Part of the joy of reading this book is having Felicity grow on you as a heroine. She’s not particularly likeable straight away.Felicity goes on several journeys throughout this book; her literal journey to Stuttgart and her journey towards the career she wants, but my favourite thing about this book was how Lee completely trampled on the ‘not like other girls’ trope. Felicity does initially think she’s better than other girls who like traditionally feminine things, because the misogynistic 18th century world she’s been raised in has taught her that femininity means weakness and not being taken seriously.Her friendship with Sim and Johanna, Sim who she has only just met and Johanna who she was best friends with when they were children, helps pull Felicity out of her internalised misogyny. Her friendship with Johanna, in particular, was so well written.So many of us have that one friendship in childhood that was almost an obsession, spending long summers together where you can’t imagine not being together, and then adulthood comes along and forces change and not all friendships survive it. Felicity’s discovery that Johanna liking pretty dresses and wearing makeup doesn’t mean she can’t also still like animals and the outdoors and botany was such wonderful character growth, and it was lovely to see these two friends rediscover each other.It was so satisfying to see Felicity’s asexuality discussed and acknowledged, too. The word ‘asexuality’ itself wasn’t used, and as far as I know that word wasn’t used in terms of human sexuality in the 18th century, but she is very clear romance is something she’s simply not interested in. Even better, when another girl shows an interest in her she doesn’t try to force some kind of relationship on her and instead is quite happy to remain her friend and nothing more.We do get glimpses of Monty and Percy in this book, who are sickeningly in love and it’s adorable, but while it was lovely to see them they didn’t overtake the plot and it remained very much Felicity’s book. In fact, I think I enjoyed this book even more than I enjoyed The Gentleman’s Guide – it was so refreshing to read a YA novel where the focus was on friendship, and friendship between girls at that, more than anything else.I can’t wait to read whatever Lee releases next, her writing style is so easy to gobble up, and I hope, one day, we might see more of the Montagues – even if it’s just the odd short story.

The follow up to The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue—a romp across eighteenth-century Europe as Henry Montague's Grand Tour goes awry and he finds himself getting into scapes and adventures alongside his sister and the guy he's secretly in love with—finds Felicity Montague, Monty's sister, on a quest to get a formal education in medicine. However, chances for women to study medicine in the eighteenth-century aren't forthcoming, and Felicity ends up on a scheme to meet and work with one of her heroes who is about to marry Felicity's estranged childhood friend. To pull this off, she must work with a mysterious woman with an agenda of her own who wants to travel to the wedding as Felicity's maid, but as with the previous book in the series, this is only the start of a journey that crosses countries and the sea.Again, Mackenzi Lee shows how historical YA fiction should be done. Felicity is a powerful main character, deeply flawed like her brother, desperate to achieve her dreams. She even is forced to confront her own internalised misogyny and to realise that there are things outside her experience that she needs to learn about and consider. Johanna and Sim are both varied and interesting characters who contribute towards Felicity's personal reflection as well as the exciting narrative, and in general Lee endeavours to show female characters finding different ways to fight back.The playful approach to history found in Gentleman's Guide is continued here, with some details changed for plot reasons as highlighted in an author's note after the text, but this one feels more cuttingly historical in some ways, possibly due to greater reflection on oppression and continuing themes picked up in the earlier book. Have no fear though, there's plenty of pirates and schemes and sea dragons to keep the adventure going too.Fans of the first book will probably love this one For anyone else, this is a book for people who love female figures in history and would like a fun, exciting novel about fictional ones, particularly women involved in science, nature, and piracy. Aimed at young adult readers but great for anyone looking for a light, exhilarating read, it is charming but also manages to provide reflection on the situation and treatment of different people, then and now. Felicity will be a hero for many people.

While there was nothing in particular to dislike about The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, this follow-up is even better, perhaps because it allows author Mackenzi Lee to address issues closer to her heart and experience. It helps that the lead character is one you root for more from the off, although Felicity Montague is still flawed, like her brother Monty, and realising and addressing this forms a major part of the story. Which itself is another ripping yarn that spans continents, although this time with a distinctive element of fantasy thrown in to offset the more quotidian (but no less riveting) drama. Overall it's a deceptively easy, very enjoyable read that has a lot to say about friendship, loyalty and ambition that's worth listening to. Whilst revelling in the outlandish fiction of it all.

This is the follow up book to another of Mackenzi Lee’s books, The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue. I loved that book to pieces, as I did this one!! This book focuses on Felicity Montague, a bright young woman who’s biggest dream is to become a doctor in a time when women were only really allowed to become a wife and mother.This book follows her adventures chasing this dream, and all the shenanigans she gets into along the way!I recommend this book is you love pirates, strong women, historical fiction or all of he above!!!

~maybe more of a 3.5~The final quarter of the book really saved it for me! It was so good, action packed and exciting - however it took a bit of work to get there. It probably didn't help that I read this while in an intense university period however it just took me so long to read. It didn't feel like very much was happening and I just wasn't connecting with felicity (until the latter half of the book). However I was chuffed with how explicitly LGBT+ themes are presented, that it focused on women and one of them was Muslim! real niceThere were a few grammatical errors I picked up on but they didn't really hinder my enjoyment tbh