Hi y’all!

Hope you are staying cool and having fun this summer. I have to admit that I am definitely a fall girl so the hotter it gets, the more I long for cooler weather.

I am thrilled to be sharing my ARC review of The English Masterpiece by Katherine Reay! Katherine Reay has long been an auto-read author for me. I love her storytelling, her characters, and her unique historical settings (and fun literary references!). This is such a beautiful addition to her collection of historical novels. The story is engaging from the first page and I couldn’t read fast enough to discover how it all comes together!

I’ve reviewed many of Katherine’s books over the years. Check out my previous reviews here:

Dear Mr. Knightley
Lizzy and Jane
The Brontë Plot
A Portrait of Emily Price
The Austen Escape
The London House
The Berlin Letters

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the author/publisher through Netgalley.
All opinions are my own.
This book releases June 10th, 2025!

Book Summary: “As the recently promoted assistant to the Tate’s Modern Collections keeper Diana Gilden, Lily helps plan a world-class Picasso exhibit to honor the passing of the great artist–and she’s waited her whole life for this moment. The opening is beyond anyone’s expectations–the lighting, the champagne, the glittering crowd, and the international acclaim–until Lily does the unthinkable. She stops in front of a masterpiece and hears her own voice say, “It’s a forgery.” The gallery falls silent.

Lily’s boss, Diana, is polished perfection, schooled in art, and descends from European high society. She’s worked hard to become the trusted voice in London’s modern art scene and respected across the Continent. The Tate’s Picasso Commemorative is to be her crowning achievement, featuring not only the artist’s most iconic and intimate works, but a newly discovered painting–one she advised an investor to purchase. But when Lily makes her outrageous declaration, suspicion and scandal threaten everything Diana has achieved, as museums and collectors across Europe, already doubting most post-war acquisitions, fall into chaos and rumors of a world-wide forgery run wild.

All Lily has ever wanted is to follow in Diana’s footsteps and take the art world by storm in her own right. Yet one comment puts not only her own career at risk but also her mentor’s. Unless . . . Was she right? With the clock ticking and the clues starting to pile up against her, Lily must uncover the truth behind the Picasso before she loses not only the career she’s always wanted, but her freedom.“

The dual perspectives were both beautifully written and so compelling to experience. I loved getting to know Lily. Her dedication and passion for art were exquisitely developed. As we add pieces of her story throughout the novel, her humanity and relatability only increased. She carries a lot of guilt from her past and seeks to control her present and future. But she is also willing to change and faces some tough questions about her life over the course of the novel. I was rooting for her as she seeks the truth to absolve her name. Diana was a truly fascinating character. From her public personas to her impeccable attention to detail, she creates her identity to fit each situation she finds herself in. As we learn more about her background and personal life, I was in awe of her strength and her courage. Life has not been easy for her, but she has not wallowed because of her trials. She fights for her future and creates the world she wants to live in, no matter the potential cost.

I really enjoyed the London setting (one of my favorite places) set in a new to me time period of 1973. Having this fantastic city as a backdrop to such a fast paced mystery was lovely. This moment in time was also so interesting. Many things were changing and developing making the world smaller. Yet people still remember the years of WWII and the changes that came because of that war as well. I loved the combination of the Tate Gallery setting and the art world of this time period.

The fast paced mystery at the heart of this story was fascinating. I did not realize that Picasso died in the 1970s! His modernity was so interesting to learn about. Learning about the process of creating an exhibition was fascinating including all the details needed to borrow pieces from other museums. And then there is the forgery. From the details that lead Lily to call it a forgery to the specifics of how it was created, Woman Laughing had such a compelling and engaging history. I was riveted by the story, the discovery of who created this forgery ,and why that changed so much for so many people.

Katherine Reay does it again! I love her writing style and was engrossed in this mystery from the first chapter. A truly compelling story!

What are your favorite historical novels?
Which time periods do you love experiencing in books?

Katherine Reay is a national bestselling and award-winning author of twelve novels and one non-fiction work. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Northwestern University, her writing has appeared in numerous publications, including Redbook, USA TODAY, The Daily Beast, Criminal Element, and many more. She holds a master’s in marketing from Northwestern University as well. Katherine is also a co-founder and host of the What the Dickens Book Club on Facebook and The 10 Minute Book Talk on Instagram. She is a mother of three and lives in Montana with her husband and their dogs. Her latest novel, THE ENGLISH MASTERPIECE will release on June 10, 2025, and centers upon a young woman framed for forging a Picasso found in London’s Tate Gallery in 1973.