Review: Love, Theodosia by Lori Anne Goldstein

Posted September 1, 2021 by Stephanie in 5 Stars, Historical Fiction, Review / 15 Comments

Title: Love, Theodosia: A Novel of Theodosia Burr and Philip Hamilton
Author: Lori Anne Goldstein
Publication: November 2nd 2021 by Arcade
Genre: Historical Fiction
Find it on: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Bookshop.orgGoogle Books | Kobo
Rating: 5/5

A Romeo & Juliet tale for Hamilton! fans.

In post-American Revolution New York City, Theodosia Burr, a scholar with the skills of a socialite, is all about charming the right people on behalf of her father—Senator Aaron Burr, who is determined to win the office of president in the pivotal election of 1800. Meanwhile, Philip Hamilton, the rakish son of Alexander Hamilton, is all about being charming on behalf of his libido.
When the two first meet, it seems the ongoing feud between their politically opposed fathers may be hereditary. But soon, Theodosia and Philip must choose between love and family, desire and loyalty, and preserving the legacy their flawed fathers fought for or creating their own.

Love, Theodosia is a smart, funny, swoony take on a fiercely intelligent woman with feminist ideas ahead of her time who has long-deserved center stage. A refreshing spin on the Hamiltonian era and the characters we have grown to know and love. It’s also a heartbreaking romance of two star-crossed lovers, an achingly bittersweet “what if.” Despite their fathers’ bitter rivalry, Theodosia and Philip are drawn to each other and, in what unrolls like a Jane Austen novel of manners, we find ourselves entangled in the world of Hamilton and Burr once again as these heirs of famous enemies are driven together despite every reason not to be.

Dear Theodosia, what to say to you?
You have my eyes, you have your mother’s name
When you came into the world, you cried
And it broke my heart

— Dear Theodosia (from the musical Hamilton)

 

Everyone knows the story about Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton by now, made popular in recent years by the hit musical Hamilton. But what if Burr and Hamilton’s children had a story of their own to tell too? That’s where Lori Anne Goldstein created a beautifully written and poignant love story about Theodosia Burr and Philip Hamilton.

I’m a reader that prefers her historical fiction to be as accurate as possible so I wasn’t entirely sure this book would speak to me but I shouldn’t have worried because I was completely and utterly mesmerized by the story. The first thing I noticed was the absolutely gorgeous writing. I really couldn’t get enough of it. And then there was the main character, Theodosia Burr. I absolutely loved reading about her, her life with her father Aaron and how she navigated society in the early 19th century as a clever young woman. Theodosia was also very much the feminist which made me adore her even more.

In this book Theodosia’s romantic relationship with Philip Hamilton was entirely fictional but still the author managed to write the characters and romance so well that they just took my heart and ran with it. Their initial conversations and meetings had an enemies to lovers vibe that I really enjoyed and I couldn’t help but love their banter. The forbidden love as well as Romeo and Juliet vibes were very much present as well.
The relationship between Theodosia and her father was also a really significant one in the story. He clearly doted on her and I loved that Aaron made sure his daughter was as educated as any male child would’ve been. This didn’t mean, though, that he didn’t use her to further his own career. And at a certain point there was no turning back for Theodosia either.

Although the romance between Theodosia and Philip was imagined that doesn’t mean that everything else in the book was. Lori Anne Goldstein clearly did a lot of research, which she goes more into with the author’s note so I would highly recommend to not skip that if you decide to read this book. It was also super fascinating to read. I’ll be surprised if it doesn’t end up in my top 5 favorite books of the year.

What more can I say than I completely fell in love with this book? I do have to warn you that it’s a very tragic love story but I still couldn’t help but jump into it with everything I had. An exquisitely written historical fiction with an unforgettable story featuring star-crossed lovers, Love Theodosia by Lori Anne Goldstein is a page-turner to forever cherish.

About the author:

Lori Anne Goldstein earned her BA in journalism but eventually found her true writing passion in the world of fictional people. She’s never met a beach she didn’t love, a book she wouldn’t read, or a strange food she wouldn’t try. She is the author of SOURCES SAY, which Kirkus calls “Entertaining, thought-provoking, and heartwarming”; SCREEN QUEENS, which Kirkus calls “a fun and uplifting story that celebrates female friendship and empowerment”; and the VOYA-starred young adult contemporary fantasy series BECOMING JINN.

Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Goodreads | BookBub

 

 

15 responses to “Review: Love, Theodosia by Lori Anne Goldstein

  1. verushka

    This sounds pretty amazing — and I like that it injects something entirely different into the Hamilton/ Burr story.

    • That’s why I was surprised that I loved the book so much because the relationship between Theodosia and Philip is entirely fictional but it worked perfectly

Leave a Reply

(Enter your URL then click here to include a link to one of your blog posts.)