Waiting on Wednesday: The Wycherleys by Annaliese Avery

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme that originated at Breaking the Spine but has now linked up with Waiting for Wednesday at Wishful Endings. It is always a fun chance to display books that are going to be joining our bookshelves very soon in 2025!

The Wycherleys by Annaliese Avery

13+

This was such an unexpectedly sweet book with a really distinct narrative style and plot. Centered around multiple Sabbaths in the first debutante season of Aurelia Wycherley this had the feeling of a dystopian read and of a subtle regency influence.

Reading a book where the heroine knows what is expected to happen to her, and even knows that she will be shunned from society even further than she already is when her seasons are over could have made the book more of a darker read. However while I felt it did dip into exploration of what happens if you are the exception that slips through the cracks of an otherwise heavily organised society the romance kept things light and warm (I don’t know if warm makes any sense but Nightly and Aurelia just radiated it).

The romance was just right for me and I loved how Aurelia was willing to let Nightly go, she wanted what was best for him despite her feelings. Often this leads to the miscommunication trope but their relationship didn’t stumble down this path. We had a relationship as well, the relationship of their ancestors hundreds of years earlier and how Heston Nightly had cursed Mathilde.

A lot of witchy academia/regency/Victorian reads end up becoming either quite dark or very fluffy but this balanced it nicely. It feels in the same genre to Changeling by Molly Harper, just a more romance focused and less political.

There were a few loose ends I wanted to see wrapped up that didn’t quite – I don’t know if a sequel is being planned?? But despite that it was a really enjoyable read that I would 100% recommend if you want a slightly lighter romantic but still fantasy read!

World – 5/5 – I really like this mix of current/almost alternate reality dystopian and regency witch academia. The three seasons to find your ‘tether’ was a really interesting link to marriage in the regency times and how if you didn’t find one or  high society didn’t deem you suitable for marriage then you were increasingly ignored.

Plot – 4/5 – it felt like it wandered a bit in places mostly because Aurelia isn’t just dealing with a new romance and mystery here she is dealing with the loss of her magic and future. However I wholeheartedly enjoyed it and we got a masquerade ball (I do love those!) and other society events which framed the romance and desperate situation.

Characters  – 5/5 – I love Jules Nightly, his focus on saving his sister, on protecting her from society and how devoted he is to her wellbeing is just the sweetest fictional sibling relationship ever. I also loved Evelyn (his sister) and her interactions with Aurelia were always really enjoyable!

Romance – 4/5 – Sweet Romance – so gorgeous. When a book is marketed as enemies to lovers I am always a little worried that I wont like the dynamics of the romance (often they can stray into a little toxic) but this one felt more like rivals to lovers despite the familial history between the two.

Content Warnings: a little fantasy violence, murder (nothing on the page).