Description

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With all sorts of delightful Parent Trap-style identical twin hijinks, The Invention of Sophie Carter is the perfect light-and-sweet palate cleanser.

1851. Bounced from one home 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.

About the Author

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Samantha Hastings has degrees from Brigham Young University, the University of Reading (Berkshire, England), and the University of North Texas. She met her husband in a turkey-sandwich line. They live in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she spends most of her time reading, eating popcorn, and chasing her kids. The Last Word is her debut novel.

Praise For…

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Praise for The Invention of Sophie Carter:

A Junior Library Guild Selection
A 2020 Whitney Award Nominee

"I loved reading about the bond between these sisters. The romances were super cute." —Tricia Levenseller, author of Daughter of the Pirate King and The Shadows Between Us

"A delightful read and just what I needed right now. Readers are sure to be as smitten with the Carter sisters as their suitors are by the end of this utterly charming novel. Highly recommended." —Miss Print

"Hilarious, with many laugh-out-loud moments as the twins try to dupe everyone into thinking they’re the same person. ... It has the exact right amount of balance." —Allisa White Books

Praise for The Last Word:

A Junior Library Guild Selection

"Witty, spirited, and utterly swoon-worthy. ... Filled with fierce feminism, impeccable period detail, and a charming romance that's sure to stay with readers long after the last word." —Addie Thorley, author of An Affair of Poisons

“Great voice. Unique premise. … And who can resist a plucky heroine who is determined to help write an unfinished romance novel by her favorite author!” —B.R. Myers, author of Rogue Princess

"Hastings’ debut is a charming period piece with all the romance and scornful nods to high society any Austen fan will love. Lucinda moves beyond the cliché of being a young woman who chafes at the restrictions of a sexist world, as she’s elevated by her true passions—numbers and accounting. The Last Word is the perfect read for anyone who wants to spend a few hours in Victorian England in the company of a girl who understands that the entire country is being led by a Queen." —Booklist

"Refreshing ... Lucinda, a young Victorian woman with a modern sensibility well ahead of her time, has plenty of pluck and determination. Hastings' breezy prose and crafty plotting will leave readers racing to uncover her own last installment." —BookPage

"This book was so lovely! Lucinda’s spunky personality mixed with her independent nature made her one of my favorite female MCs ... If you love historical romance than you’ll definitely love this one!" —The Clever Reader

"I was blown away by the wonderful feminist themes throughout this book, and Hastings delivered them with such a witty punch. Lucinda is the type of heroine girls need to read about! ... This book was everything I’d hoped it would be and then some." —YA and Wine