Book Review: Someday Maybe by Ophelia London

Someday Maybe

Author: Ophelia London
Publisher: Entangled Embrace
Publication Date: October 20, 2014

From Goodreads:
Some guys are impossible to forget.

Rachel Daughtry has a 10-year plan that leaves no room for mistakes. Or not-so-serious boys—including Oliver Wentworth, the freshman boyfriend she's never forgotten. Now she's back in San Francisco with an awesome-slash-scary new job. Unfortunately, The Plan doesn't cover things like meeting her best friend's new “secret” guy...Oliver.

Fortunately, no one knows that Rachel and Oliver were ever together, and endless bikini wax torture couldn't make Rachel hurt her friend. But it's killing Rachel. She's not over him. Not even a little. And as her 10-year-plan crumbles around her, Rachel realizes that maybe—just maybe—Oliver feels the same way.

Now Rachel is on the verge of losing all control. And her best friend. And the love of her life...

Someday Maybe is a modern take on Jane Austen’s Persuasion that proves a second chance at true love is always worth the risk.

Review:
Someday Maybe is a modern retelling of Persuasion by Jane Austen. In this version of Persuasion, the main character, Rachel, persuades herself that her freshman year boyfriend, Oliver, cannot fit into her ten year plan.  With a little prod from her brother, Rachel breaks it off with Oliver.  Six years later, they are both living in San Francisco and Oliver is dating/flirting with Rachel's best friend who never knew about their freshman year relationship and Rachel is becoming friends with Oliver's sister.  Even though Rachel and Oliver clearly approached their professional lives in different ways they have ultimately arrived at similar conclusions.

The setting is San Francisco, the dialogue is great, the plot is fun and inventive yet true to the original storyline in Persuasion and I liked both characters.  This is my second Austen retelling by Ophelia London and I would definitely recommend this book, even though I did not recommend Definitely, Maybe in Love.  Note, I seem to be in minority with my criticisms of Definitely, Maybe in Love.  Even though both of these books are New Adult, the content is mild enough that it would be appropriate for teenagers. 

As always if you have read any modern retellings of Austen that you would recommend please share your thoughts.

Posted By: Sheri

Book Review: Solving For Ex by Leigh Ann Kopans

Solving for Ex 

Author:  Leigh Ann Kopans
Publisher:  Create Space Independent Publishers, 340pages
Publication Date:  February 11, 2014

From Goodreads:
1 crush on your best friend +
1 gorgeous, scheming new girl +
1 Mathletics competition =
1 big mess

SIMPLIFY.

Ashley Price doesn’t have much in life after being bullied so hard she had to leave her old school to live with her aunt and uncle in Pittsburgh. But the camera she borrowed from her best friend and secret crush Brendan, and her off the charts math abilities, make things a lot more bearable. Plus, since Brendan is the captain, making the school Mathletes team should be easy.

But when gorgeous new girl Sofia rolls in and steals Brendan, Ashley's place on the team, and her fragile foothold on the Mansfield Park Prep social totem pole, it’s on. Sofia is everything Ashley left her old school to escape. The only thing Ashley didn’t count on is Sofia’s sexy twin brother Vincent.

Vincent is not only the hottest boy in school, he’s charming, sweet, and he’s got his eye on Ashley. He’s also not taking no for an answer. There's no real reason Ashley shouldn't like Vincent, but with the battle lines being drawn between her and Sofia, Ashley’s not sure which side he’s on. Or which side she wants him to be on.  She does know Sofia is trouble with a capital T, and she’s determined to make Brendan see it.

SOLVING FOR EX is a YA contemporary romance that remixes Mansfield Park as Clueless meets Mean Girls in a crazy mix of high school society, mathletic competition, and teenage romance.

Review:
I set a goal to read 5 Jane Austen spin-offs in 2014, and this was my third this year.  Kopans was very faithful to the basic plot in Mansfield Park and this book would be in my top 20% of Jane Austen spin-offs.  I think that Mansfield Park is a particularly difficult Jane Austen book to update and retell even though many have tried.  In trying to stay true to the basic plot of the original, I think the author sacrificed her own character development and created plots that either didn't make sense or were very unrealistic at times.  For example, a party where a student drove a Ferrari into a pool (yes this did remind me of Ferris Bueller).

That said, I enjoyed Solving for Ex on many levels, but I was also annoyed and frustrated several times.  What I liked best was Ashley being a math geek and that Brendan was struggling with problems in his own home.  I loved the style of writing and evolution of Ashley as things develop with Vincent. I loved the cute math equations that ended most of the chapters but unfortunately I didn't always understand the cute math equations.  Be sure to pay attention to the author of the equations (Vincent or Brandon).

My biggest complaint with the book was the ending because it seemed things escalated too quickly.  I really wished that the author had allowed the story to develop at a much slower pace at the end so that the reader had more opportunities to adjust to the plot developments as they unfolded at the end.

Posted By: Sheri

Book Review: My Own Mr. Darcy

My Own Mr. Darcy 

Author: Karey White
Publisher: Orange Door Press
Publication Date: July 15, 2013

From Goodreads:
After being dragged to the 2005 movie Pride and Prejudice by her mother, sixteen-year-old Elizabeth’s life changes when Matthew Macfadyen’s Mr. Darcy appears on the screen. Lizzie falls hard and makes a promise to herself that she will settle for nothing less than her own Mr. Darcy. This ill-advised pledge threatens to ruin any chance of finding true love. During the six intervening years, she has refused to give any interested suitors a chance. They weren’t Mr. Darcy enough. Coerced by her roommate, Elizabeth agrees to give the next interested guy ten dates before she dumps him. That guy is Chad, a kind and thoughtful science teacher and swim coach. While she’s dating Chad, her dream comes true in the form of a wealthy bookstore owner named Matt Dawson, who looks and acts like her Mr. Darcy. Of course she has to follow her dream. But as Elizabeth simultaneously dates a regular guy and the dazzling Mr. Dawson, she’s forced to re-evaluate what it was she loved about Mr. Darcy in the first place.

Review:
So my last Pride and Prejudice redo was such a disaster that I immediately tried again and I am so glad I did.  I ABSOLUTELY loved this book. I should say up front though that this is not YA.  The main character is a year out of college and she is dating two men several years out of college.  That said, the content and story are appropriate for YA and the book serves as a great reminder for not letting one's "dream guy" limit who one actually dates.   

This book was a really creative take on the age old question of, why do we fall for the  jerk when there is a wonderful person just waiting for us to notice?  Since there is absolutely no surprise about who the MC is going to end up with I don't think I need a spoiler alert at this point but if you haven't figured it out from the Goodreads summary you should stop reading now. 

I loved Chad and  I generally liked Matt.  I was really glad the author, Karey White, kept Matt as a mostly nice guy who simply wasn't the right person for Elizabeth.  In doing this she gives the reader the opportunity to really understand why this decision was such a struggle for Elizabeth.  I also truly appreciated how she worked in the standard Austen themes of family life and social class.  If you want to read a book that has a predictable plot, is a little bit sappy, and has you rooting for the good guy then this is the book for you!

Posted By: Sheri

Book Review: Definitely, Maybe in Love

Definitely, Maybe in Love
Author: Ophelia London

Publisher: Entangled Embrace
Publication Date: October 28, 2013

From Goodreads:
A new adult novel from Entangled's Embrace imprint...

Her theory of attraction is about to get a new angle...

Spring Honeycutt wants two things: to ace her sustainable living thesis and to save the environment. Both seem hopelessly unobtainable until her college professor suggests that with a new angle, her paper could be published. Spring swears she’ll do whatever it takes to ensure that happens.

“Whatever it takes,” however, means forming a partnership with the very hot, very privileged, very conceited Henry Knightly.

Henry is Spring's only hope at publication, but he's also the über-rich son of a land developer and cash-strapped Spring’s polar opposite. Too bad she can't help being attracted to the way he pushes her buttons, both politically and physically. As they work on her thesis, Spring finds there's more to Henry than his old money and argyle sweaters…but can she drop the loud-and-proud act long enough to let him in? Suddenly, choosing between what she wants and what she needs puts Spring at odds with everything she believes in.

Definitely, Maybe in Love is a modern take on Pride and Prejudice that proves true love is worth risking a little pride.

Review:
I previously identified five Jane Austen spin-offs that I wanted to read in 2014 and Definitely, Maybe in Love was at the top of my list for a particular reason.  Even though the book is a take on Pride and Prejudice the main character is named Knightly!  So of course I wondered would the book have elements of Emma as well?  It turns out no, but it was a an updated version of Pride and Prejudice.

So what did I like:  I liked the fact that the author chose to have Spring and Henry divided by more than social class.  I liked that Henry's character was multidimensional and interesting but I didn't like that Spring was a stereotyped version of a closed-minded liberal feminist.  Oops, I went to something I didn't like. Unfortunately what I didn't like far surpassed what I liked for two main reasons.  First, in what world does a female undergraduate attending Stanford in 2010 rely on a male law student to help her write HER senior thesis? This was such an offensive part of this story it was almost enough to make me stop reading it.  My second moment of exasperation was when Jules (the equivalent of Jane Bingley) makes a horrible decision that leads to a horrible outcome that the author is too quick to dismiss in my opinion.  Without sounding too much like a member of the women's studies faculty, I truly believe that this book perpetuates two myths that need to be obliterated on college campuses. 

So in the end I crossed off one of my five spin-offs but I would definitely NOT recommend this particular book.

Posted By: Sheri

Movie Review: Austenland

Movie: Austenland
Director: Jerusha Hess
Screenwriter: Jerusha Hess and Shannon Hale
U.S. Released: August 2013

Book: Austenland
Author: Shannon Hale
Published: May 29, 2007

Review:
I came across this book at my university library when I was looking for audiobooks to listen to while caring for my newborn son.  As my sleep-deprived memory recalls, the book was funny, sweet, romantic, and very British even though the main character is not British.  Given all of this, I had high expectations for this movie.

Keri Russell was a wonderful choice for Jane Hayes, the romantic American obsessed with Mr. Darcy, and JJ Field as Henry Nobley was divine.  Unfortunately, most of the other choices were less notable and frankly seemed rather odd to me if one is judging on how much the characters reflected those found in the book.  On the other hand, as characters in a movie, I am always drawn to actress Jennifer Coolidge who played Elizabeth Charming.

The film is about an Austen (Mr. Darcy) obsessed mid twenties woman who decides to spend her entire life savings to go on vacation at an Austen theme park.  Before you dismiss this destination as ludicrous you should know that even official historical landmarks directly related to Austen's life regularly stage "reenactments" for fans to participate in.  Upon arriving, Jane is immediately thrown together with a supporting cast member but finds herself drawn to Mr. Nobley.  What then develops is the typical love triangle with an atypical story line.  Having read the book I knew what to expect but I thought the screenwriter and director did a great job making sure the audience understood Jane's dilemma: does she embrace a possible real love or does she continue to embrace her idealized Mr. Darcy.  I thought the last scene in Jane's apartment was by far the most true to Austen's own stories and would have loved a few more scenes between Jane and her chosen love.

Posted By: Sheri

Lost in Austen: Books and Movies Reviewed in 2013

Imitation is said to be the sincerest form of flattery. It is no surprise then that Jane Austen's novels are frequently used as starting points for many young adult authors.  In previous posts I have reviewed, discussed, and requested information about books that build on Austen's themes, plots, or characters.  From this point forward these posts will be consolidated under the label, Lost in Austen, because who doesn't want to get lost in her world for just a little while longer.

This is my summary of books read and movies watched in 2013 plus my to be read list for 2014.

YA Books Read and Reviewed in 2013

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

The Trouble with Flirting by Claire LaZebnik

Epic Fail by Claire LaZebnik

Adult Books Read in 2013

Austenland by Shannon Hale (Austenland #1)

Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale (Austenland #2)

None But You by Susan Kaye (Captain Fredrick Wentworth #1)

For You Alone by Susan Kaye (Captain Fredrick Wentworth #2)

Movies Released in 2013

Austenland, Directed by Jerusha Hess

Books To Be Read in 2014

Pride and Popularity (The Jane Austen Diaries #1) by Jenni James

The Importance of Being Emma (Darcy & Friends #1) by Juliet Archer

My Own Mr. Darcy by Karey White

Definitely, Maybe in Love by Ophelia London

Solving for Ex by Leigh Ann Kopans

 Posted by:  Sheri