Friday, September 12, 2014

Tacke Your TBR Read-a-thon book 1 Review: So Into You



Book: So Into You (The Jane Austen Academy series book #2) by Cecilia Gray

Source: Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review

Publication: Available now

Description:

Sweet and sensible Ellie hasn't met a problem her mom's yoga mantras can't fix. But when Ellie's parents threaten to pull her from the Academy just as her flirtation with the cutest boy in school heats up, will Ellie be able to keep her cool?

The last thing that the girls at the elite Jane Austen Academy need is guys. But over the summer the school has been sold, and like it or not, the guys are coming. And they're about to turn the Academy—and the lives of its students—totally upside down...

Dive into the fabulous, fun lives of six Academy girls as their friendships are tested, torn and ultimately triumph.



Rating: 4 stars

Review:

The sequel picks right up where the first book Fall For You leaves off with the students still getting use to the new changes at the Jane Austen Academy. Whereas the first book was a retelling of Pride and Prejudice this one had an interesting combination of Sense and Sensibility and Emma. With mostly focusing on Sense and Sensibility. In this story Eleanor "Ellie" Dvorak who was having to figure out a way to stay at the academy since her parents have decided to move to another country and want her to go with them.

Besides trying to figure out a way to stay, Ellie's feelings for Edward were really growing but with both of them being so awkward around each other are they doomed to just be friends only. It also appears that Edward maybe hiding something from her. Ellie isn't the only one with romance problems, Emma thinks she's found the right guy, Josh Wickham but is he really the guy she should be with.

I like Ellie, even though she doesn't like confrontation and has a hard time expressing her feelings but she has a heart of gold. With parents who are yogis and lead a Zen lifestyle it sometimes hard for Ellie to go after things she wants especially if it doesn't vibe with what the universe is telling her to do. But her desire to stay at the Jane Austen Academy may give her the chance to become the person she's meant to be.

Even though this story was mainly about Ellie I found I did not like Lizzie very much in this. She went from being a smart, independent, outspoken, fighter for injustice and a loyal friend to being this selfish character who gets angry at needless things. She was also not really a good friend to Ellie ever since Lizzie started dating Dante. She turned into one of those people who once they get into a relationship immediately forget about their friends. She didn't even try to help Ellie figure out a way to stay at the school. She even quit the student newspaper supposedly as a protest against the headmistress Katherine Berge. Lizzie's personality complete changed in this book and not for the best.

But who I was surprised by was Emma. Despite being flighty and a little shallow she was really there for Ellie. She encouraged Ellie to put up a fight to stay unlike her best friend Lizzie.

I was glad to see that this book showed more depth to Headmistress Berg instead of her always being seen as the "villain" behind the academy's changes. I also like the introduction of new characters Fanny, Gregory Knight (or George Knightly for Emma fans) and his roommate Tran.

This was another great retelling of a Jane Austen story. Looking forward to reading the third book.

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