Only With You by Cecilia Gray
(The
Jane Austen Academy Series #5)
Publication date: May 2014
Genres: Romance, Young Adult
Synopsis:
Dive into the fabulous, fun lives of six Academy girls as their friendships are tested, torn and ultimately triumph…
Emma has it all – looks, money, and luck. It’s not like she keeps it all to herself – she’s totally committed to helping those less fortunate. AKA, everyone. She invites her heartbroken friend to help with a weekend charity event with an eye to matchmake, but when that friend turns her eye toward the guy Emma wants for herself, how will she choose between friendship and her own feelings?
* * *
The last thing that the girls at the elite Jane Austen Academy need is hot guys to flirt with. But over the summer the school has been sold, and like it or not, the guys are coming. And it’s about to turn the Academy—and the lives of its students—totally upside down…
The Jane Austen Academy series are modern retellings of Jane Austen classics set at a beachside California boarding school.
Cecilia Gray lives in the San Francisco Bay Area where she reads, writes and breaks for food. She also pens her biographies in the third person. Like this. As if to trick you into thinking someone else wrote it because she is important. Alas, this is not the case.
She’s rather enamored of being contacted by readers and hopes you’ll oblige.
MY THOUGHTS:
This is a modern day version or retelling of the famous Jane Austen story Emma. Emma, a rich girl who studies at the Jane Austen Academy thinks it is her duty to help everyone around her. She has the looks and the brains but is not selfish or self centered. She is well aware of her looks and status in spite of which she goes out of her way to help anyone she thinks is in need of her help.
This story is about Emma trying to set up one of her girl best friends with another guy she knows. She thinks she is doing this with her friend’s best interest at heart. When the guy she considers her best friend turns against her because he thinks she is meddling she has to rethink her strategies. Ploughing on nevertheless, Emma justifies her actions to herself. When her friend turns her sights on the guy Emma realises she likes she now has a choice to make, love or friendship. Even here Emma is ready to sacrifice love for friendship as long as she can make others happy.
This story is sweet and well written with an interesting take on the classic novel Emma. The author has done a great job with this retelling, flawlessly converting the classic to a modern day setting. I appreciate the fact that the author managed to retain the essence of the main character and wove a story around her.
This is worth a read for all those who enjoyed the classic by Jane Austen and for all those searching for a sweet romance.
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