Friday 28 September 2012

Review: So Into You by Cecilia Gray [AToMR blog tour stop]


Publication date: 15th July, 2012
Publisher: The Alpha Division, LLC
Links: Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads
Source: An e-copy provided for book tour
Rating: 3.5/ 5 stars
[from goodreads]

Modern retelling/based on Sense & Sensibility.
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…

Meet sweet and sensible Ellie who hasn’t met a problem her mom’s yoga mantras can’t fix. But when her 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?
So Into You is the second installment of the fun-filled and heartwarming Jane Austen Academy series. While Fall For You, Book One, was a retelling of Pride and Prejudice, So Into You is based on Sense and Sensibility. I haven't read Austen's Sense and Sensibility before, so I probably missed out on the references and parallels to the classic. Nevertheless, there were all these nods to Jane Austen novels in general and characters like 'Knight' whose first encounter with Emma, Ellie's friend, gave me the goosebumps!

This is perfect for contemporary YA lovers who are also charmed by anything Austenacious. In So Into You, Ellie is saddened by the news that this might be her last term at Jasta while Edward, the sweet guy she is falling for, keeps giving her mixed signals. Lizzie seemed sidetracked and ready to put off fighting against the name-change of the school- what's with that? And then there's Emma, who seems to think she's 'with' Wickam.

Like in Fall For You, I LOVED the atmosphere of Jane Austen Academy. It seems like a warm and amazing place where everybody is encouraged to be themselves. I enjoyed delving into Ellie's story, especially when sweet and kind of dorkily funny Edward appealed to me way more than Dante did. It was impossible not to swoon and sigh and yell, WHY at points of their story. I also loved the dynamics among the girls, Ellie, Emma, Lizzie and Anne, and their ritual of climbing a tree and screaming We Will Be Heard!

This series definitely falls into the 'comfort reads' category for me. It's smart, fun and hands-down the quirkiest of  Jane Austen adaptations!

Rating: 3.5/5 stars


About the author

Cecilia Gray lives in Oakland 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.

Cecilia has been praised for “instilling a warmth and weight into her characters” (Romancing The Book Reviews) and her books have been praised for being “well-written, original, realistic and witty” (Quills & Zebras Reviews).

Her latest release, FALL FOR YOU, the first in a series of young-adult contemporary Jane Austen retellings received a starred Kirkus review and was praised for being a “unique twist on a classic” and offering “a compelling action of action, drama and love.”

She’s rather enamored of being contacted by readers and hopes you’ll oblige.

On an unrelated note (ie, on my absence): This year has been way more hectic that I would've ever anticipated. I will be sure to elaborate on it later. Hope you understand xx

5 comments:

  1. So glad you enjoyed this, Ajoop! I really adore re-tellings and even though I've never read anything by Jane Austen, Fall for You and So Into You sound like the perfect way to start things off! Plus I love contemporaries and the boys in the book seem quite sweet!

    Great review, Ajoop <3 An don't worry about the absence, I've missed you but I understand how hectic life can get!

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  2. Oh I was so tempted to request this book, as I had fun reading the first book in the series, but I didn't it and now I regret is seeing how much fun you had reading it. This sounds like another adorable book in the series, lovely review Ajoop! :)

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  3. I wish I could get excited over all these Jane Eyre retellings, they seem to be cropping up everywhere and I just am not interested. I am glad this was an enjoyable comfort read for you. Hope you are well, sounds like you are super busy! Miss you!

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  4. The book sounds very good. Looks like another on the TBR list. :-)

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  5. I remember your review of the first book, Pooja, and how you adored it! <3 This series does seem to fall for 'comfort read' category for me! Although it's great to read thought-provoking read, sometimes it's just nice to read this kind of fluffy, heart-warming books. :)

    Adorable review, sweets! <3 Maybe I should start reading this series someday. :)

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HI. Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment. :)