Articles

Attempting Elizabeth Review & Tour

AE
Synopsis:
Kelsey Edmundson is a geek and proud of it. She makes no secret of her love for TV, movies, and, most especially, books. After a bad breakup, she retreats into her favorite novel, Pride and Prejudice, wishing she had some of the wit and spirit of Elizabeth Bennett.

One night at a party Kelsey meets handsome Australian bartender Mark Barnes. From then on, she always seems to run into him when she least expects it. No matter how Kelsey tries, she always seems to say the wrong thing.

After a particularly gaffe-filled evening around Mark, Kelsey is in desperate need of inspiration from Jane Austen. She falls asleep reading Darcy’s letter to Lizzy and awakens to find herself in an unfamiliar place that looks and sounds suspiciously like her favorite book. Has she somehow been transported into Pride and Prejudice, or is it just a dream?

As Kelsey tries to discover what’s happening to her, she must also discover her own heart. Is Mark Barnes destined to be her Mr. Darcy? In the end, she must decide whether attempting to become Elizabeth is worth the risk or if being Kelsey Edmundson is enough.

62435-addtogoodreads 

Review

As many of you already know Pride & Prejudice is my absolute favorite book ever written. When I read the synopsis for Attempting Elizabeth I knew I HAD to read it.  I can honestly say I wasn’t disappointed. This was a fun and fresh approach involving a beloved classic.  I highly recommend this for all Austen fans!

Here are a few things I gathered from reading this book. Jessica Grey and I are kindred souls…no seriously, I swear I think she’s about as obsessed with Pride & Prejudice and all things Austen as I am. I can tell she is probably a book worm (totally not an insult), definitely a movie buff…completely obsessed with Star Wars and she loves the BBC version of Pride & Prejudice as much as I do. Yes, Colin Firth is the ONLY Darcy that counts!  I loved every minute of this book. I won’t lie, there are a few moments that dragged, BUT overall I found the story to be exceptional and unique.

Attempting Elizabeth is a book about a young woman named Kelsey Edmundson who is quite simply put, a nerd. She meets hottie Mark Barnes at a party one night shamelessly insulting him and embarrassing herself. A series of back to back moments of awkwardness ensue and Kelsey finds herself struggling to find her footing. Her love of all things awesome (hehe)…Pride & Prejudice being at the top of that list causes her to fall into the world of Austen, seeking an opportunity to find her own Mr. Darcy, but discovering so much more than she bargained for. 

This book took a surprising twist and I loved the spin. From reality to fiction and back again. I found there were some truly hilarious moments, especially for fans of the classic novel Pride & Prejudice. There are some notable references from movies, television and even books. I love the quotes at the beginning of each chapter and the twists on the classic that Grey was able to construct. I felt she delved into areas of Austen’s original novel and found a way to bridge that gap. Her explanations of questions readers  may have had after reading the original work is explained in a completely believable manner. I thought the character tie ins were brilliant. 

I really loved this book. It made me re-read Pride & Prejudice…and of course I immediately had to see Colin Firth in action…all five hours and change of him lmaooooo.  Seriously though, this is an exceptional piece of work. Kelsey’s journey is interesting. Her struggle to find a balance between fiction and reality shows how there is always something someone may want to change, but in the end what would you be willing to give up to attain the seemingly impossible and would it be worth it? This has a great ending. The story plays out well and the romance is sweet and simple. I definitely look forward to reading more by this author and again, I highly recommend this book. 

*This book was provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and comments are my own.*

Purchase: 
buylinkbnbuylinkamazon

 About the Author

5626115
Jessica Grey is an author, fairytale believer, baseball lover, and recovering Star Wars fangirl. A life-long Californian, she now lives in Montana with her husband and two children where she spends her time writing, perfecting the fine art of preschooler-wrangling, and drinking way too much caffeine. 
Website  |  Goodreads  |  Twitter  |  Facebook

 

 

 

Me Before You Book Review

16532513

Synopsis

Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.
What Lou doesn’t know is she’s about to lose her job or that knowing what’s coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he’s going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn’t know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they’re going to change the other for all time.

goodreads-badge-add-38px11_zps1ae6e47f

“This book was….WOW.”

That is the extent of my goodreads review. I thought I’d expand on that and discuss what I loved and disliked about this book. I actually loved everything about this book. It was powerful, emotional, deeply moving and something about it stuck with me. The love, the loss, the growth, all make this a beautiful yet complex novel. I cried like a baby but I seriously recommend the hell out of it.

This was a book club read for my friends and I. Yes, somehow between all my blog reads and life I make time for a book club haha…don’t judge me! I roped my sister into giving her input for this review. She begrudgingly agreed. LOL. These are our shared opinions…

What’s it about?

Me Before You is a tragic yet heartfelt journey of self discovery. It will most certainly make you shed a tear…or a thousand. I certainly did. My sis says, “Me too!”

Lou Clark lived a simple, run of the mill life. She is a girl who doesn’t know what she wants when the book begins. For much of the story she is still trying to figure her life out. She can’t fathom having any sort of definitive life plan. She is an eccentric girl with a very unique sense of style. This made me laugh for much of the book because her quirky sense of style was something that stuck with me. It doesn’t seem like a very important fact but when you read this story there will be moments like this that stick with you. I think you will also understand why it stuck out to me after reading.

When Will Traynor enters her life…or rather, when Lou enters Will’s life the things she accepted as the status quo she now begins to question. He makes her question her entire life, starting with the reason why she remains in a loveless relationship. He challenges her and makes her challenge herself. Will had his entire life planned out. He can’t understand how someone can live their life without a plan. Even after his life-altering accident he creates a plan; one that many disagree with but a plan nonetheless.

This oddball combination brings out the very best and worse in one another. I really liked the dynamic character development and the story overall.

I will give you one spoiler…this is not a typical love story, in fact it isn’t so much about love as it is focusing on finding your own path in life and making decisions that are right for you. This is a must read.

My rating – 5 star
My sister’s rating – 5 star

We firmly stand by our ratings and highly recommend it.

*Note – If you are a Jodi Picoult or Nicholas Sparks fan this is a book you will appreciate.

Purchase Me Before You for   Kindle  |  Paperback

About the Author:

Website  |  Goodreads  |  Facebook  |  Twitter

%d bloggers like this: