Book Review: Jane of Austin by Hillary Manton Lodge

 


Jane of Austin by Hillary Manton Lodge 
3/5 Stars
⭐⭐⭐

Jane of Austin is a modern retelling of Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, which I have not yet read but know a little about the storyline. The author blended Austen-inspired themes with a contemporary Texas setting. We follow sisters Jane and Celia Woodward as the are trying to rebuild their lives after financial hardship, which forces them to relocate from San Francisco, CA to Austin, TX. Lots of tea, food, sister bonds and romantic entanglements are front and center in this book!

For me, the first half to possibly 60% of this book was around 4 stars and really enjoyable. The strength of this book was its atmospheric Texas charm - so many recipes and tea blends - loved that! Also I enjoyed the writing style too! I can see the connections she made to Sense and Sensibility, from what I know of the story anyway.

That said, the romance with Sean was a bit too instalove for me and Jane's character goes a bit off the waysides if you will, because the consistency of her character changed at a certain point. Her actions in response to some things that happened really did not make sense to me for her character. Also, something big that happens felt completely out of nowhere around this point. Additionally, I feel like the ending with Teddy was random too and didn't make sense.

Overall, this was a fun pleasant read for the most part but not particularly groundbreaking. Readers who love Austen, tea and a little quick romance would probably enjoy it, but those looking for a more compelling retelling might find it a little underwhelming. 

Goodreads Review:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7234343198

Amazon:  https://amzn.to/4jZwNlS

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.

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