#AmReading YA - The Retelling Edition

Off Script
Kate Watson
Series: Seeking Mansfield, #3
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Flux
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Emma gets a Hollywood-tinged, feminist update in this funny and fierce retelling of Austen’s classic about a well-intentioned but tragically misguided matchmaker.

The summer after her first year of college, teen starlet Emma Crawford returns home to Manhattan to prepare for the role of a lifetime—and play career matchmaker to her friends. When Emma’s search for an assistant leads her to the wide-eyed Brittany Smith, Emma sees the big screen in the girl’s future. And because Emma knows best, she’s sure that steering Brittany onto the right path is all she needs to do to make her a star—even if Brittany doesn’t know it yet.

Emma’s plans start to unravel, however, when professional soccer player Liam Price re-enters her life. Not only is Liam her former best friend’s older brother, but he’s gorgeous, smart, and has no problem pointing out the (totally exaggerated) flaws in Emma’s plans. But as Emma comes in close contact with the darker side of Hollywood, she starts to question the glamorous world she’s always known and realizes her role in it needs to change—if she can find the courage to go off script.

In the third installment of the Seeking Mansfield series, Watson gave us her spirit on Emma by Jane Austen. This Emma was still a matchmaker, but instead of love matches, she was making career matches.

One of the things I always do, when I read a retelling, is to get a refresher on the source material.  I am always curious to compare the old and the new, and I was really surprised by how much of the original Emma existed in this very NOW, very timely take on the original story. She also did a fantastic job capturing the spirt of Emma. That to me is sign of brilliance, and I must acknowledge how well the author accomplished this task.

This Emma was a successful actress, preparing for an upcoming blockbuster film, and therefore, a bulk of the book focuses on being a women in entertainment industry. Here, we saw the dark side of the entertainment industry - exploitation, lack of privacy, gossip, backstabbing, sexual harassment, and sexual assault. The MeToo movement rocked Hollywood, and therefore, definitely earned its part in this story. It's a timely topic, which deserves attention, and I liked all the different ways Watson tackled it.

I also adored all the people, who were part of Emma's life. The importance of friendship and found-family was strong throughout this book, and Watson gifted Emma with an amazing bunch of people to help her navigate this unpredictable world. I especially adored Weston. That man oozed love and support through his pores, and I could totally imagine him as the next Ellen.

Another character, who deserves a big mention, is Liam. Liam was a fantastic love interest for Emma. He was so sweet, kind, and swoony, but he also challenged her, a LOT. They had great chemistry, and their shared love of Finely was just another thing to strengthen their connection. I liked that he was often a voice of reason, but also there to remind Emma of who she was, when she sometimes lost sight of that.

I was beyond delighted that Watson reunited all three Seeking Mansfield couples for the final chapter of this book. She not only brought them physically together, but she also reminded us of how much each of these young women had overcome and accomplished. If this is her final retelling set in this world, it was a find send off, which, by the way, left me shedding a few tears.

**ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

Taming of the Drew
Stephanie Kate Strohm
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Cass McKay has been called stubborn, temperamental, difficult, and that word that rhymes with “witch” more times than she cares to count. But that’s all about to pay off. She has finally landed the role she was born to play—Kate, in The Taming of the Shrew—in the summer apprentice program of a renowned Shakespeare theater company in the forests of Vermont.

But Cass can barely lace up her corset before her troubles begin. Her leading man, Drew, is a complete troll, and he’s going to ruin Cass’s summer. Even worse, Cass’s bunkmate Amy has somehow fallen head over heels for Drew. Cass can’t let Amy throw herself at a total jerk, so she comes up with a genius plan to give Drew the personality makeover he so desperately needs: they’ll tame Drew just as Petruchio tames Kate! But as Shakespeare’s classic plays out offstage, Cass finds it harder and harder to resist falling for Drew herself.

The best kind of entertainment, The Taming of the Drew is smart, funny, fresh, and original. You’re going to love this badass heroine and her friends. You might even end up liking Drew, too.

Cass watched her parents' marriage implode, and sort of lost faith in the whole institution of love. She was looking forward to this summer, though. It allowed her to escape her family drama at home, while also serving as her very first paid acting experience. However, her first impression of Vermont was not that favorable after a run in with Drew, her prickly co-star, who she was determined to tame.

I have been a fan of Stephanie Kate Strohm's books, since I read It's Not Me, It's You. It was love at first read. Strohm and I seem to share a similar sense of humor, and therefore, I find her hilarious. But, it's also her knack for writing delightful characters, as well as fun and engaging dialog, that keeps me coming back for me. The one thing I can depend upon, when reading a Stephanie Kate Strohm book, is a fun time filled with lots of laughter, and once again, she gifted that to me with The Taming of the Drew.

Strohm blended so many elements in such a way that was guaranteed to result in a good time for me.

The setting had this summer camp feel, but we were dealing with pre-college teens with very little supervision, and therefore, there was a lot more room for shenanigans. I especially loved all the attempts to "tame" Drew. Cass called upon the same tactics used by Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew, however, she had to be more cunning, so as not to call attention to her plan. The creeping and pranking resulted in some very humorous situations.

Though this was a retelling, I also got to enjoy pieces of the source material in its original form. As Cass tried to recreate the taming, she was also part of the cast performing The Taming of the Shrew. I got to bear witness to their rehearsals and even part of their performance. But, the bard wasn't only represented by that play, as these thespians lived to quote him in almost any situation, which really sold their love and adoration of theatre to me. I also found the process the actors practiced, as they tried to connect with their characters, very interesting. Strohm's theatre background really shined during these scenes.

Aside from the show and shenanigans, I was fond of the friendship that developed between Cass, Amy, and Heidi. These three couldn't have been any more different from each other, but they shared their love of theatre, which grew into so much more.

Finally, let's talk about Drew. He was the perfect foil for Cass. This was a typical hate-at-first-sight, but Strohm did such a nice job revealing the little cracks in Cass' determination to hate him. As those small, sweet moments grew more frequent, I found myself more and more invested in this love-match. It all culminated to a really precious final scene, which stole my heart too.

For me, this was another solid book by Strohm, and now I can say, I have read them all. It was the type of lighthearted book I gravitate towards, which not only incorporated a classic in an entertaining way, but also showcased a love for theatre, and did a nice job pulling me into that world.

Favorite retelling?
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