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Some book premises are so intriguing that I threw my TBR plan out the window and pick up the book. This is one such book. What if Jane Austen traveled to the present day and fell in love? If that doesn’t interest you, I don’t know what will.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

SYNOPSIS ->

Bath, England, 1803. At 28, Jane Austen prefers walking and reading to balls and assemblies; she dreams of someday publishing her carefully crafted stories. Already on the shelf and in grave danger of becoming a spinster, Jane goes searching for a radical solution—and as a result, seemingly by accident, time-travels. She lands in…

Bath, England, present day. The film set of Northanger Abbey. Sofia Wentworth is a Hollywood actress starring in a new period film, an attempt to reinvent her flagging career and, secretly, an attempt to reinvent her failing marriage. When Sofia meets Jane, she marvels at the young actress who can’t seem to “break character,” even off set. And Jane—acquainting herself with the horseless steel carriages and seriously shocking fashion of the twenty-first century— meets Sofia, a woman unlike anyone she’s ever met before. Then she meets Fred, Sofia’s brother, who has the audacity to be handsome, clever, and kind-hearted.

What happens when Jane, against her better judgement, falls in love with Fred? And when Sofia learns the truth about her new friend Jane? And worst of all, if Jane stays with Fred, will she ever achieve her dream, the one she’s now seen come true?

REVIEW->

The Plot ->

The plot is fantastic! Jane Austen finds herself transported to Bath in 2020 and finds love! Wow! To be able to imagine this plot and construct the story is no easy feat. This definitely give me the vibes of “enchanted “featuring () and Patrick Dempsey. The difference between 1803 and 2020 is contrasted excellently in the story. Rachel points out how we are enslaved by our own inventions, while also being more open and liberated that citizens from 1804.

While the time travel part is pretty flawless and engaging, the romance which is the heart of the story lacked some real build. Jane and Fred’s romance seemed rather abrupt and immature. It is difficult to accept that Jane Austen would fall in love so easily and suddenly. This is the risk the Author has taken with this book too – an attempt to make Jane fall in love convincingly.

The Characters->

Jane’s character has been given plenty of spotlight and her thoughts and actions have been well explained. Every thought that Jane has & every experience she faces is told it from her point of view and the depth to her thinking has been well done. It was a believable portrayal of the great Jane Austen.

Sofia‘s character though, was rather self-absorbed and auxiliary. Sofia and Jane did not really build a bond and Sofia did not prioritize sending Jane back to her time – which seems unbelievable. If a historically important figure in stuck time traveling – helping her should be your highest priority! That was very infuriating. On further thought, her selfishness had a twisted touch of reality to it too. I liked Fred’s character a lot. A soft, thoughtful, sensitive guy that is ideal for a time traveler to fall in love with.

The Writing ->

The writing is magical and this will make one hell of a movie! I was completely absorbed and lost in the story (in a good way). The book is peppered with pearls of wisdom and Rachel has a way with words to express emotions. I enjoyed Jane’s dialogs with her 1803 vocabulary. It was a surreal experience. The ending is the best and sweetest, dealing with a very difficult dilemma in a elegant way. This book was on my mind for days after I was done reading it.

The cover design needs special mention for being super creative and splendidly accurate. I couldn’t help staring at it at length while reading the book. This book is the perfect holiday read and I would recommend picking it up soon.

Thank you William Morrow Publishing for gifting me the book!

Favorite quotes from the book->

“Love is revealed when we are at our ugliest”

“You are no starlet, my dear. You are a star.”

“They were not people, they were gods, about doing the dishes and arguing about who’s family to go to for Christmas.”