Review: By the Book by Julia Sonneborn
Title: By the Book
Author: Julia Sonneborn
Publication Date: February 6, 2018
Publisher: Gallery Books
Genre: Contemporary Literary Fiction
Find It: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, Book Depository. Bookshop
Source: e-ARC via Edelweiss
Rating: 3 stars – stick to your bedtime
An English professor struggling for tenure discovers that her ex-fiancé has just become the president of her college—and her new boss—in this whip-smart modern retelling of Jane Austen’s classic Persuasion.
Anne Corey is about to get schooled.
An English professor in California, she’s determined to score a position on the coveted tenure track at her college. All she’s got to do is get a book deal, snag a promotion, and boom! She’s in. But then Adam Martinez—her first love and ex-fiancé—shows up as the college’s new president.
Anne should be able to keep herself distracted. After all, she’s got a book to write, an aging father to take care of, and a new romance developing with the college’s insanely hot writer-in-residence. But no matter where she turns, there’s Adam, as smart and sexy as ever. As the school year advances and her long-buried feelings begin to resurface, Anne begins to wonder whether she just might get a second chance at love.
Funny, smart, and full of heart, this modern ode to Jane Austen’s classic explores what happens when we run into the demons of our past…and when they turn out not to be so bad, after all.
By the Book is a cute, modern day take on Jane Austen’s Persuasion. Anne, a college professor, is intent on getting tenure at her college. However, a wrench is thrown into her plan when she finds out that the ex-fiance she hasn’t seen in over 10 years is the new president of the school. This doesn’t phase Anne because she’s over him…isn’t she? The more Anne sees of Adam, the more she wonders if she made the right decision in letting him go.
I was sold on this book when I heard that it was a modern retelling of Persuasion by Jane Austen. Persuasion is probably one of my favorite Austen books (tied with Pride and Prejudice) so I jumped at the chance to read a new version if it. While it has some of the main plot elements of Persuasion, if you hadn’t told me that it was a modern retelling of the story, I don’t know if I would have assumed that. It’s a cute read but, truthfully, not very memorable. Anne and Adam have chemistry but I did not really feel like I got enough development of their relationship in the book. I also felt like the story was building up to this great ending but when it finally got there, it felt rushed and left me wanting more.
I think my opinion of this book may have suffered a little because it was touted as a Persuasion retelling. While it bears some resemblance to the original, it was not as captivating to me and the comparison had it falling short. That said, By the Book is a good pick if you’re in the mood for a light, easy romance. Just go into it with an open mind and try not to compare it to its original inspiration. Overall a fun, quick read.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my review or opinion of the book.
