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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
The Austen Playbook is a fun contemporary romance featuring a bubbly actress from London's West End and a gruff, snarky theatre critic. It's an opposites attract romance with a bit of a mystery subplot about family secrets, and I found it to be really enjoyable!
Frederica (Freddy) Carlton comes from a long line of serious actors and her father/manager is pushing for starring roles in high-brow dramas. Unfortunately, Freddy's true love is more along the lines of musicals and romantic comedies, but in an effort to make everyone happy and avoid conflict she just goes along with other people's plans for her life. Until an opportunity arises to act in a mashup of Jane Austen with an interactive murder mystery, one that she can't say no to. Little does she know the performance will take place at the country estate of her harshest critic....
Griff has an icy exterior and writes pointed reviews, but he cares deeply for his family and sacrifices financially to maintain the family estate. And he can't resist Freddy's joyous approach to life. But things happen and family secrets threaten to come between them....
This is a lovely, fluffy romance with fleshed out characters and clear arcs of development that feel realistic. If you are looking for a Slytherin/Hufflepuff sort of romance, this may be the one for you! Thanks to Harlequin for providing me with a copy for review. All opinions are my own.
The Austen Playbook is a fun contemporary romance featuring a bubbly actress from London's West End and a gruff, snarky theatre critic. It's an opposites attract romance with a bit of a mystery subplot about family secrets, and I found it to be really enjoyable!
Frederica (Freddy) Carlton comes from a long line of serious actors and her father/manager is pushing for starring roles in high-brow dramas. Unfortunately, Freddy's true love is more along the lines of musicals and romantic comedies, but in an effort to make everyone happy and avoid conflict she just goes along with other people's plans for her life. Until an opportunity arises to act in a mashup of Jane Austen with an interactive murder mystery, one that she can't say no to. Little does she know the performance will take place at the country estate of her harshest critic....
Griff has an icy exterior and writes pointed reviews, but he cares deeply for his family and sacrifices financially to maintain the family estate. And he can't resist Freddy's joyous approach to life. But things happen and family secrets threaten to come between them....
This is a lovely, fluffy romance with fleshed out characters and clear arcs of development that feel realistic. If you are looking for a Slytherin/Hufflepuff sort of romance, this may be the one for you! Thanks to Harlequin for providing me with a copy for review. All opinions are my own.
I just love this series. They are cute and fun and just so very lovely.
3.5 stars. Not my favorite romance of the series (it was cute), but all the other parts of this story were really fun and interesting.
Arc Provided by Carina Press
Release Date: April 22nd
I love author Lucy Parker's voice! She creates the most lovable characters... some of them are of the cuddly variety, the type I would love to be their friends with; others are more of an acquired taste.
Like... radish, maybe...
First we may want to hit them with a frying pan ;) but we end up loving those 'old' cranky souls. *cough, Richard, cough, Griff*
The Austen Playbook has all of the author successful trademarks: Lively dialogues, witty banter, *seriously people, if you need to trade barbs with someone, you should read these books*, a couple who feels real enough to cheer for, and a bunch of interesting secondary characters, some of them slightly insane... you know? The usual :D
And then there's Sadie... remember her? *Inserts fake smile*
That woman is fucking terrible!
I loved 'seeing the romance' about lively Freddy and *I don't have any sense of humor* Griff. Once again, I had a great time reading about that whole theater drama scenario. Mixed with it we have family drama, siblings dynamics, secrets about to be unveiled, Austen's plays and... Sadie. -___-
GUYS, hell's about to break loose! And you'll love reading about it! ;
p.s- When can I read the next one?
Release Date: April 22nd
I love author Lucy Parker's voice! She creates the most lovable characters... some of them are of the cuddly variety, the type I would love to be their friends with; others are more of an acquired taste.
Like... radish, maybe...
First we may want to hit them with a frying pan ;) but we end up loving those 'old' cranky souls. *cough, Richard, cough, Griff*
The Austen Playbook has all of the author successful trademarks: Lively dialogues, witty banter, *seriously people, if you need to trade barbs with someone, you should read these books*, a couple who feels real enough to cheer for, and a bunch of interesting secondary characters, some of them slightly insane... you know? The usual :D
And then there's Sadie... remember her? *Inserts fake smile*
That woman is fucking terrible!
I loved 'seeing the romance' about lively Freddy and *I don't have any sense of humor* Griff. Once again, I had a great time reading about that whole theater drama scenario. Mixed with it we have family drama, siblings dynamics, secrets about to be unveiled, Austen's plays and... Sadie. -___-
GUYS, hell's about to break loose! And you'll love reading about it! ;
p.s- When can I read the next one?
Thank goodness for this book. After a couple of really crappy books earlier in the month and two DNF's back-to-back that I'd invested a good deal of time into, I was so glad that my turn for this book came up when it did. I needed something fun that doesn't take itself super seriously. The fact that it revolves around a group of actors putting on a play based on Jane Austen's characters finding themselves in the middle of a murder mystery? Yes, please and thank you.
I can't be the only one who would pay money to see this Jane Austen meets Clue in real life, am I? The idea is so fun and absurd (in the BEST way), and is made even more so by the twist that the audience would get to vote in real time about how the plot progresses.
I really like this kind of disdain-to-lovers trope and the fact that the characters already know each other a little is also something I like, because they have a basis for some sort of relationship. Their scenes together are great. They've got a nice chemistry with one another, along with a healthy respect for each other as people that is sometimes missing in these 'hate-to-love' type stories. Also, the love scenes in here feel authentic. It's not cringey and awkward like some romance novels (*cough, Fix Her Up, cough*) where characters have conversations that would be too cheesy for actual porn, much less a novel about real adult people falling in love. Instead, these characters have real conversations about actual intimacy. Consent is brought up a couple of different times in a way that feels organic. (Spoilers for people who don't like talk about sexy times and maybe a little bit of TMI) at one point in the book Freddie tells Griff that she doesn't want to have penetrative sex because at the point she's at in her monthly cycle it gets uncomfortable. For someone who has that same issue and has NEVER read about it in a book, I appreciated that. There's a later scene where they try to have sex in the shower and it's NOT SEXY AT ALL because real life isn't a porno and sometimes things are awkward and not every sexual encounter is going to be 100% knock-your-socks-off AMAZING. It was really refreshing to read.
There is a little mystery/historical element to this that I kind of wish we could've seen a little more of in a flashback or something, but at the same time the book isn't exactly short, so I'm not sure it would've made the book better.
This is the first Lucy Parker I've read, and technically the fourth in a series, although the series seems to be more like companion novels where characters from previous books may pop up, even if they aren't an actual part of the plot. Now that I've read and enjoyed this, I want to go back and read the previous books in this series and the other books in her backlist.
I can't be the only one who would pay money to see this Jane Austen meets Clue in real life, am I? The idea is so fun and absurd (in the BEST way), and is made even more so by the twist that the audience would get to vote in real time about how the plot progresses.
I really like this kind of disdain-to-lovers trope and the fact that the characters already know each other a little is also something I like, because they have a basis for some sort of relationship. Their scenes together are great. They've got a nice chemistry with one another, along with a healthy respect for each other as people that is sometimes missing in these 'hate-to-love' type stories. Also, the love scenes in here feel authentic. It's not cringey and awkward like some romance novels (*cough, Fix Her Up, cough*) where characters have conversations that would be too cheesy for actual porn, much less a novel about real adult people falling in love. Instead, these characters have real conversations about actual intimacy. Consent is brought up a couple of different times in a way that feels organic. (Spoilers for people who don't like talk about sexy times and maybe a little bit of TMI)
There is a little mystery/historical element to this that I kind of wish we could've seen a little more of in a flashback or something, but at the same time the book isn't exactly short, so I'm not sure it would've made the book better.
This is the first Lucy Parker I've read, and technically the fourth in a series, although the series seems to be more like companion novels where characters from previous books may pop up, even if they aren't an actual part of the plot. Now that I've read and enjoyed this, I want to go back and read the previous books in this series and the other books in her backlist.
As a Jane Austen fan, I fell head over heels in love with this book. Freddy Carlton is trying to follow in her family's footsteps as a serious actor in West End. However, she knows deep down she is in love with musicals. Carlton is torn between meeting her family expectations and following her own dreams. In the midst of her dilemma, she is also falling in love with the one man she should stay away from. Will Freddy follow her dreams or stay true to her family name? If you love romance and Jane Austen, this is a perfect book for you and I highly recommend you check it out!
This review can be found on A Take from Two Cities blog here.
Delightful and witty with a great story to keep the reader fully engaged, THE AUSTEN PLAYBOOK continued the series with the same quality of writing and development of characters that I have come to expect from Lucy Parker.
Book four took the setting outside of London to Grumpy Griff’s (Ford-Griffen) country seat. Griff was a TV/stage critic whilst managing the failing finances of his family’s home. Griff had thrown a few review punches at Freddy, the quirky heroine, in the past. Freddy was a breath of positive fresh air with some vulnerabilities hidden behind the ‘everything will be okay’ facade. I took to her immediately.
“He was frequently rude, definitely a Slytherin, and clearly viewed her as a sort of irritating insect who kept buzzing around his space, but there was something very reassuring about his solid warmth when she hurt.”
There was an interwoven backstory behind the main story of a play in the country. Freddy and Griff were thrown into each other’s paths and there was a persistent, bubbling chemistry between them. I had all the feelings when they were interacting, either with looks or banter.
“It was more than physical; it was a building and layering of a bond that went much deeper than that.”
As well as the clever backstory (which Parker conveys with ease), there were a literal cast of side characters, brothers, mean girls, fathers, colleagues and sisters. There is something about the acting world on stage that Lucy Parker translates so well to the reader. The English setting was spot on as always with dialogue, colloquialisms and contexts. The banter and dialogue were engaging. My only little niggle was the unstated dual POV, I loved the dual POV but had ‘who is this’ moments, however I did settle into it.
I can’t recommend this series enough and the best thing is they standalone, you can dip your toe into any of them and read out of order if that’s how you roll. Go discover Lucy Parker and you won’t regret it.
I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.
Delightful and witty with a great story to keep the reader fully engaged, THE AUSTEN PLAYBOOK continued the series with the same quality of writing and development of characters that I have come to expect from Lucy Parker.
Book four took the setting outside of London to Grumpy Griff’s (Ford-Griffen) country seat. Griff was a TV/stage critic whilst managing the failing finances of his family’s home. Griff had thrown a few review punches at Freddy, the quirky heroine, in the past. Freddy was a breath of positive fresh air with some vulnerabilities hidden behind the ‘everything will be okay’ facade. I took to her immediately.
“He was frequently rude, definitely a Slytherin, and clearly viewed her as a sort of irritating insect who kept buzzing around his space, but there was something very reassuring about his solid warmth when she hurt.”
There was an interwoven backstory behind the main story of a play in the country. Freddy and Griff were thrown into each other’s paths and there was a persistent, bubbling chemistry between them. I had all the feelings when they were interacting, either with looks or banter.
“It was more than physical; it was a building and layering of a bond that went much deeper than that.”
As well as the clever backstory (which Parker conveys with ease), there were a literal cast of side characters, brothers, mean girls, fathers, colleagues and sisters. There is something about the acting world on stage that Lucy Parker translates so well to the reader. The English setting was spot on as always with dialogue, colloquialisms and contexts. The banter and dialogue were engaging. My only little niggle was the unstated dual POV, I loved the dual POV but had ‘who is this’ moments, however I did settle into it.
I can’t recommend this series enough and the best thing is they standalone, you can dip your toe into any of them and read out of order if that’s how you roll. Go discover Lucy Parker and you won’t regret it.
I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.
The Hufflepuff-Slytherin Austen delight you never asked for but somehow needed.
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
confusing and slow. i don't know, i guess this one just wasn't for me. the premise seemed like very much my thing, but the characters didn't work for me. they all felt pretty one-note, and the only one i enjoyed was charlie. i also don't think griff and freddy really worked together? the enemies-to-lovers bit just didn't work here like. idk. also i hated how sadie was like this one-note mean girl like why <3 idk i am sad bc i thought i was going to love this but the romance didn't work for me and the characters didn't compel me and there was too much going on in the plot and it was just v confusing. the writing was decent, so maybe i'll check out another lucy parker book someday, but this one wasn't for me