Jane Austen Goes to Hollywood by Abby McDonald

Jane Austen Goes to Hollywood by Abby McDonald

Release Date: April 23, 2013
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Rated: YA 14+
Format: eGalley
Source: NetGalley
Buy: Amazon ● The Book Depository
Goodreads ● Website

Abby McDonald gives L.A. the Jane Austen treatment in this contemporary take on Sense and Sensibility.

Hallie and Grace Weston have never exactly seen life eye to eye. So when their father dies and leaves everything to his new wife, forcing the girls to pack up and leave San Francisco for a relative’s house in shiny Beverly Hills, the two sisters take to their changing lot in typically different styles. Shy, responsible Grace manages to make friends with an upbeat, enterprising girl named Palmer but still yearns for her old life — and the maybe-almost-crush she left behind. Meanwhile, drama queen Hallie is throwing herself headlong into life — and love — in L.A., spending every second with gorgeous musician Dakota and warding off the attention of brooding vet Brandon. But is Hallie blinded by the stars in her eyes? And is Grace doomed to forever hug the sidelines?

I really enjoyed Abby McDonald's Getting Over Garrett Delaney, so I jumped at the chance to review this one. It's got the typical McDonald touch to it: character growth, guys, and a story everyone will love.
I actually didn't realise that this was a retelling of Sense and Sensibility until after I read the book. I didn't see too much similarity while reading the book, but now that I look back at it (I've only watched the movie) I can see the total mainframe of the classic embedded into this modern update. I thought that it's quite genius as it has it's own twists, yet stays truthful to the original.

I loved Grace's character and I felt that I could really connect to her. This book is split into parts and I thought that Grace owned the first part because most of the story here was in her court. We could really see how all the events at the start impacted her, and her attitude towards her sister and her mother, as well as her step-mother and Theo.
Theo was super cute! I loved the way he handled his nephew, I loved the interactions between him and Grace – the whole time I was like DYING – and thought that he just generally had a sweet, wholesome nature to him. I really don't know who could possibly hate his character!
Hallie's character on the other hand... I just couldn't understand her. I love theatre as well, so I thought that I would be able to connect with her, but she was just so whiny and overdramatic that it made it impossible to really enjoy her story. She ignores the one guy who really does care for her, just like in Sense and Sensibility, which really put me on an edge. GRR. Frustrating, but still, her story had TONS of drama to keep me interested.

I loved the change in setting as well! San Francisco is where the book starts and as the title suggests, the girls head out to LA to live with their relative and his hilariously perky wife. There they meet people who shape and impact their lives changing relationships, breaking hearts and creating smiles.
I found that the setting of LA was also crucial for Hallie's character. The whole scene of Beverly Hills with the cameras, the drama, the rich families and party scene really created this huge backdrop that carried out the events that changes her character and really brings out a lot of the emotions in this story.

Abby McDonald has done it again with this latest addition! Jane Austen Goes to Hollywood promises giggles and tears with every turn of the story. I love this author and her books, and am looking forward to the next contemporary that she writes. Loved it!

If you like this, try...

• The Trouble with Flirting by Claire LaZebnik ● Goodreads
• Take a Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg ● Goodreads
• The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares ● Goodreads

Getting Over Garrett Delaney by Abby McDonald

Getting Over Garrett Delaney by Abby McDonald


Release Date: January 24, 2012
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Rating: YA 14+
Format: eGalley
Source: NetGalley
Buy: Amazon ❘ The Book Depository
Goodreads ● Website

Can a twelve-step program help Sadie kick her unrequited crush for good? Abby McDonald serves up
her trademark wit and wisdom in a hilarious new novel.

Seventeen-year-old Sadie is in love: epic, heartfelt, and utterly onesided. The object of her obsession - ahem, affection - is her best friend, Garrett Delaney, who has been oblivious to Sadie's feelings ever since he sauntered into her life and wowed her with his passion for Proust (not to mention his deep-blue eyes). For two long, painful years, Sadie has been Garrett's constant companion, sharing his taste in everything from tragic Russian literature to art films to '80s indie rock– all to no avail. But when Garrett leaves for a summer literary retreat, Sadie is sure that the absence will make his heart grow fonder - until he calls to say he's fallen in love. With some other girl! 
A heartbroken Sadie realizes that she's finally had enough. It's time for total Garrett detox! Aided by a barista job, an eclectic crew of new friends (including the hunky chef, Josh), and a customized selfhelp guide, Sadie embarks on a summer of personal reinvention full of laughter, mortifying meltdowns, and a double shot of love.

We've all read novels about falling IN love, but then every once in a while, a rare gem comes along that's about the opposite. Getting Over Garrett Delaney was that gem. Boy, if you thought falling head over heels for a boy was hard, imagine how hard it is to stop liking him. Or maybe you don't need to imagine. Trust me, we've all been there. Luckily for Sadie, she's got the help of her friends to get her though the ultimate Love Detox.
I've never read any of Abby McDonald's novels before, and this was probably the first book of hers which I've ever heard of. Her writing made me laugh, made me empathize and totally had me wishing for a group of people to help me through the hard times. She, mark my words, is totally a contender for one of the Queen of Teen contemporary. No kidding, she has the same familiar touch as Meg Cabot, Sarah Dessen and other Q of T's do, with her own little specialities. I've got to get my hands on her other books now!

Alright, ENOUGH about me ranting about how much I love this author. Onto the book!

Perfect. That's all that I can really sum it all up. The characters in this novel were per-fect. Flaws? sure. But that just made it so much better. I felt sorry for Sadie, and even though she was quite pathetic at times, mooning over Garrett, that was actually understandable. Like I said, we've all been there some time or the other. I love how we can see the stages of development, as she moves further away from the life she evolved around Garrett to become her own.
Speaking of Garrett, he is one character who you know from the beginning you're going to hate. Another thing I love about YA contemporary authors– you know exactly who's going to end up with who, and who to hate, but you still love the ride the author takes you on, no matter how obvious it turns out to be. (Anyway, back to Garrett) he's pretty obnoxious, I guess, and something about him ticks me off. He's always interrupting Sadie, he's always being judgmental about things that she does. It's just too... narcissistic. Hate characters who always want it their way. *Growls*

I love the twelve-step program. Like, some of the chapters in which she takes on the detox have the tips at the beginnings. It's a lot of fun reading about Sadie's transformation– it's like a complete new makeover! (She's All That, anyone?) There's something about a character becoming more of themselves that totally inspires me to do so as well. I thought about the steps and tips that the book gives and I thought it sounded awfully familiar to what I have done in the past. God, I had no idea how lame I was. Oh well, that phase is over and hopefully shall never come again.
The little twists in the story were quite enjoyable as well. Nothing too serious to make your eyes pop out, but definitely some little-heart stoppers in there. The ending was totally satisfactory. Just like a YA contemp novel should be.

Getting Over Garrett Delaney has definitely been one of the best contemporaries of the year so far, and I'm looking forward to more of what McDonald writes. Totally sweet, totally hilarious, and totally heart-warming, fans of How to Be Popular and Something, Maybe will fall hard for this gem.

If you like this, try...

• Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty ◆ Goodreads
• That Summer by Sarah Dessen ◆ Goodreads
• How to Be Popular by Meg Cabot ◆ Goodreads
• Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott ◆ Goodreads