Author: Cecilia Gray
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Self-published
Publish Date: 2013
Source: I received a copy from the author; however, this did not affect my review.
Why You're Reading This Book:
- You're a YA fiction fan.
- You're a romance fan.
Synopsis: "Kat is destined to be a star and her big break has arrived at last! As the assistant to a celebrity classmate on the set of a feature film, she's going to show everyone she has what it takes. That is, until she discovers pursuing her dreams may mean forfeiting her heart. Unless she can find a way to have both…"
My Two Cents:
"When I'm With You" is the third book in the Jane Austen Academy series. It is a young adult retelling of Jane Austen's Northhanger Abbey (have I ever told you guys about how enamored I am of retellings? they are just so much fun). Although this book is the third in the series, for the most part it is a stand alone story. I say "for the most part" because there is one bit at the end of the book about the Jane Austen Academy itself that I was confused about so I think you may have to read the previous books in order to understand what was going on.
"When I'm With You" is definitely a character driven novel. I really liked the characters a lot. Kat Morley, the main character, follows her classmate, Josh, to the set of his movie over Christmas break to be his assistant. What she really wants is to act. At Jane Austen Academy, she is the star of every theatrical event. She knows that she was meant to act and doesn't want to let anyone stand in her way. At first, this kind of annoyed me because she kind of went about things on the movie set like a bull in a china shop. Her character really did grow on me in the end though. She eventually realizes that there is a better way to go about getting what she wants and seems a little calmer about most everything. I also really liked the love story behind her and Henry.
I wanted to know more about Henry's dad though. At one point, it seems like there's going to be some insight into why he specializes in collecting dead celebrities things. What was this about? It was way creepy but never really explained thoroughly. What was this supposed to tell us about Henry's Dad? It was definitely confusing to me. There were also a couple loose ends that I think may have been ties back to Northanger but they are never really fleshed out.
Bottom line: A good YA love story.
I love retellings too, I cannot even count how many Jane Austen retellings I have read! I do not read a lot of YA but I might check this one out.
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