Review: Instant New Favorite!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 29, 2013
So, I'm a big Jane Austen fan and I've lately been reading quite a bit of modern retellings as I find I love them just as much because the themes really do carry over well and we all need our Austen "fix" every once and a while. So, I literally did a little happy dance when I found out about a series dedicated to modern retellings of Miss Austen's works. This was the first book I'd read in the Jane Austen Academy series, but I also purchased the first book on Kindle and plan on reading it soon as well.I must say, the author did a wonderful job in making the story her own-- at times I found myself forgetting that this was actually a retelling as the characters were uniquely written and extremely likable(yes, even Izzy!). Kat is set on making it into the movie as an extra, and she does with help from Izzy who is one of the stars. She finds herself forging lots of friendships with not only the stars of the film(Izzy Engel, Josh Wickham--who she is the assistant of on set, and Henry Trenton), but also people like the caterer, and makeup and wardrobe specialists. Each and every character is so well developed that when they leave the set and head to L.A. to finish up you find yourself really missing the little side-characters. To be completely honest, I can't wait to read the rest of the series as this is by far my favorite Northanger Abbey retelling to date. Kat and Henry's relationship, both the ups and the downs, are so beautifully and honestly portrayed that When I'm With You has become an instant favorite. I highly recommend for young teens on up to adults even!*I received this book in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley, but this in no way affected my review or opinion.*