Review: Four and a half stars: An amazing, romantic read that will leave you feeling warm and gooey inside!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 5, 2014
Spring Honeycutt is ready to buckle down for her junior year at Stanford. She has no time for boys and romance. Her goal is to finish her thesis on sustainable living and change the world. Unfortunately, her first week brings a bit of trouble. Spring's professor tells her that her thesis needs to be reworked by adding in an alternate view point. To do that she needs someone who knows about land development. Then Spring catches sight of her two new neighbors across the street. One of them is the brother of her arch nemesis and the other is a rich, stuck up law student who drives a Viper. Henry Knightly III is so not her type, but she can't help but stare at him, he is some fine eye candy after all. Later, Summer overhears her two neighbors talking smack about her at a party. She doesn't hide, instead she deals with Henry head on. Soon Spring is working with Henry on her thesis, even though he is the last person she wants to associate with. As the two get to know each other, there is plenty of hilarity as they bicker and disagree, while hiding their growing attraction. Can two opposites attract?What I Liked:*I will admit I headed into this with some hesitation. I have never been the biggest Pride and Prejudice fan (dodging rotten tomatoes) and retellings are hit and miss for me, so I wasn't sure how I would feel about this modern day revamp of the well worn classic. Needless to say, I was swept away and I fell madly and hopelessly in love with Henry Knightly III. He is absolutely swoon worthy as he is not only smart and confident but kind and funny. He melted my heart. I ended up devouring this book in a day and I stayed up way late to finish it because I just couldn't put it down. This is the first book of 2014 that left me feeling warm and wonderful, and at the end I had the biggest smile plastered across my face. I loved it!*For all you Pride and Prejudice fans, I am sure that you will be pleased to see how Ms. London brought the classic tale to life in modern day. She switched up some of the story line, for instance, the parents aren't in the book trying to marry off their daughters, but the heart and soul of the book, the romance, remains pure and just as charming. I think all you of hopeless romantics will eat up this lovely little romance. It has been awhile since I read P&P; so I can't speak on all the intricate details that were reworked, but I am sure if you are up for a revamp you will enjoy comparing and contrasting the two works.*The romance...sigh....I am not the biggest romance reader so I was surprised at how this one inched into my heart and spoke to my soul. This is one of my absolute favorite type of romances. It is the age old opposites attract/antagonist romance. Two completely different individuals with opposite ideals meet and end up butting heads as they bicker over their opinions. There is an attraction at the first meeting, but neither party will admit they are interested in someone who shares beliefs that are contrary to their own. Over time, as the couple continue to meet, they butt heads and debate over their opinions, and during that time something happens. A tiny spark of attraction is born, but Spring doesn't want to admit it. There is plenty of miscommunication and lots and lots of stumbles but in the end, it is everything you want in a good romance. Slow, sweet, pure and satisfying. It takes the entire book to get to that sweet spot and it is well worth the wait. I couldn't have been more pleased when I closed the book. I want to pick it up and read it all over again.*One thing that makes this book shine is that the romance isn't about sex. It is all about falling in love, the butterflies of attraction and star struck kisses. I loved that sex wasn't a part of the romance at all in this one. Sometimes less in more when it comes to sex, and I think that leaving out the sex scenes was wise. It made so much more of an impact for me. I think we forget the sweetness of a perfect kiss sometimes. Thus, this makes it an perfectly wonderful read for any young lady. Nothing inappropriate in this one.*Aside from the romance, I enjoyed Spring's character growth. She starts out the book as a focused, feminist with braids and extreme views on the environment and sustainability. She has no time for ridiculous boys and romance. She has put on a false mask and adopted new beliefs. Over time, she learns to see the other side of the fence, and she learns that not everything is at it appears. She has to let go of her prejudices and open her heart. I loved watching her transform and find her true self along with Henry's help of course.*The ending was absolutely perfect. Everything I wanted. Sweet, satisfying and smile worthy!And The Not So Much:*I think one of the things that I dislike about retellings is that I always enter the read with preconceived notions and I pretty much know how the tale is going to play out. I honestly wish that I had gone into this completely blind, and it would have been so much more fun because there are so many stumbles along the way. It would have been more impactful feeling the angst as the romance falters on several occasion mostly because the two are too stubborn to talk things through. It seemed that they would never get it right, but I always knew in the back of my head that they would because that is how the original goes. Not knowing would have made this much more fun. So best advice, forget this is a retelling and try and go in with no advance notions and enjoy the ride.*There were a couple of niggles at the climax that bothered me a little bit. I will avoid spoilers, but Spring learns her roommate is in serious trouble, and she drops everything to run home to her. I couldn't believe that Henry would let her go alone, why didn't he go with her? I would have thought that after what they had just been through that he wouldn't want her out of his sight. Then the following events bothered me. Why didn't he call? Why would he go back and get her car without seeing her? It just didn't seem right to me. No matter, it all worked out in the end, but I thought this part was a bit unrealistic and I didn't understand his behavior. He should have at least texted or something. I also wished there was just a bit more on Dart and Julia. I would love to have soaked up their scene together,.*Spring has some major issues with her family. I wished that there was a bit more depth and development in this area. There was some indication at the end that Spring was moving in a positive direction but I thought this was one part of the story that was weak.*Finally, I was in agony not knowing the list of songs on Henry's playlist for Spring. I desperately wanted to go listen to this playlist so I could find out what the songs were. I am guessing due to copyright infringements that the actual song titles couldn't be included in the book. Trust me, this playlist is a big deal and I was absolutely itching to know the titles of these songs. Thankfully, Ms. London has the playlist on her website so you can go listen to it and enjoy the magic for yourself.Maybe, Definitely in Love is an absolutely charming, romantic read that will steal your heart. Prepare for butterflies and starstruck kisses as you are swept away by this modern version of a classic tale. This is a book that is perfect for the romantics at heart, and even those of us who aren't the biggest romance readers. I was delighted and enchanted by this heartwarming story. It left me smiling and wanting more. I highly recommend getting this one immediately. It is an excellent, cozy pick me up read perfect for winter.Favorite Quotations:“I was familiar with Murphy’s Law in the kitchen: the moment your hands are incapiacitated, every inch of your face—and other various body parts— inevitability begins to itch.”“Is it possible to feel so strongly about someone, to be so overwhelmingly attracted and connected that you want to forgive anything?”“Being in love felt different than I thought it would. I wasn’t giving up a part of me or sacrificing what I thought I was in order to love him. I’d gained. I’d unfolded…evolved.”“Life’s too short, too precious not to love whenever we can.”I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.