ARC Review: Seeking Mansfield (Seeking Mansfield #1) by Kate Watson
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Series: Seeking Mansfield #1
Author: Kate Watson
Published May 16th 2017 by Flux
Goodreads Synopsis
Sixteen-year-old Finley Price has perfected two things: how to direct a world-class production, and how to fly way, way under the radar. The only person who ever seems to notice Finley is her best friend and godparents' son, Oliver Bertram. Since Finley moved in with her godparents after the death of her father, she and Oliver have grown close. If Finley could just take Oliver's constant encouragement to heart and step out of the shadows, she'd finally chase her dream of joining the prestigious Mansfield Theater. But when teen movie stars Emma and Harlan Crawford move across the street from the Bertram's, they shake up Finley and Oliver's stable friendship. As Emma and Oliver grow closer, Finley realizes that Harlan Os attention is shifting to her. She discovers she might have feelings for him too. Or, is she only interested in Harlan because Oliver is taken? Finley doesn't want to be won, and she doesn't want to see Oliver with anyone else. To claim Oliver's heart -and keep her own- she'll have to find the courage to do what she fears most: step into the spotlight.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
As soon as I read the synopsis of this book, and saw the title on NetGalley, I was buzzing. Any form of Austen retelling, no matter which of her books it's based on, is automatically a book I want to read. I haven't seen many based on Mansfield Park, which I will admit isn't one of my favourite of Austen's, but I knew this was one to try.
In Seeking Mansfield, Finley has had a difficult upbringing, but she devotes herself to the theatre and putting on the best show that she can. Living with her godparents, the Betram's, and best friend, Oliver, is the only place that she feels as if she's seen, but she's happy with flying under the radar and living in the shadows at school. However, that soon changes when actor siblings, Emma and Harlan Crawford, arrive at her school, and they get in between Finley and Oliver's friendship. It also seems as if Harlan likes her, but is that just wishful thinking as her longstanding crush on Oliver is even more unrealistic when he gets with Emma and starts to ignore Finley and treat her like dirt. But, can she win back Oliver, if she just steps into the limelight and gets his attention.
I did really enjoy how the author modernised the original in this book. Every part of it that was made different, such as the Betram's being Finley's godparents, and not aunt/uncle, and the Crawford's being famous as actors rather than just really rich. Finley was such a well done character, and I adored her chapters. She was so self deprecating, and felt like she needed to do everything and anything to repay the Betram's for their help and support, but I loved it even more when she stood up for what she wanted. Oliver's chapters were a bit more annoying, to me, but sometimes a nice reprieve from Finley's inner-monologues.
As I knew the source material, I obviously shipped Fin and Oliver, but at times I did see the appeal in Harlan. Yes, we have a lot of bad decisions made, and lack of communication that could've been dealt with so much faster and solved a lot of problems, but I was expecting it. I did feel like there were times that Finley and Oliver's romance was forced, but all in all, I enjoyed the book, and will definitely be reading the sequels when they are released.
Dates Read:
May 21-25, 2017
Rating
4 Stars
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