Ellie, Abby, and Georgie Dashwood’s lives get turned upside down when their father has a fatal heart attack, their step-mother inherits their home, and they are moved to a cottage owned by their mother’s best friend. Going from attending a private school with all of their bills paid for by their father, to going to a public school and having to get jobs to be able to support their social lives (as their mom claims she is not fit for working anywhere) is quite the change, and not something they all adjust to quite quickly. But, there are some upsides – Abby has found a cute older boy (who is totally no good for her) that she falls for, and Georgie quickly makes a new best mate who may be more than just a friend. Ellie, though, happens to get somewhat involved with her step-mother’s nephew; too bad he has a real girlfriend. Can all three girls find love in their new home after so much has happened to them?

This one is hard. One one hand, it’s a modern YA adaption of my favourite Jane Austen novel, so I’m bound to compare the two and be unhappy with it. On the other hand, if I don’t compare the two, I can think that it was a satisfying read. So, do I think of it as an adaptation or as something completely different? Hum.

Well, looking at is as a non-Sense and Sensibility adaptation, it was cute. Not the best YA book I’ve read this year, but not the worst either. Nothing that sticks in your head when you put the book down, but reading it is a fun way to pass time.

As far as a Sense and Sensibility adaptation… it just doesn’t compete. The characters aren’t nearly as wonderful, the story felt very rushed, and Nick was no Col. Brandon. ;) It’s strange, because in S&S, I find I can relate most to Marianne, but in this adaptation, I had a very hard time even liking Abby… And Ellie in this adaptation was my favourite, but I find Elinor in S&S a little boring.

I liked the depth of relationships built in Sense and Sensibility… this book didn’t do it justice. It glossed over some of those relationships – there was no mention at all in this as to why Nick (the Col. Brandon of this story) dislikes the guy who is supposed to be Willoughby.

Ah well, I suppose not every adaptation I read will cause me to rave. If I were to recommend this to someone, it would most likely be to someone who hasn’t yet read Sense and Sensibility.