Review: Fall For You by Cecilia Gray

Fall For You (The Jane Austen Academy Series, #1)
written by Cecilia Gray
published by The Alpha Division, LLC

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Why did I pick this book: I received this book from the author. Ms. Gray thought I would enjoy it because I am a fan of Jane Austen and the various retellings and spin-offs. (I received a copy for review purposes.)

Did I enjoy this book: I enjoyed this book a lot. I read it every free chance I had. This book is a fresh take on the wonderful classic, Pride & Prejudice. It was a quick read that made me laugh, made me anxious to see what would happen next and see how things would work out.

I could definitely see the parallels between the two books and I can honestly say that I felt the anxious question throughout while reading this book as I did while reading Pride & Prejudice: Will Lizzie (Elizabeth Bennett) and Dante (Mr. Darcy) really end up together? Or will their pride and perceptions of each other get in the way?

Lizzie is a smart and ambitious junior at Jane Austen Academy ready to room with her best friend, Ellie. Lizzie is a great play on Elizabeth Bennett. Both smart, witty, and quick to jump to conclusions before she finds out all of the facts. When the room assignments are switched, I was surprised that Lizzie took another path. When I read this first part of the book, I kept wondering why Lizzie would walk away from her best friend. And as the book progressed, I wondered why Ellie and Emma became so close. (I am anxious to see if this explored in later sequels!) And I kept wanting to tell Lizzie that she brought the anger she felt upon herself.

I enjoyed the plot of this book…the new ownership of Jane Austen Academy and the renaming of their beloved, once all girl school. What I didn’t quite get was why Lizzie was worried that Dante was going to take her one admittance to Georgetown University…isn’t she a junior? Doesn’t she have another year before she has to worry about that? I guess that just helped fuel her prejudice against Dante.

I will definitely be reading more books by Ms. Gray! (I can’t wait to read the rest of this series!)

Would I recommend it: If you love young adult books and Jane Austen retellings, then you should definitely read this book!

Will I read it again: I probably won’t. It was a great book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will read the other books in the series, but I don’t know that I will read this one again.

About the book – MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS: Jane Austen Academy has always been an elite, all girl private boarding school. Most of the students attend in hopes of receiving an acceptance letter from an ivy league university. However, in the course of one summer break, the school is sold and boys are now allowed to attend The Jane Austen Academy.

Lizzie wants the position of Managing Editor of the school newspaper and an acceptance letter to Georgetown University. Dante is one of the new, male students who seems like a snob who is way to good for Lizzie and for Jane Austen Academy. Lizzie wants her school back to the way it was because things are changing much to fast and not for the better in her opinion.

Will Lizzie’s single focus quest to save her school ruin her and her relationships with those around her? Does Dante think he is too good for Lizzie and the Academy? Will Lizzie’s pride get in the way of seeing what is good about some of these changes and the people come along with them?