Emma gets a Hollywood-tinged, feminist update in this funny and fierce retelling of Austen’s classic about a well-intentioned but tragically misguided matchmaker.The summer after her first year of college, teen starlet Emma Crawford returns home to Manhattan to prepare for the role of a lifetime–and play career matchmaker to her friends. When Emma’s search for an assistant leads her to the … wide-eyed Brittany Smith, Emma sees the big screen in the girl’s future. And because Emma knows best, she’s sure that steering Brittany onto the right path is all she needs to do to make her a star–even if Brittany doesn’t know it yet. Emma’s plans start to unravel, however, when professional soccer player Liam Price re-enters her life. Not only is Liam her former best friend’s older brother, but he’s gorgeous, smart, and has no problem pointing out the (totally exaggerated) flaws in Emma’s plans. But as Emma comes in close contact with the darker side of Hollywood, she starts to question the glamorous world she’s always known and realizes her role in it needs to change–if she can find the courage to go off script.
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I was completely charmed by Kate Watson’s debut. From her updated take on Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park to Finley Price’s backstory, I loved every minute of Seeking Mansfield. The first companion novel, Shoot the Moon, was a bit of a let down after the high expectations that the first book set.
When I saw that Off Script was returning to the formula of the first, I hoped the magic would return.
On the one hand, Watson returns to Jane Austen for inspiration and her focus on some of the secondary characters in the first book is a draw. On the other hand, it can be tough to meet the high expectations after a book that isn’t as well-received.
Yet, in Off Script, Watson manages to take a character who, on the surface appears fake, superficial, and self-centered, and makes readers change their minds about her before the finish of the book. Hang out with Emma long enough, and it becomes obvious much of her behavior is a reaction to her pain and disappointments (many of which come from the people she should be able to depend on the most).
It takes a while to get there, but the growing pains Emma experiences are worth the journey. Add in Liam, who doesn’t hesitate to speak his mind and offer correction where Emma’s behavior is less than stellar and all of the correlations you can make between this book and Austen’s Emma, and Watson has managed to create another story I thoroughly enjoyed.
Content warning: There are several instances of cursing throughout the book
Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
I really like Kate Watson’s writing and adaptations, in Off Script she brings the adaptation of the amusing Emma with her cupid and control syndrome.
Emma remains very attached to her brother Harlan and will need to adjust the mood between him and their friend, Liam, as they will need to work together. Harlan betrayed Liam’s sister and even though he apologized, it still feels uncomfortable when he’s around Liam.
Between recordings, parties, interviews and a busy schedule, Emma will need help and that’s when she finds her new project, assistant Brittany, a dazzling country girl who quickly becomes a must for Emma and become her faithful friend too.
A cute story about love, friendship, strength and about knowing the right moment to support or not a loved one.
4/5 stars
A modern retelling of Jane Austen’s classic Emma, this is a Hollywood-inspired take on the story. Now, before I start, I’m going to say that Emma was actually my least favourite Austen novel and in my opinion, Emma Woodhouse was Austen herself’s least favourite heroine. Pretty, rich and spoiled? You bet Miss Austen really quite enjoyed writing that scene where Knightley takes Emma down several dozen pegs.
That said, there have been some great retakes on Emma over the years, the movie Clueless being the best-known example, where Alicia Silverstone managed to charm all of us with her pretty, charmingly naive Cher. It’ll definitely help if you imagine the same actress playing the lead character of this novel with that same energy; it’ll help you like a character who could come off as a spoiled little rich girl a lot better.
This isn’t a straight ‘plug and play’ of characters from the original into the modern setting. Here Emma has an older brother, Harlan, whose best friend Liam is her love interest. Emma and Harlan are child TV stars growing up into full on Hollywood megastars, buffered from the real world by their wealth and privilege. Emma’s matchmaking is more targeted at helping people find stardom than love. Social media plays a big part in the story, and so does the very timely topic of sexual predators in the entertainment industry, as Emma mentors her assistant Brittany and explains ‘the rules’ all women in the industry abide by as a matter of course… but shouldn’t have to.
It’s easy to write Emma and her friends off as shallow and entitled, unaware of the real-world struggles faced by the rest of us every day, and I admit I struggled to feel much sympathy for her as a Poor Little Rich Girl until the big reveals started coming later on in the book. But come they did, and by the end of it, I really cared about Emma and wanted her to get her happy ending with Liam, who seemed like a real sweetheart.
The book does need trigger warnings for grooming, sexual predation by those in power, parental gaslighting and financial abuse. If these are difficult topics for you, you might need to give this one a miss, but I do recommend it as both a timely read in this age of #MeToo and a charming romance. Five stars.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via NetGalley.