Received a free copy from NetGalley

Im a huge fan of Jane Austen and anything Austen related is right up my alley.

I love this new take on the Austen stories , by giving by a new setting and basing them in modern times . In this book the author does this by putting house guests in regency england and letting them immerse in that character .

The main character, Mary Davies, is a reluctant participant, who will spend next two weeks with her friend Isabel at Braithwaite House in Bath. However Mary is soonfaced with complications and misunderstandings.

All in all this was a great read and definitely one for any Austen fans out there !

Whimsical and amusing. Anyone that can make fishing flirty deserves high praise. The narrative is a bit uneven, as parts of it read like a book report - is it Austen analysis or fictional storytelling. Though the crushes are quite clueless, the slow courtship of the main characters is endearing even if the pace is maddeningly slow. Still, love the chase.

I truly did not expect this from Katherine Reay. Are Austen Escapes real? It is different from her other books which I think is refreshing because the characters get to choose which of Austen's characters they want to "become" as they stay at the Braithwaite House in Bath. I think I rather enjoyed the different perspective seen in an Austen Escape. I am taken in by the details of the rooms described in Brathwaite. The richness in which the different rooms, the clothing, the manner in which social gatherings took place gives me as a reader a deeper inside look into Austen's novels. So yes, for me I enjoyed gaining this new view and a glimpse of the world in which Austen lived and wrote.

We get to experience this new depth of color and dimension thanks to the mixture of parties that assemble at Braithwaite House. Funny enough, they are there to experience what we experience while reading. We have Mary and Isabel estranged at the moment yet in the past were close. Brought together by the novels and each their mothers' attachment to them, they agree to travel together. Immersing themselves as another character, in a sense, they escape themselves only to find themselves.

I rather wish there were more to Isabel. I felt that this could have easily been a longer book to dive more into who Isabel was. We mainly read about Mary and experience Isabel through what Mary's memories. I wanted the impact of Isabel to be much more. I felt that since they had two weeks vacation in Bath that the plot and development of characters could have been more so, but it was only a matter of days into their stay at Brathwaite that made everything abrupt. I understand why the book only took less than that, but things went far too quickly for me.

This book is a yes and a no for me. Yes, in that I love how Reay satiates the Austen fan in me in the details and description of an Austen world that I have not physically seen with my eyes. She does triumph in creating a rich place that takes me into the Austen world, but "No" in terms of the resolve and the love story. I felt rushed at the end. I felt things needed more time to develop more instances where we can see Nathan as "Henry Tilney". Or where Mary played Mary and changed over to Anne. Overall an enjoyable read that I could not put down till I read the last page.

For some reason I seem to have a bit of a hard time getting into Reay’s writing style, which is a shame because I’m always intrigued by their descriptions and other reviews I’ve read. This was a good read, but lacked a bit of a spark for me.

I put off reading this book for ages because I am a big Austen fan and so I thought it might not be for me. Actually, I really enjoyed it! A nice, lighthearted read.

This is a must read for anyone that loves the classics! Mixing Jane Austen and the modern day world blended wonderfully.
A flew through the pages and it will be a book I can read time and time again!
Simply brilliant :-)

I am an Austen aficionado, and so I was very excited to be able to read this book. It's a fun story, albeit somewhat unrealistic, but it's a light hearted and breezy read.


***SPOILER ALERT***

My only issue with it was the fact that I loathe the frenemy trope - the token "best friend" who actually isn't a best friend but is obviously just a terrible person. Granted, the situation was somewhat more understandable given that the characters were almost like sisters, in terms of the family dynamics and relationships...but still, I just can't stomach petty, manipulative characters in the role of confidante and enjoy the story overall. I think if that specific dynamic were different, I would've enjoyed the story a lot more. The characters were relatable and endearing, and the romance was sweet. The BFF thing was really the only real flaw, and that may just be more to do with me and my personal preferences than with the story itself.

Reay's writing is always a delight. Her characters are fully imagined, her plots and dialogues are tight, and her settings are perfect. This book in particular was fascinating. Being limited to the perspective of the main character, there were many mysteries about the ways other characters were thinking and acting. These were brilliantly executed and made the book so much fun to read!

My one complaint about this book is the lack of spirituality. Reay's books are sold as Christian fiction from publisher Thomas Nelson, but after reading all five of them, I never know what to expect. The first two had a very subtle spirituality that was actually quite powerful in its subtlety. Then the third one was written as though in a Godless universe. The fourth one was the most spiritual in nature and was again very powerful Then this one was again completely secular. I don't mind secular books when I know that's what I'm picking up, but when I pick up a book that is supposed to be Christian fiction, and then the characters are written so beautifully flawed, I begin to get excited about them meeting Jesus and experiencing the transformation that His love and forgiveness brings. And then I'm really disappointed when it doesn't happen, but it's not the fault of the writing. It's the expectations.

I will continue reading any fiction Katherine Reay writes because I love her writing style. But I think I've finally learned to go in without expectations of strong (or any) Christian content. Then if it's there, I can be pleasantly surprised. This was a really great book, and I highly recommend it. Just go into it with the right expectations, and I think you'll love it!

This is a very Jane Austen inspired contemporary fiction/clean romance novel. "The Austen Escape" is packed full of Jane Austen references, quotes, and themes, which is great for Austen fans. I probably would have enjoyed this more had I read the Austen books and watched the Austen films mentioned in "The Austen Escape" more recently.

"The Austen Escape" is labeled Christian fiction, however faith is not a strong theme in this book, in which God is mentioned only three times and very casually without any depth. Aside from this, I love that this book is morally clean and contains a strong message of forgiveness.

Although there are elements of this book that I really liked, this book didn't hold my attention for some reason and took me a long time to complete.

I highly recommend this book to true Austen fans who have read a good majority of Austen's books and who enjoy contemporary fiction.

This was such a delight! It is the first novel I've read by Katherine Reay, and I could have happily read it in one sitting. The characters just come to life, they are so believable, and the setting was such fun. I loved the way that Reay used the works of Austen and a Regency themed setting to explore present day themes of friendship, love, family and independence. I'm not a big fan of romance in books generally, and there is a bit of that, but I really appreciated the fact that Reay doesn't allow her heroine to be consumed by a love interest, she is a rounded character without a man, she has a career, and strong (if sometimes flawed) relationships with friends and family.

This was just so, so good. More Katherine Reay on my shelves please!

Thannks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for my copy in return for an honest review.

The Austen Escape is very much like Shannon Hale’s Austenland. Here are mixed up all Austen’s best known books and the heroine goes on a Austen experience in England. And of course are here some misunderstandings and jumping to conclusions but at the end the right gal finds the right boy and everybody is happy.

And I just can not get over the fact how much it is as Austenland.

The Austen Escape by Katherine Reay is an Austen themed novel. In this book, childhood friends Mary and Isabel go on an Austen escape to Bath in England. Here, many issues from their childhood surface and Isabel suffers a mental break. I love the premise of this book and the characters were interesting in their modern twists as they pretended to be classic Austen characters. I really enjoyed the first half of this book and I really wanted to enjoy the whole book, but I found the rest of the book incredibly predictable. Also, there were parts of the story that didn't seem believable and some events did not seem consistent with the rest of the story. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher. These opinions are entirely my own.

This wasn't the usual Austen fantasy novel. It started off a bit slow, then the Austen aspect was introduced and things seemed to fall into place. But then additional subplots popped up that were more distraction than interesting.

An interesting concept about a young woman's rediscovery of romance in modern life. Perfect for a escapist read - as the title suggests.

While not my favorite book by this author, I did enjoy it. Ready has a way with making stories seem so real. Great dialogue and believable situations. Made me wish I could go spend a day in an Austen inspired getaway. 4 stars.

I loved this book! I almost wish it had a little bit more about Austen, but it was still really interesting. The romance aspect is absolutely amazing and I felt soooooo many different emotions. I think that the beginning of the novel is a bit weirdly paced and Isabel’s attitude was confusing at first, but other than that, it was a really good novel.

As a Jane Austen fan, I had high expectations for this book and I'm glad to say The Austen Escape did not disappoint.
This is the story of Mary Davies, an industrial engineer living in Texas, and her trip to Bath to have an immersive Regency experience with her best friend Isabel. Things take a different turn than planned when Isabel loses her memory and actually thinks she is a character from a Jane Austen novel.
I won't get into more of the story and keep this as spoiler-free as possible, I'll just say that although the story was a bit predictable, it was still absolutely fun, sweet and enjoyable. Plus, I could definitely see this being adapted into a movie.

My request for this book was followed by immediate regret, but it was predictable: another story about a woman taking an Austen-themed vacation, with the lagniappe of amnesia in her friend? It's like catnip. I was a bit sorry to be approved for it, but felt like something light and quick at the beginning of the year, so I cracked it open (so to speak).

And lo and behold, it was kind of wonderful. Actually, a couple of kinds of wonderful. I couldn't be more surprised, I don't think. It turned out to be the story of a woman rediscovering her path, finding a way to hit a reset button and go back to things that make her happy.

And of course it's also a love story, and a good one. It's the story of Mary Davies's love for her father (and vice versa), and of a love that seems to have died out, and a love that just doesn't seem to click. That's a major part of it – but just about as important to the story and to Mary is the exploration of her love for her vocation, the profession she has carved out for herself with a lot of hard work, which has drifted from where it used to be and needs to be shunted back to that right path. A love of numbers.

And, naturally, it's all about a love of Austen. Jane is vital to the book – but the book isn't about her. She is like sunlight and water to a neglected garden, causing things to happen.

<I>The Austen Escape</I> has a number of points in common with a book I read a few years ago, <I>Austenland</I>. Both feature a semi-immersive Jane Austen experience, in which guests dress the part from head to toe, put away their cell phones, and participate in Regency-style activities. But the ethics and advisability of <I>Austenland</I> struck me as deeply questionable, and it all left me with a bad taste in my mouth. This book was entirely different. I loved just about every character's arc, and found the whole thing very satisfying.

Life advice from <I>The Austen Escape:</I>
<I>"He said that how people treat you is only 10 percent about you and 90 percent about them, so you need to be careful how you react and how you judge. You never know someone’s story."

"My grandfather used to say that everything in the world could be solved at the cadence of a cast. Think about things, don’t rush them, get a feel for them, live organically. Live life like you cast." He bent his arm again, and with fluid slow motion he shot the line straight across the pond into the slow-moving water near the far bank.

"Music is math, and once you understand that . . . How can anyone not be in awe? It’s the audible expression behind the laws of the universe. It feels like the only thing, apart from God, that lives outside time. Once released, it lives on and it can make you laugh and cry, rip you apart and heal you, all within a few discrete notes strung together. And while it follows rules, expression is limitless."</i>

And this made me laugh out loud:

<I> "How did they do all this?"
"When you went up for your bath, I watched from a window." I yanked at his hand. "Not you. This. I watched this."</i>

The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.

I enjoyed reading this book. I haven't read all of Jane Austen's books so I wasn't sure if not understanding all of the references would be a problem, but I found it entertaining and feel like I'm expanding my knowledge of her novels that I can take with me when I read them. I felt like the beginning was a little slow, and I wasn't sure if I'd really connect with the characters, but suddenly I was wrapped up in the story and wanted to find out what was going to happen next. I'm looking forward to reading more of Katherine Reay's work!

For some reason, I had a hard time getting into this book at first. My patience was rewarded with an excellent story.

If you like stories where modern day people go to Bath and dress up as Regency characters from Jane Austen's stories, you will love this book. The book had elements that I did not expect, or are typical to this genre.

Source: I requested a review copy from Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.