An overall great read. Very different and relatable. Although I feel that the ending came too quick. Oh I’m still in love torn you but let’s get married. Very cute and good though overall.

I found By the Book to be an endearing read. While I have never read Persuasion by Jane Austen, I still fell in love with the characters and the story in this modern-day retelling. I didn't mind the fact that the story was fairly predictable, and I loved learning about Anne's life-especially the work and details it took for her to publish her own book.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Just like Anne Corey, Persuasion is my favorite book. Also, I'm currently working on my own modern adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, so this book hit the mark with me. Adam Martinez is hot in the way men you imagine in your head always are and Anne was so relatable. My favorite character was by far Larry; I need to add a gay best friend to one of my books sometime. I zoomed through this book. It was readable and heart-warming and everything you want a book like this to be. I couldn't put it down. I kind of want to read it again already. I definitely recommend it!

"By the Book" is a well-written novel. I think that fans of Jane Austen would enjoy the modern take on the book
"Persuation" . I spent only a day reading this while camping with my husband. It's a quick read. The author used her words wisely for character development. The characters were believable, and I especially enjoyed Anne and Larry's close relationship. Of course, the ending comes "out of nowhere", as many Austen books seem to. Anne and her sister's relationship could have been elaborated upon at the end, in my opinion. I felt it was unfinished.
Overall, I would rate this book four stars.

I would like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel in advance of publication, for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this book. Having never heard of this author, I confess it was the cover that fist caught my attention., then the description. I’m glad it did. By the Book is well written and I’ll recommend it to my friends.

What a beautiful, well-written novel. Fans of Jane Austen—or just book lovers in general—will love By the Book. I loved all of the characters, especially Anna, Larry and Adam. The dialogue was interesting and entertaining, and every character was well-thought out and developed. The only thing I wish I had seen was a more complete ending for Anne and her sister. Though they agreed to spend more time together, you don't see that happening after they make the agreement. I would have appreciated seeing that storyline wrap up more neatly.

Overall, a fantastic and enjoyable book and an easy, quick read, as well.

I adored Persuasion the first time I read it, and it is arguably my favorite Austen. This retelling does it justice in my opinion. Anne is believably naive as she struggles through life as a professor. Adam is simultaneously at the heart and on the periphery of this story--as he should be this is the story of a young woman attempting to reconcile her past with her present and coming into her own. As a young woman in my early 30s I needed this story. My only real criticism is that for readers unfamiliar with the the original tale, the ending might seem to "come out of the blue." It's not out of the realm of expectation for an Austen novel, but it is not the way that things tend to go in the modern world. Perhaps that is why I enjoyed it so? Thanks for writing this, Julia! I look forward to reading more from you.

I absolutely adored this book. It was such a fun, modern take on the Jane Austen nove, Persuasion (which happens to be my favorite Austen title by far). I have already added it to my purchase list for several of the branches I do purchasing for. Thank you so much for letting me read this wonderful title. I have several patrons and friends itching to get their hands on a copy.

Anne is a professor at Fairfax College. She is struggling to get published so she can be on the tenure track. However, there is a little snag. Her ex-fiancé is now the president of her college.

First off…COVER LOVE!

This supposed to be a story about second chances. But the love story revolves more around Anne and Rick instead of Anne and Adam. My feelings are all over the place on this book. I enjoyed i, but the story itself is slow moving. I read the book fast because it is an easy read. But it is really not a fast paced story line. It drags in places and I just wanted to kick some of the characters to get them out of their rut. So, it was frustrating. Then toward the end, it really picks up the pace and takes off. Just took too long to get there.

The characters are pretty good. Anne is supposedly intelligent but sometimes her decisions do not reflect that. Ditto for Adam. Rick is a total jerk! But, Larry is a super character. I love Larry. He makes you burst out laughing in many places. Larry made the whole book for me.

I enjoyed all the book and author references. Took me back to my college literature days. This is not a bad book at all. I just felt like it was missing something.

I received this novel from Netgalley for a honest review.

This book just didn't hit the spot for me. The plot started out fine. I was interested in Adam and Anne's reunion, but too many flashbacks and boring subplots spoiled the anticipation.

I expected more elements of a contemporary romance in this modern adaptation of Jane Austen's "Persuasion." Where are the dual points of view? The entire story is told from Anne's point of view. She's about as interesting as watching paint dry. I needed the author to reveal more of Adam's layers. Take us inside his head and let us see the story's events from his perspective as well.

I cannot abide a hero or heroine who sleeps with someone else during the story. Why is Anne dating and having sex with another man???? It's fine to let them them wait until the end of the book to get together, but in the meantime, their love needs to simmer. There should be smoldering looks, stolen glances, and light flirtation. They should long for each other! I didn't feel either of them longing for the other. Things didn't seem to be moving in the right direction until New Year's Eve. By that point, the book was nearly over.

Passion level: Nonexistent

ARC provided by NetGalley

This book was great - I can't say enough about how well it was written. It was truly an easy, enjoyable read. I liked the way the author lead the reader on with the romance between Anne and Rick. I also enjoyed the look into woman's literature. This is a wonderful beach read or just a good read at any time.

Do we move on from past romances? Do we want to? What happens if we are given a second chance? Do we take it? In By the Book, we watch as Anne reconnects with her college boyfriend. Is he “the one” or is Rick, the rich, successful novelist? In this retelling of Austen’s Persuasion, we root for Anne as she explores her choices. The academic setting is fun. There are also subplots, involving Anne’s close friend, Larry, and Anne’s father so that the book is about different kinds of relationships.. The novel is an easy read and one that will be enjoyed by fans ofmodern day Jane Austen tales.

Absolutely one of the best adaptations of Jane Austen's Persuasion I've read in a long time!

This book fluctuates in quality. It is apparently about books; however, it focuses much more on her intertwined love life. The love life often fluctuates into absurd territory.

This is a smart and funny retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion, and I enjoyed it very much. The modern college campus setting is perfect, and the characters are entertaining without being predictable.

Anne Corey has settled down as an English professor at a small liberal arts college in California. She hasn't published her book yet, which is a problem in academia, but she's working on it when a new college President is announced. Anne is shocked to hear that it's her old fiance, Adam. Their breakup was messy and Anne doesn't know how to handle the situation. At the same time, a new writer-in-residence, Rick, starts at the school and Anne is very attracted to him. How will Anne deal with the men in her life, including her sick father?

I highly recommend this book. It's a well-written read.

Thanks to Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I haven't read Persuasion, which this is a modernization of, but I have read other Austen novels and think this is a perfectly fun read for fans of her work, whether they're familiar with Persuasion or not. It has many of the themes central to Austen's work, including family, social class/structure, wealth, and of course, love. I thought it was brilliant to update 1800's England to a modern small college setting. Academia has its own insular community, rules and rankings that play perfectly into Persuasion's original storyline. Anne working to achieving tenure is a nice twist on a traditional Austen character making a good marriage - they can both set you up for life. "Publish or perish" is a substitute for the "old maid" concept, though modern-day Anne is also seeking romantic happiness as a secondary goal to her career objectives. I can't remember the last book I read this fast, it was purely delightful.

First look read through BookishFirst, full digital galley obtained through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As a book lover myself, "By the Book" drew me in from the first page and kept me entertained until the satisfying ending. It was a quick, fun read with an engaging story and likable characters. I've never read Jane Austin's "Persuasion" so I can't comment on the modern-retelling aspect of this book. I do wish there had been more romance in the book between Anne and the two men in her life. I still recommend it to others, though. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review. LOVE the cover of the book! Well done!

I cried, I laughed, I giggled and I was anxious to find out what would happen next. Even though it was a retelling of Persuasion, not everything was foreseeable and I loved to find out what would happen next and believe me, I enjoyed every single page in this book. This is definitely a book that I will also buy in print in addition to the ebook because I simply loved it.



It was fun, it was modern and it wasn't afraid to touch rather sensitive issues like the fact of someone being successful despite initially being an undocumented citizen as well as affairs, the loss of loved ones, plagiarism and the choices in life that we make due to love.

A wide range of subjects to think about, a wonderful retelling of one of my favorite stories (by the way, guess which book is the favorite book of our heroine?) and, of course, books. It's not just about love and people, even though they make up a big part of the story, of course, but it is also about books and the love for books and words.


I loved to see how Anne and Adam's paths crossed again and again and even though they seemed to have moved on you felt (well, and knew of course, I mean, it is a retelling of Persuasion, right?) that there still were some feelings left and hoped for those feelings to blossom. Soon.
The end was, well, on the one hand, it was a bit sudden but on the other hand, all of it had been at least thirteen years in the making, so I didn't really think about it being too soon but just took out my hankie and cried a little bit because it was so beautiful (and I might be a bit sentimental and of course, it was this irresistible combination of books and love - who wouldn't cry?).


Oh, and I loved those amazing characters. Be it Larry or Jack (oh, my... Jack and his questions concerning Jane Eyre almost killed me... ), Anne, Pam, Tiffany or any of the others - they were great, vivacious and I could totally imagine them when I was reading about them. What I loved about Adam was that he reminded me a lot of the original Captain Wentworth with his rather aloof manner. You can guess, you think you know what he feels but you never really know because he is always a bit distant and bit reserved - at least that's what it looks like on the outside.


An amazing book that made me google things like "Jane Vampire", half expecting to find a movie in the making and checking out the works of e.e.cummings as well as those of nineteenth-century women writers and - well, the emojis in my messenger. I mean, who knows when a combination like 🌭 and ✂️ might come in handy....

Choices have consequences. Anne Corey is an expert at that. When she wanted to pursue a teaching career instead of the Law path her father wanted for her, Anne found she was on her own financially and is now drowning in a sea of educational debt. When she and college fiancé broke-up, she vowed she’d find love again no matter how shattered and destroyed her heart was. And now she’s dating a hot new writer in residence at the college where she teaches and really knows nothing about him except what he’s told her.

Add in to that mix the necessary need to publish or perish – in Anne’s case gaining tenure and job security so she pay off her mountain of debt – and the fact her ex fiancé is now her new college president, and Anne’s new semester can’t get off to a worse start.

Add in a friend who’s following his heart down the wrong road, an ailing father who’s brain is slowly deteriorating, and a sister who’s never been the understanding one, and Anne’s semester just got worse.

This was a charming little book and I was intrigued from the first few pages. Miscommunication, outright lies, and stubbornness play major factors in Anne’s struggle to maintain her dignity, independence, desire to teach AND find love.
While not a traditional romance (it falls more along the lines of a woman’s fiction book, I feel) the book did have a nice resolution.

I was given an ARC of this book from Netgalley for an honest review and opinion.
Nice job.

I loved this modern take on my favorite Austen novel. It wasn’t too on the nose with the adaptation; there were enough differences to make it fresh.