I don't think Lucy can write a bad book to be honest. The Austen Playbook is par for the course for her. It's quirky, witty and loads of fun. The chemistry was scorching and the writing once again was fantastic.

***I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Carina Press and Lucy Parker.***

I will admit upfront that I adore Lucy Parker’s writing, so when The Austen Playbook came up on NetGalley, I requested it and held my breath. I was thrilled to be granted an advanced copy.

Freddy is an actress staring in live-action TV event where even she won’t know how it plays out. The audience votes on the outcome of each scene. Too bad it takes place on the family estate of an infamous theater critic who has flayed her performances at every turn. Even worse, she can’t resist him, and that attraction goes both ways. When she helps Griff with his research for a book on a legend in the business, she discovers something that will change her world forever.

This book was incredible. Parker has such a way with words and is an incredible storyteller to boot. The chemistry turned love between Freddy and Griff is this tangible, dynamic bond that took my breath away. The live TV event underpinned by the Velvet Room mystery made for such interesting twists and turns. From the humour to the chemistry to the Harry Potter references, everyone should read this!

The Austen Playbook gave me all the good Lucy Parker feels. From exciting dynamic between the leads, to intricately done world building, and even a good mystery solved. I adored this book. It feels good to say that. However, there is one cissexist moment where, in her own thoughts, our heroine Freddy equates being a man with possessing a penis and continues on to think very negatively of how genitals look. I thought it was very unnecessary because it just does one thing: makes trans readers uncomfortable. I wish that was taken out in edits.

I didn't realize this was book 4 of a series and it stood on its own. I love books that take place in London/UK. This was the first book that I have read that is about the theatre/acting/reviews. I found out I know nothing about the theatre, acting or critics. I really enjoyed the characters, even the quirky ones. My favorite had to be Charlie even though he was not the main character. He seemed to the one everyone always under estimated and seemed to be always in good spirits.

Freddy surprised me and grew on me each chapter. She became stronger and stronger every page. Griff came across in the beginning as not a nice person and wrote harsh reviews. Griff has written some pretty harsh reviews on Freddy'a acting. However, Freddy and Griff end up in an unusual situation while she is staying at his families house while working on a play. Freddy and Griff end up working together and discovered secrets which will change both their families lives forever. Even though there are some really steamy scenes, will that be enough for their relationship to survive, once the truth is revealed?

http://www.seasidebooknook.com/search?q=Austen+playbook&x=0&y=0

I will have to go read the first three in the series!

I received a copy of THE AUSTEN PLAYBOOK on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher and author.

FIVE stars and here’s why:

The book drew me in from the get-go. I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Parker’s London Celebrities series so I was totally jazzed to score a copy of her latest. Once again, the author has a beautifully written story here that is very hard to put down. Total book hangover - I read it in one night. Once again, I fell in love with the story and rooted for the characters: Griff and Freddy. I realize it’s one of these stories that stays with you long after you finish reading it. If you like sexy guys and strong, sassy women, then this book is for you. Highly recommend.

This is the first Lucy Parker I’ve read, and it definitely won’t be the last, because The Austen Playbook is a breath of fresh air. Vividly bringing to life the chaos and drama which goes on behind the scenes and in the lives of London’s theatre set, it’s a story full of sassy jokes, sexy quips and an unexpected amount of soul-searching about just how much we owe to our families when it comes time to make choices about living our own dreams.

Freddy, our heroine, is the scion of one of London’s greatest dramatic families. Living in the shadow of her grandmother, a legendary playwright and actress, Freddy is pushed by her father into taking on dramatic and serious roles which don’t suit her bubbly personality at all. The only person who seems to recognise the truth of what she’d rather be doing is critic J. Ford-Griffen (Griff) who hits the nail on the head when he acerbically notes she’d obviously be far happier stomping around in puddles performing in Singin’ In The Rain.

When Freddy accepts the role of Lydia Bennet in a live-action choose-your-own-adventure Austen adaptation to be performed in a historic theatre built by her grandmother’s lover, the last person she expects to discover as owner of the estate is Griff. The two clash from the beginning, but the flying sparks are those of attraction. Though circumstances (and impossible cast-mates) conspire to keep them apart, somehow the two find their way together, and it’s utterly charming to see grumpy, aloof Griff fall head-over-heels for fun, light-hearted Freddy.

The writing is absolutely superb, and there are great lines all over the place, but my favorite has to be the tongue-in-cheek homage of that immortal opening to Pride and Prejudice. “It was a truth universally acknowledged that an actor in a rut must be in want of a spot of murder, mayhem and true love.”

Five stars for a terrific read, and I’m now a HUGE fan. Can’t wait for Sabrina’s story!

Regular readers know that flying is not my favorite, so when I flew to Colorado last week, I wanted a book that was, above all, FUN. I settled on a re-read of Act Like It, which is my favorite in the series. I fell in love with Lucy Parker this year; this book—which revolves around a Jane Austen-based tv adaptation filmed on an English estate—is the one that inspired this post.

I was so excited to read a Lucy Parker novel, as I'd heard great things about her books, especially in my romance readers group chat. I really loved the beginning of this novel and very invested in the story of the play and the bonus mystery. The book started to lose some steam around 70% of the way through for me and I sadly began to lose interest. I'll definitely try another one, though! I loved the voice and the writing overall.

I found the overall experience of reading this book to be enjoyable, with both plot and character elements that unfolded nicely and with forward momentum. While not the best book I have ever read, I would pass this title along to other readers and librarians.

On last year's flight home, I read my first Lucy Parker, Act Like It. Then, I immediately read the next two and loved them enough to re-read all three in January. So yes, I'm so obsessed with. I just love Parker's writing, characters, romances, humor, drama – all of it! I couldn't wait to read this release, especially because the Austen connection is right up my alley. And I wasn't disappointed! The vibe is a little different from the previous books because it involves a live-action TV event at a country estate. I loved the change in setting because it led to some of my favorite scenes, like a fun take on the "bad weather has us stranded here together" trope.

There's also more to the plot because you've got the TV event, some family drama, and a mystery surrounding a famous play. But it all worked for me! The hero and heroine have some negative history, but I wouldn't call it hate-to-love. It reminded me of Pride and Prejudice – from "not handsome enough to tempt me" to "hey girl, let me admire those fine eyes" in a quick second. The couple's attraction and connection is pretty instant, and I usually need more more development in my romances. But for whatever reason, I still So Loved It.

Where was the thrill, the passionate side of being on stage, to give life to another characters?
I’m still looking for it...
I didn’t feel connected at all to the characters or story. The fairly lengthy descriptions throughout the book were a bit repetitive and gave such heaviness to the story that wasn’t necessary to me.
I was losing track of things and I lost interest at some point.
I was expecting the sparks on stage and between the characters but it was too reserved and or hesitant sometimes.
It was just too polished and unfortunately it felt flat to me.

Thank you Carina Press for the review copy!


1) Reading Lucy Parker's books is always very bittersweet because on one hand it's so exciting having a new release to read but on the other hand you know you're going to have to wait another year before the next book comes out and the wait feels TOO LONNNNG!

2) I LOVED Freddy but to be completely honest, I didn't give much of a shit about Griff? I've never not enjoyed Lucy Parker's heroes but I didn't care about him as much as the other characters, like Freddy and sometimes thought that Freddy had more chemistry (in the beginning) with Charlie than Griff. I might just be Charlie biased though because I would KILL to see a book about Charlie!

3) The romance was super cute but didn't feel to me like there was as much chemistry as past characters and books from the series have had. I didn't really feel like there were those sPaRkS that Lucy's books are known for being full of which was a tad disappointing. It also felt a bit insta lovey and I felt ripped off because where's the sexual tension that I live for in this series?!

4) So much happened but it was very slow moving at the same time?? So much happens in the book that it's bursting at the seams but when reading it the pace felt quite slow, which threw me off a bit.

5) I really want Sadie to be eaten by a horse or at the very least leave the country. I wish she'd stop popping up like a poisonous puppet, I personally don't think she brings much to the story apart from being a sadistic troll and I don't think she adds anything to the series anymore. However, that might just be me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Lucy Parker delivers another stellar novel in her London Celebrities series with this book, The Austen Playbook. Parker combines the right amount of broodiness and humor to create a wonderful push/pull relationship between the two main characters---Griff and Freddy. This novel is an amazing addition to an already outstanding series. You will not be able to put this book down once you start reading it.

This was amazing! Lucy Parker writes amazing books, and this was just as amazing as all her others. I can't wait to read her next book.

Disclaimer! I got an ARC from NetGalley. This has in no way influenced my review. I had already pre-ordered my copy of the book months ago, long before the ARCs became available. Also, because I am terribly late in reviewing it, the book is available on sale from the e-book vendor of your choice. It's excellent, you should totally spend your monies on it!

But what is the book about, Malin? You cannot expect people to fork out their hard-earned cash without knowing anything of the story. So here goes...

Frederica "Freddy" Carlton has been a critical darling on the London stage for more than a decade, having started out as a child star. She started out doing a lot of comedic work and musicals, but now her father, also her manager, wants her to focus on more dramatic and "serious" acting, following in the footsteps of her acclaimed grandmother, who was famous not just for her dramatic roles, but for later in her career writing one of the seminal dramas of the 20th Century. To say Freddy feels the family legacy weighing heavily on her shoulders is putting it lightly.

James "Griff" Ford-Griffin is the only rational and pragmatic member of a family of dreamers. When he's not on television as a theatre historian, he writes insightful and scathing reviews in one of the big London papers. His parents keep spending money they don't have hand over fist, his brother is well-meaning but rather ineffectual when it comes to actually helping out in any real way, while Griff is trying to keep the family estate afloat though any means possible.

Freddy and Griff first run into one another in a pub in London, after Freddy and her TV presenter sister has overheard Griff taking apart Freddy's most recent theatre performance in very unflattering terms. Even though his judgement of her acting is rather brutal, Freddy is also deeply impressed with how Griff seems to be the only one to see what she really wants to do with her career and how these new serious parts are sapping her spirit.

They meet again about a year later, when Freddy arrives along with a large cast of high profile TV and theatre actors to take part in "The Austen Playbook", a one night televised stage performance of a popular "Choose your own adventure" computer game, starring Jane Austen's many popular characters in a drawing room mystery. The TV viewers will have the chance to vote at various points of the performance on what direction they want the play to continue, meaning all the actors will have to learn a truly staggering amount of lines and plot variants. The location for this special TV event? Griff's family estate, which sports its own private theatre (built by his love struck grandfather for Freddy's actress/playwright grandmother, when they had a torrid affair back in the day). Griff and his brother have been promised a share in the profits and desperately hope that the event is a hit, or it's pretty much bye bye family mansion.

Freddy is bubbly, cheerful and optimistic. Griff is icy, sarcastic and tends to see the worst in any situation. They are polar opposites, but both became aware of the sizzling chemistry between them that first time they met in the pub, and staying in close confines on Griff's family estate means they soon find the opportunity to act on their mutual attraction. Complicating matters further is the fact that Griff is developing a film about Henrietta Carlton, Freddy's famous grandmother (and her affair with his grandfather), while Freddy's father is trying to stop him from getting the film financed. Freddy's manager dad is also deeply displeased about her choice to do something quite as frivolous as playing Lydia Bennett in a crowd-pleasing TV event, when she should be focusing all her energies on getting cast as the lead in "The Velvet Room", her grandmother's famous play.

History would have it that Henrietta wrote the play while staying on the Ford-Griffin's estate, but there are details to the story that don't entirely add up. In between trying to learn lines from a script the size of a phone book and trying to avoid the malicious attention of one of her fellow actresses, Freddy tags along with Griff to discover more about their grandparents' love affair and uncover secrets that have been buried for several generations. Secrets that involve both their families and could have huge ramifications if exposed.

The romance between Freddy and Griff develops quickly (they also address this IN the story), but they had met and formed an attraction before they are suddenly thrust into close proximity, and Parker really does make it work. The main couple are not the only great characters here. The supporting cast, especially Griff's brother Charlie and Freddy's sister (who will obviously be the heroine of Parker's next romance) are also excellent.

Neither Freddy, nor Griff, have easy relationships with their parents. Freddy's father is a former actor, who when injured on stage (rescuing a young Freddy from falling props) wrote a best-selling biography about his mother and is now an acclaimed theatre writer, as well as her demanding manager. Unfortunately, they have very different ideas of which direction Freddy's career should be taking, and what sort of parts would suit her best. Freddy feels obliged to follow the family legacy and take the dramatic roles her father expects of her, but dreams of starring in a big fantasy musical production, doing light hearted work and making audiences happy instead. Griff's parents are impractical dreamers, who spend outrageous amounts of money on materials and supplies for their extremely elaborate doll houses and miniature landscapes. They have absolutely no concerns about the family being nearly bankrupt and Griff having to mortgage his London flat to try to pay off some of the family debts.

I liked the underlying mystery of what exactly happened the summer that Henrietta Carlton wrote "The Velvet Room" and how Griff and Freddy's investigation uncovers new truths about previously believed facts. I absolutely loved the whole concept of "The Austen Playbook", taking Austen's many characters and pitting them against each other in a country house murder mystery, with the audience being allowed to decide what happens next. I would be glued to my television if this existed for real. I liked the rivalry between Freddy's sister and her handsome talk show nemesis (who is clearly going to be the hero in the next book - the enemies to lovers factor is going to be off the charts). I didn't particularly like the bitchy actress making life difficult for everyone during the production, but I don't think we're supposed to. It was nice to see a cameo from Leo from Making Up, with a brief mention of his girlfriend and baby! While they're only mentioned in passing, there was enough detail about the fantasy book series being adapted into the musical Freddy wants to star in that I found yet another fictional book series I would probably become completely hooked on. Seriously, there are so many things I could mention that worked for me, and I can't think of a single thing I disliked.

I feel like I should personally apologise to Lucy Parker. I got this book as an ARC in the middle of March and devoured it in less than 24 hours. I've been in and out of reading slumps this year, and this book certainly pulled me out of one. I'm a huge fan of all of her previous books, but was pretty sure this was her best one so far. About a month later, I re-read the book, which confirmed to me that yes, it is my favourite of all her four books and my initial belief that it was a 5-star book entirely held up. This book was an utter delight to read. I think every single aspect of the story works for me. However, the whole point of ARCs is for the readers to get their reviews out in a timely fashion, to generate advance buzz and hopefully help the author sell more copies of their books. The Austen Playbook has been out for more than a month now, and I'm only now getting round to writing about it. So dear Ms. Parker, if you're reading this, please forgive me. Your book is amazing and I loved it both times I read it. I'm already looking forward to Sabrina's book. If I am granted an ARC of that one, I promise to try to get the review out in a timely fashion. No matter what happens, I will pre-order it the second links become available. Your writing is a gift.

Judging a book by its cover: Much as I love the book, I am not really a fan of the cover. While the female cover model looks a lot like Freddy is described in the book, the strange pose with her legs and feet in the foreground gives her strange proportions. The male cover model, on the other hand, is a complete disaster. Griff is described as a short-haired Lucius Malfoy, with imperious features and platinum blond hair. He also always seems immaculately dressed, normally in tailored suits. The cover model looks to have a bad bleach job and wears and old t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He looks like he's come straight from the gym - not at all like Griff is described throughout the novel. It makes me sad, because a romance this great, deserves a much better cover.

The romance is swoony, the story captivating. I enjoyed this book just as much as I have the rest of the series. Fresh, sexy romance, captivating characters, sweet emotion. Thoroughly enjoyable read.

Absolutely loved this story and characters. It felt so easy to get lost in the world and all of a sudden your whole night is gone!

Wow this kicked right off, usually Parker's books have a bit up of a build up but I appreciated the change of pace. It was so great to get inside of Freddie's head after reading about her in two different books! Freddie's yearning to return to the work she loves ( musicals and comedies) while being taken seriously by critics and her father is an issue I think that many romance readers will appreciate it. It is so often scoffed at or belittled for not being "real literature." I also really enjoyed Griff's personal growth arc, has he confronts the pressure of keeping an estate afloat and the at time toxic pressure put on men to be the head of the family. This book is bursting with banter, fun sex, and a couple fighting to support each other as they both struggle to carry the burdens of their respectively family legacies. Also a great read if you are into opposite attracts/enemies to lovers tropes! I can't wait to see where Lucy Parker takes us next!

Lucy Parker writes fresh, delightful romances, and this may be my favourite one of hers yet. I loved the developing romance, as well as the ongoing plot tensions and reveals of past history. Fantastic characters, quippy dialogue, sexy romance, and excellent pacing. Recommended!

The Austen Playbook was a very sweet and funny story that I absolutely adored. Freddy was just trying to find out who she was as an actress when she was offered a part in a new murder mystery show that was put on by the one person that she didn’t care for, Griff. These two characters were great together because they were such opposites but they seemed to understand one another and they soon developed feelings for one another. This is the fourth book in the series and I loved every minute of The Austen Playbook. Looking forward to read the rest of the series.