Rating: 3.5 stars

*Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley for free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.*

I went into Off Script without knowing what to expect. Perhaps there was a mistake and I was sent the wrong ARC, because I never actually requested it. Despite all of this the book has proved itself to be worthy of my time and I am actually quite happy that I've read this.

What I liked:
When I found out Off Script was a modern day Emma retelling, I got majorly excited. There was a lot of good themes in this book (some favorites being friendship and sacrifice). It was definitely interesting to explore the darker sides of the acting industry while in Emma's head -- and speaking of Emma, her internal conflict was an absolute delight. I didn't like her as a character at first, but she grew on me. Plus, there are some lovely guys in this book -- Liam and Weston being prime examples.


What I didn't like:
I found it surprisingly difficult to get into the book. It may have been because I went in without knowing exactly what it was about (I didn't find out it was an Emma retelling until I actually looked up the blurb), but it definitely picked up at around the 60% mark. That was when I was sold. It was difficult to keep up with the flood of characters in the beginning, and I couldn't get into Emma's head. Thankfully, after a while, I was able to keep track of all the characters and relate to Emma more. Another small thing that nagged at me was how the author used dialogue to get information to the readers. Although there may not have been a better way, I did find it tiring after a while and wished for a little bit more showing rather than telling. I also wished Harley was redeemed, but well I guess that might not have been very realistic XP

Overall, Off Script was a solid and satisfying read, even with its shortcomings.

In the third installment of the Seeking Mansfield series, Watson gave us her spirit on Emma by Jane Austen. This Emma was still a matchmaker, but instead of love matches, she was making career matches.

One of the things I always do, when I read a retelling, is to get a refresher on the source material. I am always curious to compare the old and the new, and I was really surprised by how much of the original Emma existed in this very NOW, very timely take on the original story. She also did a fantastic job capturing the spirt of Emma. That to me is sign of brilliance, and I must acknowledge how well the author accomplished this task.

This Emma was a successful actress, preparing for an upcoming blockbuster film, and therefore, a bulk of the book focuses on being a women in entertainment industry. Here, we saw the dark side of the entertainment industry - exploitation, lack of privacy, gossip, backstabbing, sexual harassment, and sexual assault. The MeToo movement rocked Hollywood, and therefore, definitely earned its part in this story. It's a timely topic, which deserves attention, and I liked all the different ways Watson tackled it.

I also adored all the people, who were part of Emma's life. The importance of friendship and found-family was strong throughout this book, and Watson gifted Emma with an amazing bunch of people to help her navigate this unpredictable world. I especially adored Weston. That man oozed love and support through his pores, and I could totally imagine him as the next Ellen.

Another character, who deserves a big mention, is Liam. Liam was a fantastic love interest for Emma. He was so sweet, kind, and swoony, but he also challenged her, a LOT. They had great chemistry, and their shared love of Finely was just another thing to strengthen their connection. I liked that he was often a voice of reason, but also there to remind Emma of who she was, when she sometimes lost sight of that.

I was beyond delighted that Watson reunited all three Seeking Mansfield couples for the final chapter of this book. She not only brought them physically together, but she also reminded us of how much each of these young women had overcome and accomplished. If this is her final retelling set in this world, it was a find send off, which, by the way, left me shedding a few tears.

It’s another 3.5 starts deserved to be rounded up to 4 because the idea of retelling of Emma in glamorous, phony, sensational, provoking, gossipy, notorious, harsh Hollywood planet is a great plot idea.

The realistic approach of Hollywood planet in this book and stories are gripping, capturing, smartly told and described.

The chemistry between Emma and Liam was incredible, heart-warming , puts a big smile on your face, makes you sigh several times. I also enjoyed the modern characterization and 21th century Emma who is brave enough to fight with unfairness and raise her voice for the assaults.

This is witty, cute, swoony, sassy reading even it has some unresolved issues, I mostly tried to have fun and focus on pacing and entertaining moments.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Flux for sharing this great ARC COPY in exchange my honest review.
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Thank you netgalley and the publishers for this Gem of a book! This is my first book by the author Kate Watson and I completely loved it. I love recreation of Jane Austen's novels and Emma is one of my favourites of all time. And moreover I am a big fan of the movie 'Clueless' too. I wanted to read this book as soon as I saw it and it did not disappoint! I simply loved the characters! Such a teen drama with hollywood elements and classic Jane Austen plot made this a very cute and entertaining rom-com/teen-drama book. A perfect read that it was and I highly recommend it for all Jane Austen fans and I am looking forward to more of Kate Watson's books in the future!
Happy reading and thanks for this ARC❤

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to review this book!

I have to say I quite enjoyed this one. Emma is a force, and her growth throughout the novel was inspiring. I felt like she changed in the best ways, She took moments that could have broken her and grew from them. She stopped allowing people to use her, and I related to that greatly.

The book is cute, and sassy, but at the same time, it also holds to strength and positivity. It touches on some tough subjects, but does so with aplomb and tact.

Thank you Netgalley for sending me this arc. I will be reviewing this book in the near future with an honest rating and review.

Emma and Liam's relation was so cute, their banters and flirting...ahh ❤❤ Emma's stand against her father and her helping Brittany stand against assault was applaud worthy. I felt some topics raise in the book didnt get as much attention as they should have or were left unresolved. All in all, I enjoyed reading it and would recommend it to anyone who wants an insight into the on the front glamorous life of Hollywood.

Usually the best thing (to me) about modern adaptations of classic novels is the quiet hum of familiarity as you find the corresponding associations and recognize old friends in new characters. Off Script took the story in a different (and very current) direction, and did it so well I didn't mind a bit.

I expected to like this book more than I did. I'm a Jane Austen fan and I generally like the new takes on her books, but I found this one hard to get through. I didn't like Harlan at all and his character is not necessary. This story just doesn't come together very well. Most of the characters aren't especially likable and the whole book just didn't keep my attention. It took me a week to finish.

This re-imagining of Jane Austen's classic story Emma introduces us to the titular character as a young movie star poised to take on a new role. Over the course of martial arts training and working to bulk up for the warrior character she is to play, Emma begins to mentor a young woman whose aspirations are limited to becoming a meteorologist for a local television station. At the same time her brother's preparation for a biopic brings Emma closer to Liam, a soccer star with a habit of dropping truthbombs. Whether or not Emma can make things work personally and professionally will depend on how she and those around her are able to address the skeletons in their closets and how they will allow their experiences to shape their futures.

Off Script, while still telling a light-hearted story of romance among unusually good-looking and well-off characters, also takes a hard look at the dark side of the world of entertainment, particularly the sexual exploitation of women and the abuse of minors. These are causes Emma begins the book reluctant to discuss, even with her brother, despite having been a victim of both, but eventually she comes to see the importance of using her position as a platform to illuminate the shady side of her profession and empower others who lack her resources and privileges.

It is not easy to like all of the characters at first, especially Emma, but the more time the reader spends with them, the more they see of the personalities the characters possess behind their public personae, which are generally more interesting, if not actually better. The characters' analogues in Austen's work are mostly easy to pick out, and the adaptations necessary to fit them into the modern era are well done. The author's decision to make Emma's brother the villain of a previous book and continually refer to events in that book was a trifle off-putting, and he certainly failed to redeem himself in this book, instead adding further instances of being a less-than-stellar human being to his record, but for people coming to the series after having read the first book, the continuous references to what came before might be nice. Generally I found them obnoxious.

That said, this book is hard to put down, and the pace of the action means that it's easily devoured in one or two sittings, and readers will want to do so. Even though the happy ending is basically a given from the first twenty pages. Even though some of the characters are terrible people. It's still a pleasure to read.

Such a clever read.
So fun and heartwarming, this book was incredible well written and the perfect summer read. Can’t wait for more from this author

First, I love any book that is a retelling of a Jane Austin romance. I love all of Ms Austin’s books. So, I was very excited to read Off Script and Kate Watson is a new author for me. Although I enjoyed the book, I don’t remember Emma being so confusing and requiring to pay so much attention to all of the characters and who they were and who ended up with who. Maybe because I have read all of Jane Austin’s books at least 20 times. I did love Emma in the book and adored Liam and as always, when they end of together my heart was warmed.