The Austen Escape

I love how Katherine Reay mixes modern with Jane Austen. I love the references to Jane Austen's novels, that make me want to go and read the classics. This book is filled with relationships between friends, forgiveness and dreams. I loved how close Mary is to her father and how they share a love of tinkering with gadgets and how creative they both are. Of course there are always things you would change if you were writing the book, but for the most part, I really liked The Austen Escape. Keep writing Katherine Reay, I love your books!

'The Austen Escape' was brilliant! This was my first Katherine Reay book and I couldn't have been more enchanted by her mix of Jane Austen quotes and book situations mixed with a current and engaging story. The issues in the book were serious and relatable, and the characters well drawn so that those who were likeable were absolutely so, and those who weren't were easy to recognize. I am just hooked, and I've gone out and purchased more of the author's books. I can't recommend 'The Austen Escape' highly enough!

Another beautifully crafted story of faith from Reay. Different from her others, but just as wonderful as the rest.

I received an ARC copy from NETGalley, for an honest review, and since this is one of my favorite authors, I was eager to read it!

This was a very unusual Austen fan fiction tale, but being a Katherine Reay title, I LOVED it! It took me a bit to catch up with who was who and how they knew each other, but it was worth the effort, not that it took too much. It reminded me quite a bit of Austenland by Shannon Hale, with a similar setting, but I liked this better. I was unsure then pleasantly surprised at the character developmen. The book left me wondering until the end who was really being honest, and how the main-character-best-friends were going to hold their friendship together through it all, but wonder of wonders, they did! I'm not telling you HOW they did it, you have to read it and find out - just know it's not what you expect, and it's sweet. Great read!

The Austen Escape is the first book I've read by Katherine Reay but it makes me want to read more and more! It felt like a romcom in the written form and it was just so entertaining. As you delve into the book, you become so attached to the characters that they seem so real - as if I knew them personally. I knew there was trouble coming in their lives and yet the humor that it added to the story brought out quite a few chuckles out of me. I was so invested in their story that when they were in trouble, I actually had a heavy heart as I read. I related so much to Mary because the way she feels about Isabel is something I've experienced so many times and I couldn't help nodding along as she narrated how she felt.

Mary Davies is an industrial engineer in Austin, Texas. She’s happy with her job and her life, although she wishes there was a bit more going on with cute, funny consultant Nathan. Then Mary’s childhood friend, Isabel, offers her a trip to England, for a two-week immersive stay in a Regency-style manor house, where everyone will be living as Jane Austen characters. Mary wants distance between her and her beautiful, manipulative, vindictive friend, but finds herself agreeing.

At first, the experience is fun, as Mary meets a group of people all pretending to be her favorite characters, but then Isabel wakes up one morning really thinking she is her chosen character, and with no memory of reality. Mary finds herself dependent on strangers as she waits for Isabel to regain her memory. Then Mary realizes she and Isabel’s lives are more entwined than she thought, and must decide if she’ll let her pain go and move on with her life, or hold it against Isabel forever.

I loved this book! This is my first (but not last) Katherine Reay book, and I loved the voice, the characters, and the setting. An immersive Jane Austen vacation? Yes, please! (I do love Austen.). Mary is such a complex character, given to spur-of-the-moment impulses and jumping to conclusions (That’s my own personal form of exercise, too.) Her friendship with Isabel is fraught with tension bordering on anger, and the relationship is vividly portrayed on the pages of this novel.

(Galley provided by Thomas Nelson via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

"An escape . . . that holds a certain allure."

". . . I love books. The weight. The smell."

The Austen Escape by Katherine Reay is simply delightful. A fan of Jane Austen's novels will love all the references, let alone the setting of this contemporary piece. A homage to Austen's novels, The Austen Escape isn't just about fun costume play, but finding solace in the past, in literature and in the joy of life. It's about friendships and relationships that endure the test of time as well as those that are seemingly indifferent or broken.


"Jane Austen understood people, and she was funny. . . but you can't expect to understand them fully with one quick reading."

Katherine Reay has a way of interweaving life into the make belief of her novels. In The Austen Escape, it's two-fold as one character dissociate with reality and in turn find comfort and truth as a character in a famous classic. The romance takes a back seat as we dive more into the friendship and relationships of these characters. However, when it's time, the romance goes into high gear. I enjoyed every bit of The Austen Escape and I'd highly recommend an escape into the land of Austen as well as a good story.


Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from the author/publisher. I was not required to write a positive review, and have not been compensated for this. This is my honest opinion.

Please note, quotes were taken from an ARC, and therefore an uncorrected proof copy. Please refrain from sharing these quotes unless first verified with release copy. Thank you.