Review by Booklist Review
When Anna's mom and best friend passes away before her college graduation, she's devastated. Seeking out the adventures she'd planned with her mom, she chooses to go abroad to Queen Mary University of London for her master's in literature. Even as her new friends support her, she finds herself over-worked (two jobs and a full course-load) until she's invited to St. Tropez for the winter holidays as a tutor for a rich family's kid. There, introduced to a different way of living, she's distracted by new friends and the perks of their uber-wealth, and starts to lose focus on her own plans. Can she navigate temptation while achieving her own dreams? The author does a bang-up job in having Anna pull from Jane Austen, highlighting how timeless fiction can be. So many new and interesting ideas around Austen's characters and settings are introduced through Anna's dissertation thoughts, while also enhancing our understanding and emotional connection to the characters of this book. Allowing for grand mistakes and equally impressive repairing of relationships, readers will feel as if they've been given new insights into how to gain self-awareness and comfort in their own journeys. A must-read for Janeites or fans of Marian Keyes, Helen Fielding, Sophie Kineslla, or Jane Green.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Everett debuts with an exquisite retelling of Pride and Prejudice, about an American tutor in contemporary Europe. Raised working-class in Northampton, Mass., Anna Byrne wins a full scholarship to the town's elite Smith College. Soon after graduating, her mother dies, and Anna, despite her father's disapproval, moves to London to pursue a master's in literature. Her job as an SAT prep tutor introduces her to 16-year-old Pippa, whose mother invites Anna to their Saint-Tropez home over the Christmas break. Among Pippa's older sister Faye's friends are the dashing and brooding Callum and the gallant and attentive Theo. In France, Faye's buddies treat Anna as "the help," but back in London, Theo introduces her to his cohort as a friend. This lie of omission, which Anna does nothing to correct, leads to serious trouble. Callum, who comes from humble Portuguese roots, is consistently kind and honest to Anna and, like Mr. D'Arcy, looks askance on her eventual romance with Theo, a two-timing cad. Much of the deceptively breezy narrative unfolds against a backdrop of lush scenery and lavish dinners and parties. Along the way, Everett sharply conveys Anna's acute and sometimes self-destructive longing for acceptance. This erudite romance is deeply satisfying. Agent: Mollie Glick, CAA. (Apr.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
An American student in London falls in with a rich crowd and struggles to keep up in this twisty debut. Anna Byrne is fighting to make her dream come true. She's studying for a graduate degree in literature at Queen Mary in London, a city she's longed for since she was a child. But making ends meet is hard; Anna grew up poor, lost her mother a few years ago, and no longer speaks to her father. Without a safety net, she bartends and tutors to make rent. But when the wealthy Wilders invite her to Saint-Tropez over the December holidays to give private lessons to their teenage daughter, Pippa, Anna is introduced to a high-end way of life and a glamorous group of people her own age through Pippa's older sister, Faye. When Anna returns to London, the Wilders' kindness grows, and they offer her the chance to housesit for their home in Highgate. As Anna meets more people in the Wilder orbit and assumptions about who she is spiral, so do the deceptions Anna must maintain if she's going to stay in this dream where she's found herself. But the precarity of her situation extends beyond convincing everyone that she belongs--her student visa means she must keep her grades up so after graduation she'll be able to get a two-year post-study extension. Populated by beautiful people with good wardrobes and big hearts, the novel is fun vicarious living for the reader, but Everett keeps the stakes in sight at all times. Readers can feel the nervous edge with which Anna moves through the world, making this a gripping read from start to finish. Engaging and grounded, this novel will keep you guessing. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
