Review: The Austen Playbook

Yay for a new London Celebrities book – these books definitely have a familiar formula, but it’s a good one. How did this installment rank for me? Find out below!

The Austen Playbook (London Celebrities #4) by Lucy Parker

Published on April 22, 2019 by Carina Press

Thanks to the publisher for providing me a review copy!

Synopsis adapted from Goodreads: Freddy Carlton knows she should be focusing on her lines, but her concentration’s been blown. The palatial estate housing the endeavor is now run by the rude (brilliant) critic who’s consistently slammed her performances of late. James “Griff” Ford-Griffin has a penchant for sarcasm, a majestic nose and all the sensitivity of a sledgehammer. Griff can hardly focus with a contagious joy fairy flitting about near him, especially when Freddy looks at him like that. His only concern right now should be on the production (not this one) that might save his family home from the banks. Instead all he can think of is soft skin and vibrant curls. As he’s reluctantly dragged into her quest to rediscover her passion for the stage and Freddy is drawn into his research on a legendary theater star, the adage about appearances being deceiving proves abundantly true. It’s the unlikely start of something enormous…but a single revelation about the past could derail it all.

Review: The Austen Playbook

I’m always a fan of the London Celebrities books. I love London. I love that the books are set in the theatre world. I love the formula of the books, which typically feature a brooding, formidable, powerful guy who is annoyed by (but of course falls in love with) a spontaneous, spirited woman. (Sounds a bit like Pride and Prejudice now that I think about it…)

Though this book is called The Austen Playbook, don’t worry if you’ve never read an Austen book. It did (I think) feature little Easter Eggs for those who are familiar with Austen (and especially Pride and Prejudice) but the actual play, a live action mash-up version of Austen’s books, doesn’t feature that heavily in the story.

The way that Freddy and Griff meet, though, is pure P & P, complete with an eavesdropping scene in which she and her sister overhear Griff insulting her. I also thought there was a bit of homage to Austen in a subplot about a certain character who falls in love with a complete cad, and the fact that the production of the Austen Playbook felt a bit like a giant house party.

I did I like the romance between Freddy and Griff and as a huge fan of hate-to-love stories, I appreciate that the London Celebrities books usually have that type of romance. But I also felt that the transition from hate to love felt a little … sudden? I didn’t feel that I really came to understand what Freddy saw in Griff except that he infuriated her and that he was cute. (I did laugh at the Draco Malfoy jokes, though.) I also felt that the rather substantial subplot about Freddy and Griff’s family history (her grandmother had an affair with his grandfather) really bogged the story down at times. I would have rather that the story stuck more to the present, and paid more attention to the slowly smoldering passion between Griff and Freddy, rather than having it transition suddenly from cold logs to a raging fire.

I am excited that Freddy’s sister Sabrina will get her own book and that means that we’ll get to peek in on how Freddy and Griff are doing. Overall, a big fan of this series. Pretty Face is still my favorite. Am not sure if I like this more or less than Act Like It – maybe I’ll have to re-read and decide!

Have you read any of these books? Talk to me in comments!