I read this one without benefit of reviews or reading the book jacket, and thus was a little taken aback by the big initial plot twist. Once I got my head around the paranormal aspects of the book, it still required some conscious moments when I had to remind myself to suspend my disbelief. I was frequently annoyed by the main character. This was frothy, brainless, and harmless. It was good for relaxing reading of a weekend, but I'm not sure I would recommend it. I really wanted to like this book. I really wish I did, but wow, is the main character hard to like and that is a problem. Do you ever wish you could have been a critical reader, editor or someone else who might have helped an author? That is how I feel, that someone somewhere should have told her to rein it in and stay focused.This book has the concept of a fun idea, but it is so completely lost in nonsense that has nothing to do with anything and I think the author actually lost sight of her main plot somewhere along the line. It feels like she didn't find her own heroine and hero interesting enough to hold up the story so she tossed in such a bunch of nonsense that it feels like she just threw in anything to fill up pages and see if any of it worked. Mostly, it didn't. Some good editing and some better characterization would have helped tremendously.These are the superfluous story bits: ghost hunting, her mother's cougarosity, thinking herself a superspy/superhero, the school board member's affair(although the conclusion was kind of fun), Cat Kennedy(for gosh sakes, what kind of adult does this?).Cate believing the clues were about matchmaking was clunky and awkward as the clues were so obviously about her and nothing else. I didn't even understand how she could be reading them and thinking that they were about other people. She seemed a bit of a dim bulb.I think the one aspect that actually worked was the Ethan mystery so maybe this should have been based more on Northanger Abbey instead of Emma which truly did not work. In Emma, yes, the title character is misguided and at times a bit silly, but she doesn't assume a secret identity just to shake things up. Cate tries out the guise of Cat and why she couldn't simply try out a different style and amp up her boring personality a bit without lying about every detail of her life and flirting outrageously is not really explained. I never understood her fixation on the flirty man she met since how would she ever have a real relationship with him if she told him nothing about herself. Note: if it is a made-up personality, then whomever she aimed that flirty charm at will not actually know her since she lied about everything. How can she think this will lead to anything and yet she does. Did Emma make up an alter-ego, did Lizzie Bennett? I don't like ridiculous main characters. Yes, it is chick-lit and so a laugh here or there is great, but really I don't like reading about a nitwit.When she had bedded the nice guy, who admits she has been in his thoughts for quite a while, she then immediately(literally, the man is barely out the door and the sheets haven't even cooled off) calls the flirty man in hopes of I don't even know what. A date? Sex with him since she has already taken the nice guy for a test drive? I don't get her motivation and I was very bothered by that. I didn't understand what the author was even trying to say. Cate seems very shallow and silly and not worth the time and effort the nice guy has put forth.She hurts him, then instead of apologizing, she just acts like it never happened. I hoped he wouldn't forgive her and would instead find someone worthy of his attention. She does spare a moment to think that she might need to fix things with him, but hopes she can also get up close and personal with flirty man. What is wrong with this woman?Cate makes the observation that someone is a Willoughby and that Elizabeth Bennett recognized a Willoughby when she saw one, but Elizabeth never did. She never saw a Willoughby since he didn't appear in Pride and Prejudice. Wickham appeared in P&P and Willoughby was in Sense and Sensibility with Elinor Dashwood. This really bugged me as Cate is an English teacher, an Austen fan and this made her appear even more stupid than I already thought she was. She loves P&P and she would certainly know Willoughby isn't there. Badly done.I was so excited when I saw that there was going to be another book with the magical Jane Austen journal as a centerpiece, but I was completely disappointed. I don't know whether I'd read another installment from this author or not. This one was not fun, at all. Sorry.
What do You think about Austensibly Ordinary (2013)?
A little cheesy, but basically follows Emma. Good, light, fun summer read.
—KBohner
