5555555555555, all the way! This is honestly one of the absolute best books I have read in a very long time. Thank you Grandmother! Okay, I'll admit, for the first hundred pages of the book or so I was kinda unsure, it hadn't really picked up yet. But Alex+Muirs+the ending=AMAZING!!! I most certainly did NOT see that coming! When I first started the book, I thought to myself, you know what's gonna happen, this 'Mr. Knightley' guy is going to end up falling in love with Sam or something. You know he is. But then I got a little farther in and thought instead, nahhh, there probably isn't even going to be sustainable romance in this book at all, just her journey through school. Then Alex came along, right, and instantly became my favorite character. For some reason, I always love the underdog characters, the ones that hardly ever appear and fade by the end. Until the very, very end of the book I thought that Alex was just an extra, a dispensible, awesome, but definitely not main character. I have probably never been more wrong in my life. I remember thinking shortly after his character was introduced that I would love it if he could be in the book more. Wish granted! Goodness, did I love that ending, I've probably already read it 5 times :) Wish there was a sequel..... While this book is predictable every step of the way, that didn't stop me from enjoying it thoroughly. While I didn't have the intensely horrible childhood that Sam did, mine was dysfunctional enough that I could easily relate to her growing pains of trust and becoming open-hearted. Being an Austen lover myself, I appreciated all the quotes and relating to those characters. Finally, I'm originally from Evanston and grew up there, so that was an additional appeal. I would recommend this book as a read that does warm your heart.
What do You think about Dear Mr. Knightley (2013)?
Although a bit predictable, I enjoyed the format and style of the book.
—nehs16
No. no. no. Poor little girl rescued by older, wiser man. No thanks.
—ronnie
Bottom line: I liked it. Review to come.
—Esterlyn
