Kate Watson

SEEKING MANSFIELD is a YA retelling of MANSFIELD PARK featuring a diverse protagonist, a compelling balance between serious issues and light-hearted, teen-appropriate comedy, and all the swoon-worthy romance a reader could ask for. It's perfect for fans of Jane Austen's work, romantic comedies, film, musical theater, and character-driven YA novels.

Seeking Mansfield

Fifteen-year-old Finley Pricehas perfected two things: how to direct a world-class production, and how to fly way, way under the radar. The only person who ever seems to notice Finley is herbest friend, the Bertram's son Oliver. If she could just take Oliver's constant encouragement to heart and step out of the shadows, she'd finally chase her dream of joining the prestigiousMansfieldTheater. But when teen movie stars Emma and Harlan Crawford move across the street from the Bertram's, they immediately set their sights onOliver and his vapid sister, Juliette, shaking up Finley and Oliver's stable friendship. As Emmaand Oliver grow closer, Harlan finds his attention shifting from Juliette to the quiet, enigmatic, and thoroughly unimpressed Finley. Out of boredom, Harlan decides to make her fall in love with him.Problem is, the harder heseeksto win her, the harder he falls for her. But Finley doesn't want to be won, and she doesn't want to see Oliver with anyone else.To claim Oliver's heart and keep her own she'll have to find the courage to do what she fears most: step into the spotlight."

Caitlyn DeRouin

While I enjoyed the book for the most part, I don't think it had any of the magic that the book it was inspired by has. Based on the synopsis, I expected a different book. The title makes you think that the Mansfield Theater Program is going to play a bigger role in the book then it actually does. I kept waiting for it to come up, but it was only mentioned briefly at the beginning, a few times in the middle and then one of the last chapters. I had wanted to know more about it, but unfortunately it didn't happen.

I felt like some of the characters were not fully developed, maybe that's what Watson was going for with characters like Harlan, Emma and Juliette, but I felt it a bit with Oliver as well. The underdevelopment with the characters lead to me having a hard time connecting or really caring about them. I did think that Finley went through some good development, but there were times where her character still fell flat for me.

It definitely wasn't what I has expected, and unfortunately for me it fell a little flat.

Seeking Mansfield

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