Book Recs--Shannon Hale's Midnight in Austenland

I have been waiting with great anticipation for Shannon Hale's sequel to Austeland. I loved the first, but I wasn't sure how she would manage to write a sequel that didn't feel like a retread. I should have trusted Shannon's brilliance more. She wrote both the sequel I wanted and a new book that was surprising all along the way. The problem is that saying too much about the plot truly ruins it.

I will say that I think Shannon writes about modern family life better than anyone I know. She is best known for her YA fantasies and of course those are great. But I think she may even be better and more unique as a contemporary adult writer. She combines fun and real-life fantasy in a way that no one else does. There are romance writers who try to do the same thing but often end up annoying me with cliches. Shannon doesn't do the cliches but she touches on all the notes that chime for me as a romance reader, plus she has so many fun touches.

She tips her hat to Austen's Northanger Abbey here. She tells a story about a woman finding love again after a terrible marriage. She also does a great job of twisting romance expectations. This is the perfect beach read, but it's also a great book club read. I can just imagine all the women arguing over when they knew the moment that the "real" romance was obvious. Or when they knew who the killer was. Or when they wanted to lynch the ex-husband. Once again, I wish I was Shannon Hale. The best I can do is that my oldest daughter is named after her. (Well, she's Shannon, anyway.)