Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an arc of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a fun contemporary take on Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. S&S, along with Emma, are my least favorite Austen works but when I heard the authors take on it … I knew I had to give it a try. This was cute, captivating, and a fresh new twist on the plot. I actually liked the main characters - I usually don’t - and loved Mags and Gabe. The setting was fun, the cruise ship crew were a delight, and I just had a blast reading this one. Even if you aren’t a sense fan like me, I think you should give it a try. It won’t disappoint!

The contemporary spin on Sense and Sensibility was not what I was expecting to this about. I recognized the similarities, however, I am not super familiar with that. So differences aside, it's a very cute novel with underlying messages that a lot of people can take from. I don't think this is something I enjoyed personally but I can see the appeal for others.

The writing itself is heavy on the internal monologue, which just isn’t for me. I’d see this solidly at 3-4 stars for the target audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC.

Dashed, by Amanda Quain, is a modern spin on an Austen classic. The story is an easy YA, summer romance that will be a great addition to your beach read pile! Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with the ARC ebook I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

This book was giving Suite Life on Deck realness. I loved the explorations the characters have on the cruise and the island but I wish we got a little more peak into the cruise ship. It felt like so much of the day to day was glossed over and days jumped around quickly. I like the tone that Margaret narrates in. Very colloquial and funny. Love her finding herself by acknowledging that she doesn’t have to take parts of personalities from those around her. She has such amazing connections with her brother in laws and strengthens her bonds with her sisters. I think it’s important to emphasize that family doesn’t have to only be blood to be loved. I liked the sweetness of her relationship with Gabe and how it’s a spin on the typical grumpy/sunshine. Overall it was a very cute summer romance but nothing that super wow’ed or surprised me.

Very strong attempt at a modern spin on an Austen classic. Sometime I get annoyed by these types of books, but Quain really add a nice, YA spin to it. Def recommend to my local library.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for an honest review.

Very cute and quirky romance re-telling. I enjoyed this book as it made me laugh a few times. However, the pacing struggled a bit and I felt bored at times. I recommend for a quick read or something easy!

When you need a great story with laughs and "awww" moments; look no further and blindly pick this up because this was so good! I devoured it.

Dashed by Amanda Quinn is a story about family, sisterhood, and finding yourself. This Jane Austen "Sense & Sensibility" inspired novel was the perfect read to satiate my desire for summer! I enjoyed the dynamic between the three sisters and how Quinn wrote the quirks that often come from a sibling relationship. As a younger sibling myself, I found the main character Margret was relatable in her pursuit to find where she stood in her family dynamic as well as her goal of finding herself once she went to college.

If you're looking for a wholesome summer read, this is perfect!

Thank you @netgalley and @wednesdaybooks for the eARC of Dashed by @quainiac in exchange for an honest review!

📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 Dashed is an utterly adorable and fun read! This contemporary retelling of Sense and Sensibility is the gentle and frequent reminder to myself that I really do need to pick up that classic and read it. However, this seems like a wonderful homage and the perfect read for young adults or geriatric millennials like myself. Margaret is so excited for an amazing cruise with her laid back family members, the seas get rocky when her dramatic sister, Marianne crashes the vacation. Tropical adventure, family drama, the chance for love…and a storm on the horizon almost as threatening as Marianne’s presence- sign me up!

Review is posted on Goodreads and will be on Instagram well ahead of the publication date!

I enjoyed the "living on a cruise" aspect of this. And I thought the writing was good. I just felt like I was missing something. Maybe it's because I've never read "Sense and Sensibility"?

I went into this book looking forward to how it played off of Sense and Sensibility but the story was dragged out and caused me to lose interest several times during the read. It was a struggle to finish. I don’t know if a middle or high schooler would catch the Jane Austen connection or stay interested long enough to see how it ends. I did like how this is a “clean” book and isn’t overly sexualized.

If you’re looking for a light version of sense and sensibility, look no further. Margaret Dashwood is intent on finding herself before she goes to college. Instead, her sister shows up unannounced to wreck havoc. The story required the reader to suspend the leaf on several fronts. It’s not like people can just show up and stay in the same room as you. As comedies, a little communication would go along way. But the story is OK and relatable.

this was such a fun adaptation and anyone who knows me knows i love a good adaptation. the grief and loss and figuring out who you are in the aftermath was so beautifully done. and margaret and gabe were so cute from the get go.

though i must say edward might just be my favorite character in the whole book.

some places it felt like it took ages to get the story moving and the dynamic between the sisters felt extra stilted but overall the story was wonderful and i’d absolutely recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a cute fun read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This was a fun retelling, and a fun romcom in its own right. I’m not sure it added much to the Austen-universe, but I have a hard time with most Austen Retellings because I love the originals so much. But this book stands on its own pretty well and was an enjoyable read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

I will give my thoughts once SMP addresses their readers with an explanation. Until then, all my reviews will be withheld.

Dashed is a fun and easy-to-read book about a young woman finding independence and a place in life. The author Amanda Quain based Dashed on Sense and Sensibility; however, it’s been so long since I’ve read any Jane Austen novels that I don’t quite remember the exact details. Remembering S & S or reading S & S is not necessary to enjoy Dashed. I found the writing quite immersive, and the writer dealt with some tough topics in such a way that made me feel for the characters, but I never felt depressed or overly sad, as the author made heavy topics feel lighter than expected.

The novel takes place aboard a cruise, which I found interesting. The environment is fun, and the characters go on many adventures. Interestingly, the characters are aboard the cruise for six weeks because a family member is a contractor for the cruise. Never imagining what it would be like to go on a cruise for this many days, I really appreciated all the nuances of cruise life.

The only drawback to this novel is that I got invested in the relationship with Mags and Gabe. However, the book ends right as the relationship is beginning (in some ways—not adding too much to not spoil anything). I know it’s nice to imagine and not have the author write out the happily ever after ending (if there is to be one). I wanted the book to continue for longer, which is a testament to how good this book is.

I highly recommend Dashed, especially to read on your next mini- or regular vacation. Thank you to NetGalley, Amanda Quain, and St. Martin’s Press for the advance copy!

This was a cute young adult coming of age series. I think a lot of young adults between high school and college can relate about trying to be on your own and becoming an adult when you go off to college.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a review,

Retellings are difficult. It's so easy to miss the mark by making the characters literal copies of their originals or taking them so far away it would make more sense to just write a new story. This story fell fairly in the middle of that for me. I thought it was so fun and interesting to focus on Margaret, but it was so far away from the original text I forgot a couple times that this even was a retelling. On its own, this story was interesting and a fun rom-com, but I don't know that it added anything to the life of the Dashwood sisters. Sense and Sensability is also not one of my faves which makes these retellings especially hard for me to get into.
The author did a good job of telling a unique and fun story, but I might've liked it more if it was removed from Austen's work.

Margaret Dashwood lives her life according to plan, and it involves absolutely zero heartbreak, thank you very much. Five years ago, love tore her family apart, and since then, she’s kept her own heart as safe as possible. It hasn’t been easy, especially since her sister Marianne—the world’s biggest romantic—has conveniently forgotten that love burned her so badly she literally almost died. So when their oldest sister Elinor invites Margaret along for a Marianne-free summer cruise, she can’t wait to soak up every scheduled moment with sensible Elinor before heading off to college.
But just before they set sail, a newly-single Marianne announces that she’s crashing their vacation. Suddenly, Margaret’s itineraries are thrown overboard, and the ship’s cabin feels even tinier with her sister wailing about her breakup from the bottom bunk. The only solution? Find Marianne a dose of love to tide her over until they reach land.
With help from Elinor, her husband Edward, and Gabe—a distractingly handsome new friend on the crew—Margaret sets out to create a series of elaborate fake dates that will give Marianne the spontaneously curated summer romance of a lifetime. But between a chaotic sister, the growing storm of feelings between Margaret and Gabe, and an actual storm on the horizon, this summer is destined to go off course. Margaret will have to decide what’s more important—following the plan, or following her heart.

This book delivers on what it promises -- a light rom-com based on the classic Austen novel Sense & Sensibility. As a YA novel, and perhaps also to make the romantic elements work, you do need to suspend reality a bit. For example -- what sisters get to accompany a family member on a cruise for the whole summer? What cruise allows one sister to show up somewhat unexpected? Etc. If you ignore those "could this really happen?" pieces this is a fun, breezy novel that would appeal to adults but is definitely all about the teenage romance. As it's centered around the youngest of the Dashwood sisters, newly graduated from high school, there's also a bit of coming-of-age and learning about oneself that comes into the plot. A quick enjoyable read perfect for summer.