Amanda Quain's "Dashed" is a delightful and modern take on Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. It offers a fresh perspective through the eyes of the often-overlooked youngest Dashwood sister, Margaret. While it successfully captures the spirit of Austen's work with its witty dialogue and social commentary, it occasionally needs to improve its pacing and character development.

Tropes and Familiar Territory:
As a modern retelling, "Dashed" embraces many classic tropes in Austen's novels and contemporary romantic comedies. We have the contrasting sisters with differing views on love, the charming yet potentially deceptive love interests, and the meddling family members. Quain cleverly weaves these familiar elements into a modern setting, creating a comfortable and recognizable framework for the story.

Strengths:
Fresh Perspective: Focusing on Margaret allows a new exploration of the Dashwood family dynamics and offers a unique coming-of-age story within the familiar Sense and Sensibility framework.
Witty Dialogue: Quain shines in her ability to craft witty and engaging dialogue that captures the spirit of Austen's writing while feeling fresh and contemporary.
Modern Relevance: The novel successfully translates the social commentary of Austen's time into a contemporary context, exploring themes of class, privilege, and societal expectations with a light touch. This modern relevance will resonate with readers, making the story feel more relatable and engaging.

Problem Areas:
Uneven Pacing: The story sometimes feels uneven, with specific plot points feeling rushed while others linger. This can disrupt the flow and engagement of the narrative.
Character Development: While Margaret is a charming and relatable protagonist, some secondary characters, particularly the love interests, could benefit from more depth and complexity.
Predictability: Given its adherence to classic tropes and the familiar source material, the story occasionally veers into predictable territory. This predictability may leave some readers craving more surprises and twists that could elevate the story further.

Overall: "Dashed" is a charming and enjoyable read for fans of Austen and contemporary romance alike. It offers a lighthearted and witty escape with a fresh perspective on a beloved classic. While it may not reinvent the wheel, it delivers a satisfying and entertaining experience. 3 stars.

This is a really fun contemporary retelling of Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, starring the youngest Dashwood sister, Margaret. When all three Dashwood sisters go on a summer long cruise, they are forced to face love and heartbreak and their misconceptions about their sisters’ strengths and weaknesses. I thought this was a really fun read on audio.

Amanda Quain has become one of my favorite YA authors! If I'm looking for a good contemporary novel, I know I can pick up one of her books and like it. I would definitely recommend reading it!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

This book is if "miscommunication" were the sole plot, and yet I did not find it to be wholly objectionable. Margaret Dashwood is on the cruise from hell when her flighty middle sister Marianne shows up, partnerless and adrift. While Margaret has been strenuously emulating their oldest sister Elinor ever since That Year, her heart is more torn between her sisters than she cares to admit. The thing I like about Dashed is that it's not just familial miscommunication (though there's plenty of that, too), it's about the miscommunication between Margaret's head and heart, and how being more open with family helps her in bridging the disconnect and starting to become her own person.

In Dashed Margaret Dashwood is accompanying her sister Elinor and husband Edward on a cruise where Edward will be the ship's pastor for the summer. Margaret is looking forward to being away from her sister Marianne who has just gone through another breakup. When Marianne, who is wallowing in misery, decides to join them on the cruise, Margaret has to share her cabin with her. She is determined to find Marianne another boyfriend, so she will stop crying. She enlists the help of Gabe, the ship's theatrical lighting expert, to find eligible men. Along the way Margaret develops feelings for Gabe, which she tries desperately to deny. Add to the mix a hurricane on the horizon and Margaret is in for a stormy summer.

This retelling of Sense and Sensibility fell flat. I had hoped for a good retelling of Austen’s classic story, but I found that I didn’t enjoy these characters and never really connected to them. I finished the book but would not recommend it.

As much as I enjoy sense and sensibility retellings I feel like this one just happened to miss the mark for me. I found it really hard to connect with the characters and truly get invested in the plot.

This was a pretty cute story. I liked the family and sister element and that romance wasn't the main focus. I would read more from this author.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

This was a great book, with discussions of how grief and love can change the way you view your life. I also liked the setting of a cruise ship, it made things seem more chaotic and fun. A cute and fast-paced story following Margaret as she tries to help her sister get over heartbreak on a cruise ship. The setting was fun and the three sisters had an interesting relationship. Seeing their sibling bonds be tested and grow throughout the book was my favorite part of the book.

A great read from the author Amanda Quain!!!

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

Dashed is a modern retelling of Sense and Sensibility. I love a good retelling of a classic, however this wasn't my favourite. Granted, Sense and Sensibility isn't my favourite Jane Austen novel, but still, I did hope for a little bit more from this book. I think other readers will definitely connect with it, I just didn't click with the writing style.

This was a modern retelling of Jane Austen's 𝘚𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺.

The retelling was fun and fresh with charming characters and the unique setting of a cruise ship. I enjoyed the dynamic and different personalities of the three Dash sisters. The pacing was good but the ending felt rushed, and I felt like something was missing (I'm just not sure what). Overall it was just an ok read.

Dashed was a really cute YA romance that was very light and heartwarming. I found this to be on the whole very surface level and lacking a bit of depth with all of these characters. I didn't find myself really fully being invested in anyone, but I still found the story to be fun and a quick read. For there not being too many stories incorporating theatre kids, I was hoping for some more there with Gabe, but I did feel like for most of the ending, he wasn't even present for and I almost started to forget about him.

Overall, this is a fun boo if you are looking for something light and fun and maybe with a travel theme.

Many Thanks to St. Martin's Press and to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Marianne unexpectedly shows up on a cruise and Margaret now feels like she needs to be by her sister's side the entire time.

I like how the story is focused on the lesser known sister in Sense and Sensibility, Margaret. We see her sisters and their relationships through her eyes. Being the youngest she naturally views things one way, but eventually her sisters give her a different perspective on life and relationships.

I enjoyed the characters and the events. it takes place over the course of a summer and that summer went by very quickly.

This book wasn't my favorite of the Austen retellings by this author, but I still enjoyed it.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Dashed focuses on the tumultuous family bond between 3 sisters. Margaret feels like if they all stick to their lanes and what is expected of them it will keep them all safe and together. This is way easier said than done when it comes to Marianne. While this book really packed in the crazy rom-com antics, it was unfortunately not for me. I had a hard time connecting with all the characters, the repeated miscommunications, the strained sisterly relationships, and Margaret's type A personality, and the need to control everything.

This was a very sweet sisterly story and perfect to read during the summer months. I have never been on a cruise, but enjoyed the environmental setting.

"Dash" is a compelling and heartfelt story that beautifully captures the complexities of teenage life and friendship. The characters are well-developed, each bringing a unique perspective that adds depth to the narrative. The writing is engaging and often humorous, making it a joy to read. While the plot has a few predictable moments, it still delivers an emotional punch and resonates with themes of growth and connection. Overall, it's a touching and enjoyable read that stays with you long after the last page.

DASHED by Amanda Quain


This is a contemporary update of Jane Austen‘s beloved sense, and sensibility

It’s a story of the Dashwood sisters going on a family Caribbean cruise all told by the narrator of the little sister Margaret.

All the information about being on a cruise ship for the summer was interesting. To me that sounds like a dream vacation.

Overall, it was an okay read.

This is a cute and fast-paced story following Margaret as she tries to help her sister get over heartbreak on a cruise ship. I thought the setting was fun and the three sisters had an interesting relationship. Seeing their sibling bonds be tested and grow throughout the book was definitely my favorite part.

As a lover of Jane Austen, I’m always down for a retelling. In this case, a kind of remixing of sorts. The author asked the question I also ask when I read an Austen: what about that one sister? The one who never quite makes it to the spotlight in the novel, the Mary, the Margaret? This story, of course, gives us the framework of what happened after “the end” of Sense and Sensibility and also what if it happened in modern day on a cruise ship? This was a really fun twist! Margaret is a constant internal battle between being reasonable and poised like Elinor and jumping feet first into any and everything like Marianne. Along the way she meets Gabe, who is working tech for the various shows on the cruise. I liked how their relationship developed and how he interacted with the different shenanigans that occurred. I also really really loved the way Edward was portrayed in this book. It feels so true to his characterization in the OG story. This book has a romance, yes, but it also is really about sisterhood and being yourself. I really enjoyed it even if Margaret annoyed me with her decisions sometimes.