Bubbling up with Helena

• Title: Dashed
• Author: Amanda Quain
• Publisher: Wednesday Books
• Release Date: 7/16/24
• Genre: Romance
• Age Range: Young Adult
• Rating: ★★★★
• Publisher’s Summary: In this contemporary update of Sense and Sensibility, Margaret Dashwood is setting sail on an adventurous summer cruise—unless love sinks her first. 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.

It should not come as a surprise to you that I love a good Jane Austen retelling, and I have read many over the years. I decided that I wanted to reread all of Austen’s work in 2023, and I’ve gotten through five of her six books so far. (I am dawdling on picking up Mansfield Park again…). I fell in love with Accomplished and Ghosted, the first two books in the series of Austen retellings by Amanda Quain. I was so excited to pick up Dashed.

Quain does an excellent job flipping the script on the Austen novels she’s retelling. I loved that Accomplished took a “side character” of Pride and Prejudice, Georgiana Darcy, and refocused the story on her, and Ghosted is a gender bent version of Northanger Abbey. Margaret Dashwood is the younger sister of the central Marianne and Elinor Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility, but she is the protagonist and narrator of Dashed. I loved getting to know Margaret and to get a different point of view on the story.

I’ve always loved the way Sense and Sensibility centers the sibling relationships just as much as the romantic ones. As a younger sister myself, I thought Quain captures what it means to look up to your older sibling perfectly. Without spoiling too much, there is a beautiful scene at the end of the book where Margaret tells Marianne and Elinor how much she wanted to be like them, which leads to a moment of deep connection between them.

Fake dating is one of my favorite romance tropes, and I found its use in Dashed so much fun. Margaret starts the book claiming she will never date, but she ends up pretending to date Gabe, a member of the ship’s crew, as part of a scheme to set up Marianne. I loved Gabe pretty instantly. He compliments Margaret so well, and he is willing to call her out when necessary. They are easy to like and root for as a couple.

Austen’s novels end with the happily ever after. Elinor and Marianne end Sense and Sensibility each having found their perfect match. I loved that Dashed addressed what happens after that. Marianne and Brandon begin this story having broken up after being together for a long time. There is also exploration of what it means for Elinor and Edward to be in a happy marriage. I loved that expansion of the narrative for these beloved characters.

I’m already eagerly awating the next installment of this series. Emma is my favorite Austen novel, and I’m hoping Quain tackles that one next. Wednesday books, if you’re listening?