BOOK REVIEW: By The Book by Amanda Sellet
By The Book was definitely written by a book lover. Some of the references Sellet made were so casual that I had to look them up to know for sure which books she was referring to, which can be annoying while reading, but I respect it as a fellow book nerd.
This story follows Mary, born into a family of professors and literature fanatics, as she struggles to navigate public school for the first time. Sellet masters the ease (and terror) that is falling in with popular girls as a geeky book chick, always doubting herself and whether everyone actually likes her or not. Add to that her former ‘best friend’ revealing she wasn’t really her friend, and yeah, you have some classic teen angst.
As a side plot- but still at the core of her relationship with the cool kids- is Mary’s romance with the hottest guy in school who she knows to be a bit of a Darcy (pre-ardent declarations of love). It’s cute and sometimes infuriating as a reader, but you can see the tropes at play being perfectly intertwined.
If you are the kid that always had their nose in a book growing up, or the one who took Shakespearean Lit in college as an elective (ME!), By The Book is the sweet and adorable coming-of-age romance for you.
Get a copy of Amanda Sellet’s By The Book for your Kindle today!