What do you think?
Rate this book
The Jane Austen Factor #3
Who Needs Mr Willoughby?
What should rule - your head, or your heart?
When sisters Marianne and Elinor Dashwood are forced to leave their family home to live in a rural Northumberland cottage, Marianne is convinced her social life is over. Somehow, she can’t see kitten heels coping well in the countryside – and being stuck in the middle of nowhere, miles from London, sounds about as exciting as watching paint dry. Not to mention her arrogant new boss, Dr Brandon, who doesn’t seem to think much of her city ways.
When she meets the gallant, charming and handsome Mr Willoughby, Marianne begins to think that country life might not be so bad after all…especially when he suggests that marriage might be on the cards. But the countryside still has a few tricks up its sleeve for Marianne…after all, love rarely turns blossoms in the most convenient places!
When sisters Marianne and Elinor Dashwood are forced to leave their family home to live in a rural Northumberland cottage, Marianne is convinced her social life is over. Somehow, she can’t see kitten heels coping well in the countryside – and being stuck in the middle of nowhere, miles from London, sounds about as exciting as watching paint dry. Not to mention her arrogant new boss, Dr Brandon, who doesn’t seem to think much of her city ways.
When she meets the gallant, charming and handsome Mr Willoughby, Marianne begins to think that country life might not be so bad after all…especially when he suggests that marriage might be on the cards. But the countryside still has a few tricks up its sleeve for Marianne…after all, love rarely turns blossoms in the most convenient places!
- GenresContemporary
353 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 16, 2016
About the author
Katie Oliver
17 books210 followersKatie Oliver loves a cozy mystery... and Jane Austen novels. So she put the two together to create Professor Phaedra Brighton, an intelligent, outspoken Austen scholar who teaches nineteenth century literature at Somerset University, a small liberal arts college located in Laurel Springs, Virginia.
When Phaedra lands in the middle of a puzzling murder mystery, she enlists the help of the members of the Jane Austen Tea Society, her good friends Lucy Liang and Marisol Dubois.
Ms. Oliver resides in South Florida with her husband, her computer, and an ever-growing stack of cozy mysteries waiting to be read.
Please visit Katie’s website, www.katieoliver.com, or follow her on BookBub. https://www.bookbub.com/authors/katie...
When Phaedra lands in the middle of a puzzling murder mystery, she enlists the help of the members of the Jane Austen Tea Society, her good friends Lucy Liang and Marisol Dubois.
Ms. Oliver resides in South Florida with her husband, her computer, and an ever-growing stack of cozy mysteries waiting to be read.
Please visit Katie’s website, www.katieoliver.com, or follow her on BookBub. https://www.bookbub.com/authors/katie...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 1, 2016
This book is inspired by a Jane Austen novel 'Sense and Sensibility', but even if you've read the original this book will not bore you or be too predictable (I mean it's a bit predictable, but in his own good way). I quite liked the spin the author gave to the story.
I found this book delicious!
I have a special preference for love/hate relationships and this book had the perfect one! I fell in love with Mr. Brandon, he was gruff, grumpy, moody and dashingly handsome. I wish I could look into his gray eyes. His banter was witty and smart. If that wasn't enough he's also a vet! It doesn't get any more perfect than this.
I would like to give a special mention to Emily the Blackface lamb...she was so adorable...I wish she was here to pet her!
I would definitely recommend this book.
So why is the book not 5*:
- It was my first time reading a Jane Austen adaptation in a modern setting, and I don't know exactly what the rules are, but the behavior of most of the characters felt a bit bipolar. I mean if they're modern, they drive cars, have cell phones, swear, spend the night away from home, then they can't behave modern half of the time and Jane-Austen-like the other half. It should be either one or the other. But maybe that was the beauty of the book and it was lost on me.
- Elionor. What did she do all the time? Again if we're in a modern setting she should've been working or studying or doing something. Even if the sisters had only one car they could surely carpool, no? It took away from her character I think.
- Every so often there were snippets of conversations repeated as this or that character thought them over in his/her head, for no particular reason this annoyed me to death. I didn't want to re-read all those passages.
I found this book delicious!
I have a special preference for love/hate relationships and this book had the perfect one! I fell in love with Mr. Brandon, he was gruff, grumpy, moody and dashingly handsome. I wish I could look into his gray eyes. His banter was witty and smart. If that wasn't enough he's also a vet! It doesn't get any more perfect than this.
I would like to give a special mention to Emily the Blackface lamb...she was so adorable...I wish she was here to pet her!
I would definitely recommend this book.
So why is the book not 5*:
- It was my first time reading a Jane Austen adaptation in a modern setting, and I don't know exactly what the rules are, but the behavior of most of the characters felt a bit bipolar. I mean if they're modern, they drive cars, have cell phones, swear, spend the night away from home, then they can't behave modern half of the time and Jane-Austen-like the other half. It should be either one or the other. But maybe that was the beauty of the book and it was lost on me.
- Elionor. What did she do all the time? Again if we're in a modern setting she should've been working or studying or doing something. Even if the sisters had only one car they could surely carpool, no? It took away from her character I think.
- Every so often there were snippets of conversations repeated as this or that character thought them over in his/her head, for no particular reason this annoyed me to death. I didn't want to re-read all those passages.
May 15, 2021
Meh - I thought it would be inspired by the original book, and not a copy/paste in the 21st century. So of course everything was expected, no surprise…
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 27, 2016
As anyone who’s been reading my reviews for a while knows, I love it when familiar and favorite stories are updated. In general, this was a good adaptation. This update of Sense and Sensibility focuses on Marianne. While the Elinor story is there, it takes a definite back seat.
Some liberties, of course, are taken, such as getting rid of the youngest Dashwood sister and killing off their stepbrother before the action starts. The former is just fine, the latter…meh. Doesn’t really add anything, and may even detract from the horror that is sister-in-law Harriet.
Other things in this update, however, really bothered me.
First, the author can’t quite seem to decide what age this takes place in. On the one hand, you have the formality of addressing new acquaintances as Mr. and Miss, but rarely do I see that in modern British life. First-name basis seems much more modern. While the formality exists in the social context, it doesn’t in the professional sphere. Marianne calls Dr. Brandon “Matthew” almost from the beginning. It’s as if the author couldn’t make up her mind.
She also seems to be uncertain about backstory. The first chapter says the brother leased the house to the Dashwoods for 18 years and it was their home for all of Marianne’s life. Later, though, Marianne reveals that her father died when she was sixteen. The author doesn’t really give an age for either sister, but Marianne plans to start veterinary school some time, so she can’t be more than, what 22? You do the math.
I was also bothered by the fact that the family so readily relies on Lady Valentine’s charity—a house, use of her car, buying them clothes, etc. I know there are generous people out there, but they seem content to just let Marianne have her temporary job—claiming that Elinor can’t get a job because Marianne has the car every day. Mom doesn’t even seem to consider employment.
And now for the kicker—THERE BE SPOILERS HERE!
::deep breath:: Giving some plot away here, but you need it in order to understand why I’m bothered. At one point, Brandon’s much younger sister participates in a car theft. She claims that, when she goes to ask the car’s owner not to press charges, he does so on condition that she have sex with him—then she spreads the story that it happened. This leads to some serious social consequences for the man.
Two things here really, really bother me:
First, many people say that Lacey is at least partially responsible for what happened. She shouldn’t have gone to talk to him, she shouldn’t have stolen the car in the first place. Blaming her for being forced into sex is NOT OKAY. Period. Even if she did stupid things, for an older man to blackmail a teen into sex is NOT OKAY.
Second, we later find out that Lacey lied about the sexual encounter. Way to add fuel to the argument that women will fake rape just to get a guy in trouble. Not cool.
Don’t think that I hated the book—I read it in a day and, mostly, enjoyed it. But I believe that there were things that could have been done more carefully.
It follows the source material closely enough that I knew how things would end up. Although it’s fun to know the source material, it’s not necessary for enjoyment of the story. It also follows the “hate on first sight, oh, well, now I love him” formula of many modern romances.
Willoughby was too good to be true, but he’s supposed to be. I’d have loved for Elinor and Edward to have a little more development. Really, the only well-developed characters were Marianne and Brandon.
There are also cute animals.
Possible Objectionable Material:
Mild curing, both British and American curse words. One F word about ¾ in. Heavy making out; reference to the man’s arousal. Offer of sex that is not acted on. When sex does happen, it’s offscreen and barely mentioned, but does happen between unmarried people. Lying. A bar fight. Drinking. (If Marianne is under 21, as I suspect, it’s legal in the UK anyway.) Secrets and lies.
Who Might Like This Book:
Jane Austen fans and romance fans. Probably more for women than men. I probably wouldn’t recommend to teens.
This review also posted at http://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/20...
Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC.
Some liberties, of course, are taken, such as getting rid of the youngest Dashwood sister and killing off their stepbrother before the action starts. The former is just fine, the latter…meh. Doesn’t really add anything, and may even detract from the horror that is sister-in-law Harriet.
Other things in this update, however, really bothered me.
First, the author can’t quite seem to decide what age this takes place in. On the one hand, you have the formality of addressing new acquaintances as Mr. and Miss, but rarely do I see that in modern British life. First-name basis seems much more modern. While the formality exists in the social context, it doesn’t in the professional sphere. Marianne calls Dr. Brandon “Matthew” almost from the beginning. It’s as if the author couldn’t make up her mind.
She also seems to be uncertain about backstory. The first chapter says the brother leased the house to the Dashwoods for 18 years and it was their home for all of Marianne’s life. Later, though, Marianne reveals that her father died when she was sixteen. The author doesn’t really give an age for either sister, but Marianne plans to start veterinary school some time, so she can’t be more than, what 22? You do the math.
I was also bothered by the fact that the family so readily relies on Lady Valentine’s charity—a house, use of her car, buying them clothes, etc. I know there are generous people out there, but they seem content to just let Marianne have her temporary job—claiming that Elinor can’t get a job because Marianne has the car every day. Mom doesn’t even seem to consider employment.
And now for the kicker—THERE BE SPOILERS HERE!
::deep breath:: Giving some plot away here, but you need it in order to understand why I’m bothered. At one point, Brandon’s much younger sister participates in a car theft. She claims that, when she goes to ask the car’s owner not to press charges, he does so on condition that she have sex with him—then she spreads the story that it happened. This leads to some serious social consequences for the man.
Two things here really, really bother me:
First, many people say that Lacey is at least partially responsible for what happened. She shouldn’t have gone to talk to him, she shouldn’t have stolen the car in the first place. Blaming her for being forced into sex is NOT OKAY. Period. Even if she did stupid things, for an older man to blackmail a teen into sex is NOT OKAY.
Second, we later find out that Lacey lied about the sexual encounter. Way to add fuel to the argument that women will fake rape just to get a guy in trouble. Not cool.
Don’t think that I hated the book—I read it in a day and, mostly, enjoyed it. But I believe that there were things that could have been done more carefully.
It follows the source material closely enough that I knew how things would end up. Although it’s fun to know the source material, it’s not necessary for enjoyment of the story. It also follows the “hate on first sight, oh, well, now I love him” formula of many modern romances.
Willoughby was too good to be true, but he’s supposed to be. I’d have loved for Elinor and Edward to have a little more development. Really, the only well-developed characters were Marianne and Brandon.
There are also cute animals.
Possible Objectionable Material:
Mild curing, both British and American curse words. One F word about ¾ in. Heavy making out; reference to the man’s arousal. Offer of sex that is not acted on. When sex does happen, it’s offscreen and barely mentioned, but does happen between unmarried people. Lying. A bar fight. Drinking. (If Marianne is under 21, as I suspect, it’s legal in the UK anyway.) Secrets and lies.
Who Might Like This Book:
Jane Austen fans and romance fans. Probably more for women than men. I probably wouldn’t recommend to teens.
This review also posted at http://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/20...
Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC.
April 3, 2016
Review first posted on my blog 'A Spoonful of Happy Endings': http://spoonfulofhappyendings.blogspo...
The lives of the Dashwood family, consisting of sisters Marianne and Elinor and their mother, are suddenly changed when they are forced to leave their home and move to a cottage in rural Northumberland instead. Marianne feels there's nothing positive the countryside could possibly bring her and finds it difficult to settle in. She manages to find a job at the local veterinary office, but her new boss Mr. Brandon is quite a challenge to please. When Marianne meets the handsome Mr. Willoughby, she is over the moon; finally something to keep her distracted from her rather boring new life. But as they embark on a romance, Marianne has no idea the countryside still has quite a few unexpected events in store for her...
I still don't exactly know why it took me so long to finally pick up one of Katie Oliver's novels, but after having read this second one of hers I am convinced her books are definite must-reads for any Jane Austen fan out there! 'Who Needs Mr. Willoughby' is a modern-day retelling of Austen's 'Sense and Sensibility' and Katie Oliver decided to go with a mix of elements from both modern times and Austen's original stories. The story is told from the perspective of Marianne, the younger of the two Dashwood sisters, and I loved how the author portrayed a more modern version of the character while also staying true to her original personality (especially Marianne's love for drama!). I have to say I've always been more of an Elinor fan myself and would have liked it if a bit more focus had been put on her as well, but it didn't make me enjoy Marianne's story any less.
You don't need to be familiar with the other parts of this book series or Austen's original novel in order to understand what's going on in the book; it can definitely be read and picked up as a stand-alone. Katie Oliver's writing is really great, in my opinion. The book is well-paced and the chapters are of a good length, not too long and not too short. I am really quite sad to see this series come to an end and can only keep my fingers crossed and hope Katie Oliver will decide to turn Austen's remaining three novels into modern-day retellings as well! Overall, 'Who Needs Mr. Willoughby' is another entertaining, well-written and simply great modern retelling of an Austen classic; definitely worth picking up for any Austen or chick lit fan!
The lives of the Dashwood family, consisting of sisters Marianne and Elinor and their mother, are suddenly changed when they are forced to leave their home and move to a cottage in rural Northumberland instead. Marianne feels there's nothing positive the countryside could possibly bring her and finds it difficult to settle in. She manages to find a job at the local veterinary office, but her new boss Mr. Brandon is quite a challenge to please. When Marianne meets the handsome Mr. Willoughby, she is over the moon; finally something to keep her distracted from her rather boring new life. But as they embark on a romance, Marianne has no idea the countryside still has quite a few unexpected events in store for her...
I still don't exactly know why it took me so long to finally pick up one of Katie Oliver's novels, but after having read this second one of hers I am convinced her books are definite must-reads for any Jane Austen fan out there! 'Who Needs Mr. Willoughby' is a modern-day retelling of Austen's 'Sense and Sensibility' and Katie Oliver decided to go with a mix of elements from both modern times and Austen's original stories. The story is told from the perspective of Marianne, the younger of the two Dashwood sisters, and I loved how the author portrayed a more modern version of the character while also staying true to her original personality (especially Marianne's love for drama!). I have to say I've always been more of an Elinor fan myself and would have liked it if a bit more focus had been put on her as well, but it didn't make me enjoy Marianne's story any less.
You don't need to be familiar with the other parts of this book series or Austen's original novel in order to understand what's going on in the book; it can definitely be read and picked up as a stand-alone. Katie Oliver's writing is really great, in my opinion. The book is well-paced and the chapters are of a good length, not too long and not too short. I am really quite sad to see this series come to an end and can only keep my fingers crossed and hope Katie Oliver will decide to turn Austen's remaining three novels into modern-day retellings as well! Overall, 'Who Needs Mr. Willoughby' is another entertaining, well-written and simply great modern retelling of an Austen classic; definitely worth picking up for any Austen or chick lit fan!
December 27, 2017
Glad I gave Katie Oliver's Austen adaptations another chance with this one. It was light, funny, not perfect yes, but a good enough book to pass the time and also without wanting to throttle every other character along the way! The merging od 'old' Austen with modern times was also well done here, and save some tidbits, it did read like a modern story where, if you didn't know, you wouldn't immediately draw parallels with Sense & Sensibility.
June 27, 2016
This book ticks all my boxes of her highly romantic and thoroughly entertaining read! Katie Oliver manages to bring a classic much-loved book and give it her dash of modern twist. I absolutely loved the dramatic Marianne, and she loved up sister Elinor.
It is a lot to take when you have to move to the rural countryside and put up with a zero change of any social life!
Marianne struggles to come to terms with her new lifestyle. There is the new house or shall I say a rather small cottage, the new job to get used to and perhaps new men to get to know.
Luckily for Marianne country style life is about to get fascinating. This third book in the Jane Austen factor is all about Marianne as it is also told from her perspective. When Marianne meets the charismatic Mr Willhougby, all thoughts of boredom are instantly forgotten, and the dramatic Marianne embarks on a new exciting adventure.
I loved both Marianne and Elinor, and I also felt for their poor housekeeper Mrs Fenwick, who is unwillingly tucked in the middle of the girls dramas, but even Mrs Fenwick seems only too keen to offer a piece of her own knowledge.
There is plenty of delightfully create scenes bursting with intense romance and witty dialogues. Lovable heroine(s) and charming villagers with a setting that is very much to my liking. I loved absolutely everything about this book, and I could not believe it when I read it in one sitting ( and that is a record for me!).
Can't wait to read next Katie Oliver's book!
It is a lot to take when you have to move to the rural countryside and put up with a zero change of any social life!
Marianne struggles to come to terms with her new lifestyle. There is the new house or shall I say a rather small cottage, the new job to get used to and perhaps new men to get to know.
Luckily for Marianne country style life is about to get fascinating. This third book in the Jane Austen factor is all about Marianne as it is also told from her perspective. When Marianne meets the charismatic Mr Willhougby, all thoughts of boredom are instantly forgotten, and the dramatic Marianne embarks on a new exciting adventure.
I loved both Marianne and Elinor, and I also felt for their poor housekeeper Mrs Fenwick, who is unwillingly tucked in the middle of the girls dramas, but even Mrs Fenwick seems only too keen to offer a piece of her own knowledge.
There is plenty of delightfully create scenes bursting with intense romance and witty dialogues. Lovable heroine(s) and charming villagers with a setting that is very much to my liking. I loved absolutely everything about this book, and I could not believe it when I read it in one sitting ( and that is a record for me!).
Can't wait to read next Katie Oliver's book!
April 24, 2016
Marianne and her sister Elinor and their Mother are forced to move to a smaller house in Northumberland. Marianne doesn't quite see herself living in a sleepy town village , until she meets Mr Willoughby,
Phew does it get hot in that treehouse or was it just me? Theres history between the Vet Matthew Brandon and Kit Willoughby all about a girl? Which girl?
Marianne encounters all sorts of issues in her first days at Lady Violet's, where she is staying until the others arrive and they don't stop.
Poor Mrs Fenwick the housekeeper has to listen cook and carry on as it all happens, but giving her own learned information as she goes being a full fountain of knowledge.
Marianne settles into village and vetenary life and falls head over heels
Elinor is desperately in love with Edward and he drags his heels......will he pop the question?.
The truth will out with this lovely third in the trilogy by Katie Oliver.
I have loved these three books immensly, romance isn't usually a genre I read but I have been totally smitten with them, link with Jayne Eyre and modern day, I will be searching out Katie Oliver's books . The characters are well rounded and very well established quite quickly. the settings ar just well enough described not 'over the top' so there is room for you to use your ow imagination too.
I didn't like it....I LOVED it 5* from me
Phew does it get hot in that treehouse or was it just me? Theres history between the Vet Matthew Brandon and Kit Willoughby all about a girl? Which girl?
Marianne encounters all sorts of issues in her first days at Lady Violet's, where she is staying until the others arrive and they don't stop.
Poor Mrs Fenwick the housekeeper has to listen cook and carry on as it all happens, but giving her own learned information as she goes being a full fountain of knowledge.
Marianne settles into village and vetenary life and falls head over heels
Elinor is desperately in love with Edward and he drags his heels......will he pop the question?.
The truth will out with this lovely third in the trilogy by Katie Oliver.
I have loved these three books immensly, romance isn't usually a genre I read but I have been totally smitten with them, link with Jayne Eyre and modern day, I will be searching out Katie Oliver's books . The characters are well rounded and very well established quite quickly. the settings ar just well enough described not 'over the top' so there is room for you to use your ow imagination too.
I didn't like it....I LOVED it 5* from me
Shelved as 'dnf'
July 7, 2016I just couldn't do it anymore. None of the characters kept my attention, or really got it in the first place. I wanted to like it as a modern day Sense and Sensibility, but this styling was not to my liking. I have read other books by Ms. Oliver before and enjoyed them, I'm hoping this was just a one off not so good book.
**I received a copy from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for a review**
**I received a copy from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for a review**
May 31, 2016
A re-telling of the Dashwood sisters, I haven't read the original so my first reading was lukewarm to say the least. The sisters did love each other but the sibling warmth was definitely missing. The whole going from one man to another suddenly just threw me off.
June 13, 2016
3.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews