As seen on my blog: 
 First things first, let me get this confession out of the way...brace yourselves now: I've never, in my 27 years of breathing, read a Jane Austen book. *runs far away and covers face in shameful, shameful, shame..sigh* 
 With that said, I went into this modern retelling of 
 Sense & Sensibility 
 with absolutely zero expectations. I didn't have the original characters alive in my mind, begging to be compared-I held no knowledge of what the story line should have panned out like. I enjoyed this book, for the most part. I was slightly thrown off by the writing style, which I think would have happened any way you spun it. In staying true to Austen's overall feel, the book was a modern retelling, yes, but the writing style and terms had me constantly stopping to remind myself that it was taking place in the 21st century. It wasn't until the word "iPod" or "laptop" was dropped that I snapped back into reality. Again, I suppose this small qualm could have easily been avoided had I read the original book beforehand. I would have been able to appreciate just how true Joanna Trollope stayed to Austen's famous work. 
 Marianne and Elinor captured my heart. I saw myself in both of them at once, and then separately, when the moment permitted. I adored Marianne's dreamlike approach to life, and applauded Elinor's firm grasp on organization and logic. I agree with a lot of the reviews that state that Margaret (the youngest), seemed like the only breath of modern air in the book. She was your typical 21st century pre-teen: all gadgets and social media. I felt like that aspect needed to be pushed a little more to the forefront. Even with Elinor's training in graphic design, Trollope's writing made it so that I couldn't help but picture her with a pencil and paper, instead of in front of a computer. 
 However, angst, heartache, and reputation were three things that were definitely present, and from what I gather, what the original plot line revolved around. Sadly, many of the situations were not successfully translated into our modern times. Belle and her 3 daughters have moved into a new home, and are living off of old money. Elinor was forced to drop out of school, but why? In this day and age, a transfer is as easy as clicking a button, and UPS-ing some transcripts. The dramatics were a bit over-the-top, and in some cases, completely unnecessary. I understood that Trollope was trying to stay as true to the original 
 Sense & Sensibility 
 as much as possible, but for a "modern retelling," this book still felt extremely dated to me. 
 I enjoyed the story line of this book for what it was, and was definitely eager to find out the fate of each girl. I think 
 Sense & Sensibility 
 deserves a re-read once I go back and read the original first. 
 Recommended for Fans of: Jane Austen, Sense & Sensibility, Romance, Contemporary.