Clearly Bridgerton-inspired, the setup here is a Recency camp sponsored by the hit show Rosewood, which is scouting for extras and small roles. Eila and her younger sister Mallika attend - Eila reluctantly, as she has given up her dreams of acting to pursue a more sensible path, and Mallika to have fun, and also, secretly, for Eila's benefit. Eila feels a strong sense of duty, as the eldest daughter of immigrants, to be the responsible one, especially after their father died; but Mallika doesn't need her older sister's support as much as Eila thinks she does. Hijinks and romance ensue in this loose adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, full of Austen and Shakespeare references.

Quotes

It was like walking into a memory....It was strange to be both so sad and so happy to return to a place that was not your home. (38)

Why had I gone back on my own instincts and said yes to him when the safer answer was always no? (147)

"She's the kind of person who wants a lot of things, but is never satisfied with whatever it is once she gets it" (Rahul re: Lucy, 180)

No matter how much we were disagreeing, or even fighting, I'd never side with anyone but her. She was my family. She was my best friend. She was my everything. And I'd never turn my back on her. (223)

For all my acting skills, I was really not very good at lying. (262)

"It is not what we say or feel that make us what we are. It is what we do, or fail to do." --Andrew Davies, Sense and Sensibility [screenplay]

I was like an origami sculpture unfolded and smoother out into its original square paper, once again able to become anything I wanted. (303)

...because now, more than ever, books make things fictional so that they can be made real. (author's note) ( )

Rosewood: A Midsummer Meet Cute by Sayantani DasGupta
YA romance. Own voice. Retelling.
Elia Das and sister Millika spend the summer at Regency Camp hosted by the producers of Rosewood. All Regency clothing, all the time. Balls, training, and no cell phones allowed. Elia would have rather attended official Shakespeare training but her sister convinces her it’s the only place to be. There’s a rumor that the actor from the second season of the show will be at the camp in disguise. Apparently they hope to find someone with chemistry with the actor. Friends are made, cliques are formed while a romance blooms.

Interesting premise and sister conflict. Teen angst is maxed simply because the actor isn’t allowed to admit who he is. Entertaining Queen and formal balls and a shallow lake that handles drama scene after drama.
Cute. Romance level - Nothing more than kissing.

I received a copy of this from the publisher. ( )