Review: Solving for Ex by Leigh Ann Kopans

Solving for Ex 
by Leigh Ann Kopans 
YA Contemporary Romance
Paperback300 Pages
February 11th 2014
Cover Designed by Hafsah Laziaf of Icey Designs   

Summary

1 crush on your best friend +
1 gorgeous, scheming new girl +
1 Mathletics competition =
1 big mess

SIMPLIFY.

Ashley Price doesn’t have much in life after being bullied so hard she had to leave her old school to live with her aunt and uncle in Pittsburgh. But the camera she borrowed from her best friend and secret crush Brendan, and her off the charts math abilities, make things a lot more bearable. Plus, since Brendan is the captain, making the school Mathletes team should be easy.

But when gorgeous new girl Sofia rolls in and steals Brendan, Ashley's place on the team, and her fragile foothold on the Mansfield Park Prep social totem pole, it’s on. Sofia is everything Ashley left her old school to escape. The only thing Ashley didn’t count on is Sofia’s sexy twin brother Vincent.

Vincent is not only the hottest boy in school, he’s charming, sweet, and he’s got his eye on Ashley. He’s also not taking no for an answer. There's no real reason Ashley shouldn't like Vincent, but with the battle lines being drawn between her and Sofia, Ashley’s not sure which side he’s on. Or which side she wants him to be on.

She does know Sofia is trouble with a capital T, and she’s determined to make Brendan see it.

SOLVING FOR EX is a YA contemporary romance that remixes Mansfield Park as Clueless meets Mean Girls in a crazy mix of high school society, mathletic competition, and teenage romance.

   

My Review

I love everything Austen. I've read her books, watched the film adaptations, and read several books based off of her works. I was really excited to find out if Solving for Ex would be another favorite to add to my shelves. *sigh* I ended up with mixed feelings. I think I'd better just get the dislikes out of the way first and then I can move on to what I did like.

There was too much swearing, including the F-word, some partying, lots of innuendo, and sexual content. This was really a big drawback for me. I can handle some, but it was so unnecessary, especially when the story and romance was actually really sweet. Also, if you think about Austen lovers and that they read her stories multiple times and that her books don't have any of that stuff in them, it just drives the point home that it isn't needed. I had been hoping to be able to share the book with my nieces, but I can't because of the content and I would have loved it otherwise, so that is why it is so disappointing, especially when the few emails I've had with the author were great and the writing and characters were actually really well done. Let's move on...

The story was very well paced, held my interest, and I liked the writing style. I felt like the timing when new characters were introduced was also really good, which meant I could remember who everyone was and I had time to connect to them. The MC, Ashley, had a great voice. I also loved the little math equations and notes added to each chapter. Very fun!

I had an immediate connection to the main characters. I really liked Ashley. She is so flawed, but it made me like her more. I could understand why she never told Brendan how she felt. I also could see how she could be attracted to Vincent and struggle with what to do. Brendan was great as well, although a little clueless. He's a perfect boy-next-door/best friend guy. Just full of charm and friendship, but also a really amazing person. Vincent and Sofia were so great in their roles! I also really liked Ashley's aunt Kristin. It was interesting that we don't see much of Ashley's uncle, but Kristin is the one who Ashley feels she can depend on.

Overall, it was a really cute, hilarious, and sweet modern retelling of Mansfield Park by Austen. The author made the story her own. If you enjoy Contemporary YA, Romance, and Austen retellings, and don't mind the content, then I would recommend this.

Content: Quite a bit of swearing, some high school partying, innuendo, and one sex scene.

Source: From the author for the book's tour, which did not affect my review in any way.

The author, Leigh Ann Kopans, is stopping by today as part of the tour for Solving for Ex. She's picked some humorous Austen moments to share. You see the moments she picked here.

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