Review – Scones and Sensibility by Lindsay Eland (4/5 stars)

To be perfectly honest, I picked up this book because I loved the cover…that and I like Jane Austen. It was a cute, fun, silly, and quick read. I enjoyed it.

12 year old Polly Madessa has just finished reading “Pride and Prejudice” and has decided that she has a new goal for the summer…to make people fall in love. In between delivering pastries for her parents’ bakery she works to push people together and pull people apart (when she doesn’t think they are well suited). In general she makes one heck of a mess out of people’s lives with her good intentions. In the end she learns that maybe love in real life is different from a book.

The story is delivered from the viewpoint of Polly. Polly delivers the whole story in “Pride and Prejudice” like flowery language. Polly also speaks to everyone one in this descriptive, beautiful, and yet out-dated way. Her parents take it in stride, as does her best friend, and it drives her older sister crazy. I thought the way the book was written was okay. At points Polly’s language is beautiful and her descriptions of walks on the beach really made me yearn for summer; at other points Polly is just plain silly.

Polly’s silliness is part of the charm of the book. I can see where some people might find her annoying, yet, if you approach the story with a sense of whimsy and humor…Polly is just a silly and cute twelve year old girl that is trying to match people’s lives to the romantic fantasy she has pictured in her head.

Neither the writing style nor the content of this book is ground-breaking or amazing; at times the writing style is a bit immature (remember it is supposed to be a 12 year old writing it). Yet, the book has a certain charm to it and makes for a fun quick, light read. This is definitely a girly book and is cutesy and funny. Not something I would read all the time, but it was a fun bit of fluff to break up more serious reads. This book is suited for a younger female audience; older teens and adults might also enjoy it.

If you are looking for something a bit silly, kind of cute, sugary and fun this book meets all those requirements and has a sort of charm to it that makes it a fun read. If you are looking for something of Jane Austen proportions, then this book might be a bit immature for you. Still it is a quick read and is a bit of girly fun, so check it out if that appeals to you.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– The Debut Author Challenge
– The Young Adult Reading Challenge
– The 100+ Book Reading Challenge