The Trouble With Flirting

What I liked: The romance in this book hit the mark for me. Harry was utterly charming and the kind of guy you want to be friends with and as you get to know him more smoochy with. While I thought the beginning of the story felt a little slow, the middle and the end quickly flew by and had me hooked.

What left me wanting more: There were a lot of characters and a lot of relationships going on in this book. At times, it was difficult to keep up with. I would have liked some more closure at the end for some of the characters. All of a sudden the book was over and I would have liked to know how certain relationships carried on or didn't.

Final verdict: I enjoyed this book but it didn't pack the big punch that I was hoping for. If you are a fan of contemporary romance, this one is worth checking out.

What I Loved:
Awwww, you guys, this is one of those times where I had super low expectations, because of ideas in my head. I expected this to be super silly, more of a guilty pleasure than anything else. Well, you know what, there is zero guilt in the pleasure I found in The Trouble with Flirting. LaZebnik's loose Mansfield Park adaptation achieves a real teen feel, and is sweet and funny on top of that.

First, I have to talk about the adaptation, being the Jane Austen fangirl that I am. Now, for all that I love Dear Jane, Mansfield Park is a hot mess. Fanny Price is one of the most boring, passive heroines in fiction, the plot line is way too melodramatic with all of the couple-swapping and infidelity, and, in the end, Fanny marries her cousin. So, as you may imagine, I was a bit hesitant to buy into an adaptation for teens. However, I was totally game, because, if LaZebnik botched it, I wasn't going to be offended like I would be with Austen's other novels.

LaZebnik not only does Mansfield Park justice; she greatly improves on it. Now, I'm not going to argue that LaZebnik's writing is more likely to withstand the test of time, but her characters have so much more life and more appeal. I'm really impressed with the way LaZebnik has arranged Mansfield Park into such a different setting, a summer camp for theater students at Mansfield College. She stays true to the romantic entanglements that are at the heart of Mansfield Park, the petty jealousies, the rampant flirting, and the betrayals.

Now, I don't want to spoil anything, so I won't, but I do have to make vague reference to my very favorite aspect of her modern retelling. LaZebnik starts out with all of the characters very true to their Austenite predecessors, but, as the novel progresses, she brings out the real people underneath the facades. I find this doubly delightful, both because it adds depths to the cast of Mansfield Park and because it's a reference to Jane Austen's most popular novel, originally titled First Impressions. The Trouble with Flirting is very much a study in not judging people too harshly off of first impressions, of the importance of looking more deeply into someone's behavior.

As the cover suggests, The Trouble with Flirting does focus almost entirely on romance. There are some sweet friendships, but not much time is spent on those. If you're not all about the romance, this will probably not be your thing. LaZebnik does a great job with the romance, though, creating real bonds between characters, staying away from instalove, and looking into the motivations for characters' behavior.

Also wonderful is how sex-positive The Trouble with Flirting is. Now, it's not graphic, and, actually, I'm not sure if any of them did have sex, but they might have. Franny could easily have been judgmental of Marie, a girl cheating on her boyfriend, or at least trying to, but there's no condemnation in her. Is she thrilled about it? No, but she isn't rude either. She has nothing bad to say about the switching from relationship to relationship that the kids are doing at camp. In fact, she thinks it's very natural, and has no problem with people hooking up, even if it's just for fun. Even better, despite the competition for the small crop of straight guys at the theater camp, the girls remain minimally catty throughout.

What Left Me Wanting More:
The one thing that left me a bit disappointed is the lack of theater. Yes, there are some scenes devoted to theater, but it receives minimal screen time. I would have liked the importance of acting in their lives to be a little more obvious. The acting serves solely as a backdrop to the flirting and as yet another reference to Mansfield Park, in which the play performed did serve as an excuse for flagrant flirting.

The Final Verdict:
LaZebnik's retelling of The Trouble with Flirting charmed me utterly, and does a brilliant job retelling Jane Austen's stodgiest novel for a young adult audience. This is a wonderful read if you're looking for something light-hearted, funny, and uplifting.

I haven't read Mansfield Park nor have I read all of the Shakespeare plays these characters perform but that didn't keep me from thoroughly enjoying this book! It's light-hearted, funny and the romance is heart-achingly sweet.

What I liked: This story is filled with a cast of characters who are entertaining and enjoyable but Harry Cartwright stole the show in my opinion. He is hilarious and his interactions with Franny were my favorite parts. All of these characters learn that flirting may seem harmless but isn't without consequences especially when someone's feelings get hurt. (Or a lot of kissing is involved.*) Like any good contemporary romance, a few will have their hearts broken but things get resolved by book's end, even if it's not the way one expected.

What left me wanting: Aunt Amelia is a little odd but she gives Franny a lot of freedom for a teenager and there were many times I felt Franny's disrespect was unnecessary. *The make-out scenes were mild, however, there are a LOT of make-out scenes. (Parents of younger teen readers may have an issue with this.) A small part of me felt like this story wasn't quite finished. I wanted to know what happened after the summer was over, for instance, did the boy who stole Franny's heart keep his word? Did she continue performing and what was the deal with Aunt Amelia anyway?

Favorite quote(s):

"Your body is fine now, but give it twenty, thirty years. Gravity and time do horrible things to a woman."

He pulls his hand away. "You've hurt my feelings," he says with a mock sniff. "All that racist talk---"
"Racist? I'm pretty sure you're not using that word right."
"Wealthist, then." He curls up in a fetal position against the sofa arm. "Whatever. I'm all bitter and unhappy and worked up now, thanks to you."

Final verdict: The Trouble With Flirting is a fast read, laced with humor that packs a romantic punch.