Title: My Plain Jane
Authors: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
Type: Fiction
Genre: YA, Retelling, Historical, Fantasy
Publisher: HarperTeen (HarperCollins)
Date published: June 26, 2018

A physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

You may think you know the story. After a miserable childhood, penniless orphan Jane Eyre embarks on a new life as a governess at Thornfield Hall. There, she meets one dark, brooding Mr. Rochester. Despite their significant age gap (!) and his uneven temper (!!), they fall in love—and, Reader, she marries him. (!!!)

Or does she?

Prepare for an adventure of Gothic proportions, in which all is not as it seems, a certain gentleman is hiding more than skeletons in his closets, and one orphan Jane Eyre, aspiring author Charlotte Brontë, and supernatural investigator Alexander Blackwood are about to be drawn together on the most epic ghost hunt this side of Wuthering Heights.

– My Review –

Charlotte Brontë’s most famous work, Jane Eyre, is definitely one of my favourite classics! I have read it for fun, as well as for school, and I can’t seem to get enough of the story. When I found out that the Lady Janies were going to write a retelling of Jane Eyre for their next book, I was extremely excited (to the point where My Plain Jane became my most anticipated release of 2018)! While I didn’t know the original story of Jane Grey when reading My Lady Jane, and therefore had no idea how they changed that particular Jane’s story, I was certainly aware of Jane Eyre’s story and how much they altered it. They even included Charlotte Brontë as a character in the book, and it was definitely fun to see the stories of both Jane Eyre and Charlotte Brontë retold and reshaped by the imaginations of Hand, Ashton, and Meadows.

Going into My Plain Jane, I think that I managed to confuse myself a little, because I kind of shipped the wrong people, which then affected the overall story for me. The book also felt as if it became more about Charlotte than Jane, which threw me off a little bit as well (though this didn’t stop the book from being enjoyable). Keeping with the style of My Lady Jane, this book was also comical and silly, and I did laugh quite a bit (although I laughed a little more when reading My Lady Jane ((you can read my review for that book here))! There were a number of references to pop culture, as well as many portions of funny dialogue, and those parts particularly made me laugh quite a bit. Another positive aspect was that the plot kept me guessing throughout My Plain Jane, and I could never guess where the story would take the characters next! All in all, I enjoyed the second book in the Lady Janies series, and greatly look forward to reading about the next Jane whose life will receive a major makeover—Calamity Jane!

– About the Authors –

Cynthia Hand is the New York Times bestselling author of the Unearthly series with HarperTeen: UNEARTHLY, HALLOWED, RADIANT (an enovella) and BOUNDLESS, and the NYT bestselling contemporary, THE LAST TIME WE SAY GOODBYE. She lives with her family in Idaho, where she teaches courses in creative writing at Boise State University. Her latest book, MY LADY JANE, (cowritten with Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows) was released on June 7, 2016. Her next novel, THE AFTERLIFE OF HOLLY CHASE, will hit shelves on October 24, 2017.

Brodi Ashton: I write Young Adult novels. I eat cinnamon bears. I love me some Diet Coke. My debut book EVERNEATH (the first in a trilogy) comes out Winter 2012 with Balzer and Bray (Harper Collins). I’m represented by Michael Bourret at Dystel and Goderich Literary Management.

Jodi Meadows: I like books. Reading them, writing, and admiring them as my bookshelves begin to bow. I command a ferret army. Are YOU ready for the revolution?

– Purchase Links –

THANK YOU FOR READING MY REVIEW! HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK? WHAT DID YOU THINK? AND IF YOU HAVEN’T READ IT YET, DO YOU WANT TO, OR NOT? HOW COME? LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS IN THE COMMENTS!