Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman

"Julie's best friend, Ashleigh, is an enthusiast. Julie never knows what new obsession will catch Ashleigh's fancy, but she does know she's likely to be drawn into the madness. Ashleigh's latest craze is Julie's own passion, Pride and Prejudice. But Ashleigh can't just appreciate it as a great read; she insists on emulating the novel's heroines, in speech, dress, and the most important element of all—finding True Love. And so Julie finds herself with Ashleigh, dressed in vintage frocks, sneaking into a dance at the local all-boys prep school, where they discover some likely candidates. The problem with Ashleigh's craze this time, however, is that there is only one Mr. Darcy. So when the girls get a part in the boys' school musical, what follows is naturally equal parts comedy and romance, as a series of misinterpreted—and missed—signals, dating mishaps, and awkward incidents make Julie wonder if she has the heart for True Love." -GoodReads

Charming. This was defiantly a pleasant treat! I thought it was a fun story mixed with a lot of Jane Austen references. As the book progressed there was less and less talk of Austen, and although that was such a main part at the beginning it didn’t lessen the enjoyment as it faded into the background.

Julia (Julie) is a fun character, unlucky to have fallen in love with the same guy as her best friend Ashleigh. Ashleigh can be a bit irksome, but also very lovable. It would be fun to have a friend like her, who is so passionate about everything and eager to try new things. She is a loyal friend and a fun character to read about. The men in the book were also very entertaining. Our dear Mr. Darcy aka Charles Grandison Parr or Parr for short was the perfect gentleman. It was easy to see why both Julie and Ashleigh fell for him. It was a nice clean read, that kept me going and I was sad to have it end.

Update (August 18): I've decided to add this to my Everything Austen Challenge. This a great book for teens that mixes Austen with modern-day life. I really enjoyed this story and loved all the Austen references throughout.