Eila has taken over parenting duties since her father died and her mother has been so busy at work. Her sister, Mallika, surprises her with acceptance letters to a Regency-era drama camp that could be her last chance at theater. While there is a possibility of being chosen as a walk-on in the next season of Rosewood, Eila is too sensible to believe anything will come of it. To support her sister, Eila goes to the camp and meets Rahul, who can quote Shakespeare and fence like he’s straight out of a Regency story himself. When mean girl Lucy establishes a claim on Rahul, Eila doesn’t give up, not until a truth is revealed that will shatter her dreams of love and a possible life in the theater.
With creative sprinkles of contemporary pop culture mixed with quotes from Shakespeare’s plays and Jane Austen’s novels, this should have delivered. While the characters were lovable and the conclusion pulled the heart strings, mixing the fake dating trope late in the game with the hidden secret trope fell flat. However, the witty banter and focus on diversity in historically white literature was refreshing and worth a quick read.
