Happy Friday! I’m excited to share a new book review with you today, courtesy of Berkley, of Nikki Payne’s brand new novel Sex, Lies and Sensibility, which came out three days ago. If the title sounds familiar, you would be right… this is a contemporary retelling of Jane Austen’s first novel, Sense and Sensibility, and it is such an exciting and fresh one at that!

From Dashwood to Dash

Jane Austen’s 1811 novel follows the Dashwood sisters, and their mother, as they are disinherited after their father’s death by their half-brother and his money-grabbing wife. Having to leave behind their home at Norland Park, they relocate to Barton Cottage in Devon, and start a whole new way of life away from the comfortable and secure existence they have always known.

In Nikki Payne’s story, Nora and Yanne Dash discover after their father’s funeral that they, and their mother, were their father’s second, secret family, hidden away from his actual wife and legitimate daughter. Their cushy existence is gone, and all that has been left to them is a cottage in Maine which is falling apart, and on which the bank is going to foreclose. But Nora and Yanne are not going to be defeated lightly, heading to Maine to claim their inheritance and try and turn it around.

Except… when they find themselves at Barton Cove, it appears the cottage has not been abandoned. No, there they find the handsome Ennis Bear Freeman, an Abenaki tour guide whose company tries to teach visitors about the indigenous way of life on the land… who is also facing foreclosure on his own business.

Nora and Bear decide to team up to restore Barton Cove and save both of their situations, whilst Yanne finds herself mixed up and falling head over heels for the dashing Jon Bradley of the Willow Bee resort, which is trying to buy the native land to gain control of the river.

You may remember that Berkley also sent me a copy of Nikki Payne’s first novel, Pride and Protest, which I thoroughly enjoyed, so I went into her second with high hopes. And let me tell you, they certainly weren’t disappointed.

Payne does a fantastic job in both of her retellings of Austen of weaving the original characters, the storylines, the issues and the dynamics into the modern world so seamlessly that it is a perfect example of how timeless the concerns Austen was writing about are.

Representation and research

Not only that, but Payne goes to great lengths to represent communities and characters that are traditionally left out of Austen retellings. The Dash family are Black women, whilst I’m not sure I’ve ever come across an Austen-themed novel that looks to explore indigenous communities in America. (Please correct me if I am wrong!)

Moreover, Payne’s research is not only incredible but also incredibly sensitive: if you read her author’s note at the beginning of the novel, or her acknowledgements at the end, she has engaged extensively with the indigenous people she is writing about, consulting with them about what she is presenting on the page and the story she is telling. Research without consultation and engagement can only get you so far, and you can truly tell great care has gone into these characters.

Austen’s characters live on

Alongside this, I liked the creativity of Payne’s interpretation of Austen’s storyline. In particular, I loved the character of Nora, our modern Elinor. She had all the practicality and sense of Austen’s heroine, transposed into 2024, with a few twists involved. Nora is entrepreneurial and brave, but pushed back into the shadows both out of self-preservation and a carefree moment she had as a college student that has haunted her, and her reputation, ever since.

I don’t want to give any spoilers, but Payne nails her characterisation whilst putting her own spin on the story, not sticking too rigidly to Austen’s narrative but capturing its rise and fall as the novel progresses.

Also, I adored Bear. Edward Ferrers is a great Austen hero in my opinion, and one who is often overlooked. He is bound to duty and his word, and will stake his own happiness upon a promise he once made. Yes, it is frustrating in Sense and Sensibility when you realise exactly who he promised himself to – the insufferable and fickle Lucy Steele – but again, Payne makes her own Edward – Bear – shine in this respect. He is swoonworthy!

Not only do I recommend this novel by Nikki Payne, but also her previous: I hope that if you pick them up, you enjoy them as much as I did! (And I hope she tries her hand at retelling more of Austen’s novels!)

Thank you to Berkley for gifting me a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.