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eggjen's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoy this series more and more with each book. This story follows the girls through their first year of high school as they read Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. I loved all the little tid bits about Jane Austen that you learn through the book and how the story sort of parallels Pride & Prejudice in some ways, but not too much. I really enjoyed getting to read more about each of the characters and their little romances and story lines. A great book, and one I'd highly recommend to tween or teen readers.
sallyavena's review against another edition
3.0
I like these books, I really do. They are clean and funny and capture how I felt as a girl that age well. However, I just feel that for the target audience (they are not hard complicated reads and are probably at a 6/7 grade level) the high school books dwell too much on the girl drama and girl/boy relationships.
crazyhamsterhikes's review against another edition
4.0
Was pleasantly surprised with this one!!! Cant wat to read the next one!
notenoughpancakes's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
i really do not have any business rating this book this high but i've re-read it countless times since elementary school and it is sometimes hilarious
beccadavies's review against another edition
5.0
I'm so pleased that the Mother-Daughter book group got a hold of pride and prejudice- its one of my favourites! I loved how the author brought a little bit of Jane and a little bit of the story into all of the girls.
However, at times it was a little unrealistic and I'm not sure if the author is getting the right message across (It seems all of these girls 'sucesses' are from knowing the right people). However, if you remember that all of this happens in the happy 'Mother-Daughter land' that is these books, you'll be okay and you too will get lost in Cassidy's, Emma's, Megan's and Jess' Austen world.
However, at times it was a little unrealistic and I'm not sure if the author is getting the right message across (It seems all of these girls 'sucesses' are from knowing the right people). However, if you remember that all of this happens in the happy 'Mother-Daughter land' that is these books, you'll be okay and you too will get lost in Cassidy's, Emma's, Megan's and Jess' Austen world.
missbryden's review against another edition
3.0
I like the visit to England and the exchange with English people.
I think Cassidy’s parts are the most relatable (despite her being the jock and not the book nerd girl) and absorbing of the girls’ stories.
On this 2020 random reread I noticed more that the others, both mothers and daughters, etc, seem too typical, which I had noticed in the last book of the series. As part of that I find them not really friendly to the odd duck characters, namely Rupert Loomis in this book (and Kevin Mullins still), as much as they disavow the queen bee/mean girl type characters, they’re not on the flip side all that nice to or supportive to difference (aside from Emma backing up the classmate who’s wearing a headscarf and being bullied by Annabelle). I see this with Megan, too, and the fashion mocking.
And those Queen Bees, because they’re bullies, apparently makes them deserving of whatever mocking, etc they in turn get. The parents don’t seem much better, which I guess on one hand is realistic - the children learn behavior from their parents - but like when Emma’s mother says of Rupert, that he hasn’t grown into himself yet, Emma’s narration translates that as being mom code for he’s just a dweeb or something. It also seems like a case of, considering the character’s own teenage son is the handsome jock but also history and good grades guy - they don’t understand teenage awkwardness. Emma’s still the book nerd but seems to have left her awkwardness behind in middle school, and she’s the first one with a boyfriend (which I suppose does smash a stereotype). Another thing, is the language - disclaimer, I didn’t go to school with other teenagers so I don’t really know what “normal” is, but the writing makes me think the author is perhaps going back to her own youth, more so than knowing contemporary teenage girls. I also find the parents too stereotyped: Mrs. Wong is the activist and vegan which translates to being a bad cook and drawing attention to herself in an embarrassing way (to the teenagers). While Mrs. Sinclair-Kincaid (sp? Cassidy’s mother) is a former model and apparently such a domestic goddess that she gets to have a tv show. Mr. Hawthorne as a writer is not being a great role model on making fun of your friends and acquaintances and putting it into print. Also, Becca is in the book club now (and has been, since near the beginning) and yet doesn’t get a share of the chapters to narrate and is still the flat former Queen Bee boy crazy, makeup and clothes obsessed cheerleader. And apparently every girl has to be matched up with a boy - cause how could you do an ode to Pride and Prejudice without that? (I say that with some sarcasm)
To be fair, though, I think I’m asking too much (and I do like reading this book) - I’m not the target audience, I’ve read all of Jane Austen (book nerd girl, like Emma in that point), I’ve lived in England before (for roughly the same amount of time as the Hawthornes), so things that seem obvious to me are not so to all. Plus I’d still love to go live in a historical little cottage, take walks by a canal path, and go to a Regency ball at a grand manor (though I’d prefer if it were Victorian).
my Pinterest board of references
I think Cassidy’s parts are the most relatable (despite her being the jock and not the book nerd girl) and absorbing of the girls’ stories.
On this 2020 random reread I noticed more that the others, both mothers and daughters, etc, seem too typical, which I had noticed in the last book of the series. As part of that I find them not really friendly to the odd duck characters, namely Rupert Loomis in this book (and Kevin Mullins still), as much as they disavow the queen bee/mean girl type characters, they’re not on the flip side all that nice to or supportive to difference (aside from Emma backing up the classmate who’s wearing a headscarf and being bullied by Annabelle). I see this with Megan, too, and the fashion mocking.
And those Queen Bees, because they’re bullies, apparently makes them deserving of whatever mocking, etc they in turn get. The parents don’t seem much better, which I guess on one hand is realistic - the children learn behavior from their parents - but like when Emma’s mother says of Rupert, that he hasn’t grown into himself yet, Emma’s narration translates that as being mom code for he’s just a dweeb or something. It also seems like a case of, considering the character’s own teenage son is the handsome jock but also history and good grades guy - they don’t understand teenage awkwardness. Emma’s still the book nerd but seems to have left her awkwardness behind in middle school, and she’s the first one with a boyfriend (which I suppose does smash a stereotype). Another thing, is the language - disclaimer, I didn’t go to school with other teenagers so I don’t really know what “normal” is, but the writing makes me think the author is perhaps going back to her own youth, more so than knowing contemporary teenage girls. I also find the parents too stereotyped: Mrs. Wong is the activist and vegan which translates to being a bad cook and drawing attention to herself in an embarrassing way (to the teenagers). While Mrs. Sinclair-Kincaid (sp? Cassidy’s mother) is a former model and apparently such a domestic goddess that she gets to have a tv show. Mr. Hawthorne as a writer is not being a great role model on making fun of your friends and acquaintances and putting it into print. Also, Becca is in the book club now (and has been, since near the beginning) and yet doesn’t get a share of the chapters to narrate and is still the flat former Queen Bee boy crazy, makeup and clothes obsessed cheerleader. And apparently every girl has to be matched up with a boy - cause how could you do an ode to Pride and Prejudice without that? (I say that with some sarcasm)
To be fair, though, I think I’m asking too much (and I do like reading this book) - I’m not the target audience, I’ve read all of Jane Austen (book nerd girl, like Emma in that point), I’ve lived in England before (for roughly the same amount of time as the Hawthornes), so things that seem obvious to me are not so to all. Plus I’d still love to go live in a historical little cottage, take walks by a canal path, and go to a Regency ball at a grand manor (though I’d prefer if it were Victorian).
my Pinterest board of references
flowersofquiethappiness's review against another edition
4.0
I love Jane Austen sequels, so of course I had to try this one. It was cute! The different characters from Pride and Prejudice spread their personality traits out among these book club girls and figuring out what storylines were going to go with which girl was fun. A delightful story! And while it's part of a series, you don't have to read the previous titles to understand what's going on.
vanessaedwards1882's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5