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readandfindout's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
3.75
Style/writing: 3 stars
Themes: 4 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Plot: 3.5 stars
Themes: 4 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Plot: 3.5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Misogyny, Transphobia, Gaslighting, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Body shaming, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Lesbophobia, Outing, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Stalking
percy_march's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was such an indulgent read! It was really clear that the author had a deep love for the original story, and had done copious amounts of research on the Regency Era, Molly houses, queer history, etc. There were so many delightful Easter eggs for history nerds and fans of Pride and Prejudice alike!
I wished this could have been an alternate history, though, where queer people were just a normal, cool part of society. Having gone into this book for indulgence, I didn't enjoy the constant, unending harping on the lack of acceptance that the main character faces, to the point that the entire romantic plot takes a backseat to the bigotry I'm already well-aware of existing every day. Oliver lacked a personality outside of hating being force to be a woman, not being good at femininity, feeling oppressed, and for some reason, constantly describing his breasts and chest dysphoria - and I DO mean constantly - to the point where we got an unironic "breasted boobily down the stairs." It gets a pass because I know the author is writing from experience, but it sours the taste of what would otherwise be the perfect read for me. To be clear, I say this as a trans man, who came out later in life, and loves Pride and Prejudice deeply.
The romance between Oliver and Darcy was SO cute. I was giggling and kicking my feet while they were slowly falling for each other. I was mouthing "Get his ass!" when the entire Bennet family plus Darcy teamed up to beat the shit out of Wickham and Collins.
Ultimately, why I gave the book 3.5 stars can be easily summed up by the choice to replace Wickham being a charismatic abuser who grooms Lydia into marrying him, and instead have him be this cartoonish transphobe/homophobe. The conflict of a "scandal ruining the family's reputation" became a non-problem, solved before it even came to pass. I also sincerely enjoyed in the original story how Darcy did his good deeds behind Elizabeth's back/without the expectation that it would land him back in her good graces, which was sorely lacking in this retelling.
Did I enjoy it? Of course. I binged the whole audiobook in one day, the romance was fluffy and wonderful, and like I mentioned, many of the creative choices took with the characters delighted me. The eventual unconditional acceptance that Oliver receives from his family and loved ones is heart-warming, and it has a cozy happy ending. The concept of Elizabeth Bennet being trans, and the interpersonal conflict resulting from Darcy being an autistic, book-loving gay man makes me so excited that I can't help but be disappointed in how much potential was lost in the plot's execution.
I wished this could have been an alternate history, though, where queer people were just a normal, cool part of society. Having gone into this book for indulgence, I didn't enjoy the constant, unending harping on the lack of acceptance that the main character faces, to the point that the entire romantic plot takes a backseat to the bigotry I'm already well-aware of existing every day. Oliver lacked a personality outside of hating being force to be a woman, not being good at femininity, feeling oppressed, and for some reason, constantly describing his breasts and chest dysphoria - and I DO mean constantly - to the point where we got an unironic "breasted boobily down the stairs." It gets a pass because I know the author is writing from experience, but it sours the taste of what would otherwise be the perfect read for me. To be clear, I say this as a trans man, who came out later in life, and loves Pride and Prejudice deeply.
The romance between Oliver and Darcy was SO cute. I was giggling and kicking my feet while they were slowly falling for each other. I was mouthing "Get his ass!" when the entire Bennet family plus Darcy teamed up to beat the shit out of Wickham and Collins.
Ultimately, why I gave the book 3.5 stars can be easily summed up by the choice to replace Wickham being a charismatic abuser who grooms Lydia into marrying him, and instead have him be this cartoonish transphobe/homophobe. The conflict of a "scandal ruining the family's reputation" became a non-problem, solved before it even came to pass. I also sincerely enjoyed in the original story how Darcy did his good deeds behind Elizabeth's back/without the expectation that it would land him back in her good graces, which was sorely lacking in this retelling.
Did I enjoy it? Of course. I binged the whole audiobook in one day, the romance was fluffy and wonderful, and like I mentioned, many of the creative choices took with the characters delighted me. The eventual unconditional acceptance that Oliver receives from his family and loved ones is heart-warming, and it has a cozy happy ending. The concept of Elizabeth Bennet being trans, and the interpersonal conflict resulting from Darcy being an autistic, book-loving gay man makes me so excited that I can't help but be disappointed in how much potential was lost in the plot's execution.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Homophobia, Misogyny, Transphobia, Outing, and Dysphoria
kymaera's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Homophobia, Sexism, Transphobia, Outing, and Dysphoria
kmoz's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia and Outing
aseel_reads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
I've just been reading so many cute books! I loved this so much, I was very sad the whole time, with Oliver being deadnammed and misgendered, but my discomfort is nothing compared to what a trans person would feel - I hope all are able to access whatever they need to feel good in ones body.
I loved how some of the original plot points were changed to accommodate the retelling -like the no Lydia plotline and instead Wickham trying to marry Oliver because Collins was paying him. I loved the inclusion of Charlotte being a lesbian, a very excellent detail. When Oliver's dad saw him?? This is the Mr Bennet we want. I especially liked that he got in contact with their doctor who was willing to testify for Oliver so he could inherit their estate! I do wish we could have gotten a gender affirming surgery element, but maybe it wasn't historical possible?? 🤔 - however, because of the way certain events were replaced or removed, I felt that the romantic plotline was a bit too fast paced and rushed, but otherwise it was a very sweet read!
I loved how some of the original plot points were changed to accommodate the retelling -
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Deadnaming, Transphobia, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Lesbophobia, Outing, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Body shaming, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, and Classism
aofthej's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I started this book cautiously for various reasons, but I enjoyed it far more than I expected. It is certainly not a 1 to 1 retelling, but I enjoyed all the aspects that were changed. Oliver and Darcy seeing each other more often in this version fleshed out their love story, and seeing Wickham kicked out on his ass healed a part of me. Not a full five stars because I do miss the original novel having a more “enemies to lovers” romance, but a solid book nonetheless.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Misogyny, Sexism, Transphobia, and Dysphoria
Minor: Homophobia and Outing
0nyx_g's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming and Dysphoria
Moderate: Outing
Minor: Homophobia and Stalking
bree_h_reads's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
This was a pretty cute book, though a little flawed.
To start, I loved the narrator. I think they did a great job conveying the emotions of a scene. I also loved the character voices. Each one really suited the character they were given to. Overall, great choice to narrate the audiobook.
I really enjoyed how supportive the people in Oliver’s life were. Perhaps not “historically accurate”, but I didn’t really want that. I think having such a prevalent thing in the book is really good for the YA readers, especially trans readers, this book is meant for to see in media.
I also liked the frequent addressing of how the queer characters should just be allowed to exist as they are. That was part of why the ending appealed to me so much. I like that Oliver gets to live comfortably as himself, even if somethings can’t be public.
I also like how much more was added to Darcy’s first proposal. Oliver’s experience with him when presenting as himself vs when he couldn’t added so many layers to it. Especially Oliver’s internal turmoil in rejecting Darcy, but still letting him know that Darcy’s secrets were safe with him.
Despite how much I liked, I did have issues with the book.
The least of my issues was how quickly Darcy and Oliver fell for each other. The slowburn and pining of the original was very much absent from this book, and it was a bit of a let down. Oliver and Darcy met once and were already taken with each other. While the romance was cute and enjoyable, the speed for its progression took me out of the book. It didn’t help that, intentionally or not, the book presents Darcy as VERY sexist early on.
Darcy is, in general, very cold to exclusively women. Oliver experiences the difference in how Darcy treats people he perceives as women in men PERSONALLY and isn’t put off by it. It rubbed me the wrong way that Oliver was so willing to overlook it. Especially considering he has FOUR sisters and two women as his best friends.
Outside of that the book had a really confusing concept of distance and travel time. It felt like characters were moving at the speed of modern travel instead of how quickly they would actually travel. It took me out of the story quite a bit.
There was also my pet peeve of bad stays and corset rep, but that wasn’t enough to sway my rating.
Overall it was a pretty cute story. Though flawed it’s still worth the read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Transphobia, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Outing
Minor: Incest
weirdassfanta's review against another edition
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I truly believe this book is a wonderful addition to queer retellings and historical fictions. While I admit the ending seemed a tad bit rushed with the quick change of Mrs. Bennet’s attitude towards everything, along with not getting to see how the friendship with Charlotte turned out, I rated this 5 based off of how much I enjoyed the book. It furthers the truth of queer people always existing and showing their lives in 1800s London. I figured something like Molly Houses existed then, but I did not ever see representation of them unfortunately. Seeing Oliver push against the traditions of society and not settling for anything but happiness, despite the risk, was a great and necessary experience. The narrative that pretending to be someone you’re not as a trans person is not true survival is something too many people don’t realize. I haven’t read Pride & Prejudice yet, so I can’t say how accurate it is to the original story, but it’s on my shelf. Either way, a great read showing some truth to the lives of queer people throughout history, as we have always been here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Transphobia, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexism, and Outing
Minor: Incest, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, and Classism
callidoralblack's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming
Moderate: Sexism and Transphobia
Minor: Pregnancy, Outing, and Toxic friendship