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arisbookcorner's review
3.0
Favorite lines 'You got me? You live in the same neighborhood I live in. You don't know a dang thing about the ghetto. What're you gonna do, hit 'em in the head with a football?' [Liz]
'I saw Boyz in the Hood three times' [Darcell]
'Why didn't you say so before? Now I feel safe...not'" Liz (pg. 212)
"'Who is it?' Trent yelled
'No esta aqui' I hollered back.
Okay was it stupid to yell, 'I'm not here' in Spanish from the wrong side of the door? Absolutely. But I was scared shitless and couldn't think of anything else to say. Seconds later, the door opened."
"His diarrhea-brown skin turned seven shades of white, looking like a Twilight reject." (pg. 3)
There were some Pride & Prejudice updates I liked, some I didn't. I didn't like the Trent storyline. I felt that it was trying too hard to connect Worst Impressions to Pride & Prejudice and the whole thing ended up being unbearably dramatic. In fact that was a main theme of this story, lots of over the top drama and cheesy dialogue. I wanted to tell all the characters (parents and teens) to just take a breath, it's not the end of the world. What was most disappointing was the end. The romance was so fast and suddenly Liz was IN LOVE. Then we have to fast forward to the college decision process. However while I disagreed with a certain character's choice, I do think that some teens would do that (but it's a mistake I think to pick a school based on where your boyfriend or girlfriend is going). Furthermore while Mr. Darcy can say some rude things, I don't think he compared to Darcell. Honestly there were no redeemable qualities about Darcell in my opinion, which was disappointing.
Besides Liz having a strikingly real voice, I liked the twist on Mrs. Bennet. She goes from one extreme in the original P&P (trying to marry off her daughters) to the next (trying to keep her daughters from discovering boys their own age, especially athletes). Mr. Bennet was true to the original, doting on his daughters and steering clear of his wife.
Worst Impressions is one of I hope many more to come Jane Austen retellings with a diverse cast. This book will probably make more teens laugh out loud then the original...While at times the author's attempts to make the retelling work in modern times seemed to be a bit of stretch (see Trent storyline), at others time it worked (the parents, Liz's quick wit). If nothing else read this book for the humor alone, especially for teenagers who recently took the ACT and/or are preparing for the SAT or AP tests
All that being said, I laughed out loud so many times reading this book. SO MUCH FUN! Liz is quick to bring the quips, snappy comebacks abound. You also can't help but laugh at how easily avoidable and/or very dramatic certain situations seem to be. Liz's voice rings true and it resounds off the pages, full of life. Her reactions and actions were genuine, she didn't try to act overly brave or tough, she was at the happy medium.
'I saw Boyz in the Hood three times' [Darcell]
'Why didn't you say so before? Now I feel safe...not'" Liz (pg. 212)
"'Who is it?' Trent yelled
'No esta aqui' I hollered back.
Okay was it stupid to yell, 'I'm not here' in Spanish from the wrong side of the door? Absolutely. But I was scared shitless and couldn't think of anything else to say. Seconds later, the door opened."
"His diarrhea-brown skin turned seven shades of white, looking like a Twilight reject." (pg. 3)
There were some Pride & Prejudice updates I liked, some I didn't. I didn't like the Trent storyline. I felt that it was trying too hard to connect Worst Impressions to Pride & Prejudice and the whole thing ended up being unbearably dramatic. In fact that was a main theme of this story, lots of over the top drama and cheesy dialogue. I wanted to tell all the characters (parents and teens) to just take a breath, it's not the end of the world. What was most disappointing was the end. The romance was so fast and suddenly Liz was IN LOVE. Then we have to fast forward to the college decision process. However while I disagreed with a certain character's choice, I do think that some teens would do that (but it's a mistake I think to pick a school based on where your boyfriend or girlfriend is going). Furthermore while Mr. Darcy can say some rude things, I don't think he compared to Darcell. Honestly there were no redeemable qualities about Darcell in my opinion, which was disappointing.
Besides Liz having a strikingly real voice, I liked the twist on Mrs. Bennet. She goes from one extreme in the original P&P (trying to marry off her daughters) to the next (trying to keep her daughters from discovering boys their own age, especially athletes). Mr. Bennet was true to the original, doting on his daughters and steering clear of his wife.
Worst Impressions is one of I hope many more to come Jane Austen retellings with a diverse cast. This book will probably make more teens laugh out loud then the original...While at times the author's attempts to make the retelling work in modern times seemed to be a bit of stretch (see Trent storyline), at others time it worked (the parents, Liz's quick wit). If nothing else read this book for the humor alone, especially for teenagers who recently took the ACT and/or are preparing for the SAT or AP tests
All that being said, I laughed out loud so many times reading this book. SO MUCH FUN! Liz is quick to bring the quips, snappy comebacks abound. You also can't help but laugh at how easily avoidable and/or very dramatic certain situations seem to be. Liz's voice rings true and it resounds off the pages, full of life. Her reactions and actions were genuine, she didn't try to act overly brave or tough, she was at the happy medium.
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