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blahlicia's review
4.0
Very fun retelling of Pride and Prejudice. Don't expect it to follow it exactly but I'd say it hits the major plot points in a way that is recognizable and fits the modern liberal arts college scene that the book is set in.
I enjoyed that the book is like mildly low stress and simply follows these girls through their last year of college and I loved the diversity of it. I loved that it featured a trans woman and a cis black woman and allows them to just...be themselves without trauma or pain. It acknowledges the difficulties but doesn't get dwell in it. EJ was super fun and like such an old lady with her esoteric taste. Will was a sweet little curmudgeon. Jamie and Lee as the Jane and Mr. Bingley characters, respectively, were lovely.
I wish we'd gotten more story out of Tessa but my hope is that there will be another book about her maybe? It doesn't even need to be Jane Austen based, I just feel like she showed up randomly and disappeared randomly.
Overall, just a really nice, low stress, comfy read. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for books by Eden Appiah-Kubi.
I enjoyed that the book is like mildly low stress and simply follows these girls through their last year of college and I loved the diversity of it. I loved that it featured a trans woman and a cis black woman and allows them to just...be themselves without trauma or pain. It acknowledges the difficulties but doesn't get dwell in it. EJ was super fun and like such an old lady with her esoteric taste. Will was a sweet little curmudgeon. Jamie and Lee as the Jane and Mr. Bingley characters, respectively, were lovely.
I wish we'd gotten more story out of Tessa but my hope is that there will be another book about her maybe? It doesn't even need to be Jane Austen based, I just feel like she showed up randomly and disappeared randomly.
Overall, just a really nice, low stress, comfy read. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for books by Eden Appiah-Kubi.
bookdragonamy's review
3.0
I won this book in a goodreads giveaway in exchange for a review.
I love how diverse these characters are. It’s really refreshing. The characters were well rounded to me. I didn’t like was the switching of narratives but that is something I personally don’t like.
I think it does have the vibe of a Pride and prejudice story telling but at times while I was reading the book I’d forgotten that. Which in my opinion is good because when I look for a modern anything Jane Austen I’m not looking for an exact copy of her original stories, as some retellings turn out to be.
I can’t wait to recommend this to some of my friends who love modern retellings like this.
I love how diverse these characters are. It’s really refreshing. The characters were well rounded to me. I didn’t like was the switching of narratives but that is something I personally don’t like.
I think it does have the vibe of a Pride and prejudice story telling but at times while I was reading the book I’d forgotten that. Which in my opinion is good because when I look for a modern anything Jane Austen I’m not looking for an exact copy of her original stories, as some retellings turn out to be.
I can’t wait to recommend this to some of my friends who love modern retellings like this.
notinjersey's review against another edition
3.0
The Bennet Women by Eden Apiah-Kubi is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice set on a college campus. I think I have read Pride and Prejudice, but I don’t remember it well! The style of this book reminded me a bit of Anna K, which is also a classic retelling. It had less characters than that one though and Tessa wasn’t in it as much as the others were. I very much appreciated the diversity in this one!
bee_vee's review against another edition
4.0
This was another Amazon First Reads selection, and another big hit
april_reads's review
funny
lighthearted
slow-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
3.5
reuben_books's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
4.0
This was a really enjoyable book. It is so self-aware and witty.
At the start of the book I thought it was going to be a sapphic romance, I was sad when I realised it wasn't, but that's not the book's fault.
The best thing about this book was the positive trans rep. I was so glad to read a story about a transgender woman who just has a nice time. No transphobia, no trauma. It doesn't diminish the hardships of the trans experience, but neither does it revel in them. (Typically cis) authors seem to have an obsession with only writing traumatised, suffering, and/or miserable queer characters. It was so nice to see her just get to enjoy life and romance.
The book also had some really powerful conversations about gaslighting and manipulative relationships.
One pet peeve is that the book said that Dr Who is filmed in London... It isn't... A very simple Google search will tell you (if you didn't already know) that it's filmed almost exclusively in Cardiff.
But putting that aside, this was a very lovely read and a great end to my 2023.
At the start of the book I thought it was going to be a sapphic romance, I was sad when I realised it wasn't, but that's not the book's fault.
The best thing about this book was the positive trans rep. I was so glad to read a story about a transgender woman who just has a nice time. No transphobia, no trauma. It doesn't diminish the hardships of the trans experience, but neither does it revel in them. (Typically cis) authors seem to have an obsession with only writing traumatised, suffering, and/or miserable queer characters. It was so nice to see her just get to enjoy life and romance.
The book also had some really powerful conversations about gaslighting and manipulative relationships.
One pet peeve is that the book said that Dr Who is filmed in London... It isn't... A very simple Google search will tell you (if you didn't already know) that it's filmed almost exclusively in Cardiff.
But putting that aside, this was a very lovely read and a great end to my 2023.
capnmodesty's review
4.0
I am a sucker for a Pride and Prejudice retelling...and they are usually not good. This one was fresh, fun, and modern. I really enjoyed that the story was told from multiple characters point of view and that the "Wickham" storyline was updated in a way that was not related to statutory rape (as is common in modern retellings). Overall very good.