Scan barcode
jehansen127's review
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Outing, Classism, Transphobia, and Deadnaming
Minor: Death of parent
booksthatburn's review
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
MOST ARDENTLY is a retelling of Jane Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, where Oliver is a trans boy whose family still thinks his name is Elizabeth. When he meets Darcy originally, Oliver is dressed as a girl and the other boy is very dismissive of him. A day or so later, he's at a local fair as himself and ends up spending the day with Darcy and Bingley. As the two sides of his life collide, soon he has to choose whether to declare himself or to let nefarious actors force the issue for him.
One of my favorite parts of this retelling is the way that it provides an explanation beyond plot convenience for Darcy to have inconsistent reactions to Oliver. Instead of Darcy being hot and cold to someone who seems to be the same person, his reactions around Oliver as a girl are impacted by getting to spend time with Oliver as a boy and maybe starting to fall for him. For those not familiar with the original story, this stands on its own and doesn't require any prior knowledge in order to make sense.
I enjoyed this as a retelling and as its own story, a great addition to the Remixed Classics series!
One of my favorite parts of this retelling is the way that it provides an explanation beyond plot convenience for Darcy to have inconsistent reactions to Oliver. Instead of Darcy being hot and cold to someone who seems to be the same person, his reactions around Oliver as a girl are impacted by getting to spend time with Oliver as a boy and maybe starting to fall for him. For those not familiar with the original story, this stands on its own and doesn't require any prior knowledge in order to make sense.
I enjoyed this as a retelling and as its own story, a great addition to the Remixed Classics series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria, Classism, Sexism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, and Deadnaming
Minor: Death, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Emotional abuse
ghostlyprince's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Outing, Classism, Deadnaming, and Sexism
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Transphobia, Dysphoria, and Incest
Minor: Homophobia, Vomit, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, and Lesbophobia
stardustandrockets's review
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Misogyny, Transphobia, and Sexism
Moderate: Classism and Dysphoria
its_trysker's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Classism, and Dysphoria
raybudbury's review
funny
hopeful
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
5.0
I’ve never actually read Pride and Prejudice; have only seen the Keira Knightley film.
Honestly? This is now my Pride and Prejudice. I loved Oliver. I like the author really makes it feel authentic to how some trans people feel w/ gender dysphoria and the emotional turmoil of hearing people use their deadname / wrong pronouns imo. Or my own feelings as a nb person that struggles w mine own identity and how I want ppl to see me. Idk I felt like it was an authentic trans experience being written,, hard to explain KAOAPSM.
It’s sweet, funny, emotional but can be triggering for some (in that Oliver gets deadnamed frequently as he isn’t out to everyone in the book) but the author states that at the top which is great.
Honestly? This is now my Pride and Prejudice. I loved Oliver. I like the author really makes it feel authentic to how some trans people feel w/ gender dysphoria and the emotional turmoil of hearing people use their deadname / wrong pronouns imo. Or my own feelings as a nb person that struggles w mine own identity and how I want ppl to see me. Idk I felt like it was an authentic trans experience being written,, hard to explain KAOAPSM.
It’s sweet, funny, emotional but can be triggering for some (in that Oliver gets deadnamed frequently as he isn’t out to everyone in the book) but the author states that at the top which is great.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming
Moderate: Classism, Dysphoria, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Transphobia
chrisb913's review
emotional
hopeful
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Homophobia, Misogyny, Transphobia, and Classism
essieruth's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria and Outing
Minor: Classism and Suicidal thoughts
shelvesofivy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
I'm not gonna lie: I was beyond excited for this book from the moment I heard that there would be a Pride & Prejudice installment of the remixed classics. And that excitement only grew with everything I learned about it leading up to the release. (Plus, this cover!!!)
That is to say, my personal hype made way for a very large possibility that I'd be disappointed if this wasn't executed well. But that wasn't the case at all. I love the original love story, and fell in love with this version as well ♡
And there's just something so special and beautiful about reading stories with trans joy in a historical setting.
(I do have so many more thoughts and things I love about this book, but words are failing me right now.)
That is to say, my personal hype made way for a very large possibility that I'd be disappointed if this wasn't executed well. But that wasn't the case at all. I love the original love story, and fell in love with this version as well ♡
And there's just something so special and beautiful about reading stories with trans joy in a historical setting.
(I do have so many more thoughts and things I love about this book, but words are failing me right now.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria, Misogyny, Sexism, and Deadnaming
Moderate: Transphobia, Classism, Outing, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Stalking
nimeneth's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
This was a good retelling of Pride & Prejudice, and an enjoyable read. The feel of Austen's story wasn't changed, even if the specific details were, and Novoa was very respectful in translating the original into this work. That said, I have some conflicted feelings on the choices on how some of the characters were presented, and I think my biggest complaints are mostly based on my ardent love for the original. I didn't enjoy that:
-Lydia and Kitty were essentially left out except as tittering fools in the background. They're both minor characters in the original, true, but Lydia's arc in Pride & Prejudice was important in fleshing out Darcy's character, and leads to an opening towards the end where Kitty can become her own person rather than being an extension of Lydia.
-Wickham is so utterly evil in this retelling. He's no peach in Austen but boiling him down to bring driven by money alone (instead of status and jealousy in addition) feels like a disservice to what he was.
-Mrs. Bennett and Lady Catherine weren't annoying enough lol
Despite my complaints above, this does still feel like a properly modernized retelling, and it's definitely an approachable way to present something that is dense and hard to read, even without factoring in the heteronormative lens it Austen was understandably writing through. The writing was good, the pace was excellent, and Novoa has a way of evoking emotions that had my cis self feeling Oliver's emotions, particularly his panic over the dysphoria and misgendering, in a very gut-wrenching way. The nightmare scene about 2/3 of the way made me deeply uncomfortable, poor Oliver!
-Lydia and Kitty were essentially left out except as tittering fools in the background. They're both minor characters in the original, true, but Lydia's arc in Pride & Prejudice was important in fleshing out Darcy's character, and leads to an opening towards the end where Kitty can become her own person rather than being an extension of Lydia.
-Wickham is so utterly evil in this retelling. He's no peach in Austen but boiling him down to bring driven by money alone (instead of status and jealousy in addition) feels like a disservice to what he was.
-Mrs. Bennett and Lady Catherine weren't annoying enough lol
Despite my complaints above, this does still feel like a properly modernized retelling, and it's definitely an approachable way to present something that is dense and hard to read, even without factoring in the heteronormative lens it Austen was understandably writing through. The writing was good, the pace was excellent, and Novoa has a way of evoking emotions that had my cis self feeling Oliver's emotions, particularly his panic over the dysphoria and misgendering, in a very gut-wrenching way. The nightmare scene about 2/3 of the way made me deeply uncomfortable, poor Oliver!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Homophobia, Deadnaming, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Sexism, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Outing and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Classism and Sexual harassment