Reviews with content warning for Sexism - Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix

This was a lovely retelling. I really enjoyed Oliver as a character and the insight into his struggles in 1800s English society. I would qualify this as a cozy read for me due to the comfort of it being a Pride and Prejudice retelling, though it does explore some themes that may be difficult for some readers.

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kirkspockreads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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fromthefoxhole's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I’m a transmasc Austenite, of course i loved this.

The things i loved:
1. Most Ardently does a pretty great job of remaining faithful and respectful of the source material, while also bending and altering the plot to remain fresh and engaging. The story is a much snappier read overall, with much of the “background” information and characterization cut for brevity or glossed over in favor of new scenes, but it all still works and feels Right.
2. Darcy and Oliver retain their charming banter and titular shortcomings, Bingley and Jane remain ever gentle and kind opposite a bratty Caroline and scheming Wickham. The puzzle pieces still slot into place as expected, even with new and perhaps more tense stakes.
3. TRANS LEAD!!! Being in Oliver’s mind, the juxtaposition of how he perceived himself v how others perceive him, the regency era binder, all delightful. Watching him juggle the pressure of keeping himself a secret while still aching to be out and proud and himself made me deeply emotional.

The fact that Mr.Bennett worked with their family physician and updated his will to bequeath Longbourne to him made me get up from my seat with excitement.

4. Charlotte

and Lu!! I’m not…thrilled about Charlotte’s ending but this is Regency era and unfortunately this is the way the dominos fell for a lot of real people during this era. They were still wonderful background characters, and

i’ll always have a soft spot for my “no money and no prospects” queen.

The things I struggled with:
1. Oliver objects to so much of the societal expectation **bc he’s a man**, rather than because they’re unfair and ridiculous. Liz is a character who to this day people see as a feminist icon, and while i understand the nuance of introducing a trans story into this world, i think there is space for both things to coexist.
2. The aging felt a little off. In P+P, Liz is 20, which is young, but having Oliver be 17 made a lot of the language more juvenile (I think he refers to both himself and Darcy as “boy” exclusively) even though he turns down THREE marriage proposals and is expected to be a fully actualized and accomplished person. It’s an odd point of contention, but it’s definitely felt throughout.
3.I miss the sisters. Mary, Lydia, and Kitty are barely mentioned,

especially considering we’ve reworked the Wickham/Lydia plot (thank god, i hope Wickham rots). I think *because* of that plot changing, we needed a little more with them in other areas.

4. It’s a touch insta-lovey. This one is a personal preference, but given how much quicker paced this is compared to the original, I think a slower burn would have still been a good call. By their third meeting, Oliver has heart eyes. It’s a regency book, dang it. Their hands shouldn’t even touch until 98% of the way through!
5.

I’m a little confused about how everyone is 100% immediately supportive of trans gay Oliver. Like i recognize we’re going for happy ending, not all coming out stories are bad and sad and awful, but…the conversations were so short. Mrs. Bennet, as described through the entire rest of rest of the book, would not have been on board. One conversation with Darcy would not have been able to flip the script when he was already so clearly struggling with his own sexuality. The framework we’re given throughout the book clearly explains why everything won’t be peaches and gravy, and then it turns out that it is in fact peaches and gravy.
I think it would have benefited from being a modernized Regency where the lgbtqia community is open and accepted, or perhaps a touch more gravity should have been placed on these very large and important conversations.

All in all, a sweet and fun read. I had my grievances, but it’s a trans retelling of one of my all time favorite books. At the end of the day, I’m over the moon that this exists at all 💚

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jneverland's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

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aceofjades's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

3.5

Honestly enjoyed reading it, but the historical inaccuracies really took me out at times... No, I'm not talking about the queerness, the historical note at the end (and a quick google search) will tell any reader that queer people did indeed exist in the Regency era. In fact, we've existed since the dawn of civilization.
It's the way characters talk to each other that took me out. I understand that the addressing conventions of IX century England can be confusing for modern readers, but I don't think anyone who isn't at least a little familiar with Jane Austen novels (or at least the movie adaptations of her novels) would be reading this book, so I don't see any reason for characters to be calling each other by FIRST NAME as if they're very very intimate, when in fact they've only just met and/or have animosity towards each other.
Below is spoilers for more specific parts that personally peeved me, might get nitpicky:

In general, how Mr. Collins and Mr. Wickham were rewritten to be real big baddies, and their nearly comical villanous "death" at the end of the novel... They weren't complex characters in the og novel either, but I feel like there's a missed opportunity for making really "evil" characters look back at themselves and realize their mistakes. Also did the author forget that Mr. Collins is a clergyman? He doesn't just "tell boring stories" to the Bennets, he recites sermons! Making them say terribly misogynistic things to Oliver was... a choice, a choice which genuinely made me uncomfortable and made me root even more for some kind of redemption arc where they become embarrassed of themselves, instead of punished but never changing their ways of thought.
Speaking of Mr. Collins, what happened with Charlotte after his and Wickham's schemes are revealed? In general, I think this book was way too short to follow all the little plotlines that were introduced. How did the Bennet sisters react to Oliver coming out? Will Mr. Bingley ever find out too? I would've gladly read a 100 or more pages just to give the plot some breathing room.
And speaking of villanous figures, I was kind of hoping for Madam De Bourgh to be rewritten in favour of her nephew's queerness... that's just wishful thinking on my part, and I didn't detract any points for it, but I feel like it's another big missed opportunity...
Not a spoiler, but in general this book is written in a very fanfiction-esque language which really took me out of the immersion at times... I wasn't expecting it to fully imitate Jane Austen's prolix style, but certain metaphors and locutions were really out of place.

Overall, though, the book was greatly redeemed (at least for me) by how wholesome it gets by the end.
There isn't much tension in the midpoint and, as mentioned in the spoilers, the plot didn't have enough breathing room. I feel like the lack of any real tension might be because of that as well. This book would've benefitted from a 100 or so more pages, and I would've gladly read those and possibly given a higher rating.

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booksthatburn's review

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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!

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ghostlyprince's review against another edition

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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

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daryn's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

this is a very sweet queer regency romance but i don’t think it functions well as an adaptation as the main theme of the source material (lizzie and darcy’s initial pride and prejudice for each other, and they way their perceptions of the other are proved wrong) is completely missing. i think this would have worked better as an original book without being attached to p&p.

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