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

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Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix by Gabe Cole Novoa

20 reviews

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.)

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barometz's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring 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? No

5.0

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peroxide_princes's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense 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

3.75

This was a really great book! I grew up absolutely ADORING Pride and prejudice, so to have a trans retelling out there is just fantastic. I think the end moves a little quickly and feels slightly forced, but that could definitely be my own personal taste. The characters do feel a bit flat,

with the most character development happening in Darcy’s character in my opinion. Though I think Oliver’s parents being supportive of him in the end is a very nice and healing touch out there for many trans kids picking up this book

. Overall, I think perhaps my personal tastes have moved away from young adult fiction, hence my rating, but this book fits itself well in that category. I would certainly recommend it for any trans youth out there who are in need of a book to speak to their souls and give them a heartwarming and hopeful end.

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plumpatio's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective fast-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

3.5

~~All content warnings aside,~~ A sweet genderbent Pride & Prejudice retelling. Quick read with creative reimagining of major plot points without straying too far from the source. Darcy and Oliver's relationship develops more quickly (and with less appreciation and more infatuation), but lovers of Jane Austen with an interest in queer lit will appreciate the nods to the original with amped up supporting (and supportive) characters. I did question how realistic the treatment of Oliver by family and friends (and enemies) was, but ultimately, do I need realism and violance from a P&P retelling more than a delightful, plausibile story? In this case, no. I liked how the cast was filled out with other queer characters and allies.

Pride & Prejudice retelling
Trans man main character
gay!Darcy
Lesbian side characters
Wickham's still the worst and Collins gets in on the action

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gardens_and_dragons's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful 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

3.5

While it doesn’t match the prose of the original Pride and Prejudice, this was a great remix of the story with a trans male lead. I was smiling through the banter, and my heart hurt with Oliver as he navigated his way through a tough summer.

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ccouey's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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

5.0

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beanaroni's review against another edition

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lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

not officially rating this one because I'm glad young queer people get to read books about themselves and I am starting to recognize that I, personally, need to stop reading books for teenagers. there was a lot I appreciated here from the perspective of a queer trans dude, but Oliver's experience is pretty far removed from my own and I honestly found being in his head a little irritating sometimes. grateful that this exists though.

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henrygravesprince's review

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hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

In the interest of full disclosure, this review is specifically regarding an ALC copy of the audiobook from Net Galley, so while I imagine this audiobook was pretty close to finalized, some details may have been changed between my copy and the official release.

The novel makes its themes and the overall message very clear to me, and I would say it’s successful at communicating the subject of an optimistic Regency-era romance for LGBT youth. I believe the strongest aspect here is the clear interest the author has in LGBT history and in incorporating it into this novel, and the weaker aspect is the conflict. Ultimately, I think a couple more rounds of line editing and tightening up the plot could have done it some good. The flow is natural and straight-forward. The exposition is relatively well-done, with the brevity that I think does very well for “younger” prose. The information is given to us when it’s relevant and it doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb; info-dumping isn’t an issue in this. There’s a degree of repetition in verbiage, particularly towards the end, that bogged down some sentences.

I found the character dynamics very compelling. Regarding Mrs. Bennet’s dynamic with Oliver,

I can understand that some people may have difficulty suspending their disbelief in a historical narrative in which someone who was pressuring their child to be a “respectable lady” accepts their transgender son. However, the particular kind of parent to trans children that Mrs. Bennet here falls into isn’t often portrayed, and I think trans youth need to see a wider breadth of familial dynamics in our media. Mrs. Bennet here reminds me of someone in my life who had difficulties accepting who I am out of fear for how people would treat me and my prospects in the world.

I think if I had seen representation of such a dynamic when I was a closeted teenager, I might have had more hope for my own familial relationships surviving that particular strife.

Mr. Bennet, who is much more accepting, reminds me so much of my father, one of the people who has stood by me the most in my transition,

and I was very glad to be able to see a dynamic like that reflected here.

Taking believable historical dialogue and making it accessible to a modern reader was achieved here. It maintains a Regency ‘feel’ without sacrificing the quick, modern writing style. While I doubt it’s 100% accurate to the conventioms of the era, it reproduces the concept of historical speech well without being jarring. It seems like the author put a lot of effort into walking the line of portraying LGBT history and writing a positive story for modern LGBT youth. I was giddy to hear references to actual pieces of our history, such as Molly Houses woven into the narrative, and I was also impressed that the story overall takes an optimistic tone on portraying the complexities of historical trans and gay relationships.

The note at the end where the author talks about personally hoping there are many trans people in history who we simply don’t know existed because they weren’t outed is something that I really appreciate: there have been extremely difficult times for us, but there have also always been people who found each other and forged community regardless. I would definitely recommend this to any trans young adult looking for a sweet historical M/M romance that has some of our own history woven throughout it, as well as for someone looking to gift an appropriate and inclusive book to a young trans loved one. Overall, I felt a little too grown for the aged-down aspect of the novel, but I know if this book had been around ten years ago, it would have meant a lot to me. I’d definitely be interested in checking out the author’s other work.

(Edit: I’ve docked this book’s rating down from 4.5 to 4, because these past few months, it hasn’t really held up in my memory & it’s just not “for me”. It’s a 4 in that it’s well-made, good, and was a worthwhile read, but this book didn’t come out at a time where I was in the age bracket and life experience that it would’ve impacted me best: as a kid, a young teen in particular, I would have gotten a lot more from this book. I stand by everything in this review, but it just feels like this is a more adequate rating for how I feel about it.)

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betweentheshelves's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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

4.5

It’s London 1812 and Oliver feels trapped. Not just by the strict rules of society, but by the fact that everyone knows him as a girl named Elizabeth. Thus, he’s forced into dresses, to attend balls, and to look for a future husband. But pretending is getting more and more difficult.

Oliver finds solace in the moments he’s able to be out and about as himself. It’s there that he finds a connection with Darcy, and a glimpse into the life that he could have. However, his mother is getting more and more insistent about Oliver finding a suitor, so he will have to choose: a life of safety or a life of freedom.

Thanks to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for an advanced copy of Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix by Gabe Cole Novoa to review! I will admit, I have never read Pride & Prejudice, but I know the general gist of the story, so I didn’t feel too lost. From what I know of Jane Austen, I felt like Novoa captured the tone and the essence pretty well! The characters especially are where the writing shines.

What I love about these remixed classics is that it takes a literary canon that is pretty straight and white washed and makes the stories more diverse. So, teens who are reading these things in school might pick up one of these and see themselves in the story. I’ve enjoyed the ones I’ve read so far, and I’m sure I will continue to enjoy them!

My only complaint about this book is that the ending felt a bit rushed. There were a few characters that did a complete 180 at the end with not a lot of build up to it (like Oliver’s mother), and I would have liked a little more development in those areas. But for the most part, the characters were well developed, even if there were a lot of them to keep track of.

I’d say if you love Pride & Prejudice, definitely check out this retelling when it comes out early next year!

Content Warnings

cardboardvox's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful fast-paced

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

3.75

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