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thefemalekyle's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
This was selected for a romance book club read from a friend of a friend (no one in the group).
When I hadn’t started it yet and another friend in the club said they were gonna “have questions about the original pride & prejudice” I should’ve known something was up. For street cred, I have a P&P foot tattoo and also was in the TRENCHES of the Lizzie Bennet Diaries fandom while it was airing as well as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
Aside from all the casual racism, homophobia, and transphobia, this was a flop of a modern adaptation that the author only ‘’modernized” bits of the book when it suited them and in increasingly gross ways.
I am just gonna post my live react notes below cause I’m done dedicating brain space to this drivel:
[Begin]
Does this family…hate one another?
Oh the mom is racist AND homophobic…cool!
Jesus this is a tough read. How do you zap all of the charm from the Bennents???!!
WOW sending cheap lingerie. How charming and sexy of him.
“Bang you in a hotel I get to expense” what a fucking romantic
Girl, Lizzie you are 38. Why are you still mooning over this asshole. STAND UP!
These people text like boomers
Irrationally annoyed at this author needing to prove a point how much she knows Cincinnati. Down to the streets.
One thing I will give the story is the medical debt of Mr. Bennett is an ok change for modern times.
“Two runs? Are you anorexic?” WHAT
“A chubby chaser.” Guck. I hate it here.
They keep talking about peoples issues but then never to anything to address it. Georgie has anorexia. Mrs. Bennetts a shopaholic.
All the ‘NPC characters’ aren’t developed past the status of their skin or what genitals or ‘defects’ they have. Mary is ace and only likes bowling!!??! Shawn is Black and “oh my mom’s a racist?!” “Georgie is anorexic but WHELP what can we do?!” UGH
The language was tedious and overly flowery to the point of exhaustion at times. If Curtis was trying to emulate Jane Austen they failed. I don’t think she likes any of these characters.
AND WOW OH WOW DONT GET ME STARTED ON THE SURPRISE TRANS TWIST WITH THE WICKEM (OR SORRY, WICK AND HAM, come’on) WHO IS THE EQUIV THE VILLAIN OF THE ORIGINAL BOOK
Calling being trans a ‘birth defect’ Darcy wtffff
OMG I hate this. I truly do.
[End]
This book was so bad my friends and I continued to trash it at arts fest this weekend. It’s becoming an inside joke it was so bad.
I wish I could scrub this from my brain.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Racism, Acephobia/Arophobia, Homophobia, and Transphobia
ldubs82's review against another edition
fast-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Fatphobia, and Transphobia
mfallon3491's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Transphobia, Body shaming, Racism, and Homophobia
thepinkestshark's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Oh man! I really liked this book at the end, but I had such a hard time with how unlikable the characters could be!!! But, it's literally a modernized Pride and Prejudice, so the author was totally right, and I loved it and how real the people were.
I was REALLY worried about transphobia for a hot minute, but while transphobia was discussed, and people were homophobic, most of the main cast of characters were not, so deep breath thank you!!!! I appreciated the realistic-ness of it, but as someone queer, I would be careful if you have bad reactions to it!!!! Keep yourselves safe and happy :)
I was REALLY worried about transphobia for a hot minute, but while transphobia was discussed, and people were homophobic, most of the main cast of characters were not, so deep breath thank you!!!! I appreciated the realistic-ness of it, but as someone queer, I would be careful if you have bad reactions to it!!!! Keep yourselves safe and happy :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia
Minor: Homophobia
zoiejanelle's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
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
4.0
here’s a horrible secret… i have never read Pride and Prejudice. this is my first experience with it (outside the 2000s movie) and i am genuinely obsessed. this is definitely not the type of book i would normally go for, so i am very proud i actually read it!
this book was recommended to me by my Children’s Book Council mentor and took me a few months to get to. boy am i glad i did. it was a perfect time capsule of 2013 culture—from the white, republican parents, to the confusion about trransgender people, to the classism and social hierarchy, AND the fashion/fitness trends… this was a trip.
equal parts cringey and charming, the story itself was fun to read and experience alongside the quirky cast of characters. i loved the tweaks that the author made to each character, but that the overall story remained largely the same. of course, i loved darcy most ardently. wink.
because of the slight transphobia and extremely datedness of the book, i cant give it a full five stars. it was extremely slow (but so is the original, i hear) and very character driven, so i got lost at a few points trying to determine where the story was headed. however, i cringed, i laughed out loud, i cried, i swooned, and i shouted… and those are all signs of a good book.
bonus—this semi-viral tweet came from my listening to this audiobook:
“instead of enemies to lovers, i'm looking for haters to lovers. two people with bad attitudes whose relationship is wholly based off their mutual, yet completely unjustified, disrespect for one another. two people who antagonize each other until it somehow turns into love.”
this book was recommended to me by my Children’s Book Council mentor and took me a few months to get to. boy am i glad i did. it was a perfect time capsule of 2013 culture—from the white, republican parents, to the confusion about trransgender people, to the classism and social hierarchy, AND the fashion/fitness trends… this was a trip.
equal parts cringey and charming, the story itself was fun to read and experience alongside the quirky cast of characters. i loved the tweaks that the author made to each character, but that the overall story remained largely the same. of course, i loved darcy most ardently. wink.
because of the slight transphobia and extremely datedness of the book, i cant give it a full five stars. it was extremely slow (but so is the original, i hear) and very character driven, so i got lost at a few points trying to determine where the story was headed. however, i cringed, i laughed out loud, i cried, i swooned, and i shouted… and those are all signs of a good book.
bonus—this semi-viral tweet came from my listening to this audiobook:
“instead of enemies to lovers, i'm looking for haters to lovers. two people with bad attitudes whose relationship is wholly based off their mutual, yet completely unjustified, disrespect for one another. two people who antagonize each other until it somehow turns into love.”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Infertility, Eating disorder, Classism, Sexual content, Sexism, Transphobia, Toxic relationship, Racism, Misogyny, Infidelity, and Fatphobia
Minor: Vomit, Homophobia, Abortion, Cursing, and Medical content
eadonn's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia and Racism
isabellevictoria's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
As an avid fan of Pride and Prejudice, I wanted to love a retelling. Instead, I finished this book so I could write a mean review of it that it 100% deserves. This books feel like it was written in 2000 with it's backwards views and need to mention anything that is "out of the ordinary". This book is fatphobic, homophobic, transphobic, racist and a nice hint of misogyny that would make Jane Austen disgusted. I do not recommend this book. Spend your time elsewhere. Only stars for this are because I love P&P.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, and Fatphobia
rayreyes's review against another edition
Stopped at 9%. Dry and forced. Absolutely zero likeability of characters or compelling relational work. Truly just checking a box of modernity and inserting forced storylines. I tried. I don’t enjoy books that talk at you about the things characters are doing rather than show you how they are moving through the world. Snoozefest.
I hopped on here to read reviews and see if I should keep going. Turns out transphobia was in my future. Hard pass.
2 stars.
I hopped on here to read reviews and see if I should keep going. Turns out transphobia was in my future. Hard pass.
2 stars.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia
rileykjones01's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-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
4.25
breaking news to everyone who was offended by these characters that’s the fucking point
Content Warnings
Minor: Pregnancy, Racism, Transphobia, Eating disorder, and Classism
caw281's review against another edition
This book is transphobic. It draws a parallel between a classic predator in the original novel to a lovely transgender man. Why the actual hell would she have done this. When I reached that part of the story, I could not continue.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia