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

emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

Gosh, I love queer regency romances. I LOVE QUEER REGENCY ROMANCES!!!!!!!!!

I’ll admit that I wasn’t certain if I would like this book just because I’ve had to put down Gabe Cole Novoa’s other work - The Wicked Bargain - because I couldn't get invested in the writing style. I chalked it up to not being in the mood; Most Ardently arrived on my Libby shelf not long after and my god I am obsessed and I seriously need to read everything else Novoa has written. He gets my vibes! I feel like somehow he went traipsing through my brain and pulled out almost everything I want in a queer regency romance! Like!?!?? 

For a moment I was afraid I wouldn't get through the novel, as I have a nasty habit of avoiding things that make me emotional or are difficult to read. Take serious heed of Novoa’s note at the beginning; Oliver, our protagonist, is constantly deadnamed and referred to as the second eldest Bennet daughter (never in narration, only by other people in the novel). Reading Oliver’s experience and the headspace he's in because of this frequent misgendering is very difficult. Once I pushed myself to dive back in, however, I was so delighted the entire time reading. The moments of euphoria are truly worth it.

I can’t speak on how much of this Pride and Prejudice remix is true to the original story and how much it deviates. I haven't read the original or any other adaptations. This remix has certainly motivated me to pick up the original, just so I can come back and reread to find the similarities and differences in terms of plot beats and scenes! 

If I had to be incredibly nitpicky, I wish there was more genuine discussion around misogyny in this novel. I understand that's not entirely the point of this remix, but I felt that the discussion around the treatment of women and the unfairness of it was sort of…I don’t know? We scratched the surface but did not dig any deeper. There’s plenty of women in the novel and in Oliver’s life that could've added more perspective. Charlotte, Oliver’s best friend, provided an interesting dueling perspective about marriage as a queer woman, but I still felt like this part of the story was a little undercooked, you know what I mean? This may come from the fact that a lot of the side characters, including Charlotte, Jane, and Mrs. Bennet, all were more two-dimensional than I would've liked. I attribute this to the fact the book comes in at a whopping 304 pages (in print), so it's brisk and leaves little breath for lengthy examinations of, like, most things. 

The other thing that I’m gonna nitpick on, which is not a big deal but gave me a good laugh, is how cartoonishly evil Wickham is. And Mr. Collins, too, to an extant. They just really say the most outlandish things about women. I know it's the regency era but wow. Wild. “You have such beautiful childbearing hips.” Wild. Absolutely wild. This was…a little heavy handed, but I did laugh. 

I wish there was a tad more Oliver and Darcy but every instance they interacted I was indeed screaming so, still happy. I wish there was just more in general, you know? More room to explore and breathe in this world, allowing for nuance and depth. However, I am not unhappy with this book at all. It’s definitely an imperfect book, but it spoke to my little queer heart in a big way.
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