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A review by savvyrosereads
Pride and Protest by Nikki Payne
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Rating: 5/5 stars
A retelling of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE about Liza Bennett, a D.C. DJ and activist, and her fight to stop gentrification by Pemberley Development Co. and its CEO Dorsey Fitzgerald.
I had the pleasure of meeting Nikki Payne at Steamy Lit Con last year, and I can tell you she’s one of the coolest (and nicest!) people I’ve ever encountered in real life. I was SO excited to read her debut, and it checked every single box I wanted it to: a steamy and pitch-perfect retelling with incredible diversity representation and laugh-out-loud humor.
PRIDE AND PROTEST would be excellent on its own merit, but for me it really shines as a retelling/reimagining that stays true to everything I love about the source material while injecting a dose of modernity and diversity. I absolutely loved the way certain iconic moments from the original were reworked here, including the “not handsome enough to tempt me” scene at the ball and the infamous first proposal. The incorporation of race and culture, including Dorsey’s Filipino ancestry, was also so well-done and added so much depth to the story and characters. And of course…”only one nap pod.” Honestly that scene in itself was enough for five stars.
Highly recommend picking this one up!
CW: Classism; racism/microaggressions; mentions of child death; alcoholism
A retelling of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE about Liza Bennett, a D.C. DJ and activist, and her fight to stop gentrification by Pemberley Development Co. and its CEO Dorsey Fitzgerald.
I had the pleasure of meeting Nikki Payne at Steamy Lit Con last year, and I can tell you she’s one of the coolest (and nicest!) people I’ve ever encountered in real life. I was SO excited to read her debut, and it checked every single box I wanted it to: a steamy and pitch-perfect retelling with incredible diversity representation and laugh-out-loud humor.
PRIDE AND PROTEST would be excellent on its own merit, but for me it really shines as a retelling/reimagining that stays true to everything I love about the source material while injecting a dose of modernity and diversity. I absolutely loved the way certain iconic moments from the original were reworked here, including the “not handsome enough to tempt me” scene at the ball and the infamous first proposal. The incorporation of race and culture, including Dorsey’s Filipino ancestry, was also so well-done and added so much depth to the story and characters. And of course…”only one nap pod.” Honestly that scene in itself was enough for five stars.
Highly recommend picking this one up!
CW: Classism; racism/microaggressions; mentions of child death; alcoholism
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Racism, Grief, and Child death