Scan barcode
A review by pastelwriter
Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
Ah, yes. As is to be expected from a Pride & Prejudice (book) hater, I had mixed feelings about this retelling.
I would say that I primarily enjoyed this. The biggest thing this book did in its favor was that it addressed the things that made me dislike the original Pride & Prejudice. This is mainly my complete lack of interest in Mr. Darcy. I know book nerds love that man, but I’m not one of them. This book actually brought to focus reasons one might genuinely like Darcy. We get to see him from a lot closer, and it does make him endearing. I really liked the Darcy here. Although I wasn’t the hugest fan of how much he kept his distance from women, I still really enjoyed his interactions with Oliver and could see the appeal of him. In general, this book just narrowed in on tender moments between Oliver and Darcy that made me believe their romance (unlike the original).
I also enjoyed the dynamic between Oliver and his father. I’m glad that was kept in here because part of what I also enjoyed from the original was the contrast between Mr. Bennet and Ms. Bennet.
One of the things I didn’t like as much was how…conflicted I felt about Oliver’s persistence that he couldn’t imagine why his friends would choose a life that doesn’t fully allow them to be themselves. It made the end bittersweet for me. Oliver gets his perfect “happily ever after” while his sapphic friends do have to settle 🙃 it didn’t sit right with me…especially with how unrealistic the ending felt. Now, don’t get me wrong. I know there were trans people in the past who did successfully live their lives as their true selves. I simply find it unlikely to believe that someone in Oliver Bennet’s particular social standing would be able to do so in the way he did in this book. I’m all for queer happy endings, but this one felt a little too good to be true ☹️ and I was left salty that we could find loopholes for Oliver to get everything he wanted but not for his friends. *sigh*
Anyway. I don’t regret picking this up. I enjoyed the romance. I found the writing style engaging and easy to read. I’m likely to pick up more books by this author in the future!
I would say that I primarily enjoyed this. The biggest thing this book did in its favor was that it addressed the things that made me dislike the original Pride & Prejudice. This is mainly my complete lack of interest in Mr. Darcy. I know book nerds love that man, but I’m not one of them. This book actually brought to focus reasons one might genuinely like Darcy. We get to see him from a lot closer, and it does make him endearing. I really liked the Darcy here. Although I wasn’t the hugest fan of how much he kept his distance from women, I still really enjoyed his interactions with Oliver and could see the appeal of him. In general, this book just narrowed in on tender moments between Oliver and Darcy that made me believe their romance (unlike the original).
I also enjoyed the dynamic between Oliver and his father. I’m glad that was kept in here because part of what I also enjoyed from the original was the contrast between Mr. Bennet and Ms. Bennet.
One of the things I didn’t like as much was how…conflicted I felt about Oliver’s persistence that he couldn’t imagine why his friends would choose a life that doesn’t fully allow them to be themselves. It made the end bittersweet for me. Oliver gets his perfect “happily ever after” while his sapphic friends do have to settle 🙃 it didn’t sit right with me…especially with how unrealistic the ending felt. Now, don’t get me wrong. I know there were trans people in the past who did successfully live their lives as their true selves. I simply find it unlikely to believe that someone in Oliver Bennet’s particular social standing would be able to do so in the way he did in this book. I’m all for queer happy endings, but this one felt a little too good to be true ☹️ and I was left salty that we could find loopholes for Oliver to get everything he wanted but not for his friends. *sigh*
Anyway. I don’t regret picking this up. I enjoyed the romance. I found the writing style engaging and easy to read. I’m likely to pick up more books by this author in the future!