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A review by jaredjustwantstoread
My Fair Brady by Brian D. Kennedy
funny
lighthearted
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? Yes
5.0
I’m a big fan of modern retellings of classics. It’s one of my favorite things to have something beloved be reshaped and made into something new with the same feelings you get from the original work. This book will certainly be added to my list of favorite retellings that I return to for comfort and joy, alongside She’s the Man and 10 Things I Hate About You. The fact that it’s queer makes it all the better.
It wonderfully weaves the actual My Fair Lady play into the plot, while also being a loose retelling, and it was thoroughly delightful.
The characters were both well-developed and I adored them both. I relate much more with Elijah, but I think Wade was my favorite. He was so sweet, and I think misunderstood in a very different way than Elijah.
I love how they helped each other to grow and bring out the best version of themselves. And while there may have been a haircut and wardrobe change, Wade never asked Elijah to change who he is at his core. Elijah also saw the truth behind Wade’s bravado to a boy who just wants to be loved, even if he goes about it the wrong way sometimes.
Now about the side characters, some I found interesting and delightful, while others i was not as fond of. One in particular, I found incredibly annoying. And I feel like Wade got far too much flack for something he did when that character, who was so annoyed by that thing, turned around and did the EXACT SAME THING to someone else and no one called him out on the hypocrisy of it, which bugged the hell out of me. I don’t know if that fully makes sense. Hopefully if you’ve read it you’ll know what I mean.
Overall, this is such a fun, sweet teen romcom that feels instantly nostalgic, bringing up memories of the best ones from my childhood, like Clueless or She’s All That (which this story also pays homage to as a fellow My Fair Lady adaptation).
It gave me exactly what I hoped for and more. To borrow a few words from My Fair Lady, “What a smashing, positively dashing spectacle.”
It wonderfully weaves the actual My Fair Lady play into the plot, while also being a loose retelling, and it was thoroughly delightful.
The characters were both well-developed and I adored them both. I relate much more with Elijah, but I think Wade was my favorite. He was so sweet, and I think misunderstood in a very different way than Elijah.
I love how they helped each other to grow and bring out the best version of themselves. And while there may have been a haircut and wardrobe change, Wade never asked Elijah to change who he is at his core. Elijah also saw the truth behind Wade’s bravado to a boy who just wants to be loved, even if he goes about it the wrong way sometimes.
Now about the side characters, some I found interesting and delightful, while others i was not as fond of. One in particular, I found incredibly annoying. And I feel like Wade got far too much flack for something he did when that character, who was so annoyed by that thing, turned around and did the EXACT SAME THING to someone else and no one called him out on the hypocrisy of it, which bugged the hell out of me. I don’t know if that fully makes sense. Hopefully if you’ve read it you’ll know what I mean.
Overall, this is such a fun, sweet teen romcom that feels instantly nostalgic, bringing up memories of the best ones from my childhood, like Clueless or She’s All That (which this story also pays homage to as a fellow My Fair Lady adaptation).
It gave me exactly what I hoped for and more. To borrow a few words from My Fair Lady, “What a smashing, positively dashing spectacle.”