I love it when a book doesn’t try to be something that it’s not and this is a perfect example of that. Although, this was a retelling of Pride and Prejudice there was no struggle to make sure that everything fit within the story 100%. Abigail Reynolds did a great job filling in what she wanted and didn’t worry too much about matching up every character or sticking to the full story. And then after I finished I found out that this was the first book in a series and I was of course even MORE excited!
I enjoyed this book from the very first page! It didn’t hurt that the book was set in Massachusetts, Cape Cod to be specific, and mentions Boston on a couple of occasions. The book opens with Cassie and her friend Erin working in their lab at the world-famous Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and then follows Cassie’s romantic adventures and mishaps over the ensuing summer and following two years. There are of course two love interests Caulder Westing (Darcy) and Rob (I guess this could be Wickham, but I’m not so sure she included a Wickham).
I think what I liked most about the book was Reynolds drawing in multiple story lines and constantly keeping me on my toes. With a few minor edits, the book could easily have ended at page 300 and  I would not have been mad, but then Reynolds brought things back to Cassie’s past (because she really needed to in order to wrap up the book nicely) and this only added to the story!
Something else I truly appreciated was that the romance took place over a couple of years and Cassie actually felt remorse and confusion after a one night stand. This was definitely not a one and done (for either never seeing each other again or falling madly in love), this was a romance of confusion and conflict. And I also loved that one of the stories Reynolds chose to keep from the original Pride and Prejudice was the connection between Erin and Scott and their breaking up and eventually getting back together again.
Recommendation: If you love Jane Austen, and particularly Pride and Prejudice, and you want a fun read definitely check this out! With quick wit and fun dialogue like “I thought you liked your coffee with cream and your literature with optimism.”, how could you not love this book? It was a quick fun read and I can’t wait to check out the other books in the series.
Opening Line: “The seawall marked the beginning.”
Closing Line: “It’s back to the house for now.” (Whited out.)
Okay is this more entertaining than the zombie version, which for some strange reason I really enjoyed. I thought I would hate it, but found myself giggling quite a bit. And I love reading books that take place where I lived or have lived. It’s fun to picture the characters on “my” streets.
I thought this was much better than zombies, but that’s probably my least favorite of the fan fictions and mash ups. The ones where they completely change it or change it in such a way that it’s clearly removed from the original are almost always better.
This sounds like such a cute romance! It also sounds as though it was very well done. I love books that have a realistic romance 🙂
It was definitely one of the better, and more realistic that I’ve read!