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Remixed Classics #9
Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Young Adult Fiction (2024)A trans boy searches for a future―and a romance―in which he can live and love openly as himself in this heartrending young-adult reimagining of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, part of the Remixed Classics series.
London, 1812 . Oliver Bennet feels trapped—not just by the endless corsets, petticoats, and skirts he's forced to wear on a daily basis, but also by society's expectations. The world, and the vast majority of his family and friends, think Oliver is a girl named Elizabeth. He is therefore expected to mingle at balls wearing a pretty dress, entertain suitors regardless of his interest in them, and ultimately become someone's wife.
But Oliver can't bear the thought of such a fate. He finds solace in the few times he can sneak out of his family's home and explore the city rightfully dressed as a young gentleman. It's during one such excursion when Oliver becomes acquainted with Darcy, a sulky young man who had been rude to "Elizabeth" at a recent social function. But in the comfort of being out of the public eye, Oliver comes to find that Darcy is actually a sweet, intelligent boy with a warm heart, not to mention attractive.
As Oliver spends more time as his true self, often with Darcy, part of him dares to hope that his dream of love and life as a man can be possible. But suitors are growing bolder―and even threatening―and his mother is growing more desperate to see him settled into an engagement. Oliver will have to choose: settle for safety, security, and a life of pretending to be something he's not, or risk it all for a slim chance at freedom, love, and a life that can be truly his own.
London, 1812 . Oliver Bennet feels trapped—not just by the endless corsets, petticoats, and skirts he's forced to wear on a daily basis, but also by society's expectations. The world, and the vast majority of his family and friends, think Oliver is a girl named Elizabeth. He is therefore expected to mingle at balls wearing a pretty dress, entertain suitors regardless of his interest in them, and ultimately become someone's wife.
But Oliver can't bear the thought of such a fate. He finds solace in the few times he can sneak out of his family's home and explore the city rightfully dressed as a young gentleman. It's during one such excursion when Oliver becomes acquainted with Darcy, a sulky young man who had been rude to "Elizabeth" at a recent social function. But in the comfort of being out of the public eye, Oliver comes to find that Darcy is actually a sweet, intelligent boy with a warm heart, not to mention attractive.
As Oliver spends more time as his true self, often with Darcy, part of him dares to hope that his dream of love and life as a man can be possible. But suitors are growing bolder―and even threatening―and his mother is growing more desperate to see him settled into an engagement. Oliver will have to choose: settle for safety, security, and a life of pretending to be something he's not, or risk it all for a slim chance at freedom, love, and a life that can be truly his own.
7 pages, Audible Audio
First published January 16, 2024
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March 29, 2024
ETA: If you liked the premise of this but found it disappointing, please do read A Lady for a Duke instead. Similar premise and setting, but all original work and fantastically written.
I'm a massive Pride & Prejudice fan, and I've read a fair few retellings. I thought the concept for this book sounded fun, and honestly kind of campy with the Clark Kent-style mistaken identity drama. Unfortunately, I pretty rapidly had to begin maintaining an ongoing list in my phone of things that annoyed me about this book, and maintained it through to the end. I'm not sure if I could've read the book without the ability to write down complaints and get them out of my head. In terms of what's good, the writing in this was ok; there's a sort of awkward writing style for historical fiction where they're trying to make it sound historical without being difficult to read/ a lot of work for the author, and that's even more difficult when it's based on an actual period book. I think Novoa did an ok job at hitting that middle ground in a way that wasn't super obtrusive. Unfortunately I think that's about the only good thing I have to say about this book, other than the fact I liked the cover. I am a bit confused by the whole series of "Remixed Classics" in general, as there seems to be a number of them written by different authors which mostly appear to change the identities of a few characters at a time. I suppose this concept would work if there was consideration put into how a character being different would affect the plot of the book, but this didn't really happen here - instead, it was just Pride & Prejudice completely spliced together with a modern YA book. Alright, I'm going to go through the list of complaints I had now (for clarity's sake, Elizabeth is Oliver within this book):
1. Why were the characters aged down?: I initally thought this was maybe a mistake on the part of the author, but it definitely seemed to be deliberate as I continued to read the book. Elizabeth/Oliver has been aged down to be 17, and Darcy to match has been aged down to 18. Other characters are aged down to be in line, like Charlotte, Jane, and Bingley, though other characters like Lydia and Kitty seem to have been left the same age. This was an overall odd decision that seemed to have been made exclusively to allow this to be marketed as YA (which is pointless anyway, because it could've been YA with the main character being like 20, cmon). It makes the writing of the book really awkward (Darcy is repeatedly called a "boy" in a way that just comes off as weird), and kind of ruins some of the main plot of the book; namely that Jane and Elizabeth are of marriagable age, and that Elizabeth is expected to marry by her mother. By aging them down, it makes less sense that there is this constant pressure around marriage, and there is less of a contrast between the younger sisters who are comparatively very young, flirtatious, and out in society.
2. Why is this set in London?: Similarly, I thought that this was maybe a mistake initially, before it became clear that it was a deliberate change. I do not understand the decision to move the main plot of the book to London (and then have scenes that are supposed to be in London be in the countryside...), as it didn't really seem to affect what happened in any meaningful way. It didn't explore, "How would this be different if it was set somewhere else" at all, so it was just odd. My only guess is that it was decided it was more realistic that there would be Molly Houses etc. in London, plus Oliver would be less likely to be found out in a bigger city? I'm not really sure. However, I do think it, again, ruins some of the original themes and plot of the book, which is reliant on the setting for, say, the social scene to be the way it is, for soldiers visiting to be that exciting, etc.
3. I hate instant attraction in books: I am concerned that Novoa has never read Pride & Prejudice. I feel you can't have read the book and still think it would make sense for an adaptation to have Elizabeth/Oliver see Darcy for the first time and immediately be like, "He has such kissable lips", or whatever. The WHOLE POINT is that neither of them likes each other for the majority of the book, it's about them getting over their PRIDE and also PREJUDICE that prevent them from seeing each other properly and being nice to each other etc. It ruins the MOST classic enemies-to-lovers style book by having them not even be enemies at the start. For Christ's sake they flirt like the third time they meet on MAYBE page 60 at a stretch. It ruins all the deserved excitement at the end when they finally like each other. URGH!!
4. I think Novoa thinks his audience is stupid: There are a number of places in the book where the normal plot of Pride & Prejudice happens, but extra writing or dialogue is inserted in, I suppose, an assumption to clarify things for the reader in the most blatant version of tell-not-show I've ever read. I think it's especially egregious because I have a 1-to-1 comparison for how some of these scenes were written in the original. Like, when Collins comes to visit, you don't need to explicitly say "He's probably coming to try and marry one of the daughters" because it's clear from the way he interacts with them that that's the case. You don't have to say "He's the type of person who speaks to hear himself speak" because that's clear in the way he talks over others in conversation". It's infuriating and disappointing. Actually, funniest of all, despite making it explicitly clear that Collins wishes to marry one of the Bennets, Oliver is still completely blindsided by Collins wanting to marry him. Did he not listen to his own internal monologue???
5. General lack of historical accuracy: I've bundled together a number of times that I wrote things down regarding this. I think if you're going to set a book in a historic time period, you should have done research. And, evidently, some research has been done - but it all goes out the window when there's an opportunity to emphasise that Oliver is trans and make him feel bad. It is stupid to write a book exploring "What if there was a trans character in this historic book" and then not follow history when it suits you. Examples include Oliver having to be his mother to keep his hair up for a ball (It would be fairly scandalous for someone of his age to have their hair down, especially in public for evening wear), and Oliver hating dresses that emphasise his waist (Just look at a Regency dress and tell me that thing could emphasis your waist). There are SO MANY ways that the Regency era was intensely gendered, that it just doesn't make sense to invent NEW things for him to stress out about.
6. Darcy is sexist arc??: For some reason, one of the things Novoa feels the need to change is the reason that Wickham and Darcy dislike each other, and the lies that Wickham tells about him. Rather than Darcy being a self-interested selfish man who took the money and land Wickham was rightly owed (feeds into Elizabeth's prejudice of how she'd already perceived him), Wickham is basically like, "Darcy is known to not like women". Ok?? It's such a weird decision, and honestly I don't see why someone of that era would be completely horrified and shocked by this fact. This is all a ploy for Wickham to then later reveal the true horror of why Darcy doesn't like women... he's gay. This causes NO shock to Oliver, who has flirted with him already, and it's honestly funny to me that rather than real interesting interpersonal drama, Wickham is just homophobic lmao.
7. Speaking of Wickham: So you know how he's supposed to be Darcy's foil, and they reflect each other in different ways, and in realising Wickham is bad Elizabeth realises Darcy is good? What if that just didn't happen. What if the moment that she met Wickham she was like, "Oh this guy has bad vibes", and was never taken in by his charm. Wouldn't that be better? Well the answer is no. Obviously. Oliver immediately seeing through Wickham ruins any interesting drama or character development there, and diminishes Wickham's role in the book to random homophobic villain for no reason.
8. Why are there villains?: Generally, Pride & Prejudice doesn't really have villains. It's a study of society and characters, and many of them are not good people, but they mostly don't have evil motivations. Wickham is probably the closest approximation to this in the original novel as he causes the majority of the misunderstandings (and then marries a 15 year old girl), but it's more about him being selfish and wanting to exploit people, than a vendetta against any person in particular. In this book, it's really easy to tell who's supposed to be a villain, because they randomly give intensely feminine compliments to Oliver in a way that seems deliberate to give him dysphoria. I'm sorry, can you imagine a Regency gentleman OUT LOUD, IN PUBLIC, saying to someone, "You have such feminine child-bearing hips"??? Apropos of nothing?? It's insane. Wickham does it, Collins does it, and Lady Catherine de Bourgh does it, because they're the villains and they need basically no other motivation.
9. COLLINS' PLOT??: Ok, let's now talk about the craziest part of the plot. Collins and Wickham are randomly in cahoots, for reasons that are unclear and never clarified. Wickham works out that Oliver is trans, tells Collins (why? because he's randomly evil, don't think about it), and then Collins gets worried that it means Oliver will steal Longbourne by inheriting over Collins (I'm guessing this is why they made Collins not clergy, because this would've been even more crazy had he been. Don't know why his mind would immediately go to this though), and therefore is going to pay Wickham to marry Oliver to?? prevent this?? and un-trans him somehow. Very stupid plot, and was shockingly funny to read. In a book with so much complex interesting motivations and drama, it's just crazy to me that the whole central plot would just be watered down to one character being trans, and every somewhat-villainous character becoming transphobic in a way that is extremely 2020s-coded. It's just the funniest thing ever, and then Wickham is like "I'll expose you to your family!", Oliver's like ok. I need to come out to them first. Which, ok. I still think it's odd that you think in such a modern way of like "I can't be living this lie and I need to come out to my family" it is 1812 !!!! And then he goes to his mother and says, "I'm Oliver. I'm your son". And. Somehow. She immediately understands what this means. And it takes her like 2 minutes to come to terms with it and be supportive. I know that it's probably because the main aim is for this to be relatable to like 16 year old present-day trans teens, but I still think it's stupid. If you need to do that at the expense of the plot making sense, just write a different book.
10. The romance sucks: The romance sucks. That's about it. Had no investment and was kind of pissed off at them both by the end.
Overall, if you couldn't tell, I did not like this book. Luckily, it only took me 3 days or so to read so I just powered through so my hating could be accurate. There's a complete lack of care or respect for the original book, and I'm honestly not convinced that Novoa even likes the original, or for that matter has even read it. There's massive missed opportunities for meaningful exploration of what it would be like to be trans in the Regency era because of how 2020s-coded it is, and it makes the plot fall completely flat. Plus, I've not even mentioned the lack of development for ANY character that isn't Oliver or Darcy, the weird sexism suffused through the book, or the fact that Charlotte Lucas is gay for reasons that only impact Oliver by her being supportive but give her no additional character traits. Large sections of the plot are lopped off, and the sections that stayed in there felt like Novoa was slogging through it. Honestly, it would take me too long to fully list everything I didn't like. Would not recommend.
I'm a massive Pride & Prejudice fan, and I've read a fair few retellings. I thought the concept for this book sounded fun, and honestly kind of campy with the Clark Kent-style mistaken identity drama. Unfortunately, I pretty rapidly had to begin maintaining an ongoing list in my phone of things that annoyed me about this book, and maintained it through to the end. I'm not sure if I could've read the book without the ability to write down complaints and get them out of my head. In terms of what's good, the writing in this was ok; there's a sort of awkward writing style for historical fiction where they're trying to make it sound historical without being difficult to read/ a lot of work for the author, and that's even more difficult when it's based on an actual period book. I think Novoa did an ok job at hitting that middle ground in a way that wasn't super obtrusive. Unfortunately I think that's about the only good thing I have to say about this book, other than the fact I liked the cover. I am a bit confused by the whole series of "Remixed Classics" in general, as there seems to be a number of them written by different authors which mostly appear to change the identities of a few characters at a time. I suppose this concept would work if there was consideration put into how a character being different would affect the plot of the book, but this didn't really happen here - instead, it was just Pride & Prejudice completely spliced together with a modern YA book. Alright, I'm going to go through the list of complaints I had now (for clarity's sake, Elizabeth is Oliver within this book):
1. Why were the characters aged down?: I initally thought this was maybe a mistake on the part of the author, but it definitely seemed to be deliberate as I continued to read the book. Elizabeth/Oliver has been aged down to be 17, and Darcy to match has been aged down to 18. Other characters are aged down to be in line, like Charlotte, Jane, and Bingley, though other characters like Lydia and Kitty seem to have been left the same age. This was an overall odd decision that seemed to have been made exclusively to allow this to be marketed as YA (which is pointless anyway, because it could've been YA with the main character being like 20, cmon). It makes the writing of the book really awkward (Darcy is repeatedly called a "boy" in a way that just comes off as weird), and kind of ruins some of the main plot of the book; namely that Jane and Elizabeth are of marriagable age, and that Elizabeth is expected to marry by her mother. By aging them down, it makes less sense that there is this constant pressure around marriage, and there is less of a contrast between the younger sisters who are comparatively very young, flirtatious, and out in society.
2. Why is this set in London?: Similarly, I thought that this was maybe a mistake initially, before it became clear that it was a deliberate change. I do not understand the decision to move the main plot of the book to London (and then have scenes that are supposed to be in London be in the countryside...), as it didn't really seem to affect what happened in any meaningful way. It didn't explore, "How would this be different if it was set somewhere else" at all, so it was just odd. My only guess is that it was decided it was more realistic that there would be Molly Houses etc. in London, plus Oliver would be less likely to be found out in a bigger city? I'm not really sure. However, I do think it, again, ruins some of the original themes and plot of the book, which is reliant on the setting for, say, the social scene to be the way it is, for soldiers visiting to be that exciting, etc.
3. I hate instant attraction in books: I am concerned that Novoa has never read Pride & Prejudice. I feel you can't have read the book and still think it would make sense for an adaptation to have Elizabeth/Oliver see Darcy for the first time and immediately be like, "He has such kissable lips", or whatever. The WHOLE POINT is that neither of them likes each other for the majority of the book, it's about them getting over their PRIDE and also PREJUDICE that prevent them from seeing each other properly and being nice to each other etc. It ruins the MOST classic enemies-to-lovers style book by having them not even be enemies at the start. For Christ's sake they flirt like the third time they meet on MAYBE page 60 at a stretch. It ruins all the deserved excitement at the end when they finally like each other. URGH!!
4. I think Novoa thinks his audience is stupid: There are a number of places in the book where the normal plot of Pride & Prejudice happens, but extra writing or dialogue is inserted in, I suppose, an assumption to clarify things for the reader in the most blatant version of tell-not-show I've ever read. I think it's especially egregious because I have a 1-to-1 comparison for how some of these scenes were written in the original. Like, when Collins comes to visit, you don't need to explicitly say "He's probably coming to try and marry one of the daughters" because it's clear from the way he interacts with them that that's the case. You don't have to say "He's the type of person who speaks to hear himself speak" because that's clear in the way he talks over others in conversation". It's infuriating and disappointing. Actually, funniest of all, despite making it explicitly clear that Collins wishes to marry one of the Bennets, Oliver is still completely blindsided by Collins wanting to marry him. Did he not listen to his own internal monologue???
5. General lack of historical accuracy: I've bundled together a number of times that I wrote things down regarding this. I think if you're going to set a book in a historic time period, you should have done research. And, evidently, some research has been done - but it all goes out the window when there's an opportunity to emphasise that Oliver is trans and make him feel bad. It is stupid to write a book exploring "What if there was a trans character in this historic book" and then not follow history when it suits you. Examples include Oliver having to be his mother to keep his hair up for a ball (It would be fairly scandalous for someone of his age to have their hair down, especially in public for evening wear), and Oliver hating dresses that emphasise his waist (Just look at a Regency dress and tell me that thing could emphasis your waist). There are SO MANY ways that the Regency era was intensely gendered, that it just doesn't make sense to invent NEW things for him to stress out about.
6. Darcy is sexist arc??: For some reason, one of the things Novoa feels the need to change is the reason that Wickham and Darcy dislike each other, and the lies that Wickham tells about him. Rather than Darcy being a self-interested selfish man who took the money and land Wickham was rightly owed (feeds into Elizabeth's prejudice of how she'd already perceived him), Wickham is basically like, "Darcy is known to not like women". Ok?? It's such a weird decision, and honestly I don't see why someone of that era would be completely horrified and shocked by this fact. This is all a ploy for Wickham to then later reveal the true horror of why Darcy doesn't like women... he's gay. This causes NO shock to Oliver, who has flirted with him already, and it's honestly funny to me that rather than real interesting interpersonal drama, Wickham is just homophobic lmao.
7. Speaking of Wickham: So you know how he's supposed to be Darcy's foil, and they reflect each other in different ways, and in realising Wickham is bad Elizabeth realises Darcy is good? What if that just didn't happen. What if the moment that she met Wickham she was like, "Oh this guy has bad vibes", and was never taken in by his charm. Wouldn't that be better? Well the answer is no. Obviously. Oliver immediately seeing through Wickham ruins any interesting drama or character development there, and diminishes Wickham's role in the book to random homophobic villain for no reason.
8. Why are there villains?: Generally, Pride & Prejudice doesn't really have villains. It's a study of society and characters, and many of them are not good people, but they mostly don't have evil motivations. Wickham is probably the closest approximation to this in the original novel as he causes the majority of the misunderstandings (and then marries a 15 year old girl), but it's more about him being selfish and wanting to exploit people, than a vendetta against any person in particular. In this book, it's really easy to tell who's supposed to be a villain, because they randomly give intensely feminine compliments to Oliver in a way that seems deliberate to give him dysphoria. I'm sorry, can you imagine a Regency gentleman OUT LOUD, IN PUBLIC, saying to someone, "You have such feminine child-bearing hips"??? Apropos of nothing?? It's insane. Wickham does it, Collins does it, and Lady Catherine de Bourgh does it, because they're the villains and they need basically no other motivation.
9. COLLINS' PLOT??: Ok, let's now talk about the craziest part of the plot. Collins and Wickham are randomly in cahoots, for reasons that are unclear and never clarified. Wickham works out that Oliver is trans, tells Collins (why? because he's randomly evil, don't think about it), and then Collins gets worried that it means Oliver will steal Longbourne by inheriting over Collins (I'm guessing this is why they made Collins not clergy, because this would've been even more crazy had he been. Don't know why his mind would immediately go to this though), and therefore is going to pay Wickham to marry Oliver to?? prevent this?? and un-trans him somehow. Very stupid plot, and was shockingly funny to read. In a book with so much complex interesting motivations and drama, it's just crazy to me that the whole central plot would just be watered down to one character being trans, and every somewhat-villainous character becoming transphobic in a way that is extremely 2020s-coded. It's just the funniest thing ever, and then Wickham is like "I'll expose you to your family!", Oliver's like ok. I need to come out to them first. Which, ok. I still think it's odd that you think in such a modern way of like "I can't be living this lie and I need to come out to my family" it is 1812 !!!! And then he goes to his mother and says, "I'm Oliver. I'm your son". And. Somehow. She immediately understands what this means. And it takes her like 2 minutes to come to terms with it and be supportive. I know that it's probably because the main aim is for this to be relatable to like 16 year old present-day trans teens, but I still think it's stupid. If you need to do that at the expense of the plot making sense, just write a different book.
10. The romance sucks: The romance sucks. That's about it. Had no investment and was kind of pissed off at them both by the end.
Overall, if you couldn't tell, I did not like this book. Luckily, it only took me 3 days or so to read so I just powered through so my hating could be accurate. There's a complete lack of care or respect for the original book, and I'm honestly not convinced that Novoa even likes the original, or for that matter has even read it. There's massive missed opportunities for meaningful exploration of what it would be like to be trans in the Regency era because of how 2020s-coded it is, and it makes the plot fall completely flat. Plus, I've not even mentioned the lack of development for ANY character that isn't Oliver or Darcy, the weird sexism suffused through the book, or the fact that Charlotte Lucas is gay for reasons that only impact Oliver by her being supportive but give her no additional character traits. Large sections of the plot are lopped off, and the sections that stayed in there felt like Novoa was slogging through it. Honestly, it would take me too long to fully list everything I didn't like. Would not recommend.
July 4, 2023
I don’t envy anyone who is given the task of rewriting Jane Austen. That said, Most Ardently does a very decent job of it. I have been a fan of the other books in this series, so I was very quick to request an ARC of this one as soon as I saw it.
The premise is great and it was well executed for the most part. The main thing that didn’t translate well, and that kept bringing me out of the story, was the way sexism was handled. Several times during the book, misogyny was treated as a bad thing because it was happening to Oliver, and therefore he was being misgendered, but the misogyny itself wasn’t treated as bad in its own right. Some of this was because it came from the original story (Charlotte marrying Collins, even though he is awful, and in this story she is in love with someone else), but Oliver’s criticism and insistence that he would never lower himself to make the same decisions feels very different than Elizabeth’s in the original, because he is a man. Others just made Oliver seem kind of unlikable at times, because it often felt like he thought he shouldn’t be subjected to it because he isn’t a woman rather than that he shouldn’t be subjected to it because no one should. This was made worse because very few female characters have any actual presence. They were two demential and didn’t seem to exist beyond what Oliver needed them for, even though Oliver has 4 sisters, a mother, and a female best friend. And the ending made me very concerned for his future friendship with Charlotte, though the book didn’t seem to even remember her existence by that point.
That aside though, the book was great. A quick and easy read, a wonderful version of Darcy, a fun twist to the classic. I loved how Oliver’s double life influenced the story, and especially his romance with Darcy.
The premise is great and it was well executed for the most part. The main thing that didn’t translate well, and that kept bringing me out of the story, was the way sexism was handled. Several times during the book, misogyny was treated as a bad thing because it was happening to Oliver, and therefore he was being misgendered, but the misogyny itself wasn’t treated as bad in its own right. Some of this was because it came from the original story (Charlotte marrying Collins, even though he is awful, and in this story she is in love with someone else), but Oliver’s criticism and insistence that he would never lower himself to make the same decisions feels very different than Elizabeth’s in the original, because he is a man. Others just made Oliver seem kind of unlikable at times, because it often felt like he thought he shouldn’t be subjected to it because he isn’t a woman rather than that he shouldn’t be subjected to it because no one should. This was made worse because very few female characters have any actual presence. They were two demential and didn’t seem to exist beyond what Oliver needed them for, even though Oliver has 4 sisters, a mother, and a female best friend. And the ending made me very concerned for his future friendship with Charlotte, though the book didn’t seem to even remember her existence by that point.
That aside though, the book was great. A quick and easy read, a wonderful version of Darcy, a fun twist to the classic. I loved how Oliver’s double life influenced the story, and especially his romance with Darcy.
February 10, 2024
It's my first time reading Gabe Cole Novoa and I can't wait to check out more of their works. This was a Pride and Prejudice retelling done right! CW: misogyny, misgendering, use of dead name, transphobia. 4.5 Stars
Most Ardently is the newest release in the classic remixed series and the one that I was most excited for because it's a Pride and Prejudice retelling. It follows a similar narrative as the original text but focuses on a trans main character by the name of Oliver.
What Worked: SO MUCH! I'm a huge fan of Pride and Prejudice and I haven't found a retelling yet that captures the essence of the original text while also having some feeling of originality. I appreciated that Novoa was able to capture the original personalities of each of the characters while addressing social issues that were relevant to Oliver as a character. I was worried that Oliver wouldn't receive the same support that Elizabeth experiences with her father and sister, but it's no different for him. Publishing has an issue with pushing narratives that focus heavily on struggle and trauma, but Novoa created the perfect balance of addressing the transphobia and homophobia while giving Oliver a strong support system. I also appreciated the historical aspects that were woven into the text. While Novoa does take some liberties with the text, we cannot deny that there was a queer community that existed during this time. Reading the authors note at the end will provide better context. The writing was beautiful, and the pacing was superb creating such a cute and endearing romance between Oliver and Darcy. I just wanted a little bit more of their relationship.
Overall, a great read and I'm definitely looking forward to checking out more by Novoa.
Most Ardently is the newest release in the classic remixed series and the one that I was most excited for because it's a Pride and Prejudice retelling. It follows a similar narrative as the original text but focuses on a trans main character by the name of Oliver.
What Worked: SO MUCH! I'm a huge fan of Pride and Prejudice and I haven't found a retelling yet that captures the essence of the original text while also having some feeling of originality. I appreciated that Novoa was able to capture the original personalities of each of the characters while addressing social issues that were relevant to Oliver as a character. I was worried that Oliver wouldn't receive the same support that Elizabeth experiences with her father and sister, but it's no different for him. Publishing has an issue with pushing narratives that focus heavily on struggle and trauma, but Novoa created the perfect balance of addressing the transphobia and homophobia while giving Oliver a strong support system. I also appreciated the historical aspects that were woven into the text. While Novoa does take some liberties with the text, we cannot deny that there was a queer community that existed during this time. Reading the authors note at the end will provide better context. The writing was beautiful, and the pacing was superb creating such a cute and endearing romance between Oliver and Darcy. I just wanted a little bit more of their relationship.
Overall, a great read and I'm definitely looking forward to checking out more by Novoa.
Read
January 15, 2024I came for the gorgeous cover by Marlowe Lune and stayed for the deeply charming tale of Oliver Bennet.
Making Darcy a gay man who doesn't hate women but just isn't interested in pretending to like them and making Elizabeth Bennet a trans man living a double life was SUCH a brilliant way to interpret this timeless and beloved story. I found myself giggling and gasping and screeching with excitement and tension in all the right moments as I rooted for these characters and their happiness amidst the social obstacle course that is higher society of 19th century England.
The pacing was quick and consistent and the writing was so engaging that had I not been so busy these past few days, I have no doubt I would've finished this in one sitting. My only wish is that the end had maybe one more chapter somewhere amidst the last few scenes, as it felt like it needed just a little more meat to finish fleshing itself out. (Perhaps a moment with Jane? I just found myself craving a bit more, though I find that a testament to the strength of the rest of the story.)
Overall, an adorable and tender romance about how there isn't really such thing as a right time to be yourself, but there is such a thing as a right way to be yourself.
CW: misgendering, deadnaming, dysphoria, homophobia, transphobia
Making Darcy a gay man who doesn't hate women but just isn't interested in pretending to like them and making Elizabeth Bennet a trans man living a double life was SUCH a brilliant way to interpret this timeless and beloved story. I found myself giggling and gasping and screeching with excitement and tension in all the right moments as I rooted for these characters and their happiness amidst the social obstacle course that is higher society of 19th century England.
The pacing was quick and consistent and the writing was so engaging that had I not been so busy these past few days, I have no doubt I would've finished this in one sitting. My only wish is that the end had maybe one more chapter somewhere amidst the last few scenes, as it felt like it needed just a little more meat to finish fleshing itself out. (Perhaps a moment with Jane? I just found myself craving a bit more, though I find that a testament to the strength of the rest of the story.)
Overall, an adorable and tender romance about how there isn't really such thing as a right time to be yourself, but there is such a thing as a right way to be yourself.
CW: misgendering, deadnaming, dysphoria, homophobia, transphobia
August 7, 2025
I received this ARC from NetGalley.
It's a truly immaculate premise for a fellow trans boy-ish gay person to read. Oliver Bennett moves through a rough approximation of Pride and Prejudice, but with fun asides and story changes along the way. I deeply enjoyed watching Oliver navigate his life, watch him navigate his relationships both as himself and as a pretend girl, and seek out new experiences. It was great to see the fair, to see Molly Houses, and other queer folks in the Regency. Reading about a bunch of queer people finding each other always makes me feel like I've stumbled upon a treasure box.
With all of these things in mind, I'm giving this two stars for a few reasons:
There was no need for the characters to be aged down to teenagers. It was very clear that they were aged down to market the book as YA, but in the original book, Elizabeth is about 20. This is not wildly out of the YA market range. Making him 17 in this book was distracting, and frankly pointless. It makes Mrs. Bennett's urge to get him married more alarming, since 17 was still considered young to be married in the Regency.
Secondly, and most importantly, there was very little nuance with the emotional notes and characterizations. Oliver is debilitated by dysphoria in an almost stereotyping way, and he doesn't have a realistic method of navigating his world. He behaves as though secrecy and safety are lies he is telling people, rather than necessities that he can learn to navigate. I do not love a transphobic world. But in the transphobic framework of the world that is established in this book, Oliver is deeply out of step with how I think he would be. It is impractical and dangerous to assume the happy ending here would be living publically, out loud, rather than in privacy and security.
Along this vein, the villains are villainous in a comically overdramatic way, with everything they say apparently specially designed to give a trans person dysphoria. There are no microaggressions here, there are hammers here like "You have beautiful child bearing hips." It's unbearably black and white, and ludicrous to read. Likewise, the heroes of this story never falter, never have anything less than perfect acceptance and understanding.
I would be fine with the unwavering support but unfortunately it is also boring. One can be a supportive father of a trans son and still be surprised, can still be funny, can still have emotionally deep and interesting conversations about it. But even the supportive comments are copy-and-pasted "I love and support you and I'm proud of you." There is nothing of substance there, nothing complex and human, nothing with teeth.
I was very set up to love this book, but it just missed the complexity and the heart.
It's a truly immaculate premise for a fellow trans boy-ish gay person to read. Oliver Bennett moves through a rough approximation of Pride and Prejudice, but with fun asides and story changes along the way. I deeply enjoyed watching Oliver navigate his life, watch him navigate his relationships both as himself and as a pretend girl, and seek out new experiences. It was great to see the fair, to see Molly Houses, and other queer folks in the Regency. Reading about a bunch of queer people finding each other always makes me feel like I've stumbled upon a treasure box.
With all of these things in mind, I'm giving this two stars for a few reasons:
There was no need for the characters to be aged down to teenagers. It was very clear that they were aged down to market the book as YA, but in the original book, Elizabeth is about 20. This is not wildly out of the YA market range. Making him 17 in this book was distracting, and frankly pointless. It makes Mrs. Bennett's urge to get him married more alarming, since 17 was still considered young to be married in the Regency.
Secondly, and most importantly, there was very little nuance with the emotional notes and characterizations. Oliver is debilitated by dysphoria in an almost stereotyping way, and he doesn't have a realistic method of navigating his world. He behaves as though secrecy and safety are lies he is telling people, rather than necessities that he can learn to navigate. I do not love a transphobic world. But in the transphobic framework of the world that is established in this book, Oliver is deeply out of step with how I think he would be. It is impractical and dangerous to assume the happy ending here would be living publically, out loud, rather than in privacy and security.
Along this vein, the villains are villainous in a comically overdramatic way, with everything they say apparently specially designed to give a trans person dysphoria. There are no microaggressions here, there are hammers here like "You have beautiful child bearing hips." It's unbearably black and white, and ludicrous to read. Likewise, the heroes of this story never falter, never have anything less than perfect acceptance and understanding.
I would be fine with the unwavering support but unfortunately it is also boring. One can be a supportive father of a trans son and still be surprised, can still be funny, can still have emotionally deep and interesting conversations about it. But even the supportive comments are copy-and-pasted "I love and support you and I'm proud of you." There is nothing of substance there, nothing complex and human, nothing with teeth.
I was very set up to love this book, but it just missed the complexity and the heart.
January 3, 2025
so there’s this thing i like to do where i want to read something fun and lighthearted (for once) and then complain about it being too fun and lighthearted
sure there was some tension in this book but overall i found the end too saccharine and far fetched. you might ask, well jay, what’s the alternative, this is a YA novel, did you want him to DIE? and like… no… and there’s definitely no other way to end this without traumatising the entire audience but that’s why i shouldn’t be allowed to read YA!!! i’m too miserable.
anyway, too long, didn’t read (what are you doing on a reading site then?): okay story with basically zero stakes, limited conflicts, very happy ending, some nice representation - i wouldn’t say i had a great time or even good time but i had a… time.
sure there was some tension in this book but overall i found the end too saccharine and far fetched. you might ask, well jay, what’s the alternative, this is a YA novel, did you want him to DIE? and like… no… and there’s definitely no other way to end this without traumatising the entire audience but that’s why i shouldn’t be allowed to read YA!!! i’m too miserable.
anyway, too long, didn’t read (what are you doing on a reading site then?): okay story with basically zero stakes, limited conflicts, very happy ending, some nice representation - i wouldn’t say i had a great time or even good time but i had a… time.
January 29, 2024
3,5 * – Don’t let my rating deter you from reading this book. I did find this story enjoyable! Ultimately, though, it just wasn’t enough to fully captivate me. 😕
I think my main problem was the romance. Oliver started catching feelings for Darcy almost immediately after they met. The 1st time they met, Oliver was dressed as “Elizabeth”, and Darcy was rude to him. The 2nd time they met (the 1st time Oliver was dressed as a boy), Darcy, Bingley and Oliver hung out. The 3rd time they met (2nd time as Oliver) Oliver was already very much attracted to Darcy, and I genuinely couldn’t understand why… At that point they were acquaintances at best, yet Oliver was completely into Darcy (who, mind you, had been awful to “Elizabeth” unprompted, so, for all Oliver knew, Darcy was a mean, sexist ass), and they were already lowkey flirting with each other, at some points! It felt too sudden, and I ended up never really buying their attraction to each other. I didn’t feel *anything* AT ALL about the romance in this book. It wasn’t offensive or anything, and it was very sweet at times! But, overall, the romance just left me completely indifferent. 😶
I did enjoy the characters, for the most part. Oliver’s body dysmorphia was obviously very well portrayed, given that this is #ownvoices, and I really appreciated seeing the struggles of a trans boy at a time where being trans was unthinkable in society. I liked that he found so much support in his friends and family, and the queer joy in this book was definitely a delight (though, do keep in mind that, for the entirety of the book, Oliver is being misgendered and forced to live as a woman, which can definitely be triggering for some!). I also enjoyed Darcy as a LI, and I thought that using his gayness as an explanation for his sour moods at balls and his displeasure at the prospect of marrying a woman was a clever way of adapting the original story, all while making Darcy more likeable.
Which brings me to this: this book kind of felt like a watered-down version of the original “Pride and Prejudice”. The conflicts and social critique didn’t feel as deep in this book, which, to me, wasn’t a huge deal – I didn’t mind keeping the original themes to the original P&P, and have this retelling explore mainly Oliver’s journey with his gender – but I can see how this retelling might not be for everyone because of that.
But I will say that, even though I didn’t mind that this story focused more on the queer rep and I personally didn’t need a deep social commentary like in P&P, I still think the other aspects of this story were lacking a bit. Particularly, a lot of the SCs were either irrelevant or extremely superficial. Oliver’s sisters (other than Jane) were barely in the book, Charlotte and her gf Lu kind of disappeared after Charlotte married Collins, and Wickham was cartoonishly evil in the end. I wish we’d seen more of the SCs, and that they had some more depth.
But, either way, I still think this is an enjoyable book with great rep (and I REALLY loved the historical note at the end!!!!!!!!!!), so I’d still recommend it!
(review written on 29/01/2024)
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(19/03/2023)
"a Pride & Prejudice retelling in which Darcy is gay and the 2nd eldest Bennet is a trans boy" --- i'm listening 👀
I think my main problem was the romance. Oliver started catching feelings for Darcy almost immediately after they met. The 1st time they met, Oliver was dressed as “Elizabeth”, and Darcy was rude to him. The 2nd time they met (the 1st time Oliver was dressed as a boy), Darcy, Bingley and Oliver hung out. The 3rd time they met (2nd time as Oliver) Oliver was already very much attracted to Darcy, and I genuinely couldn’t understand why… At that point they were acquaintances at best, yet Oliver was completely into Darcy (who, mind you, had been awful to “Elizabeth” unprompted, so, for all Oliver knew, Darcy was a mean, sexist ass), and they were already lowkey flirting with each other, at some points! It felt too sudden, and I ended up never really buying their attraction to each other. I didn’t feel *anything* AT ALL about the romance in this book. It wasn’t offensive or anything, and it was very sweet at times! But, overall, the romance just left me completely indifferent. 😶
I did enjoy the characters, for the most part. Oliver’s body dysmorphia was obviously very well portrayed, given that this is #ownvoices, and I really appreciated seeing the struggles of a trans boy at a time where being trans was unthinkable in society. I liked that he found so much support in his friends and family, and the queer joy in this book was definitely a delight (though, do keep in mind that, for the entirety of the book, Oliver is being misgendered and forced to live as a woman, which can definitely be triggering for some!). I also enjoyed Darcy as a LI, and I thought that using his gayness as an explanation for his sour moods at balls and his displeasure at the prospect of marrying a woman was a clever way of adapting the original story, all while making Darcy more likeable.
Which brings me to this: this book kind of felt like a watered-down version of the original “Pride and Prejudice”. The conflicts and social critique didn’t feel as deep in this book, which, to me, wasn’t a huge deal – I didn’t mind keeping the original themes to the original P&P, and have this retelling explore mainly Oliver’s journey with his gender – but I can see how this retelling might not be for everyone because of that.
But I will say that, even though I didn’t mind that this story focused more on the queer rep and I personally didn’t need a deep social commentary like in P&P, I still think the other aspects of this story were lacking a bit. Particularly, a lot of the SCs were either irrelevant or extremely superficial. Oliver’s sisters (other than Jane) were barely in the book, Charlotte and her gf Lu kind of disappeared after Charlotte married Collins, and Wickham was cartoonishly evil in the end. I wish we’d seen more of the SCs, and that they had some more depth.
But, either way, I still think this is an enjoyable book with great rep (and I REALLY loved the historical note at the end!!!!!!!!!!), so I’d still recommend it!
(review written on 29/01/2024)
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(19/03/2023)
"a Pride & Prejudice retelling in which Darcy is gay and the 2nd eldest Bennet is a trans boy" --- i'm listening 👀
March 2, 2024
I was SO EXCITED for this book. A queer trans retelling of Pride & Prejudice, one of my absolute favorite novels ever? Thrilling! I learned about it from Marlowe Lune's Insta several months ago, when he posted the beautiful cover illustration that he drew for it. If you haven't checked out Marlowe's Insta and his beautiful work, go do so now - it's the only redeeming part of this strange and disappointing book.
To begin with, I'm not convinced that Gabe Novoa actually likes or understands Pride & Prejudice. Yes, he's clearly read the book (or at least, the SparkNotes) once. He manages to hit some of the main beats of the original, albeit loosely and sloppily. But let's be totally clear: there's no respect for the original. Novoa makes sweeping, unnecessary changes to characters and events, and what's more, he rejects what I would argue is the heart of Austen's work as a novelist: women have rich and vibrant inner lives and relationships, and they are every bit as smart and competent (if not much more so) than the men who are socially positioned as their "betters" or "superiors."
The original Elizabeth Bennet (who I'll refer to henceforth as Eliza for the sake of clarity between versions) loves and cherishes the women in her life, even when she doesn't agree with their choices or opinions. Novoa's Oliver Bennet thinks women are stupid, petty, boring, and repulsive. He doesn't just have gender dysphoria - he's a misogynist. He doesn't want anything to do with women, except his sister Jane (who's stripped of most of what makes her lovable and compelling in the original) and his friends Charlotte (who is not only stripped of her original character but also becomes just another stupid woman making terrible choices instead of being "true to herself" in an era when that would see her destitute and/or a social pariah) and Lu (who is not a character in the original and was evidently crafted to be a sort of gender trouble guidance counselor for Oliver). Oliver finds his mother totally insufferable and views her as a sort of monster; Eliza loves her mother and understands her motivations despite being desperately annoyed by her actions. Oliver barely notices his three younger sisters except to be aggravated by their frivolity; Eliza keeps careful track of them whenever she can, and she tries to influence them positively whenever possible. I could go on endlessly, but I won't for the sake of brevity.
Novoa also changes the male characters of Pride & Prejudice beyond recognition. Mr. Bennet takes an active role in supporting Oliver by page 76. Mr. Collins is somehow made more insufferable, but in a less interesting way. Wickham is utterly and completely butchered, and his motivation for despising Darcy is altered from the original denial of money and status to - inexplicably - the refusal to break off an engagement with his cousin (whose name changes from Genevieve to Liliana because women are just that unimportant to the book?). The entirety of Wickham's elopement with Lydia is erased in favor of a confusing and convoluted attempt at And Darcy - oh, Darcy. Fitzwilliam Darcy simply does not hate women in the original. He hates insincerity and flattery and manipulation, and he is too proud for his own good. Novoa's Darcy hates women because he's gay, and gay men... hate... women...? And despite spending a good amount of time making googly eyes at Oliver when he's dressed as a man, this Darcy is totally incapable of recognizing Oliver when he's dressed as Elizabeth. Unbelievable.
I could write a LOT on the questionable historical possibility of Novoa's retelling, too. I won't, but suffice to say that the ending of this book is both a fantasy and a disappointment.
I feel like I should point out that I don't mean any of this to say that Novoa is a bad writer. I genuinely can't separate my dislike of this book for its treatment of Pride & Prejudice from the quality of the writing. If you haven't read Pride & Prejudice (or maybe if you have, but it's not a book you've reread like a dozen times, and you don't have an English major's hang-ups about it being perfect in its original form), then maybe you'll really enjoy this book! I don't know. I'm going to force my husband to read it and ask his opinion, since he's never read the original. I'm also going to go read some of Novoa's other work so I can get a clearer view of his writing.
To begin with, I'm not convinced that Gabe Novoa actually likes or understands Pride & Prejudice. Yes, he's clearly read the book (or at least, the SparkNotes) once. He manages to hit some of the main beats of the original, albeit loosely and sloppily. But let's be totally clear: there's no respect for the original. Novoa makes sweeping, unnecessary changes to characters and events, and what's more, he rejects what I would argue is the heart of Austen's work as a novelist: women have rich and vibrant inner lives and relationships, and they are every bit as smart and competent (if not much more so) than the men who are socially positioned as their "betters" or "superiors."
The original Elizabeth Bennet (who I'll refer to henceforth as Eliza for the sake of clarity between versions) loves and cherishes the women in her life, even when she doesn't agree with their choices or opinions. Novoa's Oliver Bennet thinks women are stupid, petty, boring, and repulsive. He doesn't just have gender dysphoria - he's a misogynist. He doesn't want anything to do with women, except his sister Jane (who's stripped of most of what makes her lovable and compelling in the original) and his friends Charlotte (who is not only stripped of her original character but also becomes just another stupid woman making terrible choices instead of being "true to herself" in an era when that would see her destitute and/or a social pariah) and Lu (who is not a character in the original and was evidently crafted to be a sort of gender trouble guidance counselor for Oliver). Oliver finds his mother totally insufferable and views her as a sort of monster; Eliza loves her mother and understands her motivations despite being desperately annoyed by her actions. Oliver barely notices his three younger sisters except to be aggravated by their frivolity; Eliza keeps careful track of them whenever she can, and she tries to influence them positively whenever possible. I could go on endlessly, but I won't for the sake of brevity.
Novoa also changes the male characters of Pride & Prejudice beyond recognition. Mr. Bennet takes an active role in supporting Oliver by page 76. Mr. Collins is somehow made more insufferable, but in a less interesting way. Wickham is utterly and completely butchered, and his motivation for despising Darcy is altered from the original denial of money and status to - inexplicably - the refusal to break off an engagement with his cousin (whose name changes from Genevieve to Liliana because women are just that unimportant to the book?). The entirety of Wickham's elopement with Lydia is erased in favor of a confusing and convoluted attempt at And Darcy - oh, Darcy. Fitzwilliam Darcy simply does not hate women in the original. He hates insincerity and flattery and manipulation, and he is too proud for his own good. Novoa's Darcy hates women because he's gay, and gay men... hate... women...? And despite spending a good amount of time making googly eyes at Oliver when he's dressed as a man, this Darcy is totally incapable of recognizing Oliver when he's dressed as Elizabeth. Unbelievable.
I could write a LOT on the questionable historical possibility of Novoa's retelling, too. I won't, but suffice to say that the ending of this book is both a fantasy and a disappointment.
I feel like I should point out that I don't mean any of this to say that Novoa is a bad writer. I genuinely can't separate my dislike of this book for its treatment of Pride & Prejudice from the quality of the writing. If you haven't read Pride & Prejudice (or maybe if you have, but it's not a book you've reread like a dozen times, and you don't have an English major's hang-ups about it being perfect in its original form), then maybe you'll really enjoy this book! I don't know. I'm going to force my husband to read it and ask his opinion, since he's never read the original. I'm also going to go read some of Novoa's other work so I can get a clearer view of his writing.
May 9, 2025
I don't generally like retellings. I notoriously don't like P&P retellings. I adored this. I go back and forth with this rendition of Darcy, but Oliver is so baby boy. Tiny little cinnamon roll that deserves all the love in the world. Collins, Wickham, and Lydia can GTFO. Mr. Bennet always stays. Surprisingly, Mrs. Bennet grew on me. Read this for trans joy. Read this for acceptance. Read this because it's cute.
🎧 Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Young Listeners
🎧 Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Young Listeners
July 11, 2024
Huge disappointment. It goes to show that the art of rewriting history for romance readers isn't as easy as Bridgerton makes it seem.
The biggest problem is that there are no rules for reality in this retelling. As an author, it is your job to decide from the start how historically accurate you want to be. You can introduce a trans character in Pride and Prejudice and simply not explain that reality, as long as the reader understands it, and create a story that doesn't have anything to do with what it meant to be trans/gay in our Victorian era. But that is not the case here. Oliver talks like he is a current teenager, while another character talks like he is from two centuries ago. In one scene, he is worried about societal expectations; a few scenes later, society acts like it is present-day England.
In the second half, people do things that wouldn't work even in fantasy without proper world-building.I haven't read many retellings. I understand that there must be some differences, but the changes here were really bad. Who needs villains in Pride and Prejudice, and again, how can you be so uninspired as to create them in a story with gay and trans characters in that era? I think it is sad that an author doesn't understand that LGBT people couldn't afford to have enemies in that reality. Easy, magical solutions don't work for such serious problems.
To conclude, as a casual romance reader, the romantic elements didn't exist for the most part. That's because the story doesn't seem to care about anyone else but Oliver. I can forgive the disinterest in other secondary characters, but at least the love interest can't be treated as a second thought, especially since Mr. Darcy is one of the most beloved romantic leads in literature.
Avoid this book if you actually like Pride and Prejudice and want to read romance and not fantasy without magic.
The biggest problem is that there are no rules for reality in this retelling. As an author, it is your job to decide from the start how historically accurate you want to be. You can introduce a trans character in Pride and Prejudice and simply not explain that reality, as long as the reader understands it, and create a story that doesn't have anything to do with what it meant to be trans/gay in our Victorian era. But that is not the case here. Oliver talks like he is a current teenager, while another character talks like he is from two centuries ago. In one scene, he is worried about societal expectations; a few scenes later, society acts like it is present-day England.
In the second half, people do things that wouldn't work even in fantasy without proper world-building.I haven't read many retellings. I understand that there must be some differences, but the changes here were really bad. Who needs villains in Pride and Prejudice, and again, how can you be so uninspired as to create them in a story with gay and trans characters in that era? I think it is sad that an author doesn't understand that LGBT people couldn't afford to have enemies in that reality. Easy, magical solutions don't work for such serious problems.
To conclude, as a casual romance reader, the romantic elements didn't exist for the most part. That's because the story doesn't seem to care about anyone else but Oliver. I can forgive the disinterest in other secondary characters, but at least the love interest can't be treated as a second thought, especially since Mr. Darcy is one of the most beloved romantic leads in literature.
Avoid this book if you actually like Pride and Prejudice and want to read romance and not fantasy without magic.
July 3, 2024
3.5 rounded up for the representation. I did actually enjoy this LGBTQ+ retelling of my favorite novel of all time, Austen's "Pride and Prejudice". I can also see how books like this and others in this series are important to Trans youth and their need to live authentically and "be seen" for who they really are, so no judgement on changing the iconic characters sexuality or gender identity. My only issue was that there were sections of the original that were altered too much for this reader - such as Wickham's despicable actions with the Bennet daughters, or the omission of characters such as Anne De Bourgh, entirely. I did appreciate the author's note at the end which discussed how sexual identity was changing during the Regency leading to the Victorians, and that there had been more tolerance in eras prior.
January 5, 2024
Well that was adorable. This was a very charming twist on Pride and Prejudice. Though I wish it had strayed from the source material more so that the relationship between Oliver and Darcy could’ve been built up a bit more
June 27, 2024
Something didn't connect with me here.
Fuck, I hope I'm not slumping.
The writing was beautiful, and it's a great reimagining, but why they made Darcy a complete twat didn't work for me and I don't get it.
He was rude/mean to women, and he was even awful to Oliver (who's dead name is Elizabeth) for seemingly NO REASON at their first encounter, other than... Secretly gay, so must be mean to women like it's their fault I have to hide who I am?? or something?
Oliver was instantly attracted to Darcy, then he was mean to Oliver when he was presenting as Elizabeth, and then he was still interested in him at his next encounter when he was presenting as Oliver??? How??? Why??? WHAT WAS THE REASON???
The whole... "oh but it's okay, because he is nice around other men" WTF IS THAT SEXIST FUCK ATTITUDE????
Fuck women I guess, let's disrespect them and show them how low and uninterested in them I am... but I'm nice and different around men so it's okay 💅 GTFOOOOOOOOOOOOO!😠😠😠
Darcy's redemption act was WEAK AND LIMP NOODLE AF.
He wrote a letter, explained himself and apologised at like 86%... um no? not enough?
And then he just shows up and Oliver and him are boyfriends 2 seconds later. I can't.
I felt for Oliver, as being born into the wrong skin/body and not being able to be his true self especially during that time period would have been an awful experience.
I CAN ONLY SYMPATHISE WITH the fact that the rib crushing corsets to push your tits up to your chin would have been HORRENDOUS for the body dysmorphia.
The only way I could describe this is:
Definitely a great book in it's own way.
People will and do love this book for a reason.
I recommend to give it a try, it just wasn't for me.
Fuck, I hope I'm not slumping.
The writing was beautiful, and it's a great reimagining, but why they made Darcy a complete twat didn't work for me and I don't get it.
He was rude/mean to women, and he was even awful to Oliver (who's dead name is Elizabeth) for seemingly NO REASON at their first encounter, other than... Secretly gay, so must be mean to women like it's their fault I have to hide who I am?? or something?
Oliver was instantly attracted to Darcy, then he was mean to Oliver when he was presenting as Elizabeth, and then he was still interested in him at his next encounter when he was presenting as Oliver??? How??? Why??? WHAT WAS THE REASON???
The whole... "oh but it's okay, because he is nice around other men" WTF IS THAT SEXIST FUCK ATTITUDE????
Fuck women I guess, let's disrespect them and show them how low and uninterested in them I am... but I'm nice and different around men so it's okay 💅 GTFOOOOOOOOOOOOO!😠😠😠
Darcy's redemption act was WEAK AND LIMP NOODLE AF.
He wrote a letter, explained himself and apologised at like 86%... um no? not enough?
And then he just shows up and Oliver and him are boyfriends 2 seconds later. I can't.
I felt for Oliver, as being born into the wrong skin/body and not being able to be his true self especially during that time period would have been an awful experience.
I CAN ONLY SYMPATHISE WITH the fact that the rib crushing corsets to push your tits up to your chin would have been HORRENDOUS for the body dysmorphia.
The only way I could describe this is:
Definitely a great book in it's own way.
People will and do love this book for a reason.
I recommend to give it a try, it just wasn't for me.
January 25, 2024
THE TRANS JOY OF IT ALL!!!
so grateful I finally get to hold and hug and cherish this precious gift of a (NYT bestseller!!!!!) book
so grateful I finally get to hold and hug and cherish this precious gift of a (NYT bestseller!!!!!) book
October 30, 2024
cried 8 times. gave myself a blocked nose. five stars. bon appetit.
February 6, 2024
I am, if nothing else in my bookish tastes, a queer regency romance enthusiast. I had such high hopes for this book - I love the premise, I wanted to fall head over heels for the book itself (not to mention the gorgeous cover by an artist whose work I adore).
[Spoilers ahead...]
While I do recognize that this is a YA book it felt far too simplistic in its characterizations. The only character who truly felt like they had any kind of internal life was our MC himself, with maybe a splash given to Darcy by association. The true joy of reading a Jane Austen book is, at least for me, in the details of the characters and the relationships between them (and the humour!). Obviously I am not here to question the value of trans characters being naturalized into the context of a beloved classic, but it didn't feel like a book born from a love of Pride and Prejudice or regency set romances in general.
This retelling stripped much of the humour and tenderness of swoony romance away and felt like rather than being an exploration from a foundation of the plot of the original P&P, it was limited by the scaffold of the original plot. The conversations had, even in private, felt stilted - where was the romance? ...the yearning? Who Darcy was, other than his being a gay man, relied too much on the legacy of knowing who he was already. The love affair was far too logistical for me to be invested in them as a couple rather than solely in Oliver's struggle with his identity in relation to his family and society. Have shared hobbies or interests outside of queerness! Have conversations about life and aspirations outside of navigating society! I think it's important to show queer kids that they deserve love that is holistic and they deserve to be entire people beyond survival.
The treatment of female characters were also disappointing to me. This felt like a book that rehashed stereotypes of neurotic women and made them beholden to unexplainable whims rather than having complexity as people navigating a society not built for their success and autonomy. Mrs. Bennet being overbearing about dresses for a "wayward daughter" and then completely cool with a trans son felt unrealistic (I don't want characters to have to endure trauma for traumas sake but come on...). If she was going to end as a sympathetic character, build more obvious worry for her children's future into the way she treats them, rather than comical battles for control. Why would it never have occurred to Mr. Bennet to have probing conversations with his wife prior to the events of this story if he was in fact such an ally and so progressive as to accept transness? Why did he still treat his wife as silly or unworthy of intellectual discussions?
Charlotte and Lu had so many depths that could have been explored with relation to Oliver rather than only existing as he needed them to - there was no depth to the friendship other than again, queer proximity, convenience and logistics. I expect queer narratives to contain the feminism to give female characters just as much weight of humanity as the male characters even if the plot doesn't allow for as much time spent with them. In the final wrap up we are left without closure on how Charlotte, a queer woman married to (and notably financially dependent on) a now explicitly queerphobic man in relative isolation will fare...
Overall, I think in its existence, this novel is a step forward for representation for trans kids and gives them a way to place themselves within history just a little easier, I just wanted more from it and expected less of the rigidity in gendered stereotypes outside of the central premise and the internal monologue of Oliver himself.
(Also a little too much reliance on the Clark Kent phenomenon - there's no way Darcy could kiss Oliver and then have no inkling that he was the same person in a dress days later...not even a double take...)
[Spoilers ahead...]
While I do recognize that this is a YA book it felt far too simplistic in its characterizations. The only character who truly felt like they had any kind of internal life was our MC himself, with maybe a splash given to Darcy by association. The true joy of reading a Jane Austen book is, at least for me, in the details of the characters and the relationships between them (and the humour!). Obviously I am not here to question the value of trans characters being naturalized into the context of a beloved classic, but it didn't feel like a book born from a love of Pride and Prejudice or regency set romances in general.
This retelling stripped much of the humour and tenderness of swoony romance away and felt like rather than being an exploration from a foundation of the plot of the original P&P, it was limited by the scaffold of the original plot. The conversations had, even in private, felt stilted - where was the romance? ...the yearning? Who Darcy was, other than his being a gay man, relied too much on the legacy of knowing who he was already. The love affair was far too logistical for me to be invested in them as a couple rather than solely in Oliver's struggle with his identity in relation to his family and society. Have shared hobbies or interests outside of queerness! Have conversations about life and aspirations outside of navigating society! I think it's important to show queer kids that they deserve love that is holistic and they deserve to be entire people beyond survival.
The treatment of female characters were also disappointing to me. This felt like a book that rehashed stereotypes of neurotic women and made them beholden to unexplainable whims rather than having complexity as people navigating a society not built for their success and autonomy. Mrs. Bennet being overbearing about dresses for a "wayward daughter" and then completely cool with a trans son felt unrealistic (I don't want characters to have to endure trauma for traumas sake but come on...). If she was going to end as a sympathetic character, build more obvious worry for her children's future into the way she treats them, rather than comical battles for control. Why would it never have occurred to Mr. Bennet to have probing conversations with his wife prior to the events of this story if he was in fact such an ally and so progressive as to accept transness? Why did he still treat his wife as silly or unworthy of intellectual discussions?
Charlotte and Lu had so many depths that could have been explored with relation to Oliver rather than only existing as he needed them to - there was no depth to the friendship other than again, queer proximity, convenience and logistics. I expect queer narratives to contain the feminism to give female characters just as much weight of humanity as the male characters even if the plot doesn't allow for as much time spent with them. In the final wrap up we are left without closure on how Charlotte, a queer woman married to (and notably financially dependent on) a now explicitly queerphobic man in relative isolation will fare...
Overall, I think in its existence, this novel is a step forward for representation for trans kids and gives them a way to place themselves within history just a little easier, I just wanted more from it and expected less of the rigidity in gendered stereotypes outside of the central premise and the internal monologue of Oliver himself.
(Also a little too much reliance on the Clark Kent phenomenon - there's no way Darcy could kiss Oliver and then have no inkling that he was the same person in a dress days later...not even a double take...)
December 14, 2023
4.5 stars rounded up
I feel like retellings of Pride & Prejudice can be very hit and miss, but I ended up really liking this take on it. Most Ardently features a trans Bennett main character, a queer Darcy, and a queer Charlotte (this last one is often read into the text anyway). It's a clever approach that hits the main plot beats of the original and feels like it gets what Austen was doing, but diverges in ways that make sense and integrate real queer history of the time period. We do know that trans people existed back then too, and there is even a documented case of a trans man inheriting an estate that went through the male line. This offers a really wholesome and lovely version of a classic that reimagines it through a queer lens.
It is worth noting (and this is in an author's note at the start of the book as well) that due to the specifics of the story and the constraints of the time period, much of the book does involve the main character- Oliver Bennett being mis-gendered and mis-named while still living much of the time acting as a woman. But while that is the case and there is some transphobia and homophobia, most of the people that matter are wonderful and supportive. I do recommend this one! And the audio narration is excellent as well. I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
I feel like retellings of Pride & Prejudice can be very hit and miss, but I ended up really liking this take on it. Most Ardently features a trans Bennett main character, a queer Darcy, and a queer Charlotte (this last one is often read into the text anyway). It's a clever approach that hits the main plot beats of the original and feels like it gets what Austen was doing, but diverges in ways that make sense and integrate real queer history of the time period. We do know that trans people existed back then too, and there is even a documented case of a trans man inheriting an estate that went through the male line. This offers a really wholesome and lovely version of a classic that reimagines it through a queer lens.
It is worth noting (and this is in an author's note at the start of the book as well) that due to the specifics of the story and the constraints of the time period, much of the book does involve the main character- Oliver Bennett being mis-gendered and mis-named while still living much of the time acting as a woman. But while that is the case and there is some transphobia and homophobia, most of the people that matter are wonderful and supportive. I do recommend this one! And the audio narration is excellent as well. I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
March 30, 2024
Earnest, saccharine sweet, and very precious to me.
While I take issue with the depiction of Mr. Collins and the practically nonexistent nature of Kitty, Lydia, and Mary, this book really does have my heart. The chemistry between Oliver and Darcy felt so tangible and nothing made me more emotional than the relationship between Oliver and Jane or Oliver and his father.
Is it unrealistic? Sure. Cheesy at times? Yeah. But I can’t really bring myself to fault it for those things, though, because I think it’s really important that queer teens get perfect happily ever afters like this.
Oliver is surrounded by unconditional love and I don’t have it in me to be upset by his lack of further suffering or struggle.
CW: gender dysphoria, frequent deadnaming, brief moments of homophobia & transphobia, forced outing, sexism & misogyny
While I take issue with the depiction of Mr. Collins and the practically nonexistent nature of Kitty, Lydia, and Mary, this book really does have my heart. The chemistry between Oliver and Darcy felt so tangible and nothing made me more emotional than the relationship between Oliver and Jane or Oliver and his father.
Is it unrealistic? Sure. Cheesy at times? Yeah. But I can’t really bring myself to fault it for those things, though, because I think it’s really important that queer teens get perfect happily ever afters like this.
Oliver is surrounded by unconditional love and I don’t have it in me to be upset by his lack of further suffering or struggle.
CW: gender dysphoria, frequent deadnaming, brief moments of homophobia & transphobia, forced outing, sexism & misogyny
March 11, 2024
Just to preface this, I didn’t go into this book with the mentality of a hater.
It’s marketed as YA but it definitely reads more middle grade, not just because of the characters' immature thoughts and behaviour or because the writing style is painfully simple and clichéd, but because it simplifies not just the complexity of gender identity but history itself. But fine, let’s put the historical inaccuracies aside and focus on the question I kept asking myself: Does this book need to exist? The original Pride and Prejudice already examines gender roles and British society with much more nuance and irony, but fine, I’ll admit, it is missing the gays. After all, queer people have existed in every time period and in every society.
As part of a series that takes royalty-free classics and puts a queer twist on them, the author was likely commissioned to write this, so I don’t blame them as much. Not that we need a gateway drug to AO3 for 12-year-olds; WattPad already exists. In any case, Most Ardently is marketed as a "remix," but instead of remixing an intricate social commentary with queer history, it takes the physical appearances and locations of the original, mixes them with 21st-century American gender ideologies, and then waters it down to the degree that there are barely any traces of its original flavour.
Oliver/Elizabeth understands his gender with the clarity of a chronically online Tumblr social justice warrior circa 2014. His thoughts about gender are the only instances where ageing down the characters works in favour of the narrative: Oliver’s relationship with himself and his transness come across as immature and surface-level. It’s about having boobs and hating skirts and being a boy, never a man. It is never explained how someone from a sheltered, Christian, gentry upbringing would begin to develop these thoughts and question themselves. Delving deeper into these aspects would have added much-needed depth to the story.
The amount of mental gymnastics I had to perform to attain a sufficient suspension of disbelief qualifies me for the upcoming Summer Olympics. I understanddddd that not every queer narrative has to be about suffering, but it makes absolutely no sense for the characters to react the way they do when Oliver comes out. It’s almost comical how nearly everyone is immediately accepting, remembering to use the correct pronouns, and embracing Oliver. It’s comical that Oliver himself doesn’t struggle one bit—again, within the context of 18th-century British society. The other completely fantastical element is how nobody connects the dots and how Darcy doesn’t recognise Oliver when he’s dressed as Elizabeth. And do not get me started on Darcy… He was continuously referred to as a 'boy', which was so modern and odd, and his aloof, antisocial behaviour is completely erased. Instead, he is presented as this pretty, sexist twink whom Oliver immediately falls in love with because he smiles and invites him to dinner? You just know the author cast Timothée Chalamet as Darcy in his head and wrote the book accordingly.
Okay, the other smaller things that bothered me were the lack of focus on the romance, the complete inconsistency, and the disregard for etiquette (Oliver calls Darcy “Darcy” in private, but Darcy calls him Oliver and not Mr Blake? People say “Elizabeth” instead of “Miss Elizabeth”... it’s all horribly inconsistent.) The book uses American spelling too, and has no idea about geography ( they’re in London?? What?) Nobody in this book has any depth; Collins and Wickham are cartoon villains. It loses a lot of its original power when you completely erase the attraction Elizabeth has for Wickham or fail to adequately explain Charlotte’s decision to marry Collins as a lesbian.
To answer my original question: does this book need to exist? Absolutely not. Just read the original, or if you can’t be bothered, watch the 2005 version: Simon Woods brings his sweet gay boy vibes to Bingley, and I’m pretty sure only a queer man can be as pathetic as Matthew Macfadyen’s version of Mr. Darcy.
It’s marketed as YA but it definitely reads more middle grade, not just because of the characters' immature thoughts and behaviour or because the writing style is painfully simple and clichéd, but because it simplifies not just the complexity of gender identity but history itself. But fine, let’s put the historical inaccuracies aside and focus on the question I kept asking myself: Does this book need to exist? The original Pride and Prejudice already examines gender roles and British society with much more nuance and irony, but fine, I’ll admit, it is missing the gays. After all, queer people have existed in every time period and in every society.
As part of a series that takes royalty-free classics and puts a queer twist on them, the author was likely commissioned to write this, so I don’t blame them as much. Not that we need a gateway drug to AO3 for 12-year-olds; WattPad already exists. In any case, Most Ardently is marketed as a "remix," but instead of remixing an intricate social commentary with queer history, it takes the physical appearances and locations of the original, mixes them with 21st-century American gender ideologies, and then waters it down to the degree that there are barely any traces of its original flavour.
Oliver/Elizabeth understands his gender with the clarity of a chronically online Tumblr social justice warrior circa 2014. His thoughts about gender are the only instances where ageing down the characters works in favour of the narrative: Oliver’s relationship with himself and his transness come across as immature and surface-level. It’s about having boobs and hating skirts and being a boy, never a man. It is never explained how someone from a sheltered, Christian, gentry upbringing would begin to develop these thoughts and question themselves. Delving deeper into these aspects would have added much-needed depth to the story.
The amount of mental gymnastics I had to perform to attain a sufficient suspension of disbelief qualifies me for the upcoming Summer Olympics. I understanddddd that not every queer narrative has to be about suffering, but it makes absolutely no sense for the characters to react the way they do when Oliver comes out. It’s almost comical how nearly everyone is immediately accepting, remembering to use the correct pronouns, and embracing Oliver. It’s comical that Oliver himself doesn’t struggle one bit—again, within the context of 18th-century British society. The other completely fantastical element is how nobody connects the dots and how Darcy doesn’t recognise Oliver when he’s dressed as Elizabeth. And do not get me started on Darcy… He was continuously referred to as a 'boy', which was so modern and odd, and his aloof, antisocial behaviour is completely erased. Instead, he is presented as this pretty, sexist twink whom Oliver immediately falls in love with because he smiles and invites him to dinner? You just know the author cast Timothée Chalamet as Darcy in his head and wrote the book accordingly.
Okay, the other smaller things that bothered me were the lack of focus on the romance, the complete inconsistency, and the disregard for etiquette (Oliver calls Darcy “Darcy” in private, but Darcy calls him Oliver and not Mr Blake? People say “Elizabeth” instead of “Miss Elizabeth”... it’s all horribly inconsistent.) The book uses American spelling too, and has no idea about geography ( they’re in London?? What?) Nobody in this book has any depth; Collins and Wickham are cartoon villains. It loses a lot of its original power when you completely erase the attraction Elizabeth has for Wickham or fail to adequately explain Charlotte’s decision to marry Collins as a lesbian.
To answer my original question: does this book need to exist? Absolutely not. Just read the original, or if you can’t be bothered, watch the 2005 version: Simon Woods brings his sweet gay boy vibes to Bingley, and I’m pretty sure only a queer man can be as pathetic as Matthew Macfadyen’s version of Mr. Darcy.
December 22, 2023
1.5 Stars
The good thing I can say about this book is that it is, at least, recognizably Pride and Prejudice. Which is more than I can say about some of the "retellings" of late. But it just wasn't very good.
I was so, so excited for this book because I wanted to explore queer possibilities in the Regency. And we do get that, but... not a lot. Not as much as I would have liked. And not in ways that felt very real. Oh, there was certainly real queer history mixed in, but I'm not sure that anything that plays out in this book would have been strictly possible. The gender dysphoria is also disablingly strong in this book. It feels excessive. I get that Oliver is trapped. He can't be himself. And that's very hard. But it was pretty much the only thing he thought about, to the detriment of his character and also his interactions with other characters.
And while I say this book is indeed a retelling, it does miss a lot of the flavor of P&P. And that comes down to some strange narrative changes that were made... changes that just don't make sense for the time period (changes that aren't related to the queer aspect of this book)... Changes that were confusing and made the book feel a little under-researched, to be honest.
I wanted to like this one so much, and I just didn't. And that makes me really sad. Anyway, my full comments will be available January 19, 2024 at Gateway Reviews. Check it out if you get the chance.
Note: I was provided with an ARC by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own.
The good thing I can say about this book is that it is, at least, recognizably Pride and Prejudice. Which is more than I can say about some of the "retellings" of late. But it just wasn't very good.
I was so, so excited for this book because I wanted to explore queer possibilities in the Regency. And we do get that, but... not a lot. Not as much as I would have liked. And not in ways that felt very real. Oh, there was certainly real queer history mixed in, but I'm not sure that anything that plays out in this book would have been strictly possible. The gender dysphoria is also disablingly strong in this book. It feels excessive. I get that Oliver is trapped. He can't be himself. And that's very hard. But it was pretty much the only thing he thought about, to the detriment of his character and also his interactions with other characters.
And while I say this book is indeed a retelling, it does miss a lot of the flavor of P&P. And that comes down to some strange narrative changes that were made... changes that just don't make sense for the time period (changes that aren't related to the queer aspect of this book)... Changes that were confusing and made the book feel a little under-researched, to be honest.
I wanted to like this one so much, and I just didn't. And that makes me really sad. Anyway, my full comments will be available January 19, 2024 at Gateway Reviews. Check it out if you get the chance.
Note: I was provided with an ARC by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own.
May 1, 2024
“I love you, Oliver,” Darcy said, “Most ardently.”
t’s London, 1812, and Oliver Bennet feels trapped. The world, and the vast majority of his family and friends, think Oliver is a girl named Elizabeth. He finds solace in the few times he can sneak out of his family’s home and explore the city rightfully dressed as a young gentleman. During one such excursion, Oliver becomes acquainted with Darcy, a sulky young man who had been rude to “Elizabeth” at a recent social function. But in the comfort of being out of the public eye, Oliver finds that Darcy is actually a sweet, intelligent boy with a warm heart, not to mention attractive. As Oliver spends more time as his true self, often with Darcy, part of him dares to hope that his dream of love and life as a man can be possible.
As any other queer English student/nerd, I LOVE Jane Austen. I have always been obsessed since I watched the Keira Knightley adaptation when I was 12!! So not only do I get very excited whenever a new P&P retelling gets announced, but I also get very hesitant!
I get hesitant about retellings in general, especially with classics that I love, because many of the ones I read change the setting and characteristics of the characters but keep the story and the specific story beats precisely the same, and I get kind of bored!
But Most Ardently managed to surpass my expectations, I loved it sm. Making Darcy a queer man who doesn’t hate women but just isn’t interested in pretending to like them and making Elizabeth Bennet a trans man living a double life is a BRILLIANT way to reimagine the story. A stroke of genius truly.
It stays close to the original in the first half or so, but then it turns into something new and interesting while still maintaining much of the soul and themes of the original novel. And just how lovely it is to see the queer and trans joy of it all. The exploration of the queer history of that period!!
I was giggling and kicking my feet the entire time, and I listened to this in like two days?? You need to read it if you haven’t yet!
t’s London, 1812, and Oliver Bennet feels trapped. The world, and the vast majority of his family and friends, think Oliver is a girl named Elizabeth. He finds solace in the few times he can sneak out of his family’s home and explore the city rightfully dressed as a young gentleman. During one such excursion, Oliver becomes acquainted with Darcy, a sulky young man who had been rude to “Elizabeth” at a recent social function. But in the comfort of being out of the public eye, Oliver finds that Darcy is actually a sweet, intelligent boy with a warm heart, not to mention attractive. As Oliver spends more time as his true self, often with Darcy, part of him dares to hope that his dream of love and life as a man can be possible.
As any other queer English student/nerd, I LOVE Jane Austen. I have always been obsessed since I watched the Keira Knightley adaptation when I was 12!! So not only do I get very excited whenever a new P&P retelling gets announced, but I also get very hesitant!
I get hesitant about retellings in general, especially with classics that I love, because many of the ones I read change the setting and characteristics of the characters but keep the story and the specific story beats precisely the same, and I get kind of bored!
But Most Ardently managed to surpass my expectations, I loved it sm. Making Darcy a queer man who doesn’t hate women but just isn’t interested in pretending to like them and making Elizabeth Bennet a trans man living a double life is a BRILLIANT way to reimagine the story. A stroke of genius truly.
It stays close to the original in the first half or so, but then it turns into something new and interesting while still maintaining much of the soul and themes of the original novel. And just how lovely it is to see the queer and trans joy of it all. The exploration of the queer history of that period!!
I was giggling and kicking my feet the entire time, and I listened to this in like two days?? You need to read it if you haven’t yet!
April 1, 2024
What is the purpose of a retelling? At its core, we hope to see the beats of a familiar story re-imagined as something new. We hope to have a new feeling, to see a beloved (or hated) character in a new way, to discover a new fork off of a well-tread path. Unfortunately, this book doesn't really succeed on that level, because I don't think Gabe Cole Novoa gives a single shit about Pride & Prejudice.
I appreciate the Remixed Classics series because on the whole, I do think they add something new to the books they're interpreting. Self-Made Boys, for example, developed an entirely new dimension to The Great Gatsby that enhanced the story and made it feel fresh and immediate for a new audience. It's a more fruitful source text, sure, but Anna-Marie McLemore also did a great job with it. This book, though it explores similar ideas around gender and desire and social mores, feels incredibly flat compared to that one.
Part of the problem is that every antagonistic character is a one-note villain with the transphobia dial turned up to 11. Every single thing that comes out of Wickham or Lady Catherine's mouths is about Oliver's femininity, framed in the grossest way possible. It's repetitive and silly; there are plenty of ways for them to be evil, but this is the only way with any value in the story. Even though, in the original, Elizabeth's relationship to Wickham is much more developed and nuanced, the author here decided to eschew that entirely in order to make him a boring, tactless Bad Guy with no other connection to the narrative or to Oliver's arc. Similarly, every "good" character has a very modern conception of gender and achieves 100% perfect ally status within seconds of learning that Oliver is trans. I get that this is more of a wish-fulfillment exercise than a realistic portrayal of gender and identity in 1800s London, but when a character just smacks their forehead and is like, "well THAT'S why you hate dresses! You're a boy!" it feels sort of goofy.
Oliver is also a tricky protagonist; he seems to entirely lack empathy for his sisters and friends, particularly Charlotte, who decides to marry a man despite being a lesbian. Oliver has this really questionable thought process where he's like, "well, she's only gay, so marrying man isn't that bad, but I would NEVER debase myself so!" and it feels gross and also pretty anachronistic. Other reviews have explored this more thoroughly, so I won't get too into it, but it does feel at times like Oliver doesn't care about how women are treated as long as he himself isn't being treated like a woman. Darcy is also stripped of a lot of his intrigue and prickliness after the very first scene, and he becomes a sort of generic Regency romance hero. I think the issue is partially that the brooding, prickly guy shtick feels silly now that he's aged down to a teenager; Oliver keeps identifying him in the narration as "the boy," which reads really strangely and makes him seem like a child wearing an adult man's coat.
Ultimately, this is another Pride and Prejudice retelling to throw in the massive pile of other Pride and Prejudice retellings. It's pretty forgettable and doesn't seem to have any curiosity about the original.
I appreciate the Remixed Classics series because on the whole, I do think they add something new to the books they're interpreting. Self-Made Boys, for example, developed an entirely new dimension to The Great Gatsby that enhanced the story and made it feel fresh and immediate for a new audience. It's a more fruitful source text, sure, but Anna-Marie McLemore also did a great job with it. This book, though it explores similar ideas around gender and desire and social mores, feels incredibly flat compared to that one.
Part of the problem is that every antagonistic character is a one-note villain with the transphobia dial turned up to 11. Every single thing that comes out of Wickham or Lady Catherine's mouths is about Oliver's femininity, framed in the grossest way possible. It's repetitive and silly; there are plenty of ways for them to be evil, but this is the only way with any value in the story. Even though, in the original, Elizabeth's relationship to Wickham is much more developed and nuanced, the author here decided to eschew that entirely in order to make him a boring, tactless Bad Guy with no other connection to the narrative or to Oliver's arc. Similarly, every "good" character has a very modern conception of gender and achieves 100% perfect ally status within seconds of learning that Oliver is trans. I get that this is more of a wish-fulfillment exercise than a realistic portrayal of gender and identity in 1800s London, but when a character just smacks their forehead and is like, "well THAT'S why you hate dresses! You're a boy!" it feels sort of goofy.
Oliver is also a tricky protagonist; he seems to entirely lack empathy for his sisters and friends, particularly Charlotte, who decides to marry a man despite being a lesbian. Oliver has this really questionable thought process where he's like, "well, she's only gay, so marrying man isn't that bad, but I would NEVER debase myself so!" and it feels gross and also pretty anachronistic. Other reviews have explored this more thoroughly, so I won't get too into it, but it does feel at times like Oliver doesn't care about how women are treated as long as he himself isn't being treated like a woman. Darcy is also stripped of a lot of his intrigue and prickliness after the very first scene, and he becomes a sort of generic Regency romance hero. I think the issue is partially that the brooding, prickly guy shtick feels silly now that he's aged down to a teenager; Oliver keeps identifying him in the narration as "the boy," which reads really strangely and makes him seem like a child wearing an adult man's coat.
Ultimately, this is another Pride and Prejudice retelling to throw in the massive pile of other Pride and Prejudice retellings. It's pretty forgettable and doesn't seem to have any curiosity about the original.
April 22, 2024
I love that I live in a world where a trans pride & prejudice retelling exists and that it was GOOD
December 1, 2024
This reads like fanfiction, and I've read better fanfiction.
(Of course, there is a real and obvious sense in which this is fanfiction.)
(And, of course, there's a realer and less obvious sense in which 'fanfiction' is a fundamentally meaningless term, one which wouldn't exists without the specific way media is commodified under late capitalism, generously spiced up with the kind of absolute vitriol and arrogant elitism the internet generally reserves for... *checks notes* children, queer women, and people committing the gauche sin of being enthusiastic about things. Thusly, 'fanficion writer' has the viscous aura of an insult.)
I do not mean this insultingly. (I am pained to be as negative to Most Ardently as I am.) But I do mean it: this reads like fanfiction, and not particularly good fanfiction as such.
(My scattershot complaints about Most Ardently as historical fiction, in no order, to be found at the end of this review.)
Most Ardently is shallow. Thin. Its plot is either formulaic or absent, its characters go past caricature-like into flat and cartoonish, its resolution feels cheap and filuted. Buyoed by its easy tropes, making it profoundly readable, quick to go down like British lager, (dare I say, fun, but) inoffensive, unremarkable and forgettable. Pervaded by a thorough ahistoricity: there is not being loyal to the original's century, and then there's being narrowly blind to ways of seeing past your own decade. I can treasure forsaking realism for the sake of much-needed comfort and plausible-enough validation (as with Novoa being more expansive and inclusive with the boundaries of his Regency Era London's queer scene, a conscious decision he remarks on in the afterword.) It is altogether different to divorce a period piece from any connection to or dialogue with its period: the result is not loss of realism (whatever that means, by all means, set fire on it in a dustbin), but of realness.
Most Ardently begs the question: why bother with writing a period novel at all?
...Repeatedly, Oliver is troubled about future prospects and economics; seeing no possible life as liveable and no liveable life as possible, yet he never goes beyond a kind of aimless hopeless pondering that would have seen no way out or through had it not been for a series of fortunate contrivances of plot and unprobable and overwhelming acceptance and support from close and extended family, friends, love interest and a physician (see final note.)
The novel itself is aware that he is at the crux of the dilemmas of Regency marriage; aware of gender roles and women's economic dependence on their husbands, that being a major issue for the lesbian couple side-characters. (I've actually never read anything of Jane Austen's fully, but I am pretty sure navigating the pragmatics of marriage and existing within society's parameters of acceptability is kind of the point: you can reject it, but you have to engage. (Apropos of that, I am reading the opinions of some peopple who do read Jane Austen, and they do not necessarily have king things to say of Gabe Cole Novoa's understanding of the strengths and themes of the original.)) Does Oliver try to think of practicalities of gender norms, the implications and functions of masculinities in hies era? Does Based & Unconditionally Accepting Papa Bennet actually do the work of making sure his son can be a son (something that is not without the problematic implications and necessities of the era, as the text is aware) upon being embraced as such?
These are our generation's fluffy longings for acceptance, word for word, not anything of Jane Austin's time and place.
(We are all the time concerned with the landed gentry who do not have to work, per se, so Oliver's Romantic preoccupation for true love, which never goes past beyond a searching seems all the more galling— there is unspoken freedom of inborn privilege there that us beyond most queer people of the era (and, indeed, of today for, indeed, most people.))
(The more the novel seems utterly allergic to thinking about economic relations, the more I keep thinking about economic relations, and I get mad to a point of resentfulness.)
I am reminded, compulsively, of the most interesting development cultural historian Jen Manion notes in their book Female Husbands: A Trans History : before (roughly) the 1800s the ability of afab people who lived as men* to convincingly pass was often ultimately dependent on their ability to fit into the heteronormative order, that is, to be in relationships with women; after that, with the advance of capitalism into the 19th century, the crucial factor was their ability to hold down an employment. The gender role of a man had become, inextricably, that of a worker, the provider.
( *Trans men/gender non-conforming individuals/lesbians (we can't know, and Manion's own approach to dealing with the unknowable unknowns of queer history can be both liberatory and erasive, fair warning.))
a note: stays are not corsets
another note, pertaining to the above: tight-lacing corsets wasn't even a thing. (unless, like, you got married at fifteen to the emperor of a fossil state and you coped with all that by developing narcissism and an eating disorder.)
another note, actually relevant to the regency period: there wouldn't be any point, you can't see a waist in a regency gown, have you seen them???
another note, reconciliatory: i can make 'plausible-enough' allowance for the text's treatment of corsets due to i) disphoria and the mindfuckery of subjective bodily experience and ii) the main scene pertaining to tight-lacing and similar, largely produces by anachronistic sensationalism pereception happens in a nightmare
a further note: i can think of some reasons, some very big reasons, some defining for what the regency era wound up being reasons, some displacing, bloody, chronic political instability reasons, some determining the entire fate of europe for the next century reasons why queer various Englishmen in the novel would not be moving to FUCKING PARIS DURING THE NAPOLEONIC WARS, nevermind travelling yearly in-between practices.
(Of course, there is a real and obvious sense in which this is fanfiction.)
(And, of course, there's a realer and less obvious sense in which 'fanfiction' is a fundamentally meaningless term, one which wouldn't exists without the specific way media is commodified under late capitalism, generously spiced up with the kind of absolute vitriol and arrogant elitism the internet generally reserves for... *checks notes* children, queer women, and people committing the gauche sin of being enthusiastic about things. Thusly, 'fanficion writer' has the viscous aura of an insult.)
I do not mean this insultingly. (I am pained to be as negative to Most Ardently as I am.) But I do mean it: this reads like fanfiction, and not particularly good fanfiction as such.
(My scattershot complaints about Most Ardently as historical fiction, in no order, to be found at the end of this review.)
Most Ardently is shallow. Thin. Its plot is either formulaic or absent, its characters go past caricature-like into flat and cartoonish, its resolution feels cheap and filuted. Buyoed by its easy tropes, making it profoundly readable, quick to go down like British lager, (dare I say, fun, but) inoffensive, unremarkable and forgettable. Pervaded by a thorough ahistoricity: there is not being loyal to the original's century, and then there's being narrowly blind to ways of seeing past your own decade. I can treasure forsaking realism for the sake of much-needed comfort and plausible-enough validation (as with Novoa being more expansive and inclusive with the boundaries of his Regency Era London's queer scene, a conscious decision he remarks on in the afterword.) It is altogether different to divorce a period piece from any connection to or dialogue with its period: the result is not loss of realism (whatever that means, by all means, set fire on it in a dustbin), but of realness.
Most Ardently begs the question: why bother with writing a period novel at all?
...Repeatedly, Oliver is troubled about future prospects and economics; seeing no possible life as liveable and no liveable life as possible, yet he never goes beyond a kind of aimless hopeless pondering that would have seen no way out or through had it not been for a series of fortunate contrivances of plot and unprobable and overwhelming acceptance and support from close and extended family, friends, love interest and a physician (see final note.)
The novel itself is aware that he is at the crux of the dilemmas of Regency marriage; aware of gender roles and women's economic dependence on their husbands, that being a major issue for the lesbian couple side-characters. (I've actually never read anything of Jane Austen's fully, but I am pretty sure navigating the pragmatics of marriage and existing within society's parameters of acceptability is kind of the point: you can reject it, but you have to engage. (Apropos of that, I am reading the opinions of some peopple who do read Jane Austen, and they do not necessarily have king things to say of Gabe Cole Novoa's understanding of the strengths and themes of the original.)) Does Oliver try to think of practicalities of gender norms, the implications and functions of masculinities in hies era? Does Based & Unconditionally Accepting Papa Bennet actually do the work of making sure his son can be a son (something that is not without the problematic implications and necessities of the era, as the text is aware) upon being embraced as such?
These are our generation's fluffy longings for acceptance, word for word, not anything of Jane Austin's time and place.
(We are all the time concerned with the landed gentry who do not have to work, per se, so Oliver's Romantic preoccupation for true love, which never goes past beyond a searching seems all the more galling— there is unspoken freedom of inborn privilege there that us beyond most queer people of the era (and, indeed, of today for, indeed, most people.))
(The more the novel seems utterly allergic to thinking about economic relations, the more I keep thinking about economic relations, and I get mad to a point of resentfulness.)
I am reminded, compulsively, of the most interesting development cultural historian Jen Manion notes in their book Female Husbands: A Trans History : before (roughly) the 1800s the ability of afab people who lived as men* to convincingly pass was often ultimately dependent on their ability to fit into the heteronormative order, that is, to be in relationships with women; after that, with the advance of capitalism into the 19th century, the crucial factor was their ability to hold down an employment. The gender role of a man had become, inextricably, that of a worker, the provider.
( *Trans men/gender non-conforming individuals/lesbians (we can't know, and Manion's own approach to dealing with the unknowable unknowns of queer history can be both liberatory and erasive, fair warning.))
a note: stays are not corsets
another note, pertaining to the above: tight-lacing corsets wasn't even a thing. (unless, like, you got married at fifteen to the emperor of a fossil state and you coped with all that by developing narcissism and an eating disorder.)
another note, actually relevant to the regency period: there wouldn't be any point, you can't see a waist in a regency gown, have you seen them???
another note, reconciliatory: i can make 'plausible-enough' allowance for the text's treatment of corsets due to i) disphoria and the mindfuckery of subjective bodily experience and ii) the main scene pertaining to tight-lacing and similar, largely produces by anachronistic sensationalism pereception happens in a nightmare
a further note: i can think of some reasons, some very big reasons, some defining for what the regency era wound up being reasons, some displacing, bloody, chronic political instability reasons, some determining the entire fate of europe for the next century reasons why queer various Englishmen in the novel would not be moving to FUCKING PARIS DURING THE NAPOLEONIC WARS, nevermind travelling yearly in-between practices.
July 24, 2025
This is my first book by Gabe Cole Novoa, and how could I possibly say no to a transgender retelling of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE? Remixed for a teen audience, MOST ARDENTLY is the story of teenage Oliver Bennet, who chafes at being forced to wear dresses alongside his sisters and longs for a boy who will love him as a boy rather than forcing him into a box he does not want to be in.
MOST ARDENTLY is not a 1:1 retelling, and I liked a lot of the liberties Novoa took with the story. For example, having some of Darcy's aloofness come from the fact that he is a wealthy young gay man with a fortune and expected to marry, which shines a horrific spotlight on his sexual attraction (or lack thereof) to women. Oliver also experiences gender euphoria and dysphoria over the course of the novel, and I thought it was interesting and very important how it was highlighted that even though Oliver is attracted to men, having them be attracted to him because of perceived femininity was actually very off-putting-- abhorrent, really-- to him in a relationship.
I wish there had been a little more closure with Charlotte and her relationship with Lu (and also, what happens to Mr. Collins??? That ending was treacherous I NEED TO KNOW MORE), but I liked the new twist with Wickham as a Wickham-hater, and I think it's delightful that in every Austen retelling I read, Mr. Bennet is always Daddy. Mrs. Bennet starts off kind of odious and horrible, but she had a great character arc that actually made me a little misty-eyed. Retellings of the classics are always difficult, because people always put them up on a pedestal as something that oughtn't to be touched, but this is a fresh take that makes the original story accessible to teens while also educating them about historical queer culture, both of which are a solid win.
3.5 stars
MOST ARDENTLY is not a 1:1 retelling, and I liked a lot of the liberties Novoa took with the story. For example, having some of Darcy's aloofness come from the fact that he is a wealthy young gay man with a fortune and expected to marry, which shines a horrific spotlight on his sexual attraction (or lack thereof) to women. Oliver also experiences gender euphoria and dysphoria over the course of the novel, and I thought it was interesting and very important how it was highlighted that even though Oliver is attracted to men, having them be attracted to him because of perceived femininity was actually very off-putting-- abhorrent, really-- to him in a relationship.
I wish there had been a little more closure with Charlotte and her relationship with Lu (and also, what happens to Mr. Collins??? That ending was treacherous I NEED TO KNOW MORE), but I liked the new twist with Wickham as a Wickham-hater, and I think it's delightful that in every Austen retelling I read, Mr. Bennet is always Daddy. Mrs. Bennet starts off kind of odious and horrible, but she had a great character arc that actually made me a little misty-eyed. Retellings of the classics are always difficult, because people always put them up on a pedestal as something that oughtn't to be touched, but this is a fresh take that makes the original story accessible to teens while also educating them about historical queer culture, both of which are a solid win.
3.5 stars
June 21, 2024
This had too many fumbles to get five stars but I had a lot of fun with it and also I cried twice.
[4.5 stars, rounded down for historical inaccuracy, a Janeite should know better]
Read Harder Challenge 2024: Read a YA book by a trans author.
[4.5 stars, rounded down for historical inaccuracy, a Janeite should know better]
Read Harder Challenge 2024: Read a YA book by a trans author.
March 2, 2024
This just didn’t work for me. I liked the concept, but I think the framework of Pride and Prejudice worked against the story the author really wanted to tell. I love books where trans teens are accepted by their friends and family, but in doing so within the plot and original time period of Pride and Prejudice, the author ends up relying on anti-feminist stereotypes to move the plot forward and set up conflict.
This choice ended up making the world of the story feel halfway between modern ideals and perceptions of historical society. Contradiction in characters can be interesting and well done, but it was never explicitly addressed so in this case it felt that their bias was okay and acceptable as long as they unwaveringly supported Oliver. Because many of the conflicts are resolved when Oliver reveals his gender identity, this sets up a world in which gender roles aren’t the issue, it’s just that Oliver has been mistakenly assigned the wrong gender.
For example, when Mrs. Bennet sees her who she thinks of as her daughter Elizabeth being gender nonconforming (when Oliver starts wearing pants at home), this is unacceptable to her, but once she knows he’s her son, it’s all okay. In fact, she explicitly says she would never dream of forcing her son to wear a dress. This world only really works for someone who fits into a gender binary, and even then, it is okay for women to be lesser than men. In fact, many of the issues with what people say to Oliver about needing to be more meek and womanly are flagged as issues because he’s not a woman, not because they are unfair expectations.
I also struggled with some of the plot/pacing choices. When Darcy proposes partway through the book, he thinks he’s proposing to Elizabeth, but we really see very few interactions between the characters, and there have been none since Darcy convinced Bingley to leave Netherfield and break off courting Jane. Yet Darcy has already kissed Oliver. It really doesn’t reflect well on Darcy that he wouldn’t make at least some connection between Oliver and the person he knows as Elizabeth. It comes across like he doesn’t see her as a person at all. Again, a more interesting choice would have been to have Darcy make the connection and propose marriage to Elizabeth first, before realizing that what he really needed to do was propose to Oliver.
This choice ended up making the world of the story feel halfway between modern ideals and perceptions of historical society. Contradiction in characters can be interesting and well done, but it was never explicitly addressed so in this case it felt that their bias was okay and acceptable as long as they unwaveringly supported Oliver. Because many of the conflicts are resolved when Oliver reveals his gender identity, this sets up a world in which gender roles aren’t the issue, it’s just that Oliver has been mistakenly assigned the wrong gender.
For example, when Mrs. Bennet sees her who she thinks of as her daughter Elizabeth being gender nonconforming (when Oliver starts wearing pants at home), this is unacceptable to her, but once she knows he’s her son, it’s all okay. In fact, she explicitly says she would never dream of forcing her son to wear a dress. This world only really works for someone who fits into a gender binary, and even then, it is okay for women to be lesser than men. In fact, many of the issues with what people say to Oliver about needing to be more meek and womanly are flagged as issues because he’s not a woman, not because they are unfair expectations.
I also struggled with some of the plot/pacing choices. When Darcy proposes partway through the book, he thinks he’s proposing to Elizabeth, but we really see very few interactions between the characters, and there have been none since Darcy convinced Bingley to leave Netherfield and break off courting Jane. Yet Darcy has already kissed Oliver. It really doesn’t reflect well on Darcy that he wouldn’t make at least some connection between Oliver and the person he knows as Elizabeth. It comes across like he doesn’t see her as a person at all. Again, a more interesting choice would have been to have Darcy make the connection and propose marriage to Elizabeth first, before realizing that what he really needed to do was propose to Oliver.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 4, 2023
✰3 stars✰
This was cute, really. Just maybe not as detailed and deep as it had the potential to be, or as I wanted it to be.
Oliver was born in the wrong body, he was never meant to be Elizabeth Bennet and living his life as a young lady is stifling and dreadful and leaves him feeling trapped.
His mother, Mrs. Bennet, is determined to have him married off to make the perfect wife, and Oliver wants none of it.
Early on, Oliver meets Mr. Darcy while dressed as Elizabeth. At this point, Darcy is rather cold and rude, and it’s assumed that he just isn’t vey kind with women.
However, not long after, Oliver meets Darcy again while dressed as himself and they form a genuine friendship and Darcy is different than Oliver imagined he would be.
This remixed classic is clever and a heartwarming trans love story, but does fall a little flat with the actual believability of the romance. While it’s certainly YA, you don’t feel as invested in the romance between Darcy and Oliver in the way you’d expect from a remix of a Jane Austen novel. There is a line between maintaining YA romance and just leaving out appropriate details that make the love believable, and this very much toes the line of not being quite enough to be invested as a reader.
I loved Oliver being able to come into himself, and I did appreciate the brief longing moments between Darcy and Oliver. At times the pacing felt off in what seemed like an effort to keep some of Jane Austen's classic scenes (but in the remixed way), and I almost wouldn't have minded if the author had deviated a little more just to give Olive and Darcy more depth and new moments outside of sticking closer to the classic.
Even still, it’s a nice and quick read that does leave you feeling good. So while I was left wanting more, it was still a comforting read with a promising plot.
I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was cute, really. Just maybe not as detailed and deep as it had the potential to be, or as I wanted it to be.
Oliver was born in the wrong body, he was never meant to be Elizabeth Bennet and living his life as a young lady is stifling and dreadful and leaves him feeling trapped.
His mother, Mrs. Bennet, is determined to have him married off to make the perfect wife, and Oliver wants none of it.
Early on, Oliver meets Mr. Darcy while dressed as Elizabeth. At this point, Darcy is rather cold and rude, and it’s assumed that he just isn’t vey kind with women.
However, not long after, Oliver meets Darcy again while dressed as himself and they form a genuine friendship and Darcy is different than Oliver imagined he would be.
This remixed classic is clever and a heartwarming trans love story, but does fall a little flat with the actual believability of the romance. While it’s certainly YA, you don’t feel as invested in the romance between Darcy and Oliver in the way you’d expect from a remix of a Jane Austen novel. There is a line between maintaining YA romance and just leaving out appropriate details that make the love believable, and this very much toes the line of not being quite enough to be invested as a reader.
I loved Oliver being able to come into himself, and I did appreciate the brief longing moments between Darcy and Oliver. At times the pacing felt off in what seemed like an effort to keep some of Jane Austen's classic scenes (but in the remixed way), and I almost wouldn't have minded if the author had deviated a little more just to give Olive and Darcy more depth and new moments outside of sticking closer to the classic.
Even still, it’s a nice and quick read that does leave you feeling good. So while I was left wanting more, it was still a comforting read with a promising plot.
I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 7, 2024
It’s just a bunch of going to people’s houses—
No, this was delightful. My memory of actual pride and prejudice is a bit spotty so this was a fun refresher and I really enjoyed it. Also supportive parents? In a historical novel at that? That’s rare and left me with the biggest smile on my face.
No, this was delightful. My memory of actual pride and prejudice is a bit spotty so this was a fun refresher and I really enjoyed it. Also supportive parents? In a historical novel at that? That’s rare and left me with the biggest smile on my face.
January 25, 2024
Started this for the cover art and stayed for the charming relationship. I enjoyed what the author did with this remix, and if you’re looking for a quick read, I recommend!
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