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After Darcy: A Year of Chaos, Sobriety, and Sisterhood: A Witty, Warm, and Wonderfully Modern Bennet Family Tale
Not yet published
Expected 26 Mar 26'Part sequel, part reimagining, and wholly delightful' Jodi Picoult
'An absolute delight. Funny, moving and filled with heart' Jennie Godfrey, author of The List of Suspicious Things
It is a truism, frequently invoked by the members of the Meryton Women's Guild, that one is only ever as happy as one's unhappiest child. So, with five daughters and four grandchildren, it was a miracle Mrs Hester Bennet ever raised a smile. At best, she was only ever tentatively pleased, and even then understood that her contentment rested on the edge of a gaping precipice into which she would inevitably tumble the second Kitty or Lydia (it was almost always those two) messaged in the clutches of yet another existential crisis…
Lydia, home from Paris on New Year's Day in a welter of hangover and humiliation, finds herself swearing off drink, drugs and sex for the next 12 months. Through her unfamiliar sobriety, she'll see a landmark year for all the Bennet sisters, including a disruptive 40th birthday, an engagement and a and, maybe, coming to terms with the results of a run-of-the-mill run-in with a jackknifed lorry on a wet stretch of the M1…
A sharply funny and unexpectedly tender modern sequel to Pride & Prejudice, this is a story of sisterhood, survival, and second chances. For fans of Marian Keyes, Dolly Alderton, and anyone who's ever wondered what the Bennet sisters would be like in the age of therapy, WhatsApp, and wellness trends gone rogue.
'An absolute delight. Funny, moving and filled with heart' Jennie Godfrey, author of The List of Suspicious Things
It is a truism, frequently invoked by the members of the Meryton Women's Guild, that one is only ever as happy as one's unhappiest child. So, with five daughters and four grandchildren, it was a miracle Mrs Hester Bennet ever raised a smile. At best, she was only ever tentatively pleased, and even then understood that her contentment rested on the edge of a gaping precipice into which she would inevitably tumble the second Kitty or Lydia (it was almost always those two) messaged in the clutches of yet another existential crisis…
Lydia, home from Paris on New Year's Day in a welter of hangover and humiliation, finds herself swearing off drink, drugs and sex for the next 12 months. Through her unfamiliar sobriety, she'll see a landmark year for all the Bennet sisters, including a disruptive 40th birthday, an engagement and a and, maybe, coming to terms with the results of a run-of-the-mill run-in with a jackknifed lorry on a wet stretch of the M1…
A sharply funny and unexpectedly tender modern sequel to Pride & Prejudice, this is a story of sisterhood, survival, and second chances. For fans of Marian Keyes, Dolly Alderton, and anyone who's ever wondered what the Bennet sisters would be like in the age of therapy, WhatsApp, and wellness trends gone rogue.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication March 26, 2026
9 people want to read
About the author
Joanna Nadin
146 books124 followersJoanna Nadin is an English author of juvenile fiction best known for the Rachel Riley series of teenage novels Based on Nadin's own childhood, the series follows the comedic narration of a 13-year-old girl.
Nadin has also written several books of juvenile fiction. These include two books for the Oxford University Press "Project X" series designed to encourage boys to read.
Nadin previously worked as a policy writer for the Labour Party (UK).In 2001, she became a special adviser to Tony Blair.
As a child I buried myself in books both at home in Essex and at my grandparents’ houses in Cornwall, where I spent a large part of my time, and where many of my stories are now set. Books and later films were an escape not just from where I was but who I was, which, as I saw it, was pretty much a geek. They gave me the freedom to become someone else, from George in the Famous Five to Velvet Brown winning the Grand National to Baby dancing the Chachacha with Johnny Castle.
Nadin has also written several books of juvenile fiction. These include two books for the Oxford University Press "Project X" series designed to encourage boys to read.
Nadin previously worked as a policy writer for the Labour Party (UK).In 2001, she became a special adviser to Tony Blair.
As a child I buried myself in books both at home in Essex and at my grandparents’ houses in Cornwall, where I spent a large part of my time, and where many of my stories are now set. Books and later films were an escape not just from where I was but who I was, which, as I saw it, was pretty much a geek. They gave me the freedom to become someone else, from George in the Famous Five to Velvet Brown winning the Grand National to Baby dancing the Chachacha with Johnny Castle.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 25, 2025
A modern extension of Austen's Pride and Prejudice that gives equal time and importance to all the sisters and develops them in ways which are quite unexpected in some cases, yet feel utterly right. The story follows the whole family through a year of habitual fighting, genuine falling out, making up, health scares, heartbreak, revelations, new love and new resolutions, developing each sister's personality and their relationships with the others in a way that felt deeply satisfying and real. Just as I was snorting with laughter over 'Lizzie Bennet has left the chat' I would find myself struck to the heart by someone else's moment of pathos. Honestly, this book was completely delightful. It fizzes with both insight and humour - rather as if Jane Austen and Helen Fielding got together, drank too much champagne, and had a hilariously sweary baby.
December 7, 2025
Nadin takes the characters from pride and prejudice, ages them a few decades, kills off Darcy and Bingley and then brings them into the 2020s.
Only she doesn’t trust the reader to understand the the Bennett’s are really in modern times so spends the first 100 pages mentioning brand names and pop culture references so many times on every page you’re left in no doubt this isn’t Georgian times any more. It got to the point I wasn’t sure if she was being paid to advertise in lieu of an advance.
Nadin also tries too hard to be funny by forcing a joke into as many lines as she can as if she’s trying to get approval from the cool girls in high school. She also takes swipes at more successful stories like Harry Potter which comes off as a bit bitter.
Luckily after the first third of the book is over she remembers she’s writing a novel and a plot starts to emerge. The reader already knows the characters so she doesn’t need to develop them but what happens to them works well and there are some well written passages reminding you that the author of the queen of bloody everything is still there.
Unfortunately she then remembers that she’s borrowed these characters from Austen and gets cold feet about changing their fates so backs away from all the significant plot events and they all turn out to be a false alarm so nothing really changes from page 1 apart from a vibe shift.
This was fun and engaging in parts, it’s just a shame those parts were few and far between.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bedford Square for the arc.
Only she doesn’t trust the reader to understand the the Bennett’s are really in modern times so spends the first 100 pages mentioning brand names and pop culture references so many times on every page you’re left in no doubt this isn’t Georgian times any more. It got to the point I wasn’t sure if she was being paid to advertise in lieu of an advance.
Nadin also tries too hard to be funny by forcing a joke into as many lines as she can as if she’s trying to get approval from the cool girls in high school. She also takes swipes at more successful stories like Harry Potter which comes off as a bit bitter.
Luckily after the first third of the book is over she remembers she’s writing a novel and a plot starts to emerge. The reader already knows the characters so she doesn’t need to develop them but what happens to them works well and there are some well written passages reminding you that the author of the queen of bloody everything is still there.
Unfortunately she then remembers that she’s borrowed these characters from Austen and gets cold feet about changing their fates so backs away from all the significant plot events and they all turn out to be a false alarm so nothing really changes from page 1 apart from a vibe shift.
This was fun and engaging in parts, it’s just a shame those parts were few and far between.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bedford Square for the arc.
November 21, 2025
A brilliant modern take on Pride and Prejudice. Not only does it continue the story of what happens to the sisters after Lizzy marries Darcy but it also echoes and nods to the original in clever and funny ways. Set in the 21st Century with its attendant obsessions with online dating, botox and Farrow and Ball interiors this is genius. If you enjoyed the original you will love this and if you enjoyed Curtis Sittenfeld's Eligible this will be a joy. I particularly enjoyed the way it allowed equal air time to the less famous sisters, Mary, Lydia and Kitty who all get their moment here. I didn't want it to end.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews