What do you think?
Rate this book
Undue Influence: A Persuasion Retelling
Second chances only come around once.
Eight years ago, Adam Elliot made the biggest mistake of his life. Now that mistake is coming back to haunt him. His family’s beloved vineyard has gone into foreclosure, and the new owner is the sister of the only man he’s ever loved—the man he dumped under pressure from family and friends who thought the match was beneath him.
When Freddy Wentworth, aka the bad boy of Bishop’s Glen, left town with a broken heart, he vowed never to return. But a recently widowed friend needs his help, so here he is. He’s a rich and famous celebrity chef now, though, so everyone can just eff right off.
But some things are easier said than done. Despite their attempts to resist each other, old love rekindles—and old wounds reopen. If they want to make things work the second time around, they’ll have to learn to set aside their pride—and prejudice.
This modern retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion is a standalone novel that can be enjoyed by Austen-philes and by those allergic to the nineteenth century.
268 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 4, 2018
35 people are currently reading
403 people want to read
About the author
Jenny Holiday
31 books1,820 followersJenny Holiday is a USA Today-bestselling and RITA®-nominated author whose books have been featured in The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, The Washington Post, and Buzzfeed. She grew up in Minnesota and started writing at age nine when her fourth-grade teacher gave her a notebook to fill with stories. When she's not working on her next book, she likes to hang out with her family, watch other people sing karaoke, and throw theme parties. Jenny lives in London, Ontario, Canada.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
August 20, 2018
PERSUASION is my favourite Austen so when I saw this modern retelling, with an m/m update, was for request, I did some flailing and then prayed to the NG gods for approval. It could be that my hopes were way too high but nonetheless I had those hopes.
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that--"
"Oh, fuck off."
UNDUE INFLUENCE really shines when it comes to the romance. And also with certain modern updates ala Mrs Russell becoming Rusty the drag queen, Freddy working his way up from dishwasher to rich and famous restaurant owner with his own Food Network show, stuff like that. Where this retelling fell apart for me, or just didn't work, were the constant 'if this were a Masterpiece Theatre show' comments -- we already know it's a retelling/homage and some of that was laid on a little thick -- as well as some of the other bits taken rather directly from the story, ie, the scene where this version's Lulu jumps into the lake for attention and hits her head. But worst of all was Rusty's reasons for persuading Adam to dump Freddy which felt thin and awful for no reason (his eventual reasoning didn't work for me and the constant bitching about not going to university just pissed me off). Infact, full stop, his character in particular just didn't work for me and I know he's meant to be the well-meaning villain of the piece but.. I just feel the awesome of the drag queen mentor, the only friend Adam really had, could have been used as less of a browbeater and more of a subtle influence. It might have felt less awful.
All good behaviour had done all these years was make him miserable.
So, yes, I struggled a bit with Rusty, obviously, as well as the characters of Adam's mother and sister, snobby wannabe-rich ladies who run the family vineyard into the ground after the father dies, and I so wish bestfriend Ben had been fleshed out more. But when the focus was on the relationship, both present day and in flashbacks, I loved it. I loved Adam and the changes Holiday made in his character from the original, I loved Freddy fullstop. He actually felt truest to his original and I was so fine with that.
What did you become if you were of a place and you lost that place?
I would probably recommend this more as a sweet or cutesy m/m romance as opposed to those who loved PERSUASION. But if either of those interest you, the way they do me, I would say give it a try. I just wanted something a little more.
** I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that--"
"Oh, fuck off."
UNDUE INFLUENCE really shines when it comes to the romance. And also with certain modern updates ala Mrs Russell becoming Rusty the drag queen, Freddy working his way up from dishwasher to rich and famous restaurant owner with his own Food Network show, stuff like that. Where this retelling fell apart for me, or just didn't work, were the constant 'if this were a Masterpiece Theatre show' comments -- we already know it's a retelling/homage and some of that was laid on a little thick -- as well as some of the other bits taken rather directly from the story, ie, the scene where this version's Lulu jumps into the lake for attention and hits her head. But worst of all was Rusty's reasons for persuading Adam to dump Freddy which felt thin and awful for no reason (his eventual reasoning didn't work for me and the constant bitching about not going to university just pissed me off). Infact, full stop, his character in particular just didn't work for me and I know he's meant to be the well-meaning villain of the piece but.. I just feel the awesome of the drag queen mentor, the only friend Adam really had, could have been used as less of a browbeater and more of a subtle influence. It might have felt less awful.
All good behaviour had done all these years was make him miserable.
So, yes, I struggled a bit with Rusty, obviously, as well as the characters of Adam's mother and sister, snobby wannabe-rich ladies who run the family vineyard into the ground after the father dies, and I so wish bestfriend Ben had been fleshed out more. But when the focus was on the relationship, both present day and in flashbacks, I loved it. I loved Adam and the changes Holiday made in his character from the original, I loved Freddy fullstop. He actually felt truest to his original and I was so fine with that.
What did you become if you were of a place and you lost that place?
I would probably recommend this more as a sweet or cutesy m/m romance as opposed to those who loved PERSUASION. But if either of those interest you, the way they do me, I would say give it a try. I just wanted something a little more.
** I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
October 24, 2018
3.5 stars rounded up
I’ve read and enjoyed a number of books by Jenny Holiday (her m/m romance, Infamous is a firm favourite of mine) and as Persuasion is one of my top two Jane Austen novels (regularly trading places with Emma at the top of the list), the combination of the author and a favourite plotline was one bound to catch my eye. In something of an embarrassment of riches, this is the second m/m re-telling of Persuasion to appear in the last few weeks (the other is Sally Malcolm’s Perfect Day).
In Ms. Holiday’s take on the story, we’re introduced to Adam Elliot, whose mother and sister have pretty much run the family business (the Kellynch vineyard) and finances into the ground and are about to decamp to stay with a friend in the Hamptons. All the business of the foreclosure and removal has fallen to Adam, who is happy to remain in Bishop’s Glen, where he’s lived all his life, in spite of the continual urging of his oldest – and pretty much only – friend Rusty, that he should leave town and make something of his life.
Rusty stands in for the Lady Russell character as the bringer to bear of the Undue Influence of the title. Garage owner by day, Drag Queen by night, Rusty has been the only person in Adam’s life who seemed to give a damn about him – and is also the person who talked Adam into making what he now regards as the biggest mistake of his life eight years earlier.
That mistake was, of course, parting from the love of his life, Freddy Wentworth. Widely termed the bad-boy of Bishop’s Glen (especially after the infamous town-square dick-sucking incident), Adam and Freddy met when they were both working as parking valets at a local hotel.
Ms. Holiday makes good use of flashbacks to tell the story of Adam and Freddy’s romance (through Freddy’s PoV), a device I enjoy when it’s done well, which is the case here. We don’t get the story of Anne and Wentworth’s romance in the original novel, so I appreciated the fleshing out of the backstory in this way.
Back in the present, Freddy is stunned to learn that the property his sister and brother-in-law have recently purchased in what his best friend calls “the armpit of the Finger Lakes” is the one that formerly belonged to the Elliot family – and in spite of himself, he can’t help wondering what became of Adam. In the intervening years, Freddy has made good and them some; he and his friend, Ben Captain, have opened a popular and successful restaurant in New York, and have also become a pair of TV chefs, with Freddy being the grouchy Gordon Ramsay type while Ben is the sweetly encouraging one.
Undue Influence follows the storyline of Persuasion fairly faithfully, so we’ve got the McGuires (Lulu and Henry) for the Musgroves, Ben Captain for James Benwick, who, in the original was engaged to Wentworth’s sister (who died), but who, here, has recently lost his wife, and William Ellison for William Elliot, in the original, the distant cousin who takes an interest in Anne but is later revealed to be a rather unsavoury chap. Some events are, of necessity, omitted or truncated, but even allowing for a degree of dramatic license, I felt that many of the events occurring in the present timeline were rushed or included for the sake of it - just because they were in the original - and the secondary characters are not very well fleshed out.
The youthful romance between Adam and Freddy is sweetly adorable and they have great chemistry; Freddy is clearly deeply smitten and takes every opportunity he can to spend time with Adam, even going so far as to walk home with him, even though he lives miles in the opposite direction, and he shows a side of himself to Adam that he never shows anyone else. Present-day Freddy tries hard to keep telling himself he hates Adam for throwing him over eight years earlier, but it doesn’t take very long for him to admit to himself that’s BS and that he wants a second chance.
The book’s biggest problem, however, is with the reason for Adam and Freddy’s split, which just isn’t strong enough to explain away the eight year separation of two people who so clearly loved each other and, equally clearly, have never really stopped. This is always going to be the biggest stumbling block in any modern retelling of this story, because the reasons Anne Elliot gave up her Frederick Wentworth aren’t ones that would work dramatically nowadays. She was young and from a well-to-do, snobbish family and Wentworth was, at the time, a mere midshipman with neither wealth nor prospects. A young woman in the early nineteenth century was subject to the wishes of her family and Anne was persuaded, by familial and monetary considerations, to reject the man she loved. In the twenty-first century, those reasons are not believable ones, and unfortunately, Ms. Holiday hasn’t been able to come up with something else which satisfactorily accounts for Adam and Freddy’s separation.
I enjoyed Undue Influence and I liked Adam and Freddy, but the weakness of the pivotal plot point was impossible to ignore. I’m not sure if my knowledge (and love for) Persuasion is a positive or negative thing; if I’d come to this as an m/m contemporary romance without familiarity with the source material, might I have enjoyed it more? I’m not sure, because that plot point is still weak – perhaps even weaker if one doesn’t know the reasons given in the original story – and in any case, I can’t “unread” the other novel, so it’s a moot point.
I’m giving this one a cautious recommendation overall; it has a lot going for it in terms of the writing, the romance and the central characters, but there’s no escaping the fact that it’s let down by the big flaw in the premise.
I’ve read and enjoyed a number of books by Jenny Holiday (her m/m romance, Infamous is a firm favourite of mine) and as Persuasion is one of my top two Jane Austen novels (regularly trading places with Emma at the top of the list), the combination of the author and a favourite plotline was one bound to catch my eye. In something of an embarrassment of riches, this is the second m/m re-telling of Persuasion to appear in the last few weeks (the other is Sally Malcolm’s Perfect Day).
In Ms. Holiday’s take on the story, we’re introduced to Adam Elliot, whose mother and sister have pretty much run the family business (the Kellynch vineyard) and finances into the ground and are about to decamp to stay with a friend in the Hamptons. All the business of the foreclosure and removal has fallen to Adam, who is happy to remain in Bishop’s Glen, where he’s lived all his life, in spite of the continual urging of his oldest – and pretty much only – friend Rusty, that he should leave town and make something of his life.
Rusty stands in for the Lady Russell character as the bringer to bear of the Undue Influence of the title. Garage owner by day, Drag Queen by night, Rusty has been the only person in Adam’s life who seemed to give a damn about him – and is also the person who talked Adam into making what he now regards as the biggest mistake of his life eight years earlier.
That mistake was, of course, parting from the love of his life, Freddy Wentworth. Widely termed the bad-boy of Bishop’s Glen (especially after the infamous town-square dick-sucking incident), Adam and Freddy met when they were both working as parking valets at a local hotel.
Adam came limping up to the valet stand and kept on going right into Freddy’s heart.
Ms. Holiday makes good use of flashbacks to tell the story of Adam and Freddy’s romance (through Freddy’s PoV), a device I enjoy when it’s done well, which is the case here. We don’t get the story of Anne and Wentworth’s romance in the original novel, so I appreciated the fleshing out of the backstory in this way.
Back in the present, Freddy is stunned to learn that the property his sister and brother-in-law have recently purchased in what his best friend calls “the armpit of the Finger Lakes” is the one that formerly belonged to the Elliot family – and in spite of himself, he can’t help wondering what became of Adam. In the intervening years, Freddy has made good and them some; he and his friend, Ben Captain, have opened a popular and successful restaurant in New York, and have also become a pair of TV chefs, with Freddy being the grouchy Gordon Ramsay type while Ben is the sweetly encouraging one.
Undue Influence follows the storyline of Persuasion fairly faithfully, so we’ve got the McGuires (Lulu and Henry) for the Musgroves, Ben Captain for James Benwick, who, in the original was engaged to Wentworth’s sister (who died), but who, here, has recently lost his wife, and William Ellison for William Elliot, in the original, the distant cousin who takes an interest in Anne but is later revealed to be a rather unsavoury chap. Some events are, of necessity, omitted or truncated, but even allowing for a degree of dramatic license, I felt that many of the events occurring in the present timeline were rushed or included for the sake of it - just because they were in the original - and the secondary characters are not very well fleshed out.
The youthful romance between Adam and Freddy is sweetly adorable and they have great chemistry; Freddy is clearly deeply smitten and takes every opportunity he can to spend time with Adam, even going so far as to walk home with him, even though he lives miles in the opposite direction, and he shows a side of himself to Adam that he never shows anyone else. Present-day Freddy tries hard to keep telling himself he hates Adam for throwing him over eight years earlier, but it doesn’t take very long for him to admit to himself that’s BS and that he wants a second chance.
The book’s biggest problem, however, is with the reason for Adam and Freddy’s split, which just isn’t strong enough to explain away the eight year separation of two people who so clearly loved each other and, equally clearly, have never really stopped. This is always going to be the biggest stumbling block in any modern retelling of this story, because the reasons Anne Elliot gave up her Frederick Wentworth aren’t ones that would work dramatically nowadays. She was young and from a well-to-do, snobbish family and Wentworth was, at the time, a mere midshipman with neither wealth nor prospects. A young woman in the early nineteenth century was subject to the wishes of her family and Anne was persuaded, by familial and monetary considerations, to reject the man she loved. In the twenty-first century, those reasons are not believable ones, and unfortunately, Ms. Holiday hasn’t been able to come up with something else which satisfactorily accounts for Adam and Freddy’s separation.
I enjoyed Undue Influence and I liked Adam and Freddy, but the weakness of the pivotal plot point was impossible to ignore. I’m not sure if my knowledge (and love for) Persuasion is a positive or negative thing; if I’d come to this as an m/m contemporary romance without familiarity with the source material, might I have enjoyed it more? I’m not sure, because that plot point is still weak – perhaps even weaker if one doesn’t know the reasons given in the original story – and in any case, I can’t “unread” the other novel, so it’s a moot point.
I’m giving this one a cautious recommendation overall; it has a lot going for it in terms of the writing, the romance and the central characters, but there’s no escaping the fact that it’s let down by the big flaw in the premise.
September 18, 2018
2.5 y subo a 3 porque está bien escrito y me encantan las versiones, soy la que se ha leido todas las de Sweet Home Alabama en todos los fandom habidos y por haber, y algunas son incluso mejores que las originales (hello, Times like These de doodlewrites) sin embargo en esta ocasión creo que han fallado dos grandes pilares de la trama: en primer lugar, el motivo de la separación (en la novela de Austen el contexto en el que ocurren los hechos tiene todo el sentido del mundo) pero en esta historia, lo siento pero no me acabo de creer lo que pasa. La segunda cosa que me ha sacado fuera ha sido Adam, es un personaje sin caracter, vacuo y de verdad, desesperante hasta el hartazgo, nada, y digo NADA consigue redimirle a mis ojos, y ya no hablemos de Rusty o 'las antagonistas' que eran demasiado acartonadas en su papel de 'malas'.
Sé que esto es un romance y como tal estoy dispuesta a dejar cierta dosis de sentido común en la puerta, no me importa sacrificar alguna verosimilitud en favor de la historia de amor porque al fin y al cabo, para mi leer es un escape, leo para relajarme no para ver las noticias de telajinco, pero al mismo tiempo, también me gusta que si la historia se desarrolla en nuestro mundo y no en uno fantástico, haya coherencia dentro de ese universo y lo siento pero puedo decir que nadie pasa de fregaplatos a estrellas michelin en sólo ocho años y de paso sin una formación previa, tal y como pintan a Freddie no me lo imagino cual Ramsey ni mucho menos (que es lo que se intenta), igual me ha chocado porque tengo cierta experiencia en ese mundo y no, el nivel de documentación en una novela romántica también cuenta, al menos para mi.
En definitiva, ha sido un poco una decepción y al final acabé casi saltándome el epílogo porque no les soportaba más.
Sin embargo no todo es negativo, está bien narrada y seguramente le daré más oportunidades a la autora.
Sé que esto es un romance y como tal estoy dispuesta a dejar cierta dosis de sentido común en la puerta, no me importa sacrificar alguna verosimilitud en favor de la historia de amor porque al fin y al cabo, para mi leer es un escape, leo para relajarme no para ver las noticias de telajinco, pero al mismo tiempo, también me gusta que si la historia se desarrolla en nuestro mundo y no en uno fantástico, haya coherencia dentro de ese universo y lo siento pero puedo decir que nadie pasa de fregaplatos a estrellas michelin en sólo ocho años y de paso sin una formación previa, tal y como pintan a Freddie no me lo imagino cual Ramsey ni mucho menos (que es lo que se intenta), igual me ha chocado porque tengo cierta experiencia en ese mundo y no, el nivel de documentación en una novela romántica también cuenta, al menos para mi.
En definitiva, ha sido un poco una decepción y al final acabé casi saltándome el epílogo porque no les soportaba más.
Sin embargo no todo es negativo, está bien narrada y seguramente le daré más oportunidades a la autora.
Read
December 22, 2024My first Austen retelling! Likely to be my last, too, and not because it's bad -- the trouble is, I kept hallucinating original-flavor "Persuasion" and mapping the people and events of "Undue Influence" onto it, so I couldn't even tell whether a given scene was working well because it was borrowing force from Austen, or alternatively whether some aspect seemed weak because it suffered by comparison with Austen.
I suspect that an obstacle to any modern retelling of "Persuasion" is that the writer has to work pretty hard to sell the idea of an adult, or near-adult, being talked out of a happy relationship by, well, anyone. Jenny Holiday's Adam Elliot is, like Anne E., disregarded by his family; Holiday ups his vulnerability to pressure by making him gay in a small town, where his one ally and support is Rusty, aka Lady Rusty Merlot. (The narrative of Adam's isolation is undercut by the fact that Lady Rusty performs in the local gay bar: granted that Adam's shy, mightn't he make friends there since Rusty could introduce him? But never mind.)
Austen never gives us the scene in which Anne rejects Frederick Wentworth; Holiday gives us Adam breaking up with Freddy, and I think she knocks it out of the park. Or, to put it another way, she had to include that scene, because to make the breakup credible we need a front-row seat to Adam experiencing all the pressures on him and breaking under them. Austen, on the other hand, could count on Anne's gender to do the job: by limiting Anne's resources and constraining her behavior, the social rules for young, middle-class women leave her vulnerable to her family and to Lady Russell's opinions. In other words, Anne's identity alone does the job; Adam's doesn't.
There are two real missteps in "Undue Influence." One is trivial but annoying -- a certain amount of authorial winking, like this: "They could have been in one of those conversation-heavy costume dramas Adam always used to like to watch." Or, as Adam is drying his wet hair in front of a fireplace: "Well, isn’t this very cozy and nineteenth-century?" The other has to do with a side plot in which Freddy's best friend, Ben (the Captain Benwick character), starts dating Lulu (the Louisa Musgrove character). Like Captain Benwick, Ben is bereaved. But Ben's loss reads as much more serious than Captain Benwick's, because Benwick has lost a fiancee whom he hasn't seen in months, whereas Ben has lost his actual wife, to cancer. Thus it's jarring when, a few weeks after the death, Ben tells Adam that Freddy thinks he's wallowing; it's even more jarring to learn that he's dating Lulu not much later. This would, I think, have been a good place to step away from the source material: have Ben be recently divorced after his marriage's long decline, say, so he could be crushed at first but also start to recover fairly quickly without the narrative trivializing his loss. Notably, in "Persuasion" Captain Benwick comes off as somewhat light-minded when his affections switch so readily from his dead fiancee to Louisa.
The tl;dr here, I guess, is that retellings of Austen are probably not for me, but that Jenny Holiday is well worth another go. After all, though a series of texts will never carry the weight of a pen-and-paper letter, I did cry.
I suspect that an obstacle to any modern retelling of "Persuasion" is that the writer has to work pretty hard to sell the idea of an adult, or near-adult, being talked out of a happy relationship by, well, anyone. Jenny Holiday's Adam Elliot is, like Anne E., disregarded by his family; Holiday ups his vulnerability to pressure by making him gay in a small town, where his one ally and support is Rusty, aka Lady Rusty Merlot. (The narrative of Adam's isolation is undercut by the fact that Lady Rusty performs in the local gay bar: granted that Adam's shy, mightn't he make friends there since Rusty could introduce him? But never mind.)
Austen never gives us the scene in which Anne rejects Frederick Wentworth; Holiday gives us Adam breaking up with Freddy, and I think she knocks it out of the park. Or, to put it another way, she had to include that scene, because to make the breakup credible we need a front-row seat to Adam experiencing all the pressures on him and breaking under them. Austen, on the other hand, could count on Anne's gender to do the job: by limiting Anne's resources and constraining her behavior, the social rules for young, middle-class women leave her vulnerable to her family and to Lady Russell's opinions. In other words, Anne's identity alone does the job; Adam's doesn't.
There are two real missteps in "Undue Influence." One is trivial but annoying -- a certain amount of authorial winking, like this: "They could have been in one of those conversation-heavy costume dramas Adam always used to like to watch." Or, as Adam is drying his wet hair in front of a fireplace: "Well, isn’t this very cozy and nineteenth-century?" The other has to do with a side plot in which Freddy's best friend, Ben (the Captain Benwick character), starts dating Lulu (the Louisa Musgrove character). Like Captain Benwick, Ben is bereaved. But Ben's loss reads as much more serious than Captain Benwick's, because Benwick has lost a fiancee whom he hasn't seen in months, whereas Ben has lost his actual wife, to cancer. Thus it's jarring when, a few weeks after the death, Ben tells Adam that Freddy thinks he's wallowing; it's even more jarring to learn that he's dating Lulu not much later. This would, I think, have been a good place to step away from the source material: have Ben be recently divorced after his marriage's long decline, say, so he could be crushed at first but also start to recover fairly quickly without the narrative trivializing his loss. Notably, in "Persuasion" Captain Benwick comes off as somewhat light-minded when his affections switch so readily from his dead fiancee to Louisa.
The tl;dr here, I guess, is that retellings of Austen are probably not for me, but that Jenny Holiday is well worth another go. After all, though a series of texts will never carry the weight of a pen-and-paper letter, I did cry.
August 30, 2018
A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
*Warning* The story contains flashbacks. If those aren't your thing, you've be warned.
I've never read this author before and was excited to try this book because the blurb really spoke to me. I love the idea of a scorned lover coming back bigger and better and showing their ex what they missed out on. Undue Influence wasn't as dramatic as I had envisioned, but it was still nice. Slow burn for sure, and no on page sex, which didn't bother me.
The characters weren't what I expected. They were so much nicer and gentler than I have envisioned based on the blurb. I was expecting hard core hate from Freddy when these two saw each other again, but that isn't what happened. They were aloof towards each other, as if they were strangers meeting for the first time. This bothered me because to honest, I love drama (when it's warranted) and I wanted them to have glares and cutting remarks, and bitterness. But nope, they were sweet and kind and kind of just fell back into place after being apart for 8 years.
Having said that, I still had fun reading this. No, my expectations weren't met, and that's ok. This was a very cute story about two men finding each other again after being apart for years because of stupid reasons. Mostly Adams family and his boss made it seemed like insurmountable odds to be with Freddy. That fact really irked me because Rusty (Adam's boss at the garage) was supposed to have Adam's best interest at heart and if Adam had found love, you would think Rusty would push them together, not force them apart. I didn't like Rusty because of that.
As for Adam's mother and sister, yee gods! What a waste of space! Those two are totally spoiled, clueless and selfish people who shouldn't be allowed out. Adam's mother was always putting Adam down, but in a "kind" way, which grr, bothered me! The family kicked Adam out for being gay, but eventually came around to accepting him and he moved back home. However, they made it clear that if Adam decided to be with Freddy, as in live with and have a life together, his mother would not support that, and though the sisters views were never mentioned, I assume she would have agreed since she is just like her mother.
In the end, once Adam and Freddy have reconnected, Adam realizes that he doesn't need Rusty or his mothers' approval. He just needs Freddy, any way he can get him. And that's exactly what he does! :) There is a nice epilogue that shows how these two will be living their life together and it's adorbs.
I give this 3 stars because as cute as it was, it was still just average for me. Nothing extremely great about it, but it was still fun and I love a sweet story with a satisfactory HEA. I would recommend for those looking for this kind of story.
*Warning* The story contains flashbacks. If those aren't your thing, you've be warned.
I've never read this author before and was excited to try this book because the blurb really spoke to me. I love the idea of a scorned lover coming back bigger and better and showing their ex what they missed out on. Undue Influence wasn't as dramatic as I had envisioned, but it was still nice. Slow burn for sure, and no on page sex, which didn't bother me.
The characters weren't what I expected. They were so much nicer and gentler than I have envisioned based on the blurb. I was expecting hard core hate from Freddy when these two saw each other again, but that isn't what happened. They were aloof towards each other, as if they were strangers meeting for the first time. This bothered me because to honest, I love drama (when it's warranted) and I wanted them to have glares and cutting remarks, and bitterness. But nope, they were sweet and kind and kind of just fell back into place after being apart for 8 years.
Having said that, I still had fun reading this. No, my expectations weren't met, and that's ok. This was a very cute story about two men finding each other again after being apart for years because of stupid reasons. Mostly Adams family and his boss made it seemed like insurmountable odds to be with Freddy. That fact really irked me because Rusty (Adam's boss at the garage) was supposed to have Adam's best interest at heart and if Adam had found love, you would think Rusty would push them together, not force them apart. I didn't like Rusty because of that.
As for Adam's mother and sister, yee gods! What a waste of space! Those two are totally spoiled, clueless and selfish people who shouldn't be allowed out. Adam's mother was always putting Adam down, but in a "kind" way, which grr, bothered me! The family kicked Adam out for being gay, but eventually came around to accepting him and he moved back home. However, they made it clear that if Adam decided to be with Freddy, as in live with and have a life together, his mother would not support that, and though the sisters views were never mentioned, I assume she would have agreed since she is just like her mother.
In the end, once Adam and Freddy have reconnected, Adam realizes that he doesn't need Rusty or his mothers' approval. He just needs Freddy, any way he can get him. And that's exactly what he does! :) There is a nice epilogue that shows how these two will be living their life together and it's adorbs.
I give this 3 stars because as cute as it was, it was still just average for me. Nothing extremely great about it, but it was still fun and I love a sweet story with a satisfactory HEA. I would recommend for those looking for this kind of story.
May 8, 2023
DNF @ 25%
I went into this with very high expectations because second chance romances are my favorite romance trope. While I had DNF'd Persuasion when I tried to read it a while ago, I loved Sally Malcolm's Persuasion re-telling MM romance Perfect Day, which added to my excitement. Unfortunately, I'm going to echo u/Andrea's review because having read Perfect Day first made it impossible not to compare the two books and IMO, this one was really lacking.
The biggest problem was how the author handled the second chance romance aspect, which was the most important part of the entire story for me. The MCs didn't have a lot of chemistry and the author's approach to the flashbacks and the overall narrative structure didn't work for me. What's essential in a second chance romance is for the author to quickly establish how much the MCs loved each other in the past, what their first romance was like and how much they still pine for each other. IMO, the majority of this foundation needs to be laid before the MCs come back into contact in the present or it needs to be revealed pretty quickly after they're back in contact. In this instance, the author added very short flashbacks in between longer present-day scenes and by the time the MCs come back into contact, the flashbacks have barely moved the MCs to a friends stage, never mind showing us their romance. When they meet up again after 8 years, I felt nothing because the MCs barely had an emotional reaction to seeing each other again and I had no idea what their first romance had been like.
In addition, the author didn't do a good enough job demonstrating how much the MCs miss each other and how much they pine for each other. I don't care if that amount of intense emotion is realistic or not - it's what makes the second chance romance such a magical and intense experience for me and that's why I love it. If the MCs are living pretty normal lives in the present day and they aren't still emotional wrecks over missing the other person, then what's the point? It might as well be a regular romance.
In addition, the author's approach to the re-telling aspect didn't work for me but it's a strictly me-issue. Since I DNF'd Persuasion out of boredom, I'm not familiar enough with the details of the story, including the roles of minor characters and smaller plotlines. The author clearly did her research and she seems to have spent a lot of time figuring out how to make this a true re-telling, but I ended up not caring about most of these things. There were way too many side characters who I felt didn't add anything to the story and these side characters took up too much narrative space without adding anything to the MC's relationship. For example, I got irritated by those two siblings (Lulu and Henry) who got too much attention by both Adam's family and by Freddy when I just wanted them to go away because they weren't moving the story forward. All of these side characters were obviously counterparts to the original story and those scenes would probably be enjoyable for people who are very familiar with the original but they were just boring filler material to me.
The previous point is something else that I couldn't help but compare to Perfect Day. In that story, I'm sure there are tons of Persuasion Easter eggs that flew right by me, but I was never bored by any of the plotlines or any of the characters because the author made sure the story could be enjoyed as a regular second chance romance as well as by somebody interested in a Persuasion re-telling.
I had some additional minor issues, like Rusty's character not making any sense to me in terms of a regular romance or a Persuasion re-telling. Also - I was completely thrown when the author casually reveals that Ben (Freddy's lifelong best friend and co-worker) is having a tough time because his wife is apparently very sick and has a week to live. I just about fell off my chair by that reveal and I found it bizarre that Freddy and others treat the situation quite casually. Yes, the situation is why Freddy returns to his hometown with Ben but I found it tone deaf and disrespectful how everybody just carried on with their normal lives while this enormously traumatic event was waiting in Ben's future. I know I'm very sensitive to the topic of loved ones dying so others might not feel the same way, but still. The way it was approached felt too casual and made me sour on the characters.
But even if I ignored the minor issues and the Persuasion re-telling Easter eggs that meant nothing to me, I didn't enjoy the second chance romance structure and that was my main reason for wanting to read this book so I'm gonna move onto to something else.
I went into this with very high expectations because second chance romances are my favorite romance trope. While I had DNF'd Persuasion when I tried to read it a while ago, I loved Sally Malcolm's Persuasion re-telling MM romance Perfect Day, which added to my excitement. Unfortunately, I'm going to echo u/Andrea's review because having read Perfect Day first made it impossible not to compare the two books and IMO, this one was really lacking.
The biggest problem was how the author handled the second chance romance aspect, which was the most important part of the entire story for me. The MCs didn't have a lot of chemistry and the author's approach to the flashbacks and the overall narrative structure didn't work for me. What's essential in a second chance romance is for the author to quickly establish how much the MCs loved each other in the past, what their first romance was like and how much they still pine for each other. IMO, the majority of this foundation needs to be laid before the MCs come back into contact in the present or it needs to be revealed pretty quickly after they're back in contact. In this instance, the author added very short flashbacks in between longer present-day scenes and by the time the MCs come back into contact, the flashbacks have barely moved the MCs to a friends stage, never mind showing us their romance. When they meet up again after 8 years, I felt nothing because the MCs barely had an emotional reaction to seeing each other again and I had no idea what their first romance had been like.
In addition, the author didn't do a good enough job demonstrating how much the MCs miss each other and how much they pine for each other. I don't care if that amount of intense emotion is realistic or not - it's what makes the second chance romance such a magical and intense experience for me and that's why I love it. If the MCs are living pretty normal lives in the present day and they aren't still emotional wrecks over missing the other person, then what's the point? It might as well be a regular romance.
In addition, the author's approach to the re-telling aspect didn't work for me but it's a strictly me-issue. Since I DNF'd Persuasion out of boredom, I'm not familiar enough with the details of the story, including the roles of minor characters and smaller plotlines. The author clearly did her research and she seems to have spent a lot of time figuring out how to make this a true re-telling, but I ended up not caring about most of these things. There were way too many side characters who I felt didn't add anything to the story and these side characters took up too much narrative space without adding anything to the MC's relationship. For example, I got irritated by those two siblings (Lulu and Henry) who got too much attention by both Adam's family and by Freddy when I just wanted them to go away because they weren't moving the story forward. All of these side characters were obviously counterparts to the original story and those scenes would probably be enjoyable for people who are very familiar with the original but they were just boring filler material to me.
The previous point is something else that I couldn't help but compare to Perfect Day. In that story, I'm sure there are tons of Persuasion Easter eggs that flew right by me, but I was never bored by any of the plotlines or any of the characters because the author made sure the story could be enjoyed as a regular second chance romance as well as by somebody interested in a Persuasion re-telling.
I had some additional minor issues, like Rusty's character not making any sense to me in terms of a regular romance or a Persuasion re-telling. Also - I was completely thrown when the author casually reveals that Ben (Freddy's lifelong best friend and co-worker) is having a tough time because his wife is apparently very sick and has a week to live. I just about fell off my chair by that reveal and I found it bizarre that Freddy and others treat the situation quite casually. Yes, the situation is why Freddy returns to his hometown with Ben but I found it tone deaf and disrespectful how everybody just carried on with their normal lives while this enormously traumatic event was waiting in Ben's future. I know I'm very sensitive to the topic of loved ones dying so others might not feel the same way, but still. The way it was approached felt too casual and made me sour on the characters.
But even if I ignored the minor issues and the Persuasion re-telling Easter eggs that meant nothing to me, I didn't enjoy the second chance romance structure and that was my main reason for wanting to read this book so I'm gonna move onto to something else.
June 25, 2022
I love this author’s writing. I wish she wrote more MM romances ..This was a lovely adaptation of Jane Austin’s Persuasion.
August 15, 2018
The title on the cover clearly mentions that this book is a retelling of Persuasion and also an m/m romance. I actually don't remember much about the last Austen novel, so I will not be able to compare or give any idea about how close this book stays to the original. However, this is still a fun romance novel and not remembering the origin story didn't hamper my enjoyment.
After his dad's death, Adam tried very hard to keep the family's Kellynch vineyard afloat but there was nothing he could do amidst his mother and sister's excessive spending. After it's auction, all he wants to do is lead is quiet life in the small town of Bishop's Glen but Freddy's return brings all the turmoil in his heart to the forefront. Freddy is sure that he hates the town and Adam for breaking his heart, but seeing him again is like a jolt to his heart and he is not content anymore in the life that he has built for himself in the past eight years.
This is a dual perspective story told in two timelines. The story eight years ago starts off with Adam and Freddy's first meeting and it's beautiful to watch the progression. Their friendship develops slowly, with sweet smiles and long silent walks and they are just so adorable. Adam is a little naive and is very exhilirated by all the new feelings whereas Freddy has never had his heart involved before. They are both very kind and considerate towards each other even though Freddy never shows that side of him to anybody. The development of their romance is just so organic and it felt perfect and when they finally separated, it just about broke my heart.
The present timeline has Adam coming to terms with the fact that he still regrets his decision for pushing Freddy away and tries to squash his hopes for a second chance. Freddy doesn't want to do go through it all again but he can't keep his thoughts about Adam away. It's so obvious to us they still have feelings but they find it difficult to communicate. Their little conversations and getting to know the adult versions of eah other is very adorable and sweetly written. The romance is very very slow burn but their relationship is worth it.
Freddy is a wonderful character. Despite his asshole persona, he is actually a very good friend and considerate person and the way he takes care of Adam is just awesome. He is also very driven and passionate and I loved reading from his POV. Adam is a sweet and hardworking guy with very simple pleasures in life (especially readng) and not much expectations. But he is also too much of a pushover and I hated that about him. His insecurities and loneliness drive him to always act to please others without ever considering his own happiness and I just couldn't completely connect to that part of him.
Adam's family are some of the most selfish characters I've ever read and I hated how much they used him or tried to dictate his life. And despite all this, I don't begrudge him for loving them but I do hate that he let them do all that to him. He is also very dependent on his best friend/father figure Rusty because he has always been there for him; but I thought Rusty took undue advantage of that and forced Adam to choose between his love and Rusty's friendship. It's such a shitty thing to do to a 19 year old vulnerable boy and I just couldn't warm up to him. Everything wrapped up too neatly towards the end and I just felt that neither Rusty nor Adam's family ever acknowledged or apologized enough for the harm they did to Adam due to their selfish behavior.
The romance in this book is adorable and the two MCs are very sweet nice guys but the side characters reallly irritated me and I couldn't enjoy the book as much as I wanted to. It's still a fun and emotional read and I cried a couple of times but I just wish the bad things were adressed more properly. The epilogue is sappy and perfect and a wonderful happy ending. I would definitely recommend this book if you like contemporary Austen retellings or cute m/m romances.
After his dad's death, Adam tried very hard to keep the family's Kellynch vineyard afloat but there was nothing he could do amidst his mother and sister's excessive spending. After it's auction, all he wants to do is lead is quiet life in the small town of Bishop's Glen but Freddy's return brings all the turmoil in his heart to the forefront. Freddy is sure that he hates the town and Adam for breaking his heart, but seeing him again is like a jolt to his heart and he is not content anymore in the life that he has built for himself in the past eight years.
This is a dual perspective story told in two timelines. The story eight years ago starts off with Adam and Freddy's first meeting and it's beautiful to watch the progression. Their friendship develops slowly, with sweet smiles and long silent walks and they are just so adorable. Adam is a little naive and is very exhilirated by all the new feelings whereas Freddy has never had his heart involved before. They are both very kind and considerate towards each other even though Freddy never shows that side of him to anybody. The development of their romance is just so organic and it felt perfect and when they finally separated, it just about broke my heart.
The present timeline has Adam coming to terms with the fact that he still regrets his decision for pushing Freddy away and tries to squash his hopes for a second chance. Freddy doesn't want to do go through it all again but he can't keep his thoughts about Adam away. It's so obvious to us they still have feelings but they find it difficult to communicate. Their little conversations and getting to know the adult versions of eah other is very adorable and sweetly written. The romance is very very slow burn but their relationship is worth it.
Freddy is a wonderful character. Despite his asshole persona, he is actually a very good friend and considerate person and the way he takes care of Adam is just awesome. He is also very driven and passionate and I loved reading from his POV. Adam is a sweet and hardworking guy with very simple pleasures in life (especially readng) and not much expectations. But he is also too much of a pushover and I hated that about him. His insecurities and loneliness drive him to always act to please others without ever considering his own happiness and I just couldn't completely connect to that part of him.
Adam's family are some of the most selfish characters I've ever read and I hated how much they used him or tried to dictate his life. And despite all this, I don't begrudge him for loving them but I do hate that he let them do all that to him. He is also very dependent on his best friend/father figure Rusty because he has always been there for him; but I thought Rusty took undue advantage of that and forced Adam to choose between his love and Rusty's friendship. It's such a shitty thing to do to a 19 year old vulnerable boy and I just couldn't warm up to him. Everything wrapped up too neatly towards the end and I just felt that neither Rusty nor Adam's family ever acknowledged or apologized enough for the harm they did to Adam due to their selfish behavior.
The romance in this book is adorable and the two MCs are very sweet nice guys but the side characters reallly irritated me and I couldn't enjoy the book as much as I wanted to. It's still a fun and emotional read and I cried a couple of times but I just wish the bad things were adressed more properly. The epilogue is sappy and perfect and a wonderful happy ending. I would definitely recommend this book if you like contemporary Austen retellings or cute m/m romances.
June 20, 2019
There were two things keeping me from really enjoying this: my love for Persuasion, and the fact that I recently read Perfect Day (another m/m retelling of Persuasion) wich I loved. I know I shouldn't compare two retellings, but I can't help it.
First of, as a romance in its own right, this is not a bad book. There were some minor issues I had with the writing (the author explained a person's feelings with emojis of all things sometimes, which just annoyed me somehow), but all in all, it's not bad.
I just love Persuasion too much for the changes this book made to them. If it didn't have "A Persuasion Retelling" in the title, I probably would've liked it more.
Changes from the original:
- The class difference: In the original, class plays a central role in the novel. Here, all the subtle differences Austen explored where reduced to a Frederick who dropped out of school and ended up a famous chef, and Adam, whose family run their vineyard into the ground. I only wish it would have felt like there were more obstacles for them to overcome than wounded pride.
- Frederick and Adam's break-up was basically mutual: Where, in the original, Anne is persuaded to let go, Adam might've been persuaded by his best friend, but Frederick also pushes him to acknowledge him publicly, and they both pretty much just give up.
- Lulu's fall: In Persuasion, Louisa Musgrave's fall and injury is a turning point, especially after he learns that everyone considers them engaged, making Frederick realize where his affection truly lies and start fighting for Anne. Here, Lulu's fall is not only implied to be on purpose, but also just serves as a quick solution to get rid of her. After that, she is never seen again, and we only hear from another character that she is engaged to Frederick's friend.
- The almost love triangle: Henrietta and Louisa Musgrave here are Henry and Lulu, and both have their sights set on Frederick. Nothing ever happens with them, they don't play the some role as their original counterparts (say, for example, that scene Anne overhears on their walk), and they just ended up feeling superfluous to me.
- William: Where to begin…. In the original, Anne's cousin William begins to show interest in him, and while she is flattered, she never really considers him as a suitor. Here, William is an older man who is letting the Elliots stay in one of his houses. He pursues Adam, and Adam eventually starts going out with him, even kissing him. Just. No. Especially considering the fact that Adam and Frederick had actually kissed shortly before Adam starts seeing William.
- Rusty/ Lady Rusty Merlot: Lady Russel's counterpart is now a drag queen. Which could have been awesome, but I never really understood his motives. His character was never explored enough for me to understand why he wanted to stop Adam from "making the same mistakes he had".
All in all, it was a good book, but it didn't compare well to the original it tries to emulate for me personally. If you have never read Persuasion, don't love it like I do, or even forgot what it was about, you might probably enjoy it. It IS a good romance, after all.
First of, as a romance in its own right, this is not a bad book. There were some minor issues I had with the writing (the author explained a person's feelings with emojis of all things sometimes, which just annoyed me somehow), but all in all, it's not bad.
I just love Persuasion too much for the changes this book made to them. If it didn't have "A Persuasion Retelling" in the title, I probably would've liked it more.
Changes from the original:
- The class difference: In the original, class plays a central role in the novel. Here, all the subtle differences Austen explored where reduced to a Frederick who dropped out of school and ended up a famous chef, and Adam, whose family run their vineyard into the ground. I only wish it would have felt like there were more obstacles for them to overcome than wounded pride.
- Frederick and Adam's break-up was basically mutual: Where, in the original, Anne is persuaded to let go, Adam might've been persuaded by his best friend, but Frederick also pushes him to acknowledge him publicly, and they both pretty much just give up.
- Lulu's fall: In Persuasion, Louisa Musgrave's fall and injury is a turning point, especially after he learns that everyone considers them engaged, making Frederick realize where his affection truly lies and start fighting for Anne. Here, Lulu's fall is not only implied to be on purpose, but also just serves as a quick solution to get rid of her. After that, she is never seen again, and we only hear from another character that she is engaged to Frederick's friend.
- The almost love triangle: Henrietta and Louisa Musgrave here are Henry and Lulu, and both have their sights set on Frederick. Nothing ever happens with them, they don't play the some role as their original counterparts (say, for example, that scene Anne overhears on their walk), and they just ended up feeling superfluous to me.
- William: Where to begin…. In the original, Anne's cousin William begins to show interest in him, and while she is flattered, she never really considers him as a suitor. Here, William is an older man who is letting the Elliots stay in one of his houses. He pursues Adam, and Adam eventually starts going out with him, even kissing him. Just. No. Especially considering the fact that Adam and Frederick had actually kissed shortly before Adam starts seeing William.
- Rusty/ Lady Rusty Merlot: Lady Russel's counterpart is now a drag queen. Which could have been awesome, but I never really understood his motives. His character was never explored enough for me to understand why he wanted to stop Adam from "making the same mistakes he had".
All in all, it was a good book, but it didn't compare well to the original it tries to emulate for me personally. If you have never read Persuasion, don't love it like I do, or even forgot what it was about, you might probably enjoy it. It IS a good romance, after all.
July 16, 2019
3.5
Adam Elliot doesn't fit in his shallow family. His relatives never really accepted that he's gay and that he walk with a limp. Now that the family vineyard has gone into foreclosure, he must find an other place to live. Fate will put on his path again the first and only man he ever loved, the one he didn't fight for 8 years ago when everyone in his social circle wanted to separate them.
Freddy Wentworth was the bad boy of Bishop's Glen, thanks to his tatoos and promiscuous ways. But something changed when he met Elliot. Too bad his pride got in the way and he left town with a broken heart. Now famous after being the mean chef on a reality show, Freddy is temporarily back in town to help his sister with her new business.
When I learned about this book, I wanted to read it because it's written by Jenny Holiday and I was curious about reading, not my first Austen retelling (Persuasion in this case), by my first retelling with a M/M romance. Don't know if it's the double POV but for me, it has more of a New Adult vibe, but without the sex scenes. I had a great time reading it but some minor details bugged me, which tainted my enjoyment a little bit. I didn't understand how Adam could see Rusty as a friend after how he acted 8 years ago and I also had a hard time understanding Rusty's reaction. His explanations didn't make sense for me. I guess I felt too bad that Adam let people influence his life for so many time but especially for the fact these people wasn't treating him right in the first place. I like the fact we alternate between present days and the past but I would have prefered that the part about the past last longer before getting back to the present and vice versa.
Adam Elliot doesn't fit in his shallow family. His relatives never really accepted that he's gay and that he walk with a limp. Now that the family vineyard has gone into foreclosure, he must find an other place to live. Fate will put on his path again the first and only man he ever loved, the one he didn't fight for 8 years ago when everyone in his social circle wanted to separate them.
Freddy Wentworth was the bad boy of Bishop's Glen, thanks to his tatoos and promiscuous ways. But something changed when he met Elliot. Too bad his pride got in the way and he left town with a broken heart. Now famous after being the mean chef on a reality show, Freddy is temporarily back in town to help his sister with her new business.
When I learned about this book, I wanted to read it because it's written by Jenny Holiday and I was curious about reading, not my first Austen retelling (Persuasion in this case), by my first retelling with a M/M romance. Don't know if it's the double POV but for me, it has more of a New Adult vibe, but without the sex scenes. I had a great time reading it but some minor details bugged me, which tainted my enjoyment a little bit. I didn't understand how Adam could see Rusty as a friend after how he acted 8 years ago and I also had a hard time understanding Rusty's reaction. His explanations didn't make sense for me. I guess I felt too bad that Adam let people influence his life for so many time but especially for the fact these people wasn't treating him right in the first place. I like the fact we alternate between present days and the past but I would have prefered that the part about the past last longer before getting back to the present and vice versa.
September 3, 2018
This is a favorite author of mine and I was really looking forward to this book. Unfortunately it wasn't the hit I was expecting it to be.
This is a m/m retelling of Jane Austin's Persuasion and I think the author did a pretty good of keeping to the original plot but with modernizations. I think though that was part of my problem. There is very little emotion between the MC's until around 60%. I was so bored and unconnected to them that I was ready to dnf by 40%. The story jumps back and forth between today and 8 years ago and that didn't help the situation for me. Again, we don't get to them having a connection until way into the book. I didn't feel the grief and sadness that I was expecting since they'd been missing each other for so long. Even in the flashbacks we don't get to the parts where they exchange much emotion until really late in the story.
I wasn't really committed to any of the characters and really didn't care for any of them except Freddy. Adam FINALLY gets his head out of his butt around 80% but I was over him by then. He was so spineless. I really didn't understand the hold Rusty had over him either. I never felt any true connection between them. There was a lot of telling in this book, no where near enough showing. This author can write super emotional books so I'm assuming it was supposed to be this way?? Maybe a nod to Austin?? (& I'm a total literary heathen because I'd rather stick a pencil in my eye than ever read another Austin book) I'm not really sure, I just know I didn't like it.
If I rated this on enjoyment I would probably rate this more at a two star. I'm not entirely sure about my opinion though. I had just read another retelling of Persuasion by a different author and it was amazing. It's going on my best books of the year list, and as hard as I tried to not compare that book with this one, I just couldn't stop myself. I think if I had read this first I might have liked it a bit more.
So.....very sadly.....not a book that worked for me.
**ARC provided by the author through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
This is a m/m retelling of Jane Austin's Persuasion and I think the author did a pretty good of keeping to the original plot but with modernizations. I think though that was part of my problem. There is very little emotion between the MC's until around 60%. I was so bored and unconnected to them that I was ready to dnf by 40%. The story jumps back and forth between today and 8 years ago and that didn't help the situation for me. Again, we don't get to them having a connection until way into the book. I didn't feel the grief and sadness that I was expecting since they'd been missing each other for so long. Even in the flashbacks we don't get to the parts where they exchange much emotion until really late in the story.
I wasn't really committed to any of the characters and really didn't care for any of them except Freddy. Adam FINALLY gets his head out of his butt around 80% but I was over him by then. He was so spineless. I really didn't understand the hold Rusty had over him either. I never felt any true connection between them. There was a lot of telling in this book, no where near enough showing. This author can write super emotional books so I'm assuming it was supposed to be this way?? Maybe a nod to Austin?? (& I'm a total literary heathen because I'd rather stick a pencil in my eye than ever read another Austin book) I'm not really sure, I just know I didn't like it.
If I rated this on enjoyment I would probably rate this more at a two star. I'm not entirely sure about my opinion though. I had just read another retelling of Persuasion by a different author and it was amazing. It's going on my best books of the year list, and as hard as I tried to not compare that book with this one, I just couldn't stop myself. I think if I had read this first I might have liked it a bit more.
So.....very sadly.....not a book that worked for me.
**ARC provided by the author through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
August 24, 2024
Review from 2019
B- for narration /B for content.
I read and enjoyed Jenny Holiday’s Undue Influence: A Persuasion Retelling when it came out last year, and having also enjoyed Michael Fell’s performance in Infamous I was looking forward to listening to their next collaboration. The novel is a contemporary reworking of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, set in the small town of Bishop’s Glen in upstate New York and in it, our parted lovers are Adam Elliot, the son of a wealthy family of winemakers, and town bad-boy Freddy Wentworth. Undue Influence can be enjoyed regardless of whether you’re familiar with the original; and if you are, you’ll enjoy spotting the key plot points and characters the author has carried over and how they’ve been adapted.
Adam Elliot is spending the evening at the family home on the Kellynch Estate for the final time. His father’s death five years earlier, followed by his mother and sister’s insistence on ignoring the worsening state of their finances and spending lavishly, has run their winery business into the ground, and now they’re broke and have been forced to sell up. But even now, the ladies continue to act as though nothing is wrong and are planning a prolonged stay with an old friend in the Hamptons. Adam, however, is perfectly happy to remain in Bishop’s Glen, even though leaving Kellynch is going to be a real wrench for him. He’s always had a strong affinity for the land, and that affinity is what’s kept him in Bishop’s Glen in spite of the constant nagging by his friend and mentor, Rusty Anderson, to leave town and make something of his life.
Celebrity chef Freddy Wentworth co-owns and runs the popular New York restaurant Captain’s with his best friend. Freddy left the “armpit of the finger lakes” – Bishop’s Glen – eight years earlier and hasn’t been back – has no desire to go back seeing as there’s no longer anything there for him. The broken heart he left with was proof of that. Fate has other plans for him however, when he hears the surprising news that his sister and her husband have purchased the Kellynch estate… and in spite of himself, Freddy can’t help wondering what’s happened to Adam in the eight years since they parted.
The storyline of Undue Influence follows that of Persuasion quite closely, although the author makes a couple of big changes in the way the story is actually told. The first is that we get both Adam and Freddy’s perspectives on events, and the second is that we’re witness to the development of their romance eight years earlier in a series of flashbacks that alternate with the present day chapters almost throughout. That early romance is just lovely; Freddy – who has a reputation for being more than a bit wild – is smitten with Adam from the first moment he sees him, and Adam, who is shy and considers himself unremarkable, is kind of surprised that someone like Freddy would be interested in him at all. What starts as Freddy walking Adam home from work – even though he lives miles in the opposite direction – becomes a friendship that blossoms into more, and for a while, Adam and Freddy are blissfully happy together. But the approaching end of summer is going to signal change, and as anyone familiar with the original will know, it’s not a change for the better.
Present day Adam and Freddy still carry regrets about the way things ended between them all those years ago – truth be told, they regret that things ended at all – and Freddy tries hard to convince himself that he still hates Adam for breaking up with him. But it’s not long before he has to abandon the effort and admit that he wants a second chance – now he just has to work out if that’s what Adam wants, too.
I love second chance romances, and Persuasion is kind of the granddaddy – should that be grandmother? – of them all, but the problem with updating it is that of finding a plausible reason for the central couple to split up. In the original, Anne Elliot is a young woman of good family and Wentworth is a mere midshipman with neither wealth nor prospects. At that time in history someone like Anne would have been subject to the wishes and demands of her family, and so she is persuaded – for monetary and familial reasons – to reject the man she loves. That reason won’t wash in the twenty-first century, so my biggest issue with this updated version is that Ms. Holiday hasn’t really come up with a plausible reason for Adam and Freddy’s split. Yes, Adam’s family disapproved of Freddy and yes, Adam’s friend Rusty – who was his only real friend and the only person who was there for him when Adam really needed someone – kept telling him to get out of Bishop’s Glen and go to college and make a better life; but that isn’t strong enough to account for the break-up, in the twenty-first century, of two people who were so clearly deeply in love. That pivotal plot-point drives the entire novel, and although I really did enjoy the love story and characters, its weakness is impossible to ignore.
Michael Fell delivers a solid, well-paced and expressive performance. He has a pleasant, youthful tone which is a good fit for the two leads, and pitches Freddy’s voice a little lower than Adam’s so they’re generally easy to tell apart. The handful of female characters who appear in the story sound distinct from the men (even if they don’t always sound especially feminine), and the various secondary characters are clearly delineated for the most part, although I did sometimes find myself having to rely on dialogue tags. I also noticed several mispronunciations and mis-reads that really should have been picked up in post-production and corrected (at least once, Mr. Fell substituted one character’s name for another, for example), and there’s also a repeated line in chapter four (or five?), which again, should have been corrected prior to release.
In spite of my criticisms, I enjoyed listening to Undue Influence. Ms. Holiday’s reworking of this much-loved classic is generally well done, and she’s captured much of the spirit of the original novel. The youthful romance between Freddy and Adam is tender and sweet, and their second-chance love story is full of heartfelt longing as they both realise the need to let go of the past if they’re to have a future together. Fans of second chance romances should definitely consider checking it out.
B- for narration /B for content.
I read and enjoyed Jenny Holiday’s Undue Influence: A Persuasion Retelling when it came out last year, and having also enjoyed Michael Fell’s performance in Infamous I was looking forward to listening to their next collaboration. The novel is a contemporary reworking of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, set in the small town of Bishop’s Glen in upstate New York and in it, our parted lovers are Adam Elliot, the son of a wealthy family of winemakers, and town bad-boy Freddy Wentworth. Undue Influence can be enjoyed regardless of whether you’re familiar with the original; and if you are, you’ll enjoy spotting the key plot points and characters the author has carried over and how they’ve been adapted.
Adam Elliot is spending the evening at the family home on the Kellynch Estate for the final time. His father’s death five years earlier, followed by his mother and sister’s insistence on ignoring the worsening state of their finances and spending lavishly, has run their winery business into the ground, and now they’re broke and have been forced to sell up. But even now, the ladies continue to act as though nothing is wrong and are planning a prolonged stay with an old friend in the Hamptons. Adam, however, is perfectly happy to remain in Bishop’s Glen, even though leaving Kellynch is going to be a real wrench for him. He’s always had a strong affinity for the land, and that affinity is what’s kept him in Bishop’s Glen in spite of the constant nagging by his friend and mentor, Rusty Anderson, to leave town and make something of his life.
Celebrity chef Freddy Wentworth co-owns and runs the popular New York restaurant Captain’s with his best friend. Freddy left the “armpit of the finger lakes” – Bishop’s Glen – eight years earlier and hasn’t been back – has no desire to go back seeing as there’s no longer anything there for him. The broken heart he left with was proof of that. Fate has other plans for him however, when he hears the surprising news that his sister and her husband have purchased the Kellynch estate… and in spite of himself, Freddy can’t help wondering what’s happened to Adam in the eight years since they parted.
The storyline of Undue Influence follows that of Persuasion quite closely, although the author makes a couple of big changes in the way the story is actually told. The first is that we get both Adam and Freddy’s perspectives on events, and the second is that we’re witness to the development of their romance eight years earlier in a series of flashbacks that alternate with the present day chapters almost throughout. That early romance is just lovely; Freddy – who has a reputation for being more than a bit wild – is smitten with Adam from the first moment he sees him, and Adam, who is shy and considers himself unremarkable, is kind of surprised that someone like Freddy would be interested in him at all. What starts as Freddy walking Adam home from work – even though he lives miles in the opposite direction – becomes a friendship that blossoms into more, and for a while, Adam and Freddy are blissfully happy together. But the approaching end of summer is going to signal change, and as anyone familiar with the original will know, it’s not a change for the better.
Present day Adam and Freddy still carry regrets about the way things ended between them all those years ago – truth be told, they regret that things ended at all – and Freddy tries hard to convince himself that he still hates Adam for breaking up with him. But it’s not long before he has to abandon the effort and admit that he wants a second chance – now he just has to work out if that’s what Adam wants, too.
I love second chance romances, and Persuasion is kind of the granddaddy – should that be grandmother? – of them all, but the problem with updating it is that of finding a plausible reason for the central couple to split up. In the original, Anne Elliot is a young woman of good family and Wentworth is a mere midshipman with neither wealth nor prospects. At that time in history someone like Anne would have been subject to the wishes and demands of her family, and so she is persuaded – for monetary and familial reasons – to reject the man she loves. That reason won’t wash in the twenty-first century, so my biggest issue with this updated version is that Ms. Holiday hasn’t really come up with a plausible reason for Adam and Freddy’s split. Yes, Adam’s family disapproved of Freddy and yes, Adam’s friend Rusty – who was his only real friend and the only person who was there for him when Adam really needed someone – kept telling him to get out of Bishop’s Glen and go to college and make a better life; but that isn’t strong enough to account for the break-up, in the twenty-first century, of two people who were so clearly deeply in love. That pivotal plot-point drives the entire novel, and although I really did enjoy the love story and characters, its weakness is impossible to ignore.
Michael Fell delivers a solid, well-paced and expressive performance. He has a pleasant, youthful tone which is a good fit for the two leads, and pitches Freddy’s voice a little lower than Adam’s so they’re generally easy to tell apart. The handful of female characters who appear in the story sound distinct from the men (even if they don’t always sound especially feminine), and the various secondary characters are clearly delineated for the most part, although I did sometimes find myself having to rely on dialogue tags. I also noticed several mispronunciations and mis-reads that really should have been picked up in post-production and corrected (at least once, Mr. Fell substituted one character’s name for another, for example), and there’s also a repeated line in chapter four (or five?), which again, should have been corrected prior to release.
In spite of my criticisms, I enjoyed listening to Undue Influence. Ms. Holiday’s reworking of this much-loved classic is generally well done, and she’s captured much of the spirit of the original novel. The youthful romance between Freddy and Adam is tender and sweet, and their second-chance love story is full of heartfelt longing as they both realise the need to let go of the past if they’re to have a future together. Fans of second chance romances should definitely consider checking it out.
September 29, 2018
I'm pretty particular about Austen retellings, but this had so many things that I like, namely food/wine and very specific settings, that I had to give it a try. And I really liked it! The hardest thing part of this for me was Rusty, and I think actually I find him worse than Lady Russell is in the original? There are at least there's a long standing bond and she's not actually threatening Anne's well being, whereas here, Rusty's threat to fire Adam if he didn't break up with Freddy carried so much more weight.
Glad I picked this up.
Glad I picked this up.
November 10, 2018
*~~*ARC kindly provided by the author to me in exchange for an honest review *~~*
- Review to come
Review originally posted on my blog with added content Mikku-chan / A world full of words
- Review to come
Review originally posted on my blog with added content Mikku-chan / A world full of words
July 21, 2019
Listened as an audiobook. Loved the narrator, enjoyed the book. I have never read the original book by Jane Austin. So, I don’t know how it compares to the original book. I really enjoyed this book.
September 4, 2018
Reviewed for Just Love
4 stars
Look, I’m here for all the Jane Austen retellings you can throw at me, so I’m basically the perfect audience for a book like this. But I have to say, this stripped down, fluffed up, m/m retelling of Persuasion was just the thing I needed to ease my end-of-summer-vacation blues.
I’m not overly familiar with the original book, not like I am with Pride & Prejudice or even Sense & Sensibility, but I feel like the author took the best parts Persuasion, gave it a little m/m flavour and created a feel-good romance that doesn’t require a special degree in the collected works of Jane Austen to enjoy.
Much like in the original, the Elliot family are in a bit of an economic downturn. They’ve lost their home and their winery, and are moving out of their small town to make room for the people that have bought their house and property. Adam, with his head in the clouds but his feet still planted firmly on the ground, is trying to make the best of a bad situation. His plans include moving in to his RV and parking it at his brother’s place in order to stay in town and continue working at the auto repair shop owned by his friend, Rusty. His plans don��t include meeting Freddy again after all these years.
Freddy, his first love.
Freddy, the one that got away.
Freddy, the money behind the person who has just bought Adam’s home.
If you know Persuasion, you’ll know how the story goes. But really, if you know romance in general, you’ll know how the story goes. Getting there is the fun part and I enjoyed watching Adam and Freddy slowly work their way back together. The flashbacks help to fill in the years long gap in their relationship and the texts are a nice 21st century homage to the famous “I am half agony, half hope” letter in the original book.
About the only thing that didn’t work for me was Rusty’s character, or rather, his motivations in keeping Adam and Freddy apart. I felt like his reasons didn’t feel either strong enough or valid enough to keep a sensitive soul like Adam from someone he truly loved. Plus, his capitulation at the end was a far too sudden turnabout for someone so determined to stop Adam from making a rash decision.
In the end, though, I truly enjoyed Undue Influence and have no problem recommending it to anyone looking for a light-hearted story that will still tug at the heartstrings.
Copy received courtesy of NetGalley
4 stars
Look, I’m here for all the Jane Austen retellings you can throw at me, so I’m basically the perfect audience for a book like this. But I have to say, this stripped down, fluffed up, m/m retelling of Persuasion was just the thing I needed to ease my end-of-summer-vacation blues.
I’m not overly familiar with the original book, not like I am with Pride & Prejudice or even Sense & Sensibility, but I feel like the author took the best parts Persuasion, gave it a little m/m flavour and created a feel-good romance that doesn’t require a special degree in the collected works of Jane Austen to enjoy.
Much like in the original, the Elliot family are in a bit of an economic downturn. They’ve lost their home and their winery, and are moving out of their small town to make room for the people that have bought their house and property. Adam, with his head in the clouds but his feet still planted firmly on the ground, is trying to make the best of a bad situation. His plans include moving in to his RV and parking it at his brother’s place in order to stay in town and continue working at the auto repair shop owned by his friend, Rusty. His plans don��t include meeting Freddy again after all these years.
Freddy, his first love.
Freddy, the one that got away.
Freddy, the money behind the person who has just bought Adam’s home.
If you know Persuasion, you’ll know how the story goes. But really, if you know romance in general, you’ll know how the story goes. Getting there is the fun part and I enjoyed watching Adam and Freddy slowly work their way back together. The flashbacks help to fill in the years long gap in their relationship and the texts are a nice 21st century homage to the famous “I am half agony, half hope” letter in the original book.
About the only thing that didn’t work for me was Rusty’s character, or rather, his motivations in keeping Adam and Freddy apart. I felt like his reasons didn’t feel either strong enough or valid enough to keep a sensitive soul like Adam from someone he truly loved. Plus, his capitulation at the end was a far too sudden turnabout for someone so determined to stop Adam from making a rash decision.
In the end, though, I truly enjoyed Undue Influence and have no problem recommending it to anyone looking for a light-hearted story that will still tug at the heartstrings.
Copy received courtesy of NetGalley
November 24, 2020
Sadly Persuasion – Jane Austen is the one I liked the least of her books. I've so much wanted to grab Anne and give her a good shake.
And Jenny Holiday did an amazing job, because these were the exact feelings I had towards Adam, who is a major pushover and desperately needed to find his spine and start living his own life and grab happiness.
While Freddy is the town's bad boy, to me he was just so sweet with a big heart. He loved Adam wholeheartedly and I think he made the right decision to leave.
In the end Freddy overcoming his pride and Adam overcoming his cowardice, the two open up and tell each other how the feel.
I liked reading this story, the characters were likeable, although I do think Rusty was too quickly left off the hook and forgiven.
September 25, 2018
I know Jane Austen's books almost word by word, they're masterpieces. And I think that try to rewrite one of her story is a terribly difficult job, so if the author does an half good job is still a good work and a victory.
I think this author did a great job with this rewriting of persuasion.
I really really enjoyed this story! It was coherent with the original, but also not a merely rewrite. The characters were portrayed well, and I loved Adam, such a sweetie and without the extremely self commiseration of the original Anne.
The HEA was lovely, and also the journey to get there.
I recommend this one for sure, I am so glad I gave it a try 😊
I think this author did a great job with this rewriting of persuasion.
I really really enjoyed this story! It was coherent with the original, but also not a merely rewrite. The characters were portrayed well, and I loved Adam, such a sweetie and without the extremely self commiseration of the original Anne.
The HEA was lovely, and also the journey to get there.
I recommend this one for sure, I am so glad I gave it a try 😊
December 10, 2021
Sweet Austen update.
Second-chance love; fade-to-black
Sex. Such lovely men.
Second-chance love; fade-to-black
Sex. Such lovely men.
July 4, 2019
I really liked this one. I'm always looking for Persuasion retellings, so I can get a hit of what I really crave in Persuasion, which is Wentworth's POV. This book delivered that beautifully.
It's on the shorter side, but I didn't really notice that as a lack, except for maybe the ending (by which I mean the end of the main story, not the epilogue) where I would have loved just a little bit more. But I loved the dual perspectives, and the flashbacks. There are probably things that do not update or translate well from Austen to a contemporary setting. Most of them worked pretty well for me, but ymmv on that.
The only thing I really didn't like was the epilogue. That was way too much corn to eat at the end, and I want no part of it.
It's on the shorter side, but I didn't really notice that as a lack, except for maybe the ending (by which I mean the end of the main story, not the epilogue) where I would have loved just a little bit more. But I loved the dual perspectives, and the flashbacks. There are probably things that do not update or translate well from Austen to a contemporary setting. Most of them worked pretty well for me, but ymmv on that.
The only thing I really didn't like was the epilogue. That was way too much corn to eat at the end, and I want no part of it.
June 27, 2019
M/M retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion. I don't really remember reading the original though, nevertheless I enjoyed this story on its own merits. More YA in nature with almost zero steam. I love the old world charm of it. Long walks. Adam's RV. Holding hands. Freddy is a true gentleman, with a bit too much pride. Very different from the contemporary heroes of today, who are billionaires, alpha-males who knows best and "better do as I say" attitude. Don't like the character of Rusty/Lady Merlot though. I felt there was no real apology to Adam. Freddy and Adam forever ❤.
July 12, 2018
Got a sneak peek at this one -- it's an absolutely delicious slow burn, with tons of angst and hardcore backstory. Made me feel all the feels. If you love Persuasion, grab this one the second it comes out.
August 29, 2018
I adored this book. ADORED. I watched the 2007 movie version of Persuasion recently (though I'm ashamed to say I haven't actually read the book by Jane Austen yet... SOON!) and I loved the ways in which Undue Influence ties into the original while still maintaining its originality. Just small things, like Ben Captain as the modern version of Captain Benwick and Rusty/Lady Merlot as Lady Russell's character, were just lovely touches. Reading Undue Influence made me both want to read Persuasion and also to IMMEDIATELY REREAD UNDUE INFLUENCE.
Adam is adorable and I want to keep him in my pocket. He is so mild-mannered and quiet, but then has such a deep appreciation for the truly beautiful, and very much is like Anne of the original novel. I loved Freddy's character and I feel like getting his viewpoint added such a wonderful depth and complexity to the story. Their interactions together are so sweet and then so heartbreaking. I really appreciated the texts between the two servings rather like letters in Austen's novels as well. I know Jenny Holiday had expressed at some point or other that Undue Influence doesn't really fit into her normal wheelhouse, but DARN, am I glad she wrote it, because I love it SO DEEPLY. Undue Influence is my favorite Jane Austen retelling by far. Also, Mr. Collins. <3 <3 <3
Adam is adorable and I want to keep him in my pocket. He is so mild-mannered and quiet, but then has such a deep appreciation for the truly beautiful, and very much is like Anne of the original novel. I loved Freddy's character and I feel like getting his viewpoint added such a wonderful depth and complexity to the story. Their interactions together are so sweet and then so heartbreaking. I really appreciated the texts between the two servings rather like letters in Austen's novels as well. I know Jenny Holiday had expressed at some point or other that Undue Influence doesn't really fit into her normal wheelhouse, but DARN, am I glad she wrote it, because I love it SO DEEPLY. Undue Influence is my favorite Jane Austen retelling by far. Also, Mr. Collins. <3 <3 <3
September 7, 2018
Thank you to NetGalley, Jenny Holiday, and the publisher for the ebook copy to review. As always, an honest review from me.
Adam and Freddy both grew up in the same small town with slightly different circumstances. One was a bit of a misunderstood rebel/bad boy. The other did what his family wanted and enjoyed being alone with his thoughts. They met eight years ago one summer and fell in love. Circumstances, fear, and stubbornness got in the way of their happily ever after.
Now they’re all grown up. Freddy left home to become a big time chef, restaurant owner and reality TV star. Adam chose to stay in his much beloved small town, working as a mechanic for his friend and mentor. Due to unforeseen circumstances, they’re back in each other’s lives. Sparks ignite. But can they rekindle their love for each other after years of heartbreak?
I really enjoyed reading Undue Influence. The romance is so sweet without being overly sappy. The two men are genuinely nice people that I enjoyed getting to know. Adam and Freddy are such a cute couple. Here are a few more things I enjoyed about the book:
- Shows the spectrum of gay, bisexual and pansexual men. Also a drag queen. Not just the token one or two gay characters.
- A mechanic who reads and enjoys nature. Love!
- Shows that not everyone has to hate the small town they grew up in
- Respectfully distancing yourself from toxic family members allows you to be much happier #LifeLesson
The only downside is that it took me some time to get into the story at the beginning.
Overall a really sweet romance that I highly recommend.
Adam and Freddy both grew up in the same small town with slightly different circumstances. One was a bit of a misunderstood rebel/bad boy. The other did what his family wanted and enjoyed being alone with his thoughts. They met eight years ago one summer and fell in love. Circumstances, fear, and stubbornness got in the way of their happily ever after.
Now they’re all grown up. Freddy left home to become a big time chef, restaurant owner and reality TV star. Adam chose to stay in his much beloved small town, working as a mechanic for his friend and mentor. Due to unforeseen circumstances, they’re back in each other’s lives. Sparks ignite. But can they rekindle their love for each other after years of heartbreak?
I really enjoyed reading Undue Influence. The romance is so sweet without being overly sappy. The two men are genuinely nice people that I enjoyed getting to know. Adam and Freddy are such a cute couple. Here are a few more things I enjoyed about the book:
- Shows the spectrum of gay, bisexual and pansexual men. Also a drag queen. Not just the token one or two gay characters.
- A mechanic who reads and enjoys nature. Love!
- Shows that not everyone has to hate the small town they grew up in
- Respectfully distancing yourself from toxic family members allows you to be much happier #LifeLesson
The only downside is that it took me some time to get into the story at the beginning.
Overall a really sweet romance that I highly recommend.
September 11, 2018
It's only been a few days since I read "Perfect Day", a Persuasion retelling. I mentioned in that review that "Persuasion" is my favourite Jane Austen novel, so I could hardly believe my luck when I saw there was another one! And I really enjoyed this one as well.
I had a few minor niggles - nothing that really marred my enjoyment the first time, because I fairly rushed through it, but things that I would probably notice the second time around. I found the detailed flashbacks unnecessary, or rather there were too many of them. I also wasn't a bit fan of the Hamptons interlude - I enjoyed that section of "Perfect Day" a lot more. But overall I had a lot of fun reading it - I glommed it down in two hours when I was supposed to be asleep, so that probably tells you something. Like "Infamous", it could have used some more work to make it a great book, but as it is, it is pretty good.
I had a few minor niggles - nothing that really marred my enjoyment the first time, because I fairly rushed through it, but things that I would probably notice the second time around. I found the detailed flashbacks unnecessary, or rather there were too many of them. I also wasn't a bit fan of the Hamptons interlude - I enjoyed that section of "Perfect Day" a lot more. But overall I had a lot of fun reading it - I glommed it down in two hours when I was supposed to be asleep, so that probably tells you something. Like "Infamous", it could have used some more work to make it a great book, but as it is, it is pretty good.
September 17, 2018
4.5 stars.
After a spate of DNFs, I needed a win in my reading, and Jenny Holiday reliably came through. This is a beautiful modern adaptation of Persuasion - quiet, sensitive, and layered with emotion. Also, the books starts with
"It is a truth universally acknowledged--"
"Oh, fuck off."
I am on board with taking the piss out of the overuse of that iconic line.
My main quibble with it was Rusty's apology at the end, which came without a lot of regret or understanding on his part and that Adam allowed too easily.
After a spate of DNFs, I needed a win in my reading, and Jenny Holiday reliably came through. This is a beautiful modern adaptation of Persuasion - quiet, sensitive, and layered with emotion. Also, the books starts with
"It is a truth universally acknowledged--"
"Oh, fuck off."
I am on board with taking the piss out of the overuse of that iconic line.
My main quibble with it was Rusty's apology at the end, which came without a lot of regret or understanding on his part and that Adam allowed too easily.
April 12, 2025
"Persuasion" has a special place in my heart; it's always been my favorite Jane Austen. So I read cautiously and I really like this adaptation. The melancholy was there. The pulling in different directions was there. A small town gay man with an overbearing and insufferable family plus an entitled friend, was a good stand-in for a 19th century woman. This made teary in the best way.
(With that said, Ben Captain should have been divorced, not an extremely recent widow in this modern retelling. It's kinda gross to see him get over the death of his supposed beloved dead wife and go whole hog at Lulu. Blech.)
(With that said, Ben Captain should have been divorced, not an extremely recent widow in this modern retelling. It's kinda gross to see him get over the death of his supposed beloved dead wife and go whole hog at Lulu. Blech.)
November 13, 2019
Persuasion just so happens to be my very favourite Jane Austen novel, and the prospect of a contemporary M/M retelling thereof proved to be an irresistable prospect. To my complete and utter delight, this actually turned out to be everything I hoped for - I absolutely adored this story and its characters. Sweet, sweet perfection.
September 22, 2018
Oh my goodness this book! I am madly in love with it! I loved how angst filled this was. It wouldnt be a proper Persuasion retelling without it. Adam and Freddy were relatable characters, as were their circumstances. Let us only hope that Jenny Holiday is up for more classic retellings!
August 30, 2018
Terrific retelling of Persuasion. Excellent in almost every way. Review for AAR to come.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews