What do you think?
Rate this book
The Bennet Women
In this delightfully modern spin on Pride and Prejudice, love is a goal, marriage is a distant option, and self-discovery is a sure thing.
Welcome to Bennet House, the only all-women’s dorm at prestigious Longbourn University, home to three close friends who are about to have an eventful year. EJ is an ambitious Black engineering student. Her best friend, Jamie, is a newly out trans woman studying French and theatre. Tessa is a Filipina astronomy major with guy trouble. For them, Bennet House is more than a residence—it’s an oasis of feminism, femininity, and enlightenment. But as great as Longbourn is for academics, EJ knows it can be a wretched place to find love.
Yet the fall season is young and brimming with surprising possibilities. Jamie’s prospect is Lee Gregory, son of a Hollywood producer and a gentleman so charming he practically sparkles. That leaves EJ with Lee’s arrogant best friend, Will. For Jamie’s sake, EJ must put up with the disagreeable, distressingly handsome, not quite famous TV actor for as long as she can.
What of it? EJ has her eyes on a bigger prize, anyway: launching a spectacular engineering career in the “real world” she’s been hearing so much about. But what happens when all their lives become entwined in ways no one could have predicted—and EJ finds herself drawn to a man who’s not exactly a perfect fit for the future she has planned?
Welcome to Bennet House, the only all-women’s dorm at prestigious Longbourn University, home to three close friends who are about to have an eventful year. EJ is an ambitious Black engineering student. Her best friend, Jamie, is a newly out trans woman studying French and theatre. Tessa is a Filipina astronomy major with guy trouble. For them, Bennet House is more than a residence—it’s an oasis of feminism, femininity, and enlightenment. But as great as Longbourn is for academics, EJ knows it can be a wretched place to find love.
Yet the fall season is young and brimming with surprising possibilities. Jamie’s prospect is Lee Gregory, son of a Hollywood producer and a gentleman so charming he practically sparkles. That leaves EJ with Lee’s arrogant best friend, Will. For Jamie’s sake, EJ must put up with the disagreeable, distressingly handsome, not quite famous TV actor for as long as she can.
What of it? EJ has her eyes on a bigger prize, anyway: launching a spectacular engineering career in the “real world” she’s been hearing so much about. But what happens when all their lives become entwined in ways no one could have predicted—and EJ finds herself drawn to a man who’s not exactly a perfect fit for the future she has planned?
365 pages, Paperback
First published July 20, 2021
1677 people are currently reading
10802 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 590 reviews
August 6, 2021
I'm going to give this three stars because I do appreciate having a Black woman and a transgender woman as main characters without the corresponding trauma a lot of books tend to have.
However, we really need to stop saying books are a "modern take" on Pride and Prejudice just because two people who start out hating each other eventually fall in love. I know it's a marketing ploy...but let's end this trend please.
However, we really need to stop saying books are a "modern take" on Pride and Prejudice just because two people who start out hating each other eventually fall in love. I know it's a marketing ploy...but let's end this trend please.
September 1, 2021
I love love love a retelling! The Bennet Women is a modern take on Pride and Prejudice. It’s refreshing because love and finding oneself are the main goals. Marriage is out there, but not the focus.
Bennet House is the women’s dorm at Longbourn University. Three close friends live there; EJ, Jamie, and Tessa. EJ is studying engineering. Jamie is a transgender woman studying French and theater, and Tessa studying astronomy. Their home away from home at Bennet House is where they feel connected to who they are and their femininity. It’s a safe space in a sea of pressures that is their university. The book follows the three women and their journeys. Maybe they’ll find love, but even more importantly, maybe they will find themselves along the way.
This is such a refreshing and positive book. It’s also witty, and the characters feel completely authentic. I couldn’t help but love them all, especially EJ. The Bennet Women is a feel-good and inspiring story of friendship and love, and overall a smart, enjoyable, and satisfying contemporary.
I received a gifted copy from the publisher.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
Bennet House is the women’s dorm at Longbourn University. Three close friends live there; EJ, Jamie, and Tessa. EJ is studying engineering. Jamie is a transgender woman studying French and theater, and Tessa studying astronomy. Their home away from home at Bennet House is where they feel connected to who they are and their femininity. It’s a safe space in a sea of pressures that is their university. The book follows the three women and their journeys. Maybe they’ll find love, but even more importantly, maybe they will find themselves along the way.
This is such a refreshing and positive book. It’s also witty, and the characters feel completely authentic. I couldn’t help but love them all, especially EJ. The Bennet Women is a feel-good and inspiring story of friendship and love, and overall a smart, enjoyable, and satisfying contemporary.
I received a gifted copy from the publisher.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
September 26, 2022
4 STARS <3
“A smart woman can stand on her own two feet. Conversely, there is nothing people respect less than a woman defined by men.”
TO START—don't hurt me, but I haven't read Pride & Prejudice, so I can't speak to this being a good modern retelling of the story or not. Now that that is out of the way... this was a really fun, refreshing, moving, diverse, inclusive, and inspirational story focused on three women attending Longbourn University who are a part of a dorm called the Bennet House.
EJ is studying engineering, Jamie is studying French and theatre, and Tessa is studying astronomy—however, their studies are not the main focus of this book. This book is more about women-power, growth, trauma (including triggers such as drugs, racism, homophobia), friendship/sisterhood, and love. We meet many characters along the way that join into this story that make it flourish.
In the beginning, it was a little hard for me to follow. This is multiple POV which I like, yet there are soo many characters that sometimes I would forget whose POV I was reading from. I got the hang of it eventually. Overall, I was whisked away and utterly invested. This book had soo many amazing liners that hit home for me and lead everything to come together, in the end, the way it should.
“A smart woman can stand on her own two feet. Conversely, there is nothing people respect less than a woman defined by men.”
TO START—don't hurt me, but I haven't read Pride & Prejudice, so I can't speak to this being a good modern retelling of the story or not. Now that that is out of the way... this was a really fun, refreshing, moving, diverse, inclusive, and inspirational story focused on three women attending Longbourn University who are a part of a dorm called the Bennet House.
EJ is studying engineering, Jamie is studying French and theatre, and Tessa is studying astronomy—however, their studies are not the main focus of this book. This book is more about women-power, growth, trauma (including triggers such as drugs, racism, homophobia), friendship/sisterhood, and love. We meet many characters along the way that join into this story that make it flourish.
In the beginning, it was a little hard for me to follow. This is multiple POV which I like, yet there are soo many characters that sometimes I would forget whose POV I was reading from. I got the hang of it eventually. Overall, I was whisked away and utterly invested. This book had soo many amazing liners that hit home for me and lead everything to come together, in the end, the way it should.
August 30, 2021
A post-modern take on the Pride & Prejudice story by debut author, Eden Appiah-Kubi, was lush with diversity, inclusiveness, woman power, and college life. Austen’s works have a timeless quality and this fresh new adult tale centered around the women living at Bennet House on a private college campus experiencing the ups and downs of life and love prove that once again.
The Bennet Women opens with the introduction of EJ, the RA of the Bennet House, rushing around on the day of one of the school’s biggest social activities, a dance. The women of the house have gone mad as a result of learning that some famous faces will be seen there and EJ has been putting out fires. She’s excited to dress up and cut a rug at the dance with her friends. But, then after squeeing over the arrival of a surprise guest, she is deflated when an arrogant guy who happens to be the friend of her bestie’s new guy insults her looks and looks down on her, her friends, and their favorite places. But, then her first impression gets a jolt when he shows a different side. Too bad someone is infiltrating the group to stir things up.
Next, Jamie is introduced when she frets over the beautiful, expensive dress her mom sent her to wear to the dance when she already has a killing jumpsuit outfit. Excited to meet an amazing guy at the dance, sweet-tempered Jamie can only marvel at her luck at starting up a new romance with the fun-loving Lee who seems perfect for her.
Meanwhile, Tessa, their Bennet House renaissance gal is stuck in a dead-end toxic relationship with Collin, but she’s there for EJ and Jamie.
Will Pak is a wealthy, successful Asian actor who just wants to bury himself in his last year of study toward his BA on this quaint New England college campus and hope nobody brings up his colossal break up with Carrie. Will is morose and discovers that he has made himself odious rather than coolly aloof, but particularly to Lee and his new friends including EJ who he finds interesting. He might find way more than he’s bargaining for if he can start over with EJ and work through someone’s cunning deceitful plan against him.
With multiple narrators- EJ, Jamie, Will, Tessa- The Bennet Women has a larger cast multi-faceted feel since each character’s perspective is unique to them. I ended up needing to see the story through each of their eyes to better engage with the story. The characters and I, and even the romances, were at arm’s length much of the time.
I think it was a bit of writing style and also needing the plot and characters more developed, but I will also admit that this is so cutting edge 21st century that I felt out of step with these fresh young women and men. Nobody wants to admit they’re past it, but yeah, I felt that age gap particularly when the many cultural entertainment references that slid right on past like an unknown foreign language. Still, I think it was a good experience to push me out of my comfort zone and see what a different generation is thinking and feeling though the college campus life and an all-women’s dorm were not unfamiliar to me.
So, I felt that distance, but yet the story and the lives of this group pulled me in. I loved rooting for EJ as she worked so hard on her bridge plan project to get picked to deliver a presentation on environmental engineering to the Black Engineers group and make her dad proud, seeing Jamie experience happiness and acceptance after getting the slams and phobic business for being a newly out Trans gal. And oh yeah, Tessa needed to dump that toxic Collin. Like with the original Darcy, Will Pak has a tough, growing experience when his life was derailed and he had a new start.
The book read fast and I was done before I realized it. I have to admit that a few times I forgot this was associated with Pride & Prejudice. It had those vibes here and there, but it was not a strongly connected retelling or even variation. Those who are looking for a tight one to one correspondence in the plot and characters won’t find it, but Austen isn’t utterly absent, either. Let us say, it has a P&P flavor.
In summary, it was a good look in on the college age women of today that gives a respectful nod to an author from the past who led the way while providing a quick tale of friends and romance on a college campus. This won’t be for all the Austen lovers. Those unfamiliar with P&P need not worry to pick up this mash of contemporary new adult romance and women’s fiction.
The Bennet Women opens with the introduction of EJ, the RA of the Bennet House, rushing around on the day of one of the school’s biggest social activities, a dance. The women of the house have gone mad as a result of learning that some famous faces will be seen there and EJ has been putting out fires. She’s excited to dress up and cut a rug at the dance with her friends. But, then after squeeing over the arrival of a surprise guest, she is deflated when an arrogant guy who happens to be the friend of her bestie’s new guy insults her looks and looks down on her, her friends, and their favorite places. But, then her first impression gets a jolt when he shows a different side. Too bad someone is infiltrating the group to stir things up.
Next, Jamie is introduced when she frets over the beautiful, expensive dress her mom sent her to wear to the dance when she already has a killing jumpsuit outfit. Excited to meet an amazing guy at the dance, sweet-tempered Jamie can only marvel at her luck at starting up a new romance with the fun-loving Lee who seems perfect for her.
Meanwhile, Tessa, their Bennet House renaissance gal is stuck in a dead-end toxic relationship with Collin, but she’s there for EJ and Jamie.
Will Pak is a wealthy, successful Asian actor who just wants to bury himself in his last year of study toward his BA on this quaint New England college campus and hope nobody brings up his colossal break up with Carrie. Will is morose and discovers that he has made himself odious rather than coolly aloof, but particularly to Lee and his new friends including EJ who he finds interesting. He might find way more than he’s bargaining for if he can start over with EJ and work through someone’s cunning deceitful plan against him.
With multiple narrators- EJ, Jamie, Will, Tessa- The Bennet Women has a larger cast multi-faceted feel since each character’s perspective is unique to them. I ended up needing to see the story through each of their eyes to better engage with the story. The characters and I, and even the romances, were at arm’s length much of the time.
I think it was a bit of writing style and also needing the plot and characters more developed, but I will also admit that this is so cutting edge 21st century that I felt out of step with these fresh young women and men. Nobody wants to admit they’re past it, but yeah, I felt that age gap particularly when the many cultural entertainment references that slid right on past like an unknown foreign language. Still, I think it was a good experience to push me out of my comfort zone and see what a different generation is thinking and feeling though the college campus life and an all-women’s dorm were not unfamiliar to me.
So, I felt that distance, but yet the story and the lives of this group pulled me in. I loved rooting for EJ as she worked so hard on her bridge plan project to get picked to deliver a presentation on environmental engineering to the Black Engineers group and make her dad proud, seeing Jamie experience happiness and acceptance after getting the slams and phobic business for being a newly out Trans gal. And oh yeah, Tessa needed to dump that toxic Collin. Like with the original Darcy, Will Pak has a tough, growing experience when his life was derailed and he had a new start.
The book read fast and I was done before I realized it. I have to admit that a few times I forgot this was associated with Pride & Prejudice. It had those vibes here and there, but it was not a strongly connected retelling or even variation. Those who are looking for a tight one to one correspondence in the plot and characters won’t find it, but Austen isn’t utterly absent, either. Let us say, it has a P&P flavor.
In summary, it was a good look in on the college age women of today that gives a respectful nod to an author from the past who led the way while providing a quick tale of friends and romance on a college campus. This won’t be for all the Austen lovers. Those unfamiliar with P&P need not worry to pick up this mash of contemporary new adult romance and women’s fiction.
September 12, 2021
i really, really like p&p and i think i will try not to read another retelling. for me, the p&p retelling part was not good at all. that aside i didn't really liked the story telling, the chapters or the characters, not an enjoyable read for me.
August 1, 2021
Hipster New Adult Romance, Not Jane Austen Fanfiction
I absolutely adore Jane Austen fanfiction written by contemporary authors... mostly. Over the course of 5 years, I’ve read hundreds of them, most self-published and of varying quality. I love the original, re-reading it every year as a birthday treat, and like to see how talented contemporary authors work with the well-loved characters, themes, and circumstances. I read both Jane Austen fanfiction set in the Regency era as well as ones written in other time periods, including our modern one. Despite the authors' claim that this is a modern Pride and Prejudice variation, to me, it felt too different from the original to truly be Jane Austen fanfiction. While I might say that the author is inspired by P&P—as many romances can be—the book doesn't strike the notes I expect well-written P&P Jane Austen fanfiction to hit, like excellent banter, humor, and subtle digs about living in a particular society. Rather, it felt like a takes-itself-too-seriously hipster YA/NA contemporary romance with an occasional nod to P&P. I did appreciate the diversity of the cast of characters. But I just could not connect with them and their stories like I did with the original Pride and Prejudice and the variations I've enjoyed. Perhaps if you go into reading this NOT thinking it is based on Pride and Prejudice, you will enjoy the story more than I did.
I absolutely adore Jane Austen fanfiction written by contemporary authors... mostly. Over the course of 5 years, I’ve read hundreds of them, most self-published and of varying quality. I love the original, re-reading it every year as a birthday treat, and like to see how talented contemporary authors work with the well-loved characters, themes, and circumstances. I read both Jane Austen fanfiction set in the Regency era as well as ones written in other time periods, including our modern one. Despite the authors' claim that this is a modern Pride and Prejudice variation, to me, it felt too different from the original to truly be Jane Austen fanfiction. While I might say that the author is inspired by P&P—as many romances can be—the book doesn't strike the notes I expect well-written P&P Jane Austen fanfiction to hit, like excellent banter, humor, and subtle digs about living in a particular society. Rather, it felt like a takes-itself-too-seriously hipster YA/NA contemporary romance with an occasional nod to P&P. I did appreciate the diversity of the cast of characters. But I just could not connect with them and their stories like I did with the original Pride and Prejudice and the variations I've enjoyed. Perhaps if you go into reading this NOT thinking it is based on Pride and Prejudice, you will enjoy the story more than I did.
August 2, 2021
If I could I would give it 1/2 a star for effort...
I had high expectations when I read the description of the book, and wished to be transported into a fun filled book...Instead, I realized within the first 20 pages, this book was badly written, had very little wit or sense of humor, and the characters were too forced. I wish I chose another book!
I had high expectations when I read the description of the book, and wished to be transported into a fun filled book...Instead, I realized within the first 20 pages, this book was badly written, had very little wit or sense of humor, and the characters were too forced. I wish I chose another book!
September 24, 2021
I feel like there should be a disclaimer that I've never read Pride and Prejudice and thus I won't be comparing this to that. In terms of the beats this story took I think I would enjoy it, but I'm not really in any kind of rush to read it.
I thought that this was just okay. Average at best, certainly nothing remarkable. The kind of story that I enjoyed listening to, but wasn't really going to make a last impression. Even as I listened I could feel the story start to leave me. Which was a little sad. I did think that Appiah-Kubi had that sort of sterile, magazine cover-story quality to the writing that so many of my favorite contemporary authors have. It even followed college aged protagonists, but I just felt that like a magazine it had a lot of gloss, but no actual substance. Characters seemed to be introduced because of their counterpart in the original text, but so many characters rambled abut that I felt only EJ had any semblance of depth. The romance she and Will had felt forced as their animosity turned to love in what felt comical more than moving.
The story also felt aimless. Again, I can't tell if that's a product of the source material or simply Appiah-Kubi's interpretation, but if I was meant to be rooting for the central romance I already went over how that failed. I started to feel sorry for how little Tessa and jamie had to do in the narrative, and them trying to figure out what they wanted to do wasn't nearly as interesting as I think the author felt.
I don't know who to recommend this too as fans of Jane Austen's original work seem to not enjoy this from a glance through other reviews, and while I had a good time I don't know if others would. If it was on your radar it's probably worth a shot, but it's definitely not something people need to drop everything to pick up.
I thought that this was just okay. Average at best, certainly nothing remarkable. The kind of story that I enjoyed listening to, but wasn't really going to make a last impression. Even as I listened I could feel the story start to leave me. Which was a little sad. I did think that Appiah-Kubi had that sort of sterile, magazine cover-story quality to the writing that so many of my favorite contemporary authors have. It even followed college aged protagonists, but I just felt that like a magazine it had a lot of gloss, but no actual substance. Characters seemed to be introduced because of their counterpart in the original text, but so many characters rambled abut that I felt only EJ had any semblance of depth. The romance she and Will had felt forced as their animosity turned to love in what felt comical more than moving.
The story also felt aimless. Again, I can't tell if that's a product of the source material or simply Appiah-Kubi's interpretation, but if I was meant to be rooting for the central romance I already went over how that failed. I started to feel sorry for how little Tessa and jamie had to do in the narrative, and them trying to figure out what they wanted to do wasn't nearly as interesting as I think the author felt.
I don't know who to recommend this too as fans of Jane Austen's original work seem to not enjoy this from a glance through other reviews, and while I had a good time I don't know if others would. If it was on your radar it's probably worth a shot, but it's definitely not something people need to drop everything to pick up.
September 12, 2021
The Bennet Women is a lively modern take on some familiar Jane Austen characters, but more a nod to Pride and Prejudice than a retelling. It is set at a small fictional New England college and focuses on three residences of a women-only dorm. The main characters a suitably diverse—almost to the point of tokenism, though the real-life issues they face are woven into the story, especially in the case of the lead, EJ. Of course, they meet romantic interests and spend a lot of time focused on relationships, and for the most part they find happy outcomes or the book wouldn’t be true to genre.
EJ is a senior serving as resident adviser in her dorm while working toward an engineering degree. We gradually learn that ballet was her first love, and I was particularly touched by the scenes in which she learns to move on from childish dreams. Her friend Jamie is a recently out trans woman, appropriately fragile emotionally and unsure of how people will receive her. Tessa, the third and somewhat more tangential member of the clique, is in a relationship with a self-centered and immature boy-man who remains offstage. In a nod to Pride and Prejudice, the other young men they meet are more glamorous and wealthy—in modern parlance, out of their league.
The storyline took me back to the insular, emotionally intense years of college life, full of deep friendships and gossip and trauma. I could relate to that side of the story but it was heavily larded with pop-culture references that left this oldster in the dust. To widen her audience the author could have toned down that aspect and played up the academic side of the characters’ lives: as I recall, my studies did as much to affect my worldview as my friendships and leisure activities. As it was, the college setting seemed more of a convenience, useful to bring the characters together, than a meaningful part of their lives. We were often told about how hard EJ worked, but we rarely saw it.
The author also had quite a strong grasp of the hard business side of showbiz and the tactics of publicity, which lent interest to the read for me; usually showbiz characters are very hard to believe. Less believable to me was the free way that characters across the economic spectrum spent money; I remember cleaning bathrooms and sorting mail so that I could go out to a meal with friends every couple of weeks.
There were a lot of characters to follow, and we entered into the minds of different characters in different chapters—a standard modern storytelling technique but one that can easily dilute the reader’s focus and engagement, as it did somewhat for me. The complexity also meant that sometimes details got dropped—what happened to EJ’s presentation to the Black Engineers conference, or to Jamie after graduation when we see Lee in Los Angeles without her?
Still, when approached with an anthropological mind-set I found plenty to interest me in this tale of the manners and mores of today’s young people. I can’t warm to hookup culture but do admire the tendency of young women to put as much emphasis on their careers as on romance. This book embraces the recent fashion for rewriting fairy tales according to modern priorities, and I applaud this trend wholeheartedly—the stories we feed young girls have for too long been damaging. I loved the way the characters didn’t simply rush into conflating attraction with true love, and how they felt their way more patiently into the logistics of a relationship. That may be less “romantic” but it’s more satisfying to me because it’s something I can believe is lasting.
EJ is a senior serving as resident adviser in her dorm while working toward an engineering degree. We gradually learn that ballet was her first love, and I was particularly touched by the scenes in which she learns to move on from childish dreams. Her friend Jamie is a recently out trans woman, appropriately fragile emotionally and unsure of how people will receive her. Tessa, the third and somewhat more tangential member of the clique, is in a relationship with a self-centered and immature boy-man who remains offstage. In a nod to Pride and Prejudice, the other young men they meet are more glamorous and wealthy—in modern parlance, out of their league.
The storyline took me back to the insular, emotionally intense years of college life, full of deep friendships and gossip and trauma. I could relate to that side of the story but it was heavily larded with pop-culture references that left this oldster in the dust. To widen her audience the author could have toned down that aspect and played up the academic side of the characters’ lives: as I recall, my studies did as much to affect my worldview as my friendships and leisure activities. As it was, the college setting seemed more of a convenience, useful to bring the characters together, than a meaningful part of their lives. We were often told about how hard EJ worked, but we rarely saw it.
The author also had quite a strong grasp of the hard business side of showbiz and the tactics of publicity, which lent interest to the read for me; usually showbiz characters are very hard to believe. Less believable to me was the free way that characters across the economic spectrum spent money; I remember cleaning bathrooms and sorting mail so that I could go out to a meal with friends every couple of weeks.
There were a lot of characters to follow, and we entered into the minds of different characters in different chapters—a standard modern storytelling technique but one that can easily dilute the reader’s focus and engagement, as it did somewhat for me. The complexity also meant that sometimes details got dropped—what happened to EJ’s presentation to the Black Engineers conference, or to Jamie after graduation when we see Lee in Los Angeles without her?
Still, when approached with an anthropological mind-set I found plenty to interest me in this tale of the manners and mores of today’s young people. I can’t warm to hookup culture but do admire the tendency of young women to put as much emphasis on their careers as on romance. This book embraces the recent fashion for rewriting fairy tales according to modern priorities, and I applaud this trend wholeheartedly—the stories we feed young girls have for too long been damaging. I loved the way the characters didn’t simply rush into conflating attraction with true love, and how they felt their way more patiently into the logistics of a relationship. That may be less “romantic” but it’s more satisfying to me because it’s something I can believe is lasting.
September 19, 2021
I finished reading The Bennet Women and it's so beautiful and I highly recommend it.
It's a beautiful story about found family and love and family and friendship and sisterhood.
I love how the author redefined sisterhood and shows that we don't have to be related to be family.
I love the romance, I love the diversity of the cast of characters. I love that the female characters are so powerful and the black main character's range just shows BW that we can do everything and anything we want.
I loved reading this book so so much. 🥰 Go read it if you haven't
It's a beautiful story about found family and love and family and friendship and sisterhood.
I love how the author redefined sisterhood and shows that we don't have to be related to be family.
I love the romance, I love the diversity of the cast of characters. I love that the female characters are so powerful and the black main character's range just shows BW that we can do everything and anything we want.
I loved reading this book so so much. 🥰 Go read it if you haven't
November 9, 2021
I always enjoy retelling of anything Pride and Prejudice. This one was a fun read with a unique twist. All friends who live together in the Bennet house at collage. The movie star for Darcy was interesting. There were some part I didn't think fit but for the most part it was enjoyable.
August 14, 2021
I’m not a purist when it comes to retellings - do what you want, as long as it makes sense, and I’m all in for inclusive and diverse retellings of classics I already love. No one is going to argue that these classics can’t be every “ist” in the book, and mashing them up with the 21st century is a great way to counteract these issues. Austen in particular, as her inability to write about anyone other than the white, english gentry really shows. I've read quite a few retellings, extensions, adaptions, etc. for Austen, the Brontës, and other "classic" writers, as I like to see what writers can do with the material. Every retelling and deviation has something to say about the work (the original time period) and OUR time period. Bridget Jones, for example, although a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice, is simultaneously the pitch-perfect encapsulation of white third wave feminism in the early 2000's. I absolutely love picking into classics and their later additions.
Appiah-Kubi has created interesting twists on P&P. But this one just did not completely grab me. I think the story beats were fine - all the characters were there, some in fun little ways (I thought Mr. Collins as terrible boyfriend Colin was really funny). The actual events themselves made sense within the universe. But I wasn’t emotionally invested in most of them, story or characters. For a 350 page book, it all felt awfully rushed. The whole "secret" between Wickham (Jordan), Georgiana (Lily) and Will was fine on paper - I like the change here, as it comes off just as horrible, scandalous and life-destroying as eloping would've been in the early 19th century; but it really made me feel nothing at all. I did not like feeling so "Meh" about it all, but I did.
My strongest attraction to a story is character (over plot, over anything) and the ones here felt very simple and not distinct from each other. Jamie and Tessa, in particular, were just nonexistent entities for me - no distinctive voice and all the same personality. Jane and Charlotte are VERY different people, but I never felt this way about The Bennet Women’s incarnations of them. And Bingley was even worse! Where's the easily persuaded, kind-hearted-to-the-point-of-naivety Labrador dog with two horrible sisters? You could say this about most all of the characters. If Jane Austen did anything, it was create distinct and memorable characters. Her stories being comical and witty means the characters are comically exaggerated, so you're much more likely to remember them (take, for example, Mr. Bennet's biting wit and Mrs. Bennet's high pitched wailing... try to forget it if you've seen any screen adaptation). You might not know what happens in Pride and Prejudice, or any other Austen work, but even if you've lived under a rock for 200 years, you will know who Mr. Darcy is, just as many Charles Dickens characters live on past their texts. (How many people reference Oliver Twist who've never touched the book or seen a screen adaptation?...)
Pride and Prejudice is famous for it’s romance, yes, but Austen always has other things to say along with her world famous lovers. The Bennet Women did the same. I could completely see where Appiah-Kubi was coming from, and appreciated everything she had to say about living with constant classism, sexism, racism, transphobia. But having these things explored in a book doesn't automatically mean it's a good book. The internet has only just realised that having one (1) gay character doesn't mean the text is forgiven for any other glaring faults ("ist" wise or story-wise).
Therefore, with all that out of the way, I can say that Will and EJ, the quite literal titular couple that have persevered for two centuries, did nothing for me. Their relationship felt underdeveloped, from enemies (were they really though??) to friends (one or two pages of hanging out) to lovers (fine, even though they cleared up those pivotal misunderstandings far too quick.) I never really felt like they could’ve been ships passing in the night if not for a set of lucky coincidences. I can’t really imagine anything similar to “dearest, loveliest Elizabeth” coming out of Will’s mouth, and even worse odds for it feeling genuine. The mutual pining was just not here. I think part of the problem is how fast everything happens - there's no pauses between stages. One consequence of living without cars and cellphones is that it takes months for people to see each other again - and it meant that Darcy and Lizzie had quite a while to stew, and think, pine, regret, etc. etc - you get it. It FEELS like they've taken time and changed slowly, realistically. Trying to live up to anything close to the love story of THEE Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet must've been an utterly terrifying task, and it's completely understandable to not meet such a sky-high standard. My problem is then this - why wouldn't I just reread, if I wanted to recapture that magic?
I think the worse thing a retelling can do is make you want to reread the book (in the bad way). You don’t want to be reading and think “I wish I were reading the original.” You might read it and think “god that was good, now I want to read the original again, perhaps in a different light.” You always want the latter rather than the former. All the little references, characters and story beats just made me want to reread the far more emotionally impactful version.
Appiah-Kubi has created interesting twists on P&P. But this one just did not completely grab me. I think the story beats were fine - all the characters were there, some in fun little ways (I thought Mr. Collins as terrible boyfriend Colin was really funny). The actual events themselves made sense within the universe. But I wasn’t emotionally invested in most of them, story or characters. For a 350 page book, it all felt awfully rushed. The whole "secret" between Wickham (Jordan), Georgiana (Lily) and Will was fine on paper - I like the change here, as it comes off just as horrible, scandalous and life-destroying as eloping would've been in the early 19th century; but it really made me feel nothing at all. I did not like feeling so "Meh" about it all, but I did.
My strongest attraction to a story is character (over plot, over anything) and the ones here felt very simple and not distinct from each other. Jamie and Tessa, in particular, were just nonexistent entities for me - no distinctive voice and all the same personality. Jane and Charlotte are VERY different people, but I never felt this way about The Bennet Women’s incarnations of them. And Bingley was even worse! Where's the easily persuaded, kind-hearted-to-the-point-of-naivety Labrador dog with two horrible sisters? You could say this about most all of the characters. If Jane Austen did anything, it was create distinct and memorable characters. Her stories being comical and witty means the characters are comically exaggerated, so you're much more likely to remember them (take, for example, Mr. Bennet's biting wit and Mrs. Bennet's high pitched wailing... try to forget it if you've seen any screen adaptation). You might not know what happens in Pride and Prejudice, or any other Austen work, but even if you've lived under a rock for 200 years, you will know who Mr. Darcy is, just as many Charles Dickens characters live on past their texts. (How many people reference Oliver Twist who've never touched the book or seen a screen adaptation?...)
Pride and Prejudice is famous for it’s romance, yes, but Austen always has other things to say along with her world famous lovers. The Bennet Women did the same. I could completely see where Appiah-Kubi was coming from, and appreciated everything she had to say about living with constant classism, sexism, racism, transphobia. But having these things explored in a book doesn't automatically mean it's a good book. The internet has only just realised that having one (1) gay character doesn't mean the text is forgiven for any other glaring faults ("ist" wise or story-wise).
Therefore, with all that out of the way, I can say that Will and EJ, the quite literal titular couple that have persevered for two centuries, did nothing for me. Their relationship felt underdeveloped, from enemies (were they really though??) to friends (one or two pages of hanging out) to lovers (fine, even though they cleared up those pivotal misunderstandings far too quick.) I never really felt like they could’ve been ships passing in the night if not for a set of lucky coincidences. I can’t really imagine anything similar to “dearest, loveliest Elizabeth” coming out of Will’s mouth, and even worse odds for it feeling genuine. The mutual pining was just not here. I think part of the problem is how fast everything happens - there's no pauses between stages. One consequence of living without cars and cellphones is that it takes months for people to see each other again - and it meant that Darcy and Lizzie had quite a while to stew, and think, pine, regret, etc. etc - you get it. It FEELS like they've taken time and changed slowly, realistically. Trying to live up to anything close to the love story of THEE Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet must've been an utterly terrifying task, and it's completely understandable to not meet such a sky-high standard. My problem is then this - why wouldn't I just reread, if I wanted to recapture that magic?
I think the worse thing a retelling can do is make you want to reread the book (in the bad way). You don’t want to be reading and think “I wish I were reading the original.” You might read it and think “god that was good, now I want to read the original again, perhaps in a different light.” You always want the latter rather than the former. All the little references, characters and story beats just made me want to reread the far more emotionally impactful version.
June 21, 2022
All the diversity & social commentary throughout this book is absolutely phenomenal and makes it worth the read whether you're a fan of Pride & Prejudice or not. I adored almost all the characters and their spunky personalities, interactions with each other, and unique storylines. I was brought to tears at times, squealing by the end, and laughing out loud throughout the whole thing. Highly highly recommend!
July 21, 2021
Loved how many moving pieces there were at any given time. The story structure matches the zippy feel of campus life. I am very much into inclusive, diverse retellings.
December 18, 2021
3.75 stars
a cute love story, but i have some thoughts.
the primary "issue" i felt that the story was more about EJ and Will than it was about EJ, Tessa, and Jamie (the trio featured on the cover and in the description). it felt slightly misleading since Tessa felt like she was there just to uplift EJ's story. Jamie had a little bit of time with Lee, but besides , even their relationship was meant to further push EJ and Will's. it really felt like The Bennet Woman as opposed to The Bennet Women.
also, it was an odd mixture of real-life pop culture references (particularly for a main character who was emphasized as sheltered) and made up ones? sometimes, the references felt like they were just being thrown into the story randomly.
however, i did love the story being set in the last year of college. i'm going into my last two semesters right now, so those feelings of "what's gonna happen when i graduate?" were so relatable and real. and everything surrounding EJ's place as a black woman in engineering was dealt with extremely well.
and i really liked will. i want a second-half-of-the-book Will.
make sure to check out any TW/CW before reading. enjoy!
a cute love story, but i have some thoughts.
the primary "issue" i felt that the story was more about EJ and Will than it was about EJ, Tessa, and Jamie (the trio featured on the cover and in the description). it felt slightly misleading since Tessa felt like she was there just to uplift EJ's story. Jamie had a little bit of time with Lee, but besides , even their relationship was meant to further push EJ and Will's. it really felt like The Bennet Woman as opposed to The Bennet Women.
also, it was an odd mixture of real-life pop culture references (particularly for a main character who was emphasized as sheltered) and made up ones? sometimes, the references felt like they were just being thrown into the story randomly.
however, i did love the story being set in the last year of college. i'm going into my last two semesters right now, so those feelings of "what's gonna happen when i graduate?" were so relatable and real. and everything surrounding EJ's place as a black woman in engineering was dealt with extremely well.
and i really liked will. i want a second-half-of-the-book Will.
make sure to check out any TW/CW before reading. enjoy!
August 3, 2021
3D characters, satisfying arc
At 3% i was interested; at 5% i was annoyed at the whole thing. I am apparently no longer patient with college ages! But i remembered I had been interested, so I kept going, and it kept getting better. Satisfying ending all around yet true to the characters, which I appreciated. 3.5ish so I rounded up to 4 - i enjoyed it, I stayed up too late on a work night, and it didn't change my world, so 4 is a good rating.
At 3% i was interested; at 5% i was annoyed at the whole thing. I am apparently no longer patient with college ages! But i remembered I had been interested, so I kept going, and it kept getting better. Satisfying ending all around yet true to the characters, which I appreciated. 3.5ish so I rounded up to 4 - i enjoyed it, I stayed up too late on a work night, and it didn't change my world, so 4 is a good rating.
August 16, 2021
A refreshingly modern, diverse and inclusive retelling of Pride and Prejudice set at a women’s dorm at a prestigious private college. Eden Appiah-Kubi draws you in quickly with her earnest and clever voice, and the pages clip right along as you get to know The Bennet Women.
The main character, EJ, is a driven and ambitious engineering student and the RA of Bennet House. EJ is the protective, loving, and outspoken “big sister” and I enjoyed her interplay with the other characters immensely. Even though EJ’s characterization is inspired by Elizabeth Bennet, Appiah-Kubi deftly spins the narrative to showcase EJ’s irresistibly modern strengths and traits and creates an unforgettable Black heroine who won’t sacrifice her solid principles or her bright future for anyone. I loved EJ.
Jamie is a recently-out trans woman who is on her own voyage to independence and self-discovery. Her dynamic with Lee was so healthy and loving. With Jamie’s amazing fashion sense, I couldn’t help but picture an American Florence Welch! She and EJ have a wonderfully supportive friendship and I really enjoyed how vulnerable and frank they were with one another.
Tessa is a Filipina astronomy major who tends to have guy trouble—including the manipulative and selfish ex she just can’t seem to shake. Tessa is a firecracker and she offered a lot of levity and fun to the narrative. I especially enjoyed how her personality sparked off Jamie’s.
And then we have Will, our love interest, an arrogant actor suffering from the aftermath of a bad public breakup. There are the moments of cringe-worthy miscommunication and awkward flirtation with EJ that lead to the many Darcyesque faux pas we’d expect from a P&P retelling. Their romance is just as frustrating and heart-warming as the original, and I loved how Appiah-Kubi made Will a POV character so that we might see EJ through his eyes.
This is a fun, fast-paced, and nostalgic read. It made me miss college and remember how much I enjoyed Pride and Prejudice. You’ll love this book if you appreciate intersectional feminism, independent heroines, and healthy romances formed on mutual respect. It’s the perfect read for back-to-school! I can’t wait to see what Eden Appiah-Kubi writes next.
Thank you to the author and Montlake for the opportunity to review an Advance Copy
The main character, EJ, is a driven and ambitious engineering student and the RA of Bennet House. EJ is the protective, loving, and outspoken “big sister” and I enjoyed her interplay with the other characters immensely. Even though EJ’s characterization is inspired by Elizabeth Bennet, Appiah-Kubi deftly spins the narrative to showcase EJ’s irresistibly modern strengths and traits and creates an unforgettable Black heroine who won’t sacrifice her solid principles or her bright future for anyone. I loved EJ.
Jamie is a recently-out trans woman who is on her own voyage to independence and self-discovery. Her dynamic with Lee was so healthy and loving. With Jamie’s amazing fashion sense, I couldn’t help but picture an American Florence Welch! She and EJ have a wonderfully supportive friendship and I really enjoyed how vulnerable and frank they were with one another.
Tessa is a Filipina astronomy major who tends to have guy trouble—including the manipulative and selfish ex she just can’t seem to shake. Tessa is a firecracker and she offered a lot of levity and fun to the narrative. I especially enjoyed how her personality sparked off Jamie’s.
And then we have Will, our love interest, an arrogant actor suffering from the aftermath of a bad public breakup. There are the moments of cringe-worthy miscommunication and awkward flirtation with EJ that lead to the many Darcyesque faux pas we’d expect from a P&P retelling. Their romance is just as frustrating and heart-warming as the original, and I loved how Appiah-Kubi made Will a POV character so that we might see EJ through his eyes.
This is a fun, fast-paced, and nostalgic read. It made me miss college and remember how much I enjoyed Pride and Prejudice. You’ll love this book if you appreciate intersectional feminism, independent heroines, and healthy romances formed on mutual respect. It’s the perfect read for back-to-school! I can’t wait to see what Eden Appiah-Kubi writes next.
Thank you to the author and Montlake for the opportunity to review an Advance Copy
September 11, 2021
Oh man, this is trying way too hard. I like a good, socially conscious romance, but it has to be good. The Bennet Women is not good. It is painful.
Nothing happens. Nothing is allowed to happen because Appiah-Kubi is too busy protecting her precious characters from anything approaching a plot. EJ is every bit as two-dimensional as a more racist book would make her, only instead of being stupid or dangerous, she's magically brilliant at everything. She's charming and smart and wonderful and everyone is always cheering for her. She doesn't even have the original Elizabeth Bennet's character flaw of judging people too quickly. Every possible obstacle she might face is immediately swept away because god forbid these characters ever face a challenge.
Similarly, Will is quiet and reclusive, but never does he make anything approaching the level of mistakes Mr Darcy does. He is saved from ever making any real mistakes by the magic of authorial providence. It's exhausting. Even the risk from not-Whickham is subdued before it ever becomes a real problem. Why bother writing a book if you're not going to bother with plot?
I'm sure Appiah-Kubi meant well with this. I'm sure she wanted to give women, especially women of colour, a book of wish fulfilment to enjoy. But the fact is that without conflict there is no story. By preventing her characters from having problems, she's destroyed any chances of this being an enjoyable read.
Nothing happens. Nothing is allowed to happen because Appiah-Kubi is too busy protecting her precious characters from anything approaching a plot. EJ is every bit as two-dimensional as a more racist book would make her, only instead of being stupid or dangerous, she's magically brilliant at everything. She's charming and smart and wonderful and everyone is always cheering for her. She doesn't even have the original Elizabeth Bennet's character flaw of judging people too quickly. Every possible obstacle she might face is immediately swept away because god forbid these characters ever face a challenge.
Similarly, Will is quiet and reclusive, but never does he make anything approaching the level of mistakes Mr Darcy does. He is saved from ever making any real mistakes by the magic of authorial providence. It's exhausting. Even the risk from not-Whickham is subdued before it ever becomes a real problem. Why bother writing a book if you're not going to bother with plot?
I'm sure Appiah-Kubi meant well with this. I'm sure she wanted to give women, especially women of colour, a book of wish fulfilment to enjoy. But the fact is that without conflict there is no story. By preventing her characters from having problems, she's destroyed any chances of this being an enjoyable read.
March 27, 2022
Thank you to the author and publisher for a gifted copy of this novel in exchange for my honest thoughts. I knew I had to check this one out when I found out it was a modern retelling of one of my favorite books, Pride and Prejudice!
The novel reflects a contemporary version of Austen’s classic in the way it tackles topics such as race and gender inequalities. Instead of the protagonists being faced with the prospect of marriage and following the time period’s societal norms, they struggle to establish identity and chase their respective academic dreams in a college town setting.
I love all of the callbacks to P&P such as the characters of Will and Lee being Darcy and Bingley’s counterparts. I also appreciated the similarities in the characters’ personalities; just as Elizabeth Bennet is intelligent and headstrong, EJ is a driven student who stands up for herself when faced with prejudice and is quick to help her friends in times of need. The solidarity between the three female protagonists was admirable and is something that many will find relatable.
I enjoyed how the romance was modernized in this novel; whereas Elizabeth and Darcy’s interactions were restricted by societal conventions, this retelling allowed our beloved couple to have better communication and be more open about their feelings without fear of the same kind of backlash. Perhaps in a way, it lowers the stakes a bit for EJ and Will to have more freedom in expressing their feelings, but I like how this novel tackled other conflicts within the contemporary setting.
I do wish we got a little bit more of Tessa’s character, as I was really looking forward to reading about a Filipino character in this novel! But overall I enjoyed this retelling and will be checking out more of this author’s works in the future.
The novel reflects a contemporary version of Austen’s classic in the way it tackles topics such as race and gender inequalities. Instead of the protagonists being faced with the prospect of marriage and following the time period’s societal norms, they struggle to establish identity and chase their respective academic dreams in a college town setting.
I love all of the callbacks to P&P such as the characters of Will and Lee being Darcy and Bingley’s counterparts. I also appreciated the similarities in the characters’ personalities; just as Elizabeth Bennet is intelligent and headstrong, EJ is a driven student who stands up for herself when faced with prejudice and is quick to help her friends in times of need. The solidarity between the three female protagonists was admirable and is something that many will find relatable.
I enjoyed how the romance was modernized in this novel; whereas Elizabeth and Darcy’s interactions were restricted by societal conventions, this retelling allowed our beloved couple to have better communication and be more open about their feelings without fear of the same kind of backlash. Perhaps in a way, it lowers the stakes a bit for EJ and Will to have more freedom in expressing their feelings, but I like how this novel tackled other conflicts within the contemporary setting.
I do wish we got a little bit more of Tessa’s character, as I was really looking forward to reading about a Filipino character in this novel! But overall I enjoyed this retelling and will be checking out more of this author’s works in the future.
March 27, 2022
Thank you to Turn the Page Tours, Montlake and Netgalley for an eARC and a finished copy in exchange for an honest review and promotion. All opinions are my own.
Oh my god, I loved this so much!! I definitely forgot I was reading a Pride & Prejudice retelling at times, but then elements from the original would appear and I would love this story even more! Cannot recommend enough.
The Bennet Women follows EJ, a Black woman navigating college life as a RA and Engineering major. She is the RA for Bennet House, the only all-women's dorm at Longbourne University. With her are her two best friends, Jamie who has recently come out as transgender and studies French and theatre, and Tessa, a Filipina studying astronomy with major guy problems.
When Jamie runs into Lee Gregory, the two hit it off immediately. Unfortunately, for EJ, this means dealing with Lee's best friend, Will, who is very grumpy and insults EJ behind her back immediately after meeting her. EJ is civil with Will for Jamie and Lee's sake, but the more she learns about Will, the more she thinks maybe she judged him too harshly at first.
This was such a good retelling. I loved the Bennet family reimagined as a cohort of college women! I also loved the diversity of experiences we had in Bennet House. I think I missed whoever were supposed to be Mary and Catherine/Kitty, but it didn't take away from the story for me. Seeing EJ, Jamie and Tessa constantly be there for each other was so heartwarming. I loved their friendship so much and I'm so glad they supported each other through the whole book!
I also really enjoyed Will and EJ's relationship. These two definitely get off on the wrong foot, but I loved how they worked their way back to each other. I'm really glad Will did not send that first letter he wrote too. I was laughing so hard when he read it to his sister and Zara. The tension between these two was so fun and I loved every second of their relationship and how it developed.
EJ was such an easy character to care for. She cares so much for everyone around her. She's also so strong, but is somewhat struggling with what she wants. That I can definitely relate to. I loved seeing a college age character at the end of their degree questioning what they should do next. That's very much where I was when I finished mine and had grad school not worked out, I would've been in the same position as EJ.
I loved seeing EJ dive into her family relationships to untangle her motivations behind what she's done. She comes to terms with things in her past in order to figure out what she wants for her future and that was such a powerful message. EJ is also given some advice to take the summer off before her next steps and I think this is something that should be said to more women of color. EJ does so much throughout this book, constantly pushing herself to the edge of exhaustion and she deserves to rest and be happy.
Overall, this was fantastic, and such an easy book to love.
Midsize Black cishet female MC, white trans heterosexual female MC, Chinese cishet male MC, Black biracial cishet male side character, Afro-Latina cishet female side character, Chinese lesbian cis female side character, Filipina cishet female side character.
CWs: Cursing, racism, fatphobia, sexism, sexual content, toxic relationship. Moderate: mentions of drug use and drug trafficking, transphobia/transmisia, stalking, addiction, body shaming, grief, past mentions of disordered eating and excessive exercising, emotional abuse, suicide attempt, alcohol consumption. Minor: cancer, car accident, death of parent, death of grandparent, infidelity, self harm, abandonment.
Oh my god, I loved this so much!! I definitely forgot I was reading a Pride & Prejudice retelling at times, but then elements from the original would appear and I would love this story even more! Cannot recommend enough.
The Bennet Women follows EJ, a Black woman navigating college life as a RA and Engineering major. She is the RA for Bennet House, the only all-women's dorm at Longbourne University. With her are her two best friends, Jamie who has recently come out as transgender and studies French and theatre, and Tessa, a Filipina studying astronomy with major guy problems.
When Jamie runs into Lee Gregory, the two hit it off immediately. Unfortunately, for EJ, this means dealing with Lee's best friend, Will, who is very grumpy and insults EJ behind her back immediately after meeting her. EJ is civil with Will for Jamie and Lee's sake, but the more she learns about Will, the more she thinks maybe she judged him too harshly at first.
This was such a good retelling. I loved the Bennet family reimagined as a cohort of college women! I also loved the diversity of experiences we had in Bennet House. I think I missed whoever were supposed to be Mary and Catherine/Kitty, but it didn't take away from the story for me. Seeing EJ, Jamie and Tessa constantly be there for each other was so heartwarming. I loved their friendship so much and I'm so glad they supported each other through the whole book!
I also really enjoyed Will and EJ's relationship. These two definitely get off on the wrong foot, but I loved how they worked their way back to each other. I'm really glad Will did not send that first letter he wrote too. I was laughing so hard when he read it to his sister and Zara. The tension between these two was so fun and I loved every second of their relationship and how it developed.
EJ was such an easy character to care for. She cares so much for everyone around her. She's also so strong, but is somewhat struggling with what she wants. That I can definitely relate to. I loved seeing a college age character at the end of their degree questioning what they should do next. That's very much where I was when I finished mine and had grad school not worked out, I would've been in the same position as EJ.
I loved seeing EJ dive into her family relationships to untangle her motivations behind what she's done. She comes to terms with things in her past in order to figure out what she wants for her future and that was such a powerful message. EJ is also given some advice to take the summer off before her next steps and I think this is something that should be said to more women of color. EJ does so much throughout this book, constantly pushing herself to the edge of exhaustion and she deserves to rest and be happy.
Overall, this was fantastic, and such an easy book to love.
Midsize Black cishet female MC, white trans heterosexual female MC, Chinese cishet male MC, Black biracial cishet male side character, Afro-Latina cishet female side character, Chinese lesbian cis female side character, Filipina cishet female side character.
CWs: Cursing, racism, fatphobia, sexism, sexual content, toxic relationship. Moderate: mentions of drug use and drug trafficking, transphobia/transmisia, stalking, addiction, body shaming, grief, past mentions of disordered eating and excessive exercising, emotional abuse, suicide attempt, alcohol consumption. Minor: cancer, car accident, death of parent, death of grandparent, infidelity, self harm, abandonment.
September 3, 2021
"The Bennet Women" by Eden Appiah-Kubi was a delightful read and I for one did not look at it a modern day story to a classic. Having not read anything by the author, the story was well-written with a host of characters, especially EJ who I enjoyed in the story.
September 8, 2021
9/8/2021 - Full Review:
This was a fun Pride & Prejudice modern reimagining. I’m not a purist on what makes something a “retelling” or “inspired by” or whatever delineations some folks like to make – for me it was if you’re familiar with Pride & Prejudice you’ll enjoy all the nods and references, but if you aren’t you won’t be thinking, “what on earth is this author doing”?
I loved the characters and just had a great time living this year with them. I specifically enjoyed that while EJ, Jamie, Dia, Tessa, Lee, etc. all had these distinct backgrounds and experiences, the tension & drama came more from launching into adult and post-college life than from any unnecessary spats between the characters. I appreciate that Appiah-Kubi acknowledges how trials/struggles have influenced who each person is without making the focus trauma. There’s an immense normality in their uniqueness and it was a great balance.
As with P & P, I felt the pacing lull in certain areas though I don’t know how much of that is just that I can’t connect as well with some aspects of the characters’ lives – being ((gasp)) two decades older. I imagine there’s probably a huge struggle with how to categorize this book: romance? women’s lit? LGBT fiction? NA? YA? etc. Which, I kind of think is awesome – because it really defies being singularly slotted. There is romance, but it’s no more important or detailed than the other major decisions EJ (and to a less extent others) is making in her life. Any sex scenes are closed door and in general sex isn’t the focus of the relationships. Jamie is transgender, but despite some understandable hesitancy regarding how others may initially respond to her, it’s mostly a non-issue. There’s some interesting dynamics around Lee & Will being famous.
Part of me would love another book that gives more on Jamie & Lee and some of the other characters – but I’m glad that they didn’t take over EJ’s story. There is an HEA and a path forward for EJ’s life that I enjoyed.
Note: This is solidly New Adult in terms of being set around graduating college for most of the characters. However, I think this would be a fantastic listen for high school age folks (I happen to have two!).
Narration:
L Morgan Lee was new to me and I really enjoyed her young, vibrant portrayal of the characters. She did a good job of differentiating male, female, young, old, etc. It really was just a fun listen.
9/7/2021 - Will write a better review next time I get on the computer.
This was a fun P&P retelling. I’m not a purist on what makes something a retelling or inspired by - it was like if you’re familiar with P&P you’ll enjoy all the nods, but if you aren’t you won’t be thinking, “what on earth is this author doing”?
I loved the characters and just had a great time living this year with them.
Narration was wonderful. L Morgan Lee was new to me and I really enjoyed her young, vibrant portrayal of the characters.
8/18/2021 - Pre-ordered the audio because audio. Plus it was only $1.99 since I grabbed the ebook for free as my Amazon Reads pick. Due out 9/1/2021
Coming to KU…looks interesting
This was a fun Pride & Prejudice modern reimagining. I’m not a purist on what makes something a “retelling” or “inspired by” or whatever delineations some folks like to make – for me it was if you’re familiar with Pride & Prejudice you’ll enjoy all the nods and references, but if you aren’t you won’t be thinking, “what on earth is this author doing”?
I loved the characters and just had a great time living this year with them. I specifically enjoyed that while EJ, Jamie, Dia, Tessa, Lee, etc. all had these distinct backgrounds and experiences, the tension & drama came more from launching into adult and post-college life than from any unnecessary spats between the characters. I appreciate that Appiah-Kubi acknowledges how trials/struggles have influenced who each person is without making the focus trauma. There’s an immense normality in their uniqueness and it was a great balance.
As with P & P, I felt the pacing lull in certain areas though I don’t know how much of that is just that I can’t connect as well with some aspects of the characters’ lives – being ((gasp)) two decades older. I imagine there’s probably a huge struggle with how to categorize this book: romance? women’s lit? LGBT fiction? NA? YA? etc. Which, I kind of think is awesome – because it really defies being singularly slotted. There is romance, but it’s no more important or detailed than the other major decisions EJ (and to a less extent others) is making in her life. Any sex scenes are closed door and in general sex isn’t the focus of the relationships. Jamie is transgender, but despite some understandable hesitancy regarding how others may initially respond to her, it’s mostly a non-issue. There’s some interesting dynamics around Lee & Will being famous.
Part of me would love another book that gives more on Jamie & Lee and some of the other characters – but I’m glad that they didn’t take over EJ’s story. There is an HEA and a path forward for EJ’s life that I enjoyed.
Note: This is solidly New Adult in terms of being set around graduating college for most of the characters. However, I think this would be a fantastic listen for high school age folks (I happen to have two!).
Narration:
L Morgan Lee was new to me and I really enjoyed her young, vibrant portrayal of the characters. She did a good job of differentiating male, female, young, old, etc. It really was just a fun listen.
9/7/2021 - Will write a better review next time I get on the computer.
This was a fun P&P retelling. I’m not a purist on what makes something a retelling or inspired by - it was like if you’re familiar with P&P you’ll enjoy all the nods, but if you aren’t you won’t be thinking, “what on earth is this author doing”?
I loved the characters and just had a great time living this year with them.
Narration was wonderful. L Morgan Lee was new to me and I really enjoyed her young, vibrant portrayal of the characters.
8/18/2021 - Pre-ordered the audio because audio. Plus it was only $1.99 since I grabbed the ebook for free as my Amazon Reads pick. Due out 9/1/2021
Coming to KU…looks interesting
October 17, 2021
So we didn't need confirmation, but yo, I hate romance novels*. Of the romance novels I've hated recently, however, this was considerably less egregious.
Ignoring the opinions I hold due to having no soul, some possibly helpful thoughts on things I liked:
Great retelling -- beats were hit, homages were made, themes extended, well done, hear, hear.
Didn't hate the protagonist -- this is rarer than it should be, but there you have it. She was complex without being quirky, and sad without being exhausting. Again, hear, hear, say I.
Didn't hate the love interest -- borderline liked this modern day Darcy. Who doesn't love a self-important doofus?
An ensemble of side characters about which I --gasp!-- actually found myself giving a shit. Astounding.
Okay, so, there's thing that I've noticed happening lately in contemporary romance and I understand that this is an important move forward for representation and simultaneously fucking hate it with every single fiber of my soul:
The Queer Jew Friend. This is usually a fun character that is part of a "diverse" cast, and we are repeatedly reminded both of their queerness and their Jewness (not Jewishness god forbid, that would require actual familiarity with the culture) in increasingly inorganic and cringey ways. It's not disrespectful, or irresponsible, or even exotifying -- it's just deeply, deeply obnoxious and I hate it. And that's on me.
I got so used to not seeing Jews in mainstream fiction, let alone queer Jews, that all my alarm bells go off whenever a character is purposefully identified as such. The intentions are good, and so I grumblingly extend a hear, goddamn hear.
*Why does she continue to read them, you may ask, and I have a reason. Shut up.
Ignoring the opinions I hold due to having no soul, some possibly helpful thoughts on things I liked:
Great retelling -- beats were hit, homages were made, themes extended, well done, hear, hear.
Didn't hate the protagonist -- this is rarer than it should be, but there you have it. She was complex without being quirky, and sad without being exhausting. Again, hear, hear, say I.
Didn't hate the love interest -- borderline liked this modern day Darcy. Who doesn't love a self-important doofus?
An ensemble of side characters about which I --gasp!-- actually found myself giving a shit. Astounding.
Okay, so, there's thing that I've noticed happening lately in contemporary romance and I understand that this is an important move forward for representation and simultaneously fucking hate it with every single fiber of my soul:
The Queer Jew Friend. This is usually a fun character that is part of a "diverse" cast, and we are repeatedly reminded both of their queerness and their Jewness (not Jewishness god forbid, that would require actual familiarity with the culture) in increasingly inorganic and cringey ways. It's not disrespectful, or irresponsible, or even exotifying -- it's just deeply, deeply obnoxious and I hate it. And that's on me.
I got so used to not seeing Jews in mainstream fiction, let alone queer Jews, that all my alarm bells go off whenever a character is purposefully identified as such. The intentions are good, and so I grumblingly extend a hear, goddamn hear.
*Why does she continue to read them, you may ask, and I have a reason. Shut up.
March 19, 2022
This is a weird, overstuffed fruitcake of a book. The structure is odd. So much of the book involves characters recounting things that happened in the past, we really never really get to see people living and breathing and having conflicts in the present.
I kind of found myself saying after a certain point, “here’s another backstory or plot point that goes nowhere” and “here’s another allusion that doesn’t seem to have a purpose.” I really was hungering for more description and detail. A smaller cast of characters and more focus would have helped. And perhaps led to genuine conflict that builds and isn’t almost immediately quashed.
I wanted to love this. I love stories set in colleges. I love Austen. There are some funny lines and ideas. But it didn’t hang together for me as a book. It read more like a rushed first draft in need of major editing.
I kind of found myself saying after a certain point, “here’s another backstory or plot point that goes nowhere” and “here’s another allusion that doesn’t seem to have a purpose.” I really was hungering for more description and detail. A smaller cast of characters and more focus would have helped. And perhaps led to genuine conflict that builds and isn’t almost immediately quashed.
I wanted to love this. I love stories set in colleges. I love Austen. There are some funny lines and ideas. But it didn’t hang together for me as a book. It read more like a rushed first draft in need of major editing.
August 31, 2021
First of all, look at that cover!!! It is gorgeous! I love the design and all the vibrant colours. This beautiful book is marketed as a retelling of Pride and Prejudice. I read Pride and Prejudice and have seen several movie versions of the book and thought I knew the story well. I was not able recognise the plot in THE BENNET WOMEN. The story was cute and entertaining but did not reach me as I hope. I could not relate to the characters. I did however enjoy the multiculturalism aspect offered in the story and the strong female characters. This book will probably be more appreciate by a younger generation. It has good morale and insight on how to make good life choices.
#bookstadog #poodles #poodlestagram #poodlesofinstagram #furbabies #dogsofinstagram #bookstagram #dogsandbooks #bookishlife #bookishlove #bookstagrammer #books #booklover #bookish #bookaholic #reading #readersofinstagram #instaread #ilovebooks #bookishcanadians #canadianbookstagram #bookreviewer #bookcommunity #bibliophile #thebennetwomen #edenappiahkubi #thomasallen #montlakepublishing #bookreview
July 11, 2022
Almost dnf’ed this but I’m so happy I didn’t! So heart warming and at times, hilarious.
I do wish we got to learn more about Tessa as a character and I felt like we saw less of Jamie as the story progressed but still recommend reading it if it’s on your radar.
Look forward to seeing more from this author!
I do wish we got to learn more about Tessa as a character and I felt like we saw less of Jamie as the story progressed but still recommend reading it if it’s on your radar.
Look forward to seeing more from this author!
August 7, 2021
A fresh take on a classic
The author keeps to the essence of the original but chooses characters that have all had to deal with prejudice in modern America. Still the happy ending, but gives the characters more depth.
The author keeps to the essence of the original but chooses characters that have all had to deal with prejudice in modern America. Still the happy ending, but gives the characters more depth.
June 25, 2022
3.5, rounded up because it got better the second half of the book. First half was a bit jumpy and hard to follow, but the second half smoothed out and kept me reading. Great characters and friendships amongst the women. Basic plot line main events loosely follow P&P, but read it more for the story about the women than traditional JAFF E&D.
August 6, 2021
This is one of my favorite books. An adult view of modern relationships where one's romantic partner isn't one's defining characteristic, humorous dialogue, and fully developed characters with their own internal lives, thoughts, and dreams. On these pages, you'll find lots of advice for finding love AND fulfillment. The Bennet Women does more than merely illustrate an older story simply in a modern setting--it demonstrates how a very different era and place would unfold, and keeps us guessing throughout, even when it appears that we understand exactly what's going to happen next! My favorite aspect of this book is the sense of authenticity and realness the characters have. You can’t help but love EJ.
June 27, 2024
I really wanted to enjoy this book, like I really wanted to enjoy this book. But it never really ended up working out for me. I enjoyed the representation that was shown throughout the book, but it never seemed that Jamie’s character was ever expressed in a deeper manner. For me, it seemed one could get 53% of the way through the book and not even have to read the rest. I really think you can skim through the last bit of the book without learning new information. Also the information about ballet definitely needed a read through. The combinations didn’t make sense, and wouldn’t be done in a ballet class. I appreciate the idea but it didn’t seem to be excited well.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 590 reviews