First Impressions: A Jane Austen Variation

A Jane Austen Variation #2

by Alicia J. Chumney

Lizzy
Focused on getting as many scholarships as possible, running and academics are the bulk of Elizabeth “Lizzy” Barnes’ life. When Liam becomes her newest teammate and classmate, she begins to wonder if there is more to life than her pursuit of a debt-free college experience.

Liam
When William “Liam” Davis’ parents are killed in a car accident, he’s sent across the state to live with his overbearing Aunt Catherine Delgado.

Starting over during his Senior year of high school was not something he ever expected to happen and he finds himself in uncertain territory as he struggles to adapt to the changes happening in his life.

Meeting Elizabeth Barnes happened to be an added bonus.

As they grow closer, Aunt Catherine gives Liam an ultimatum that disrupts their Liam and his sister can get the therapy they need if he stops being friends with ‘that Barnes girl.’

Can they overcome the obstacles in front of them or will graduation be the end of their time together?

First Impressions is the first book set in a modernized and loose adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. This story follows Liam, Lizzy, and their friends and family through their Senior Year of high school. The complete trilogy follows Liam and Lizzy through high school and college, through the trials they experience during six years of their lives.

400 pages, Paperback

Published April 19, 2022

About the author

Alicia J. Chumney has her B.A. in English Literature from the University of TN at Martin (2008). Since middle school she has been scribbling in notebooks, on scrap paper, even in a restaurant ticket book one time (she still has the ticket book).

She lives in Tennessee with her cat, Molly, and a stack of books that she doubts she will finish reading in her lifetime. This is mostly because she spends a fair amount of time rereading her favorite books: Anne of Green Gables and Pride and Prejudice.

Reviews

[Katja · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a P&P variation set at high school. Liam Davis and his sister are orphaned heirs to a hotel chain. They live with their Aunt Catherine and cousin Anne, struggling to cope with Catherine's expectations. She has so many rules of conduct that she can't keep them all straight herself but Liam and Anne are subtly defying her to some degree. Other students are not sure what to make of him because he is rather taciturn but he likes Elizabeth Barnes who is in his running team. Catherine despises her family for being poor, though, and trying to date could be a humiliating experience. Liam's friend Chase likes Jane Barnes who is a klutz and keeps getting injured doing normal teenager things.

The cast also includes Mary, Courtney and Lydia, Chase's snooty sister Carolyn, Greg Whitaker (a football player tugging Lizzy's ponytails), and Liam's annoying neighbor William who is the kid no one wants to eat lunch with (but someone might be mercenary enough to consider dating him for a hundred dollars a month).

I am probably not the right demographic for a high school story but it was interesting to see how the canonical situations get translated into this setting. Some of the writing is a bit repetitive but it flows well for the most part. However, this is a very long story that is just the first part of a trilogy and I just didn't have the attention span to finish it straight through, I struggled to keep interested and kept putting it down and reading something else in between. It ends at a low point with Jane broken-hearted and you have to read other long books to find out if and how things turn out. (I don't think I will.)

I got a Booksprout copy and this is a voluntary review.

[Buturot · Rating 5 out of 5]

A modern P & P variation set when they were all in high school.This is a very long story (61 chapters) and it has a part 2. Though long, it was interesting/enjoyable to read as it was easy to relate to (Nice to reminisce). There was also a weakness in their characters, consistent to that age. So I am looking forward to the next "chapters" when they advance in age and maturity. Wonder how ODC will be. (Spoiler: Comparing to the original, this story ended when the Netherfield party left Hertfordshire).

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Rhonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good take on an old classic and entertaining story. The age of the characters makes it very interesting since they are young and in school. Dealing with a difficult situation. It is always interesting to read how characters handle difficult situations and stubborn characters. Good start for this series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[M]

DNF. It dragged too much for me.

[J. Hicks]

Great story based on the work of Jane Austen. The characters (teens) navigate the social order and it's all it's intricacies. Lizzy is a girl with a solid game plan, and she's on the road to getting into college with scholarships, both athletic and academic. And there's a boy that's caught her eye, though she's having trouble relating to him.
I loved the pacing of this book. With a lot of characters, it was easy to keep track to the differing personalities. I would recommend for any reader of ya romance or coming of age.
I give it 5 stars.

I was given a review copy of this ebook for my honest feedback. It was so good that I'm going to buy my own copy.