Lit Reader’s Reviews > Stuck: A Modern Day Pride and Prejudice Variation > Status Update

Yikes!

That little one-line nugget there (intended to make Darcy look “good” or palatable in our “modern” society) is a direct 2-star prompt for me !

Lit wrote: "That little one-line nugget there (intended to make Darcy look “good” or palatable in our “modern” society) is a direct 2-star prompt for me !"

Kinship! The reparations thing would be an automatic 1- or 2-stars from me too. I'm reading through your updates and feeling discouraged. I was hopeful that this would be good. But the things you're describing are exactly the sort of things I really don't like.

That brief line was so insidious and disgusting to me (!!!), Bingley insinuating that Pemberley was built on some imaginary sins, corruption, explotation??? oppression? WTF (vulgarity is merited here to express my outrage)

Bingley also says something like “not as bad a others, but still” (paraphrasing) — what is this author thinking? Does he expect Darcy to sell Pemberly?? I just can’t !

Goodness. I don't normally disagree with you but this was the standout book of the year so far for me! The may be some cultural differences here, the author is British as am I and there is no doubt that reparations is a bigger issue to us than it is to you. I don't think it was meant to make him palatable in a modern society but was rather intense to show that he took his responsibilities seriously and shared his wealth.

Strongly disagree = the UK is a society that’s full to the brim with an ecosystem of Charities, Trusts, and Foundations, any of these outlets would present Darcy as socially “responsible” (your words, I would use “generous”, or even “savvy”). Inserting the line abojt REPARATIONS is politically charged and highly questionable to my understanding. Did the author mean to imply Darcys were Slace Traders?? Did the Darcys own plantations somewhere? Should Pemberly be made into a museum about White Guilt now? RIDICULOUS!

Also, I evidently disagree on this book being “a standout” in any positive type of experience. To me, as a reader, the book was “a standout” of childish plot-weaving (fake girlfriend done poorly), senseless character torture (have Darcy cheated and lied by his closest friend for +70% of the story, and then have him turn aggressive on Elizabeth by threatening her with jail time & losing her livelihood because he believed in his heart she was a corporate fraudster who also seduces CEO).

The reading experience for me was plainly HORRIBLE, I do not recommend this story to anyone with a good conscience, and hobestly, I feel cheated by some of those good reviews out there…

Thanks for the warning. I was contemplating buying the book but this sounds dreadful.
And with the reviews, well I bet most are insincere and only good reviews because they don’t want to hurt the author’s feelings. I don’t believe the 5 stars reviews anymore.

Lady Mercury wrote: "Thanks for the warning. I was contemplating buying the book but this sounds dreadful.
And with the reviews, well I bet most are insincere and only good reviews because they don’t want to hurt the ..."

I think it is often the case that readers have interacted with authors enough that they don't want to hurt their feelings and thus there is a certain amount of "star" inflation. I confess that, when I'm evaluating a book, I start with the 2- and 3-star reviews. And I sometimes find that what another person complains about is something I like in a story, so the critical reviews can be the most helpful.

With this book, I was a little hesitant because of the "fake girlfriend/engagement" trope, which I always feel is very contrived.

I can assure you my review is an accurate reflection. I don't inflate reviews although I cannot speak for others. I find that when people criticise it is often the case that everyone jumps onto the negativity instead of considering for themselves. We all look for different things. I look for an interesting book before I look for a romance and I am definitely not a "Lizzy-hater" like far too many readers seem to be.

@LadyMercury I agree with you 100% ! 4 & 5-star reviews can’t be trusted 9 times out of 10 anymore

Some authors’ “guilds” have built a community of beta-readers and social media followers, and many have real friendships with militant bonds of loyalty that favor these aggressive positive PR campaigns we see online.

It’s mostly blind praise and fangirling over their friends ; meanwhile quality went downhill, plots are ridiculously childish, and good/honest editors are not to be found (ha!).

My personal assessment of this story is that such a childish plot device as the fake gf should not have been allowed in the first place for a story that aims at real-world credibility (not a joke or a farce), and worse, never allowed to go so long into a supposedly adult/mature story. But somehow it was written/approved/edited/packed/marketed and SOLD, to my shocked amazement.

Lit wrote: "@LadyMercury I agree with you 100% ! 4 & 5-star reviews can’t be trusted 9 times out of 10 anymore

Some authors’ “guilds” have built a community of beta-readers and social media followers, and man..."

Lit Reader - you are so right here, and you've expressed the situation so well. When I found out that this book was a "fake gf" trope, I was surprised and disappointed because I usually like this author, and I'm not opposed to modern variations. Regardless of the time period, that trope is a really weak, contrived plot device. I don't think I've ever read a story with "fake" relationships that was believable or that worked as an interesting story whether historical or modern. Perhaps it's all the deception required in such a story. "Disguise is my abhorrence" LOL

But that points to a deeper problem - as you said, who green-lit this story? This publisher is in danger of becoming a vanity press for a select group of talented authors who should be held to a higher standard. There have been several recent releases from the publisher that had me scratching my head and thinking, "who thought this was a good story to publish?" Maybe the publisher is just pressuring them to release new stories more often. When I consider all the AI slop that's being slung at us, I can sympathize with the publisher. Perhaps they are a bit desperate. I don't know why Meryton Press failed, but it did.

I agree with this analysis, some of these publishers have got greedy and are churning out stories that are clearly 1) unpolished and unvetted, and 2) low value plot bunnies that should remain in the realm of online fanfic communities, where crazy writing experiments of whims have their place, as they have had for decades now. No need to make us believe it’s a polished product and charge for it !

Lit wrote: "I agree with this analysis, some of these publishers have got greedy and are churning out stories that are clearly 1) unpolished and unvetted, and 2) low value plot bunnies that should remain in th..."

On one hand, I'm so grateful for KU/K+ as I can read so many books for a relatively low monthly cost. I can be annoyed by the low quality, but I'm only out some time.

On the other hand, even with the low per page payout, these books are generating real revenue through the KU borrows, and perhaps the fact that so many reads will be through KU and not purchases plays a role in the lack of quality and rushed release of books that, as you said, would make more sense as something posted at AO3 or fanfic. The books are generating revenue regardless of whether they are any good (same goes for the AI slop).