Reviews

Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev

moyarb's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted reflective slow-paced

3.75

julmev's review

2.0

Unfortunately DNF at 30%. There was a lot of exposition and I never got hooked. The plot didn’t seem to go anywhere in that time and I struggled to see the retelling aspect of it.

amflesch's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

ayooo6767's review

Dnf ch 6

claudianhi's review against another edition

The book dragged on about unnecessary details and every character interaction was insufferable. The random British slang thrown in felt so forced and unnatural. Also, as someone who works in healthcare, I am critical of characters who are supposed to be healthcare providers, and this MC broke countless HIPAA violations that made me roll my eyes...

alayna017's review

5.0

Love this new take on Pride & Prejudice! It was a fresh story; it kept fairly close to the original but had elements that were new and interesting. Trisha was so awkward, but it made her so endearing. I can’t wait for the next one in this series.

katiemaesardella's review against another edition

emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

kirstenpenguin's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

kdawn999's review

4.0

3.5 stars rounded up to reward this novel for all it did well. Don't expect it to follow every beat of the plot of P&P, but the ones it chooses are pretty smart. I've thought lately that P&P is unadaptable in a modern, American context--we can't be shamed as heavily by sex scandals, marriage is now no longer the sole means for financial survival, and what is good manners depends completely on the society you hold. Sonali Dev wisely takes the "flavors" of P&P--the issues of "pride" and "prejudice"--and shows how those can play out in the debt-inducing health-care system and racial biases of the US. Pride, here, is pride in one's work--the "Darcy" and "Elizabeth" characters each have jobs they love and excel at--neurosurgery and elite cooking. In this novel the characteristics of the romantic leads are mixed up and gender-swapped, and this was done well. Really, though, the best thing this novel did--which is a cornerstone of P&P--was deeply develop the ancillary characters and family drama. We dive into the backgrounds of the leads and come to care for their family as they do--even the indominable Catherine de Bourgh analog, here an Indian Maharaja.

The only thing that fell flat for me--and I guess it's a big thing--was the romance. The characters and situations are well-conceived, but the dialogue between the leads is utter garbage. Rather than witty, intellectual digs we get bumbling, pettiness, and social ineptitude on both sides. I really don't see how these two fall for each other as written here.

Nevertheless, I've already cast the leads for the movie adaptation, and I would fall over myself to see Nick Sagar (of The Princess Switch) and Simone Ashley (of Bridgerton Season 2) have at each other on screen.

heynanhey's review against another edition

funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0