Reviews

Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix by Gabe Cole Novoa

jayisreading's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful fast-paced

4.0

Most Ardently is an interesting queer take on Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. I admit that I picked this one up without reading the synopsis, so I was only aware that it was Novoa’s own spin on a classic that happened to be queer. It was certainly a surprise to discover that Elizabeth Bennet in this retelling is actually Oliver Bennet, a trans teenage boy. This decision to have a trans protagonist made it that Novoa added another complex layer to the existing discussions about gender dynamics in the original novel. It was interesting to see how Novoa’s queering of Pride & Prejudice impacted the direction of the story, which was simultaneously familiar yet not, as a result of having to attend to what it meant to be queer during the Victorian era. I thought Novoa handled this pretty well without getting too caught up in the details to lose the plot. I did feel that Oliver’s thoughts were a bit repetitive once you’re further in the novel, but this might not bother everyone.

Also, a warning to trans readers: Considering the time period and the protagonist being trans, it shouldn’t come as a complete surprise that transphobia is rampant in this novel. There’s very frequent deadnaming and misgendering, which is critical in the development of the story.
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alexjpmoir's review

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hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

acwhit17's review against another edition

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I'm just not the target audience. I'm sure it's nice for baby trans to read and I'm glad it exists but it was a slog to get through, the endless poorly executed metaphors were annoying, very much YA in writing which is it's genre so 

evarinya's review

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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emedaydreams's review against another edition

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emotional 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? Yes

3.0

saralynn95's review against another edition

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slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

i love p&p and i love lgbtq+ retellings, but this one didn’t quite hit for me. the writing was a little stilted and repetitive

eleos01's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

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laraloops's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

ashleykhoffman's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I legitimately loved this retelling of my favorite classic. I think the way both Darcy and Oliver were portrayed was super believable, and I loved the historical blurb about Molly Houses at the end. I liked that the language modernized a bit to give some actual representation, but society vibes weren't impacted. I loved that some scenes were legitimately reminiscent of the original work while still staying true to this one. Do I think this would have flown in actual early 1800's England? Probably not. But I loved this take and I love how many people might see themselves in either Oliver or Darcy. 

The only things I wasn't super keen on:
I don't like that Wickham became like a genuine villain instead of just a misguided dude. If he had just been prejudiced or homophobic I think it would have been more believable than him being a straight up maliciously premeditated vaguely evil man. I also think what Collins did at the end was out of character compared to how in character he was for the rest of this. 

I also didn't love that the Bennets were suddenly within easy walking distance of London proper when they were supposed to be near Hertfordshire. I understand that Oliver needed easy access to society and a Molly House, but I just didn't like how London-centric it made a story that typically feels very English countryside. 

emmyrose's review

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emotional hopeful relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

beautiful pride and prejudice retelling. loved every single word