Author: Jonah Lisa Dyer and Stephen Dyer
Publication Date: July 4th 2017 (Paperback)
Publisher: Speak // Penguin Teen
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: Penguin Random House International (THANK YOU!)
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Blurb Description: "A fun, modern take on Pride and Prejudice."--Jojo Moyes, bestselling author of Me Before You
Megan McKnight is a soccer star with Olympic dreams, a history major, an expert at the three Rs of Texas (readin', ridin', and ropin'), and she's not a girly girl. So when her Southern belle mother secretly enters her as a debutante for the year's deb season in their hometown of Dallas, she's furious--and has no idea what she's in for.
Megan's attitude gets her on probation with the mother hen of the debs, and she has only a month to prove she can ballroom dance, display impeccable manners, and curtsey like a proper Texas lady or she'll get the boot and disgrace her family. The perk of being a debutante, of course, is going to parties, and it's at one of these lavish affairs where Megan gets swept off her feet by the debonair and down-to-earth Hank Waterhouse. If only she didn't have to contend with a backstabbing blonde and her handsome but surly billionaire boyfriend.
Will Megan be able to juggle her soccer dreams and Texas society? Because the season has just begun, and the drama is just getting started.
A modern Pride and Prejudice, set in present day Texas where
an athletically inclined teen is forced to make her debut to society? PLUS, A
MODERN DAY MR. DARCY? (I’m so beyond sold on this idea, don’t even get me
started.)
Let me begin by saying that even though Pride and Prejudice
is my FAVOURITE CLASSIC OF ALL TIME AND ANYBODY WHO LIKES IT CAN BE MY BEST
FRIEND, I didn’t know that this book was a modern take on it but I still wanted
to read it. It sounded PERFECT and well, let’s break it down:
WRITING:
The writing really brought out where the book was set –
Texas. Our two debuting sisters, Megan and Julia (Elizabeth and Jane) are
twenty, not teens, and live in their own apartment together, and come from a
long line of cattle ranchers. They live in Texan High Society and Johan Lisa and Stephen really brought out
both the High Society and the Texas through their words, creating the perfect
backdrop to a good story.
IDEA:
Like I said when I started this review, I was SO BEYOND SOLD
on this idea that it had been on my radar for over a year before I even
requested it from the lovely folks at Penguin Random House International! I
loved the storyline before I even knew that it was a Pride and Prejudice
retelling, especially the fact that this was about an athletic girl being
forced to make a debut. This book reminded me a little of Gossip Girl’s
Cotillion, a little more of The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennett and a little
originality sparkling in the middle.
PLOT:
The way this book started made me laugh. As the book went
on, I was able to place all the Pride and
Prejudice character personalities to the characters in this book and the
placing was a lot of fun! I loved that there were so many different things
going on – Megan’s debut, her football, her boy drama, her relationships with
her sister and her father and all the petty drama that (undoubtedly) happens
when one is making her debut into society.
At the same time, I felt like TOO MUCH was happening at
the same time, and I felt almost none of it. For starters, apart from Megan’s
initial reaction, I didn’t see her resisting to the idea of making her debut at
all, as the description promised she would. In fact, she knew as much about gowns and designers and
fashion styles and someone who was looking forward to her debut would, which
was strange to me.
In the span of 300 pages, our protagonist gets swept off her
feet twice, scores over thirty goals in her college football matches, updates
her wardrobe, learns how to be a Texan lady and make her debut and it was just
a LOT of things going on on the page and I felt like it was rushed and crammed.
I did really like Megan, her sister Julia, Andrew (Mr. Darcy
DUH HOW COULD I NOT) and even her Dad.
CONCLUSION:
If you were intrigued by the premise like I was, you should
definitely pick this book up. It has its flaws, but it’s also the most fun
Pride and Prejudice retelling I’ve read in a while! 3.5 stars.
In a partnership exceeding twenty years, native Texans Jonah Lisa Dyer and Stephen Dyer have made lots of amazing things together: the films Hysteria and Away & Back; a cozy home in the mountains of Idaho; a pact to always look for the good in the world; two exceptional human beings who love reading, laughing and pie as much as they do; and a novel due for release this summer. They hope to continue making things for as long as they can.
What's your favourite book by Jane Austen? Which Bennet sister are you most like?
What are some of your favourite Pride and Prejudice Retellings?
Have you read The Season? What did you think of it?
I can't wait to hear from you!
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