Most Ardently

"Sapphic Pride and Prejudice retelling "

"This was so good!! I’ve never read or watched Pride & Prejudice so I honestly went in with no expectations but wow, I loved it!! Queer historical fiction has slowly become one of my favorite genres and this one is definitely going to stay on the top of my list of favorites! I loved getting to see Oliver’s family so supportive of who he is, especially how much his dad fought for him and I loved Oliver’s relationship with Jane too! And the romance between Oliver & Darcy was top notch, I’d truly read more stories about how their future plays out or even just soft moments of them reading together"

"Thank you to Gabe Cole Novoa and Feiwel & Friends for a free audio ARC in exchange for my full, honest review.<br/><br/>3 stars!<br/><br/>This was very highly anticipated for me because I've read a few of the Remixed Classics and I love Pride & Prejudice. Largely this book fulfills what it claims to be but there were a few aspects of the writing and the story that detracted from the experience.<br/><br/>Let's cover the positives first! This is a very quick and easy read, and the pacing is solid. Any trans rep (and queer rep in general) goes straight to my heart and I absolutely felt some of the scenes. I like how the culture of the regency was rendered and all of the relationships and drama were very clear to me throughout the book.<br/><br/>Now for the weak points. Oliver's experience of gender dysphoria came off pretty one dimensional in a way that felt very detached and frustrating. Much of his narration is just remarks about his chest and, at least in my experience, dysphoria covers a much broader range of expression. Gender is so tightly threaded into how we are socialized that for many trans people there's a general anxiety that all their mannerisms have been determined by their biological sex. There's also dissonance between wanting to pass and feeling forced into traditionally masculine traits that might not be true to you. I would have liked to see Oliver's dysphoria expressed in broader contexts than his chest and clothes.<br/><br/>P&P is an ambitious story to reimagine, and I praise Novoa for trying, but this was missing some of the elements that I feel are integral to the original story. Something that I like about Darcy in the original novel is that he's...kind of pathetic. He's not just socially incompetent but totally emotionally constipated in the first chunk of the story, which makes the payoff of events like the gazebo scene a lot more impactful. Most Ardently's Darcy is briefly rude when he doesn't know people, but he's otherwise uncharacteristically emotionally mature and charming throughout the rest of the book.<br/><br/>I also was very thrown off by the role and arc of Charlotte in this book. She and Lu bring up very real and valid points about survival and safety, and Oliver dismisses them because he's just "unwilling to settle." Of course, he gets the best of all worlds at the end but that leaves Charlotte and Lu in a very strange limbo as for the point of their presence in the book. Is the argument then that they would have gotten everything if they were only willing to strive for it? That feels very unfair to me, and I think the author may have realized this as Charlotte disappears by the end of the story.<br/><br/>That brings me to my final point which is that there's a strange thread of misogyny in Oliver's narration throughout the book. Oftentimes, someone will mistreat Oliver or require something of him because they see him as a woman and Oliver will remark that that is unjust or wrong because he is a man. The idea that Oliver specifically doesn't deserve this only because he's really a man, and not because it's an injustice against anyone including women really puts me off. Having just read [b:The Spirit Bares Its Teeth|89144437|The Spirit Bares Its Teeth|Andrew Joseph White|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1675089882l/89144437._SY75_.jpg|98992424] by Andrew Joseph White, another regency-era novel with a trans-man main character, I took for granted the book's prominent idea that injustice towards women was wrong whether or not the character in question was a woman or not. <br/><br/>I did enjoy reading this book despite my issues with it, and I'm sure many people would enjoy it given that they don't look into it too much. Admittedly, I'm a bit let down as this was very highly anticipated for me, but I absolutely think there are people who will enjoy it!"

"This was an enjoyable short read! I am a big pride and prejudice fan, so this book made me really excited. <br/><br/>I think Oliver’s story really worked here, and caused me to learn some queer history that I otherwise would not have known! Honestly I would like a lot more queer stories set in history and am now determined to hunt them down. We are here and we always have been- it’s a wonderful reminder. <br/><br/>a few things to note: I know the story changes a lot due to it being about Oliver, but one of the changes I wish had been reworked a bit is how fast he fell for Darcy. One of the things I enjoy most about the original novel is that you really aren’t sure what to think about Darcy and you almost think the main love interest IS suppose to be Wickham. (I know, decades old book, not a surprise anymore, but the dramatic irony is still there!) I love how there is a back in forth in the original between the two main characters and while there was a bit of it in this one, I wanted more. However, it is so hard to live up to Jane Austen and I think this was still well done with the changes made. <br/><br/>I definitely recommend!"

"As an Austen fan, I really appreciated that Gabe took the characters and setting and adapted it to tell a lovely story. <br/>I love that every character is an interpretation. I've read other adaptations that take direct lines and quotes from the original, and here, each character is different from the original, but still recognizable.<br/><br/>I am not transgendered, and as someone who has never felt what it is like to go through that, this was the first YA book that I've read that REALLY captured the experience. I could feel Oliver's disgust and dread when he has to perform as Elizabeth. The freedom he feels when he can -finally- be himself. The love and support and acceptance that Oliver gets is beautiful. It's not without it's struggles, but it paints an optimistic picture of how the world could, should (and hopefully will) be. <br/><br/>I loved Charlotte in this version, and Darcy's awkwardness is captured perfectly. Wickham and Mr Collins are perfectly awful in this book and they're just as much fun to despise here as they are in the original. <br/><br/>If you like Pride and Prejudice and you're looking for Queer and Trans representation, you've found your home in this book."