A Date With Mr. Darcy

Merrilee has read too many books and is too quick to see herself as the heroine of her own romantic story. A budding romance with Monroe convinces her that she is living out Romeo and Juliet. But over the course of the story, Merrilee begins to see that her own story is more interesting than anything she can read in books. There are nice nods to Pride & Prejudice as well.

Saw this at the library and the idea was so cute I had to get it.

Book obsessed teenager who says “book boys are soooo much better than real boys” transfers to a new school (that *might* have a magic English teacher) and suddenly starts interacting with HS books who are just like the characters in the books she’s assigned (Hello there, Romeo & Mr. Darcy)

Silly but also cute. Love the relationships with for sisters & friends as well as the literary angle to the romance plots. It’s a fun series but due to the constraints of the plot the characters can be a little over the top.

Disclaimer: I received this book free from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

I have to admit, as a lifelong reader I’ve had my share of bookish boyfriends. I’ve had cause to agree with the statement, “Boys are so much better in books”. You all know what I’m talking about, and we’ve all got our favorites. Mr. Darcy? Mr. Rochester? Name your poison. This book takes that very sentiment and runs with it.

I will admit that this book is simply not written for me. I had hoped that the references to books and familiar heroes would carry me through this story but I am an older woman, and this book is very much for teens. I would even venture to say that it is primarily for younger teens, not college age readers. It was a show more pleasant and easy read, but I found it hard to generate any enthusiasm for the main character in particular. Merrilee is a girl who is obsessed with books, is quite boy crazy and as such she did not appeal to me. Merrilee is also astoundingly selfish. I found that hard to get past.

The book feels like an extended bookish meme come to life. The characters directly correspond to characters in Romeo & Juliet and Pride and Prejudice. Those similarities in characterization and plot can be heavy handed but are also somewhat superficial. It feels not so much like a re-telling as a direct translation into millennial terms.

I don’t think this is a badly written book. The author shows skill with pacing and delivery. She consistently held my interest and this book was never even close to becoming a DNF. In fact, I found myself anxiously waiting for bedtime when I could continue reading. I would like to see this author branch out and write something completely original and not tie herself to the confines of a plot and a reader that is expecting the same old story. I believe Ms. Schmidt will be good at something new.

Song for this book: Hang with Me (acoustic) – Robyn show less

3. 5 Stars

CW: eating disorder mentioned

Well that was cute and fun!

I love retellings/reimaginings and of course reading, and this is a lovely book about both! I enjoyed that there was a lot of discussion about literature, and it is my fervent hope that the books in this series encourage teens to pick up the classic novels or plays referenced. P and P is one of my favourite books and I think this was a reasonable and accessible modern YA interpretation of this great novel.

This book just sucked me in. I had an idea of what I was getting into when I started this book, but it completely blew my mind. I connected to the characters and loved the side characters as well. My favorite character is actually Ms. Gregoire. I would love to read more about her and what she is really up too. There are so many more stories that could come into the series. I cannot wait to read more.

Oh my goodness! This book was a painful read. When I read the premise, I thought I would be able to relate to Merrilee since she preferred book boys to their real-life counterparts, and I felt exactly the same way when I was a teen. However, the writing was awful and it took me forever to plough my way through this novel.

-5 Stars-
Ooo! Loved this one! I loved how it was about someone who loved books also I like how the author chose to make books play a big role. I really loved this book, it was a cute YA romance. I loved this!