Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe

HO HO HO...ly Cow. I can't believe I didn't DNF this one.

This modern-day, gender-swapped version of the classic has about as much charm as Alvin & the Chipmunks singing "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" -- on repeat.

NOTHING about this story makes sense:
- Our 29 year old female protagonist (Darcy Fitzwilliam) is continually hounded by friends and family for not being married. Um, hello! This is 2017, not 1950.
- Darcy is supposed to be a mega multimillionarie hedge fund manager, but acts like a total ditz. No one could reach that level of professional success at such a young age and be so much of a mess.
- Darcy's act of valor to aid the Bennett twins is baffling (as the Bennett twins' behavior is abhorrent)
- The book contains silly show more editing mistakes. For example, the text referrs to Darcy going shopping at Bloomingdales while she's back home in Ohio. There are no Bloomingdales in Ohio (which an editor should have caught).

I could go on, but I need some eggnog to recover from this mess.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. show less

I know there's a whole cottage industry devoted to rewriting Pride and Prejudice but I heard good things about this one and took a chance. I really loved it. The author has done an amazing job both with switching the genders of many of the characters and in updating the story. There was never a point where I thought something felt wrenched to fit the plot of the original tale. If I didn't know Pride and Prejudice I would never have known as the narrative flows and stands on its own. Both leads clashed realistically and I never thought either one of them was being unreasonable, which is the one thing I ask for in a romance. Definitely worth the time.

Full Review: Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a copy of this delightful “Pride and Prejudice” retelling by Melissa de la Cruz to read and review. I absolutely adored it! This super-cute retelling features a female Darcy Fitzwilliam and a male Luke Bennett, along with a delightful modernized cast of characters that give this a great 2017 twist.

We all know the story from Lizzy Bennett’s perspective… where Darcy is aloof and believes himself entirely too good for her. This was a great twist by placing us entirely in Darcy’s head and leaving our Bennett character’s motivations a bit more in the dark. I found the changes in characterization just delightful. The change of brothers versus show more sisters made for a great twist… I’m all for switching things up a bit in fairy tale and other retellings… otherwise it’s just the same tale repeated with nothing new to offer… and I LOVED how much Melissa de la Cruz had to add to her version of the tale. Bingley as the best friend still worked marvelously and I won’t give away spoilers but I loved the side plot there, too.

There were more twists and turns in terms of the romance than the original tale, but that was a necessary change for 2017 since there were no longer the same class conventions keeping them apart. I found the creativity and storytelling quite enjoyable and definitely recommend it to anyone who loves a good holiday romance.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author.

Please excuse typos. Entered on screen reader. show less

Pride and Prejudice plus mistletoe plus Melissa De La Cruz equals holiday bliss. I picked up Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe one night to read a chapter or two and ended up practically reading the whole book in one sitting. De La Cruz is a master at creating novels that are hard to put down. In this book, she re-imagines Pride and Prejudice in a modern-day setting with characters you'll fall in love with.

Darcy Fitzwilliam left home to make a name for herself. And she did. She wanted to get as far away from Pemberley, Ohio as possible. She hasn't come home in years, but when her mother falls ill, she hops on a plane and goes back to her old stomping ground just in time for her parents annual Christmas party. With a few drinks under her show more belt, Darcy kisses Luke Bennet. Someone she definitely does not want to end up with. But she can't stop thinking about the carpenter. She's a big city gal and he's a small town furniture designer. Is it just a one night stand, or could this be exactly what Darcy needs.

I love that De La Cruz swapped genders for the main characters. I've read many Pride and Prejudice variations, and this small detail really made it fresh. She managed to capture the essence of Jane Austen's character while making them her own. I highly recommend this book for cozy winter reading. This is a fun novel that will keep you warm through the holidays!

Read more at http://www.toreadornottoread.net/2017/11/review-pride-and-prejudice-and.html#C0P... show less

One of the lames Jane Austen spin offs I've read in a long time. I will admit, I picked this book up solely because I love Jane Austen and I love Christmas. I didn't even bother to read the description (which was obviously a mistake). In this modern day Christmastime Pride and Prejudice adaptation. Darcy Fitzwilliam, one of the wealthiest and influential women in New York City comes back to Pemberly, Ohio for the holidays for the first time in eight years because her mom is sick. After she failed to marry her high school sweetheart, Caleb her father disowned her and took her out of the will so she went to New York and became rich and powerful on her own. She hates Pemberly, but thankfully her best friend from high school, the sassy gay show more Bingley, is in town so they have a good time catching up while her mother recovers. Also she runs into Luke Bennet and he is a stunner. Maybe something will happen with that. Ugh. It's a nightmare. I didn't even care what happened to anyone. show less

Title: Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:

"Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe" by Melissa de la Cruz

My Thoughts...

If you are looking for a 'feel good' quick read for the holiday you may like this one by this author focusing on Darcy Fitzwilliam and Luke Bennet. We find that a lots will happen as Darcy returns home for the holiday after her mother has had a heart attack. Darcy was quite a successful woman however she also had a life that was full of insecurities. I enjoyed how this author was able to deliver a modernized retelling of 'Pride and Prejudice' and let's not leave out the Mistletoe where there will be a 'complete flip of show more characters.' What will happen when one of the richest women who doesn't have time for nothing but work...comes home after been gone for eight years, having to deal with her strained relationship with her father, mother's illness and having to attend her parents's yearly Christmas party? Will a lots of the events that take place in this story set off some events from the past that seem to collide with Darcy's future? What will happen when Darcy meets up with Luke Bennet...the carpenter? What happens when Darcy begins to think that maybe living the simple life would be better than the one she now has? Now to get all of these questions answered and so much more you will have to pick up this novel [Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe] and understand that its a spin off/flip of the original 'Pride and Prejudice,' a Jane Austen Classic however, this will be a quite a different story that is full of twist and turns, 'lightheartedness, self discovery and second chances.' show less

I thought this was a lot of fun for a slight holiday read. Darcy Fitzwilliam left Pemberley, Ohio behind years ago to make it big in NYC. Summoned home by her mother's poor health this holiday season, we see how clever De la Cruz is in twisting this familiar story. The Bennet family had all boys. Darcy's best friend Bingley falls for oldest Bennet Jim at a holiday party while Darcy lands under the mistletoe with the highly unsuitable Luke.