I received a free ebook copy of The Right Thing to Do at the Time in exchange for my honest review.

I believe I would have enjoyed this novel far more if I hadn't known it was meant to be a Pride and Prejudice retelling. While there are parallels, it isn't a perfect match to the original, and I spent stressful amount of time trying to work out who was who as the story moved forward slowly and characters eventually became introduced.

The Right Thing to Do at the Time employs a dry Jewish humor that I did find quite enjoyable, with ample footnotes to translate the Yiddish bits. Additionally, Itche and Ari's friendship is heartwarming and frankly is what makes the book worth the read. Itche and Ari have been friends since summer camp, both outcast; Ari was forced to sleep in a tent outside (the boys called it his "apartment") instead of a cabin because he was trans. They are supportive of each other in all ways, basically family, and it's excellent.

There is a lot of transphobia in this book. Ari's bubbie refuses to use his real name, his father makes a weird comment about everyone accepting the genitals God gave them, many people stare at his crotch inappropriately or make gross comments about trans people in general, and there's a trans-antagonistic confrontation near the end that left me in tears. This isn't to say it isn't accurate to life, but it's worth noting. Ari's family -- and the cast of characters generally, excepting Itche -- all left me rather fermished. ( )

I wasn't quite sure what to expect with this book. The premise sounded good, but also different from my normal read. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it, though. The story was solid, and the characters were well written. There were a few issues with pacing in the beginning, but things evened out pretty quickly, and it ended up being a really good read. ( )

This book is different from anything I have read before. I am a cisgender straight Christian woman so I don't know the Jewish experience much less what it is to be transgender. My lack of Jewish and Yiddish knowledge made all the footnotes necessary. The story itself is great. The characters are written very well and you want to root for them. However, at times I wanted to know more and at other times things went on too long. All in all, this is a lovely book.

I had a hard time getting into this book at first. I don't deal well with angst and woe-is-me characters. Once I gave it a chance and really read it, I enjoyed it more. I realized that Ari, the main character, had some growing to do emotionally. He wants to be in a relationship, but sees them as possibly being toxic to the soul. He thinks he knows what he wants but it doesn't seem to be out there. He has a job he likes, but the supervisor is making him miserable. He plays the fiddle with a taskmaster instructor who knows Ari can do better, but Ari doesn't seem to think so.
As the book goes on, Ari grew on me, but it was after the angst started to thin and he actually began to enjoy life.
The author places footnotes at the bottom of the page for most of the book. It's for those of who don't live in the Jewish world and it was helpful if a bit distracting at first. It's almost like reading a research paper in format and that kept me from enjoying the story in the beginning.
Again, once I got past some of my issues, I enjoyed the story. Ari is trans, but the author doesn't dwell on that, it's just part of the story. I liked that aspect a lot.
I can recommend this book. ( )

This is like Pride & Prejudice through the eyes of a trans man. Ari is lost and lonely, and his life seems empty and hollow. His friend Itche is all he has, and they try to make sense of a world where relationships are so out of reach. Itche and Ari meet a beautiful TV star and also a stuck-up fashion designer. But like Pride & Prejudice, nobody is truly what they show to the world.

A great book, full of Jewish humor and gentle romance. There is nothing explicit and there is no real "bad language." I will even have my mother read this, since she likes Austen. ( )