For this review and more, visit Such A Novel Idea"During the forty-five seconds that Mr. Darcy walked across the meadow, my life changed. Each long stride he took toward me -- I mean Elizabeth -- lodged itself in my heart and I would never be the same."
As a HUGE fan of Pride & Prejudice (the book) and an even bigger fan of the 2005 movie adaptation (it's in my top three favorite movies), I knew I HAD to read this book. So, when I got the option to read and review it for a blog tour, I was a little bit giddy. I love when authors wrap classic stories into a contemporary setting. For awhile, it has been Greek mythology, so it was refreshing to see it with something so different and beloved.
So, I have to start out by saying that I.LOVED.THIS.BOOK. I mean the main character is a girl who falls in love with a fictional character. I'm pretty sure almost every single one of you reading this knows what that's like. I mean, we fangirls (and boys) are kind of notorious for falling in love with fictional characters. And how many of us fell in love with Mr. Darcy, as played by Matthew Macfadyen.
So, our protagonist is a sixteen year old girl who is roped into seeing a movie with her mom. Hmm, I wonder which movie it could be? She isn't too thrilled about seeing it. She even finds out her mother named her Elizabeth after Elizabeth Bennett (super cute alert!). Her hesitations were that it wasn't in the present time, which is pretty congruent with a lot of teens. However, we all know how things turn out for Lizzie. (::insert mega crush face here::)
I WAS a little disheartened that Lizzie (hah, love it!) wasn't excited about seeing the movie, or that she and her friend were the only teens in the room. I mean, COME ON TEENS. If you haven't seen this movie, you are seriously missing out. Don't even feel like you have to read the book at this point. Start the obsession off slow. That scene definitely made me feel old. Oh and the line she makes about not wanting to watch older romance movies, like from the 80's and 90's.
Fast forward six years (I'll do the math, she's now 22) and Lizzie is still not over her first crush... with Mr. Darcy. She's never gone on more than a couple of dates and isn't able to get past that fairy tale image. Her friend/roomate convinces her to go out with a guy for 10 dates, just so she can actually push beyond her comfort zone. She meets a great guy (Chad) and while they get along, she ends up running into modern day Mr. Darcy.
So, naturally she has to pursue the man who embodies her teenage-into-adulthood crush. And she begins to learn (as most of us do) how a crush and a real-life romance don't always work out the same way.
This book had so much going for it: a great main character, really sweet, clean romance, and an uplifting message. I highly recommend this to younger teens, older teens, and adults. I think anyone who is a P&P fan and a fan of contemporary romance will be enamored by the book.
So, is Mr. Darcy Mr. Right? Read it and you shall see.
Rating 4/5