Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe is an adorable, cozy romantic comedy that you will be unable to put down because you just get wrapped up in the lives of the characters in the best way possible. There were points I laughed out loud and others where I felt all of the feels. I definitely would recommend this book to everyone.

This book will make a lovely holiday chick flick, as it seems it is destined to do, but I found it to be rushed and under developed. A relatively simple story about rich families and trouble finding love, or rather, a rich woman settling for a mate she doesn’t truly love due to perceived family pressures. This was a classic read about a boy getting the girl that is determined as “out of his league.” This whole book reeked of #FirstWorldProblems from the first page to the last and while it was certainly cheesy (which is actually okay for me), it was rushed to execution and irritated me throughout with its rich people problems.

If you are looking to escape into a holiday chick flick, I advise waiting to catch this one on the lifetime holiday schedule (as it was picked up as movie rights). Until then, we still have Thanksgiving to survive before the Christmas music, books and movies really begin.

*Disclaimer: A review copy of this book was provided by NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for making this book available to me!
So I wanted a fun, lighthearted, quick Christmas read and this hit the spot perfectly! Ms. de la Cruz did a great job of recreating the story in an interesting, up-to-date way, I especially liked having the female protagonist and though you always knew where the story would end up, the plot twists kept it interesting.

That being said, I think I'm discovering that I'm just not into updated classics so the modern twists weren't always my cup of tea. Additionally, many would describe me as an over-sensitive reader, so there were parts I found slightly offensive though I'm sure many readers won't.

Author - 1/2⭐
Story - 1⭐
Ending - 1⭐
Offensiveness - 1/2⭐
Recommend - 1⭐

2.5 - 3 Stars - I might recommend if you enjoy fluffy Christmas reads, and plots related to high society living.

Darcy Fitzwilliam is going home for the first time in 8 years. Her mother has had a heart attack, and she wants to be there for her even if it means confronting her past. She's not on good terms with her dad or brothers, and she doesn't like going back to her hometown. While at her parents' Christmas party she runs into Luke Bennett. One of the most annoying guys from high school, however she notices that she's no longer so annoyed by him. As things progress between her and Luke, her and her Ex, and her relationships with her family, Darcy finds herself questioning what she wants in life.

I really wanted to love this, but I was pretty disappointed by it. It was a fairly cute idea, but I didn't feel like I really understood the characters very well. Most of what I disliked was related to very surface level emotions, interests, and conversations. I did like it when Darcy had a more fleshed out personality, I felt like I started to understand her more, but I think that mostly happened toward the end of the book. Otherwise I was confused by her motivations. I did enjoy her relationship with her mom and her friend Bingley. The character growth was ok, and I liked the ending. There wasn't much of P&P in this. The characters had similar names and social status, but otherwise it was mostly just a present-day rom com. Overall it was just ok for me though. I've read plenty of De La Cruz's books, and this one was just not as enthralling as any of the others. And I love Christmas rom-coms you guys! Between the two, I much preferred Merry & Bright by Debbie Macomber (above).

The problem with reviewing this book is that you cannot help to compare it to Austen's masterpiece. I even had trouble comparing it to other adaptations such as Bridget Jones. This novel pales in comparison to those two well-known books.

To be fair, for readers who have not heard of Austen or Fielding and are reading this as a new adult novel, the experience will probably be more pleasant.

First sentence: A Taylor Swift cover of "Last Christmas," originally recorded by Wham! in 1986, strummed from the stereo of the sleek, black town car, where Darcy was sitting in the backseat.

Premise/plot: Darcy Fitzwilliam is a successful business woman who hasn't returned to her hometown of Pemberley, Ohio, in eight years--not even for Christmas. But when her mother has a heart attack, Darcy returns, and seemingly just in time for their annual Christmas party. At the party she bumps into a lot of her former classmates, ex-boyfriends, and friends--among them two of the Bennet brothers, Jim and Luke. Bingley Charles, her (gay) best friend falls in love at first sight with Jim. But Luke and Darcy, well, it takes standing under the mistletoe for the magic to happen. And magic it is. But will Darcy and Luke be able to put aside their pride and prejudice and move forward?

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. I do love Pride and Prejudice. I am always curious to read adaptations. Equal parts curiosity and anxiety if I'm being honest. Overall, I'd recommend this one to those who enjoy reading contemporary romances who also enjoy all things Pride and Prejudice. This holiday-themed romance is definitely Austen-inspired, but it has its original moments as well. Not every character from the book has its parallel. And definitely not every scene--which is for the best. It keeps the book from being tedious. If it was a movie, I'd definitely watch it every holiday season.

A fun read. Shades of Pride and Prejudice!!! Recommend it to all readers but especially those who have read Pride an Prejudice..

Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe is a modern day retelling of Pride and Prejudice with a twist.

I am an absolute fan of the Pride and Prejudice, so when I first heard about this book I was definitely interested in reading it to see what it was like. The flip of characters and general gender swap was so unique and well developed. Reading the role reversals, Darcy Fitwilliam is the woman and Luke Bennet is the male, was intriguing to say the least. It was something that drew me towards this book and brings a classic into modern society. Having read previous books based on Pride and Prejudice, this story has to be my favourite retelling of the classic.

A lot happens when Darcy returns home for the holidays. Dealing with a strained relationship with her father, her mother's illness, and attending her parent's yearly Christmas party, Darcy has her work cut out for her. But what will happen when Darcy's world crashes in Luke Bennent's?

The story was engaging, the characters were written so captivatingly, and there was some twists to keep readers (like myself) wanting to find out more about Darcy and Luke and what ultimately happens to them in the end. The lives of both Darcy and Luke were so satisfying to read. I only wished that the book was a little longer. I couldn't get enough of the characters. Especially the friendship between Darcy and Bingley Charles.

Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe is filled with self discovery, second chances, and beautifully woven moments. This is a book you definitely have to read this holiday season, especially if you're a fan of romance and Jane Austen.

This book was a super fun and light read to wrap up the month. The novel follows Darcy Fitzwilliam - a 29 year old super successful, super beautiful hedge fund manager. She returns home following her mother's illness just before the holidays. She hadn't been home in over seven years due to a falling out with her father, and now all the years away come rushing back to her. Siblings she hadn't spoken with, former friends she lost touch with, an on again/off again boyfriend, and an enemy turned crush all packed into one novel. Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe had it's moments where I laughed out loud, and parts were a little unbelievable, but I enjoyed the message behind it (and yes, there is one) as well as the holiday novelty of it all. If you are looking for a little something lighter to get you in the holiday spirit, I suggest grabbing this quick read.

Pride and Prejudice is such a classic novel, and one of my favorites, so I was really excited to read a gender-swapped modern day version of the story. However, there were a few things about this book that kept me from really enjoying it. 

My biggest issue was the main character, Darcy Fitzwilliam. I appreciate the author's attempt to create a character who was a self-reliant, successful, confident woman but she came across as insensitive and unlikable and my opinion never changed even after her "growth" as a character. I also though the story felt a bit rushed which made it lack the emotional depth I was hoping for in a Pride and Prejudice retelling. 

There were a few minor continuity issues but I think those were due to the fact that I was reading an ARC and hopefully they were fixed for publication. Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe was a quick and easy read, but I found it a bit lacking in comparison to what I had been expecting.

I had a long discussion with a friend about this book. Because I didn't enjoy it. In fact, I'm struggling to finish it. So I said I probably just wouldn't review it. She pointed out to me that she reads another blogger, but doesn't really trust her reviews because she rates every book a 4 or 5 (out of 5). She felt like bloggers should be honest in their reviews, after all, you can't love every book, right?

This is true, but St. Martin's is my favorite publisher, and so many of the authors that I love publish through them. But I won't be a coward, I'll give an honest review.

Let me first say, if you follow my blog, you know I love Christmas books. And I love Pride and Prejudice, so I had great hopes, plus Melissa de la Cruz is an established author, so what could go wrong? The answer is I don't know, but something did.

I felt no sympathy towards Darcy. Her parents were cardboard characters, the romance with Luke felt fake. All of these grown adult boys live with their parents and are just sitting there waiting for people to come throw pebbles at their windows?

Based on the description of Darcy's goals and life, it was hard to believe that she would have any interest in Luke, which made it hard to invest in the story. It just lacked the humor you find in most Christmas books.

Read any of de la Cruz other books, she writes The Descendents series, the Blue Blood series, The Witches of East End series, they are all great and showcase her talent.

Current Goodreads Rating 3.04

I don't know what it was about this book but ridiculous. I finished it but I couldn't say I enjoyed it. There was no real connection to Pride and Prejudice at all except for some of the names used

As an Austenite, I wanted to love this book. But there were so many missteps that prevented me from even liking it. The characters were so very flat, the pacing was incredibly stilted, and the romance was implausible. There was so much promise (gender swap! self-made woman!) , but unfortunately the end product just didn't deliver for me.

I received an ARC from Netgalley.

This was cute, holiday-fluff. I'm not sure the gender-reversal of Darcy worked, but I appreciated the attempt. It was a little too cheesy and perfect for my taste, but I enjoyed the happy ending.

Recommend for Austen fans who enjoy modern retellings.

Here's my advice: If you're a hard-core P&P fan, maybe skip this one, but if you like an entertaining read--and enjoy the P&P format--then pick this one up to read by the Christmas tree. I read this one in one sitting, so it's quick and easy. There were some definite laugh-out-loud moments, but also some strange inconsistencies that I'm assuming were only because I was reading an early edition. Fun and charming, it's a light read for the holidays!

Sure, it's still nearly 90 degrees Fahrenheit where I live in California, but it's holiday reading time in my heart. I was super thrilled to read Melissa de la Cruz's modern take on Pride and Prejudice. The twist of making Darcy the female character and turning Liz Bennet into Luke Bennet was something I was into. What I wasn't into was how all of it played out. When you write an homage to a classic like Pride and Prejudice, the comparison's are unavoidable. Unfortunately, that doesn't work out to PPM's favor. Rather than being begrudgingly grumpy and accidentally snobby, Darcy Fitzwilliam comes across as materialistic, self-absorbed and judgmental. Rather than being awkward and uncouth, Luke Bennet is a completely normal human who could do way way better than Darcy. I found Darcy completely unrelatable and unlikable. My dislike of her character colored the rest of the book for me.

Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe by Melissa de la Cruz is a nicely done modern adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Darcy Fitzwilliam left her hometown of Pemberley Ohio to escape a marriage she felt forced into. She has had nothing but success, financially, in New York. When she returns home for the first time in years due to her mother's heart attack, memories and people she left behind re-enter her life.

The interesting thing about stories based around historical novels like Pride and Predjudice, is that you do, pretty much, know who will end up with who, but all the different tweaks and modernization make it have a form of added suspense and excitement. I felt that Melissa de la Cruz did a good job in developing her own characters in not only Darcy Fitzwilliam and Luke Bennett, but the added, and integral, supporting characters of Bingley Charles, Mike Bennett, Darcy's parents and family, as well as the Bennett family and Darcy's on and off boyfriend Carl Donovan add the depth of cast that you expect in a book based on a classic, which would be sorely missed if absent.

Interestingly, after having read Pride and Prejudice (Austen) so many times that its like an old friend, the addition of modern twists, and mistletoe, highlights the back and forth dynamic of the relationships of the characters. Darcy's issues with the speed of Bingley's relationship with Mike Bennett, as well as her own attraction to Luke, has all the issues you recall, but developed in a new way. Additionally, the book is from Darcy's perspective, as opposed to the traditional Bennett perspective and that creates an addition complex, Fitzwilliam, familial dynamic which is its own, unique thing.

Overall, I very much enjoyed and recommend Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe by Melissa de la Cruz, both for being it's own exciting book, but also undeniably a beloved, and apparently timeless, tale of people who let their perceived pride and prejudice get in the way of love and happiness, at least until the end.

(I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book I received for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my open and honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.)

Aware that The Hallmark Channel had acquired the film rights for the book (http://deadline.com/2016/12/melissa-de-la-cruz-three-picture-deal-brad-krevoy-television-1201876490/) I was eager to read this and share the news with our Jane Austen Society members.

An interesting modern interpretation of Jane Austen's winning tale.

As one who has enjoyed Melissa de la Cruz's YA novels in the past and one who is a big fan of Pride and Prejudice, I had high expectations for this novel. Sadly, I was a bit disappointed. If this had actually been a YA novel, as opposed to a New Adult novel, I would be satisfied, this just did not fit into my mind as an adult novel.

One may think that I didn't feel this was an adult novel because it wasn't sexually explicit, but that's not why (although it does contribute). The characters just did not seem to have the emotional development that I expect for adults. It played out much more like a Young Adult High School romance than an adult one. The only "adult" aspect was the threat of marriage on the horizon.

Aside from that, the novel was pretty short and flowed well, so it did make a cute, with minor issues, read. I will definitely continue reading Melissa de la Cruz's Young Adult novels, but I'm not sure if I'll pick up another Adult one.

I did not like this adaption of P&P. The writing was not the problem; the storyline just didn't appeal to me.